“Alone, I hope.”
“For now.” She was quiet over the line. “So…I have some news.”
I snorted. “What would that be?”
“Randor texted me.”
“And?”
“Apparently, an unknown black-haired Elf showed up in the Light realm tonight.” She cleared her throat. “Know anything about that?”
I sighed. Kenna was now known to them. It wasn’t in the ultimate plan of keeping her safe, but it had been needed. One evil against a lesser evil. I had picked and the consequences were here now. “She’s okay?”
“She is,” Susan answered instantly. “But you may want to brace yourself. I have more news.”
My white brows furrowed. “What?”
She hesitated.
“What?”
“Your daughter found her mate.”
I sucked in a harsh breath. “In the Light realm?” Oh God, this was good news. Maybe I had been wrong all along about my precious daughter and her predilection for chaos. “Why do you sound worried? This means she’s a Light Elf.”
Susan hummed. “Well, that is definitely in her favor now, and she did find the Light realm on her own.” Not really. “But her mate…it’s Julius.”
I froze completely. “Huh?”
“Our leader. Julius. She mated with him.”
“Uh…”
A passing beat of silence. “Juliet?”
“Uhm.” He’s too powerful!
“Breathe.”
I inhaled heavily, then coughed on dust. Tiny particles of dirt rested on my tongue, and I swallowed them down on a scratchy throat, the sure burn not even noticed. I stared, blinking into the dark, not seeing a damn thing. “I’m calling in that favor you owe me.”
Easy. “Name it.”
Kenna.
“Watch over my daughter anytime she’s in the Light realm. I don’t want her getting too ‘close’ to Julius before her Blood Tree.”
“You want me to friend her?”
I clarified, “And protect her.”
She chuckled. “Done. But he won’t touch her before her Blood Tree. He’s a stronger man than that.” She paused, clicking her tongue inside her mouth. The constant popping grated on my nerves. “So you’re not mad at me anymore?”
“No. Your debt will be paid on her Blood Tree.”
“Deal.”
My thoughts swirled with worry, honed directly on my daughter. But I asked absently, “Did you know the man I slept with?”
“You sure you want to know? You didn’t ask then.”
“I didn’t think you knew him. You never said.”
Her words were soft. “I do. I’ve seen him around a few times.”
I closed my eyes. “What’s his name?”
“Are you really sure you want to know?”
“Yes. Just tell me.” My gut churned in unease, a sickly punch of dread creating small beads of sweat on my forehead.
She didn’t stall. Blunt. “His name is Samuel.”
My head dropped, and I hissed, “Jesus.”
“Close to but a wee bit darker.”
Kenna’s father was the original Dark Elf.
Their leader. The most powerful.
And scary as fuck.
My decision was so easy it was laughable. “I think I’m going to take a promotion I’ve been offered. We’ll be moving soon.”
We would keep moving. Kenna would hate it, but so be it. Her adolescent anger was nothing compared to saving her soul. Her father wouldn’t catch us again from my own stupidity; his claws wouldn’t be hooked into my daughter before her Blood Tree.
“My daughter will be a Light Elf. I swear it.”
Age 36
I glanced at my watch. This date was a bad idea, a complete step out of my comfort zone. Not to mention, this human would probably stick me with the check—not that this dingy, poorly lit restaurant would be expensive. “We’re going to miss the movie if we don’t hurry. The theater is clear across town.” The romantic comedy feature would be the only highlight of my date night if this pathetic dinner were any indication. And I had been waiting for this movie for four months. “Maybe you can tell the waitress that you don’t need that other beer you ordered?”
Jeremy leaned forward on his chair, resting his forearms on the table between us. His deep brown eyes ran over my bright orange wig, and then more gradually over my features. His soft Southern accent was an intimate rumble when he spoke. “I thought we could skip the movie.”
Oh, hell no.
My lips curved into a polite smile. “I don’t think so.”
His head cocked. “Too soon?”
I couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped. “You tell me, Jeremy. How do you think our first date is going so far?”
He sat back on his chair and crossed his arms. Shrugged. “Not great, but not bad either.”
“So…you think that’s an indication for us to jump into bed together?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course.”
A brown brow lifted. “I got the impression that’s what you wanted when you asked me out.” He waved a hand at the barely eaten entrees before us. “That’s why I mentioned this horrible diner. It’s only five minutes from my house, but it has a great selection of alcohol.”
My lips pinched, and I quieted. My white brows puckered. “Did I seem that hard up?”
His right hand lifted, and teetered back and forth. “A little.”
“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “I am sorry for that. It wasn’t my intention.”
His resulting smile was easygoing. “Don’t worry about it. It’s good that we both know what the other wants now.” A finger flick at me. “You wanted a companion for the night.” His finger pointed to his chest. “I wanted a companion for the night.” He laughed gently. “Perhaps we’ll both get what we want by the end of the date with the confusion cleared up.”
My own lips twitched. “You’re really direct, aren’t you?”
His grin increased. “Only to beautiful women. I know what I want when I see it.”
The warmth in my cheeks burst into life, leaving me flushed. I glanced down and played with the napkin on my lap. I hadn’t been complimented like that in…forever. Maybe this date wasn’t such a bad idea. A small smile played on my lips as I raised my head, my mouth open to reciprocate his kindness.
But I froze.
Any thought of a pleasant evening was shoved aside with the arrival of one man.
My mouth snapped shut with a jarring click, and my eyes flew wide in shock. The beating of my heart pounded all the way into my head, booming a heinous rhythm behind my eyes. I placed my right hand on my forehead and used my fingers to rub it, pushing the dizziness aside. It wouldn’t be enjoyable to regurgitate my atrocious dinner right now, so I swallowed down the bile that rose in the back of my throat.
Jeremy’s brows snapped together, his eyes on mine, before he twisted around on his chair, following my frightened stare. When his gaze merely landed on a black cashmere sweater, his head tilted back to eye the intruder of our evening. “Can I help you?”
Samuel placed his right palm on Jeremy’s shoulder. My stomach flinched, a whisper of Dark power charging the air, sizzling and electric—and cruel. Samuel’s grip on my date tightened, his words crisp. “You can leave.”
Jeremy’s blue eyes glazed over. His frame swayed on his chair. He didn’t peer away from Samuel, his regard caught on his trap of influence. Jeremy nodded with a jerk of his head. His tone was soft as if children were sleeping nearby and he was whispering into their dreams. “Yes, I will go.”
“Now.” Samuel smacked his shoulder. Twice. Hard. “And don’t speak with Juliet again.”
“I won’t speak with Juliet again.” My date stood from his chair on wobbly legs. He pivoted around Samuel and staggered straight to the door, bumping a few tables as he went. The other customers grabbed their teetering glasses and watched him leave, their scowls fully in place at the rudeness.
/> All while Samuel sat on my date’s vacated chair, his dark eyes hard on mine.
Holy. Fuck.
The waitress stopped at our table, confusion clearly shadowing in her hazel eyes, the ice-cold mug of dark liquid in her right hand. “Um…did the other guy leave?”
“I’ll take that,” Samuel murmured. He raised his hand and took the beer from her, his gaze never leaving mine. “And I’ll take the check for their dinner.” He flicked his free hand at her. “You can go now.”
She blinked, and then hurried away, her brown uniform shirt quickly disappearing.
Any remaining flush that might have pinked my cheeks was long gone. I stammered, “What are you doing here?”
Samuel took a sip of the beer, eying me over the edge of the glass. “Remarkably, I’m here for the same reason your companion was.” He wiped a bit of beer from the corner of his mouth. “He was an amusing fellow.”
My eyebrows lowered. “You were spying on us?” I sat back on my chair and blinked. “And what do you mean you’re here for the same reason?”
Samuel sat the beer down on the table and pushed Jeremy’s plate aside. He placed his clasped hands on the table, those dark eyes of his filled with unsheathed rage, holding me perfectly still. “Would you like the long version or the short version?”
I couldn’t breathe with him staring at me like that. “Uh.”
Samuel smiled, baring his perfect white teeth. “I’ll go with the long version.”
I was pretty sure he wanted to tear me apart. “That’ll do.”
“You see, Juliet, you are a terrible liar. I knew something was off at your house, so I had my men look into you more. Your past was fuzzy with hardly any details, since you left the Light realm on the night of your Blood Tree.”
I swallowed on a dry throat and gripped the edge of my chair, my fingernails digging into the hard metal on the side. “Okay. Your point?”
“My men mentioned one important clue to your odd behavior. You have a teenage daughter.”
I stared. Tried to breathe.
His voice was a low growl. “My daughter.”
Sweat beaded on my forehead. “I don’t know what you—”
“Shut up, Juliet,” he snapped. His thumbs tapped together, scanning my hooded gaze. “You can cut the bullshit. As soon as they told me she had black hair, I took over the investigation. I know she’s mine. I ran a DNA test on her before your first move.”
My mouth snapped shut, a fire erupting inside my gut. I slammed a hand down on the table and hissed, “How the fuck did you do that?” She was mine to protect. I couldn’t have failed her.
“Do not take that tone with me,” Samuel demanded, his jaw clenching. He unlinked his fingers and fisted his hands on the table. “You have no idea just how close you were to being eternally tortured at my hands. You’re damn lucky that you’re a wonderful mother to our child.” His dark eyes flayed my flesh. “And you’re young. It wasn’t hard to figure out what you were doing hiding her from me.”
“I was keeping her safe,” I ground out between my teeth.
“You thought you were. Hence why you aren’t nailed to my bedroom wall.” He shook his head and pulled his hands into his lap, relaxing back onto his chair. “What you have yet to learn about our people is that nurture only goes so far. What an Elf is lies within the nature of the person. You can’t stop an individual from being Light or Dark. It is who they are at conception.”
I snorted. Glared. “She will be a Light Elf.”
“That is doubtful. You’re the weakest Light and I’m the most powerful Dark. You’re still young while I’ve been around since the Garden of Eden. Who do you think has the stronger genes?”
He’s wrong. She still has a chance.
My lips pinched. “You still haven’t explained how you ran the DNA test.”
He hummed softly. “I snuck into your home a week after we spoke. I stole hair samples from her brush.” His nostrils flared. “You moved soon after that. And you kept moving. Each time you picked a new place to hide, it took me a while to find you on my own. But each time, I did. I watched and evaluated, taking my time to resolve what to do with you.”
My eyes flicked between his. I inhaled heavily and exhaled slowly. “And what did you decide?”
“That’s why I’m here.” He cracked his neck. “I have a deal to make with you.”
Gradually, I crossed my arms. “And if I don’t take it?”
His lips curved. “You’ll be nailed to that wall I spoke of.”
“Tell me what the damn deal is.” I sighed in defeat.
“There are a few conditions.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I can’t change what has already been done. So going forward, one, you are a good mother so I won’t interfere with what you’re doing with Kenna—even though it won’t help—as long as you stop running and hiding. I’ll only enter her life under a false name and gradually get to know her and watch over her from afar. With the changes she’s been through in the past few years, I think it would overload our daughter and confuse her further to know about me. But only for right now. After her Blood Tree, whether she turns out Light or Dark, you will tell her I’m her father. I want to be a part of her life.”
My jaw clenched. “Do you know Julius is her mate? He won’t like this.”
“Yes, I know about Julius. And you won’t tell him.”
I closed my eyes for a few moments before opening them again and grabbed my glass of water. I took a large gulp to wet my dry throat. “What else?”
“Two, you will no longer allow another man into your bed.”
I choked on the water, shoving the glass back onto the table. “Excuse me?”
He ignored my surprise, commenting easily, “That brings us to number three. You will be available to me for sex anytime I wish.”
“I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
His smile was crooked and cruel. “Don’t fret. You heard me just fine.”
The waitress stopped at our table. I didn’t look at her. My vision was honed on the Dark Elf directly in front of me—and on the words he had spoken. She glanced between us, noticing our silent exchange of a stare off before mutely placing the bill down in front of Samuel and scurrying off like a frightened deer.
When she was out of earshot, I muttered, “Are you out of your damn mind?” He was old. Perhaps insanity had finally taken hold—even though Elves were supposed to be immune to that. “Why in the world would you want to have private sex privileges with me?”
He tilted to the side and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. It was the first time his eyes ventured away from mine. The original Dark Elf studied the bill as he said, “I thought I couldn’t produce offspring. Kenna is my first child.” He scratched his chin absently. “Forever is a long time to live without children.”
My jaw went slack at his humbling honest confession.
His first child?
Damn. I was in serious trouble.
He placed a hundred dollar bill on the table and cleared his throat, putting his wallet away. Only then did his attention lift back to mine, holding that same fire of wrath in his dark eyes. “And you, Juliet, are the woman who gave me that child.”
My gaping jaw snapped shut. Fuck me. “You want to have more children. With me.”
His nostrils flared. “I do. And with the way you’ve been looking at other human babies more recently, I know you’re not against having more children.”
I shook my head. “What if Kenna turns out Light? What if…” Holy mother fuck. “What if any additional children we produce have white hair? And turn out Light, too?”
He shook his head, his jet-black hair brushing his cheeks. “Even though I truly believe that is unlikely given our birthright, I wouldn’t give a shit. I want more children. Light or Dark, I don’t care.” Samuel’s eyes narrowed on mine. “What will you do if Kenna is Dark?”
I snorted. “I’ll love her just the same. I only wish for her to be Light. It’s a healthier li
fe.”
“So you think.” He practically rolled his eyes. “Tell me, why haven’t you returned to the Light realm with Kenna? They know about her now. What’s stopping you from this ‘healthier’ lifestyle?”
I blinked. “You know I was talking about the energy we need to live.”
“I know.” He shrugged. “I thought I could find out the truth about you, though.”
“My parents are assholes.” I left it at that. “Back to this deal. You really can’t be serious.”
“I am.” Again with that wicked, crooked smile. “You’ll agree, too.”
“Bullshit. What if I just send Kenna to the Light realm to live until her Blood Tree?”
A black brow quirked. “Do you really trust Julius to keep his hands off his mate if she’s by his side constantly for another four years?”
I ground my teeth together. “Do you always have an annoying answer?”
“I like to know my prey before I go hunting.” His lips twitched. “Your answer would be?”
“I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I.”
“Then let’s not do it.”
A patient, humored word. My name. So much meaning behind it. “Juliet.”
“Dammit!” I tossed my napkin on the table. “Fine. You have a damn deal.”
Unlocking the front door to my home, I finally spoke. “When I agreed to this, I didn’t think you meant right now. I thought you meant, like on full moons when we couldn’t help it.” The car ride had been dead silent. Even when I ran a red light and cars honked on all sides, lost in my own nervous thoughts, we hadn’t spoken. “Kenna will be home before long.”
Samuel grunted. “I know. She usually gets home around eleven on a week night from the Light realm.” He followed me inside, locking my door behind us. “My guards will notice if I’m gone too long so we’ll make this quick.”
“You could at least pretend like you don’t spy on us.” I blinked. “Wait. Your security team doesn’t know where you are?”
He raised a black, lazy brow. “I’m reasonably sure I can take care of myself.” His right hand reached for my purse, taking it off my shoulder. He tossed it across the room where it landed heavily on the recliner. “Anytime I come near you or Kenna, I leave my guards behind. No one knows about my relationship with her.”
Blood Tree: Silver Edition Page 10