“What do you mean groupies?”
“The king is nothing without a queen, and it’s rumored that Rydian is looking for one, and every female wants to be the lucky woman picked.”
They wanted to marry him. “He doesn’t seem too interested.”
“No,” Deacon said dryly. “He doesn’t.” He licked the juice off his fingers.
Even though I knew he wasn’t trying to be sensual, the action had my pulse racing. I dropped my attention to my own plate. What the heck was wrong with my libido recently?
“Taking a queen means he’ll grow in power, but it also means he’ll have to share that power. You see that ring on his left hand?”
I flicked my gaze back up the table and checked out the dark stone on Rydian’s finger. “Yeah.”
“They say that’s the source of the royal power.” He leaned in, sending shivers skating over my skin. “They also say—"
“So, tell us, brother, how did the scouting fare today?” Julian asked loudly and boisterously, cutting Deacon off.
The whole room fell into pin-drop silence, and then Rydian spoke for the first time.
“Come along next time, and you can experience it for yourself.” His voice was a deep, gravelly rumble that vibrated through me. “It’s about time you ventured out of royal waters.” There was a mild admonishment in the king’s words. “After all, you are the captain of the guard.”
“And I guard our royal waters just fine.”
“You can’t guard something when you don’t understand the threats that circle it.”
“There are no threats,” Julian scoffed. “There have been no kelpie sightings for over a decade.”
“Just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean they cease to exist.”
Kelpies? I looked to Deacon, but he was sitting back in his seat, posture and expression one of relaxed nonchalance.
Julian was silent.
“And how is our guardian settling in,” Rydian asked. “Do you like the reef room?”
It took a second to realize that he was talking to me, and then my gaze shot up to meet his. It was a fraction of a second, if that, but there was definitely an eye lock. I caught a flare of black pupil, and then I dropped my lids to cut the connection.
Nothing happened. Thank God. Relief unspooled inside me. “I decided to stay with Deacon and Emory.”
He was silent for so long that there was no choice but to look up at him. I focused on the lower half of his face.
“And why is that?”
Why was that? Was he serious? Did he not know what his brother was up to? “Because your brother gives me the creeps, and I don’t intend to be alone with him. I don’t intend to be another one of his victims.”
Tension crackled around the room and murmurs drifted up and down the table.
“How dare you?” Julian sneered. “What are you accusing me of exactly?”
The guardian’s frightened expression came to mind, her frozen face at the sight of her tormentor and her impotence.
There was no issue meeting Julian’s glare because my insides were on fire with rage. “I’m accusing you of being a smarmy creep.” I placed my palms on the table and stood, body vibrating with indignation. “I’m accusing you of being a sexual predator and violating guardians. I’m accusing you because for some reason they’re unable to do so.”
Deacon was no longer lounging in his seat. In fact, he was standing right beside me.
Julian pulled himself to his feet, his eyes blazing, ready to defend himself some more, but it was Rydian who spoke next.
“This is a grave accusation.” The king’s tone was soft and lethal. “Do you have any proof?”
I kept my gaze fixed on Julian. “Your brother does something to his victims to prevent them from confirming what their fellow guardians suspect.”
“It’s true,” Deacon said.
Julian’s jaw clenched and his nostrils flared. “They’re lying.”
“Then you have nothing to be concerned about, do you?” Rydian’s tone was cold. “And we don’t entertain such accusations without solid proof. You should be aware of that, Councilman Deacon. Educate your guardian. Teach her some manners.”
That was it? The heat that had been simmering in my chest bubbled over, and I turned my head to glare right at the king. “Or maybe you should teach your brother to keep his hands to himself.”
“Echo.” Emory grasped my hand, attempting to pull me back into my seat.
“Oh, dear,” Deacon drawled.
Oh, dear, all right, because my gaze was locked with Rydian’s, and his face was frozen in shock which echoed mine. Where was the spike in my pulse? Where were the claws that dug into my mind, ready to shred.
There was no fear. Why was there no fear?
And then the room erupted in a cacophony of sound, and everyone was talking at once, but I couldn’t tear my gaze from the sea king’s. His white irises bloomed with black, drawing me in, and even though they were strange to look at, they weren’t repulsive.
“Quiet.” Rydian didn’t even raise his voice, but the room was instantly silent.
All except Julian. “How is this possible? How can she—”
“Out,” Rydian said. “Everyone but the guardian and her entourage, leave. Now.”
Chairs were pushed back, and the sea dwellers exited the room, all except Julian.
“You too, little brother,” Rydian said.
“But—”
Rydian finally broke eye contact with me to focus on his brother, but the reluctance to do so was etched into his face. “Out. Now.”
Julian snapped his mouth shut. His jaw ticked, but then he inclined his head and strode out of the room.
Rydian’s shoulders sagged, and he turned his attention back to me. “No one has ever looked me in the eye and been unaffected. So, tell me, guardian. How are you doing this?”
Chapter 12
There was eagerness and more than a hint of desperation in Rydian’s voice, and my mind was already working on the problem. The answer was so obvious that I let out a short laugh.
“The runes.” I lightly touched Emory’s shoulder. “This must be because of the runes.”
Emory’s frown cleared. “Yes.”
“Runes?” Rydian sat forward in his seat. “Explain.”
I filled him in on my almost demise and the runes Emory had etched into my skin to protect me and help me heal.
“Obsidian squid ink?” The king rubbed his jaw. “Who would have thought it could have such powerful properties.” He canted his head. “Obsidian squid are rare. How did you get the ink?”
Emory shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. But I used the last drops on Echo.”
There was a gleam in Rydian’s eyes as he stood and walked around the table toward me. He towered over me, and I had to step back and lift my chin to meet his eyes. He held out his hand to me, and the look on his face wasn’t commanding, it was almost tentative. I laid my palm against his, and he covered my hand with his larger one.
“Thank you, Echo.” His words were saturated with sincerity.
He knew my name. “What for?”
“For giving me hope.” His lips curved in a soft smile. “You can’t imagine how lonely existence is when you can’t make eye contact with the people around you. So many times I wished I’d just been born blind. Instead, I was able to see and watch everyone avert their gazes every time I entered a room, watch them duck their heads in fear. I was part of the crowd, but it felt as if I was being shunned.”
“You don’t control it?” Deacon sounded stunned. “We always assumed …”
“Yes, and I let you. I preferred for you to think I had control. But no. This has been my curse since birth. My mother was the only one who could look into my eyes and not be terrorized by her own demons. When she was gone, I was truly alone.”
I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be able to see but not be able to have anyone look you in the eye. It was a new kind of torture.
/>
“I’m so sorry.” I squeezed his hand. “That must have been so hard.”
“Thank you.” His gaze was penetrating. “I’d like to show you the palace tomorrow if you’re free.”
This wasn’t about me; it was about the fact that he could connect with me in a way he couldn’t with anyone else. I would be gone in a couple of weeks; the least I could do was give him this.
I grinned at him. “Nope. Not busy. Well, not unless the dwelling is suddenly attacked.”
His smile was stunning. It gave me pause as it transformed his face from austere to compellingly beautiful.
“You should smile more.” The words popped out before I could stop them.
He inclined his head. “I’ll take that under advisement.”
There were no horror vibes coming off this guy. Instead, I felt completely at ease. It made no sense how he could be related to Julian.
My smile dropped. “I wasn’t lying about Julian.”
Rydian let go of my hand and sighed. “It’s not the first time I’ve heard these rumors. I’ve confronted him, but he denies having done anything wrong, and no one will speak against him.”
“Because he plants suggestions in their mind.”
“He has no such gift,” Rydian said.
“Maybe not on nephilim, but is it possible he could affect humans …”
Rydian sighed. “I wanted to believe him. He’s the only family I have left …” He stroked his beard. “Please, allow me to deal with this in my way.”
I nodded. “My gut is usually spot-on about people, and it tells me you’re a man of your word.”
He met my gaze again, and his smile was wry. “Yes, Echo. That I am.” He indicated my plate. “You’ve hardly touched your food. Please, sit.”
He wandered back to his place, and I took my seat.
“Eat,” Emory said sternly.
I picked up some algae and popped it in my mouth. Flavor bloomed on my tongue, and my stomach grumbled, reminding me that, yes, I was hungry. Deacon, Emory, and Rydian conversed around me, but my mind was still on Julian.
I’d seen the fire in his eyes when I’d called him out, and he’d find a way to make me pay.
I just had to make sure that when he did, I was ready.
Emory closed the door to our quarters. The swim back hadn’t been quite as nerve-wracking as the one there, and damn, I needed to get out of this suit and into normal clothes. I headed into my room, closed the door, and quickly changed out of the sea suit and into sleep shorts and a vest. What now? Did we hang out? Did we just go to sleep?
But after the evening we’d just had, my body was too wired to shut down.
Emory was already in the lounge area when I slipped out of my room. He was on the sofa with a book. He’d donned a vest and his regular yoga pants, but his hands were still clad in his black gloves, which couldn’t make turning the pages of the book easy. Did he wear them to bed? How sensitive was his touch to other people’s thoughts?
I took the seat beside him. “Do you have to wear the gloves all the time? I mean … can you shut it down?”
He looked up in surprise and then down at his gloved hands as if seeing them for the first time. “I can, but it takes an awful amount of concentration. Concentration which I’d rather use to keep Gideon in check.”
I studied the clean lines of his face, a face that was serene and calm but could be animated and devilish when Gideon was in charge. “What’s going to happen?”
I didn’t need to elaborate. He knew what I was referring to.
He set the book on his thighs. “I don’t know, Echo.” He looked suddenly tired, resigned.
Was Gideon listening? “Can he hear us?”
“Not right now. He’s deep in the dark right now.”
I moved closer to Emory. “What if you could make friends with him? Come to an arrangement to share time out of the dark.”
Emory’s mouth twisted in irony. “I hardly think he’ll be amenable to that. I kept him locked in the dark for years. He’s determined to have his time in the light.”
But he’d retreated when I’d asked—not without being crude about it, but still. “Maybe … maybe I can talk to him?”
Emory’s smile dropped. “No. You stay away from him, Echo. If you have to use arcana on him, then you do it. I don’t … I can’t trust him with you.”
There was a lump in my throat. “Because he wants me.”
Emory closed his eyes. “Yes,” he said softly. “He wants you, Echo.” His fist clenched in his lap.
I swallowed the lump. “Do you want me?” Shit, where had that come from, but now that it was out, the pulse was thudding hard in my throat.
Emory sat frozen for an age, and then he slowly opened his eyes and looked right into mine. “Yes, Echo. Yes, I do, and that only makes things worse.”
I let out the breath I was holding. “You said … last time you said …”
He leaned forward, so our faces were close enough for our breath to mingle, close enough for me to see the stars in his eyes. “I lied.”
The door to Emory and Deacon’s shared room opened, and Deacon padded in. My mouth dropped open at the sight of him. With his golden hair loose and spilling about his shoulders, black T-shirt hugging his lithe torso, and gray yoga pants hanging off his slender hips he no longer looked like the put-together, aloof Sanguinata. He was changed into something pantherine—casual and relaxed. He arched a brow as if to say, do you like what you see, and then took a seat opposite us.
Emory sat back, taking his heat with him.
“So, how should we while away the time?” Deacon asked, his tone husky.
My pulse sped up as images of things we could be getting up to flitted through my mind. Naked, sweaty things, and because my mind couldn’t decide who should star in my little fantasy it had added them both. I ducked my head, thanking the powers that be that Emory wasn’t touching me right now. I needed to get my libido in check.
Emory reached into his pocket and tugged out a packet of cards. “Shall we play?”
“Perfect.” Deacon reached for the cards.
Great. Cards. Yes. Cards I could do. Cards were safe.
The next few days trapped in this room with these two guys were going to be a challenge. It had been easy to ignore my feelings, to explain them away when we’d had a whole Hive to lose ourselves in, but in such close quarters, ignoring the tension that crackled between us was going to be much harder.
A soft groan drifted in through my door, followed by another then another. I recognized that sound, it was the sound of pleasure, the sound of sex. My pulse quickened as I slipped from the bed and padded out into the lounge. Deacon and Emory’s door was ajar, and the grunts and groans grew louder and more frenzied. I should leave, go back to my room, but I needed to see. I had to see because a heat was blooming between my thighs, aching and throbbing along with each sigh and moan.
I stepped closer and peered inside the room, and my heart almost stopped with the beauty of it. Emory lay sprawled on his front, naked, his bare hands fisted in the covers, eyes closed in ecstasy as Deacon thrust into him, long, slow strokes that elicited wrenching moans.
Deacon’s top lip was pulled back to expose his fangs, and his hips moved in perfect rhythm. They were beautiful, they were—
Deacon looked up and locked gazes with me, and then he picked up the tempo, thrusting harder, faster until Emory was bucking beneath, crying out as he came.
Deacon’s tongue flicked out to lick at his bottom lip, his gaze inviting.
I took a step forward and entered the room just as Emory opened his eyes blazing gold, and Gideon licked his lips.
“I’m going to devour your sweet pussy,” Gideon said.
His deep, gravelly voice licked at my intimate place, sending a sweet shock through me.
Deacon leaned forward, his aqua gaze fixed on me. “Touch yourself. Touch yourself for me.”
I awoke with a start, my hand already in my pants, fingers alread
y slick with my juices. It didn’t take long, just a couple of strokes and I was coming, lips pressed together to bite back my cry as I rode the wave. I lay there panting, blood rushing in my ears as my body recovered from the orgasm.
This was bad, this was messed up. I had enough on my plate without introducing more love interests into my life; despite what Micha had said, I just wasn’t sure my heart could do all that emotional juggling.
I closed my eyes and summoned his face, his ember eyes, his touch, and imagined him wrapped around me and allowed his phantom snuggles to soothe me. My heartbeat slowed to steady and even, and then there was a tickle in my mind. Lyrian peeking in to see if I was okay. I opened the door from my side.
I had a strange feeling, he said.
I had a strange dream.
He was silent for a long beat. Micha told me about Deacon and Emory. It’s all right, Echo. Don’t hold yourself back for us. We understand.
But I wasn’t sure I did, not completely. It feels selfish and greedy.
It’s not. It’s the natural way for our kind.
Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?
Always.
With Micha’s phantom form wrapped around my body and Lyrian’s soothing presence in my mind, I allowed myself to drift. A question filled my mind just as sleep was about to pull me under.
Had Lyrian found out any more about the missing people?
Chapter 13
Finn
Mina paces the study floor. “Well, the Protectorate patrols have been increased. They say the missing humans are in quarantine. I made some enquiries, but so far no one can confirm that to be true, and Nora is still in lockdown. There has to be a connection.”
“Lupinata don’t need humans. What could the connection be there?”
“I don’t know.”
“There has to be some way of getting more information on the Crescent pack’s plan. What does your father say?”
“He says he has ears in the rival packs. He says to hold off until after the alphas meet.”
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