by Leilani Love
Aithne couldn’t help but feel hurt when Viktor ordered her to be locked away. She’d told him the truth when he asked her about who she was, and why she was working for Lazzaro. He didn’t need to know about her personal life. It wasn’t important. Besides, she felt like she needed to hold back a part of herself.
Licking her lips she closed her eyes, surprised that she could still taste him on her lips. He had kissed her in one moment, and locked her away in the next. Going to the window, she pulled back the blinds and looked down. She was not surprised to see a guard right below her, and she glared down at the top of his head.
He did not trust her, but he had kissed her. She wondered how far it would have gone if Kassandra had not walked in on them. Aithne apparently had no will to stop him once he kissed her, and she felt her cheeks heat up. Had he kissed her to get her talk more? What did that say about him? What did that say about her, since she had let him?
Pacing, she felt the need to move, as she thought about the past few days. Aithne had never failed before when it came to kidnapping someone. Not only did she fail, but she had also gotten herself captured in the process, and was now working with them. Closing her eyes, her head tilted back, and she played with a stand of her hair, twirling it around her finger as she always did when concentrating.
She had no choice. Aithne knew her sister’s life was in the balance. She could not rescue her on her own. One on one against a vampire, Aithne was confident in her abilities that she could have rescued her sister on her own. As it was, he had both vampires and werewolves for guards, not to mention a large faction of human guards hoping to impress him enough to be turned. Stupid humans.
This was her only option, but for some reason she didn’t want them around her sister. Opposite of her in almost every way, her sister had a knack for wrapping most people around her finger as soon as they met her. For some reason she found herself getting irritated with the image of her sister playing the helpless damsel to Viktor.
Kicking at one of the chairs before sitting on it, she wondered if he planned on leaving her here until they met up with Lazzaro. It was a lot nicer than her previous quarters. No dust, the bed was clean and she had no reason to complain.
Closing her eyes, Aithne took a deep breath, her mind instantly going back to sparing with Viktor in the gym. Her lips tingled and she began to wonder about her reaction to him.
When he nibbled along her neck, she had been filled with the desire to feel him bite into her neck. Her teeth had throbbed, and she had wanted nothing more than to bite him as well. She almost had. Aithne knew that most weres and shifters marked their mates by biting them. To the human eye, the bite was not there, but to other supernaturals they could clearly see the mating mark. It’s the only superficial wound that won’t heal. Fate was interesting, it would heal all other bite marks, but the one from the person’s life mate, would always remain.
Shaking away that dangerous train of thought, she took another deep breath. Would fate really be so cruel, as to have her be mated to the man she had just attempted to deceive? He was the King of the Dragons. From what she knew, every previous dragon king had mated with another dragon. Wishing wouldn’t change anything. She would just need to get over her attraction, get her sister and leave before she did anything too stupid.
Viktor, alone in his office for the first time since Aithne had tried to kidnap Chase, looked out the window and watched the setting sun. Shortly after he had Aithne taken to the room next to his, Chase had left to talk to Violca. Alone with his thoughts, he found it impossible not to think about the woman who had disrupted his life. What was he to do with her? Her fiery demeanor only fanned the flames of desire that arose in him whenever he was around her. He had never felt so many emotions, so deeply, for anyone.
Violca came to get him for dinner, interrupting his thoughts. Putting a hand on his arm, she stopped him before they got to the dining room, asking if it was necessary to lock Aithne away. Unable to help himself, he smiled at her. Her ability to forgive was endearing, but his job was to protect his people and for now, he felt it would be better to keep her under guard.
Viktor ordered a plate made for Aithne. Even though the girls heard him, they were still mad at him and let him know Aithne should be eating with them. Sighing, he wondered what Aithne would think if she saw him sitting at the table, having to defend himself to a roomful of Grey sisters who had decided he was being unreasonable.
Thinking about her brought back the vivid memory of the kiss they had shared earlier. She had responded, and he thought they were going to both explode with desire. He shouldn’t have kissed her, but he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. He had never been as frustrated as he had been when Kassandra opened the door to the gym, interrupting them. The looks the sisters were giving him, made him feel guilty and he quickly finished his dinner and headed back to his office.
Hearing a knock on the door, he shook his head and called out to enter. Looking up he saw Kassandra walk in the room. “Kat, I thought you were going to go visit your latest boyfriend?”
“Nah, we broke up already. He didn’t like my job’s busy schedule.”
Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her and detected a note of sadness he had never noticed before. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Sitting across from him, Kassandra crossed her long legs. “If a guy’s not capable of understanding my need to protect my family, he’s not for me.”
He nodded, probably understanding her words more than anyone else. “How do you share your life, when you have to save your entire species?”
Kassandra looked at him intently, her long blonde hair falling on her shoulders. “You look for a girl who understands the importance of family and is willing to stand up to you to make you a better, stronger person.” Smiling mischievously, her eyes sparkled with suppressed laughter before she said, “Someone willing to take you down when you spar.”
Viktor felt his lips curving up in a smile at her words, understanding exactly what she was saying. “You think fate would be so funny, as to send me a woman who was originally sent to take down my family?”
The sound of her laughter made him smile. “I think fate has a way of making sure you run into who you’re meant to. Aithne proved to you she was willing to do anything to save her family. Watching you with those witch sisters, she was conflicted, stuck in an impossible position. Put yourself in her shoes, and you tell me what you would do?”
“I’m at war with my brother.” Viktor said and was shocked to hear the anger in his own voice.
Kassandra smiled at him in sympathy. “Your brother and you are fighting because of a decision he made. But if he chooses a different path, you’ll be there for him.” Raising a hand to keep him from interrupting her, she continued, “You wouldn’t just forgive him, but you would give him a chance, a guarded chance. Like Aithne, you would try to keep your family safe, even now, you’re trying to protect him from his stupid decisions.”
Viktor leaned back in his chair, thinking about what she had just said. She got up and walked around his desk, kissing him on the cheek. “Don’t let her love for her sister be the reason you let her go. I stand by you because you’re my King, and have proven yourself worthy to lead our people. Don’t let your ‘duty’ get in the way of the gift that the fates have given you.”
Straightening up, Kassandra walked to the door and smiled at him once more, before walking out. Leaning back in his chair again, he thought about her words, wondering if they were true. Could the fates really have chosen to mate him with a female assassin?
Chapter 37
The sound of a loud scream piercing the air caused Viktor to shoot up out of bed. The scream came from the room next to his, and he bolted to the door, running naked out of his room. Her door was wide open and he saw the guards standing there both in fighting stances.
Aithne was lying in bed, curled up in a small ball as she sobbed quietly. The guards relaxed their stance before turning to see him. “Should we
wake her?” one of the two guards asked, his voice a mere whisper. His eyes showed sympathy for the girl crying in her sleep.
“No, you guys go ahead and go to your own rooms. I’ll watch her the rest of the night.”
The guards nodded, looking down before looking away, as he remembered he came into the room fully naked. Quickly going back to his room, he grabbed a pair of sleep pants he bought after the girls moved in, and walked quietly back to Aithne’s room. Carefully climbing in the bed behind her, he pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her hair, making soothing sounds until the crying subsided and she relaxed in his arms. Growling softly, thinking about how long she had been alive, he wondered if these nightmares had been haunting her, for her entire life.
Viktor heard Aithne whimper before she rolled toward him, cuddling up on his side, throwing her leg over his. Viktor closed his eyes, rubbing his cheek on her soft hair. Her arm tucked around him and he wrapped his arm around her waist holding her tight, sighing with satisfaction. When she rubbed her face on his chest, he held back a growl, as his cock instantly hardened.
Viktor caressed his hand up and down Aithne’s back. He tried to concentrate on anything other than how good she felt in his arms. It felt nice to hold a strong, tall woman as he lay in bed. She fit perfectly in his arms. Her scent clung to him and he closed his eyes, reminding himself of the lies she had told, and the danger she had placed Chase in, when she had attempted to hand him over to Lazzaro.
His body finally relaxed, and he felt himself falling back to sleep. He knew his dreams were going to be haunted by the fiery woman he held in his arms.
Stretching, Aithne felt an arm tighten around her, holding her close. Not quite awake, she wiggled closer to the warmth. Slowly her mind began to wake up, as she felt someone’s hot breath on the back of her neck. Her eyes blinked open, and she held her breath. She knew she went to bed alone, and tried to remember exactly what had happened the night before.
Viktor had sent her to the room next to his, and she had fallen asleep after he sent up dinner. She had been annoyed he sent up some random person with dinner, and he had ignored her the rest of the night. She had gone straight to bed after that, so how had she ended up in bed with someone?
She felt safe. That was enough to tell her that Viktor was the one holding her. Normally, the feel of someone’s arms around her when she woke, made her feel trapped, but every time Viktor had touched her, she had felt oddly secure.
Not wanting to end the moment just yet, but curious if she was right, she stretched a tiny bit and felt him tighten a little around her and mumble something. Turning slowly, she kept her eyes closed, and when she put her hand on his chest, her eyes flew open, as she realized that his chest was bare. It moved under her hand, and Aithne heard some grunts and coughing, only to look up and see Viktor’s eyes sparkling in suppressed laughter.
Hitting his chest, she started to get up, only to feel Viktor’s arms tighten around her even more. “Relax, I’m comfortable and don’t feel like moving yet.” His voice was gruff, as if he had just woken up himself.
Aithne felt his hand sliding up and down her back, and she looked up at him and saw him staring at the ceiling. The action seemed absent minded, and she wondered if he was even aware of the fact that he was doing it. “I don’t remember you coming into my room last night.”
“That’s because when I came in, you were sleeping.”
Unable to help herself she grinned up at him, as he gave her a very cocky grin. She had no doubt Viktor knew exactly what effect he had over women. Thinking about why he would come in her room while she was sleeping, she remembered the night before, when he had shown up in her cell while she was having a familiar nightmare. Glancing up at him, she fought the urge to ask, not wanting to know the answer. All she knew right now, was that she felt like she had just had the best night sleep, since forever.
Her body told her it was time to get out of bed, so she started to get up. When he tightened his arms again, she shook her head, “I need to use the…” she started to say, as she felt his arm loosen around her. Getting up, she walked to the restroom and closed the door, glad to have a small barrier between them.
Using the restroom, she splashed water on herself and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Running her fingers through her hair, she saw a toothbrush and toothpaste next to the sink, along with a brush. Freshening up, she opened the door and instantly looked toward the bed, where Viktor was still reclining. “What time is it?” she asked since there was no clock in the room.
“Just after nine.” Viktor replied, watching her as she stepped into the room. “I told them to bring up some breakfast for you. I thought you might be hungry.”
She leaned against the dresser. “Am I going to be staying in here all day?”
Viktor looked relaxed, but upon closer inspection, she noticed that all of his muscles were tense, as if he might pounce at any second. She could make out the light traces of the six pack on his stomach, and when he cleared his throat, she looked up to see his lips were curved up in a small self-satisfied smile, having caught her staring at him. “Not all day.”
With that he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got up. Walking up to her, he brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m going to take a quick shower and see if I can find you some more clothes. After that…”
Viktor’s voice trailed off, and Aithne licked her lips, her mouth going dry as she resisted the urge to just lean up and kiss him. When his eyes traveled down to her lips, she tried to take a step back, only to bump into the table behind her.
Viktor stepped back and turned toward the door. “Breakfast should be here in a few minutes. Make sure you eat, you’ll need your strength when the time comes to rescue your sister.” With that, he closed the door, leaving her all alone again.
Closing her eyes and trying to collect herself, she stared at the door. When this was all over, and her sister was safe, she would leave, never to see him again. That thought alone almost brought her to her knees. Biting her lip, she straightened her shoulders, needing to make the bed, fold her clothes, anything, just something to distract her thoughts.
Hearing a knock on the door she turned just in time to see the door open, as the guard from last night entered. She knew looks could be deceiving, but he looked like he was in his mid-forties. Since he was a dragon shifter, she guessed he was several hundred years old. Dragons aren’t immortal, but they do live for several hundred years, tending to age very slowly.
“Thank you.” Aithne told him as he set the tray on the table near the chair.
Smiling at her, his brown eyes softened a bit. “You’re welcome. It looks like you finally got some sleep.”
Looking at him and thinking about what he had just said, she twirled her hair around her finger. “I slept fine, thank you.”
With a short nod he turned to leave. The look on her face must have shown her confusion. He walked out without saying another word. The guards words and reaction to her, made her realize she must have cried out in her sleep. Sitting down, the smell of fresh bacon wafted from under the tray causing her stomach to rumble. She decided she might as well eat while she waited for him.
Chapter 38
The waiting was the hardest part. Viktor had never been patient, and had found he needed an outlet to distract himself. Several of his guards had already left to do a quick sweep of the area and get in position. The guards staying at the house were on high alert to keep a close watch on the girls. The guards that were out on different missions were on high alert to listen, and knew that if anything happened that they were to return immediately to protect the girls.
The girls knew exactly what to do in case the house was attacked while they were gone. Vehicles, burner phones, and safe houses were all set up for them. Viktor’s dad had taught him that having a plan of escape was the most important plan. Live to fight another day, his dad told him.
After giving Aithne a change of clothes, he spent the morning down i
n the basement, sparring with the guys. While it was just light sparring, they were simply going through the motions in order to relieve some tension and take their mind off of what was to come. The mood of the house was definitely tense. Even the young girls were quiet. Viktor didn’t hear them running up and down the halls like normal.
There was about an hour until they would be texting Lazzaro with the exact coordinates of where to meet. Viktor was surprised that Lazzaro had never once tried to contact her, and he picked up the phone to look at it. It was a typical burner. Aithne had no phone numbers in it, except for Lazzaro’s. No phone numbers, no pictures, nothing that made it personal.
Sitting back in his chair, he watched the light play on the windows. He had avoided going upstairs to his room. Avoided go to upstairs to her. He had the guards bring some books up to her and there was a TV in her room. Neither one of those things would occupy his mind enough before he went into battle.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he got up and paced the room. With a loud sigh, he left his office and began making his way upstairs. Taking the stairs two at a time, he got to her room and opened the door without knocking.
Viktor stopped in his tracks when he saw her sitting in the middle of the floor. Her legs crossed, her eyes closed as she took slow and deep breaths. Standing in the doorway, he smiled when she finally opened her eyes to look at him. “If you’re done, you can come downstairs. We need to leave now. Chase will text Lazzaro while we’re driving.”
Slowly unfolding her long legs, he watched as she stood. Viktor had found her some dark clothes to wear; black yoga pants and a plain black t-shirt. Violca also gave him a hair tie for her to use. Aithne had put her hair in a long braid that hung all the way down her back, the tip just brushing the curve of her ass.