Death eBook 9.8.16

by Lila Rose

  He looked at his brothers, who all seemed sad, and then added, “We captured Kayne five years later and entombed him in a location only known to the men in this room. We then moved to wipe all written history, and he was eventually forgotten.”

  They all looked at me expectantly. My thumb and finger pinched my bottom lip before I mumbled, “Uhh… hmmm… yeah, I got nothing.” I shrugged. “Give me a moment to process?” I guessed the fact I didn’t run out of the room screaming was good, because they all, even Warren, smiled and waited as I gathered my thoughts. “So.” I cleared my throat. “Just to clarify, you all are four of the five horsemen of the Navah, who have been genetically altered to an advanced state so you may manipulate world events, thus preventing the apocalypse?”

  “Ding, ding, ding, ding. Give the girl a prize! She got it in one.” Connor triumphed with a fist pump in the air.

  I licked my lips, trying to get up the guts to ask something I was dying to know and afraid of the answer. “So, Hitler?”

  Warren groaned. “He was one of the descendants of Kayne’s original sect of followers.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. The determination of an order to survive centuries had the ability to unravel my already mushy brain. The Order, it seemed, were into some serious poop and had taken their allegiance to Decay a tad too seriously. I swallowed nervously as I continued to listen.

  “He was quite brilliant and devious. He rose through the ranks quickly and was not only the leader of the Nazi party but also the Order of Decay. It wasn’t until the war was well over that we figured out the war had actually been a decoy in order to search for Kayne undetected. We had thought we stopped them, but it looks like they were just biding their time.” I could read the disappointment dripping off every word of Warren’s last sentence. He blamed himself for dropping the ball in 1940, and for Kayne’s resulting release, that much was clear.

  Connor, never missing an opportunity to gloat, and I suspect wanting to distract Warren, which showed that Connor was actually turning out to be quite a softy when he thought no one was looking, said, “All the great depressions were my doing, but I think the Great Depression of 1929 was my favorite. The superpower nations left from World War II were getting a little big for their britches after such a huge win. After a few years of glory, they needed to be knocked down a few pegs. Well, except the Soviet Union… err, I mean the Russian Federation. Those poor bastards have been circling the bowl since the eighties.” Connor ended his boasting with a sigh.

  “All of this leads us to now, and now you know the true reason why we had you move to HQ,” Falcone, who had looked lost in memories through most of their history lesson, concluded.

  Taking another, much needed deep breath, I asked what I thought would be my final question, “Is that all? Nothing else to rock my delicate world?”

  “Well, yes, except for the whole you’re-Dean’s-mate-and-are-about-to-become-immortal thing. But that can wait till tomorrow. You look like you need a nap,” Connor informed me.

  “WHAT?” I was mistaken. I had more questions. Many, many more.

  Chapter Nine

  DEAN

  I watched as shock flashed and stayed on Julie’s face. While my stomach prepared to barf up my delicious breakfast, worry seeped into my mind. What if she wouldn’t accept me as her mate? Fuck, what would happen if she’d prefer one of my brothers? I’d have to kill them.

  Suddenly, her shock subsided, and Julie burst out into a fit of laughter. Her body shot forward and her arms wrapped around her middle as she held her stomach while her body shook from laughing so hard.

  “Oh, oh.” She breathed out on a giggle. “You guys are too funny.”

  Warren cleared his throat. “It’s not a joke, Julie.”

  “Yeah, oookay.” She smiled and rolled her eyes. I watched as all my brothers, at the same time, winced.

  Ouch wasn’t the right word for that situation. My stomach dropped to my feet and my heart plummeted to where my stomach should have been.

  Maybe she hadn’t felt what I had that morning.

  The connection.

  The heat.

  The bond.

  Shit.

  Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to compose myself before I cried like a virgin taking a huge cock. The room fell silent. I opened my eyes to see Julie looking at me.

  “You… me?” she whispered.

  Running a hand through my hair, I looked to my brothers and asked, “Can you give us a moment?”

  They all stood and started for the door. Of course, Connor couldn’t leave quietly and suggested, “Maybe do her again and then she’ll get it.”

  “Jesus,” Warren gritted out, and I heard his hand connecting with Connor’s head.

  Groaning in discomfort, my eyes went to the ceiling and stayed there until I heard the door click closed. Then, I stood from my seat and walked over to the coffee station in the corner. I took the time to make us a coffee while thinking of the best way to approach the subject.

  Taking the coffees, I placed Julie’s in front of her. She took it in both hands and offered me a smile. “So,” she started. “This isn’t really true, right?” I grimaced. “Dean,” she whispered. Regret filled her tone and her sad eyes told me she felt sorry for laughing and what she’d said.

  “Is it so hard to believe after what happened this morning?” I asked and then sipped my coffee. Even though I wanted to hold her, reach out to her while we talked about us being mated, I didn’t. She already thought it a joke and my pride was stung by it, especially after the morning we’d had.

  She bit her bottom lip and her eyes warmed when she said, “It was amazing.” Luckily, she wasn’t holding her coffee when she threw her hands up in the air and groaned. “Look, I don’t know what to think. I just learned you and your brothers are the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and the fact there’s a secret fifth brother, who’s crazy and hell-bent on taking you lot down, it seems.” She sighed raggedly. “I know I feel something between us and it’s intense in a sweet way, but my mind is a little messed-up right now, so please forgive me if I’ve found out there is yet another puzzle piece to fit in. A puzzle piece that says I’m your mate, whatever that means, but then Connor just blew my mind extra wide when he said I was immortal. What. Does. That. Mean? I swear, if this is some kind of joke, I will fry all your balls in a pan and dish them up for you all to eat.” She stood and started pacing the floor. I kind of wanted to place my hand over my balls right then. Instead, I gave her time to mumble to herself, which was what she was doing, because she was right. The information we’d shared was a lot to take in. At least she’d admitted there was something between us. A sweet something. My mouth tugged up in a smile. I hadn’t lost her just yet, at least I hoped.

  So while she paced, I watched my mate’s gorgeous frame move back and forth and hoped to Christ she’d come to accept me as her other half.

  What had happened in the kitchen wasn’t something I’d give up willingly.

  Centuries we’d known of the prophecy of our fated mates. And centuries we didn’t believe it.

  Our mates were told to be our saviors. Not only from loneliness but from ourselves. Only, we never understood why they hadn’t appeared many years before, and finally I knew; it was because they hadn’t been born yet. Weren’t needed yet, but with the release of Kayne… I guessed it meant we would each need something or someone more to help us through the coming fight.

  Our mates would bring much happiness into our lives, and would birth the next destined horsemen. The burden we carried would never be one I’d want to pass on to our child, but if they had their own mate to find, like I had, then it would be something to look forward to. Something to cherish, like I would my jewel. Even though she would deliver the future horseman Death, our lives would still continue on, and I found myself looking forward to each decade with her.

  It was strange in a way that our mates were born just for us. Everything she was appealed to me. Her
body, her face, her expressions, her hair; it made me wonder if she felt the same for me.

  Jesus. Did she? Would she?

  Taking a sip of my coffee, I realized it was cold and bitter. My stomach was in knots and my chest hurt, so I rubbed it with my palm.

  “Dean?” Julie asked, though she sounded far off.

  “Hmm,” I grunted, still rubbing my chest. My leg started bouncing up and down. Could she be happy with only me forever?

  There wasn’t a doubt I would be happy with her.

  She ran through my veins. She ran through my heart and soul.

  She was it.

  My one.

  My mate.

  “Dean, you need to breathe.” Julie’s voice sounded panicked.

  Searching for her, I discovered her kneeling in front of me. How hadn’t I noticed that? Her brows dipped low in concern.

  Taking in a big gulp of air, I asked, “What’s wrong?” Beside the fact I was being a pussy having a panic attack over my mate. If she would accept me as her mate or not. The thought of losing her crushed my senses. Not that I would tell her what had happened. I was a huge manly man after all. There was no way in hell I’d tell a soul unless I was about to kill them, because if my brothers found out I’d turned into a sniveling twat, they’d give me shit each and every day.

  She slumped back on her calves and sighed deeply, shaking her head. “You made me worry.”

  My head jerked back, faking surprise. “How?”

  She bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “Never mind.”

  My whole body sagged with relief. She’d fallen for it, at least I thought she had. Julie stood and took the seat next to me once again.

  “So,” she started, and then gave me a small smile. “This is all for real, right?”

  Nodding, I said, “Yes.”

  “Do, um, do you want to tell me how all this works?”

  Sitting straighter in the chair, I took her hand and explained, “Many centuries ago, it was prophesied we would find our true mated halves. Because of all we do for the world, it was foretold our mates would be ones to complete us in every way. Our minds would be at peace with living out an existence on earth with our mates at our sides. They would also be the ones to carry the next generation of the horsemen, leaving my brothers and me to settle into a life of acceptance, love, and tranquility.” I licked my dry lips, watching and waiting for Julie to panic again. When I saw no sign of it, I continued, “It has been so long, my brothers and I actually forgot about the prophecy. Thank fuck, after the first one hundred years passed, we leaned toward not believing it, before forgetting about it. Little did we know they hadn’t been born as yet.” I fell silent and watched my mate tap her chin, deep in thought.

  “And the”—dropping my hand from hers, she threw her hands in the air and circled them—“one who saw this as a prophecy picked me to be your mate?”

  “Yes.”

  She snorted. “I guess you lucked out.”

  My heart dropped. “What do you mean, Julie? Do you not want me?” God, I sounded like a pussy.

  She quickly shook her head. My heart slowly crept up my ribs, heading for my throat. She cleared her voice. “No, I-I mean, they could have picked anyone for you yet you got stuck with me.”

  Anger flared inside me. Glaring, I snapped, “I think they’ve done a bloody good job of it.”

  She blushed, bit her bottom lip, and looked to her lap.

  Reaching out, I took her hand in mine once more, and when I had her eyes, I asked, “Do you feel nothing for me?”

  Her blush deepened. “I, gosh, I don’t know what I feel.” I cringed. “But,” she added, “like I said, there is something. I know your touch, your voice, your scent… everything about you calls to me in a way I don’t understand.” She shrugged. “I also know I wouldn’t like another woman touching you, tasting you, and even smelling you.” She laughed without humor. “Which is crazy. I mean, I’ve never gone cray-cray over a guy like this before. However, I could honestly say I would cut a witch if they tried anything on you.”

  She rolled her eyes at my wide, smug smile. I asked, “Now can you understand my behavior at your house?” Her eyes widened, so I knew it had dawned on her. “I saw red when I felt your desire for my brother, so much so I was ready to kill him. I had to get you away from him.”

  “Wait, what? I never felt desire for Falcone.” She shook her head and then smiled. “What it was, was the desire for the feeling of being protected, safe, and comforted by another. My mother was never the nurturing type unless others were watching.”

  “So you don’t like him?”

  “Sure, I like him.” She smirked.

  I glared and rumbled, “Julie.”

  “Don’t get your jockeys in a twist.” She sat up straight and gasped. “Hang on, how did you feel what I was feeling at the time?”

  “We’re a mated pair. During extreme situations, I am able to read what you are feeling.”

  “The kitchen,” she whispered.

  Clearing my throat, I nodded. “Both of our feelings were at play in there, which was why it was so intense and… the best it has ever been.”

  “Wow, okay, ah, wow. Will it always be like that?”

  Moving my hand from gripping hers, I slowly slid my fingers up her arm and watched her body shiver. A shot of pleasure ran through both of us. When I glided my fingers into her hair, I tugged her forward and kissed her. She moaned around my mouth on hers.

  Reluctantly, I pulled back and smiled. “Yes, it will always be like that.”

  Her eyes widened. “That could just kill me.”

  Chuckling, I said, “I won’t let it.”

  She shifted back in the chair and my hand fell to my thigh. Her brows drew down before she asked, “Isn’t it all strange for you? I mean, from the gist of things, you will be stuck with me forever, and that actually means forever, right?” I nodded. “I-I, this, us. I get it, in a way, um….” While she struggled with her words, dread filled my veins. “Ah, are we actually mated? Like, is it final?”

  Sitting back, I schooled my own features and answered, “No, not until we share blood after the mating words pass our lips, and unfortunately, we don’t have the knowledge, as yet, of those words. The book has been lost.” I looked away and then back again, my posture stiff, my next words certain. “We will find the book.”

  “Share blood?” Her eyes widened a fraction in worry.

  “Not a lot. I don’t have to bite you or anything, we cut our hands and join them together.”

  Her cheeks tinted and she gave me a small nod. “Okay, so, um, would you, do you think you could give me some time to adjust to this, to process everything?” She must have seen the panic in my eyes because she added, “This has nothing to do with you. I promise. You’re handsome. You’re perfect. Even if you leave the toilet seat up, I just… this is a lot to take in when I’m worried about your fifth brother out there. He’s planning something, we all know this, and it leaves me worried—” She cut her words off.

  “What, my jewel, what leaves you worried? You know I will do anything to keep you safe. He will not harm you. I promise you this.”

  Fear flashed in her eyes. “That’s what I’m worried about. If I tie myself to you forever and he ends up managing to do something to you, I won’t survive it. The thought alone could bring me to my knees. I’m not used to feeling this way, Dean. I need time, maybe even go on a few dates, get to know one another.”

  “After the time you have, what answer will I get? Will you stay with me, bind with me and be mated with me for the rest of our lives?” Her hesitance cut me.

  “I would like to say yes, I would, but I need the time to wrap my head around a few things. Dean, please understand, I’m not shutting you out, but you have to know, have to understand, all of this is not something a normal person would hear every day.”

  Searching her face for deceit, I only saw a hunger for me to understand. Logically, I did. Though, I just had to get my heart to come to
terms with my mind. Because right then, my heart hurt when it beat. My stomach rolled with fear of losing her.

  Still, I nodded and told her what my plans would be. “Take your time, Julie. But know you will still be spending your time in my rooms.” I held up my hand before she started to say something. “I’m not saying in my bed, where I wish you to be. You’ll still be in your room, but I would like to dine together, to get to know one another, which I think would help show you, fate, and everyone that we were meant to be.” As soon as she nodded, I stood, kissed her temple, and walked out of the room.

  All I had to do was keep to my promise to give her time.

  Chapter Ten

  JULIE

  I’d waited a solid twenty minutes after Dean left before I allowed myself to move. Watching him walk away, knowing I had hurt him, was killing me on the inside. It was the single hardest thing I had ever done. My skin actually crawled with the need to follow him. Comfort him. Which scared the hell out of me, even more than any of the unrealistic stuff they’d told me. We’d only known each other two days, for Krispy Kreme’s sake!

  But even as my head told me I was right, that it was all insanely fast and, well, insane, my heart, body, and soul knew everything the four brothers told me, every word, was true. And I knew how crazy it was that I was falling fast and hard for a fantasy man of folklore. I’d gone about what I wanted wrongly. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t want what we had. I did. I just needed to process it, take the time to get to know him, in case he thought fate had chosen the wrong woman for him. Getting to know one another wasn’t so bad, was it?

  Heck. What I really needed was to get out of my head until I caught up with the rest of me. On that thought, I made my way from the meeting room to Dean’s apartment to find something to eat and to lose myself in some work.

  I was in the process of a final read through of Teresa Gabelman’s latest manuscript and was in tears of laughter when Falcone entered the room.