“If I could take it back, I would. I really would,” Aric was quick to say. The pain in his voice felt like a vise around Divina’s heart.
She pushed through it. “But the other part me is so drawn to you. I can’t describe the need to be around you, the feelings of need and comfort and safety. They war with how mad I am.” Divina knew she didn’t make sense. She’d practically driven herself crazy trying to sort through it all. “It’s like my heart says one thing, and my head says another.”
“You should be mad at me,” he agreed with her, and it was so disarming that she stared at him like she didn’t understand his words. “What I did was awful, and no excuse will make it okay. I can’t undo it. All I can do is try to be the best mate to you that I know how to be. Unfortunately, that looks like an overprotective asshole. If you’ll let me, I’ll spend whatever time you give me to do better. To be better.”
CHAPTER 25
With his hands shoved in the pockets of his dark-wash, cuffed jeans, Rori scuffed his tan, steel-toed boot along the sidewalk as he paced. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this nervous. Every twig snap, every flap of a wing, every pair of headlights that passed drew his attention. He was sure the hypervigilance would have given him a heart attack if it were possible.
Divina had reached out to him for help. What mess could she have gotten into that she would need his help? In all the years he had known her, she had never asked for his help. Granted, she had needed it on a few occasions, but she’d never asked for it. Perhaps it was the fact that it was such an uncharacteristic move on her part that had him worried.
Rori pulled out his phone from his vest pocket. He’d arrived at the meeting spot, a small park, a half hour early. Seeing the time, he scanned the black streets once more. With the night vision of a nocturnal predator, Rori saw the place as though it were lit by the noonday sun.
She’d chosen a quiet town, not quite off the grid but a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of New Orleans. The buildings were run-down, with chipping paint and cracked foundations from Hurricane Katrina. Overgrown grass in some yards signaled abandonment by their human dwellers. Beat-up clunkers were parked outside some of the homes. Not many would come here willingly. Perhaps that made it the perfect place to hide.
Rori heard the rumble of an engine before it turned into two beaming headlights. Holding up his hand to shield his eyes, he couldn’t make out the driver. Tucking his phone away, he took a deep breath. He was there to help her, and in exchange for his help, he’d ask her for a second chance—after he apologized, of course. He couldn’t forget his apology. Just because she asked a favor of him didn’t mean she owed him anything. He’d never quid-pro-quo her.
The driver killed the lights, but Rori still saw spots, which he tried to blink away. The creak of the door opening pierced the night, followed by a second creak. Two clunking slams sounded before Rori realized she wasn’t alone. His eyes darted from the driver to the passenger.
The lumberjack wolf sauntered toward him. To his left, dwarfed by the wolf’s height, was his Divina, dressed in a flowing green and brown tie-dye cotton maxi dress that went to her ankles. She frowned, and worry lines creased the corners of her eyes. It wasn’t a look Rori enjoyed.
Rolling his shoulders back, unconsciously puffing out his chest, he attempted to appear more confident than he felt. Even with the wolf, she had come to him for help. He had to remember that. Though Esmine’s words taunted him in the back of his mind.
“The wolf has claimed her. There is nothing you can do. Focus on your throne.”
Narrow hazel eyes rimmed with gold locked onto Rori. The wolf’s mouth tightened as the muscles in his jaw twitched. If Rori listened hard enough, he could hear the grinding of the wolf’s teeth. He tried not to focus on him. Divina had asked Rori to be there. His focus should be on his love.
Forcing a smile, Rori outstretched his arms toward her. Taking a step forward awarded him a growl from the wolf. Their greeting hug was far too brief before she stepped back from him. Ringing her hands, Divina tried to manage her nervous energy. Glancing at the wolf, she shook her head before turning her attention back to Rori. Regarding the two curiously, Rori tucked his hands into his pockets.
As he scanned Divina, he saw it. Beside the two small puncture marks he had left on her neck, along the thick blue vein of her jugular, were two dotted crescents forming a lopsided oval. A bite. Rori couldn’t take his eyes off the scabbed and reddened marks. He swore the lazy beat of his heart stopped. Slightly parting his lips, not quite slack-jawed, Rori turned his attention to Divina’s face and canted his head.
Her hands came up then. One cupped her elbow and the other covered the mark on her shoulder. Another grumble came from the wolf, louder that time. Rori shook his head. It couldn’t be true.
“The wolf has claimed her. There is nothing you can do. Focus on your throne.”
Fury bubbled in Rori, and he balled his hands into fists at his sides. How could she have done this to him? Didn’t she know he loved her? She should know he would give up the chance to rule for her. Everything was for her!
“You lured me here to flaunt it in my face,” Rori seethed, unable to hold back.
“What?” Divina gaped at him. Brows knit together, her eyes darted from him to the wolf. “It’s not like that.”
“Like what, Divina?” Rori sneered. “I have eyes. Damn good ones. I see the mark.” He’d known she’d found the wolf, but Rori thought she’d run from him, too. He didn’t know the wolf had claimed her.
Divina rubbed the mark, her hand still covering it. “I didn’t lure you here. I need your help.”
He ignored her statement. “Do you have any idea what I’m willing to give up for you?” Rori snorted. She needed to know. She needed to know what she gave up in him for the mongrel.
“I never asked you—”
“Emperor,” Rori interrupted her. “I’m walking away from the throne for you. I want to be with you. I want you for eternity.”
The wolf shot forward then, thrusting himself between Rori and Divina. He pushed her behind him. The wolf’s eyes were pure with golden rage. Baring his teeth, he glared down at Rori. “Mine,” the wolf snarled.
Sneering at the wolf, Rori stepped closer. It didn’t matter that the animal’s bite could kill him. He’d go down swinging if it meant he could have Divina.
“Stop it!” She slid her body between them. With her back pressed against the wolf’s front, she was nose-to-nose with Rori. Though the wolf’s eyes twitched, he didn’t say anything. His golden irises remained locked on Rori. The vampire watched the tightness in the wolf’s neck, the bulging blue vein calling to Rori, his mouth watering. He hadn’t had wolf blood in he couldn’t remember how long.
“This isn’t about the prophecy,” Divina said, drawing Rori’s attention away from the allure of wolf blood. There was something about the way she said it that gave him pause. She wasn’t being truthful. Divina was a horrible liar. Stepping back, Rori took her in. What was off about her? “This isn’t about vampire politics. I’ve told you a thousand times, I don’t care about that shit.” She nearly spat it at Rori.
He didn’t want to care about it. If he had Divina, he wouldn’t have to care about it. He’d walk away from court, from it all, go into hiding. He’d do whatever it took to have Divina. He just wanted her.
Rori flicked his gaze up to the brooding wolf. With an angry glower, the wolf clenched his fists. If it weren’t for Divina, Rori was sure the wolf would be on him, tearing his flesh.
“A human saw me cast,” Divina blurted.
In a flash, Rori’s attention switched back to her. His eyes widened as he stepped toward her again. He wanted to embrace her, to soothe her. He needed to tell her everything would be all right.
“Back off,” the wolf grumbled.
Dismissing the wolf’s warning, Rori reached for Divina’s hands. She allowed him to take them and stepped away from the wolf. However, the wolf wouldn’t have it
. He kept at her back, and the rumble in his chest continued.
Her eyes lowered, and she trembled.
“Divina,” Rori soothed. “We can fix this.”
She didn’t trust the wolf with this problem. She trusted Rori. Pride and relief crept into his chest. He could handle this for her. He would win her over, save her, and get a nice meal out of it.
“I can fix this,” Rori corrected.
The sound of her swallow was loud. She wouldn’t look up at him when she spoke. “You’re the only one I know who can do it the way I want.”
With that, the wolf stiffened. Stepping back, he ran his hand through his hair. He paced back and forth. Though not right at Divina’s back any longer, he wasn’t far. He mumbled to himself, and Rori delighted in his frustration. There was still hope of getting her away from the beast.
“Thank you,” Rori said. Perhaps to rub it in, he added, “I appreciate your trust in me.”
She looked up at him with a sober expression. “Make no mistake, if I knew any other vampires, I wouldn’t have called you. You are a last resort. I only called you because you’re a vampire. It isn’t about trust. It’s about lack of options.”
Not one to be easily rebuffed, Rori disregarded her comment. She had come to him. She needed him, specifically. The wolf behind her couldn’t do something that Rori could. It was a victory in his book. A starting point. He could work with that.
“Just tell me where to find the human, and I’ll take care of this.”
Divina withdrew her hands from his and gave him a sideways look. “Don’t kill him.”
Him? There’s another him. Goddamnit, what is Divina, a dick magnet? Rori rolled his tongue over his teeth and smoothed his vest.
“Then what is it you would have me do?” he asked.
With that, the wolf came at her back again. He hovered over Divina with his hands on her shoulders. “The only thing I can’t do. She wants him alive and with his mind erased. Can you do that, you fucking leech?” the wolf boomed with impatience.
“Aric,” Divina hissed.
Rori smirked. The wolf had admitted it. There was something Rori could do for Divina that he couldn’t. Another step in the right direction. Another small victory. Rori rocked back on his heels with confidence.
“I can,” he replied.
He could. He would. He would do that and so much more.
CHAPTER 26
Standing between her ex-boyfriend and her current…lover, preventing them from killing one another wasn’t Divina’s idea of a good time. She couldn’t imagine a more awkward place to be. But things were what they were.
And lover? Lover? That thought came out of nowhere. It seemed wrong. While, yes, they had screwed a few times, there was more to it than just sex. The prophecy, the bond, the pain, the connection—it was metaphysical. “Lover” wasn’t the right word—though for the life of her, Divina couldn’t figure out what was.
She couldn’t think about it now. No, she needed to focus on keeping Aric calm so the meeting with Rori would end with him doing what she needed and, well, him alive to do it. With agitation radiating off Aric in waves, Divina wasn’t confident that would happen. It didn’t help that Rori poked at Aric, or that Rori wanted to touch Divina. Aric seemed especially annoyed with that. His possessiveness both irritated and somewhat excited her. No one had ever reacted that way about her around other men. Hell, even Rori, who had just professed giving up ruling all vampires for her, hadn’t responded that way when she was around other men. Speculation on the cause of the possessiveness would have to wait. Right now, preventing the two of them from destroying one another was top priority.
It made her stomach sour to think about needing Rori. She had vowed never to need him again. Yet there she was, asking for his help with an angry wolf at her back.
“Nothing else.” Divina kept her gaze on Rori after he agreed. “Nothing but taking the memory away.”
His eyes glinted, hinting at unsaid words. Something within her told her not to trust anything he said.
With rough hands, Aric squeezed her shoulders. “She wants him alive,” he echoed her sentiment in a threatening growl.
She could sense his unease, his discomfort, and his anger more and more the longer they stood with Rori. It would take some getting used to. But not now. The discussion needed to end soon.
Rori’s confident smirk graced his beautiful, youthful face. She had always wondered how old he was when he had been turned into a vampire. Though he had been young once, she wondered how time had changed him. Rori was manipulative, self-serving, and always scheming. But she had no other choice but to trust him.
“Promise me,” Divina whispered with a lump in her throat. Her life depended on Rori getting this right.
For half a second, his eyes softened, he lost the confident air, and the genuine Rori looked at her. It was short-lived, the mask shifting back in place when Aric massaged her shoulders. Rori’s gaze shifted from her face and settled on her shoulders, on Aric’s hands. She knew the moment his eyes went cold that he saw the bite mark. Aric’s bite that meant he had claimed Divina. She saw the pain in his features.
“Please,” she urged.
“I’ll wipe his memory,” Rori asserted, still staring. He wouldn’t look at her face. “I’ll clean up your mess,” he added with a sneer.
Recoiling from his jabbing words, Divina hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. It was the best she’d get.
“He’s at the diner.” She pointed. “Three blocks that way.”
If only she had practiced her spells better. If only she had been a quicker study. She could have bound Rori somehow. She could have put a hex or something on him to prevent him from possibly killing Ted. Too late for that. She needed to continue with the plan. He was her only hope, even if she didn’t fully trust him. As much as she wanted to trust Rori, he’d never proven himself worthy of it.
Rori nodded but said nothing. Instead he walked in the direction of the diner. Divina took a few steps after him, Aric never leaving her, like a shadow at her back.
“I don’t trust him,” Aric whispered in her ear.
“Me, either,” she admitted.
“I could send Bruce to follow him, have him keep an eye on the situation,” Aric offered.
Divina turned to face him. “I don’t want Bruce to know.”
Aric leaned down to press his forehead to hers. She couldn’t believe how comforting the affectionate gesture had become in a few short hours.
“I won’t tell him. I’ll just ask him to keep an eye out.”
Divina nodded, words eluding her. She wanted to crawl into bed and pretend it was just a nightmare. She wanted to sleep for weeks and let it all blow over. What did everyone keep telling her? The new moon. The new moon was when the vampire politics would end. The new moon would end her little nightmare, as well. In only a few more weeks, it would all be over, and she could move on with her life. Rori would either be on the throne or not. She and Aric could either move forward with their relationship or figure out how it would work with the whole bond thing. She only had to survive a few more weeks. Then her life would be hers again.
“Come on.” Aric broke into her thoughts.
He slid his hand down her arm, entangling his fingers in hers, then stepped away, gently pulling her toward the truck. He escorted her to her passenger side. It should have been odd, riding shotgun in her own truck, but letting him drive felt natural. Emotionally exhausted, she needed the time to withdraw into herself and process.
CHAPTER 27
Still seething, Rori strolled in the direction of the diner. The mark on Divina’s shoulder taunted him. The wolf taunted him. The half animal’s sheer existence was unacceptable. He’d have to rectify that.
For now, he would do as she asked. Then he could worry about the wolf.
Entering the diner immediately transported him back to the 1950s. With the smell of greasy food assaulting his nose, he took it all in. The brightly lit restaurant
touted chrome and red leather booths. The floor was black-and-white checkered tiles. Even the staff were dressed in old-fashioned uniforms.
Rori didn’t miss the disappointed look on the host’s face when he walked through the door at such a late hour. It was quickly replaced by a well-practiced customer service smile.
“I won’t be much trouble,” Rori assured. “Just had a craving for some pie and coffee. I won’t stay long.”
The host nodded. “Stay as long as you like.” The teen was a poor liar.
Rori surveyed the nearly empty restaurant. A man and a woman, seeming to be staff, were in an empty portion of the diner, speaking in hushed tones. Rori observed as they went from one table to the next, filling salt and pepper shakers, sugar packet holders, ketchup sachets.
Rori made eye contact with the young man serving as host, who had attempted to steer him from that area. “I’d love to sit near the windows.” He gestured in the direction of the obviously closed portion of the diner.
The young man’s pupils dilated, then returned to normal. “Right this way.” He turned and led Rori toward that section.
Planting suggestions into humans was child’s play for a vampire as old as Rori. The older the vampire, the more complicated the suggestions could be. Influencing where he sat could be done by a week-old vampire. Erasing a memory, well, that would be a bit more difficult.
Rori took his seat and accepted the menu. He smiled at the young man, who offered the name of the waitress. Rori pretended to peruse the menu.
“I don’t understand,” the waitress whispered to the man following her. “Tell me again. I don’t fully get it.” She spoke in a tone no human would be able to hear at Rori’s distance.
“Why the hell would Roger seat someone in this section?” the man hissed in annoyance.
Both of them looked over at Rori. He was sure to keep his eyes on the menu, as though studying the most interesting of texts.
The Wolf of the Prophecy Page 17