Despite myself, I chuckled.
“Hilarious.” Micah elbowed me in the ribs.
I turned to him and we shared our own version of an idiotic grin. Blood donor was a very loose term for what Micah and I now shared. For the moment, though, we’d put the issue of mates aside. Just because our situation was permanent didn’t mean we had to dwell on it. As if we had a choice in the matter. We were taking things one day at a time.
“If you two start making out, I’m calling security,” Eli said.
Micah and I turned to watch Eli fumble with the paper on his present. Unlike Micah, Eli took his time to carefully remove the tape so the paper didn’t rip. He opened the lid on the box and pulled out the first mug. I found myself holding my breath.
Eli read it out loud, “Demons do it better”. The forehead I’d kissed a few moments ago wrinkled in confusion.
Micah scowled. I stomped on his foot and gave him the look that said he better start talking.
“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you? Fine. I’m half demon, imbecile.”
Eli blinked. He cocked his head. His gaze turned to me. The grin was slow and accepting. “So, Ella, do demons ‘do it better’?”
Chuckling, I gave Micah a mischievous smile. “That depends on what ‘it’ is.”
“TMI.” Eli chuckled and pulled out the second cup. This one he didn’t read out loud. The smile was gone from his face when he looked up. “So it’s true, then.”
“That you’ve got fleas?” Micah asked. “If you do, they make stuff for that.”
I punched Micah in the arm. “God, you’re an ass.”
He bent, gave me a soft, lingering kiss. Against my mouth Micah said, “Yeah, but you love me, remember?”
“Enough,” Eli shouted. “I liked it better when all you did was argue.”
Micah’s grin faded. “The shifters that attacked you were Lizbeth’s personal guard, they’ve approached us for a meet.”
At Micah’s words, I picked at an invisible piece of lint on my pants. I still wasn’t quite comfortable with the notion that the underworld thought I was the new vampire queen.
“It seems when Ella killed Lizbeth, she inherited all her stuff. That includes her pets.”
I gave Micah a dirty look.
“What?” he asked.
“They aren’t pets.”
He ignored me and kept talking to his brother. “They’ve offered you a place in their pack.”
“Hell no,” Eli said. “They almost killed me. They took Hannah. You can’t actually think I’d want to join up with them.”
Micah held up his hands. “I don’t think one way or the other, this is your decision. They say you’ll need help, a pack, to get you through the transition. The Fenrir aren’t your typical bunch of werewolves, which means you won’t shift into your typical wolf. We can find other shifters if you want but I don’t know if they’ll be able to give you the help you need. These guys are the underworld’s boogeymen. Now they’re Ella’s boogeymen. Taking the meet and hearing them out isn’t a horrible idea.”
The door creaked open and we all turned as Castro strolled into the room with a smile. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
I almost didn’t recognize him without all the smoke. I hadn’t realized it was something he could control.
“We were just about to leave. Where’s all your smoke? Didn’t want to set off the alarms?” I asked.
Castro flashed a sexy half-smile. “You are ever so charming.” He lowered to press a soft kiss against my cheek and his lips sizzled against my skin.
“Hands off.” Micah growled and pulled me into his arms.
“You’re no fun.” Castro turned to Eli. “Allow me to introduce myself, Elijah. I’m Castro.” He gave an elegant bow.
Eli glanced between me, Castro and then Micah. He opened his mouth to speak. Whatever he was about to say faded when the door opened. You’d think it was two in the afternoon, not morning.
Richard—wearing a sneer that curled his swollen lip—waltzed in. One at a time, six of the biggest, meanest-looking agency hunters I’d ever seen filed in behind him. The last one shut the door. As a tightly training unit, they drew their weapons in sync.
“I trained with those assholes,” Micah muttered and crossed his arms over his chest.
I had eyes only for Richard. I took a great deal of pleasure at the sight of his bandaged nose and blackened eyes. Maybe I should have let Micah kill him. The pungent aroma of his fear filled the packed room. The scent coaxed my fangs free.
I smiled and Richard stepped back, closer to his guards. I wondered if he knew I was fantasizing about ripping his neck open.
Richard slid his hands into the front of his slacks and addressed Micah. “So this is who you associate with, now? Demon lords?”
“That’s none of your business, you chicken-shit asshole. What in the hell are you doing here, anyway? You aren’t welcome.” Micah moved to my side and his anger washed over me. I bathed in the heat of it. At our backs, Castro moved into position. Together we were a non-human barricade blocking Richard from Eli.
Richard’s jaw clenched. “I came to see my son.”
“The fuck you did,” Micah spat.
He dropped his hands to his sides and curled them into fists. He advanced on Richard as if he didn’t see the six semi-automatic hand guns aimed at his head.
“Don’t, Micah. I got this,” Eli said as he strode past us and stopped in front of his father.
“You don’t need to do this.” Micah grabbed his brother’s arm, but Eli shook him off.
They locked eyes. “This needs to be said.” Eli turned to Richard. “From this moment on, you and I, we’re done. I want nothing to do with you or the Agency.”
Veins bulged at Richard’s temples and his face reddened. “Is that any way to talk to your father, the man who raised you? Fed you? Kept clothes on your back? I came here to give you a second chance. Don’t let your brother cloud your judgment, son.”
Eli laughed and the sound was anything but joyous. Bitterness dripped off every word he spoke. “I’m not your son. You think I give a fuck about food and clothes? For years, any chance you got, you kicked the crap out of Micah and me. You had a bad day, bam. Too much to drink, bam. Because you fucking felt like it, bam. You disgust me.”
Heat and energy swirled around Eli and the hair on my arms prickled. His skin shimmered and I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. The six men lining the edge of the room adjusted the grips on their guns.
I pictured myself in front of Eli, blinked and managed to phaze myself there. Despite the churning in my stomach, I pushed Eli in the direction of Micah and Castro.
“The first person who fires their weapon gets their throat torn out,” I hissed.
Richard’s fear spiked. When he spoke to his agents, his voice held an undercurrent of alarm. “Under the pretty package she is nothing but a savage. If she attacks, shoot her.”
“You need to leave,” Micah said.
Richard’s nostrils flared. “Not until I get what I came for. Move out of the way.”
“I wonder how the Agency council would feel about you lining up an assassination with the Vampire Court. I’ve got proof, you know.”
“Proof?” He laughed. “From your vampire lover? Who do you think they will side with? The world would have been a better place without you in it.”
“If you hate me so much, why try to arrange a marriage?”
“You were an extraordinary girl, Ella. Smart. Strong. Fast. Beautiful. The world was changing and your father didn’t see it. Didn’t want to use your potential to create a new generation of hunters. But I knew what you were capable of. We could have ruled the world, you and I.”
“A new generation…” My stomach churned and it had nothing to do with the phazing. “Like I would ever, in a million years, reproduce with you!”
“You still don’t get it, do you?” he asked. His gaze hardened. When he spoke, his voice carried the same tone c
ult leaders used to dazzle their followers. “War is coming and you’re on the wrong side of the fence.” He looked around the room. “All of you are. Keep Elijah if you want, he isn’t worth losing any of my men over.”
“Just when I thought you couldn’t be any more of an asshole.”
Richard turned his back on us and his soldiers parted to let him pass. As they’d entered, they exited one by one.
I turned to Eli, who struggled against the hand Castro had clamped on his shoulder. Eli shook the demon off and ran a hand over his head.
“You okay?” I asked. My hand found Micah’s and I squeezed.
“Fine. I’m fine. Let’s get the hell out of here before Richard changes his mind and comes back.”
“Sounds good to me.” I looked up at Micah. “You good?”
“No, but I will be.” He shook his head, pulled me toward the door, then stopped. “Castro, did you need something?”
“I’ve got information but it can wait until you get settled. When you’re ready, you know where to find me.” The demon looked among all of us and then settled his gaze on Eli. “I wish our meeting could have been under different circumstances. It is unfortunate that the thing that almost killed you also saved your life. If you choose not to run with the Fenrir, you’re welcome to join my ranks. A wolf with your strength and tenacity would be a huge asset.”
“Thanks,” Eli said. “I, ah, will think about it.”
Castro nodded, squeezed Micah’s shoulder and then left us looking at each other with nothing to say.
“Castro does sum up a situation nicely, doesn’t he?” I muttered.
Micah took Eli’s hand, brought it to his chest. He flattened his brother’s palm over his heart.
“No matter who my father is, or isn’t, you’re my brother. Nothing changes between us, you hear me?” Micah’s words were a promise.
My eyes stung. Uncomfortable, I glanced at the door and wished I could give them some privacy.
Eli gripped Micah’s shirt in return. “No matter what, I’m with you. Always.”
As Micah backed away, Eli dropped his hand his side. They stared at each other until Micah turned his head and looked at me. I pretended not to notice the shimmer in his eyes. Micah held out his hand and I took it.
“Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you get pissed?” With one arm around my waist, he pulled me into a sloppy kiss. Our tongues met and I moaned into him.
Eli made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “I’m not moving in with you two if I have to watch you make out.”
One corner of Micah’s mouth tilted up in a wicked smirk. “If I were you, I would be more concerned about listening to the bed hitting the wall. Come on, let’s go pick out one of Lizbeth’s houses to move into.”
I gave Micah a disgusted look. “And to think, Castro called me charming.”
He winked. “It’s why you ‘totally fucking love’ me.”
Damn him. He was totally right.
About Madeline Pryce
Madeline Pryce wrote her first novel when she was ten, penned with neon-pink ink in a loose-leaf binder. Captivated by romantic literature, yet intrigued by the paranormal, she continues to develop her own voice, writing the kinds of stories that inspired her as a teen.
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Dark Cravings
ISBN 9781419949548
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Dark Cravings Copyright © 2013 Madeline Pryce
Edited by Elizabeth London
Cover design by Fiona Jayde
Cover photography by Stefano Cavoretto/shutterstock.com, renderosity.com
Electronic book publication December 2013
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