“No. No.” She handed it back to him. “I really should be going and if my soon-to-be husband is who you say he is, I think it’s best if we weren’t seen together.”
Noah huffed under his breath but didn’t say anything.
“Do you need help getting out of the woods?”
“I should be okay,” Azurdee said. She actually wasn’t very sure how to navigate her way back, but she had a stubborn streak in her. She rarely asked for help, and even then, she didn’t like it very much.
“Are you sure?” Kai reached out, touching her arm ever so gently.
Azurdee nearly moaned as sparks of pure energy ran through her skin, shooting straight for her heart. It almost felt like it would start beating. Her skin felt hot and her cheeks turned crimson.
Before she could leave, Noah got up, straightening to his full 6’5 stature. Azurdee had to crane her neck to look at his face. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. It was almost like she could feel the unadulterated sex appeal rolling off his chiseled body.
Droplets of water still lingered on his chest, racing down his skin. Azurdee watched their descent as they traveled over his pecs, his abs, and finally disappeared against the fabric of his pants. For a split second, Azurdee wondered what he looked like down there. Her mind carefully undressed him, picturing him naked as she did so many times with the protagonists in her books.
She bit the inside of her lip to keep herself from going overboard. When she looked at Noah once more, there was a sly grin on his lips. He had obviously caught her staring.
Azurdee glanced at the two men one more time, feeling like she never wanted to leave their side. There was just something about them that made her so hot. She couldn’t explain it.
Finally, she mustered the willpower to pull away. She disappeared into the tree line, fighting the urge to look back at them, but she knew that if she did, she might never leave.
Chapter Five
Azurdee managed to slip back into the estate without anyone noticing her. Her dress was mostly dry, thanks to the fire Noah had built, making it a little easier for her to pick it up and walk up the stairs.
She chose her steps very carefully, avoiding the stairs that tended to creak. Azurdee knew her mother had hawk-like hearing and she really did not want to face her wrath this late into the night.
On the second floor, she tiptoed past the parlor where she had first met her fiancé. She could hear voices inside.
“Have you not found her yet?” Fredrick faked concern.
Azurdee peeked inside through the crack in the doorway.
He had his legs crossed, sipping on a cup of blood. Azurdee’s mother stood at the window, looking out. The first signs of daybreak could be seen in the changing colors of the sky, from black to gray and finally, to a light yellow.
“Oh, she has returned.” She said, almost as if she knew her daughter was listening in at the door. “And she will be properly punished for running out on you in such a disgraceful manner.”
“As I have told you, there’s no need for a punishment. Once we’re married, I will make sure she’s exactly how I like her.” He reclined back, a devious grin on his face.
Azurdee’s stomach churned. She couldn’t believe that they were talking about her as if she was nothing more than a lifeless object. She ground her teeth, her fingers tightening around the doorframe. Maybe she should have stayed in the woods with Kai and Noah. At least they spoke to her like she was worth something.
“Is that so?” Azaria turned, facing her guest.
“Oh yes. You should know. Isn’t that one of the reasons why you’re having this marriage arranged? You know I’m the best suitor for your daughter because I’m exactly the right person to whip her into shape. It is no secret that your daughter has been the black sheep in the Hallowed Clan, nothing like you, Azaria.”
“She takes after her father.”
“And yet, she’s a woman of noble blood. She must behave like one.” He said, getting up. “And, if you ask me, her unruly behavior is simply a reflection of your weakening power. If you truly were the matriarch you claim to be, you would know how to control your offspring.”
“Hold your tongue.” Azaria threatened, her gaze intense even as the politician squared off to her, a good head taller than she was. “I will not be disrespected in this manner inside my own home.”
Fredrick grinned. “My apologies, ma’am.” He said with an air of mock respect. “But the sun rises, I must return home.” With this, he turned on his heels, heading for the door.
Azurdee’s eyes widened. She couldn’t let herself be caught. Quickly, she rushed down the hall, trying to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible.
To her relief, she rounded the corner just as the parlor door opened. She pressed herself against the wall, praying her mother didn’t head in her direction.
Listening intently, she heard her footsteps fade away and she breathed in relief.
She was about to head for her room when the matriarch appeared, looking livid. Her cheeks were blotchy, her fingers shook with rage and her eyes were the color of crimson, indicating that she was hungry. And a hungry vampire was an uncontrollable one.
“How dare you disobey me like that?” She hissed, her words eerily calm. “I managed to arrange your marriage to one of the most well-respected and powerful men in the capital. A noble from the Vigils. Do you know what such a marriage could mean for our clan…?” She grabbed her daughter by the collar, nearly lifting her off the ground. “Or are you such a brat that you can think of no one other than yourself.”
Azurdee struggled, clawing at her mother’s hands, trying to free herself. “Let me go!”
“Answer me!”
“How come you never think of me?” Azurdee snapped, shouting the words at her mother. “You never think of me… you’re just using me as a pawn to advance your own power. But not once did you stop to ask whether I would be happy marrying some guy I don’t even know. What kind of mother does that?”
Azaria set down her daughter very slowly, her eyes narrowing at the words that were just spewed at her.
Suddenly, she lifted her hand, slapping Azurdee across the face, causing her to fall over, collapsing to the ground in a heap. “Never speak to me like that again.” Without another word, without so much as a glance at her daughter, Azaria disappeared into the depths of her estate.
Azurdee couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her mother had never raised a hand against her. Sure, she disciplined some of the servants, but she never used violence against her own daughter.
Numbly, she touched her burning cheek, tears spilling from her eyes. Getting up quickly, she rushed to her room, slamming the door behind her.
Her tears continued to flow as she leaned against the door, sliding to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest.
Why did her life have to be like this?
She sat there for a long time, letting the tears roll down her cheeks. She felt like she was choking like someone had their hand wrapped around her throat and kept squeezing, harder and harder.
Eventually, she got up and shoved off her stupid dress, ripping the fabric piece by piece with her long nails.
It wasn’t fair!
She screamed and banged against the wall, losing her temper, but it was all in vain. She was helpless. There was nothing she could do to fight her mother, to free herself from this situation.
Feeling helpless, she collapsed into her bed, naked. She curled into a little ball and shut her eyes tight.
For most of the day, she tossed and turned, struggling to fall asleep. Her mattress felt as hard as a rock. She kept hearing the servants walking around the estate, whispering among themselves. Surely, the news of her behavior was already spreading around like wildfire.
She pulled her pillow over her head, trying to drown out the whispers, but they seemed to flood her mind, giving her a horrendous headache. She stared at the ceiling, her hands folded over her chest, just listening to the ticking of
the clock that hung on her wall.
In a rush of incredible speed, she tore it off the wall and smashed it. She stood in the middle of the room, breathing hard. Pent-up anger crawled inside her veins.
But what was she supposed to do?
Feeling helpless, she crawled back into bed, this time pulling the covers over her head. This seemed to help because soon enough, she found herself in a troubled slumber.
***
In her dreams, she was in the woods again. She had found the lake once more, only this time, she was at the top of the waterfall, looking down. She had the urge to jump, even though she didn’t know how to swim. Maybe that was the point. Maybe she wanted to jump down, sink to the bottom, and never come up again.
She edged closer, the powerful water rushing between her legs making it difficult to keep her balance. She took a deep breath to clear her lungs.
She could do this.
In a world where she had no control, this seemed to be the only thing she had power over.
She edged closer, tottering on the ledge. One more step and she would fall into sweet, painless bliss.
“What do you think you’re doing?” A deep, husky voice broke through her trance, causing her to whip around.
The sudden movement disoriented her and she lost her footing. With a scream, she found herself falling toward the water. At the last moment, she grabbed a tree branch, sticking out from the side of the cliff face. She held on as tight as she could, but she knew she wasn’t strong enough to hoist herself up.
A hand appeared above her head. “Grab on.”
“I can’t!”
“Yes, you can.” His voice was calm and soothing. “Just grab on and I’ll pull you up.”
Azurdee was terrified to let go of the branch. Her grip was quickly slipping. She knew she didn’t have much time. With no other choice, she reached for his hand, nearly missing before he grabbed her, lifting her back to safety as if she were as light as a feather.
Breathing hard, she clung to the mysterious man, her body shaking.
He ran his hands up and down her body, his fingers tracing the contour of her spine through her wet shirt. “Are you okay?” He asked, his voice gentle.
Azurdee finally looked up to see Kai staring back at her, his eyes just as black as she remembered them. Although impossible, it felt like her heart had just skipped a beat.
She could feel his warm breath on her hips and for a moment, she thought they were going to kiss. Her desire for him only heightened as his face moved closer and closer. She gazed into his eyes, getting lost in their depths. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt, pulling his body against her own. Their hips locked together almost as if they were meant to.
The outline of his member rubbed against her thigh, making her gasp. She looked down, but all of a sudden, he was gone.
The water from the lake surged upwards, like a monster taking shape. It turned toward her.
She tried to run, but there was nowhere to run to. Her movements brought her nowhere. She pumped her arms, forcing herself to go faster, but her body refused to obey her.
The water consumed her.
She was tossed around by the tidal wave, her body banging and colliding with everything in its path. Her lungs started to fill with water. She reached out, desperate for something to hold onto, for something that would end the pain, but there was nothing there to help her.
She lost consciousness.
“Azurdee.” She heard her name, but the darkness that wrapped around her was so thick, she couldn’t open her eyes. “Azurdee. Stop being a princess and wake up.” Someone tapped her cheek, trying to get her to respond.
She tried to say something, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. It was as if it had turned to stone as an aftereffect of being caught in the torrent.
“Azurdee, I mean it.” The man growled.
Suddenly, she heard her shirt being ripped in half. A pair of strong hands pressed against her chest, pumping up and down, trying to force the water out of her lungs.
With a retching motion, she started coughing but was otherwise unresponsive.
The man continued to give her compressions. “Azurdee.” His voice sounded almost desperate. “Wake up.” It was a demand she could not obey.
He let go of her chest, leaving it bare and exposed to the light wind that rolled through the valley. He pried open her lips before leaning down. Carefully, he pressed his lips to hers before breathing life into her.
Azurdee instantly felt a burning behind her lips at their contact. Butterflies fluttered inside her stomach, making her lightheaded.
The man continued to give her mouth to mouth, trying to resuscitate her.
Azurdee’s body squirmed before she coughed up the rest of the water, her eyes finally opening.
It took her a moment to adjust to the bright moonlight.
A hand pressed into her back, gently helping her into a sitting position so her lungs could function properly.
Blinking, her vision finally cleared. She stared into Noah’s handsome face, his dark eyes full of concern, even if he would never say as much.
He had saved her.
Chapter Six
Azurdee woke up with a start, her mind jumbled after the strange dream.
She ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair, getting it out of her face. “That was weird…” She whispered to herself. “Why would I dream about them?” She shook her head.
It wasn’t like she was ever going to see them again. They were lesser vampires while she was a member of the nobility. The only reason they met in the first place, was because she had ventured into the woods when she wasn’t supposed to.
Still, she couldn’t get them out of her head. Even now, their handsome faces seemed to haunt her, their seductive smiles making her body yearn for them. She pushed these thoughts away from her mind, knowing it was wrong for her to fantasize in such a way.
Groggily, she rolled out of bed, her body feeling like it was made of lead. Carefully, she pulled back the curtains to find the moon high in the sky. From its position, she could tell that she had slept quite late.
She let go of the curtain, allowing it to fall back into place before she walked up to her closet, picking out something to wear.
Her closet was filled to the brim with beautiful dresses, expensive accessories, and fabulous shoes. The only problem was that she refused to wear most of them. Her mother had picked out most of her wardrobe, forbidding her from wearing the casual clothing she preferred.
Azurdee was not one for elaborate embroidery or complex dresses that took hours to lace in the back. If it was up to her, she would wear V-neck T-shirts and skinny jeans every day of the week.
Rummaging through the back of her closet, she found her last pair of clean pants, only to find that they were ripped at the thigh. She groaned. Sometimes, it sucked being a bigger girl.
She toyed with the hole in her pants for a moment before she pulled out a skirt. It would have to do.
Once she got dressed, she stood in front of the mirror. Just like the vanity in the washroom, this mirror was purely cosmetic, but Azurdee still liked to stand in front of it and act like the humans she read about in her books. They were always standing in front of mirrors, fixing their hair, or checking their makeup.
Azurdee had no such luxury, but as she smoothed out some of the wrinkles in her blouse, she felt exceptionally confident.
She felt beautiful.
Grabbing her bag, she headed out of the room, determined to get out of the house. She tried to convince herself that she needed to grab some tights from the store, but it was obvious she was only going shopping to get away from her mother.
***
The shopping center was filled with young girls. Most of them held numerous bags on their arms, their eyes sparkling any time they saw a cute display in the shop windows.
Azurdee weaved through the crowd of vampires, hoping she wouldn’t bump into anyone she knew. She was certain t
hat news of her outburst last night had already leaked out of the estate. In no time, she would be the laughing stock of the nobility, unless of course, her mother did something to prevent such a thing from happening.
Trying to stop such thoughts, she entered a high-end clothing store. It was rather busy, making it easy for her to blend into the crowd. Quietly, she looked through the racks, tempted to buy a pair of black skinny jeans that were currently on sale.
While pondering the idea, she noticed two men walking past the store window.
It was Kai and Noah.
Quickly, she placed the hanger back on the rack and got out of the store, following them. She didn’t even know why she was going after them. It would be best if she just left them alone. It would cause nothing but trouble if she was seen with them, but despite all that, she couldn’t stop herself.
The need to see them again was overwhelming.
The crowd made following them somewhat difficult. Her only saving grace was the fact that they were both quite tall, making them easy to pick out.
They walked into the central plaza where street performers, cart vendors, and beggars all made it even more difficult to navigate.
Azurdee did her best to keep up. She thought she saw them enter a store, so she followed them.
A door chime rang as she walked inside, but when she scanned the area, there was no one in there except for the jubilant store owner.
“Come in! Come in!” He chimed, rushing up and clasping Azurdee’s hands in his. “I have the best dresses in all the capital. I promise you! Come! Come!” He dragged her toward the back, where there was a tiny section of plus size clothing.
“Uh…” Azurdee didn’t know how to react to his enthusiasm.
“How about… this one! Ah yes! This would look fantastic with your figure!” He tossed a bright yellow dress in her direction.
It was the ugliest dress Azurdee had ever seen. It looked like a sack of potatoes had been dyed yellow.
“Uh… I don’t really think that’s my style.” She said, trying to be polite.
A deep frown painted the store owner’s face. He looked so distraught that Azurdee thought he would start crying.
The Bear Shifter's Second Chance (Fated Bears Book 2) Page 17