by Milana Jacks
George chewed on his lip, thinking, then said, “It depends on what she can do.”
“I agree,” the cyborg said. “She’s welcome to stay and work. Stupid girl.” Mechatronic fingers closed over the briefcase.
I slapped my hand on it. “Not so fast.” If cyborgs could produce fumes, this one would make sulfur come out of her ears. “I’m curious why you haven’t driven her out of the habitat and simply abandoned her.”
“I promised her father I would take care of her.”
“And this is taking care of her?” Good Lord.
“It’s the best I can do for her and for my other daughter.”
“I could plan your big event,” Annie said, then added, “My lord.”
My lord. Not stupid, but a fast learner, resourceful, maybe a bit defiant. She wasn’t too hard on the eye either. B-cup tits? Yeah, those were Bs. Nice eyes, but otherwise just a girl with a Jersey accent and Southern roots. I sighed. “What can you do?”
“Plan a wedding.”
“You have experience?”
“My parents married when I was fifteen, so I got to plan the wedding with my mom. Over five hundred invitations.”
“Where’s your mother now?”
“She died.” Annie lowered her gaze, and that was when I saw it. The yellow stone on her ring. Amber?
“Come here, miss,” I said.
She lifted her head.
I wiggled two fingers, gesturing for her to approach. When she did, I sat up, patted the couch, and extended my hand. “Give me your hand.”
She sat and put her left hand into mine. Pulling her close, I noticed yellow flecks in her green eyes. That made them hazel now. I stared, spellbound, and it took George’s throat clearing to bring me back into the moment. “The other hand.”
She put it into mine. At the contact, my chest tightened, my beast stirring in my chest. He slithered over my muscles, making goose bumps rise over my skin. My jaw slackened and my throat tightened, but I forced the beast back and under my control. Mine, he whispered in my head. I loved amber, a warm stone and a fire element stone. So appropriate for me to have.
My thumb slid over the top of the girl’s skin. It was smooth. I stared at her small wrist, her elegant fingers with red-painted fingernails. I stared at her hand as if I’d never seen a woman’s hand before, and then I bent and kissed the top of it. I licked my lips for a taste. Jasmine soap. Mmmm. And a beautiful ring. I wanted the ring. It would be mine. “Is that real amber?” I asked, though I knew my amber the way I knew this girl would sleep with me whenever I felt like putting in some extra work.
“Yes.”
“It’s very old,” I said.
“It was my gran’s, then Mom’s, then mine.”
“Give it to me.”
“I can’t.”
“But you will.”
“You can have anything else,” she whispered.
So said the girl completely uninterested in me. I took the offer. “Are you a virgin?”
She snapped her gaze up. “Define virgin.”
“Someone who’s never had sexual intercourse.”
“Then no.”
“I’m a little frightened I had to define it.”
Annie shrugged.
A spirit should be a virgin. Lance’s spirit was a virgin. “Hordes of virgins are banging on my doors and begging entry to my ball. So you can see why I’m picky, right?”
She gave me a blank stare.
My beast stirred at the contact with her hand, and I paid attention to his cues. But I couldn’t get Annie even remotely excited. This girl couldn’t be a spirit. If she were, she would already be crawling all over me. I’d witnessed Lance pissing on his spirit, and Selena, Lance’s spirit, ate out of his hand the very same night. My spirit would eat out of my hand, and if I wanted to piss on her to mark her, she’d damn well let me. Done with this nonsense, I said, “I’ll walk you out.”
The cyborg stormed out of the room first, followed by her reluctant daughter, Marcy. Annie lingered, but as I stood, she got the clue and joined me. I walked them to the door and watched them cross my yard to their car. Annie’s skirt swayed, the hem brushing the backs of her thighs, and at about five eight, she had long legs. I admitted I found her sexy. Those legs could wrap around my waist and lock my body with hers. Too bad.
My gaze found the sad little flame coming from one of the two torches on each side of the gate. I’d lit those torches and kept them burning oil for when the spirit came to the ball. I could try to raise the fire. The flame twiddled and died out. I blinked. It shouldn’t have done that. I’d tended to them myself and made sure I checked the oil levels. Annie paused in her step, and I guessed she’d noticed the flames going out too.
The pressure in my chest grew, my mouth opened at my beast’s command, and this time, I couldn’t hold him back. He imposed his strength on my mind, took control of me, and forced my mouth open, made my throat work: “Mine.” CLICK!
About the Author
Milana Jacks grew up with tales of water fairies that seduced men, vampires that seduced women, and Babaroga who’d come to take her away if she didn’t eat her bean soup. She specializes in dark, fun & steamy paranormal romance set in dystopian world where sexy alpha males are unapologetic and supportive at the same time. Her home is on Earth with her mate and their three little monsters.
• Before publication, she releases stories for the readers on her mailing list as they await for books in the series. Jake is one such story, and she plans to write many more.
Meet me at
www.milanajacks.com
Milana’s Backlist
Beast Mates series is COMPLETE:
#0 Virgin - FREEBIE, #1 Blind, #2 Wild,
#2.5 Goddess, FREE via my Mailing List,
#3 Sent, #3.5 Their, #4 Caught, #4.5 His, #5 Free.
Ice Age Dragon Brotherhood series:
#1 Rise the Seas, #2 Cradle the Fire
Jade Dober urban fantasy series:
#1 Mediator Seeks, #2 Mediator Tricks