InSpire (Spire Chronicles Book 1)

by April Wood

  IN SPIRE

  A NOVEL by April Wood

  Copyright 2015

  All rights reserved in all media. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual people, places or events is coincidental or fictionalized.

  Published in the United States 2015 by April Wood

  Dedication

  This story was the brainchild of my good friend Beth. She started it and gave it to me when she felt no longer inspired. Thanks for being such a good friend that you could give this to me. You are a great sister.

  Acknowledgement

  I would like to thank Photo287 for the gorgeous picture on the cover of this book. It is wonderful when an artist can get in touch with the model they use. It has been my pleasure to share her beauty with the world.

  Table Contents

  Chapter 1 5

  Chapter 2 23

  Chapter 3 33

  Chapter 4 46

  Chapter 5 64

  Chapter 6 73

  Chapter 7 85

  Chapter 8 104

  Chapter 9 116

  Chapter 10 129

  Chapter 11 144

  Chapter 12 158

  Chapter 13 175

  Chapter 14 187

  Chapter 15 196

  Chapter 16 211

  Chapter 17 219

  Prologue

  “I can’t leave her!” Darian shouted while the guard drug him from the throne room. Her father had gone too far this time. Athena ran up to her father and beat his chest with her fist.

  “How could you take him from me?” She sobbed uncontrollably as her strength to fight him was fading. Her father was the King after all. She couldn’t stand up to him for long, but Darian was worth the effort. She wouldn’t let him go no matter what it cost her.

  “You will forget him.” He whispered this so lightly in her ear she almost couldn’t hear him. Then her mind began to get fuzzy. As the world lost all focus, her beautiful white wings beat out of control. Slowly the world started to still and when it did she found herself wrapped up in her father’s arms. Her eyes flicked around trying to figure out how she got in his arms.

  “Go lay down for a while, Athena.” This was a command from her father. She couldn’t disobey it even if she wanted to. Right now she wanted to know why her life seemed to spinning out of control. With no strength left to argue and no idea what had happened, she did as was bade. Always having a mind of their own, her wings were furled and drooping. They were sad, but the reason was lost to her.

  Athena’s room wasn’t far from the throne. It didn’t take more than two minutes to walk there normally. Her bed was covered in white fluffy linens and draped with white gauze. Her father wanted her to believe she was pure like the snow, though what they did wasn’t. She was a Prin. It was her job to hunt down rogue demons. Right now, she didn’t want to do anything, but sleep.

  Collapsing on to her bed, it didn’t take long for her eyes to close. In her dreams Athena saw the most gorgeous man her eyes had ever beheld. He was tall and had the blackest wings. They beat wildly when he looked at her. Then her heart started to break. The pain woke her from a dead sleep. Athena’s world started to crash in on her and she didn’t know why. She couldn’t understand why this was painful. This man came to her every night without regard to her slowly breaking heart. It made no sense.

  A month later she had had enough. The constant depression, the crying in her sleep, and the pain were more than her heart could bare. She sat on her window and looked out at the world. Spire held no joy for her anymore. She put her hand to her growing belly. Clearly the pain had driven her to eat more than she required. The tears spilled from her eyes freely.

  The answer to her problem was simple. She wiped a tear away from her eyes and picked up her great sword. Her left wing came off with one swing of the blade. The pain was excruciating, but she kept going lopping the other off with one more swing.

  “Athena, NO!” The King shouted as he barged through her door.

  “This world has nothing for me.” Her red curls looked sad and not full of the shine she usually held. Her back was drenched in blood and her face was covered in tears.

  “Please.” The King couldn’t keep his tears at bay. She was his only child and heir to his throne.

  “I can’t.” She looked down to her belt and grabbed the hilt of her dagger. She slit her throat in one fluid motion and plunged out the window.

  Chapter One

  Darian stood outside the grocery store until he was certain she was getting off work. He watched her intently. She walked around the store slowly and deliberately. Her heartache was real and he could feel it as if it were his own. It had taken him this entire month to work up the courage to finally approach her. He had debated several different ways to get her attention, but settled on checking out in front of her. He walked in and grabbed a few things. Then he walked to the line just in front of her making sure she didn’t look right at him. This was it.

  “You know she actually claimed to get kidnapped,” the tall leggy blonde whispered behind Athena. Ever since the accident she’d become the local pariah. Before that invisibility was her main goal. Athena worked at the grocery store in the back, mostly keeping to herself. Athena rocked back and forth on her heels. Her nerves were palpable. Darian had all he could do to focus on the cash register. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and take her away from all the pain. It wasn’t time.

  “Why would anyone kidnap her fat ass?” the brunette asked.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. She looked at her friend behind the counter and tried to will her to go faster. Athena wanted to get away from these mean girls. The cashier was checking out the guy. His hair was dark and clean cut. His shoulders were broad. Athena couldn’t help but pan down his body. The way his jeans fit should have been illegal in all fifty states. He must have been handsome because the cashier was practically drooling. Embarrassment flooded Athena’s cheeks as the conversation behind her got louder. She would love nothing more than to beat these girls up, but she wasn’t a fighter.

  “I bet she faked everything,” the leggy blonde said. Tears were starting to form in Athena’s eyes. She never really understood why women found it necessary to be mean to each other.

  “You shouldn’t listen to idle talk by foolish bitches.” Darian couldn’t keep his mouth shut anymore. It was his fault they felt this way about her. He was the one that had her kidnapped.

  Athena looked up to see he was staring the girls down. They suddenly became very silent. She smiled knowing he had taken her side. Then she really looked at him. He had the deepest jade green eyes. They damn near screamed out to her. She wanted to throw herself in his arms. When Darian finally made eye contact with her, it made him feel wonderful to know his body still held her attention. She was clearly attracted to him. He smiled warmly at her and then she looked at the ground. He didn’t like how embarrassed she was. She wasn’t the strong Prin she had once been. Humanity had done her no favors.

  “You alright?” The bass of his voice brought Athena’s eyes back up to him. He wasn’t looking away from her. His eyes had never left her.

  “Yeah.” She wanted to say thank you in as many languages as possible, but yeah was all that came out of her mouth. She bit her lip wishing she had even half the boldness of the girls behind her. She didn’t think a man could be attracted to her more than average size body. She wasn’t fat, but she had plenty of curves. Darian had all he could do not to lick h
is lips. Her body was all he desired.

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Don’t worry about those girls. They’re just jealous.”

  That surprised Athena. There was nothing for them to be jealous of. She didn’t have blonde hair and legs for days. She had stringy long red-hair and short legs. “Trust me, I’m nothing.”

  “You are far from nothing, Athena.” He was so close it would be nothing to touch her lips with his. He couldn’t risk it yet. She was already looking so vulnerable. It wouldn’t do for him to scare her off before he even explained what she was and where she belonged.

  “Um. How did you know my name?” Darian looked around quickly. He had messed up by using her name. Then he saw his saving grace pinned to her bag.

  “I saw it on your name tag.” He pointed to her purse and she looked down. The look on her face made him hold back a chuckle. It was obvious she had forgotten it was there. She smiled and turned the most brilliant shade of red. It was more endearing than she knew it was. Darian shifted on his feet as the pressure was growing in his jeans with each move she made and each word she spoke.

  “Oh.”

  He paid for his groceries and walked out the door. He was smiling on the inside so widely. He wanted her, but he left her hanging on purpose. His plans were set. She wouldn’t know why he was there, but he was certain he would be with her soon.

  There went another good opportunity for Athena. He watched her from his motorcycle for a while. She put her ice cream, frozen pizza, and coke on the conveyer. The entire event was weighing on her. She hadn’t had a man that hot hit on her ever. It was too much to believe it had been real.

  “Hey, Athena. Wasn’t that guy hot?” Amy was the only friend she had in this town. It helped that both women were socially awkward and still very single.

  “Yeah.” Athena’s head was still reeling from the interaction. It took her a full minute to notice Amy was waiting for payment. She felt silly for day dreaming. It wasn’t like her.

  She finished checking out and headed out to her beat up ‘80’s ford escort. It had more rust now then paint, but it got her to work. She threw her bag in the hatchback and got in. Darian held in a chuckle as Athena jumped out of the car and rubbed her butt. Clearly the seat was far hotter than she was expecting. After a minute, she climbed back in and started up the car. It started up after a couple of minutes of chocking. Her apartment was only a few blocks from the store. Louisiana wasn’t were Darian thought he was going to find her, but he would have followed her to hell. He decided to let her head home without following her. He had done his research and knew which building was hers. He would give her a few minutes then follow.

  Athena pulled in to the parking lot and slammed her hand on the wheel. That damn Johnathan had taken her spot again. He was always parking where ever the hell he wanted. It would be great if he got tired of screwing the neighbor Althea or she moved out. Everyone hated them. They were loud and didn’t pay the rent on time. Athena honestly didn’t know why the landlord put up with it. Unless she was doing him too. Which was entirely possible.

  She parked in the guest spot and took her groceries inside. She stood at her door with one bag in her teeth and the other between her legs. The door on her apartment wasn’t her friend. It would take three or four tries on a good day to get it open. The bag in her mouth was almost out by the time the key worked.

  Her apartment wasn’t big, but it was hers. It had one bedroom, a galley kitchen, small dining room, and a living room. It was cozy. It was far better than the shoe box she lived in St. Louis. This was a great improvement. The ice cream was the first thing she put away. Preheating the oven was next. She headed to the room to get in a quick shower before she cooked the pizza. Her shirt and shoes were off before she even reached the closet. Moving swiftly through the room, she grabbed only the essentials then headed to the bathroom.

  Darian pulled into the apartment complex. He recognized her car and knew immediately it was in the wrong spot. He backed his bike in beside her car and decided to take matters in his own hands. The big truck in Athena’s spot belonged to a local man. He was married, but he came here to see Athena’s neighbor. The way he treated Athena made Darian’s blood boil. He walked up to the ford and then knelt down. One good stab released most of the air in his back tire. That wasn’t nearly good enough for Darian. He walked up to the front tire and did the same. Satisfied, he walked up the stairs and sauntered to her door. He could hear her in the shower. As much as he wanted to interrupt her, he decided to wait.

  The shower was warm and released all of Athena’s tension. Her mind wandered as she washed her body. The man at the grocery store was so fiercely hot. She had never had a man like that flirt with her. She wondered if he was really interested in her or if he just felt sorry for her. It was difficult for her to believe any man wanted her. Her life had been so hard up to this point. Losing her parents and then moving to this swamp didn’t help her disposition. When she finally finished her shower, she barely had her robe tied when there was a knock on the door.

  “I’m coming.” Her feet padded lightly across the carpet. She made her way to the door and stretched up to look through the peep hole. Her heart leapt up into her chest. She searched through her mind trying to figure out just how Mr. Sexy from the store found her. He didn’t even know her last name.

  “I can hear you breathing you know.” Darian had his hand against the door leaning gently. He could practically feel her through the wood. He wanted to break down the thing and have his way with her. He couldn’t. He had to go slow and be methodical with her.

  “Sorry. I just got out of the shower.” Her back was against the door. It didn’t help her breathe, but it kept her off of the ground. Her eyes were fluttering rapidly. Her mind was racing from one thought to another. Then she looked down. Her robe was all that she had on. Her nerves got even worse.

  “Well then I have perfect timing.” A little chuckle escaped him. He would love to see her in her robe. It had been a long time since he had seen Athena naked. He was sure it would be worth the wait.

  “Just a minute.”

  “You can let me in, Athena. I promise I won’t look until you’re dressed.” He couldn’t even stop the smile on his face. He was sure he could look away for a little while.

  “Um, okay.”

  Undoing the chain and dead bolt, she opened the door just enough for him to come in. Darian stood with one foot in the door half expecting her to slam it on him. As soon as he was in she redid everything. He helped himself to a seat on the couch as if he had lived here for years. His feet were up on the coffee table and his arms were folded across his chest. His black t-shirt didn’t do much in the way of hiding his sculpted abs. His arms were almost too big for the sleeves. If he flexed the shirt would rip. Athena stood at the door admiring him.

  “So what time is dinner?” He never once broke eye contact with her. She felt like she was a steak on the fire. He would devour her at the first chance she gave him. That made her heart hammer even harder.

  Stepping away from the door, she placed a hand on the tie of her robe. It wouldn’t have the opportunity to fling open no matter how bad they wanted each other. Athena cleared her throat. “I haven’t even started cooking yet.”

  “Why don’t I do it while you get dressed?” He needed nothing more than the invitation to jump off of the couch and walk to the kitchen. Darian moved around the small room like he had been doing it his entire life.

  Athena ran to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. She stood in her room for five minutes just willing her heart to stop hammering. This seductive, sexy man was in her kitchen preparing food for them both. She threw her robe on the bed and found her panties. She pulled them up with her sweatpants and then grabbed a sports bra.

  “Finding everything okay?” She was still standing in the center of her room frantically trying to get her shirt over her head.

  “Already in the oven.” He was standing leaning against the door frame to he
r bedroom. His muscular arms were folded across his chest. Her eyes scanned down Darian’s body. She was so engrossed in admiring Darian’s body she hadn’t noticed he was doing the same to her. Her shirt was still not all the way down. Her breasts were heaving out of the sports bra. Darian found himself needed to adjust again. This woman had a way of making him so horny. Embarrassment flooded her cheeks as she grabbed the hem and yanked it the rest of the way down.

  “You could knock.” Her red cheeks and sparkling eyes were so endearing. This was the woman he had loved for years.

  “Why? You were already dressed.” A chuckled escaped him. She smacked his arm as she walked by him. He laughed at that as well. He couldn’t wait until she had her old strength back. Then he would feel a smack from her.

  “You didn’t know that.” She walked to the kitchen and right passed to the dining room.

  “Didn’t I?” Darian winked at her as she walked around the already set table. He had already poured them both wine and placed plates on the table. She was touched how far he went to make things good for her.

  “How exactly did you know where I lived? I mean I didn’t even give you my number.” She sat down and sipped the wine. It was all he could do not to clear the table off and take her right here.

  “I can’t give away all my secrets at once, but let’s just go with this is a very small town and Athena is not a common name.” His answer was half true. Her name this time around was her given name. In the past it had been all sorts of different names. That made tracking her much more difficult.

  “So you asked around about me?”

  “How else was I going to come over for dinner? You certainly weren’t going to ask me.” The sound of his manly chuckle filled the apartment. Athena wasn’t really impressed with how well he knew her. It was border line creepy.

  “Maybe.” She stared at her wine. Darian thought for a second he went too far. Then he began to be insulted by her inability to look at him.