“How was your rest, darling?”
“Good, I think.” The sound of my voice squeaked out. My head swirled from his intoxicating presence.
“I thought you could use a little getaway. I usually like to take her out for treasure hunts.” He bit his upper lip. “Lucky for me, the treasure is already on board.”
I looked up at him and smiled. My eyes did a little half roll to the right. He had a way of bringing the heat to my cheeks.
“You might not know it, but you are more than anything your grandmother did or did not tell you. You will see. You think I would spend all this time with just anyone?”
I didn’t know how to respond to that. How would I know with whom he would spend his time?
“Would you care for a bite to eat?” he asked.
“No, thank you. Maybe in a little bit.” I simpered.
He ran his finger over my bare shoulder and down my arm. Grabbing my hand, he led me down the stairs. Just behind the table was a semi-circle of aquamarine pillows resting on another floating couch. Kaden flipped a switch to turn off the lights that radiated from below. The only light on the deck now came from the candles and the heavens above.
We settled down onto the couch. He gently grabbed me and pulled me between his legs. I laid my head against his chest and we stared up into the sky. Other than the relaxing sounds of the ocean, the silence was surprisingly nice. Kaden intertwined his fingers with mine.
“I could just lay here like this for an eternity.”
“Yes, darling, you can. I would keep you with me always. We can share the journey together. I will share my all with you.” His voice melted me.
“I look forward to getting to know more of you. Tell me, what is it that you do with your time when you aren’t courting me?” It was time to start asking my own questions.
“Private consulting, mostly. I specialize in private security. I also find and acquire priceless treasures, shall we say.”
A chill went up my spine.
“Are you chilly? I can retrieve a blanket for you.”
“No, you’re keeping me quite warm.” I could feel his heat penetrating my back. I was also aware of his manliness bulging beneath me.
I rolled over and crossed my arms under my chest. I looked at every detail of his face. His hair was more unruly than usual. The sea air had it flying away a bit. I moved his hair back off his face as his hands stroked my back.
He took a few quick breaths accompanied by a cross between a moan and a growl. There was something familiar about the sound. He licked his full lips just before biting on his succulent lower lip.
I had something I wanted to say, but my head was clouded with lust. All I could muster were impure thoughts of what his lips would feel like. I could see the stars reflecting off the blacks of his eyes. He reached up and plunged his hands in my hair. His body pressed up against mine.
“You really are breathtaking. Having you for myself is all that fills my thoughts. Will you share yourself with me?”
Share myself? I wanted to pour myself all over him. My inner woman had been burning for his every touch since the day he passed by me at the coffee house. My heart was doing flips in my stomach and my core pulsated in anticipation of what he had to offer.
My eyes answered him with an invitation. I slid my arms out from under me and up behind his head. He took one of his hands out of my hair and lowered it down my back and picked me up just enough to flip me under him. The maneuver was effortless for him.
I welcomed his weight on top of me. He gazed down and devoured me with his eyes. I could see the hunger building. I think he was holding back from uncontrollably consuming me. His intensity made me quiver.
“I want you more than I should. I want to keep every bit of you for myself,” he declared.
His eyes pressed shut and his head went back. He rolled it back down in my direction. I was ready for him to finally lock his lips with mine. Instead, he buried his face in my neck, nuzzling the depression of my collarbone. I could feel the air he forcefully sucked in.
“Mmm, your sent is so unique. I could sniff you up all night.” He moaned in my ear and started to kiss my neck. The kisses were unhurried; he worked his way from just under my ear down to the top of my shoulder. After another lengthy inhalation, his tongue glided back along the same path up to my earlobe.
“Oh, ahh…” he moaned out. “You taste even better than you smell.”
My arms were wrapped around his broad chest. I squeezed into the flesh of his back. The sexual energy that flared up between us was almost torturous. My spine arched beneath him. If his lips touched me again, I might burst into a million colors. We hadn’t even kissed yet.
Kaden lifted himself over me. His gaze wasn’t the only thing that was hard.
“I should… I have to tell you… before—”
I reached up and pulled him in close to me, cutting his words short. I clutched his tied-back hair and forced my lips over his. His full lips filled my own. I found myself kissing more of his bottom lip than anything. I lightly sucked it into my mouth, encouraging him to give me more of himself.
Kaden grabbed the back of my head and took control of the kiss. His hot mouth enveloped mine. Parting my lips, his tongue swirled around in my mouth, but he had all of me spinning out of control. He slowly withdrew, lingering his lips just at the edge of my mouth.
I leaned forward to lock onto his lips again, but they weren’t there. I opened my eyes to an empty room of darkness. My heart sank at the realization that it was just a dream. My heart still raced, awaiting his next move. I wanted more of him. I craved to be back in the vast nothingness of the ocean, locked in his grasp. I wanted to be away from my prison and the life I hardly knew as my own.
WHAT WAS THE point of obsessing about a fantasy life with a man I’d never actually even met? There was no escaping my new reality. Ziona may have been right about the fact that they would always find me. Even if I did get out of there, where and how would I manage to live in a world knowing about such a subculture? I had no clue what other kinds of supernatural creatures or people were out there. How would I know what they were or if they could tell what I was?
At least that last bit of sleep I got helped my body get almost back to normal. Other than some stiffness, everything seemed to be moving with little to no pain. I was just glad I didn’t have to sit there and stare into the darkness during my time awake. My ability to project was my only saving grace.
It was tempting to try and find Kaden again. Too bad he was unaware of my existence. Even if he knew, what could he do to help me get out of here? What chance would a human stand against Ziona and her cronies? Graven couldn’t get to me since he had no clue where the compound I was being held at was located and he couldn’t sense me within the walls of my prison. Maybe he was out there waiting for me to check in with him. Graven might have been my only chance at freedom.
A nice comfortable half lotus helped me get situated for my journey. My ability to shift into the astral plane had become almost seamless. Although I did enjoy meditating, it wasn’t really convenient when I needed to get somewhere in a hurry.
I just set my mental dial to vibe on Graven. In a flash, I wisped through the mist. I loved that part. It was like flying through a cloud past Christmas lights really fast. Being so excited about my quick flight, I forgot to pull the reins back before I landed.
I found myself in the back of a restaurant. Lucky for me, nearly all the tables were void of patrons. My eyes could hardly believe the scene splayed out before me. My heart just dropped and almost fell out of my stomach.
Sitting before me was my warden, sipping on a glass of wine. She shared a meal with the man who just told me he would save me or die trying. Now he was out on what looked like a date, splitting appetizers over a white linen tablecloth with the very person holding me hostage. The betrayal had my blood boiling.
Graven knew I was there. I saw him straighten his spine and his back muscles twitched a little the
second I arrived. His back was to me, but of course he didn’t turn to look my way.
The dining room was dimly lit. The tables were littered with votive candles. They were sporadically lit, causing pockets of darkness.
“Graven, let’s cut the bullshit. You know I am always up to spend time with you when it is not related to the business. It is, however, a shame that I always enjoy it more than you.” Ziona dabbed her red lips with a white cloth napkin.
“You need to tell me what is going on. What the hell happened at the club? How exactly does a twelve-hundred-year-old dragon of the Leviath family die?” Her fierce interrogation was no match for Graven.
“I’m on it, Ziona. I’m looking into it. I have topnotch security both from a technical standpoint and a supernatural one. I’ve never had something like this ever happen. Ever!” He didn’t skip a beat. “We were in my office, sipping on some whisky, chatting it up. Actually, he was telling me about his most recent visit with you just before the fire started.”
“You don’t say?”
Graven took a sip of what looked like water. He didn’t stop to acknowledge her question.
“Then, we were talking about planning an event for him at one of the clubs next month. Out of nowhere, the room caught fire. This was ironic really because fire wasn’t something that should affect either of us. I don’t think either one of us thought much of at first. When I tried to leave the room to get help, I couldn’t get the door open. That is when I knew something was awry. Someone had made it so we couldn’t get out.
“I control the locking mechanisms from inside my office. Not to mention, I certainly have enough strength to normally break that door down if I needed to, and I couldn’t. The room filled quickly with smoke and flames. It was hard to see him or anything else in the room.” Graven pressed his strong fingers against his forehead.
“All my communications and electrical equipment stopped working. I heard a commotion and banging noises from somewhere behind the clouds of smoke. At first I figured he stumbled into something, but when I called out to Anton, he didn’t respond. After I heard a few thuds hidden beneath the soot-filled air, someone broke down the door from outside just as I was about to search out Anton.
“They rushed the office with fire extinguishers and put out the flames. It was hard to acknowledge seeing both my office and Anton’s body lying on the floor when the smoke finally started to clear. His body was charred pretty badly. I thought he was immortal.” He pushed his plate forward, removed the napkin from his lap, and threw it on the table. “I still don’t understand how this happened.
“Then the worst part was the local authorities showed up poking around and asking questions. The nettlesome pigs were there almost immediately. There was no time to deal with Anton’s body. The medical examiner’s crew wasted no time removing it. I spent the whole next day entertaining some know-it-all human cop. The questions were endless. We need to get access to his body before they perform an autopsy.”
Ziona listened with an emotionless look on her face. It was challenging to distinguish if she believed what he was slinging. She looked at the swirling dark-mahogany wine in her oversized goblet before taking a slow sip. She took great care in placing the glass back in its proper resting place on the table. She held her gaze on the glass before looking up at Graven.
“So, let me get this straight. Two people that are immune to fire get locked in a room and one of them burns to death?”
“When you put it like that…” Graven was very matter of fact.
“When I put it like that it sounds like a load of crap, Graven. Something is not adding up here. Either you are lying to me or we have a really big problem.”
Graven’s posture elongated. “I plan to get to the bottom of this. I am afraid that we do have a problem, a potentially huge problem. Someone or something was able to breach all my security. They locked me in my own office. Somehow they immobilized Anton. That in itself had to be quite a feat. In a matter of minutes, maybe even seconds, they killed him, I have to imagine before the flames ate away at his existence.
“You think I’m not pissed?” He spouted. “My agitation has reached a new height. I know how bad this makes me look. I do not take kindly to being made a fool of, and I especially do not appreciate someone pulling a stunt like this on my time and in my club.”
The flicker of the small white candle hidden in a small glass jar on the table highlighted the tension at the corners of Graven’s jawline. I noticed the masseter muscle contracting as he clenched his teeth.
Although Ziona looked at him like a piece of meat, I doubt she took notice of him. She was focused on her own hand as she ran a perfectly manicured nail around the rim of her glass. “We need to find out how they managed to kill Anton. Who would know how to kill his kind? I certainly don’t know. Do you?”
“I’m not sure, maybe a mystic of sorts? Maybe one of those pesky story keepers would have access to the history of the Leviath family. We all like to think we are immortal, but death will and can take us all. There is no true forever. The only true constant is the energy that binds us all together. There is a reason he was the last known of his bloodline.”
Ziona raised an eyebrow and looked like a thought just came across her mind. I could almost see the light bulb over her head.
“Ziona there’s a distinct possibility that Anton was individually targeted. It is no secret that he has made plenty of enemies over the years. Of course, most never survived long enough to do anything about it, but the truth is that as much as no one wants to mention it, there are opposing dark forces trying to increase their power. This could be the beginning of a power play. Any one of us could be the next target.”
“At this time, you should not be worrying about any other factions.” Ziona’s face shifted to authoritarian. “Our superior is at the top of the food chain. He is not going to allow that to change. I advise you to not even speak of such things again, especially not in front of him.
“If you have ideas about how this happened, I suggest you do your investigating carefully and quietly. Answers will be expected. Accountability is an absolute. Just be careful at whom you point your finger before you know all the facts and the implications that will come along with the accusation.”
Graven relaxed his posture a little, suggesting a less formal approach to the conversation. He leaned in across the table slightly.
“Aww, Zee, are you worried about me?”
I might have seen Ziona blush a little. Her eyes definitely flashed red. I could tell she was trying to control her emotions, but I think when her passions were heightened, her red glow exposed her. This worked in her favor when she was filled with rage and trying to intimidate someone like me.
After adjusting herself in her seat, she crossed her legs in the opposite direction to disguise her awkwardness.
“Take it easy. I am warning you. Don’t do anything stupid, Graven.” She shook one of those red fingernails in his direction.
“Who, me?”
They both chuckled a little. I never thought I would see her let her guard down enough to laugh. Their amusement and lightheartedness enraged me. How dare they be laughing it up!
How well did they know each other for them to share an unspoken joke? I felt my hands curl into tight fists. Tension grew in my chest.
“So, Graven, why don’t you tell me more about your thoughts on these story keepers?” She took a sip of her wine, her eyes never faltering away from his handsome face. She moistened her lips before rubbing them together.
Graven looked at her for a moment before speaking. “How about we get out of here instead?” He tipped his head in the direction of the glowing exit sign.
I saw her lips curl up ever so slightly in the corners. She had another agenda with Graven for sure. I got the impression she’d had it for some time. She was ready to jump at the chance to go anywhere with him.
“This was a great meal, but I’m bored here. This place is a bit bland and quiet for my l
iking. Where are you staying anyway?” Graven asked, practically inviting himself over.
“Around. You know I never leave my work far behind. In fact, I need to check in on something.” She waved over the server and informed him they would be leaving. He had her sign something and he cleared the table.
Graven got up and moved around to pull out Ziona’s chair. He looked up at me, knowing from this angle she wouldn’t notice his distraction. He smiled and winked at me.
She didn’t deserve to be treated with such respect and chivalry. He must have had a plan up his sleeve. As she got to her feet and led the way out of the restaurant, I just stood there. I couldn’t bring myself to follow them. I had seen enough.
I TOOK A breath and just looked around the empty restaurant. It was hard to digest seeing Graven walk out with Ziona. I certainly had no claim to him, but jealousy plagued me nonetheless.
I again felt as alone as I truly was.
My mind wandered, thinking about my bleak situation. Replaying what I just witnessed, a jolt of worry shot over me. I was so worried about myself and my sudden intense attachment to Graven that I almost missed the topic they headed off to discuss.
Graven knew nothing about my connection or relationship with Patience. I could only assume she was one of the “pesky story keepers” he referred to. How many story keepers could there be out there?
Now I regretted my decision to not tell him she was out there trying to help me—the only friend I had. Gram’s advice to not trust anyone might be the one thing that actually put Patience and her family in danger.
My thoughts of Patience were so strong that before I consciously decided I needed to find her, I was already standing in her kitchen.
She and Phaela sat at the table, sipping on some herbal concoction while turning the pages of ancient books. Worry was plastered all over Patience’s face.
Taken (Breaking the Darkness) Page 16