The voice was not mine. It was sickeningly familiar, and one I had hoped to never hear again.
Mine. I argued with the voice that had no place in my head. I argued with my father.
Yours in the flesh and in the soul. Ours in the power.
The voice could not be real. He could not be back.
Miss me, James?
No. I spoke inside my head. You are dead.
A Cipher cannot die.
Kevin killed you. Calvin gave his life. Fighting darkness took light.
The light destroyed my body, destroyed what I was as a man.
What do you want with me?
Our time has come.
There is no ‘our’. I hate you.
But son, I have given you the greatest gift ever.
I want nothing from you.
It is too late.
Take it back. Anger swelled through me. I wanted nothing to do with him.
This is not a gift that can be returned.
What did you do? My chest clenched.
Every king needs a queen. You have the finest.
I am not a king.
You will be.
Leave me. My body shook. My worst nightmares were coming true.
I cannot do that, and if you look inside yourself you will realize you do not want me to.
I hate you and all you stand for. Whatever plans you have, count me out. I will not help.
You will.
No! I screamed inside my head.
The poison already runs through her veins.
What poison? Ainsley. What had he done to her?
Your poison. Once mine. This brand of poison uses itself as an antidote. As long as she has more, she will live.
More what?
Of you, he taunted. You are old enough to understand the ways of men and women. Her body knows. Her body will forever crave the poison that will keep her living.
What have you done? Fear engulfed me. This is impossible.
Not impossible. Real. If you die she dies too. Do not forget that, and you can thank me later. Thought I would use an insurance policy that would reward you at the same time. You were always my favorite son.
I was your only son. What do you want with us? Did you have to return now and poison the one thing I want?
I could not return until you had the strength for me. She gives you the strength. Her strength.
What does that mean? She is just a girl. My girl.
Do not worry. I am not a man anymore. I do not wish to take from you. I wish to give.
I will find a way to rid myself of you. I had to. I had to protect Ainsley.
Be careful to keep the girl close. There is no telling how fast that poison will snuff out her life without the antidote.
I will stop you! I seethed
You will not. I am your only ally.
I am allies with the Essence and all her family.
What would they do if they knew of the darkness in you? The darkness that allows you to hear me?
I do not fear death.
But your death will mean the death of her too. I will take my leave for now, but when the time comes you will answer to me.
My body shuddered as his words echoed in my head.
“James?” Ainsley spoke my name softly. “Are you all right?”
I ran my hand down her back. “I am fine. Everything is fine.” The lies slipped off my lips easily, too easily.
“Don’t leave me,” she mumbled as she snuggled into my side.
“Never. I will forever keep you at my side.” I closed my eyes, relieved when the voice did not return. Was it all in my head? Did I dream it?
I continued to stroke Ainsley until I found something new. A raised spot just beneath her collar bone.
I ran my hand over the mark, but I already knew what it was. It was the Mendel mark. She was marked with my family name. She was cursed.
It would be okay. It was only a mark. Maybe it was normal. I had never had a kindred before. That was it. It was not my father.
I tried to convince myself that it was all a hallucination. I focused on her even breathing. “I will be with you forever.” The words had now taken on a life of their own.
James and Ainsley’s story continues in Forged in Ice (The Forged Chronicles #2)!
Keep reading for a Crescent Chronicles bonus story and a preview of Seduction’s Kiss, the prequel novella to the Allure Chronicles.
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Future
Part 1
A crescent chronicles story
Allie
“Come back to bed.” Levi’s drowsy voice carried into the marble floored bathroom.
“In a minute.” I attempted to hide my annoyance. Did he have a sensor or something? I’d sworn he was sleeping when I slipped out of his arms a few minutes before.
“Are you okay?” He sounded worried. He wasn’t going back to sleep.
I tossed the little piece of plastic back under the sink and flushed the toilet. “Yeah, be right out.” I washed my hands for longer than necessary and took a moment to stare at my reflection. I looked pale and overtired. I was surprised Levi hadn’t called a doctor on me already. I loved his protectiveness, but sometimes he took it too far.
I took a few deep, calm breaths before opening the door and stepping back into our bedroom.
Levi’s bedside lamp was on, something he’d done for my benefit and not his. His night vision was near perfect. “Are you okay, babe?”
I nodded. “I’m fine.” Technically I was, even if I hadn’t fully accepted that my life as I knew it was going to change completely.
“You sure?” He sat up, revealing his perfectly chiseled chest and abs. I’d never get tired of staring at my husband shirtless, even if it still sounded crazy to call him that.
“Absolutely.” I slid back into our ultra-high thread count red sheets. Levi had compromised on the cotton instead of satin, and I’d compromised on the color. I didn’t dislike the color red, but I’d always been a fan of neutral and relaxing colors in the bedroom.
“You’re not mad at me, are you?” He made no move to lie back down. “I know I haven’t been around much this week, but things have been crazy.”
“You’re the king, Levi. I understand you get busy. I’m not mad. Stop worrying.” I closed my eyes, hoping he’d get the hint and turn off the light.
“But you’d tell me if you were, right? You wouldn’t pretend everything is ok if it weren’t?”
“Where is all this paranoia coming from?” I opened my eyes. Levi was always confident. He’d worried for a while I’d never agree to mate—and marry him, but from the beginning I’d had no chance. He was my other half. I couldn’t imagine life without him.
“It’s not paranoia. You’ve been acting distant.”
“It’s been a long week.”
“We’ve been through long weeks before, and you’ve never acted this way. You only do this when you’re upset or something.” He ran his hand down the bare skin of my arm.
“I’m not upset.” I closed my eyes and rolled away from him. Thankfully he didn’t stop his feather light touch. Instead he moved his attention to the back of my arm.
He turned off the light and lay down behind me. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I rolled back to face him. I couldn’t see him in the dark room, but he could see me. “I promise I’m not upset with you. I’m just worn out, and you know I’ve been feeling under the weather.”
“Want me to call Dr. Ellis?” He brushed some hair back from my face.
“Not tonight, but maybe if I still feel this way in a few days.” I might have to see him anyway. Something told me I couldn’t see a regular human doctor for what I was dealing with.
“Okay, we�
�ll give it another few days, but that’s it.”
“You worry about me too much.”
“Nope.” He kissed my forehead. “I worry about you the perfect amount.”
“Do you have to go in to work early tomorrow?” I snuggled in against his strong chest.
“Everything is under control for the time being. I’ll need to go in at some point, but how about I make you breakfast in bed?”
“It doesn’t have to be in bed. I can help cook with you in the kitchen.”
“I want it to be in bed.” He ran his lips down my neck. “I like spoiling you.”
“That sounds bad.”
“You’re my queen.” His lips trailed down lower. “I’m supposed to spoil you.”
“Nope, you’re supposed to treat me with love and respect. That doesn’t mean I want to be spoiled.”
“Most of the time your wants are what I focus on, but this time it’s about my want. I want to spoil you, so I will.”
“Do you really want to spoil me?” I ran my fingers down his chest in the way I knew he loved.
“Of course.”
“Then please give me a back rub. I’m tense.”
“I’d love to.” Even though I couldn’t see, I knew he was grinning.
I rolled onto my stomach and his hands moved to my shoulders. “You weren’t kidding about the tense part.”
“I know.”
“You should have asked for this earlier.”
“Mmm yeah,” I mumbled. His hands felt so good, and I could feel the tension leaving me. “This is the kind of spoiling I’m never going to complain about.”
“Good.” He slipped the straps of my cami down and pulled the shirt down to my waist.
I closed my eyes as he expertly worked my back. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He continued to work on my back, but before long his hands slid underneath my body and cupped my breasts. “Are these tense too?”
“Levi.”
“Yes?” He asked innocently with his lips by my ear.
“I thought you were tired.”
“Who said I was tired? I’ve already had plenty of sleep.” He kissed the back of my neck.
“I’m not tired either.” I rolled over.
Levi moved over me, one hand already tugging down on my cami and pajama shorts. “I know one way to relieve all of your tension.”
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” I teased. Levi loved when I teased.
“You want me to show you?” He pulled my shorts and shirt all the way down my legs, before slowly following them with my panties.
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to think about it.”
He moved beside me, and I knew he was removing his boxers.
“That’s fine. Take all the time you need to decide.” His hand moved between my legs. I pretended to try to keep him out, but my willpower didn’t last long before I very willingly opened up to him. “I promise not to rush you, just take your time.”
I closed my eyes and relaxed down into the bed. There were some luxuries in life I would never trade—like a really nice mattress. Well, and a husband like Levi.
“Any progress? Still thinking?” His free hand ran up and down my body while still keeping us covered by the sheet.
“I have to do one more thing before I decide.” I took him in my hand.
He moaned. “Now you can really take all the time you need.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah? What made you change your mind?”
“You kill me, Al. You kill me.”
“Calling me Al again?” I opened my legs wider, hoping to send a message that I was ready for more of him.
“You like it. I like it. Why not use it?”
“With that same logic, why aren’t you inside me right now? I like it. You like it.”
“You mean I love it. You love it.”
“Same thing,” I teased.
“Not the same thing at all.” He removed his hand, but I didn’t complain. I knew exactly what was about to happen.
“Remind me. I think I need a refresher.” I grinned.
“Oh, I’ll give you a refresher.” He thrust into me and everything else disappeared. I held onto him, letting all my stresses and fears fade away. I was with Levi, and he was with me. Forever. We could handle everything, even the kind of everything that would change our relationship in a way nothing else ever had or would.
Levi
Something was up with Allie. I knew it in every grain of my body, but I chose to ignore it for the time being. She wanted to figure out whatever it was on her own, and pushing her would only make her think I didn’t trust her. I wasn’t going down that road again.
I kept my word and served her breakfast in bed. I went with the strawberry French toast she always loved and coffee served exactly the way she liked it. Milk and a little bit of sweetener. Some things hadn’t changed in the time we’d been together, but others had. She wasn’t the same girl she was when she first arrived in New Orleans, but then again I wasn’t the same guy I was before I met her. Our time together had changed me in all the best ways.
If I’d had the option, I would have worked from home, but that wasn’t in the cards. Things were out of control with The Society, and as much as I wanted to spend every minute of my life with Allie, that was impossible. If I’d tried she would have kicked me out anyway. Allie was big on facing our responsibilities.
I tried to push my worries out of my head as I worked, but by lunch time I had given up. She was definitely upset about something, but it wasn’t me. The amazing sex from the night before helped assuage those fears.
A knock on the door snapped me out on the reminiscing. “Yes?”
“It’s me. Can I come in?” Owen, my chief advisor called.
“Sure.”
He pushed open the door and took a seat in front of my desk without me telling him to. He was used to my office, and he had no problem making himself at home.
“What’s up? Any news on the uprising?”
“No. Nothing new. Things are calm for the time being.” He picked up the mug on my desk and turned it around in his hand.
“It’s only the calm before the storm.”
He set the mug down. “True… but I’ll take the calm when I get the opportunity.”
“If things are calm, then what are you doing here?”
“Glad I can only come visit my friend if things are bad.” He stretched and put his hands behind his head.
“You’re always welcome, but you never stop by without a reason. You’re too hard of a worker.”
“Like you should talk. Has Allie even seen you this week?”
“She saw me last night.” I smiled thinking about the sex again. It would never get old with her. It only got better.
“So things are okay with her?”
“Why?” His question worried me. “Why would you ask that?”
“Just something stupid that Hailey said to me.”
“What did she say?” I leaned over the desk. “I want to hear it word for word.”
“Relax. Calm breaths.”
“Don’t tell me to relax. You’re implying Hailey thinks something is up with Allie. I need to know everything.”
“Hailey mentioned she seemed upset and agitated, but Allie won’t tell her anything. It’s weird because you know how those girls are.”
“Yes, I do.” I’d learned the hard way everything I said to Allie generally got repeated to her chief advisor, who also happened to be my chief advisors’ sister.
“Maybe Hailey was imagining it. She’s paranoid like that.”
“Hailey isn’t usually a paranoid person.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re holding something back from me?” Owen returned his hands to his side.
“It’s just a feeling. Something seems off with Allie. I can’t shake it. She’s been complaining about feeling out of it, ‘under the weather’ is how she puts it, and she seems withdrawn.”
“Did you ask her about it?”
“Of course I did. Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“Maybe you’re the one we should be worried about.” Owen slouched in his chair. “Temper much?”
“I take everything involving Allie seriously.”
“Which you should. She’s your mate after all.”
“So stop giving me a hard time.”
“Okay.” An unreadable expression crossed his face, which meant he was formulating something to say.
“Spit it out.”
“Don’t hit me for asking this. Okay?”
“Asking what?”
“What I’m about to ask.”
“I won’t hit you. No promises on other methods of physical retaliation.” I’m all for being honest.
“Do you want to hear it or not?”
“Go for it.”
“Could she be pregnant?”
“Pregnant?” I sat up in my chair. “Why would you ask that?”
“Let’s see…. your wife is moody, complaining about being under the weather, and keeping things from her best friend. Kind of adds up.”
“I need to go home.” I had to talk to Allie. I needed to know if Owen’s hunch was right.
“Now? I thought you had a meeting at one?”
“Cancel it or cover for me.” I stood up and pushed in my chair.
“Which do you prefer? It’s with the leaders of the local wolf packs. I’m afraid of upsetting them considering what has been going on.”
“Take the meeting. I’ll be worthless in the talks with where my head is anyway.”
“I’ll agree with you there.” Owen was one of only a few people in the world who could get away with talking to me that way.
“Fill me in, and don’t promise anything.”
“I’m an expert at evasive speech.”
“I know. How do you think you got this job?” I ribbed.
“Are you sure you want to piss off the guy who’s covering for you in an important meeting?”
“I couldn’t piss you off if I tried.” I smirked. Owen and I got into it sometimes, but we didn’t come to head nearly as much as I did with my other best friend, Jared.
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