by Danica Avet
“You’re hot. I’m pretty sure if you wouldn’t act like you’re about to piss on me to mark your territory, I might even go so far as to let you ask me on a date, but as it stands, you’re not even getting my digits.” With that said, she turned around and headed for the bathroom. She needed to cool down and figure out how she was going to apologize to everyone for making a scene like this.
She had absolutely no warning when she was lifted off her feet and hoisted over a rock hard shoulder. Dangling like a sack of potatoes, Ruby had an excellent view of a rock hard ass encased in cargo pants. But even before that view, she’d known it was Lucian by the touch of his hands on her body.
“Dammit, put me down!”
“I’m going to show you what cave I crawled out of,” he growled at her as he walked out the back door of the shop with her.
“You can’t just leave with me, you know.”
“I’m the Oculum-se. Once I’m outside Kali’s security perimeter, I can do whatever the hell I want,” he replied coolly and kept walking through the garage.
“Hey!” Ruby shouted at the others who were crowding the doorway watching them move away. “Someone help me!” she hollered at them.
She watched Jackson move into the middle of the crowd and read his lips. It looked like he said “live bait” and everyone went “aah” again. Kali looked surprised but pleased, and Persephone looked delighted.
Stella shouted, “I’ll watch your doggy for you, Ruby! Have fun!”
“What the fuck?” Ruby shouted in fury when she realized no one was coming to her aid and fought in earnest on her own. “What’s wrong with you people? You’re all insane!”
She tried to use her feet, but he had her legs pinned tight against his chest. She wiggled like a fish. She used her fists and elbows on his back, aiming for his kidneys and anything else she could hit. Ruby punched one of his butt cheeks and only hurt her hand.
“Calm down,” Lucian suggested with a sharp slap to her ass. As though to make it feel better, he rubbed the sting gently, but he never broke stride. “We’re just going somewhere private to talk. There are some things you need to know that will make everything much less difficult.”
Reaching behind her, Ruby grabbed a hank of his beautiful hair and pulled as hard as she could. He shouted but wouldn’t let her go. Instead, he spanked her again. It stung and she lost her grip on his hair. Before she could blink, he had her cradled in his arms and was using the string he’d had in his hair to tie her wrists together.
“You’d better hope I don’t get out of this, Lucian Ravenswaay,” she promised him, feeling a fury lit within her unlike any she’d known before. “You’d better pray I don’t find a way out of this because, if I do, I’m going to make you regret doing this.”
He seemed to hesitate, but instead of letting her hands go free, he tied them tighter and hoisted her over his shoulder again before disappearing into the night.
Chapter Ten
Malachi sat in his throne room, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. He was irritated beyond belief. The night they had Lucian pinned down, he should’ve ordered his enforcers to finish him off and continued after the Chieftain, but he hadn’t been able to. He would’ve thought after all this time getting rid of Lucian would’ve been his main concern, but seeing the Oculum-se on the ground and helpless had touched a part of him he hadn’t come in contact with in ages.
“You’re troubled,” Pet said tonelessly.
Malachi snorted and rolled his eyes to get a good look at his companion. Pet wore its mandatory veil and shapeless robes. It tilted its head to the side in an alien movement demons couldn’t have managed.
“Why wouldn’t I be troubled?” he asked. “I let my rival go without ending it between us once and for all.” And I don’t know why I didn’t, he added silently.
“You know why you did it. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself yet,” Pet said, echoing his thoughts in that same toneless voice.
Malachi repressed a shiver. It was damned eerie how easily Pet could read his mind. He wasn’t even sure what Pet was other than something he’d found as an infant and taken under his wing as a tool to be used in his campaign against the Veil. What he did know was that Pet was a dangerous asset in his fight.
He let out a frustrated growl. The Veil was full of purists who believed Halflings like himself were abominations, not deserving of the smallest of dignities or freedoms. He was living proof Halflings were second class citizens, and his purpose was to prove they were wrong. He could care less about humans. He just wanted rights.
Pet’s foretelling abilities had come in handy too many times to count. His associate’s numerous sneak attacks against the Veilerians left Malachi distinctly uncomfortable, and Pet’s predictions made him feel safer. There really was no honor among thieves, he thought with a snort. Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” he said, snapping out of his reverie with a start, eyes glowing red in warning at his pet.
The bland expression in the blue eyes that met his through the gauzy veil showed Pet had no fear of him. Most of the time Pet’s lack of fear made him proud, but today it just pissed him off. Malachi decided when the Chieftain joined his cause, he would put her to use immediately by having her find a replacement for Pet.
“Master!” One of his werewolf generals ran in, panting heavily as he fell to his knees in front of Malachi’s throne.
Pissed at having his peace disturbed, Malachi roared at the werewolf. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Master, forgive me.” The werewolf cowered, lowering his head submissively. “We just learned that Harrity’s gang jumped the Veilerian group we fought last night, killing two.”
“Dammit!” Malachi hissed, running a hand through his hair.
His associate’s goons were making a mess of his carefully thought-out plans. He’d have to talk with them before he made any further attempts to get the Chieftain out of Lucian’s hands. He wasn’t opposed to violence, but his colleague’s reckless fights and bloody nature were going to cause Malachi more trouble than he’d anticipated. This wasn’t the kind of fight he’d intended when he began this venture. “Leave and keep me updated on what else that bunch of idiots is doing.”
The werewolf galloped in his rush to leave the throne room, nearly knocking over the little female imp hovering at the entrance.
“Master,” she whimpered from the doorway.
Malachi waved the imp forward, trying to ignore his growing headache. Imps were notoriously flighty, but they were useful when his squadron leaders were in the field and couldn’t come in person for reports. The female imp scampered forward, her impressive rack bouncing with her every step until she stood before him. Her silvery skin was marked with Celtic tattoos announcing her station and name.
Standing with her hands folded in front of her, which just so happened to push her breasts together, forming a most impressive cleavage, the imp recited from memory, “Master wants to inform His Highness that the Oculum-se has abducted the Chieftain from Oracle Kali’s sanctuary. Master believes the Oculum-se is bringing the Chieftain to one of his estates but is unable to say which of the estates that is at this time. Master will keep His Highness informed of the Oculum-se’s movements and would like His Highness to enjoy the services of his favorite imp, Vanca.” She finished with a giggle and flutter of her eyelashes.
Malachi stroked his chin. So Lucian had abducted the woman from a place of sanctuary. Either he was working on his own, or the Council was pushing for her immediate placement in protective custody. Malachi was inclined to believe Lucian was working on his own. It was just the type of cowboy thing he would do. He’d have to send a message to his contact and find out what the next move should be.
Vanca licked her lips, catching Malachi’s eye. Parts of his body stirred to life, which in turn caught her eye. Except it wasn’t his way to take advantage of his lesser soldiers, even though his generals kept t
hrowing them in his path.
“You may leave,” he told the imp, ignoring her disappointed expression.
It wasn’t easy being the bane of the Veil, he thought as she shuffled out of the room, dragging her feet like a reluctant child.
From its cage, not five feet away, Pet looked on impassively.
* * * *
Lucian didn’t remember much of the trip between Kali’s shop and his estate just north of Cypress Point. He was almost certain he stole a car and stuffed Ruby in the passenger seat. From the minute he harnessed her in the seat so she couldn’t escape, she’d cursed him and his entire bloodline from the first Ravenswaay all the way to their very last descendant.
She’d screamed and railed at him until she was hoarse. Even then, she hadn’t given up, kicking the dashboard, beating against the windows, clubbing him with her tied fists. Finally, he’d had to put her in the trunk of the car. That hadn’t been pretty.
The hate in her eyes had threatened to neuter him before he even closed the lid, and he deeply regretted having to go to such lengths to protect her. However, he wasn’t about to leave her life to chance. His primal instincts demanded he keep her safe, even if he couldn’t have her.
Damn, why did she have to begun life as a human? There was no way she’d agree to being a quick toss. He wasn’t quite ready to relinquish his freedom, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to retire from Council before he even got to it.
When he pulled in the gates of his home along the bayou, he had never seen anything so welcoming. Not technically an estate by other people’s standards, his home had once been part of a working sugarcane farm. At the turn of the century, he’d released the land to the family who’d taken care of the house for him and they worked the land now. He just lived in the cottage at the back of the property line.
The stolen car rolled along the dark farm lane, the only sounds Ruby’s constant hoarse cursing from the trunk and the crickets in the fields. Surrounded on all sides by massive oak trees, which provided extensive shading during all hours of the day, the house was almost fully obscured by those who didn’t know what they were looking for. If by chance someone did see it, they didn’t dare approach as it looked completely dilapidated. The farmhands thought the house was abandoned, but the warding he’d spent a fortune on held fast and kept it from being broken into.
He’d call his sentinel caretakers in the morning to let them know he was home, he decided. Getting out of the car, Lucian went around to the trunk and grimaced. She sounded so pissed, he thought. He grinned. He liked a woman with fire, and Ruby seemed to radiate it.
He opened the trunk and the full sound of her shouts escalated, piercing the night sky. The crickets went silent. She was so furious she wasn’t even making sense. Lucian hefted her out of the trunk and only caught some words here and there. The general gist was he was a bastard and she was going to cut off his balls, hate him forever, his mother would be disappointed in him, she hoped his favorite body part fell off, she hated him, he was never touching her ever again, she hated him, she was going to kill him, rinse and repeat.
Carrying his burden into the house, Lucian pressed the alarm panel next to the door, which effectively locked down the entire house. It would alert him if anyone opened or even breathed on any of the exterior windows and doors. The alarm, coupled with the wards, would keep Ruby safe from the outside world and herself, and he could finally breathe easier.
Without turning on a single light, he carried Ruby through the first floor, up the narrow stairs, to the guest bedroom. He dumped her on the bed and stepped back.
She came at him with claws bared.
“Ruby,” he said calmly, holding her wrists. “Ruby, calm down.”
She was insensible. Lucian could feel her fear and ached for having caused it. Unsure of how to snap her out of it, he did something he swore he’d never do to a woman. Ever. He gave her a sharp, yet gentle, slap on the cheek.
Her screeching stopped like he’d hit a power button. She stared up at him, her eyes cold.
“Ruby. Please listen to me. I will explain everything if you calm down for me, I promise,” Lucian said soothingly, pressing a gentle kiss to the cheek he’d slapped.
Ruby flinched away from him, turning her face to the side.
Feeling an ache in the vicinity of his heart, Lucian released her and untied her hands. “There’s a bathroom through there,” he said with a nod to the doorway behind her. “There’s nothing in there for you to use as a weapon. No window, no mirrors, no razors, or anything. I thought you might want to freshen up and calm down so we could talk like civilized adults.”
The coldness in her expression froze his heart. “Civilized adults?” she hissed, a sneer on her face. “Civilized adults don’t act possessive for no apparent fucking reason. Civilized adults don’t abduct each other, and they don’t throw them in trunks. Don’t talk to me about being civilized, Lucian Ravenswaay.” With that said, she turned on her heel and stalked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her with a soft snick.
Lucian had to hand it to her. She hadn’t been in the Veil for long, but she’d definitely learned names have power and using someone’s full name compelled them to listen to you.
He dragged a hand through his hair, forcing out a deep breath. He’d fucked this entire thing up royally, he thought in disgust. Instead of going all Alpha on her, he should’ve done what he usually did with women and wined and dined her.
But the mating instinct had taken over, making him desperate for her. Now, she wanted nothing to do with him while he didn’t think he could survive if he didn’t have her right this minute.
Lucian let out a harsh bark of laughter. With the way he’d handled things, he was lucky if she even looked at him in the next three hundred years. He rubbed a hand over his face. Still, he couldn’t deny that he felt immense relief having her here under his roof.
Seating himself on the edge of the queen size bed, he heard the water running in the bathroom and wondered what was going through her mind.
* * * *
Ruby ran the water in the sink and sat on the edge of the tub with her legs crossed. Her raised leg bounced like mad. She was on the verge of spontaneous combustion. The fury burning in the pit of her stomach was so great that if she didn’t squelch it soon, it was going to consume her.
How could he do that to her, she asked herself angrily, wiping at the infuriated tears falling from her eyes. She barely knew the guy and he hauled off and not only kidnapped her, but publicly humiliated her and declared her as his. His! She snorted, blowing her nose on some bunched up toilet paper. The bastard. Arrogant vampire scum, she screamed silently in her head.
Ruby might not have been the most sexually savvy woman in the world, but even she could tell when a man was interested in her and Lucian wanted her. She’d felt the erection pressed against her body and seen the flush on his cheeks when he’d inhaled her scent. She was scared he would seduce her and then turn her over to the rest of council for her own protection. Yeah right. They were planning to keep her where they could use her for their own purposes.
A little sob tore out of her throat, and she covered her face with both hands. Ruby hated to be out of control. This tearfest constituted being out of control, and Lucian was going to pay.
A tentative knock sounded at the door. A masculine throat cleared. “Are you okay?”
“Go away,” Ruby said with as much dignity as she could, considering she was talking through her nose.
“I don’t want you to make yourself sick,” he said, his voice sounding oh so nice.
Lying bastard, she thought. “My health is none of your concern, Lucian.”
“Yes, it is.”
Ruby stood up and threw open the bathroom door. “I don’t care if I’m on my death bed and the only thing that stands between me and a cold grave is one touch of your finger.”
She slammed the door again and washed her face. Enough of this feeling sorry for herself.
* * *
*
Lucian stared at the closed door in stunned disbelief. Okay, that was a bit harsh, he thought, but then she was pissed. Women said things when they were pissed off. If she understood his concern and her possible place in his life, she’d calm down and see reason, he told himself.
He retreated to the other side of the room to wait for her. Minutes, hours, years later the bathroom door opened again and Ruby emerged, face washed, eyes cold. The makeup that had turned her from pretty to stunning was gone, the sparkle and confidence that had begun to meld to her aura had leeched away, leaving her looking washed-out and pale.
“Ruby,” he started, his voice caught in his throat.
She raised her hand, refusing to meet his eyes. “I’m only going to say this once,” she said, all trace of fire gone from her eyes. Even her vibrant tattoos seemed somehow drained of color. “I don’t care why you did it, Lucian. I’m a person, not baggage for you to haul around and claim everywhere you go. You and Council can stuff your reasons and your excuses up your collective asses for all I care.” The cold snap of her voice gave testimony to just how furious she still was.
“I think you might be my life-mate,” he blurted and then felt like an idiot.
Ruby made a rude buzzing sound like something out of a game show. “Aw, good answer, but no prize, Lucian.” She scoffed. “Kali explained mates to me. Life-mates to vampires, pack mates to weres, bond mates to the rest of the Veil. Her words were, and I’m quoting here,” she said, face and voice softening just enough to illustrate how much he’d screwed up. “‘Mates are what make the lives of immortals bearable, Ruby. Most Veilerians spend their entire lives searching for that perfect one and when they find them, that person clicks with them so perfectly, so beautifully, it’s like they’re two halves of a whole.’” The softness melted away like wax. “Funny, she didn’t mention kidnappings, threats, and other things when she talked about them.” She made a bitter sound and flicked a harsh glance at him. “Now, that’s out of the way. Is this my room, or do you have a cell you want to put me in?”