by Danica Avet
They stared at each other. Ruby was determined she wasn’t going to be Lucian’s little woman, even if part of her yearned to be with him forever. He was overbearing, arrogant, and equally determined to do his part to see her in Council’s hands.
Voices intruded on Ruby’s thoughts. Since Lucian didn’t respond, she figured it was another one of Julius’ flashbacks. Two voices spoke, and one she recognized as Julius’ even though it was stronger than when she had seen him last.
“Your duty is to aid this Council, Chieftain,” a woman’s voice warned.
“My duty is to the Veil as a whole, not just to you, Councilor,” Julius said menacingly.
“Don’t you think you’re being a little obtuse, my dear?” she coaxed. “You can play a huge part in the shaping of our world. Just think about it. Council can be a powerful ally, you know.”
Julius snorted. “I want no part in your plans, Councilor. My entire line has fought to be just and fair. What you’re asking of me would make me little more than your puppet.”
“Better a puppet than a corpse, Julius Blue,” her voice was dripping with ice now. Obviously, she had expected Julius to fall in with her plans.
“I will die before I let the honor of my line become your toy!”
There was a long moment of silence.
“Then you’ve made your decision.”
Ruby blinked and saw not much time had passed since she let herself become lost in the conversation. Lucian was still watching her expectantly.
“You are my mate, Ruby. I’ll never let you go,” he told her, his voice warm and husky, though there was a trace of warning in his words.
Pushing him away, Ruby rolled out of the bed, coming to her feet so she could retain some dignity, which was totally lost when she realized she was naked and Lucian was looking at her like a hungry lion watching a gazelle.
“You want to turn me into a Council toy, Lucian,” she said coolly, picking up her sweats off the floor. She jerked on her rumpled clothing, raging all the while. “You want me, but you also want your precious position to be secured.” He looked surprised at her knowledge. She laughed bitterly. “Yes, Lucian, I know you need to complete all assignments presented to you by your mentor and that’s what I am, isn’t it? Well, guess what? You won’t get both, bub. You either get me or you get the Council position because damned if I’m going to let you screw me and give me away!”
Anger masking his face, Lucian prowled out of bed, his eyes glowing red. “You’re mine! My duties to Council have nothing to do with us,” he snarled as he stalked ever closer.
“They don’t? You want to give me to your precious Council so they can lock me away and take me out when it suits them or you! Do you honestly think I can live like that, Lucian?” her voice shook, but she kept going, knowing that she had to say something that he’d understand. “I’ve just now returned to the world, Lucian. I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to be the person I was meant to be. I want to be a Chieftain who lives up to her line’s expectations. If you can’t leave me with that dignity, then we don’t have anything left to say.”
He was silent, glaring at her. Ruby felt a hollow pang in her chest, but refused to let Lucian know just how much this was actually hurting her. She’d come to trust him as a friend and now that they’d been intimate, she ached for him to be so much more, but not at the cost of her freedom.
The Instinct clamored out of nowhere, and Ruby nearly gasped at the strength of its warning. Just when she was about to plead with him to hide her or let her go, she heard a voice calling from downstairs.
“Luc?” a woman asked, her voice warm and inviting. “Luc, I came as soon as you called. Where are you?”
Betrayal pierced Ruby’s heart like a bullet. Pain and fear ripped through her as she watched the guilt enter Lucian’s eyes. “You called them to come to get me,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. When he didn’t admit or deny her accusations, Ruby’s hand flashed out faster than the eye could see.
Lucian’s head whipped to the side as her blow caused blood to rush to his cheek. He didn’t say anything, just turned his head and met her eyes.
“You bastard,” she whispered in agony. “You trapped me.”
“My, my, what do we have here?” the woman said from the doorway, her eyebrows rising in curiosity and anger. “Lucian, have you been naughty again?” she asked with a sly chuckle.
Ruby glanced at the newcomer, noticing that she was petite. Maybe five foot three, but even though she was short, her body made up for it with knockout curves displayed in crisp white linen. Her platinum hair was cut in a flattering bob around a face designed for the runway. She had large blue eyes that seemed to gleam with innocence, but which looked Ruby over shrewdly. She pursed her coral lips just so to show Ruby she wasn’t impressed by what she saw.
The Instinct trilled even louder as the woman entered the room. Not sure if the threat was from the woman or whoever she’d brought with her, Ruby took a few steps back from Lucian.
“Darling,” she purred and walked over to the still nude and stock-still Lucian. Her long-nailed fingers slid into the crook of his arm which he reflexively bent for her.
They should’ve looked ridiculous, Lucian naked as the day he was born and the woman dressed to the nines in an outfit Ruby was sure cost more than she’d ever spent on a car, but they didn’t. If anything, Lucian’s blatant masculinity was a perfect foil for the woman’s petite femininity. His dark hair waved around his face, tangling a bit with her platinum strands as though they couldn’t wait to be entwined on a pillow.
“You must be the new Chieftain,” she said, her eyes flicking over Ruby with barely concealed disgust. “You’ve led us a merry chase, my dear. But I knew Lucian could find you.” She smiled up a Lucian, her eyes caressing his face with an intimacy Ruby resented the hell out of.
“Who are you?” Ruby asked rudely, drawing herself up to her full six feet two inches, taking satisfaction in the glint of surprise in the other woman’s face.
But Ruby had underestimated her because the woman slapped Lucian’s arm with a playful laugh. “Lucian, shame on you! You didn’t tell her about me?” she rolled her eyes and inclined her head at Ruby. “I’m Bianca Bridges, the Oculum. Lucian is my…apprentice,” she said with a quirk of her lips that suggested they were much, much more.
Lucian still didn’t look at Bianca, his eyes drilling into Ruby like diamond tipped bits. “How wonderful,” Ruby said flatly. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go to my room now.” She walked to the door, stepping around the couple.
“Oh, let me join you! I have so much I want to talk with you about,” Bianca trilled, pulling Lucian down to her so she could kiss his cheek. “I’ll be back and we can…talk.”
Lucian nodded, his eyes meeting Bianca’s. Something passed between them that caused Ruby’s heart to clench. “I’ll shower and be waiting for you, Oculum,” he replied calmly, no emotion in his voice. His eyes met Ruby’s again. “Chieftain, I will see you later.”
Ruby didn’t answer, just stomped out of his room and into hers. The click of heels behind her told her Bianca was right behind her. She didn’t acknowledge the other woman, just went straight to the dresser, pulled out the gray sweats, and entered the bathroom. She’d just stepped into the shower and was doing her best not to cry under the water when she heard the bathroom door open.
“I hope you don’t mind if I sit in here to chat with you, my dear. There are so many things we have to do and so little time in which to do them,” Bianca’s voice came from the other side of the shower curtain.
Ruby heard things on the cabinet top being rearranged and then a slight heft as Bianca settled herself on it. She closed her eyes, not saying a word. Maybe Bianca would go away if she refused to talk.
No such luck.
“Lucian is so noble,” Bianca sighed over the pounding water. “When I handed him this assignment, we only expected it to take him a week at the most to bring Julius in. We never expected th
e dratted little man to evade us for twenty-five years! It’s been so hard on our relationship.”
She paused as though expecting Ruby to ask why it was so hard on them. Ruby clenched her teeth and scrubbed her skin with a vengeance. The woman was flat-out stating she and Lucian had something going on. Lucian had never mentioned his relationship with the woman other than to say he was her apprentice, but Ruby couldn’t dismiss the easy intimacy between them. Lucian hadn’t been the least bit uneasy at being seen in the buff by Bianca. There was something there, but how much Ruby didn’t know.
“He’s such a wonderful man. We grew up together, and when his mother told me Lucian was interested in joining Council, I couldn’t believe my luck. I had a crush on him for so very long, you know,” Bianca said in a voice meant to show Ruby just how little she knew about Lucian’s private life. “When this assignment came up, I never thought we’d be separated for such long periods. But, that’s our job I’m afraid. Now that we’ve found you, Lucian and I can go back to our plans.”
Ruby refused to say anything. She’d seen the silent communication between them, the kind of communication that came from years of familiarity. It doesn’t matter, she told herself as she cleaned Lucian’s scent from her body. He was welcome to the witch. They were a match made in Hell. Bianca with her sly smiles and friendship with his mother, and Lucian with his arrogant assumptions that Ruby would drop everything to become his little woman and do whatever he said.
Bianca would do that, Ruby suspected. She’d be a perfect hostess for him when he was Oculum, having been in the position herself. She’d know all of his friends and be completely at ease with his family and the Veil. Not to mention, she wouldn’t be locked up, unlike Ruby. Bianca was perfect for him.
A tear slipped down Ruby’s face before she could stop it. She wasn’t meant to be with him. Her life was meant to serve the Veil and the Eturi, not the Council. She would hold true to Julius’s beliefs.
The Instinct reared its head again, so strongly this time Ruby couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping. Her skin crawled with fear and panic.
“You’re the final piece to the puzzle, Chieftain,” Bianca’s voice was almost hushed. “Lucian and I can finally live the life we were meant to.”
Ruby threw back the shower curtain, grabbing a towel and drying off roughly. Bianca was arranged on the countertop like a kitten, her legs tucked under her. She tilted her head to the side and watched Ruby dress. Doing her best not to let the Oculum know she was embarrassed by her nudity, Ruby remained as stoic as possible, not meeting her eyes.
“He’s a very smart man, my Lucian is,” Bianca murmured, her eyes drifting over Ruby’s tattoos and lush curves. “Of course I don’t expect him to be faithful until after we’re married, but I’m surprised he would sleep with you. You’re not his usual type.
“In fact, you’re no one’s type I know of,” she continued in a thoughtful tone, though spite dripped from her voice. “Those tattoos are quite horrible, aren’t they? Julius was horrid for giving such a shy, homely girl those marks.”
Ruby had had enough. She finished dressing and stood tall, staring Bianca in the eye. “Say whatever you want, Oculum,” she said stingingly. “I am a Chieftain, and though Lucian tried convincing me to stay with the Council, I won’t.”
Bianca laughed, her blue eyes hard as stones. “Dearest, you have no choice in the matter. This was decided long before you ever arrived on the scene, and just because you slept with my apprentice doesn’t mean you’ll be let free. Did he lead you to believe you’re a couple now?” She laughed again when Ruby flinched. “Really, my dear, that was part of our plan when we realized you were female. We’ve never had to catch a woman before. Lucian didn’t want to do it because he’s so noble, but I assured him you wouldn’t believe it. But you did, didn’t you?”
Ruby felt her face pale and knew her embarrassment and humiliation were apparent in her expression. Even though she couldn’t be Lucian’s mate, knowing he’d used her emotions against her, just like Dan had when she was a teenager, was a powerful blow. Something shattered inside Ruby in that moment. Trust, or hope, or maybe a combination of the two died a slow, painful death.
Bianca hopped off the cabinet and dusted off her hands. “It’ll be okay, dear. I’m sure you had a lovely night with him, but you must’ve known it couldn’t last.” She made her way to the bathroom door with a swaying gait. Before she left the room, she turned back. “I promise you that you’ll never come to regret it.”
Standing alone in the bathroom with Bianca’s hateful words echoing around her, Ruby felt as though she’d just bathed in ice. Dully, she stared at her toes. The words beat at her, pelting her like barbs. They were getting married and Lucian had used the mate card on her to ensure she’d trust him.
Beating herself up for being such a gullible twit, Ruby drifted into the bedroom to sit on the bed. There was no anger this time and the Instinct, though it still beat at her to flee, was a distant call. Below all the anger and pain, beneath the Instinct, was a primitive cry for freedom. Lucian had caused her pain from the moment she met him. Physical, mental, emotional, he touched her on every level and left behind bittersweet agony.
Ruby lifted her eyes to the window. The morning had slipped away along with every ounce of happiness she’d felt the night before.
Her eyes narrowed on the world outside the window. Freedom lurked on the other side of that pane of glass.
Chapter Nineteen
Lucian washed and dressed, trying to ignore the anger and hurt niggling at him. Ruby wasn’t thinking clearly, he assured himself. She was scared and unsure of her feelings for him, but Lucian wasn’t going to let that stand in the way of their bonding.
Ripples of remembered pleasure threatened to drag Lucian away from his duty. Duty, he thought with unexpected resentment, was the bane of his existence. He was a slave to it, putting it before everything. The Council needed to protect the Chieftain and his duty was to see she was brought in. He understood Ruby’s fear of being wrapped in the gentle chains of Council protection, but it was for her own good and safety. He just never thought he’d resent his own part in Council’s decrees before.
Bianca called up to him again, her voice warm and friendly. He sighed. He had so much trouble staring him in the face right now he almost wished Malachi would make an appearance. The situation with Bianca and his family was complicated. Throw in the fact she was his mentor and the only way to a Council seat and he had a problem of mass proportions on his hands.
Giving Ruby’s closed door a longing glance, Lucian went downstairs to find Bianca standing at his stove putting the kettle to boil. Some things never change, he thought as he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. Lucian would put her in an awkward position and Bianca would make tea.
“Darling,” she said happily, clasping the cheek Ruby had slapped. She frowned. “You’re bruised.”
He grinned with sheepish pride. “Ruby has a powerful right hook,” he said, shrugging off her concern and sitting at the table.
She huffed and began setting out cups. Lucian ignored her ire and studied his childhood friend. Bianca would’ve made the perfect partner and, at one time, Lucian wouldn’t have cared if his family expected them to marry. Hell, at one time, he’d been okay with it. Bianca was a beautiful witch and very talented in bed. That had seemed like enough for him until he met Ruby.
No matter how skilled Bianca was, he’d never felt fulfilled with her, which is why he had spent so many years prowling. After last night with Ruby, Lucian couldn’t even imagine touching another woman. They all seemed to pale in comparison to the passion she’d unleashed on and in him.
“So you finally caught the Chieftain,” Bianca said, sounding pleased. “I’ve already called the rest of Council. I have a feeling we’ll need everyone’s powers to control her.” She turned to face him, her lips upturned in a Mona Lisa smile.
Lucian frowned. “I thought I was supposed to bring her in alone?”
�
�Oh, no, darling, after all the trouble you’ve gone to this week, we all agreed you needed our assistance,” she assured him, coming to stand before him. She tilted her head to the side, a charming movement he’d once found endearing. “You just have one more assignment to complete before you’re fully sanctioned by Council. That must feel wonderful.” Bianca tittered.
He shrugged. He felt like shit, actually. His mate was pissed at him and Council was coming to take her away at his prodding. He sat up. “She’s my mate,” he told Bianca, his voice lowering to a growl.
She looked surprised, blinking slowly. “But that’s impossible, Luc. You and I have an agreement to marry!”
“Looks like we showed up just in time,” an amused voice said from the doorway as Tawny, Nila, Fields, and Bree entered the room.
“Nice house, Lucian. Who’s your decorator?” Bree asked as she looked over the kitchen with appreciation.
“Do you realize how long it took us to find this hellhole?” Nila demanded as she fanned herself. “This place is uncivilized!”
“So who are you mated to?” Tawny asked as she and Fields ignored the other two, nodding to Bianca respectfully.
“Oh, he’s not mated to anyone,” Bianca answered, her voice sharp as a whip. “He tricked the little Chieftain into bed by saying they were mates.” She let out a brittle laugh.
The other councilors’ eyes swung around and stared at Lucian with varying degrees of disgust, horror, and interest. Lucian sat up with a jerk. “That isn’t how it happened!”
* * * *
Having sat staring at the window for several long minutes, Ruby finally faced some hard truths. Lucian wasn’t ever going to give up trying to put her in Council hands. Not really. Even now, she could hear them talking downstairs. They were no doubt planning her removal.
He expected her to stick around and calmly concede to Council “protection.” There was no way she would allow herself to be kept in a gilded cage. Ruby had spent most of her life trying to find her niche in the world and now, with the powers she possessed, she found she didn’t resent them as much as she would’ve expected. It was a heady thing to realize that by brushing her hand against someone, even if she still cringed at the idea of being touched by strangers, she could see everything in their past, present, and future.