by Eve Newton
“You find something funny?” he asks, turning his head slightly.
“Quite the opposite,” I say. “Thoughts all serious over here.”
“What do you want with Lilith?” he asks, facing me with his arms folded. “If you’re just in it for a quick bite and a hot fuck in the forest, you had better stop now.”
“Defending her from me? How noble,” I remark dryly, finding amusement in the irony. “But not that it is any of your business where I stick my fangs or my dick, for that matter, I’m not going anywhere. Lilith wants me, so she has me. Hundred percent.”
He grits his teeth. “Has she said that?” he asks quietly.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “You fishing or something?”
His jaw clenches and he turns away again to reach for a plate out of the cupboard. “She means more to me than I can say right now. You hurt her, you will have me to deal with, Vampire. Are we clear?”
“I’m not in the business of hurting the woman that I’m falling in love with. If you have a problem with me being here, we can take this outside…after dark, of course,” I add with a smirk.
He lets out a soft guffaw. “Ah, yes. Your limitation. Cuts into your time with her, doesn’t it? I suffer no such affliction and I’ll make damn sure to take advantage of your absence.”
“Have at it. Lilith and I know where we stand. And you seem to have forgotten all about the Warlock…” I’m goading him and it works.
He spins back to me, taking a step forward, his fists clenched before he smiles a slow, almost evil smile and unclenches. “I’m not worried about that asshole.”
“Sure,” I say with a laugh. “Well, this has been fun. But you know, the afflicted here needs to hit the sack. Catch you after dark, Wolf.”
“I’ll be waiting,” he grits out.
I saunter off, shaking my head. He is way too easy to wind up. I am curious about his words though. Who is Lilith to him? Why does he care so deeply?
All things to figure out once I’ve had some sleep.
Chapter 21
Lilith
I rap on the white wooden door to the cottage where my parents now live, ever since I became Queen. My mom, dark-haired and small, opens it with a smile and beckons me inside.
“Hey,” she says with her posh British accent, shutting it behind me and then leaning on it with her arms folded. “You’ve been busy.”
“Ha,” I snort. “You don’t say. Look, as much as I like our talks usually, I’m going to cut to the chase. Why is Dad acting so weird and why did he tell me to come to you about whatever the hell is going on?”
“Straight to the point,” she mutters and pushes off from the door. She leads me into the sitting room and perches on the edge of the coffee table, indicating that I should sit in front of her on the pure white, leather sofa. I do, pursing my lips at her.
“I’ll dive right in,” she says, leaning her elbows on her knees. “You know that a long time ago, before you were born, your father and I were tasked with fighting off an evil that threatened to wipe out all of supernatural kind. We joined together with a Wolf of immense power and that was how our powers grew to what you know them today.”
“Okay,” I say. “But I know all of this. What’s it got to do with me?”
“This is a revision so that you’ll see the connection,” she says.
I frown at her. “I don’t follow,” I say after a lengthy pause where I tried to connect the dots. “Are you saying the threat is back?”
“Oh, no,” she scoffs. “We killed them dead. Buuut, there is always another threat. Your Hunter problem is growing and becoming an issue now to the extent where they are taking out anyone who isn’t human, not just Vampires. Think about it, lovely. There’s you in the middle and you are now surrounded by a Warlock of power, a Vampire in whom your father sees greatness and an Alpha Wolf. It’s not exactly the same as you are the difference, the one that will bring the four of you together. You will need to join to become a source of enormous power that will take out our enemies and give any new ones lurking in the wings something to think about.”
“So, you are saying that they aren’t here by coincidence?”
She shakes her head. “You know I have visions. I have seen the four of you fighting together. Your father and I have been biding our time, waiting, knowing that if we named you Queen of the Vampires, they would come seeking you out. And they did. Lloyd was a lucky break. We did not know that the two of you were involved until a few weeks ago when Axl showed up.”
“You’re not mad?” I croak out at the hard glare she gives me briefly.
“He is old, really old, Lil. He is not our first choice for you, but we have realized that there is no first choice. As much as this pains me to say as your mother, my visions don’t lie. The four of you are bound in ways that make my skin itchy to think about.” Her moue of distaste makes my cheeks flame. Forget her itchy skin, mine is red hot.
“Oh,” I say faintly, wondering if she is actually telling me that I’m supposed to be involved romantically with these three men. Okay, so I was mostly there anyway, but still… “So, it’s fate or whatever?”
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. At least not with two of them. They are here as the strongest of their kind to help you defeat the Hunters. But in order to do that, you need to be connected on a level so deep that you feel each other. That you know each other.”
“And the third?” I croak out. I know she is talking about Mason and he is what I need to figure out.
“Ah, the Wolf,” she says with a sage nod of her head. “You and he are what they call in his world, Fated Mates.”
“Meaning?”
“You belong together, truly and completely. He is your Alpha and you will be his mate.”
“But I’m not a Wolf.”
“No, I am a Vampire, and your father is a Warlock, that is true. However, go back a few centuries and you will find that your great-grandmother on Draven’s side was, in fact, a Wolf.”
“What?” I stammer. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, but I am,” she says with a sigh.
“Why did no one tell me about this before?”
“We didn’t even think about it until I had the first vision a few weeks ago. Then we were waiting to see who arrived here.”
“This is a lot to take in. Are you sure your visions are accurate?” I almost accuse her of lying because I can’t handle this. I knew who I was before this moment. I was half Vampire, half Witch. Now, she tells me that I’m also a little bit Wolf. I have no idea what that even means. How does that affect me as a person and as the Vampire Queen?
“You know they are,” she says, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. “And before you ask, yes, it is definitely Mason Scott in my visions. He is yours to claim as and when you wish. However, heed my warning and be quick about it. The Hunters are growing in both number and power.”
I nod slowly. “Anything you can tell me about that Philip guy?” I ask carefully, trying not to sound too interested.
“The leader? No,” she says, shaking her head. “Apart from that he is ruthless, completely focused on supernatural destruction, running on revenge and misguided beliefs, and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, in any sense. Hence…” She indicates my neck.
“The black magick,” I mutter.
“Yep.”
“I need this out of me,” I say firmly.
“Your father and the Coven are working on it. Rest assured they will find a way.”
“You don’t seem worried,” I say, feeling that this is unfair. Everyone is telling me not to worry but they aren’t the ones with black magick in them making them dream things they don’t want to.
She gives me a soft smile and cups my cheek. “I’m worried, darling, but I have faith in your father’s, in your, magick. You must too.”
“I do,” I state confidently. “Anything else I need to know? Anyone else about to pop up out of the woodwork to claim me or try to kill
me.”
“Not that I know of,” she says. “But I’ll be sure to inform you immediately if I have another vision.”
“Thanks,” I mutter. I almost wish I hadn’t come here. She has given me way too much to think about. I stand up and she does too.
“Don’t leave it too long to talk to Mason,” she says quietly. “Lloyd and Axl are already in this because of you. They will dive in headfirst if you lead them. The Wolf, by nature, will be more cautious. His experience will also be screaming at him to approach you warily, possibly even wait for you to make the first move.”
I nod as that rings true so far. I know he finds me attractive. The encounter in the kitchen makes me absolutely sure of that. I go over the words that he said to me. He said I wasn’t ready. Maybe if I tell him about this Wolf thing, he will be more forthcoming as he is very cagey right now.
“Thanks,” I say to my mom with a half-smile.
She nods and ushers me to the door.
“How come Dad just didn’t say all of this to me before?” I ask before I leave.
She laughs out loud. “Well, I showed him my visions and let’s just say he saw some things that made him want to run a mile in the opposite direction. Not that I blame him…”
“Oh!” I exclaim, knowing that I can never face my father again. It’s bad enough that my mother saw whatever it was. I know that I will never ask her to elaborate. “I’ll see you later,” I say in a rush and turn to race back to the safety of the mansion, where I head straight to find someone whose ass I’m going to kick for keeping secrets when we aren’t supposed to have any.
Chapter 22
Mason
Irritated, I lie on my side on the small, uncomfortable bed, in this tiny, stone cell. It really pisses me off the Vampire has somehow managed to get onto the top floor. He really gets on my wrong side. He is too cocky, too confident in his ability to not only piss me off but also in everything that he does. He doesn’t let his affliction to daylight hamper his life in any way whatsoever. I find that I’m envious of him in a way. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m jealous, but he has an easy way about him that comes from a long time of experience.
I close my eyes, trying to push the flashes aside. Every now and again it’s all I can see. She is all I can see. Felicity. The woman that I thought I was destined to be with, ripped apart piece by piece by a Hunter with a cruel streak. I couldn’t save her. I found what was left of her the day after, and that has haunted me for over seven years. I fell into a pit of self-destruction, which is when Laura found me and used my pain to try to wipe me off the face of the Earth. I would never have fallen into her trap had I been in my right mind. I was an Alpha. I should’ve seen the signs of her deception, smelt them a mile away.
Was.
Was an Alpha.
I can’t even call myself that anymore.
I’ve isolated myself so much that I barely even come across another Wolf these days. I wondered if coming here might change that. I knew it was a sanctuary, it’s why I’d headed straight for this place after Philip found me and nearly killed me. A small part of me hoped that by coming here, I would find more of my kind and I could try to reclaim the life that was taken from me by the Hunters. There are other Wolves here, I can smell them. But they are afraid, weak and scared, driven here out of fear of the Hunters. It will take some time to get to know them, and it will take time for me to become someone they can rely on. I’m not ready for the responsibility, even though it claws at me.
Somehow, I know that I will one day be with Lilith. She is fated to be with me, and she can help me rebuild what I lost. She is probably the only one now who can help me.
I groan and open my eyes, turning onto my back in frustration. I haven’t slept in days and I’m exhausted. If I’m not seeing visions of Flick lying in our cabin, torn apart, I’m seeing Lilith being fucked in the forest by that asshole Vampire.
I really wish that I hadn’t seen her undo the ward across the gate. I wish even more that I hadn’t decided a run in the forest would be good for my soul. The ultimate wish is that I hadn’t picked up her scent and followed it, but my instinct made me do it. Then I got kicked in the gut as I watched her and Axl going at it against a tree.
I shift uncomfortably as the memory of it suddenly turns me on a little bit and my dick goes hard.
“Fuck this,” I mutter and sit up.
I’m about to stand up and find something to occupy my time and my mind, when that searing heat hits my skin, signifying Lilith’s presence close by.
I draw in a breath as it settles on me. The unclaimed bond is clawing at me, but I can’t do anything about it. Not yet. She isn’t ready. I can’t scare her away by forcing my Wolf on her. She needs to be handled delicately, but first I need to know why she is my mate.
“Dammit, J,” I hear her annoyed voice ring out down the corridor. I stay seated, ready to eavesdrop, and finding I’m only a bit disgusted at myself. “You, of all people, should’ve told me about all of this.”
“I know,” her uncle’s voice says. “I wanted to tell you, but they told me not to. They’re your parents, they get to decide shit like that, Lil.”
“You still should’ve told me I’m part throwback Wolf from a couple of centuries ago,” she whines. “That’s huge.”
I freeze, my heart hammering in my chest.
I can’t help the slow smile that creeps over my face. My blood roars through my veins in triumph at that bit of news that I was most definitely not supposed to overhear, but thank whatever deity is out there and responsible for me that I did.
She is part Wolf. It makes everything that I’m feeling for her deeper, more meaningful now. I get it. It isn’t an infatuation, it isn’t me projecting, it isn’t a fake connection that I’ve dreamed up out of sheer longing to belong somewhere to someone.
It’s real.
I stand up hurriedly to catch up with her as she passes my cell, oblivious to my presence here as she doesn’t even pause when she and her uncle walk on by.
“This changes my entire perspective on everything,” I hear her say, her voice fading. “You know how much Vamps and Wolves hate each other.”
“But what better way to draw them together?” Jacob says wisely.
“Indeed,” I mutter, and then they are gone.
The heat on my skin lingers, though. Her realization that she is more than she thought has forced the bond to the surface now. It needs attention. It needs to be claimed. It needs for us to take each other in the way that the Fates expect. Anything less will be a truly horrible consequence of denying what is rightfully ours.
I wonder why I’m still frozen to the spot. Why am I not chasing her down and insisting that she look deep inside her to find what I already know?
Because you can’t, you asshole. This has to be her choice. She has to decide to accept the Wolf inside her and choose to be with you. You can’t force Fate.
At hearing Flick’s voice in my head, I shiver with what can only be described as fear. Where did that come from? Is she here with me?
I’m always with you, Mase. Don’t ever forget that you aren’t alone. It has taken you up to this point to realize that. I will be here, supporting you and hoping that you find your true destiny, your true love because it is what you deserve more than you can ever know.
“Flick?” I croak out.
Silence.
“Flick?” I whisper urgently, feeling like an utter fool.
My head swims as the heat reaches boiling point on my skin. I need to cool off and I need to get out of this tiny cell. It is fucking with my mind. I need to get outside. I need to shift, and I need to run.
I pick up a towel from the small dresser and head for the showers. I strip off my sweats and vest and step under the closest shower head. I close my eyes and turn on the cold water, letting it hit me in the face.
“Hey,” Lilith’s voice says quietly.
I turn my head slowly and open my eyes. I can’t trust that it isn’t my mind
screwing with me again.
“Hey,” I murmur, seeing her standing there in a bottle green dress that skims her curves to absolute perfection. Her cascade of blonde waves is pinned back from her face, highlighting her silver eyes and full red lips. She shifts as my gaze lingers on her, her high heels scraping on the stone floor underneath her feet.
“Turn and face me,” she says.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Why?” I ask, trying not to leap on her and devour her.
Her eyes light up, a small smile dancing across her lips. “You owe me a look-see,” she says with a soft giggle which to my complete mortification, stirs my cock into action.
“Oh?” I say, trying to get a grip on the confidence that has abandoned me.
“You unwrapped me the other night in the kitchen like a present on Christmas Day. If I can’t have the same opportunity, the least you can do is show me what you’ve got, Mason Scott.”
I bite my lip as I turn slowly towards her, my cock now a raging beast, twitching at her closeness. Her eyes drop from mine to take in my pecs, down my eight-pack abs, lingering on the cum gutters before her breath hitches and she lowers her eyes to my ten-inch cock. She swallows and licks her lips, her eyes shooting back up to mine as a wail from the wards resounds through the mansion.
Her eyes go cold and she spins on her heel, disappearing without a word as members of the Coven race past the open door to the showers.
“Damn it all to hell and back,” I mutter and turn off the shower. I reach for the towel and dry off quickly, pulling my clothes back on and rushing back to my cell for my boots. I hop on one foot down the corridor as I struggle to get them on my feet. Whatever hit the wards has brought trouble to the door and I’ll be damned if Lilith faces whatever it is alone.