In his lap, Riley’s tiny body shuddered. He drew her tighter against him, hands rubbing the chill rising off her flesh. He drew back the damp curls off her shoulder and brushed his thumb over the curve of her jaw.
Riley jerked and would have tumbled out of his lap if he hadn’t caught her. Her head came up, eyes wide, her wet lashes forming star points around the almond contour. “You’re touching me.”
Slowly, he smiled. “Just noticed that, huh?”
She flinched when he raised his hand to her cheek. He paused only a second before he ghosted his knuckles along the curve. Her round eyes snapped to his, full of wonder. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Her hand trembled as she raised it and touched the back of his, tentative, like she was couldn’t quite trust her eyes. Her finger tips glided along his knuckles before sliding down his wrist to his forearm. Amazement parted her lips as her gaze dropped to his, tracing them in a way that made him want to give into the question in her eyes by finally tasting her.
“How…?”
“Why don’t we discuss that once you’re dressed?” his mother suggested, hurrying forward as though afraid they might start doing something she really didn’t want to be present for. “Octavian, why don’t you wait outside? Please?” she added sharply when he remained fixated by the look of desire in Riley’s eyes, by the silky texture of her skin and the intoxicating scent coming off every freckled inch of her.
Slowly, he untangled himself from her, set her on the mattress lightly and straightened. It took every ounce of his straight to move away, to not push her back, tug her free of the towel and touch every inch of her. She wasn’t helping matters, watching him with the same hunger he could feel building up inside him. He could read the want on her face as clear as though she’d spoken the words out loud.
“Octavian.” His mother touched his arm, nudging him in the direction of the door. “Riley needs to dress and get some rest.”
He knew Riley’s thoughts were as far away from either as possible, but he gave in, and allowed himself to be propelled from the room.
In the hallway, he slumped against the opposite wall. His head made a thudding sound as it struck the worn wallpaper. He closed his eyes. Damn it was going to be impossible to keep his hands off her now. It had been hard enough before, but there had been the little key point where she might die if he did that restrained him. Now… now there was nothing. She was his. He could touch her, kiss her… possess her. He could finally do all the things he wanted with her. No more wearing gloves and socks to bed. No more sleeves or sweaters. God, how was he supposed to keep from locking her up in the bedroom with all the sudden freedom?
Chapter 44
“Hey.” Reggie strolled into the kitchen and eyed Octavian sitting on the preparation table with his legs dangling over the edge. “What are you doing sitting here alone in the dark?” His eyes darkened. “Did something happen to Riley?”
Octavian shook his head. “She’s upstairs with Mom.”
Reggie perked. “She’s okay?”
He nodded. “She’s…” He exhaled sharply.
“What?” Reggie moved to stand in front of him. “What’s wrong? Didn’t the transformation work?”
Octavian barked a laugh. “Oh, it worked. A little too well.”
Reggie frowned. “What does that mean?”
With a low, pathetic whine, Octavian kneaded his eyes with both fists. “She’s not mortal anymore.”
“Riiiiight… okay?” Reggie prodded.
He dropped his hands and fixed his brother with a stare. “Well, I couldn’t touch her when she was. I couldn’t be with her and now…”
Realization dawned on his brother’s face in the form of an enormous, goofy grin. “Ahhh, I see.” He smacked Octavian’s shoulder. “Finally going to make me an uncle are you?”
“Shut up!” He swatted his brother’s hand away. “I have no idea what to do.”
“Well.” Reggie put both hands up, inches apart. “First, you take your clothes off —” He broke off in a peal of laughter when Octavian tried to kick him.
“That isn’t what I meant.”
“What isn’t what you meant?” Magnus strolled into the room, followed by their father and finally Gideon.
Octavian groaned inwardly. This was so not a conversation he wanted to share with everyone.
“Why are we sitting in the dark?” Gideon flipped the switch on, turning on the bulb over Octavian’s head. It spilled over him like a spotlight, making the situation all the more embarrassing.
“Octavian?” His father moved over to him. “Something wrong? Riley—”
“Is fine,” Reggie assured them. “Your son, on the other hand—”
“I’ll kill you in your sleep!” Octavian warned, glowering at his younger brother.
But Reggie was grinning like a loon. There was no stopping him. “I think you might need to have a talk with him about the birds and the bees.”
“That isn’t what I meant!” Octavian growled through his teeth, wanting to throttle the other man. “I’ve been with other women. I know how it works, thank you.”
“But this is Riley,” his father said kindly. “It’s different.”
“It’s not even that.” He sighed. “Truthfully, I shouldn’t even be thinking about this. She just went through a bunch of crap and the last thing she needs—”
“No, no,” Gideon interrupted. “There is always time for that.”
Magnus elbowed him. “You’re such a man-whore.”
Gideon threw his hands up, looking appalled. “I like women. Sue me.”
His father rested a hand on Octavian’s knee. “There is no need to rush anything. It’s over. She’s all yours now and no one can change that.
Just then, the door leading into the back opened and his mother stepped through. Octavian felt the punch of her presence a second before she walked in and for that split second, the world seemed to still. There was nothing, no sights, no sounds, nothing but every breath she took, which was ironic because she didn’t breathe anymore. Nevertheless, she reminded him of what an angel should have looked like, ethereal in a white dress with thick straps and a hem that went just below her knees. Her auburn curls fell in sleek, shiny curls to the small of her back, looking like fire against the pallor of her skin and outfit. Even her eyes mesmerized him as he found them ensnared with his.
God, but he loved this woman. There was no question of it. No doubt. He would die for her.
The connection broke as her attention was drawn away by his family, but he continued to drown in her. Even from that distance, he could smell her, the sweet, intoxicating scent of something sweet and mysterious, like night and exotic flowers. It was compelling, alluring and he knew it wasn’t a scent anyone could find in a bottle. It was the scent of what she was. It was the strigoi in her charming those around her to draw closer, to fall into her web and it reminded him just how dangerous his little human had become. She was still just a baby, but soon she would be stronger than even him. Not that it worried him. If anything, he was amused.
“What are you doing up there?” She wove her way through the group to stand by him, head tipped back to peer into his face.
He shrugged. “Thinking.”
“About?”
Nimbly, he hopped down and turned to her. “You.”
She bit her lip and winced. A small droplet of black bubbled up from the puncture wound her fang had made in her bottom lip. He lightly smoothed it away with his thumb. She smiled at him sheepishly.
“That’s going to take some getting used to.”
He smiled. “How are you?”
Her hands gave a tremor as she brushed them down the front of her dress. “I think I’m okay. Still a little scared.”
He couldn’t stand it anymore. Screw control. He reached for her, sliding his hands around her waist and drawing her into his chest. His free hand skimmed down the length of her bare arm and she gasped. She trembled and he had to trap a growl in his throat.
Swallowing, she raised her face to his. “Guess what,” she whispered.
“What?”
She pulled back just a notch to show him her inner forearm on her right arm. “I got my mark.”
Sure enough, the emblem was a perfect circle with the Selkie mark emblazed within. The Celtic knot was unmistakable. Beneath the slow glide of his thumb, the skin was raised, a flawless stamp matching the one on his shoulder.
Something hard wedged in his throat at the sight of it. At last, she was really and truly, completely his.
He raised the spot and marked it with a kiss. At the feel of his mouth on her skin, a tremor coursed through her that did odd things to his insides. It was only the small voice at the back of his mind, reminding him his entire family stood a few feet away that kept him from making use of the preparation table Gorje worked so hard to keep clean.
“Tá grá agam duit. Is liomsa thú agus is leatsa mé anois is go deo,” he whispered to her in Gaelic.
Her eyes were soft, velvety red as she searched his face. “What does that mean?”
He opened his mouth to tell her when a familiar voice rang out from the other room. All heads turned in the direction of the diner.
“Daphne.” Reggie’s entire body had gone rigid. His brown eyes were round and filled with panic as they shot from the door to Riley.
Octavian hadn’t put the pieces together until he glanced down and found that she had gone ramrod straight in his arms. Her face had lost all expression but one… hunger.
“Riley, no—”
But she had shoved him with strengths so inhuman that he didn’t feel it until he went crashing into the counters behind him. Gideon, who rushed forward, met the same fate. He went flying back into Magnus who struck their mother to the ground. Reggie lunged for her next, but a single slam from the heel of her hand into his chest had him sprawling across the floor. She was out the door before anyone could attempt to grab her again.
A second later, there was a scream.
Chapter 45
Reggie was up and bolting through the doors before anyone else. Octavian was a step behind him and watched, stunned for a moment as Reggie threw himself at Riley, tackling her to the ground mere feet from where Daphne stood, white as a sheet and shaking.
Octavian rushed forward and pulled his brother off his mate and thrust him aside to take Riley into his arms. She snarled at him, fangs bared as she fought to get him off her. She still wasn’t as strong as a full strigoi, but it was taking all his strength to restrain her.
“Riley, stop!” he shouted, tightening his grip on her as she clawed and thrashed against him. Lines had formed over the bridge of her nose, crinkles that gave her an appearance of a tigress on the hunt rather than a human. “Breathe, baby,” he whispered softly into her ear. “You don’t want to do this. Shhh. Calm down.”
He felt the tension rippling along every inch of her body, felt the hunger wrecking through her, but beneath all that, there was another war. She was no longer fighting to escape him.
“There’s my girl,’ he murmured into the top of her head. He stroked her hair. “Just breathe. Keep breathing.”
He knew it worked when she turned her face into his shoulder, mashed her nose into his shirt and squeezed her eyes shut.
“What the hell!” Daphne squeaked from her hidden position behind Reggie. “What’s wrong with her?”
“I’m going to take Riley upstairs,” he murmured, keeping a tight hold on her.
“I’m okay.” Her voice was small, muffled in his shirt.
“No,” Reggie said, face as hard as his voice. “She almost killed Daphne.”
“Shut up, Reg,” Octavian barked back. “She didn’t mean to.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that she shouldn’t be down here until she’s learned to control herself.”
Never in his life had he wanted to backhand his brother. “This is her home,” he snarled through his teeth. “If anything, Daphne’s the one who doesn’t belong here.”
“Okay, boys, calm down,” Gideon said, attempting to lighten the mood. But neither was having it. Neither was paying attention.
“She’s my mate,” Reggie snarled. “That gives her as much right to be here as Riley.”
Every person in the room stiffened at the declaration. From the looks on their faces no one had expected that.
“Reggie?” Their mother moved a step closer. “What did you say?”
A muscle worked in Reggie’s jaw as he stared Octavian down. “She’s my mate,” he repeated slowly.
“How… when…” Their mother looked from her sons to her husband.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Reggie muttered. “It doesn’t mean anything, because it’s never going to happen, but that doesn’t change the fact that your mate attacked mine.”
“She didn’t mean to,” Octavian hissed. “She’s still a baby and still needs to learn how to control herself. You can’t think she would ever hurt Daphne deliberately.”
In his arms, Riley shifted. She drew away and he tightened his grip. Reggie braced.
“I’m really sorry,” she whispered, face tight as though every breath was like inhaling hot embers. “I would never hurt Daphne. I swear I…” Her body shuddered as her fingers curled in the material of his shirt, long jagged nails tearing holes. Her fangs flashed. Her eyes glinted before she shut them quickly and turned her face away.
“I think we should get Riley upstairs,” his mother said quickly. “Reggie, please escort Daphne outside for a moment.”
“What’s happening?” Daphne demanded. “What’s wrong with Riley? What—”
Whatever else she was asking was silenced when Reggie nudged her out the door and shut it behind them.
“I’m sorry,” Riley gasped, voice wavering with tears. “Tell her I’m sorry. I would never—”
“Shhh.” He bent down and scooped her up into his arms.
“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I am so sorry.”
He carried her all the way upstairs to their room. He set her down on the bed and helped remove her shoes.
“Tell Reggie I’m sorry,” she said as he drew the sheets around her. “Tell him I would never hurt Daphne.”
“He knows, baby,” he murmured, brushing the hair off her brow. “He was just scared.”
Tears ran in ribbons down her cheeks. “Because I’m a monster.”
“No!” He framed her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. “I would have done the same thing had I been him. It’s our natural instinct to protect our mate. Had you been human, he would have reacted the same way.”
More tears spilled, washing over his hands. “I almost killed her. I wanted to kill her. I couldn’t control it.”
“You’ll learn. I will help you learn. You only woke up this morning, Riley. You can’t be expected to know how to control your thirst that quickly.”
“But she’s my best friend and I… I didn’t even recognize her. All I saw was how pink she was and how delicious her blood smelled…” Shining, her eyes swung up to his face. “Are you okay? Is Gideon and Magnus and… oh God! They must hate me.”
“Nobody hates you, not even Reggie. Now just relax and get some rest. I’ll bring you something up to drink.”
With a kiss to her temple, he moved back. She curled onto her side and buried her face into the pillow. It took all his strength not to crawl into the space on her other side and draw her into his arms. More than that, it took a great deal of willpower not to march downstairs and punch his brother in the nose, because, damn it, he would have done the same. Human or Demon or strigoi, anyone who threatens his mate would have gotten a face full of his rage. But the fact was that it had been his mate that got hurt and truthfully, he couldn’t blame anyone. It wasn’t Reggie’s fault or Daphne’s. It certainly wasn’t Riley’s fault. It was something that should have been expected.
Leaving her weeping softly into the pillow, he hurried from the room. He walked into the kitchen and stepp
ed into the cold storage. Dropping to one knee, he pulled out the cooler tucked into the bottom shelf, out of sight and popped off the lid. Inside was a small collection of blood bags, each one with its label up to distinguish between the different types. He picked one at random, doubting Riley had a favorite at this point. He dropped the lid back into place, stowed the cooler out of sight once more and rose.
Low murmurs rose from the room beyond the door, but he paid them no mind. He strode to the woodstove and set to work pouring the blood pack into a sauce pan and setting it on the low flame. He disposed of the empty bag, wiped his hands and only then did he venture into the other room.
Octavian's Undoing (Sons of Judgment) Page 45