by C. M. Owens
Kane walks over to Zee, cocking a brow at him. “He called you weak and gave you powers? Why?”
Gage is the one to answer since Zee looks as confused as everyone else. “Because you’re only as strong as your weakest link. That’s his favorite saying. He wanted Zee to be stronger.”
Zee’s jaw unhinges. “The incubus is totally weaker than me.”
Dice holds his finger up, and then makes a dramatic show of putting it on the tip of his sword’s handle. “Not anymore, night stalker. Not anymore.”
He grins over at Zee, taunting him, and Zee rolls his eyes. “I need a fucking drink.”
Gage drops his eyes to me, and then we’re suddenly out of that room and forming in his bedroom. I grin against his lips when he starts kissing me again. I guess he’s not mad.
“Despite everything he did to you, you didn’t deny him a chance to be heard,” he says against my lips. “Because of me.”
I smile while nodding a little. “That’s most of the reason.”
With a teasing motion, he starts tugging my shirt over my head, kissing me until we’re forced to separate.
“Thank you,” he says against my lips, just before I feel my leather pants being peeled down.
“Let’s see what your idea of gratitude is,” I joke, but then I start giggling like a teenage girl when he drops me to the bed.
“I think I can make that happen.” He flicks his tongue against my nipple as he works his way down my body, and I gasp when he reaches the lowest part of my abdomen. “I’m also supposed to give you a lot of new experiences.”
Smiling, I run my fingers through his hair as he teases the tops of my right thigh with his tongue.
“Mmm hmm.”
“Have you ever ate ice cream with hot sauce?” he asks randomly, dropping a kiss onto my other thigh, teasing me with his closeness.
“Uh… no.”
“Have you ever… slept in a treetop?”
Laughing, I shake my head, looking down the length of my body as he kisses just down my hip bone.
“Nope.”
He grins against my leg, and he finally tears away my underwear, letting his breath warm my very sensitive flesh.
“Ever had sex on a rooftop?” he muses.
My bottom lip folds between my teeth, and I give my head a slow shake.
His grin broadens, and he winks at me. “Let’s start with that last one.”
A shriek escapes me just as he dematerializes us both, and we move toward the roof. It’s a very steep and odd angle up there, but he has magic. I can’t wait to have an eternity of firsts with a very skilled dark user.
Chapter 29
THROUGH THE DARK EYES
“We’ve scoured the land, but we can’t find Gavin,” the dark user says to the figure in the shadows.
The figure sighs while adjusting the cloak that covers its head.
“That’s too bad. But Gavin was becoming a risk. He started fighting the blood oath a long time ago, and he has gotten so strong that I was having to strain to keep him in check. His loss is substantial, but it is in no way crippling to our cause.”
The figure walks toward the window, and the loyal dark user follows.
“I sent you the message the moment I learned of their plans. I didn’t know about the crystals, or the woodland spell. They shouldn’t have been able to cast a spell that powerful.”
Nodding, the cloaked silhouette lights a cigarette, breathing in the fumes that are toxic to a human. Ah, the perks of being immortal. It’s certainly a life worth keeping.
“Don’t fret. Gavin is the one who walked in and underestimated his brother. Gage has accumulated a lot of loyalty over the years. And he has stayed strong.”
The dark user props against the wall as he watches his leader. “What about Morgana?” he asks.
The leader flicks the ash away from the cigarette, and it turns to into red vines that streak the air.
“Morgana is useless. Gage has moved on from her. Time has depreciated her value in the eyes of that brother.”
“Then we’ll take Kimber. He’ll give up Gavin if we have her.”
The cloaked figure laughs humorlessly. “We’ve had her once. Somehow he managed to get her out of a very well-fortified compound. I’m not making the same mistake twice. She’ll be doubly guarded from now on, and no one will fall for such a stupid ruse as they did before. It’s too risky, and Gage is of no consequence to me. I made Gavin strong, and now you’ll take his place.”
Smiling wickedly behind the veil of darkness, the cloaked figure hands the dark user a box. The dark user takes it curiously, opening it to find a seemingly dull stone.
“What’s this?”
“The first step into making you as strong as Gavin ever was. Touch it and see.”
Breath rushes out of the dark user as the stone comes to life just under his fingertips, and he groans as the magic flows from the stone into his body, filling him with power he didn’t know could exist.
As he revels in the powerful charge, the cloaked figure continues on.
“They have magical charms on Gavin. I feel my hold over him growing weaker by the second. Once I know for sure they’re not going be visiting him, I’ll release him from the blood oath and wipe his memories the best I can from here.”
The dark user catches his breath and nods toward his master. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
A hand reaches out, stroking a delicate glass vase that holds a luminescent blue liquid inside.
“Any word on my twin creature gods?”
“No. Sorry. We’re tracking them down, but they’re good at hiding. It’ll be hard to get them to trust us. Do we have to have them?”
The leader’s hand caresses the vase once more, lovingly stroking the valuable piece of history that has been missing for so long. Now to find the rest.
“They are the Gemini twin, but we only need one. And we still need to find the rest of these,” the thoughtful voice says, motioning to the blue liquid that seems to float inside the vase.
The dark user nods before bowing respectfully. “I’ll do all I can to fill in for Gavin.”
“That won’t be hard. As I said, Gavin was fighting me. Perhaps the royal ingrates did me a favor by taking the chink in our armor.”
“And the royal family?” the dark user asks. “How do we deal with them? They’re out there looking for leads to find us.”
Smirking, the cloaked mystery turns to face the dark user, letting him see the blackened eyes that match the hardened soul hidden within the depths. The dark user staggers, feeling the weight of the power emanating from the mystery he just accidentally solved.
“We won’t have to do a thing. They just freed hundreds of men and women who have been chained up. Some of them have been out of society for centuries. And they didn’t just free the ones who are innocent.”
The dark figure turns back toward the window, staring out at the wooded world around them. The lake just in front of them is one of the mortal world’s best. Pine Shore is where the gates of purgatory were opened, and that’s where the power is the strongest. Now it’s a game of finding all the missing links to solve the puzzle.
“The dark ones?” the dark user asks, swallowing hard.
“Oh, they’re much, much worse than merely dark. The bitten fey who were starved of blood… Well, insanity has chipped away at their minds for much too long. Eventually the bodies will start piling up. Not to mention all the ones who have lost their ability to feel regret or remorse after years of torture and scientific experiments. The royal family will be so consumed with sifting through the carnage of their noble intentions, that they won’t have time to notice us. Especially considering we won’t be working above the radar.”
The dark user scowls. “We’re stronger. We can take them.”
A harsh gasp escapes his lips as he’s flung across the room, and he cries out in agony as he grips his throat, clawing at the invisible force that is holding him back.
&n
bsp; “They have three creature gods,” the leader hisses. “They have surprised us with their skill and intelligence. Most importantly, they’re cautious and have an undying loyalty to each other. We let them chase down the others, and we work under the veil of the shadows. If we risk fighting them too soon, we lose it all.”
The foolish dark user is dropped to the ground, his breaths coming in harsh and coarse, punishment for his insolence. He really should know better.
“Of course,” he says, humbled now that he’s reminded of his place.
“We let them run after the chaos they accidentally unleashed, while we thrive as a result. The only things we need to acquire before the red moon eclipse are the other essences, one of the Gemini twins, and of course, and then the most important element.”
The dark user smirks. “The princess.”
The master smiles at the apprentice, a wicked smile that could raise the hairs on the dead. “Then we can take the world back. No one will be able to stop us once we’ve succeeded in finishing the ritual.”
Ella Ice will be the key to true immortality. It’s just a waiting game now.
The End.
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Chapter 1
ROSLYN
“This is what college is like, huh?” I muse, smiling over at Jenny as she takes a seat at the bar.
I join her just as she grins up at me and answers, “This is what part of college is like. You’re new, so I understand staying in a studying religiously, but college can be fun times, too. Everything in moderation, Ros.”
Rolling my eyes, I settle in on a barstool. Being twenty and just starting college seems odd to most everyone, but life has a way of controlling you instead of allowing you to hold the reins.
“We’re not old enough,” I remind her.
She grins devilishly while motioning toward the bartender. He doesn’t bother asking for ID when she leans over the bar, exposing almost too much of her heavy cleavage. Sheesh. Those things are lethal.
He slides us two shot glasses with amber liquid, and she blows him a kiss when he winks at her.
“See?” she asks, clinking her glass against mine. “Fun. Easy. Nothing to it. Just relax.”
Before I can respond, a chill runs up my spine, and I turn to see the doors of the bar opening. But what draws my eyes to a frozen state is the same thing everyone else is looking at.
It’s as though the entire bar has forgotten how to breathe as they walk in. Gorgeous, seductive, confident… It’s as though they’re an entirely different breed of human.
They stride through the bar with a predatory prowess that has me watching without guile. But one has my attention the most.
His dirty blonde hair is intentionally wild and sexy, and it looks tempting enough to run my fingers through. His broad shoulders lead to a sculpted chest that I can tell is there even through the dark blue T-shirt he’s wearing. The narrow waist is lean and toned, but much wider than mine.
He’s sex and muscle wrapped in flawless perfection, and I’m just one of the many moths in here who is drawn him and the other flames around him.
“Oh damn, they’re hot as hell,” Jenny says on a gasp, clutching my arm as the five of them move through the bar, their eyes shifting around the crowded bar as though they’re looking for someone. Then I see a girl with long blonde hair stand at the far back, waving them over.
One of the dark-haired guys reaches her first, and he pulls her to him for a kiss that almost makes me moan. Damn.
“I’m officially jealous of her,” Jenny groans.
Then the dirty blonde guy looks back toward the bar as he moves this way. My mouth dries, my heart almost stops, and my tongue gets stuck to the roof of my mouth when his honey-colored eyes meet mine.
I stare like a damn baby deer who just found a wolf’s gaze for the first time, and I watch helplessly as a slow smile spreads across his face. His eyes seem to come to life, and I have to blink to make sure I’m not seeing things.
He makes his way all the way to me, crowding my personal space as he towers over me and leans across the bar, brushing his body against mine without subtlety as he squeezes between me and the guy on my left. His elbows hit the bar, his stomach hits my legs, and his side touches my front. The hard lines are pressed against me, promising me I’ve never felt anything as amazing.
So this is heaven.
“Need a round of shots,” he says loudly to the bartender, and I feel the vibrations move down to my very core.
The guy nods toward him, and the mystery guy turns to face me, scandalously running his eyes down to my chest where a decent amount of cleavage is exposed, thanks to Jenny.
Speaking of Jenny, she grows tired of my silent stare down with the blonde stranger.
“I’m Jenny Cliffs,” she says, knocking me sideways when she tries to wedge herself between my side and the bar.
The mystery guy catches me before I completely fall off the stool, and he nods toward one of his friends as they walk up. A dark-haired guy, who his arms fully sleeved with tattoos, flashes a breathtaking smile at Jenny, and she practically dissolves.
“Now that she’s distracted,” the blonde god says, his lips still curled up in that devilish smile, “how about you tell me your name.” It’s not a request or a question; it’s simply a sexy command.
Breathe. How the hell do I breathe?
“Roslyn,” I whisper, silently cursing my voice for failing me.
His grin only grows, and I swear he’s laughing at me internally, though he has the grace not to do it aloud.
“You’re a little sweet, aren’t you, Roslyn?” he drawls, licking his lips while shamelessly looking me up and down one last time.
Sweet? Is sweet good or bad?
The bartender hands him a glass that has dark liquid in it, but the blonde masterpiece takes it without looking away from me. When he tilts the glass to sip from it, all of my attention turns to his mouth—his tempting, delicious mouth.
“Keep looking at my mouth like that, and I might just have a taste to be sure,” he brazenly states, forcing my eyes to snap up and meet his mocking gaze.
I’m not sure if he’s cocky or confident, but whatever it is, it’s definitely appealing.
No words will form. Everything I try to say merely catches in my throat as he watches me with unhidden amusement.
He leans forward, and my… everything goes crazy. I feel as though he has disassembled my body and exchanged my veins with electrical wires. When his nose gets close to my hair, I clutch the bar and the stool I’m on to keep from falling again.
He inhales deeply, and the guy behind me laughs.
“I was right,” the blonde-haired beauty says as he leans back up, a small smirk on his lips. “Definitely sweet.”
“Come on, man,” the guy who has left Jenny in a puddle says to the guy who is still staring at me. “We’ve got work to discuss.”
That guy walks off, and the blonde-haired god holds my gaze. “Probably for the best, love. You’re too sweet for an animal like me.”
He winks at me, farther driving my heart to a fierce speed, and he leans back just as another guy walks up and claps him on the back.
“Thad,” another guy with dark hair says. “Didn’t know you were back in town.”
Thad—Mr. Sex-in-Jeans has a name.
Thad keeps my gaze, that damn cocky grin still on his face.
“Oh, I’m back. We all are. And we’re going to be around Pine Shore for a while.”
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