by Eve Newton
***
I wake up to darkness and…something else. A presence.
Is someone in my room?
I can’t smell anything. There’s no scent. But I can feel that I’m not alone.
I bolt up in bed, clutching the sheets to my chest.
“Who’s there?” I call out into the darkness, as I fight to adjust my eyes to it.
I’m a wolf. My eyes should be able to adjust instantly. But they aren’t. I can’t see a thing. Oh my God. What’s happening here? I can’t pick up a scent or see in the damn dark?
A low growl escapes me and I’m about to call my wolf claws to the surface when a deep, soothing voice utters, “You are not in any danger.”
“Really?” I bite back. “Then show yourself. Now.”
I gasp in shock as the foggy darkness dissipates and the intruder is revealed.
He’s standing over by the door in a rigid, ready-for-anything pose. A soldier’s stance if I ever saw one. My eyes wander over him. His brown hair that’s styled in a military crew cut. Those deep, enthralling hazel eyes that have this uncanny ability to hold me captive in a way I’ve never known before. The golden breastplate covering his broad, muscular torso. My gaze dips lower to some sort of kilt-like thing extending to the tops of his thighs. His legs are protected by golden armor and his knee-high boots appear metallic too. But the thing that stands out above all else is that awful Sword of Judgment holstered at his right hip.
Cahl.
Fuck. He’s here to finish the job. How the hell did he find me?
I scramble to wrap the duvet around me to hide my nakedness. That, in itself, is an odd reaction for me. I feel shy about being exposed to him. That’s never been the case for me before. I’ve never been ill at ease with being unclothed.
I hurry off the bed, clutching the duvet tightly to my chest with one hand, while keeping my other free to defend myself with if he makes a sudden move.
I can feel that I’m healed now and back at full strength, so I only need one to take this Ambassador asshole down. That’s pretty cocky, but I know my power. Even though I definitely felt that he was stronger than the other Ambassadors I’ve come into contact with in the past, I know I can still hold my own.
He tenses up as I approach. But he’s not tensing in preparation for a fight. No, I can see it in his eyes. He’s…nervous. Nervous? That’s weird.
“Why couldn’t I see you? Smell you?”
“Black magic,” he answers, simply. “I could not allow your wolf pack to sense my presence.”
Oh my God. “What have you done?”
His brow furrows. “Done?”
“To my wolves? If you’ve hurt them—”
“I am not here for that.”
“How did you track us here?” I demand, getting ready to call my wolf claws to the surface. He might not be readying for battle, but I’m not a fool. It must just be a trick; a new tactic to try to get me to lower my defenses, or something.
“Your pack does not concern me. Neither does your vampire ally.”
Nice try at deflecting the question. “How?” I thunder.
He seems confused. “It was you.”
Huh. Wasn’t expecting that. “What?”
“You called me to you.”
He steps forward, leaving merely a few inches between us as his towering six-foot-five wall of muscle and armor looms over me. “What spell have you cursed me with?”
What the actual hell? “Spell? I’m not a witch, asshole.”
“You may not be, but you could certainly have employed one.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your scent is more potent than any other Tainted breed I have encountered and I cannot dispel it from my consciousness. You plague me with thoughts of you and…sentiment for you.”
It takes me a moment, but then realization dawns on me. Wow. “It’s called attraction.”
“Attraction?”
“It’s not a spell. You’re attracted to me.” Of course he thinks it’s the result of a spell, because Ambassadors are not known for feeling or showing any sort of emotion. He probably has no idea what to do with it.
Oh, this is nice. I can use this.
“I do not accept that. I have a mission. I do not desire any woman, especially not a Tainted target. You have spelled me.”
I glare at him. “Don’t flatter yourself, soldier boy. Do you really think I want you anywhere near me?”
I see him take that in, thinking it over. And then he says, “Then this is a ruse.”
I step closer until we’re only inches apart. His eyes widen, that nervousness back again as he struggles to maintain eye contact. Hmm…I make him nervous? Very interesting. That works for me.
“I don’t play games. And the idea that you’re attracted to me, disgusts me.” Okay, maybe that’s not the whole truth when it comes to the attraction thing, but I need it to be. “Your kind murdered my dad! I hate you all!” I snarl, rage rising within me from just recalling that awful day.
He catches me off guard, making me gasp, as he suddenly grabs my chin. Just like back at that hotel, his touch is gentle.
He regards me curiously for several excruciating long moments of incredible awkwardness. For the life of me, I don’t know why the hell I don’t pull away. Jesus. What is this? Why isn’t my hatred for him pure and straightforward like it is for the rest of his Ambassador kind?
“You feel it too,” he says. “I can see it in your eyes. You are right. This is not a spell.” He releases me and he backs away, shaking his head. “How is this possible?”
“Hell if I know. I don’t care.”
“You should be no more than a target,” he goes on, turning his back to me as he continues shaking his head with disbelief.
I can’t believe he’s actually turning his back. A soldier turning his back to his enemy? Talk about letting his guard down in a major way. He’s really affected by this. He’s not thinking clearly. I know I should take advantage of it. Ambassadors are my enemies. He is my enemy.
But a part of me is hesitating. I don’t understand it. Get a fucking grip, Aria! I need to take this asshole down and he’s just given me an in that won’t result in me sustaining so much damage for once, unlike every other time I’ve come up against one of his kind.
I draw in a breath to clear my damn head. Do it! Do it!
“Cahl,” I say in a voice purposely full of sugary sweetness.
He turns back to me.
I release my grip on the duvet. It pools at my feet, leaving me standing there before him completely naked.
My odd shyness from before is nowhere to be found. This is a mission now. I have the upper hand here. He’s completely out of his element. Weak. He attacked me back at the hotel when I was wounded and weak. This is just me returning the favor. Taking advantage of his vulnerability.
But his reaction surprises me.
He shields his eyes with his hand and demands, “Cover yourself.”
Wow. I’ve never heard those words from any male before. But I’m not backing down now. I can seduce him into subjugation. “You want to touch me.”
He doesn’t say anything. He just takes a step back from me.
“This is what you came here for, Cahl. Take it.” Like hell, he will be. Fucker.
Still, he says nothing.
“Come on! You had your hands on me earlier without my permission and now I’m offering it up to you!”
Oh my God. Still nothing. He’s not making a move. How is this happening? “Don’t tell me you’re afraid,” I bite at him, getting frustrated. “Take it!” I hiss harshly.
He moves so fast then and I suddenly find myself wrapped in the duvet again, my back against the wall, with him pinning my arms tightly at my sides in a matter of seconds. Holy hell!
“It is you who is afraid,” he says, glaring down at me.
“What?” I seethe.
“You hide the truth from them all and even from yourself.”
�
�The truth?” I scoff. “The only truth here is that you want me dead, so I’m gonna do whatever it takes to stop that from fucking happening.”
His eyes flash with realization. “You exposed yourself to manipulate me?”
“Damn right, I did. And I will kill you.”
“I do not wish to kill you, Aria.”
Urgh. I hate the way he says my name. It has my body reacting in a way I don’t fucking want it to. “I hate you! I hate your kind!” I yell at him, loathing that he’s able to affect me.
He smiles with amusement. “Your fear speaks lies to me.”
“I don’t have the fucking fear gene!”
He shifts his grip on my arms, grabbing my wrists in a single hand and raising them up above my head. With his free hand, he presses his fingers gently to my heart. “This is what possesses such fear. You hide it from them all.” His enthralling hazel eyes lock with mine. “You are pure of heart. You are not like the other Tainted. There is no real malice. You do not possess a desire to kill, at least, not when you are in human form.”
Is he saying I’m weak? Hell, no. “I’ve killed plenty,” I growl at him.
“To protect your life and those of your pack. Not for pleasure. You do not relish the kill. It disgusts you, does it not? Except when you are wolf.”
The fact that he knows any of this is fucking worrying. Shit. “Get off me.”
Confusion flickers in his eyes. “You are upset with my observation?”
I growl at him.
“Ah, I see. You believe it to be a weakness. It is why you hide it.”
“I will kill you.”
“Then, by all means, try,” he challenges, releasing me suddenly and stepping back.
What the hell?
I push off the wall. His eyes are on me. All over me.
“You should not expose yourself so brazenly,” he tells me. “It is a gift,” he says, gesturing to my body. “It should be treated as such and only given to those who are worthy.”
“Is that a come on?”
“Merely a statement of fact.”
He’s actually being genuine. That, and the kindness in his eyes, has me doing something incredibly stupid.
I lunge at him.
My arms wrap around his neck.
The next thing I know, I’m kissing him.
Oh God. I’ve never felt anything so intense in my life.
Just his lips brushing mine has my knees weak, my body shivering all over with anticipation, wetness pooling between my legs.
He grunts and wraps his arms around my waist, jerking me against him.
He kisses me back.
The hesitancy in it surprises me. He’s unsure of himself.
I pull my mouth from his, panting, “Have you never…is this your first kiss?”
“Yes,” he answers, pressing his soft lips to the side of my neck and making me purr in pleasure. “You are the only one.”
His hands slide up my waist, over my boobs, my shoulders and then they’re in my hair, fisting it wildly as our lips clash again. There’s no gentle or slow now. It’s harsh and wild. A thick haze of desire takes me over and I wrap my legs around him. One of his hands leaves my hair and comes down to cup my ass, hoisting me up.
He turns us and slams me against the wall. I moan into his mouth at the delicious roughness as my back jars harshly against it.
I part my lips and he slides his tongue into my mouth.
Oh God. His tongue massages mine in the most sensual way. It has me melting in his arms.
“Cahl,” I gasp, throwing my head back. I’m drowning in absolute bliss. “So good.”
“Aria,” he whispers, his mouth at my ear.
“Mmm,” I moan out as he nuzzles my neck, kissing and licking the sensitive spot.
And then he suddenly pulls back.
He eyes me with regret as he lowers me to the floor and takes his hands off me.
“What are—?”
I don’t get to finish my sentence. He dives towards the window and propels himself through it in the next second. Holy fuck!
The door flies open, making me jump as it smacks against the wall.
Ember storms in.
As I hurriedly try to fix my disheveled appearance, I watch her glance around erratically. “He was here? Cahl? I just sensed him all of a sudden.”
Shit. He must’ve lost control of the magic he’d been using to keep everyone from sensing his presence. “I…uh…yeah. He’s gone now.” I point to the shattered window.
She looks me over and raises an eyebrow. “Seems he doesn’t know how to use an actual door,” she drawls. “You’re not hurt?”
“He wasn’t here to kill me.”
Confusion flickers on her face for a few moments. But then she looks me over again and I see realization flash in her eyes. She shakes her head to herself and then she folds her arms across her chest, glaring hard at me as she demands, “What the hell are you playing at?”
Good fucking question.
Chapter 11
~Ember~
I am incensed. It is bringing out the predator in me and I need to unleash it now. With a roar of fury, I spin around and smash my fist straight through the wall of her bedroom. I take in a deep breath and wiggle my fingers, which are sticking out into the corridor, and then pull my hand back.
“Get dressed,” I snap at Aria. “We need to talk.”
“Damn straight,” she growls at me, but I put my hand up to shut her up.
“Stop talking,” I say through gritted teeth.
She makes a big show of her nudity, but women have never been my thing so I don’t fall under her charms. Someone clearly has though. “Do you have a pair of mystical tits or something?” I ask her as she rifles through her bag for some clothes. “I mean, one feel and that’s it, he’s a changed man?”
“What can I say?” she says and flashes her breasts at me.
The anger that is still boiling under the surface, pops back up again and in a flash of speed, I have her by her throat, pressed up against the wall. “He is your enemy,” I snarl at her.
She slaps my hand away, the look of anger burning brightly in her own eyes. “You don’t need to tell me that,” she spits at me.
“Clearly, I do. You have no idea why you were put on this Earth, do you?” I ask her. I had wondered if she would know about the prophecy, or if it was just me. But her actions scream to me that she has no fucking idea.
She glares at me as she roughly drags her leather clothes on, skin tight and bust-revealing. “Why don’t you tell me then, if you are such a fucking expert on my life?”
I can see I have gotten under her skin again, but it just amuses me. She is hot-headed, arrogant and a complete bitch. I have no desire to befriend this woman, it’s business. I sober up pretty quickly. Aria needs a quick-fire lesson in this prophecy now before anything else happens. And right now, anything could happen.
“Sit,” I say to her, indicating the bed.
She crosses her arms, defiant as ever, and I snap my fingers at her and point to the bed. She growls at me, but grudgingly sits, perched on the very edge, still being rebellious.
“I will start at the beginning,” I say and pace in front of her.
“Please do,” she drawls at me.
I ignore her sarcasm as I am trying to think now. “My mother…”
“Wait, your mother?” she scoffs at me. “Is that how you think of your sire? That’s some messed up shit.”
I throw her a death stare and struggle to keep hold of my temper at her insult. “My mother is from the same Realm as the Ambassadors. Once every so often, they are able to enter this world and my mother had the unfortunate luck to be kidnapped by my father and raped repeatedly until she conceived me, and then she was murdered. But, I was born, Aria, not turned. Are you aware that your mother is from the same Realm? Don’t you feel the darkness in you that dwells from our heritage? Now, I don’t know the ins and outs of your father’s relationship with her, but suffice
it to say, here you are. Bred for power.”
“That is not…” she shouts at me, standing up and clenching her fists.
“Like I said, I don’t know and I don’t care. I am special, and so are you. I am one third of an ancient prophecy that shall come to pass. You are also a third of that circle. With the combining of our powers, and one other, we will become more powerful than any other force and, as a result, we will be able to take down, not only the Ambassadors, but the entire Jurisdiction as well.” I give it all to her straight, plain and simple.
Aria stares at me for a moment in silence and then she snorts and rolls her eyes at me.
It irritates the beast within and I grab her face roughly. “If you roll your eyes at me again, wolf, you know I am not shy about removing them.”
I see her gulp, but then it’s gone and the arrogance is back. She pushes me away and stands up. Before I know what she has done, she has a stake pressed against my heart with a triumphant look in her eye. “Tell me why I shouldn’t dust you right now?”
I smirk at her and push the stake away gently. “If you stab me with that through my heart, all it will do is make me bleed. I told you, I was born this way. I am different to regular vampires.”
She takes that in. “But you still need to be inside during sunlight hours. You have a weakness.” She returns the smirk.
I growl at her. “It is not a weakness. It is a limitation. One that I have lived with for two hundred years without issue.”
“Keep growling at me and I will chain you up outside to await the rising sun.”
“You could fucking try,” I respond, confident in my abilities to protect myself. “You think you are the first one to threaten me with that?”
“Doubtful,” she sneers. “You have a tendency to piss people off.”
“Back at you,” I say, crossing my arms.
We glower at each other for several moments, but we are wasting time. The dull ache on the back of my head is picking up its tempo and I need to focus.
“You are fucking insane,” she says dismissively, breaking the silence.
“Am I? What other reason would I have to save you? Because I fucking like you? Need you as my new BFF? I need you to help me stop the Jurisdiction, you stupid bitch,” I say to her, trying to hold onto my temper. I was expecting this sort of reaction; I mean, I know how crazy it sounds. I am not completely unreasonable.