by Eve Newton
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes in my jacket pocket. I pull it out quickly and glance at the call display. It’s Carter.
“I have to take this.”
“What? Aria! Can’t it wait?” Ember asks.
“This is my pack,” I grit out. Of course she wouldn’t get it. She’s all about herself. She doesn’t have people to take care of. She doesn’t have people relying on her.
I walk outside into the hall and answer the call.
“Carter. What’s up?”
“Tony.”
Great. Just what I need right now. “Tell me.”
“He’s moving heaven and earth to find you. He wants to make amends, apparently. He’s gonna sniff us out in the process, Aria.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“He’s at his club. It’s his spies who are doing his dirty work.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with him.”
“Aria, I—”
“He’s already betrayed me and this is just another nail in his fucking coffin.”
“What are you gonna do?” he asks, nervously. It’s pretty damn obvious what I’m getting at, but I guess he just doesn’t want it to be true. He doesn’t want me to have to do it.
“I’m gonna kill him.”
Before he can try to talk me out of it, I hang up.
I slide my phone back into my pocket and turn to head back into the living room.
Cahl’s standing in the doorway, his arms folded like a damn bouncer.
“Kill whom?” he asks. Actually, the way he says it, it’s more like a barked command for me to tell him and let him in on my private business.
“Pack matters,” I answer. “I need to take care of something.”
“I will go with you.”
“No.”
“Your wolf is unstable after your recent shift. You will need assistance if you encounter a situation that aggravates it.”
Taking on that asshole, Tony, definitely qualifies as one of those situations. “Fine,” I say, without thinking. What? Fine? Why did I just agree to a babysitter? What just happened?
He smiles. “Good,” he says, stepping aside so I can walk back into the living room.
“Gotta jet,” I tell Ember and Draven.
Ember shoots to her feet. “Like hell, you are. You’re needed here.”
“She’s right, Aria. The moment you step beyond my wards, you are in danger,” Draven adds.
“And we need all three of us to take down this Jurisdiction crap, remember?” Ember says, giving an unsavory snarl at Cahl.
I tug at my hair in frustration. “My pack needs me to take care of something. It won’t take long. Relax. Besides, I know how to take care of myself.”
“And I am accompanying her,” Cahl chimes in.
That shuts them both up for a few seconds.
“Fine, but make it quick. We have work to do,” Draven says.
Ember nods in agreement.
I narrow my eyes at them. So, they’re suddenly fine with me going because Cahl’s coming along? Fuck them. I don’t need goddamn back up.
Argh! Getting into an argument with them over my frustrations is a waste of time right now.
And, unlike Ember, I can recognize when other things matter more than my personal feelings. Brat.
I turn back to Cahl. “Let’s go.”
He just nods and follows after me.
Chapter 19
~Aria~
I come to a stop outside the rear entrance to Tony’s club and turn to Cahl, who’s basically right on my heel. He has been ever since we left Draven’s mansion.
“Wait here. I won’t be long.”
“No. I am accompanying you inside as well.”
“You can’t. They’ll smell you. His wolves.”
He grins and holds his arms out to the side. “Smell me.”
“What?”
“Smell me with your wolf abilities.”
Fine. I step forward and draw his scent to me. I screw up my face in surprise when I don’t smell anything at all. “You used that black magic, foggy thing again, huh?”
“Of course. Always be prepared.”
I roll my eyes. “God, you really are a damn Boy Scout, aren’t you?”
“Boy Scout?”
“Soldier type.”
“For many years,” he answers, matter of fact and not getting the point at all.
Whatever. The other reason I don’t want him coming in with me is it just feels awkward having him with me when I’m about to confront one of my exes. Hell, the two of us aren’t even together, despite him claiming I’m his ‘chosen’ or something, but it still feels uncomfortable. Argh. Why do I care at all about what anyone else thinks? What is he doing to me?
I shift my weight and rest my hand on my right hip. “Listen, Cahl. I’ve got this. I’d much rather you just wait for me here, okay?” I tell him in the nicest possible tone I can manage. He seems to respond much better to calm reasoning rather than aggression. That’s something that definitely doesn’t come naturally to a wolf. We’re known for being aggressive all the way, especially the Alphas.
“Why are you troubled by me accompanying you inside?”
Like I’m going to get into that. “I’m not. Fine,” I huff. “Let’s go, but I’m warning you, Tony is a complete dick.”
“We are here to kill him, are we not?”
“Yeah. And?”
“So, what does it matter how I perceive him? He will not be alive much longer.”
He just made a joke! It has me grinning. “Yeah,” I giggle, like a little girl. “Good point.”
He steps up close then and slides his hand into my dark red curls. “I liked that sound very much.”
“My…uh…my laugh?” I ask in a breathy whisper, overwhelmed by his sudden closeness.
“Yes. I desire to hear it more.”
“Okay. I’ll…keep that in mind.” What else can I say to that? Who talks like that? Although it’s strange, I like it. A lot.
“Please do,” he says, desire flashing in his eyes.
Oh God. Things are heating up way too intensely here. I press my hand to his chest and ease him back. “Uh…Cahl…how did you…uh…talk to me telepathically earlier when Jacob was…you know?”
“As I’ve told you, there is a magical connection—a bond—between us. When we expressed love for one another in your bedroom—”
“Love in my bedroom?” I cut in. What the hell?
“We kissed. Expressed love,” he answers in that matter-of-fact way of his.
“Okay, go on,” I say, trying to accept what he’s saying, despite being more than a little wary about the ‘L’ word flying about.
“In that instant, the connection between us was solidified, for want of a better word. With my magical prowess, I am able to see into you, princess.”
“What?”
“I can read your thoughts when you let down your guard.”
“You didn’t just read thoughts with the Jacob thing, Cahl. You were…speaking to me.”
“Yes. I felt the flare up of your wolf energy, which led me to believe you were in danger. Why else would you feel the need to wolf out? With you, I know you only do so when going into battle. You do not do it for the primal pleasure of being as wolf. I exploited the connection between us then. Thanks to the magical connection between us, I was able to perform a spell that transcended Draven’s magic to communicate with you telepathically. Although, you must be advised that it requires a great deal of power. I cannot do it on a consistent basis.”
“Wow,” I breathe. Holy fucking shit.
He takes my hands and squeezes them gently. “I understand it is a lot for you to absorb. Perhaps it will make you feel more at ease to know that I cannot control your thoughts. I would never dream of doing such a thing, even if I did hold that ability, Aria. However, I know you are paranoid about others controlling you, so rest assured that I cannot. I may be able to calm your wolf, but that is the extent of my power
over you. Plus, I can only calm your wolf, because of the love that simmers between us. Whether you realize it or not at this point, your wolf trusts in me, that is why I am able to calm her.”
He leans into me and plants a chaste kiss on my cheek, as I just stand frozen to the spot with my mouth open in shock as I try to absorb everything he’s told me.
He releases my hands and then says, “Shall we?”
That snaps me back into focus. “Right. Yeah. Let’s…uh…table this for now, okay? We have a mission here. I need to put Tony down.”
“As you wish, princess.”
I pull away quickly and head for the back door. I rear back and thrust my boot into the hard steel. It rips from its hinges from the power behind my kick. “All right. We’re in. Let’s go.”
I don’t look at him, but as he follows after me, I’m pretty sure I hear him laughing at my absolute disregard for a subtle approach.
He follows behind me silently as I lead him down the long, winding corridor. I come to a stop outside the door at the end and draw in a calming breath.
“How is your wolf faring?” Cahl asks, suddenly right behind me. I can feel his jacket brushing against me, his breath hot on my neck.
“Give me some breathing room and it will be fine.”
“Sorry,” he says, stepping back quickly. “I did not realize you were affected by me in a physical way.”
I spin to face him. “What?”
“You are asking me to stay back, because you are aroused when I am close, yes?”
Jesus. He has no tact at all! “Why are you so…open about things?”
His brow furrows. “How else would you have me be?”
“I…never mind. Yes. Okay? You might turn me on. A little. Just a little.”
His eyes light up. “Is that so, princess?”
“Argh. You know it is.”
He grins. “I do. The connection between us cannot be denied. You are mine and I am yours.” He steps forward before I can argue back, his hard, muscular body pressing against me. His deep hazel eyes gaze into mine heatedly as he says, “Soon you will see it.”
My wolf hearing picks up the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Tony’s office is soundproof, even to wolves. But I’m the exception, because I’m way more than a regular wolf. I push Cahl off me and I turn just in time as Tony throws open the door.
“Mmm…I thought I smelled your sweet scent at my door, baby.”
Urgh. Gross.
Judging by the angry grunt Cahl makes from beside me, he’s thinking the same thing.
Cahl eases me through the door. The second we both step inside I hear him muttering under his breath and I see a flash of magic spark from his hands. He has sealed off the office with some sort of spell. I understand why. We’re here to kill Tony. The second he realizes he’s in danger, it will be like a beacon to his pack and his wolves will come running to defend their Alpha. We can’t risk that.
Tony’s eyes dart to him. I see his surprise for a second, before he covers it up and asks me, casually, “You got yourself a bodyguard, huh?”
I feel Cahl about to make a move, but I react quickly, slamming my hand into Tony’s chest and knocking him back into his office.
I catch Cahl’s eye and I see that he liked that.
“You’re threatening the safety of all my wolves, asshole,” I growl at Tony as I step into his office. Cahl kicks the door shut and then comes to stand beside me.
“I just wanted to see you, baby.”
“Why?”
“To apologize.”
I fold my arms across my chest and glare at him. “For what? Trying to have me killed, because I wouldn’t let you claim me?”
“You attempted to claim her?” Cahl basically roars.
Wow. I’ve never seen him in a state of rage before. This is…intense.
Tony, who’s usually so cool and unaffected by everything, actually takes a step back. He tries to hide it, as is always the case with him, but it’s obvious he’s scared even as he says to Cahl, “What’s it to you, fucker?”
“Tony. Don’t—”
Cahl throws his arm out in front of me and shakes his head. “Please, princess. Allow me.”
Oh crap. What’s he gonna do?
Tony assumes a fighting stance and warns Cahl, “I will wolf out if you take another goddamn step!”
If he knew who Cahl really was, he definitely wouldn’t be running his mouth like this.
Undeterred, Cahl does take another step. “She is not to be touched. Your relationship with her is finished.”
“And why is that?”
“She is mine.”
Tony can’t believe it. “What? Who the fuck is this prick, Aria?”
“He’s…he’s my….”
“Hers,” Cahl answers for me, throwing me a look, because he knows from my hesitancy there that I still haven’t accepted it to be true yet.
“Yeah?” Tony says, pissed now that another man is apparently claiming me and he’s gonna lose out on the power he wanted. “You sure you want that? Cuz the things we’ve done together…she’s pretty well used up, if you want the God’s honest truth.”
What. The. Fuck?
My reaction’s immediate.
I leap through the air, pouncing on him and driving him to the floor. The wolf relishes the instant rage that his words have sparked and, before I can stop it, my claws are out and digging into his chest.
He grunts and tries to throw me off him.
But I’m stronger.
“See? This is how rough and down and dirty she likes it. Sure you want a piece of it?”
I jump off him and spring back to my feet instantly. Grabbing hold of the collar of his ridiculously expensive suit, I throw him across the room. He smashes into the coffee table hard, destroying the damn thing instantly.
“She’s a fucking slut!” he bellows in such rage that I know his wolf is seconds from breaching the surface.
Mine is even closer.
Roaring ferociously, I lunge at him, snarling and baring my wolf teeth.
But Cahl is suddenly there, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me back. I’m basically in a feral state now. I can’t calm down. I fight him, struggling to break his hold.
“Come here, Aria! I’ll show you who the fucking Alpha wolf really is! I’ll make you take it. Fucking claim you like the bitch in heat you are, whore!”
“Argh!” I roar. “Argh! Argh!”
I can feel the wolf coming. My rage is out of control. I can’t hold it.
All of a sudden, Cahl releases me. Before I can move, he calls his black magic quickly and fires it at me.
A shimmering dome surrounds me, trapping me inside. I scream and snarl and attack it wildly.
He looks between Tony and me.
Black flames appear on his palm.
He fires at Tony.
Tony doesn’t even get the chance to scream, because, in a second, he’s transformed into stone. Black stone. Maybe marble.
Jesus fuck. I freeze.
Cahl steps into my view and swipes his hand over the dome. It dissolves.
“I need to kill him.”
“That is short-sighted, Aria. If you kill him, it will turn his entire pack of wolves against you. We cannot afford more enemies. I have incapacitated him instead. It will last until you have completed the ritual. At that point, you will be in a much stronger position to deal with any who oppose you.”
“Okay,” I murmur.
I collapse to my knees, fisting my hands in my hair as my good sense returns. I fight to push the wolf down with it being so damn close to breaking free now, because I lost my temper. Hell, it’s not just that. I’ve been on edge ever since I wolfed out a couple of days ago. The strain of holding back is worse than I’ve ever felt before.
“No, no, no,” I grit out.
“Aria,” Cahl says softly, wrapping his arms around me.
I push away and struggle to my feet. His heat is too much. “No. Don’t.
I can’t.”
“Tell me how I can help you, princess.”
“I…I need…release.”
I look up at him and see the confusion on his face. “Tell me.”
“No,” I say, brushing past him and heading for the door. Yeah, there are loads of wolves in this club. I can use one of them. It’ll do for now. “I…you can’t help.”
“I don’t understand.”
Argh! “I need to fuck! Now!” I end up screaming at him. I glance around the office. The mess I’ve made with my attack on Tony and his new stone form. “Not here…it’s….”
I walk out, feeling the shimmer of the spell that Cahl has cast over the office as I pass through the doorway. I stride down the corridor. I know he did this for my protection. A pack can feel when their Alpha is in danger or hurt. We just turned their Alpha to stone. Fuck. His wolves would be all over us by now had it not been for Cahl’s ward. I want to ask how long it will last, but he interrupts my erratic thoughts.
“What are you searching for?” he calls, following after me.
“A place that doesn’t have my ex’s scent all over it.”
He grabs my hand suddenly and says, “Come.”
The next thing I know, he’s pulling me down the corridor. “Here,” he says, stopping outside one of the many doors all of a sudden.
“How do you know it’s—”
He kicks it open and ushers me inside. Sure enough, it’s empty. Just a bed in the corner of the room and nothing else.
“What’s a bedroom doing in the back halls of the club?”
“There are many,” Cahl tells me. “I believe we can infer their purpose.”
Oh God. For Tony and his wolves to fuck their whores, or something. Eww. “How did you know?”
“Magic.”
I screw up my face as I eye the bed. Oh well. I can’t wait much longer. This will have to do. “Okay, thanks. I’ll…uh…meet you outside, okay?”
“How will that work?”
“I need to take care of…you know? So…some privacy, yeah?”
“With another wolf? Is that what you intend?”
“Yeah. Of course. It has to be a wolf…the animal…a strong wolf, too.”
“No,” he says, forcefully.
“What?” I bark. “Cahl, if I don’t do this now, the wolf will—”
“I can assist with that. I may not be an Alpha wolf, but I am an alpha male. I am powerful enough to assist you. Believe me.”