“I only told you how she responded to my cock to show you she was like us. She is just fucking like us. Our kind mates once in a lifetime, Killian. Liliana was my mate. She was also the love of my life, but she left me. Liliana also chose to leave you too, asshole. Liliana took my anchor with her, and now I grasp onto anything I can to keep from becoming the monster the rebellion wanted me to be.
“The witches took my family from me to enrage me enough to throw the first punch. I have waited over five hundred years for revenge, and some sweet as sin pussy isn’t changing my mind. I became the monster the rebellion wanted me to be. The witches never expected us to rise against them, but we shall. We’re about to hit them where it hurts the most. But Aria Hecate is the strongest tool they have in their toolbox. That’s a fucking problem for the witches because I have Aria within my grasp, and she wears my name on her pretty cunt, as you so delicately put it. I walked in and claimed their most powerful fucking fighter, and yeah, I mounted her and fucking liked it. The thing is, I have her, and they can’t stop that now.”
“You’re a problem solver; figure that shit out. Just know that she’s your fucking enemy, and try to remember that when you’re fucking her slit, bro,” Killian said, nodding as he exhaled.
“I’m very aware of who is sliding down my cock, and that she’s my enemy. She, on the other hand, has no idea what or who I am, or that she’s mine now. Aria is brilliant, but she’s young and innocent. I’m not. I claimed her, and yeah, she’s one of them. She’s also unable to deny that claim, making her something that cannot be wielded against us in the upcoming war. The fucking king took their queen, and there isn’t dick they can do about it. Checkmate.”
“That’s true. You walked right in and slapped the little bitch with your dick, and took her from their arsenal,” Lore chuckled, shaking his platinum head. “You didn’t ask my advice, but here it is. Take her, keep her where they won’t find her, and turn her to our side. You do that, and we’ve already won this war before we even marched against them.”
“That won’t happen. Aria isn’t the type to turn against her blood. She’s loyal, and that is a fucking problem; taking her, though, that won’t be. I guess we will see where she lands when we lay siege to this town,” I muttered, scrubbing my hand down my face with frustration.
I studied Killian, frowning as I realized that I couldn’t wholly recall Liliana’s face anymore, just a ghostly image when I tried, which then faded into Aria. Where her shining eyes had once haunted me, Aria’s had replaced them. Where she would haunt my nightmares, I now dreamt of the sweet noises Aria made when I fucked her. I used to crave the sound of Liliana laughing, but now I craved the taste of Aria’s lips and the sideward angle of her head when she was thinking hard right before she bit that sexy as fuck bottom lip.
I’d had to be gentle with Liliana, careful with her fragile body, not Aria. Aria, I fucking destroyed and went to war against in bed, and she fought back. She fucking roared for more, purring when I got harder, even before she’d been consumed by flames. It was something my kind did, but hers was rawer, and fuck if I didn’t purr right back.
I had tried to convince myself that it was because I was protecting our plans, but her sexy little purr tugged at everything inside of me. Liliana hadn’t ever purred, and when I did, it had been an afterthought. Something I did for her because I wanted to, not because it came automatically. Aria, I fucking had to because everything within me demanded it. I’d never bitten Liliana, but Aria took my bite, and if I didn’t heal it fast enough for her, she did it her damn self.
I’d hated no one as much—or wanted them while hating them—as I did Aria. The feelings conflicted with one another, not that it mattered. I’d started a fucking war, and I had to finish it. There was no other way out of it now. Too many pieces were in play, and too many lives depended on this not being fucked before we even threw the first punch. No, no matter how much I wanted it otherwise, Aria couldn’t be saved, and neither could her sisters.
Chapter 49
Aria
I studied the posture of the few alphas that had invaded our house and currently stood spread out everywhere, which had my anxiety on edge. They were pointing to places on a grid map, indicating new portal holes. It wouldn’t have been such a huge deal, except four of the largest holes were scattered in the backwoods on our property.
Dimitri explained the length and width of each, which was unsettling. The smaller holes were wide enough for one creature to enter, but the bigger portal holes could allow several creatures through at once. It was like someone or something was planning to invade this town en masse, and that was unsettling. Portals placed close together could indicate creatures were trying to come through as a war party, which had happened more than a few times when the original bloodlines first settled in Haven Falls.
“I’ll show you where they are, but the sensors on your land should have alerted you the moment they were opened,” Dimitri said. “The knowledge that the sensors failed to alert the House of Magic to the dangerous situation on the land, well, it is troubling.” He folded his arms over his chest, studying me even though I had yet to meet his stare.
“It’s very troubling since the House of Magic is built to detect any barrier being breached. I worry that we missed something that may have been done to my father’s remains when we were gone. Also troubling is the fact the house rejected a Hecate witch when she needed it, not allowing her entrance to the property.” Aurora pushed her hair behind her ear, staring down at the map. “Has Knox been made aware of the problem yet? He should be present for the search.”
“Not yet.” Dimitri’s face reddened at the mention of Knox’s name, and I had to force myself not the peek at the anger burning in his eyes, seeming to be directed at me. “I wanted you to know first since it looks really bad that the portals are hidden on your property. The situation with Amara already looks bad, but to have open portals large enough to slip an army through, well, that looks really bad.”
“That is why you should have alerted him first. Knox is the one leading the investigation, and as such, he is supposed to be made aware of any problems or findings first, which definitely includes portals large enough to fit a war party through as you just pointed out,” I finished and held his gaze as he snorted.
“Why? Why Knox, Aria?” Dimitri asked carefully, saying out loud what I’d been wondering from the start. “No one has asked who the hell sent him, and yet everyone falls into line because he tells them to. Who the fuck is he, or better yet, what the fuck is he?” His gaze held mine, and I hesitated with my response. He’d asked damn good questions; I mean, they were what I had asked too.
Dimitri’s stare became heated, and I swallowed, dropping mine to avoid a scene before his pack. Electric-blue eyes sparkled as a subtle glow began to build, and I didn’t want to feel or see the heat burning in them. Knowing what he looked like naked wasn’t helping me stay out of his crosshairs. Whatever lived within me, she was a horny bitch, and she wanted one man and one man alone. Dimitri wasn’t that man. Even though I liked him, liking him could potentially end his life, and that wasn’t something I could accept.
“You’re fucking him, and you have no idea what the fuck he is. What happens if you end up pregnant? You could die if what he turns out to be isn’t compatible with your genetics. You need to stop spreading your legs for him. You’re smarter than that, Aria.”
“We don’t even know what Aria is, Dimitri. Stop being petty because she won’t let you sniff her ass and refuses to spread her legs for you,” Luna growled, and the sound reverberated through the room.
“I won’t get pregnant, asshole,” I shrugged nonchalantly, not believing it myself one bit. “I don’t know what Knox is, and I don’t care. I do know that whatever he is, you bowed to him. He is a king. I know because I’ve seen him in his crown. He isn’t from this realm, nor has he spent a lot of time within it. That is all I know. Who I sleep with isn’t your concern, either.”
“I th
ink you know a lot more than you’re willing to share with us. You owe this covenant your loyalty, not him. You have been fucking him for months now, and you think to lie to us and tell us you know nothing? You don’t fuck someone for that long and not learn things about them,” Dimitri snapped, letting his canine teeth show as he curled his lip in disgust, glaring at me. I snorted, shaking my head with his pathetic tactic to elicit fear in me with his bite. He had nothing on Knox, nor could he subdue the beast within me as Knox did.
“That is enough! You are inside the House of Magic, and a guest, Dimitri,” Aurora snapped as power erupted around her, causing my hair to float with her warning. “You represent the alphas, and as their representative, you will respect the boundaries, and my home, which you are in under sanctuary. That means you do not speak to us disrespectfully or use your powers to seek to subdue one of my nieces with your dominance. You are new, which allows you some leeway, but not enough to speak to Aria in the way that you are. Witches don’t ask for an entire family tree before we sexually encounter a male, you should know that. You bred one of ours, and you left her through her pregnancy without coming forth when she needed you, so I suggest you tread very carefully from this point on, young man.”
“I stand corrected,” he said softly, bowing his head to the matriarch of our family. “I apologize. Please accept it, Aurora. I meant no disrespect to you or Aria.”
“It is not me you owe the apology, alpha.”
“Aria,” he whispered my name, huskily. “I apologize. I do hope you reconsider your arrangement with Knox Karnavious and consider a more appropriate match for your stature and rank. Very little is known about Knox or his men, other than they are from the Nine Realms. He could be a minotaur, or worse.”
“I am not dating him, and other than fucking him, nothing is going on. I don’t ask him questions, and even if I did, I highly doubt he would feel inclined to answer them.”
“You’re wrong, Aria. In the street, when I bowed to Knox, it was because he laid claim to you openly. The noise he made? He demanded we bow or die; that was a war cry, woman. He was willing to murder us all to place his claim on you, because he fucking claimed you as his. Do you even grasp the impact of what I’m saying? You are his, and if anyone else seeks to claim you, they must first challenge him. His scent is all over you, and that bite? It’s permanent. That means you allowed him to claim you on a level so profoundly deep that no one can challenge it. You tell me, Aria, why would Knox claim you in such a way when he has no intention of remaining here after the investigation has completed?”
I blinked, uncertain what to say if anything. I hadn’t realized Knox had laid claim to me. I hadn’t given him permission to do that, or had I? I had given him my shoulder, but it was to allow him to show the other alphas I was off-limits. Not that I hated the idea, considering I wasn’t interested in fucking others, but if what Dimitri said was true, it wasn’t something we could undo easily. What I knew about claiming was limited, but something inside of me liked the idea of belonging to Knox. Not that it was smart to allow something like him to claim me, but because his actions had saved Dimitri’s life, I’d been thankful to Knox for doing it. I knew if the alpha had tried to claim me without my permission, I’d have taken him down in a heartbeat. But why would Knox issue a challenge to alphas to fight to the death over me? That was troubling, considering he didn’t even actually like me.
“Show us the portal holes, alpha. Afterward, you can tell us how you discovered them on our property, without our permission to be upon it. As for Knox, what I do with him isn’t your business, nor will you tell me who I can and cannot fuck just because I denied you that right, as was my choice.” I stared Dimitri down as he nodded with worry in his gaze, noting the tone of my voice. It was final, and I gave him no room to argue it without sounding like more of an asshole than he already did.
He didn’t get to come into my home and make it sound like I was sleeping around. I’d had sex with one male, and while he was probably the worst choice I could have made, it was my choice and my body. I had to deal with the fallout of what came from my choices, and I would if it came to pass. He didn’t have to worry about it, nor did anyone else.
However, I wasn’t over the fact we’d had a lot of sex, and not once did pregnancy crossed my mind. I hadn’t even considered it a possibility, but I probably should have. I needed to ensure that I was protected from creating a life with him since I wasn’t ready to become a mother, nor did I want a child with a man who hated me more than he liked me.
Everyone stood and started toward the door. I followed behind at a slower pace, allowing no male behind me as they sent their pheromones into the air. Nor was I willing to chance any alpha trying to subdue me, since Dimitri had made his intentions clear with his jealousy. Luna had explained his obsession, or the basic wolf’s need to dominate and own whatever it craved, which unfortunately seemed to be me lately.
We started toward the woods that bordered ours and Knox’s property, and I gazed at the darkened house that had been silent for days. I was lost in thought as I moved toward the creek, checking that the portal there was still marked and sealed. The few Knox had learned of were all marked and had a spell to prevent them from acting as an open doorway between realms.
I stopped walking and peered around the forest before pausing, noting I’d become separated from the others as I had been consumed by thoughts of consequences for what I’d been doing. Great, of course, I’d been thinking about Knox and ended up lost in the woods alone after dark. It also didn’t help that the further from the house we got, the darker it became.
The hair on my neck rose as if I was being watched, and I stopped mid-step, peering around again as I moved in a slow circle. Swallowing, I frowned and noted that I wasn’t alone. I was being followed.
I tripped over a stick that caught my foot, looking over my shoulder only to find one of the alphas watching me as he sauntered toward me. I got up, dusting off my hands, and started forward again, moving deeper into the woods at a faster pace.
It was difficult to watch for sticks and branches that poked up from the ground or hung from dead trees as the light continued to fade. Branches slapped my face, whipping across my flesh as I moved through them. I wasn’t stupid; I realized he was sending me deeper into the woods, but what he failed to see was that we were almost to Knox’s property line. The moment we entered it, Knox would be alerted. My foot crossed over the line, and I turned to face the male who watched me with darkness in his gaze. I was being hunted.
Staring at the alpha, I crossed my arms as he slowly stalked me. He growled low from his chest. The noise he created rose with a warning, announcing his intentions. He would make a play to subdue me, and I would take him down easily. It was rather stupid on his part to assume just because I was cut off from the others, I was weak.
“You think you’re so fucking special, whore? You are nothing but a stupid little bitch that lies down and spreads her pussy for the bastard who thinks to rule us all. You need to be put down and put down hard, and I can’t wait to make you bleed.”
As if anyone could put me down harder than Knox? The man knew how to make a woman beg for it and then decide she’d bitten off a lot more than she could chew. I opened my mouth to respond, but a branch snapped in the opposite direction, pulling my attention to another alpha entering the small clearing.
Then another joined his friends, and I realized they’d separated me on purpose. I’d fallen into their trap perfectly while trying to avoid this situation from happening. I exhaled, watching each one as they started closing in on me from every angle. Fear kicked up into my throat, and I fought to calm my rapid heartbeat. Adrenaline shot through me, and I fisted my hands at my sides, waiting for one to lunge toward me.
“You don’t want to do this,” I whispered through the burning in my gums.
“You killed Fallon, and for what? Because you were too good for us to fuck?” one of the alphas snapped icily, malice dripping from his lips. �
��You will know the difference between an alpha and a wannabe king when we are finished making you scream and bleed for us, stupid little bitch.”
“I didn’t want to be raped, and I didn’t make Fallon choose his path. It doesn’t mean I thought myself better than you. I was protecting myself from being raped. I am not a wolf, nor am I bound to play by your rules!” I hissed as power erupted into the clearing, causing goosebumps to spread over my arms. I peered around the area, tasting the rawness of the power that had just entered it.
The men looked around warily, sensing something else had come into the fight. It wasn’t like Knox’s powers. It was undiluted, pure raw power that sent a shiver up my spine and warning bells erupting inside my skull. The men looked between each other, and then one stepped closer toward me, only to vanish before his foot had even touched the ground.
We all went still, listening to the noises within the forest. It was eerily silent, and everything inside of me said to run, now. I exhaled slowly as I started to take a step in the direction I assumed the house was located. I watched in horror as the missing alpha’s head was tossed back, rolling past my feet before his body dropped from the sky.
I looked up, staring at the treetops as the other alphas began to run deeper into the woods in separate directions. I closed my eyes, breathing loud enough that it was the only noise I heard until screaming erupted from the direction one of the alphas had taken. The hair on my arms rose with fear, and my throat tightened with a scream held within it.
At the sounds of the alpha’s screaming, I started running toward the house, at least what I hoped was the right direction. Whatever was in the woods, the barrier wasn’t preventing it from attacking. More screaming sounded before it went eerily silent, and I turned, staring into the woods. My breathing was hard, labored, and ragged from running and trying to stay ahead of the alphas. I turned back toward the house and released a blood-curdling scream.
Flames of Chaos Page 37