by Julia Laque
“I want you to know he will never have all of me.”
Adam closed his eyes in a tormented scowl. He needed to hear it, but didn’t want to. It nearly killed him to think about the king putting his hands on her.
“I love you, and nothing will ever change that.” Evangeline’s long, lithe body arched in front of him. Her breasts stretching the little nightgown she wore. “This,”—her arms hugged her chest and stomach—“is yours. It will always be yours.” Her eyes were heated and moist with unshed tears.
God, he loved her.
Once again he shifted slightly to hide any feel of him. He was thankful the amount of fur down there hid his erection, although, he wasn’t entirely sure. He didn’t exactly get aroused when he was hunting or racing with his pack during the full moon. In fact, this might be the first time this happened while in full wolf form. The moon heat was enough to tire him out for the full moon. Jesus. The things this woman did to him.
The emerging growl startled him. Evangeline cocked her head to the side and inspected him through heavy lidded eyes. “If this is the last time I’ll be in your arms…”
He knew where she was headed and his hair lifted, a low rumble began from his core.
No. Stop her. He couldn’t let her…
“Then I want it to be something you can truly remember.” Evangeline’s delicate hand came up and brushed the wire-thin strap off her shoulder. Before his hideous paw could stop her, she brought the thin white material down and exposed one luscious, exquisite tit.
He stayed completely still, but could not help the deep drone coming from him.
“Put your hands on me.” She stretched back, her long, smooth, muscled thighs spreading slightly.
Adam still didn’t move. If he did, he would fucking rip her apart. He was strong in his human state, but like this he could really hurt her. His ability to stay still when she was so alluring was a testament of how much he loved her.
He cursed in his head, but for fuck sake, he wanted to see more.
Evangeline seemed to read his mind. The hand holding the material down below her breast moved.
His gut jerked.
Reaching up with her slender fingers, she circled the tiny bud of her nipple. Her other hand journeyed down those glorious thighs and lifted the hem, causing Adam to come close to losing it. He felt completely lightheaded as he watched her every move.
Evangeline’s lips parted, her breathing becoming enticingly heavy as she uncovered her luscious sex and lower belly. He felt her bottom move over his thigh as she writhed in his arms. His chest was pumping and the pants coming out of his nostrils sounded like he was about to give birth.
Long lashes closed over olive eyes as she rubbed her thighs together, straining with desire and he…was…loving…it. It killed him not to touch her, but he didn’t care. Her body was so wonderful, he could gaze at it for the rest of his life.
Her breathing changed and he felt her arousal coursing through her. She arched her back, hair spilling over his arm as her breast came achingly closer to his face.
“Is this too much for you?” Evangeline whispered headily, bringing her hands up to caress his chest.
The whole damn situation was so erotic, a jolt so powerful ran through his entire body at her touch and he bit down hard to control the spasms bursting to get free.
Her eyes met his, undoubtedly gruesome glare. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” She relaxed in his arms, lying tantalizingly bare before him.
He wanted to remember every part of her, the texture of her hair, her smooth skin, the tiny beauty mark between her breasts…everything.
Stirring in his arms with eyes glossed over, she turned to him and smiled her sweet, sexy smile.
“Something about you brings out the wild side of me.” She laughed softly and closed her eyes.
Adam covered her up, reaching with his claw to carefully lift a strap over her shoulder. Evangeline was breathing deeply and he could tell she was drifting off again.
He should take her back now, but he remained where they were, completely captivated by her.
I’ll take her back in a minute. I just need to be with her for just a few more…
****
Evangeline awoke three hours later in her bed. She was snuggled comfortably under her quilt. She turned over onto her back, feeling utterly despondent and alone.
Was that it? The last time she would be in Adam’s arms?
She swiped at the silent tears and a bright color next to her head caught her eye. Turning, she saw a red rose lying on the pillow next to hers.
Evangeline sat up instantly and grabbed for it. Where had he found a rose last night? Her parent’s garden didn’t grow roses. She stared hard at the deep, velvety lapels, then noticed something wrapped at the bottom of the stem.
A thick, coarse locket of black fur was tied to the stem. It was held tight by what looked to be a few strands of her own hair. The deep red knotted around the black looked so right, yet so sad. At least a part of them would remain together forever, but it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.
Lying back down, she clutched the rose to her chest. As she lay, unseeing eyes staring at the ceiling, she pictured Adam in his human form now doing the same thing with a thick locket of her hair.
Chapter Fifteen
“See you next week, Miss Evangeline.”
“Take care, Tasha.” Evangeline waved goodbye to the rest of her students as she swept up the rosin powder off the hardwood floors.
“I’m taking off too.” Natalie Valentino, the owner of Valentino’s Dance Studio, gave Evangeline a speculative look before going.
Upon returning to work, Evangeline had thrown herself into her lessons, avoiding any and all conversation with the other instructors or her boss. The dead giveaway was her evasive demeanor. Evangeline was hardly quiet in the work place. She got along fine with her coworkers and engaged them in conversation during breaks, sometimes going out after work for dinner or drinks.
“See you tomorrow, Natalie.” She gave her boss a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
She knew they were wondering what was going on but Evangeline did not have the energy or the desire to discuss her predicament. They’d find out soon enough she was married to the Vampire King of North America. Saturday, in fact. No doubt, awful Mary would put a piece in the paper as soon as they said, I do.
As she stepped into one of the offices in the back where they kept the lockers, she rubbed the stiff muscles at her neck, anticipating and yet dreading the night’s events. She couldn’t help but wonder whether or not the vampires would forgive the werewolves for kidnapping their future queen, doubtful, or more likely a fight would ensue.
She switched her ballet slippers she wore in the studio for her black Prada ballet flats. After two sleepless nights, she debated bringing a change of clothes, but who knew what was appropriate for a vampire/werewolf summit. Deciding she didn’t care, Evangeline left on her black leggings and threw a loose white yoga shirt over her black camisole. If the king didn’t approve, then he could just kiss her ass.
“Miss Wolcott.”
Evangeline jumped at the sound of her name. “Jesus!” She looked angrily at the king’s henchmen. “Victor, you scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry.” He didn’t look the least bit sorry as he stood, taking up the entire frame of the office doorway. “His Grace is waiting in the car.”
Clutching her hand to her chest, she asked blankly, “For what?”
No emotion showed on Victor’s hard face. Evangeline thought, if he stood still for longer than two seconds, someone might mistake him for a statue, a really scary statue. “He’s here to take you to the summit. Are you ready?”
Having no strength to put up an argument Evangeline shrugged. “Yeah, let’s go.” She grabbed her Mark Jacobs satchel and the keys to lock up the studio.
Outside, Cyrus sat in a black Jaguar. She slipped in the back with him and shut the door, giving him only a brief gla
nce. “Hey.” She sounded like he was picking her up in a car pool.
The interior was wide and cool with beige leather. There was silence as Victor started the car, then, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said, not looking his way.
“No, really. You look pale.”
Cyrus grabbed her hand and she was forced to look at him. “Just tired.”
The look he gave her confused the hell out of her. Did he actually care how she felt? There was no mistaking the concern in his eyes and the instant she saw it she remembered how she’d thought it would have been great had they met under different circumstances. How wonderful it would have been just to be friends with someone like him, even though he was as arrogant as they come.
Evangeline turned away from his speculative gaze. “I’ll be fine.”
Cyrus let go of her hand and adjusted in his seat. The car lurched as they took off into dusk. There was a deafening silence in the car as they headed to wherever they were going and Evangeline had the strangest urge to break it. Before she could ask where they were going, Cyrus spoke up.
“This is a standard summit. I don’t want you to worry. Maxwell Jones will be there to mediate of course, but with me and,”—Cyrus’ nose flared as he paused—“the Blacktail alpha, we will be able to control our subordinates.”
Staring at him pensively, she asked, “What is the purpose of this meeting? I thought it was understood by all parties that your coven doesn’t have Serena Perez.”
He looked her over before he spoke. “Evangeline, as you know, you’re to become my wife, as such, future queen to North America. It is an extreme insult to me, my coven and my realm to attack what is mine.”
Evangeline stared.
“Right...women’s cursed liberation.” He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean when I say mine. You are already considered a part of my coven, so any offense against it, is a direct offense to me.”
Her brow furrowed at this. “I don’t want an argument between your coven and the Blacktails over me. It’s ludicrous. I’m fine. Can’t we forget all about it?”
Cyrus gave her an exasperated look. “That’s not exactly how we work, my dear.”
He turned from her, leaving her to her thoughts. They made a left somewhere and the town’s decadent little lampposts fell behind them.
“Can you promise me something?” Evangeline looked at him.
“No.”
She waited quietly for an explanation.
Cyrus let out a frustrated breath. “Evangeline, I don’t make promises I cannot keep and by the sound of it, you’re revving up for a long one about peace and forgiveness.”
“I thought you wanted me to learn your ways. How can I learn if I don’t ask questions?”
He looked at her pointedly. “Ah, but you are not asking a question, Evangeline, you are making a demand. I don’t know what will become of this meeting, but I can assure you will not be in danger. As for the dogs…it is still to be determined.”
Evangeline’s stomach lurched. If anything happened to Adam or any of the Blacktails, she would never forgive Cyrus, but what power did a human have over two powerful supernatural forces?
They drove on and as they did, Evangeline tried to soothe her nerves. Initially, she’d been thankful to be invited to a summit, but now she was wondering what had she been thinking? She had no idea what would happen, but she needed to save her anxiety till they arrived. Fighting the urge to vomit, she turned her head toward her window and closed her eyes, taking in long pulls of air.
Collecting her composure, she opened her eyes and stared out into the night, completely aware of the man next to her and thought how many times would she sit next to him like this as husband and wife, king and queen.
“Cyrus?”
“Mm?” He seemed to be lost in thought too and did not look at her.
She hesitated, staring at his profile. “Why?” Evangeline whispered. It was a vague question, but she knew he understood.
He turned to her and they stared for a while. Amazingly, she saw his eyes soften for the very first time. It was unnerving. “I want you. Isn’t that enough?”
She answered stoically, “You don’t even know me.”
“I know plenty.”
Evangeline continued to hold his gaze.
He took a deep breath and spoke evenly. “You studied at the Joffrey Academy of Dance since you were eight years old and received a BA in Liberal Arts and Science at DePaul University in Chicago. You love to dance and do so beautifully, but in the past you faint whenever you overexert yourself. After years of training, you gave up becoming one of the greatest dancers in the business to teach ballet to children, here, in Wilmington.
“You go out with friends on occasion, but for the most part, you’re a homebody. Your first boyfriend was in high school, but you grew apart after you graduated. You dated one Leonardo Russo, giving him your virginity in college. He disappeared without a trace shortly after.” Cyrus gave her a pointed look. “I’ve looked, the man is nowhere to be found.”
Evangeline couldn’t speak, and she certainly didn’t want to know how he knew so much about her.
He went on. “Your mother is Rachelle Wolcott, formerly, Rachelle Smith, adopted by Hannah and Walter Smith. Your father is one of Wilmington’s oldest families and you know I know him.” He spoke to her in a low tone, his eyes never leaving hers. “You’re sister, Katherine, almost died of Leukemia as a child, but is now healthy and quite a handful.”
Cyrus paused for a moment, his gaze moving down to stare at her lips. “I know you are probably one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.” His eyes roamed over her face. “I sense strength and fire in you you're not even aware of.”
His cool hand caressed her cheek, and slowly, tilted her chin to inspect her neck.
Her puncture marks were healed, but she froze, not knowing what he was going to do.
Shaking his head, he let go of her face. “I’m barbaric, and I’m afraid I can’t help it,” Cyrus said a matter fact. “I promise you though, the next time I touch you, you will enjoy it.”
Evangeline wanted to tell him she would never enjoy it. She would never enjoy being in his arms when she was in love with another man, but she’d lost the ability to speak.
“When you stop fighting me, you will realize I can make you very happy. You will want for nothing as my wife.”
Except for Adam, she thought. She turned from him to stare out her window again.
The car fell silent once more as they pulled into a deserted lot of an abandoned warehouse just outside of Wilmington.
Victor parked the Jaguar and got out to open the door for her. He shut it behind her and she came around to stand next to Cyrus. He looked down at her and there was no smirk or smolder in his stare. He was all business now, unsmiling and sober. “I want you to stay right next to me at all times, understood?”
Her stomach dropped again, but she nodded.
“All right.” Cyrus put a hand at the small of her back and guided her to the windowless door at the side of the building.
Heart pounding, Evangeline waited for Victor to open it for them and stepped through into a desolate room bigger than her house. The one room warehouse was surrounded by gray stone about eight feet from the concrete floor, then towering windowpanes up to the ceiling about thirty feet from their heads. It looked to be an old abandon warehouse store, left empty and in a dreary state. The night’s sky was black now, the only light from within was the bright fluorescent fixtures scattered around the stone walls that did little to brighten up the place.
As they entered the ominous room, Evangeline realized they were the last to arrive. Two groups of people stood facing each other in the middle of the room.
The King’s Coven took up the highest point of the warehouse on a high platform closest to the back wall. There was a long table where seven vampires sat spaced out in a line, with a vacant chair in the middle. She imagined this set up was Cyrus’ idea
to intimidate the Blacktails. Evangeline recognized Mary, Girard, the good-looking cook, and the somber Florena, who had helped her after Cyrus fed from her. There were four other fierce-looking vampires she did not know glaring down at the werewolves.
Evangeline looked in their direction and froze. Adam was standing in front of his Fighters. His incredible blue eyes met hers and for a moment she was transported to their last night. It was heartbreaking to see him in his wolf form, but more so to see him now as himself. He was as striking as ever in jeans and a black t-shirt.
Their eyes held for a mere two seconds before he broke contact, but she saw the warning in his eyes. He did not want them to give away their feelings in front of the king and his coven. Instead, he cast a sardonic glance at her body, giving any onlookers the impression he only saw her as a piece of meat, but she knew he was taking the opportunity to assess for any injuries and to reach out and feel the mood she was in. In fact, if her instincts were correct, she would bet Nick, Jason, Alex and Ramo were doing the exact same thing and she felt a great amount of tenderness toward the Blacktails. She hoped they could sense her gratitude.
Adam looked at Cyrus then and the tension in the room increased by a hundred. His gorgeous jaw twitched and his chest heaved slightly. Jason looked like he wanted to put a restraining hand on his shoulder, but thought better of it.
“Are we all nice and cozy, then?” Cyrus’ sarcastic voice broke the icy silence and he moved forward toward the platform. “We are sorry we’re late, but we’ve had a lot of catching up to do.” Cyrus’ meaning was clear. She tensed at his words and his possessive hand at her back as they moved toward the empty seat between Florena and a male vampire.
Evangeline fought the urge not to look Adam’s way, but she saw through the corner of her eye Jason step up to stand right next to him and she knew it was his way of calming Adam down. She wanted to smack Cyrus’ hand away, but didn’t dare.
Play along and hopefully nothing bad will happen, she thought and prayed it would be over soon.