So many thoughts, emotions, and feelings ran through her mind as Ronan walked her back to her room and at this very moment, none of them were about what she’d just discovered. No. It all had to do with the man beside her. For so long she steered clear of any relationships, unless it was for pure satisfaction at the moment. Her heart always stayed out of it, so she could just walk away without doubt.
Her feelings for the cowboy by her side were by far stronger than she had ever felt for a man. At first sight, they’d had such a strong connection she knew she needed to be distant and a bitch from the get-go. But somehow, her need for him had grown over time, almost to the point she hadn’t realized it was happening.
The heart-shaped birthmark throbbed underneath her shirt. Never had it changed until the first time she laid eyes on him. Her hand absently touched the place. If what Viktor said was true, then she could end all this. She and her sister could live the life of free women, never having to run again. The hiding could stop, the never-ending fear would vanish, and she was the one who could set Drew up to live a normal life.
She was surprised they had stopped at the door to the empty room she was to stay in. Her mind had been a million miles away. But here they were, standing in front of it without saying a word, just staring at each other. She didn’t want to be alone, not tonight. Not ever. She was so sick of being alone.
“You’re not alone,” Ronan said, as if he read her mind, but she knew that wasn’t the case. Her mind was blocked, always from vampires, witches, warlocks, and any other being that could actually read the minds of others.
“How do you know what I’m thinking without me saying a word?” Kira asked, tilting her head and staring up at him.
“I have a way of reading things,” Ronan replied, as he leaned against the door, her hand still in his.
“Things?” She frowned. “I’m a thing.”
“Horses,” he added with a slight grin.
“Now I’m a horse.” She huffed, enjoying the freedom of thinking about anything other than the troubles that were always at the forefront of her mind.
“I can always tell what a horse is thinking,” he continued, apparently ignoring her fake expression of being offended. “I know what kind of mood they are in, if I’m going to get kicked, bit, stomped, or thrown… just by looking at the eyes.”
“So if I’m a horse, as you think I am,” Kira frowned with a cocked eyebrow, “what kind of mood am I in? Are you going to get kicked, bit, stomped, or thrown?”
She watched as a flash of desire flickered in his gaze, but it disappeared quickly. “No, none of those.” He leaned closer, studying her. “I see a need for companionship as well as the beginning of trust. Not quite there yet, but close.”
“Oh, is that so?” She tried not to grin, but he was being so serious it was truly endearing and actually quite true. She was beginning to trust him more than anyone else, other than her sister. “Is that all you see?”
“No.” His western drawl drew her in; it was soothing and calmed her. And if she really wanted to be honest with herself, it gave her chills and tingles in places that had been dormant. That thought made her grin. “I also see need.”
Holy shit, he really could read her mind. “Need?” Her voice actually trembled.
“To finish the kiss that was interrupted.” His voice lowered to a deep rumble.
“You can see all that?” Her gaze went to his lips.
“Yes, ma’am.” Finally, his lips found hers. This kiss was definitely different from the one they shared earlier. His mouth was warm, firm, and soft, all at the same time. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling his body closer to hers. The hardness against her was foreign but felt so damn good she never wanted to be without the feeling.
He moved, pressing her against the wall, deepening the kiss, and all she wanted to do was crawl up his body and hold on for dear life. Their kiss was a frenzy of passion and desire; it was obvious they craved each other, needed something that only each could give.
Ronan pulled away first. His chest moved rapidly as he leaned his forehead against hers as he caged her in with both hands against the wall. “I’ll see you at seven.”
“Yes,” she whispered, then frowned. “What?”
He pulled his head back slightly, so they weren’t so close they were seeing double of each other. His smile seemed forced, but he did grin. “I said, I’ll see you at seven.”
“Oh.” She knew her face flamed with embarrassment because she was saying yes to the question she had wanted to hear from him, hoped to hear from him. To come into her room, but instead, he was leaving her. “Uh, yeah, I’ll see you at seven.” She did her best to hide her disappointment before turning toward her door to escape and smother herself with a pillow due to sheer humiliation.
But fate wasn’t in her corner, because he stopped her, turned her toward him and lifted her chin up with his hand. “I want you to be sure, Kira.” Ronan’s thumb caressed her cheek. “I know I don’t have your full trust in such a short amount of time and I don’t want our relationship to be based on great sex.”
“Sure of yourself?” escaped her mouth before she could pull it back.
“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. His answer made her tremble with desire. He continued. “And I know with you it will be much better than great, but I want more than that. I’m sorry.”
“Wow, a gentleman.” Kira actually felt respected. Even though she was disappointed, she was surprisingly pleased, because if she were honest with herself for once, sex wasn’t all she wanted either.
“Gentleman, yes, a little. Considering those were the hardest damn words I’ve ever had to choke out, but it’s the truth. I want more than sex.” Ronan grinned, leaning closer. “Definitely not a saint, so expect me to be around a lot more working to gain your trust, Kira Grail, because the hardest thing I’ll ever do is walk away from this room once you are inside.”
Kira tiptoed and kissed him softly, then opened her door. Walking inside, she turned to stare up at him as she slowly closed the door. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you, cowboy. But what about the curse?”
“Finally,” Ronan said with a fake growl and frown, making her chuckle. “And I don’t believe in curses, so I’m immune. Now lock the door.”
Kira closed it and locked the door, leaning against it. The curse was real; she’d seen it with her own eyes, but hopefully, she could end it all before the curse caught up with them. But then again, he didn’t love her, yet. Her heart was going absolutely crazy in her chest. Her legs felt like noodles and her nipples were painfully tight. “Guess a cold shower is in my plans,” she whispered with an amused grin.
“My thoughts exactly.” Ronan’s voice came through the door, making her gasp and jump to the middle of the room with her hand flying to her cheeks in embarrassment. “Goodnight, Kira.”
“Ah, goodnight,” she called out, then ran, jumping into bed to do exactly what she’d thought about doing just minutes before—smothering herself with the pillow in embarrassment.
Chapter 12
Orjyll sat on an old dusty couch, the springs biting into his ass. He looked around the room and growled. Only one person put him in this position and he’d dealt with the bitch. Now he needed to take care of the remaining Dragonfly Coven that kept him in his dank existence.
He could easily ask one of his witches working for him to conjure him up a palace made for his stature, but no. He wasn’t going to do that. Living this way urged his festering need for revenge against the bitches who he would soon erase from existence.
He opened his phone, pulling up the video that fueled his hatred and at the same time gave him pleasure. Emilia Grail stood on a pile of wood cut specially for her. She was tied to a pole. He had not had her injured in any way. At the time, she was 100 percent intact mentally and physically. He’d made sure of it, because he wanted to make damn sure she felt every single lick of flame eating at her body. The bitch deserved much worse.
There was no doubt she was beautiful, and powerful. But she was good, and that didn’t add to his purpose. His spell of love worked like a charm; she’d left that bastard vampire, Viktor, to come to him. He hated vampires more than anything, other than the Dragonfly Coven. Together, he and Emilia could have ruled the world, but her goodness was too pure. After many months of planning with her, he failed to notice he was being played. Soon, it was too late—she’d put a binding spell on him that was unbreakable, and until each and every Grail woman alive was dead, the binding spell would remain.
The fire from the small phone screen reflected in his eyes as he watched what was to be the strongest of allies burn alive. She had betrayed him. His eyes caught the moment that her powers rose from her, scattering to the sky just as the last breath left her body. He frowned, and his mood darkened just as it did every time he watched, because he would have given anything for her power to have been gifted to him. That had been his plan all along. He’d even ordered it, but Emilia, in her defiant last stance of death, stared him straight in the eye as her magic left her body and gifted to someone who he knew she hoped would defeat him.
“Bitch,” Orjyll hissed at the screen. His eyes narrowed in hatred for the witch. If not for her, he would already be in charge of not only all Covens around the world, but the paranormals also. Everything he had done to this point was for that very reason. The VC Warriors he had running all over the place trying to stop the spread of Crimson Rush, the paranormal crime, you name it and he was the cause of it all. “Fucking Warriors. Fucking vampires. Fucking Viktor,” he spat, knowing that bastard was the main reason his spell had failed. Emilia had loved the disgusting blood sucking bastard. Not that he cared. Orjyll hadn’t loved her, lusted after her maybe, but her powerful magic was what he had been after.
Now his brother had been killed by the Warriors, and they would pay dearly. No one was safe from his wrath. He would take them down one by one, starting with their mates. He knew the one called Duncan had a son. He would take that little bastard and make him his slave. Oh, he had plans that may not take place right away, but soon, they would all be bowing to him, the ones he decided that would live. That cowboy with the whip who had decapitated his brother, and Viktor, along with his brother, Bishop, were first on his list to die after of course the bitches, Mira and Kira. Maybe he would make the bastards watch as he burned them, just like their cousin, Emilia, who had sealed their fate.
“Master.” Sedgwick bowed as they were all ordered to do. “I have news.”
“Well, what is it?” Orjyll stood, the phone in his hand, the frozen image of flames taking Emilia’s life on the screen. He was irritated at being interrupted of his thoughts, thoughts of revenge he would soon set in motion.
“There are new arrivals at the Warrior compound.” Sedgwick glanced up, his eyes wide with fear. “We are not sure, but I believe it’s Viktor and Bishop.”
“Excellent,” Orjyll said after a moment of complete silence. “So it begins, finally. All the major players are in one place, making extinction easy.” His own magical power sizzled and swirled within him. It was there; he was just unable to use it.
He had to give Emilia credit. The bitch took her time and made a spell that didn’t break, a spell with stipulations. If only he would have done that with her, but she was a woman, and Orjyll hadn’t felt she was smart enough to outdo him. He had been wrong.
“What are your orders?” Sedgwick asked, his face emotionless except for the permanent look of fear, which he’d worn since Orjyll put him under his spell of complete and total submission.
“Get the dark witch, now,” Orjyll ordered as he sat back down, glancing at the frozen image on his phone. “And fix me something to eat. Barbecue sounds perfect. Don’t you agree, Sedgwick?” Orjyll’s laugh filled the room, but there was nothing happy about it.
Sedgwick walked out of her room, and Bonnie wanted nothing more than to slap that stupid look off his face. “Weak and pathetic,” she hissed at the closed door, then glanced at herself in the mirror. She hated what she saw, but she had to do what needed to be done. “For the greater good,” her reflection said to her.
Opening her door, she walked out, her black skirt kicking out in front of her as she headed quickly down the dark hallway. The hallway reminded her of every scary movie she had ever seen. It was dark with hidden areas anyone could be hiding. Stopping, she glanced down at herself, chanted a pep talk and then opened the door.
Plastering the vacant “I don’t give a shit and will do whatever you want” look on her face, she stepped inside. “Yes, master,” she said, her stomach rolling and pitching at the word “master.” After all was said and done, that word would soon be erased from her vocabulary.
“What took you so long?” Orjyll demanded, his tone impatient as always.
“Sedgwick just left my room, and I came right away.” She bit back “stupid fucker,” deciding that wouldn’t go over well. “Blame Sedgwick for your wait, not me.”
“He’s worthless,” Orjyll sneered, his eyes looking her over.
“Couldn’t agree more.” She made damn sure her voice, attitude, and expression were exactly what he was looking for. Vacant, submissive, and stupid, though none of these things were her. She was an excellent actress and professional liar because of this bastard.
He must have liked what he saw because he took his focus off her as he shouted for Sedgwick again. “Where is my food?” Orjyll’s face turned almost purple with rage. Bonnie had never met anyone so near the edge of madness in her life. Her fingers itched to take out the bastard who used to be the most powerful warlock, but now could hardly cast a spell to conjure his own food. But that was not her destiny, and curses would not be lifted if it was her hand that did the deed. All she could do was make sure that the sole person who needed to do it stayed alive long enough to do it.
Sedgwick walked in with the old witch Maggie, who hated her. The feeling was definitely mutual. The old witch’s magic was strong, but not even close to Bonnie’s, which made it easy to hide her real purpose for being here. No sane or good witch would step foot near Orjyll of their own free will. The bastard went through witches like there was an endless supply. Bonnie had finally found her opening, proved herself as a dark witch and earned her place as the second witch serving him. It made her sick, made her angry, but most of all, it made her want to succeed. He was an evil soul who sadly ruined innocent lives because of greed, the need to rule, and the power to succeed at both. That was until Emilia Grail.
“Did you ask her?” Maggie glared her way as she asked the question to Orjyll. “She’s worthless I tell you.”
Bonnie wanted so badly to bitch smack the witch, but instead, she just stood there staring as she always did. But inside, she was cursing and flipping the old bitch off. “Ask me what, master?” Ugh… that word.
“It seems two people got through without you knowing.” Orjyll glared at her, his eyes missing nothing. “Two very important bastards who could ruin everything.”
“Impossible,” Bonnie said, sweat starting to bead between and underneath her breasts as it always did when she was nervous.
“Viktor and his brother, Bishop, have shown up at the Warrior Compound.” Maggie’s long crooked nose crimped at the bridge as she glared with her beady eyes. “What do you say about that?”
Seriously, that was impossible because Bonnie would have known. “And did you see them?” she asked Maggie, but when the old witch stayed silent, that was her answer. “Then they have been sheltered with a spell if neither of us saw their arrival.”
“I just got the pictures.” Sedgwick held out his phone to Orjyll, who glared at it then handed the phone to Bonnie.
“Yeah, that’s the bastard Viktor and his brother.” Orjyll sneered as he handed the phone to Bonnie. “I want to know what they are doing here.”
She knew why they were there and she would have thought the bastard warlock would know too, and maybe he did. Who knew what the evilness that stood in fro
nt of her thought or did? Bonnie stared at the pictures, and even though they were blurry, her eyes kept going to the tallest man. His face was as if carved from stone, his eyes weary but had a strength that no one looking into them could deny.
“Yes, master,” she finally said as she handed the phone back to Sedgwick.
“And I want to know which Grail bitch has Emilia’s power. If it’s Mira, then we are fucked now she’s been turned into a fucking vampire. I swear I will make her and the bastard who turned her pay. I want them, bitch. You hear me?” Orjyll growled as he reached out, grabbing her arm painfully. “So far you haven’t done much to earn your keep. Continue to bring me nothing, and you will be gone from here in a way that will not be pleasant.” He squeezed her arm as hard as he possibly could before letting go. Her eyes met Maggie’s, who smiled, showing her crooked teeth. Ugly bitch would get her comeuppance one day, Bonnie promised herself.
“Yes, master.” Bonnie knew she was dismissed and followed Sedgwick out of the room as if fulfilling Orjyll’s orders, but in truth, her own plan swirled in her head. It was time.
Chapter 13
Ronan stood outside at his truck while Steve got Drew’s car seat set up in the back. His truck was old, but everything inside was almost brand-new since he had taken his spare time to gut the inside and rebuild the engine, as well as having a new paint job. He glanced at his watch and frowned.
“Women.” Steve snorted and shook his head. “I’ll go hurry them up.”
Before Steve could get to the door, the women walked out with Drew. “Sorry.” Mira hurried toward Steve. “Drew decided to do a poo.”
“Sorry I missed that.” Steve didn’t look sorry at all and got a glare from Mira.
“Did you get the car seat in?” Mira waved toward Ronan, who just smiled with a nod.
“Mission accomplished.” Steve took Drew and carefully placed her in the car seat.
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