by Lexi C. Foss
“Jace,” Ryder murmured. “Damien messaged early this evening that he and Jace were coming back tonight.”
“Coming back?” I repeated. “When did they leave?”
Ryder smirked. “I’m taking your lack of awareness as a compliment, pet.” He nipped my lower lip. “They left seven days ago. So did your wolf friend and his mates. They’re all coming back today.”
“Oh.” No wonder the house had been so silent. I hadn’t thought much about everyone else, too consumed by Ryder to really notice. But now I realized how careless I’d been. “I want to talk to Silas.”
“I imagine you do,” Ryder agreed softly, brushing a kiss over my lips. “You also need some blood.” He palmed the back of my neck, his thumb brushing my pulse. “I’ve fed plenty this week. You haven’t. I’ll heat some up for you.”
“Blood?” I repeated, my nose wrinkling.
His lips quirked up on one side. “You’re half vampire now, pet. Hybrid or not, blood is a staple.”
“I don’t feel thirsty.”
“You are,” he promised. “You’ll understand when you smell it.”
I didn’t agree but chose to follow along. He dried me off with a towel, then found me a pair of jeans and a tank top to wear while dressing himself in jeans and a T-shirt. We both remained barefoot, our hair still wet as we wandered downstairs to find Damien in the kitchen.
He held out a mug to Ryder, his lips curling into a taunting smile. “Admit it. You missed sex.”
Ryder grunted and took the mug from him, then handed it to me. “Smell this,” he told me. I frowned but inhaled the aroma coming from the inside and groaned with want. “Drink.”
Blood. How had he known I was hungry when I didn’t? Rather than ask, I took a sip from the cup and moaned at the flavor on my tongue.
“Wait until you try it fresh from a vein,” Damien said.
My brow furrowed, uncertain I liked the sound of that.
But he wasn’t waiting for me to reply, his gaze on Ryder. “Was a week of fucking long enough to make up for a century of celibacy? Or do you require more time?”
“Your concern with my sex life is touching, Damien.”
“A century of celibacy?” a deep voice asked from behind me. “Why the bloody hell would you indulge in such desolation?”
Ryder sighed. “You’re both too young to comprehend the meaning of boredom.”
“He blames his age,” Damien put in.
Jace stepped to my side, his presence causing my heart to skip a beat in my chest. I’d seen photos of him at the university. Most of the females found him devastatingly beautiful, several longing to join his harem.
I never desired such a position, but I couldn’t deny his handsome features. He had an aristocratic appeal that lent to his regal elegance, making his royal title all the more appropriate. And being this close to him now, I could feel the power and hot energy radiating off of him.
It made me less interested in my mug and more interested in stepping closer to Ryder. He pressed his palm to my lower back as I moved into him, his presence an immediate shield of protection that allowed me to feel at peace once more.
“She must be quite the female,” Jace murmured. “To break your boredom streak, I mean.”
“He doesn’t share,” Damien said conversationally. “It’s why I have his harem.”
“Ah, that makes more sense now,” Jace replied. “And a pity regarding the lack of sharing. I’ve never tasted a hybrid before.”
I shivered at the way he said it, his tone a sensual caress that felt foreign to my senses. Not wrong, just not right either. Ryder kissed my temple and took my mostly empty mug away from me.
“Here, make yourself more useful,” he said to Damien, handing it to him. Then he cupped my cheek and pulled me into him, his mouth claiming mine in a show of domination that left me winded and dizzy against him. His opposite arm went around my waist to hold me upright, while the hand on my cheek moved into my hair to angle my head to his preference.
I shuddered, overwhelmed by his sudden display of possession. Yet I clung to him as if he were my lifeline, my fingers digging into his shirt as I fought to kiss him with the same ferocity as he did me.
A beep sounded, followed by Damien clearing his throat. “More blood, Sire.”
Ryder grinned against my mouth, his arm remaining around me as he released my hair to reach for the mug again. This time he sipped from it, his eyes on mine the whole time, ensnaring my focus. When he reached the bottom of the mug, he set it aside and kissed me again.
I sucked the blood from his tongue, my inner beast reveling in the flavor. He hummed in approval. “She tastes divine,” Ryder said, his gaze holding mine. “And Damien’s right. I don’t share.” He nipped my lower lip, then laved the wound, his mark clear.
My wolf perked up, her instincts taking over as I repeated his action, taking his lip between my teeth and biting down. It was so natural to me that I didn’t think about the repercussions until Ryder growled.
My eyes flew upward, my heart in my throat.
Oops.
28
Willow
“What did I say about biting?” Ryder asked, his dark eyes swirling with hot promise.
“My wolf, uh, reacted,” I whispered.
“Hmm.”
“Technically, it wasn’t a rule,” I added slowly, referring to his “No biting” comment from last week.
“It was implied.”
“But there are no rules,” I reminded him, feeling slightly bolder than I probably should.
He studied me while he licked the blood from his lip, the wound I’d created a pronounced mark on his mouth that made my inner wolf preen with satisfaction. I’d grown used to her presence this last week, something about the animal feeling right inside me, as though I were always destined to have her there.
The vampire was a little different, creating a war in my head. That part of me was mortified that I’d bitten him so blatantly, especially as the wound was clearly not healing the way it should. He’d told me how my bite had impacted him before, so I should have known better than to sink my teeth into him now.
Except he didn’t seem upset with me for it.
And my wolf refused to apologize as well.
I licked my own lips, tasting my blood there. But the skin was already healing.
Damien snapped his fingers beside us, making me flinch. “Enough showing off. We gave you a week to fuck. Now I need your focus.”
Ryder glanced at him slowly. “I needed more than a week.”
Damien rolled his eyes. “You have eternity now, right?”
“Eternity with one woman,” Jace mused. “I suppose if you were going to pick one, a hybrid is adequate.”
Ryder finally released me to face the other royal. “Didn’t your new sovereign recently take an Erosita?”
Jace grinned. “So you have been paying attention.”
“I told you he has,” Damien interjected. “Ryder likes to play recluse, but he watches everything.”
“What else have you told him?” Ryder asked, his focus still on Jace.
“Enough,” Damien admitted.
“He showed me the data you both collected these last few weeks on Silvano Region. You were right about the blood shortage.”
“And?” Ryder pressed.
Silence fell.
I glanced around Ryder to see Jace staring at him with those chilly blue eyes that revealed nothing. It was a bit of a surreal experience to be able to study him in the flesh. The former human in me demanded I go to my knees in subservience, but my wolf refused. Meanwhile, my vampire was… conflicted.
I felt like I had three battling personalities inside me—my past self versus the two making up my present.
“You’re right about our need to act sooner rather than later,” Jace said after a tense beat. “Silvano wasn’t the only royal with a penchant for gluttony. While my region is self-sustained, it won’t remain that way if I’m required to star
t sharing my resources with others.”
“Which is the way this will go,” Ryder added.
“I agree. Lilith won’t allow her favorites to starve.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his black trousers, his suit as impeccable as the rest of him. “Speaking of, I had an interesting chat with her the other day. She wanted to know my thoughts on your reign.”
“Did she?” Ryder asked, sounding amused. “And what did you tell her?”
“Well, first I inquired as to how she knew I was in your capital city.”
“Did she tell you?”
“She evaded.”
“Of course.”
“I just found it a bit interesting since Damien did such a decent job keeping my presence hidden while we were there,” Jace added conversationally. “But I’m sure you both can handle that issue.”
“We can,” Damien confirmed, glancing at Ryder. “I may have used his presence as a test.”
Ryder nodded. “It’s what I would have done.”
“I know.”
“Anyway,” Jace continued. “I told Lilith I found your leadership to be unconventional. She took that to mean I disapproved.”
“Naturally,” Ryder drawled.
Jace smirked. “She asked if I would help her vote you down at the next council meeting.”
Ryder stepped back, his shoulder bumping mine as he relaxed into the counter behind us. He mimicked Jace’s pose by sliding his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t realize my position was up for a vote.”
“She seems to think it is,” Jace replied.
“Fascinating.” Ryder glanced at Damien. “Perhaps we should invite her in for a visit. It seems the Goddess requires a lesson on superiority.”
“I’ll work on arranging it,” Damien agreed, causing me to tremble.
The Goddess was not an immortal I ever wanted to meet. I’d been taught to pray to her, to fear her, and to worship her, all in one breath. “Ryder,” I whispered.
He slid his arm around my waist again, pulling me into him. “She won’t touch you,” he vowed, kissing my temple.
He spoke with such conviction that I wanted to believe him, but the former human in me didn’t relax in the slightest.
He’s inviting the Goddess to visit after illegally turning me. This can’t go well…
But before I had a chance to voice my concern, the alarms on his system sprang to life. He released me to walk over to the panel beside the refrigerator—which happened to be behind Jace—and flicked through the screens with ease. Jace moved to stand beside me while Ryder entered a series of codes.
I shifted awkwardly to the side, which elicited an amused smile from Jace. “Don’t worry, baby wolf. I won’t bite you.”
“She’s not yours to flirt with,” Ryder cut in, his back to us.
“That wasn’t flirting,” Jace replied, his icy eyes going to Damien. “He really is out of practice, isn’t he?”
“And I suspect he’ll remain that way since he seems to favor monogamy at the moment,” Damien muttered, shuddering.
“The wolves are here,” Ryder said, ignoring them both.
“Monogamy?” I repeated, my voice a soft whisper.
All three men looked at me, but it was Jace who said, “I suppose that would be a foreign concept to one raised in this environment.”
“It’s a foreign concept to me, and I’ve lived a millennium,” Damien muttered.
“Truth,” Jace agreed.
Ryder growled at them and moved to pull me into his arms again. “Ignore them. They’re teasing me, not you.”
I had already grasped that aspect of the conversation. I just didn’t understand why. So I asked him, “Why?”
He just shook his head. “They think I’ve taken you as my mate.”
“Think?” Damien scoffed. “You chose her a month ago. Or did you think that place I took you to in San José for the ritual was just a coincidence? I saw your decision from a mile away.”
“We’re not discussing this right now.” A hint of demand underlined Ryder’s tone, causing Damien to concede with a nod. “Let’s go greet the wolves. I want to hear how Edon’s inquisition went.”
Ryder’s hand found mine, his grip reassuring as he pulled me along with him toward the front door. Silas stood on the other side, his shoulder propped up against the brick siding of the house. Edon and Luna were beside him.
It was my first time really seeing my old friend and understanding what his presence meant. I didn’t really think so much as act. “Silas,” I said, releasing Ryder to reach for my old friend. He pushed off the house to wrap me up in a hug, his refreshing scent new and oddly reassuring. It reminded me of a new day. Which was fitting considering his new beginning. “You won the Cup.”
“I did,” he replied, his arms sturdy and strong around me. “Fuck, it’s good to see you again. I know I just saw you a week ago, but it didn’t feel real then. It does now.”
“I know what you mean,” I whispered.
We fell into a comfortable silence, holding on to each other as our history flourished between us, culminating in a beautiful moment of completion. “We’re still alive, S.”
“Yeah we are, W,” he returned, knowing exactly what I meant. “And so is Rae.”
Tears prickled my eyes, and for once, they weren’t born of sadness or pain. Except that wasn’t true, either. Pain and sadness were what had brought us to this moment and allowed us to truly live.
We’d been through hell together.
And we’d survived.
Finally.
His grip tightened, his emotions rivaling mine. I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent, as he did the same to me, our wolves strangers to one another, and yet, my beast knew his. I felt it in my very soul. Perhaps because his mate had turned me. Or maybe because this was our destiny all along.
But we’d worked hard for this moment.
So many lives were lost.
So much blood spilled.
So. Much. Pain.
I shuddered against him, the moment more powerful than I could have imagined, and only when we pulled apart did I realize we stood outside alone. The others had given us this moment, allowing our hearts to break and heal without their intrusive gazes, and I felt more than a little grateful to them for recognizing that need.
Silas cupped my face, his forehead falling to mine. “You have no idea how agonized I was to watch them take you away that day. You should have been with us. Not at the camps. And after the footage… I…” He choked on a swallow, his guilt painted in every line of his face.
“You couldn’t have done anything, Silas. You know that. I know that.”
“But that doesn’t make it any less true. Shit, Willow, what they did to you…” He trailed off again, his anger and grief vibrating through his features. “Fuck. I want to kill that bastard all over again.”
I frowned at him. “What bastard?”
“The one who bit you,” he said through his teeth. “I ripped off his head.”
Now I gaped at him. “What?”
“I spent twelve hours ensuring he felt every bit of the agony you expressed in those films before I ended him.” His statement came out with a low growl in his voice, his wolf roaring behind his blue eyes and allowing me to see the alpha he’d become.
This man, the one I grew up training with, had become a lethal immortal. And that knowledge made me smile. Because it was so perfect for him.
“Lycan looks good on you,” I admitted, shaking my head. “Goddess, can you believe this is our life?” I’d heard what he said about the lycan who bit me, understood that he was dead, but that truth paled in comparison to the joy thriving through me now at our existence. “We did it, Silas,” I said, an emotional wreck all over again. “We… we did it…”
He pulled me into another hug, holding me while I cried, all the misery from my former life pouring out of me on a wave of agony that had built inside me for so many years.
All those tests.
&nb
sp; All those courses.
All those fucking games.
To finally—finally—become a superior.
“I always said we could do it,” Silas whispered.
“You did,” I agreed. “And you were right.”
I held him so tightly I swore I heard something wheeze inside him, but he never asked me to stop. Instead, he held me through it, my emotions spiraling in a chaotic rhythm I gave up on organizing.
Fury. Relief. Sadness. Loss. Joy.
“I’m a mess,” I whispered, laughing a little.
“I get it,” he promised.
And I knew he did.
Hours probably passed while we stood outside, hugging as though our lives depended on it. Making up for all the years we were forced to swallow our emotions, to stand up and fight, or die trying.
We’d never experienced peace. Until now. This moment. Just us, breathing in fresh air, our bodies more alive than they’d ever been.
“I love you,” I whispered to him. “You know that, right?” I’d never been allowed to admit that out loud, but I felt it in my heart and knew it to be true. He was my oldest friend. My only family.
“I love you, too,” he whispered back. “And Rae, too.”
“And Rae, too,” I agreed. They were my siblings. My lifelines. My world.
Until Ryder had slid in and created a new home inside me. A new safe place. A new state of being.
“But don’t say it in front of Kylan,” Silas added. “He’s possessive of his Raelyn.”
“Kylan,” I repeated, recalling what he’d said the other day. “What did you mean about Rae being with him? And since when does she go by Raelyn?”
Silas chuckled. “Oh, it’s quite a story,” he said, shaking his head and lightening his grip.
“As good a story as you becoming a lycan and mating two alphas?” I asked him, arching a brow as he stepped back.
His cheeks reddened as he reached up to grab the back of his neck. “That, uh, well, they might be equally good.”
“Then start talking,” I told him. “I want to know everything.”
He chuckled again and threw his arm around my shoulders. “All right, W. We’ll start with Kylan and Rae.” He began walking me back into the house. “It all started when Rae decided to bite a royal vampire.”