by Celia Styles
“I am sorry sweetheart. You must choose.”
She looked at him and angrily stomped her foot. She knew it was childish but she did it anyway. “I don’t want to and don’t call me sweetheart damn it.”
He sighed that same exasperated sigh again and looked at her. His face turned aggressive as he told her firmly but not unkind. “You must, and now, or I will have to fight one of them to the death. Who do you choose?”
Angela looked at him and her eyebrows shot up in shock at the realization of his words. She looked at him and realized that she didn’t get the uneasy feeling she felt earlier that she did with the other two men. She looked over at them to see them looking at her, waiting. They were both extremely sexy but Damon wasn’t bad to look at either. She just wanted to go home and put an end to this nightmarish night. She didn’t trust any of them but she knew that Damon was the lesser of the two evils. The two men she had almost left with never denied outright that the woman found dead in the alley was their doing. In actuality, they had agreed to it somewhat. She shivered when she thought what that poor woman had gone through. She remembered the story. The abuse she had been through was too much for Angela and she had turned the paper away from her. There was no way in hell she would even attempt to go with them now. To think that she almost went home with them. Would Matt and her friends have gotten a call in the morning that her body had been found?
“I choose you then.”
“You must say the name and the species.”
“What?”
“You must say I choose Damon and the vampires.”
She looked at him like he had grown three heads. Now she was dealing with a lunatic. Vampires? “Fine I will play along with your game if it gets me home. I choose Damon and the vampires.”
She was instantly brought to his side and he encircled her waist with his arm. Giving the two men on the side a smile he ran his hand down her hair from her crown to where it laid to her waist. She jumped when she felt his breath feather across her ear. “It is no game sweetheart. You will see soon enough. You are now mine.”
She looked up at him and suddenly she started to panic. What was wrong with these people? Maybe she should have gone home instead.
“Let me go.”
“No. Let’s get you home.”
Before she knew what was happening, he had escorted her outside. He ushered her with one arm still around her waist to a long black limo. She started to struggle against him as they got closer to the car. Finally getting her arm free she ran her nails down the side of his face. She watched in amazement as the blood ran a path down his cheek. Her eyes rounded as the wounds began to knit back together. In a matter of minutes there was no sign of her attack on his handsome face. He gave her a smile before picking her up and dropping her inside the limo on her ass. Looking up from the floor, she sputtered in outrage. Not only did the asshole steal her away and kidnap her but he was being very rude to her as well.
Damon followed the aggravating woman into the car and sat on the seat. He didn’t help her up to the other seat but sat back with his arms folded in front of him. He didn’t have time for this crap, or this infuriating woman. He had seen the werewolves with her on the floor of the club and instantly had a compelling urge to save her. There was something different about her than the rest that he saved. Why had he made her choose? He could have just made her choose between leaving with the werewolves or him. He didn’t have to put himself into it at all. Now he was bound to her and, by the glare she was giving him, he didn’t think she was going to like the outcome one little bit. They pulled up to the townhouse to see a man standing at the doorway. The man was lean and looked to be fit, but Damon knew that the man wouldn’t even be a slight challenge to him. Looking over at her, he saw her eyes round when she saw the man. An instant dislike flared up somewhere inside him.
He was pissed that she would want another man. This must be the ex she had spoken about outside. Damon had just arrived, and with his supernatural hearing, he had heard the conversation she had with her friend. His thoughts were disrupted when he thought about the man touching her body. He couldn’t think straight when he thought of anyone else touching her except Broden. Broden was his second in command, and his best friend. They had spent many centuries ruling the vampire kingdom together. Broden would definitely like her and he could see his friend now trying to woo her his way. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man. When the car came to a stop he looked over at her.
“You are to tell him you are leaving for a while.”
“And you think he is going to believe that? I told him to come get his stuff off the front porch in the morning. He is probably here to get it now. This may take a while. Thank you for the ride but I can take it from here.”
“I am going nowhere without you. Whether either one of us likes it or not, we are bound to each other. You must come back to the castle with me.”
“I must come back to the castle with you? Are you fucking crazy? Never mind, I know you are. I am not going anywhere with you. You are not human or normal. Something is truly weird here and I don’t want to be any part of it. Got that buddy? Now if you will excuse me. I have to go take care of another macho man idiot.” She went to move from the car and her wrist was encircled with his hand.
Damon chose to ignore the spark of electricity that shot up his arm with the contact and the spark of interest that lit her eyes. No matter what her mouth said, her body was attracted to him. Maybe she was a light emblem. If that was the case then he had found a weapon against the werewolves like no other.
“I will go with you.”
“Uh, No.”
“Yes.” They were face to face and so close that she could feel his breath across her lips. It was the faintest of feelings but it was there. Her eyes traveled to his lips and then back up to his eyes. She realized suddenly that they were breathing hard and she quickly shrugged her shoulders and made her way from the car.
“Suit yourself.” Squaring her shoulders she stepped away from the car and towards her home. She could only deal with one thing at a time, and right now it was extracting Matt from her life for good.
******
Angela glared at the man across from her. They had finally gotten rid of Matt with his things after two hours. After watching her argue with him for a while, Damon had finally stepped in and told him he needed to leave. When he argued and told Damon to mind his own business, Damon had kept his head which she admired. After some time however he apparently had had enough. Matt left shortly after. His stuff had been piled in the back of his truck while he held his hands to his bloody nose. Damon had rushed her up the stairs shortly after to get clothing, while someone that must have been called without her knowledge changed the locks to her house.
Damon knew the woman was pissed but he knew she wouldn’t be safe at her home. He smelled the Lycans all around the perimeter and knew that they had probably followed them to her home. Until her powers came into play, she wasn’t safe alone. The first thing he needed to do was to make sure she was safe. The second, was to explain to her what was surely going to happen sooner or later to her, and her life. That was a conversation that he was not looking forward to. Hopefully Broden would want to sit in on it too.
Angela turned her eyes from the pain in the ass in front of her to the window. Gazing out she saw indeed a castle to the side of the road they were traveling. It stood high and proud with large towers on either side of it. The stone of the exquisite fortress was a pale white in color and looked almost marble. It was breathtaking and she felt herself holding her breath as they turned and went through the gate. There was a large area where houses were sitting out everywhere. People walked to and from homes and buildings. There was a lot of laughter and joy and she saw nothing but smiles on the people’s faces.
“Breathe before you collapse.” Her eyes traveled back in front of her to meet the demanding eyes of Damon. He grinned at her and gestured at the windows. “What do you think of my home and peo
ple?”
“It is exquisite and gorgeous. I would love to live in a place like this.” She didn’t realize what she had said until she met his eyes again. “You know… if it were possible and I wasn’t forced.”
He laughed out right throwing his head back. “You are a delight to be around. So refreshing from the people who are always tripping over themselves to please me. Especially the women.” He winked at her and laughed even harder at her blush. “You should get used to it because you will be staying with us for a while. Whether forced or not, you have a lot to learn. I fear the dogs were right. You may just be an enlightened and, if that is true, there is much to tell you. I fear you cannot go anywhere without me or Broden from this point forward. No one is to be trusted. EVER! Do you understand?” His eyes bore into hers and she suddenly felt afraid. Not of him but of what he was talking about. What was an enlightened? She nodded her head in agreement.
Angela admired the castle as they walked through the hall. He had held his arm out like they did in the 1800’s and she felt like royalty as she placed her hand in the crook of his arm. She looked around at the old tapestries on the walls. They had to be very old from centuries and centuries ago. They were beautiful and she came to a picture of a woman and man and a little boy. The woman was breathtaking in a sold white gown that flowed out to the floor. The man was wearing a three piece suit in dark blue. The little boy sat at his parents’ feet in dark trouser pants and a white crisp shirt. His hair came to his shoulders and looked like a dark black curtain. The boy looked like his mother with high cheekbones and bright blue eyes. The only thing that resembled the man in the picture was his smile.
“My parents.”
“But this has to be hundreds of years old.” She looked back at him in amazement. He was staring up at the portrait and there was a serene look on his face. There was a tenderness that she hadn’t seen until now.
“The portrait was done 1,246 years ago in Italy.” He smiled at her and braced himself for what was to come.
“But that would make you almost 1300 years old.”
“Yes I am 1,276 years old.”
She started laughing all at once. “That is impossible. Next you’re going to tell me that you are immortal.”
He sat there and just smiled at her.
“Hey brother? What is this shit I’m hearing that you…..” The sentence was broken off as the man who spoke the words walked through the doors of the sitting room and saw Angela. “Oh. I didn’t believe it. You know Damon we don’t have time for this.” He looked at the woman and back to the other man.
Angela looked at the man and she could feel herself getting even madder. The man had blondish brown hair that reached his shoulders. His eyes were the same blue in color as the other man but that was where the resemblances stopped. Where the other man was lean and toned with muscle, this man was a bear. He was broad shouldered and his well defined muscles could be seen under the tight shirt he wore. He could probably crush her throat with one grip. His eyes roamed her body and swept back up to meet her eyes.
“It’s true. You brought a damn human to the fortress? What the hell is wrong with you?” The man looked frustrated and angry. Self consciously, she took a step back.
Placing her hands on her hips she glared at the man. “If you haven’t noticed I am right here. And furthermore the HUMAN doesn’t want to be here. I was dragged here against my will.” She stomped her foot past being upset. She was pissed and she wanted to go home.
The man looked at her and smiled. “I am sorry ma’am really, but this is not like our king at all.” She glanced at the other man and it hit her. This man was royalty and probably rich. What did he want with her? She was just a plain and ordinary woman. Unless he wanted to torture her, but if that was the case why bring her to his home where she would be seen?
Damon waved his hand towards her. “She was with Isaac and Calvin.” At the names the other man scowled and glanced at her. “They claim that she is an enlightened.” The bear of a man turned back to her again but this time shock was all over his face. His wide eyes regarded her quietly.
“How can that be?” He said as he walked over and sat in one of the overstuffed chairs. Even with its large size the man looked out of place in it. She watched him silently as he ran his hands through his hair. “This changes everything Damon.”
“Yes I know.” Damon said staring at the flames burning in the fireplace. “I have to leave. I will return tomorrow. She is not to leave under any circumstances until I return. She will be in danger if she steps out of the fortress. You know Isaac and his pack will not stop until they have her, and that is something that can never happen.”
“Yes my king. She needs to get used to the fortress anyway. She will soon be queen.” At that, Angela’s eyes snapped to his.
“What?” She started to leave again and was trapped by the large man.
“Please, let me introduce myself milady. My name is Broden. I am commander and first in command after the king. I will take you to settle, and then I will tell you the tale as we eat dinner. Come. I will take you to your room to freshen up then I will get you something to eat.”
Angela wanted to refuse him but she knew there was no way she could leave while she was under the watch of both men. She looked over at Damon and saw him smile then nod his head towards her direction. “Go my pet. I will come to see you before I leave.”
“Don’t bother.” She heard his laughter ring throughout the room as she followed Broden out the door.
“He is really a good man. You would be surprised.” His voice was so low that she had to strain to hear him.
“Yeah. Ok.”
She followed him up a tall and long staircase and then they branched off to the right. The place was huge with a magnificent crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling at the top of the stairs. They continued on for a few minutes until they came to a door. Opening it he held it open for her. She walked in and gasped at the beauty of the room. Everything was in dark cherry wood including a massive king size bed, long dresser and tall dresser. The wood was engraved with a swirl of a design and she walked over to run her hands over it. Over the bed was a large canopy that held a sheer fabric that reached to the ground. It was dark red in color and she swept a piece aside to see the large bed covered in a dark red velvet blanket that matched the color of the canopy. She stepped back and looked over at a fireplace that had a huge red rug in front of it. It looked so plush she wanted to take her boots off and run her toes through it.
“I want to tell you goodbye. I must go see the seer to find out if what Isaac said was true. You will be safe with Broden. Please stay until my return. You could be in great danger.” She turned to see Damon standing inside the door.
He walked to her and reached a hand out to sweep a flock of hair that had fallen out of the way. Tucking it behind her ear he smiled down at her.
“Why? And what is an enlightened? Look, I don’t know what is going on but I know it’s not natural. Not after watching your face heal.” Her hand reached up without thought and she skimmed her fingertips across his cheek.
He gasped at the contact of her fingers. It was exquisite torture. He wanted her and he let himself accept it for the first time since he met her. He could tell by the look on her face that she felt the same electric current that coursed through him with the contact. Grasping her shoulders he brought her up against him. “Broden will explain everything to you. Promise me you won’t leave until my return.”
She didn’t even know this man but for some reason she felt safe with him. She looked up at him. The intensity of his stare stopped all words from escaping her lips and all she could do was nod.
“Good.” She felt his lips gently cross hers and then with more depth. The electric current that ran through her made her gasp and when her mouth opened his tongue slipped inside to stroke the recesses of her mouth and lips. She felt him curl his tongue to beckon hers and she kissed him back meeting each of his tongue’s thrusts with her
own. He gripped her hips and brought her even closer. Her head was spinning and her arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him back. He pulled away and looked down at her. “You are mine, regardless of whether you are an enlightened or not. But if you are, it will change many things. I will return soon. When I do, I guarantee that we will finish what we have started.” He looked down at her lips heatedly and swept a hand across her ass lightly before releasing her and swiftly leaving the room.
Angela stood there for minutes touching her lips gently. She had never felt anything like that before in her life. There was a knock at the door and thinking it was him again she opened it without thinking. There was a young man standing there holding her luggage. He smiled at her. Opening the door she gestured for him to set them next to the dresser. After the man left, she quickly changed into jeans and a sweater. She slipped her feet into her tennis shoes and made her way out of the room. Broden was waiting for her outside the door on his phone. She realized after his growl at the phone that he was playing a game. He looked up at her sheepishly and shrugged.
“Fucking candy crush.”