“Yes.”
“When will you sleep?”
“Later.”
“You could sleep with me and kill two birds with one stone.”
He gave her a half-smile and shook his head.
His smile melted her heart. She stared into his eyes until the closing door blocked her view. She could still feel him there. On the other side. The mate bond was weak, but it was present. Their magick mixed when they were this close in proximity.
He was exhausted and sad. The poor man needed to rest as much as she did, but at least she’d pulled one more grin from him. It would have to be enough to hold her through the night.
“Goodnight, Aaron,” she whispered.
“Goodnight, Nicole,” he murmured at a decibel meant only for her ears.
CHAPTER THREE
Light warmed Nicole’s face and she opened one eye. Sure enough, beams of sunlight were pouring in between the edges of the drapes. She sat up in the center of the outlandishly large, four-poster bed and sighed. A clock on the wall across the room said it was only eight-thirty. She’d hoped to sleep in at least a few more hours.
Flopping backward, she turned on her side and snuggled under the fluffy, white comforter. A honking car horn irritated her enough to slide out of bed and peek through the curtains.
People were everywhere. The driveway was full of expensive cars, and the people getting out of the cars were all dressed lavishly.
One man looked up and met her stare. He grinned and winked at her. Who the hell does he think he is?
“You’re in your underwear,” her wolf responded, sarcasm dripping from each word. “There’s not a man alive who wouldn’t wink at you.”
Wanna bet?
She ran across the room to the door and opened it just enough to slide her leg through and wiggle it teasingly. She smiled. His heartbeat increased and she could smell his arousal, not to mention feel his desire through their bond.
“You should come inside for a few minutes, Aaron.”
“I don’t have a death wish, Nicole. Your assistant is here, along with a nice young lady from the kitchen with your breakfast.”
“Well, fine.” Nicole swung open the door and crossed her arms over her chest. His gulp of surprise was not lost on her, neither were the open-mouthed stares from the young girl dressed in a kitchen uniform and a petite redhead holding a tablet and notebook. “What?” She smirked. “I’m not naked. You act like you’ve never seen underwear before.”
“Miss Demakis, it’s not customary to be so ... informal,” the redhead answered.
“So going downstairs, outside, and stripping down to take a run would be considered ...” She waited and was not disappointed. Both women turned dark shades of crimson and the little kitchen maid nearly dropped the tray she was holding.
“Nicole.” Aaron’s voice rumbled deep in his chest, sending delicious vibrations through her body. She sighed and stepped back into her bedroom.
“Fine. I’ll try not to flash anyone ... today.”
He moved faster than she anticipated, pinning her to the wall inside her bedroom. She gasped and arched her breasts against his chest. Her body ached for him.
“Unless you want to add to my collection of scars.” He glared at her and stepped back, releasing her from his grip. “Behave.”
He turned on his heel and left her room, closing the door after the two women came through.
“What did he mean, collection of scars?” She was afraid she already knew. But surely they wouldn’t be so cruel.
“He’ll be whipped, Miss Demakis. We all will if you are caught in a compromising situation.”
Nicole narrowed her gaze at the little redhead. “All of you? Why?”
“We are assigned as your staff. We are responsible for you. If something happens that we could have stopped, we are all punished.”
“Neanderthals. This whole place is one big loony bin.” Nicole turned and walked back to the window. She peeked out again, but made sure her body was hidden by a curtain.
“Miss, I don’t understand your references. But I assure you, we will work hard to make sure you are as comfortable as possible.” The little redhead pointed to a small table by the couch. “Lena, just leave the tray there. We’ll call if anything else is needed.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The small maid deposited the tray and scurried out of the room.
“Who are you?” Nicole asked, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. The food smelled good, but she just couldn’t bring herself to eat. The idea that people she didn’t even know would be punished for her behavior upset her entire plan. How could she make a mess of things for her grandparents if they were going to punish innocent people instead of her?
“That’s how everything works here. Don’t you see?”
I’m starting to. Damn it. It’s not fair.
“My name is Temperance Matera. Most people just call me Tempe. I’ll be your assistant until the ceremony. Lena is in charge of your meals. She will taste everything you are served before it gets to you.”
“Oh my gods, are people trying to poison me? I’ll just leave now. I don’t have to be here. I don’t even want to be here.”
Tempe smiled and shook her head. “It is rarely attempted because everyone knows the royals are so strict about having tasters assigned to everyone.”
“Now I really don’t have an appetite.”
“It’s fine, I promise. You’ll feel better once you eat something. We have lots to go over before you meet the guests and you’ll need your strength.”
Nicole released a heavy sigh and moved to sit on the couch. Tempe grabbed a remote control from the table and a large flatscreen rose from inside the console along the wall. She turned on the TV, then picked up her tablet again and started typing.
A picture of an attractive man came on the screen. Nicole’s eyes widened. She couldn’t help but admire his angular jaw and piercing blue eyes. Broad shoulders only added to his masculinity.
“He’s hot. Not my type, but not hard on the eyes.” My type is standing in the hallway, forbidden to touch or look at me for fear of being beaten or his sister’s life being threatened. Oh, yeah. Because life didn’t suck enough hiding from a deranged mother who’s working with the Council to kill the rest of Dad’s family.
“He,” Tempe pointed to the screen, “is suitor number one—Renaldo Pallagras. The next heir to the Pallagras lower Council seat. He speaks three languages—English, Italian, and French.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Does he like horseback riding and long walks on the beach, too?”
A muffled male snort and coughing fit carried through the closed bedroom door. Nicole smirked. Aaron was listening ... and laughing.
“Miss Demakis, you need to know at least a brief background on each suitor. It’s only polite to have something relevant to say to them when given a chance to converse.”
“Oh, so I shouldn’t call them troglodytes for risking their lives to get the chance to mate with a woman who would sooner kill them herself than let them take her against her will.”
Tempe started to speak, but stopped. She took a deep breath and tried again. “Miss Demakis, as Aaron pointed out earlier, anything you do against the wishes of your grandparents reflects poorly on us. We will be beaten or killed for your insubordination. Then they will assign new staff to your entourage and repeat the process over and over again until they find people who will make you cooperate.”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly,” Tempe replied.
Darkness filled her heart and she sank down into the plush couch cushions. Life in the lap of luxury with a knife at the throat of everyone around her. Fucking hell!
“Now, let’s get a look at the other suitors.” Tempe swiped the screen of her tablet and the picture changed. This time it was a dark-skinned man with deep brown eyes and striking dimples in both cheeks. His brown hair fell in soft waves to his shoulders.
“It’s a brunette Fabio.” Nicole giggled.
“His name is Dmetri Thermian.”
“Sounds Greek.”
Tempe rolled her eyes. “He is.” She swiped her screen again and another face popped up on the TV. This one had blond hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. He looked a little too perfect for Nicole’s taste.
“He doesn’t look like he could win a fight with a cocker spaniel. What the hell is he doing here?”
“He’ll be fighting for you.” Tempe scrolled to the next page.
Another blond haired, blue eyed, playboy type appeared. But this one had darkness in his eyes. Something about his demeanor was threatening. “He looks a little scary.”
“Yes. Craig Masterson is actually a black belt in karate and will not have a problem holding his own in the arena.”
“Arena? What arena? Isn’t this a mate hunt? They’ve got to fight as wolves.” How am I going to fight if this is a public arena?
“Stay calm. We’ll figure something out.”
Tempe shook her head. “No, this is a formal claiming ceremony, not a backwoods mate hunt. Those were enacted for ceremonies that couldn’t be performed here in Greece. A true claiming ceremony is fought by suitors in rounds in an arena—more like a modern boxing match. Except they use weapons.”
“They have to kill each other?”
Tempe nodded. “Yes. The fights are to the death.”
“So, no matter what I do, people are going to die because of me.”
“At least they volunteered,” Tempe offered.
“I’m sure that’s what you’ve been told. My gut says they were talked into this ceremony the same way I was—by force.”
Nicole took a bite of the toast, wishing it was a donut. She absentmindedly listened to Tempe drone on about the last two suitors, neither of whom caught her interest nor sparked any further smartass comments. There was only thing playing over in her mind—all but one of these men will die next week. And the one who lives will get a mate who doesn’t want to have anything to do with him.
She would give anything in the world to be home in Vegas or running through the forests of Woodhaven with her little sisters and Margaret. A tear left a salty trail down her cheek. She sniffled and wiped it away, but not before Tempe noticed.
The little redhead paused.
“I’m sorry,” Nicole whispered. “Go on, I’m listening.”
She wasn’t, though. She hadn’t heard a word in the last ten minutes. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to get Tempe to help her escape. The only one who might help was standing outside her bedroom door, completely ignoring her.
He wanted to get away from this place as much as she did. If she could get a message to her sisters ... to Kate, maybe they all could escape this horrible fate her grandparents and the rest of the royals had concocted.
It was time for things to change.
“Do I have to meet these people now?”
“Oh, no. They don’t have any reason to expect you before tonight’s banquet, but I assumed you would like to meet them. You will be marrying one of them.”
Not if I can help it. “No, you’ve assumed wrong.” Nicole rolled her head side to side until several bones cracked in her neck. “I’m exhausted and I just want to go back to bed. Can I do that? Can I just go to sleep and you can wake me up later for this shindig?”
“Shindig?”
“Party. Banquet. Whatever. I don’t want to see anyone. No suitors. No grandparents. Nada.”
“I’m fine with that. I’ll have Lena bring your lunch around two, then we can start preparing for the banquet.”
“Thank you.” Nicole stood from the couch and walked back to the bed. It looked like a puffy marshmallow, but it was superbly comfortable. She stripped out of her bra and slid beneath the covers. The cool sheets felt nice against her warm skin.
Shifters always ran warm. It was part of the magick. Sleeping naked was an easy way to cool off. Walking around barely clothed during the day was another, but apparently the royals here didn’t do that. Here, they walked around like a bunch of spoiled, rich kids with sticks up their asses and a fetish for hurting everyone around them.
She hated to admit it, but Tess and Hallie would be in their element here. Not because they would enjoy physically hurting people, but they could play the “mean girl” role with the best of them. They were the celebrity girls in the family—always in the public eye back in Vegas. They knew how to work people and the media to their benefit. They were silver-tongued and armed with double-edge swords of attitude. If honey didn’t work, they threatened until they got what they wanted.
It didn’t work on her friends Margaret and Scott, but Nicole knew it was only a matter of time before the twins convinced their oldest sister Sam to let them move to LA or New York. They craved a noisy life and the attention that came with it. It was another reason she’d offered herself up in their stead. They wouldn’t have been able to resist the allure of so much attention. So much power at their fingertips ... at least the illusion of power.
Everything here was an illusion. Without freedom, there was no joy in life. A gilded cage was still a cage.
***
Two o’clock came too soon. A knock at the door roused Nicole from sleep and she groaned.
“Time to get ready. Lena has your lunch here as well.”
She pulled the comforter from over her head and peered across the room. Tempe sat on the couch opposite where the TV was and Ralena was already hurrying away. She caught a brief glimpse of Aaron before he closed the door after the kitchen maid slipped out.
“I changed my mind,” Nicole growled, “I’m not getting out of bed today at all.” Her wolf chuckled in the back of her mind, but she could feel the anxiety building. She needed to change. Just for a little while. Her wolf needed to stretch. It helped keep her grounded. They shifted at least once a day back home.
“You have to get up. I need you to shower and dress, then we can fix your hair and makeup for the party.”
Nicole reached to her waist and slipped out of her panties. She relaxed and let the magick do the rest. Her wolf form came forward and she lunged from the bed to the floor. The soft carpeting was strange on her paws. She didn’t normally shift indoors, but this room was the size of half a basketball court. She could get a few laps in and let her wolf burn off some energy.
Tempe shrieked and Nicole woofed at her playfully, leaping onto the couch and then off again. The door opened and Aaron rushed in, slamming the door in his rush, no doubt worried his charge was doing something rash. Nicole dashed around the room, leaping from one chair to another. She rolled to her back and rubbed her shoulders on the carpet. Her tongue lolled out one side of her mouth and she turned to face Aaron, meeting his gaze. He grinned.
“Make her shift back. We have too much to do,” Tempe whined, throwing up her hands and sinking onto the couch.
Nicole rolled to her feet and trotted over to Tempe.
The little redhead shook her head, exasperation quite evident on her face, but she still reached out and rubbed behind Nicole’s ears. “You are terrible. You know that, don’t you?”
Nicole woofed again and nodded her head. She moved away from Tempe and trotted toward Aaron, taking a seat a few feet from where he stood.
Nicole looked up at him and shifted, rising to her feet in front of him.
He swallowed audibly, but didn’t speak. His eyes devoured her like the hungry predator she knew he kept hidden deep within.
She turned to face Tempe. “Give me a minute. I’ll take a quick shower. Then you can primp and preen me as much as you like.”
Waltzing into the en suite bathroom, she closed the double doors behind her. The look of pure hunger on Aaron’s face when she’d shifted and stood in front of him had been priceless. She was wearing him down. Soon.
The bond between them had flared with his spike of arousal. Even without a touch, the emotions would build. Each rise she could get from him brought them closer together ... even if he didn’t realize what was happe
ning. He wasn’t an unwilling participant. It wouldn’t be working unless he wanted her as much as she wanted him. He was just older and better at putting up walls against the bond.
***
Aaron was gone from the bedroom when she returned from showering. Tempe waved her over to the vanity and she sat obediently on the small stool in front of the mirror.
The energy-filled woman chatted about the party and what would be expected of her. How she should respond to people’s questions. What was polite. What wasn’t polite. On and on she talked, all the while blow-drying and twisting Nicole’s hair into a multitude of curls and braids. When she looked in the mirror again, the woman looking back was almost unrecognizable.
Dark eyeliner made her blue eyes stand out like sapphires on white satin. Her pale skin was highlighted with just a touch of bronzer, making her look like she was glowing. Her lips were stained a deep burgundy and her hair tumbled in wavy tresses from a skillfully pinned nest of curls on top of her head. Pearls wound through her hair, adding another dimension of grandeur to her already unsteady grip on reality.
This wasn’t her. She couldn’t do this. There was no way they’d believe she was this person. Her sarcastic mouth would get the better of her and she would cause some poor soul a painful punishment. If not that, someone would catch her staring longingly at Aaron and guess their secret.
It’s too much.
“You can do this,” her wolf assured her.
No, I can’t. They will see right through me. What if they hurt Aaron?
The bedroom door opened and Aaron stepped in. “Tempe, will you give us a minute?”
“Sure. I need to go get her dress from the closet anyway.”
Her breath caught in her throat. He moved to stand behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing ever so gently. Their magick flared at the touch and she bit back a moan.
He slipped one of his hands beneath the lip of her robe and cupped a breast. Her heart raced and she shivered. His hand kneaded and pinched and then he rolled her erect nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
Taking Nicole (Vegas Mates Series)(#4) Page 4