Cardinal: The Affinity Chronicles Book 1

by K Kelly

  “Janardan, liberator of the cycle of life and death, do you really think I can trust you?”

  “You know me?”

  “All fear the dark because of you, Liberator. Many of my kind have been lost to you. If it weren’t for the truce of the last great war, I’d end you.”

  “Chris!” The elf glances at her but doesn’t stand down. “That’s enough. Ending people! This isn’t who you are.”

  “Angelica, run,” demands Eruaphadion.

  “I will not!” She peers around the elf and looks from Hunter to me. “Swear to Chris and me you will not hurt me, and he’ll stop acting like a… like a… overprotective, pointy-eared jerk!”

  I burst out laughing, and so does the lycan.

  “I promise I won’t hurt you.”

  Hunter also says, “I promise I won’t hurt you or the pointy-eared jerk.”

  I chuckle, and so does she, then she walks around Chris and comes within touching distance of me. I want so badly to reach out to her, but I hold myself still. She touches the elf’s staff and pushes it down.

  “Stand down, Captain War Pants. They’ve sworn to be good.”

  “There are still more lycans in the crowd.”

  Angelica tilts her head to the side and looks around. She takes a few steps toward me and stares me in the eyes. “Is that true?”

  “The lycans aren’t mine to control, but yes, little one, there are more in the crowd. You should get Hunter here to tell them to stand down.”

  Angelica smiles at me and nods, then looks at the lycan. “Hunter, could you please ask your people to stand down?”

  “Stand down,” yells Hunter instantly.

  The humans in the crowd give him strange looks, but the lycans in the crowd stop circling and walk toward us. I instinctively put myself between her and the pack.

  “I’m warning you, Liberator, stand back from my… friend,” says the elf.

  “Friend?” I look at Angelica, and she nods.

  “Yes, we’re friends.”

  “He’s the king’s son, and you’re… what are you?” I ask as I lean in and sniff her.

  “Did you just smell me?” Angelica looks around me to the elf. “Is that a thing? Do all you supernatural types sniff one another like dogs do?” She looks up at me. “Keep away from my butt.”

  I bark out a laugh. She’s placed her hands on her hips and looks quite serious.

  “Not a dog.” I point at Hunter. “He might sniff your butt, but not me.”

  “You sniffed me!”

  I laugh at her and shake my head. “You’re a curious little thing. And I don’t sniff, I scent.”

  “Same thing,” Angelica replies with no small amount of sass.

  “And we all know once vampires have your scent, you’re as good as dead,” replies Hunter.

  “That’s a lie,” I state.

  “Oh, really? It’s common knowledge that vampires track their prey by scent,” says the elf, cockily.

  I look down at Angelica and pull the ribbon out of her hair, then put it in my pocket. She frowns at me then notices the birds on my shoulders.

  “Are they real?”

  Both the birds have gone silent and appear to be rubbing themselves on the tops of my shoulders.

  “It would appear so,” I say as I try to shoo them away.

  They merely fly upward then land back on my shoulders.

  “Weird,” says Angelica.

  She holds out her finger, and one of them flies onto it.

  “Oh my God, I’m like Snow White!”

  I laugh at her, and she holds out her other hand, and the other bird hops onto it. Hunter moves to stand next to me.

  “What does it mean?” he asks.

  “We need a witch,” I reply.

  “Wait, wait, wait! There are witches, too? How many races are there?” asks Angelica.

  “You don’t know?” asks Hunter.

  Angelica shakes her head and smiles at the little birds. They both chirp loudly at her and fly away.”

  “Oh!” Angelica watches them go, but I only have eyes for her.

  “Ange, we should go,” says the elf.

  “We were going to have Chinese…” Angelica pauses and looks at Hunter, then me. “Would you like to join us?”

  Hunter and I both say, “Yes.”

  But her protector says a very loud, “No!”

  Angelica walks around me and touches the elf on the shoulder. “Okay, I might be new to all this supernatural stuff, but they can both track us, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, then they might as well come.” Angelica turns around and looks directly at me. “That is, of course, if you want to. Do vampires eat?”

  I smile and offer her my arm. Angelica links hers with mine and something close to an electric shock goes through my system.

  “Oh!” gasps Angelica.

  “Did you feel that, too?”

  “Yes,” her voice is breathy. “What does it mean?”

  I shake my head. “I’m not sure, but let’s find out.”

  All ten of the pack and their leader join us in the restaurant. I make sure I am sitting next to Angelica. Much to the elf’s displeasure, he sits on her other side glaring at all of us.

  “Can I touch you?” asks Angelica looking at me shyly.

  “Of course.”

  She grabs my hand and closes her eyes, the electric shock surges through my system, but this time I am prepared for it.

  Angelica gasps but does not let go. “Why does it do that?” Angelica asks.

  I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

  She’s staring at me as if she’s trying to see something. After a moment, she frowns and looks to her elvish friend, Chris.

  “He looks the same.”

  “Janardan is a vampire.”

  “Yeah, but he didn’t get pointy ears or fangs or anything. He just looks handsome.”

  I cock an eyebrow at the lycan, and he snarls.

  “My turn.” Hunter leans across the table and holds out his hand.

  Angelica reaches for him, and I instinctively put my arm around her. They touch, and she stares at him intently.

  “I’m not getting anything. No electricity. Nothing.”

  “Electricity?” asks the elf.

  “When I touch Janardan, I get an electric shock.”

  The elf frowns. “No, no, no! You can’t be the one. It can’t be you. You’re tainted, foul, and don’t deserve redemption.”

  “I don’t understand.” Angelica looks from the elf to me.

  The elf stands and drags her up with him. “We’re going.”

  I stand and shake my head. “No. Let me take her to the witches. We can do a trial by combat as they did in the days of old.”

  “For she will come into her power on her twenty-fifth year, and when she touches the dutiful, their true selves will become known her. She will be all-powerful and guide us to redemption with her true mate and protector at her side. All will fear them as they shall rule the races.”

  “I’m familiar with the book and the prophecy. For more than a century, I have kept mostly to myself. I’m the oldest and should be the head of the clutch, but I have no taste for leadership. I’m no threat to you, Chris.”

  Hunter stands quickly, sending his seat crashing backward on the floor.

  “She’s the chosen one?”

  The rest of the pack stands, ready for battle.

  I eyeball Hunter, and he growls at me.

  “Don’t,” I say, but I already know it’s gone too far.

  “I would rather die than let her fall into your arms, Liberator.”

  I glance at the elf. “Trust me.”

  “Never,” Chris replies.

  I smile, my fangs extend, I upend the table, shove the elf, scoop up Angelica, and flee into the night. I know I have to dampen her scent for the lycans and elf will be able to follow us. The only place I can think to go to is Central Park, so I increase my speed.

  “Holy
fuck!”

  “You’re safe,” I whisper.

  “Why did you run?” Angelica sounds scared, and I know running at these speeds can be frightening to humans.

  “Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”

  “Why? What?”

  I run into the middle of the lake in Central Park. When I stop moving, we plunge into its depths. Angelica struggles against me, but I hold her fast. When we hit the bottom, I run. I can feel her fists striking me as she tries to get loose. When we get to the other side and out of the water, Angelica takes a deep breath, choking as she expels water. She continues to strike me, but I keep going until I have her inside my apartment, door locked, and her standing in the bathroom.

  “W-what the actual fuck!” screeches Angelica.

  I step back from her, and she stumbles, landing on her butt.

  I kneel in front of her, hands raised. “It was necessary to keep you safe. If you’re the chosen one, the pack would have wanted you for themselves. I can’t imagine you’d want Hunter by your side for all time.”

  “You’re all insane!” Angelica gets to her feet—some weed is hanging off the end of her ponytail.

  Slowly, so as not to alarm her, I stand. “Shower. Get clean. I’ll not disturb you.”

  “What? Are you crazy? I’m outta here, buddy.”

  My fangs extend, and I step into her space.

  She immediately backs up, hands in front of her.

  “I’ll not harm you. I will take you to the witches. You need to trust me.”

  Angelica’s eyes are wide with fear, and it makes my jaw ache. She is young, innocent, and her fear makes my predatory side yearn for her.

  I hold out my hand and touch her beautiful face, and the electricity sizzles up my arm. My cock becomes hard, and I press myself against her, running my fangs up her neck. Angelica shivers and whimpers. The urge to bite and drink her is overwhelming.

  “P-please.”

  The tone of her voice gets through to me, and I lean back. Angelica is terrified. With a growl, I move back.

  “Shower,” I command as I force myself to leave the room.

  Angelica

  Janardan leaves the bathroom so fast, I fall to my knees. I’ve never been so scared in my life. With his fangs extended and his strength up against me, I have no idea why he didn’t end me. I crawl to the door and lock it.

  “Do you really think I can’t break the door down? Shower, Angelica, or I’m coming in there to help you.”

  There’s a roughness to his voice, sounding almost feral. Quickly, I stand and turn the shower on. The water is cold, and as the spray hits me, I yelp.

  “Are you all right?” Janardan’s voice is filled with concern.

  “I’m fine,” I yell out quickly.

  I turn the hot water on and stand there, not knowing what to do.

  “Angelica, throw your clothes out so I can wash them. Take your time. I will not harm you.”

  “Yeah, right,” I mutter to myself as I struggle to get out of my boots and clothing.

  “I swear to you. I’ll not do anything to you that you don’t want me to do.”

  Damn vampire hearing.

  “Yeah, well, you can probably glamour me and make me do anything,” I say hysterically.

  “Vampires do not glamour people. That’s strictly nonsense, something for teenage girls on TV. I’d be more than happy to teach you the ways of the vampire.”

  “I’m good.”

  When I’m free of my clothing, I step out of the shower, open the door as much as I need to and let them fall on the floor in a watery heap. I’m mentally hoping they ruin his floors, then I lock the door and go back into the shower. Something green hits the floor of the shower, and I scream.

  The door instantly bursts open, and Janardan is staring at me, fangs extended looking like he wants to eat me. To protect my dignity, I turn around and face the shower wall.

  “What?” he demands to know.

  “There’s something green in the shower.”

  Janardan laughs, and like before, it does something to me. It’s an almost magical sound. It doesn’t make sense that this man can affect me so. I should be trying to escape, but I find myself listening to him.

  “It’s from the lake. It’s just a weed that’s gotten caught in your hair,” he whispers.

  “Umm, good. Could you go now?”

  Janardan places a hand on either side of my head, and his chest touches my back. I don’t feel any clothing and press myself into the shower wall to get away from him.

  “Don’t fear me.”

  “Ahh… are you naked?”

  His lips touch my shoulder. “Yes.”

  Electricity runs through me from my shoulder to my pussy. Janardan breathes deeply.

  “Do you like that?”

  “No. What I’d like is for you to leave,” I lie.

  I feel his hand as it travels from my waist to my breast, and the feeling is more sensual than anything I’ve experienced before. My knees buckle, and his other arm swiftly goes around me, pinning me to him. I can feel his erection against my back. Janardan’s lips travel from my shoulder to my ear, and I feel his fangs as they scrape against my neck.

  “P-please.”

  “Please?”

  I don’t understand what’s happening to me. Part of me wants him to keep going, but I’ve only just met him, and let’s face it, he’s scary.

  “Please leave.”

  Janardan tenses. “You want me to leave?”

  I nod, fearing my voice will betray me.

  His hands rest on my hips, and his body moves away from mine. “Forgive me,” he whispers.

  “It’s okay. If you leave now, it’ll be okay.”

  “That’s not what I want you to forgive me for.”

  One of his arms snakes its way up my body between my breasts, crushing me against him, and his mouth comes down on my neck. At first, he sucks there, and then I feel the sting of his fangs as they pierce my flesh.

  “No!” I cry out, but the pain quickly turns to pleasure, and my body betrays me as my need takes over. I arch against him, wantonly. With each pull on my neck, I can feel the pressure building between my thighs. I open my legs, and his other hand goes to my pussy but it’s not enough. I need more.

  I don’t know whether it’s the bite or the electric shock that is coursing through my body at his touch, but I have this staggering need to have him inside me.

  “Stop!” I plead.

  With a groan, Janardan retracts his fangs and releases me. I turn quickly and kiss him, walking him backward until he hits the far wall of the bathroom. I taste my own blood, and instead of it repulsing me, it tastes sweet. Janardan picks me up, and I lock my legs around his waist. His tongue teases mine as it darts in and out. I’m lost in the kiss, but when he sits me on the vanity, and I feel his cock at my entrance, I break us apart to stare him in the eyes as I pull him into me. The pain is immediate, and we both cry out, but as he moves, it lessens. When he again drinks from me, the pleasure is undeniable.

  My body is moving in time with his. With each pull on my neck and thrust of his cock, my body searches for its release. Janardan moves faster. He grips my waist as he pounds in and out of me, and when his cock hits me in the right spot I shatter and scream out his name. The orgasm keeps building. I can no longer move as he continues his assault on my body. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. The pleasure he’s eliciting is mind-blowing. Janardan growls loudly, and I feel his body tense as he pumps his seed into me. The electric feeling intensifies, and another orgasm sweeps through my being. It feels like I’m going to explode, then as it winds down and as the aftershocks subside, I look into Janardan’s eyes, and they are completely black, there’s no white.

  I gasp, he shakes his head, and they return to normal. I rest my arms on his shoulders, and he carries me into a room that has no windows, and in the center is a very large four-poster bed.

  Reverently, he lays me down, pulling out of
me at the same time. I gasp at the loss of him, but it’s more, it’s like I’m missing a piece of myself.

  “Did you feel that?” I ask.

  “Yes,” he whispers.

  “I’ve never felt anything like that before. Is it because you’re a vampire?”

  “No, I’ve never felt anything like that either. It’s because of you.”

  “I’m not going to get sick now, am I? Or turn into a vampire?”

  Janardan chuckles and lays down beside me, tucking me into his side.

  “Why would you get sick? And there’s more to turning someone than a bite.”

  “Good to know. It’s just the angel, Tristan, tried to have sex with me, and because we didn’t actually do the deed, I got sick.”

  I feel him tense beside me and go up on one elbow to stare at him. “Are you okay?”

  “The thought of another touching you is…” Janardan frowns and purses his lips.

  “Well, he kind of did it through a dream.”

  “Fucking angels,” hisses Janardan.

  He reaches up and crushes my face to his, kissing me. My body lights up again, and the electric pull between us intensifies. I sit up and straddle him but don’t take him into me. I grind on him, enjoying the feel of his cock as it gradually becomes harder.

  “Why didn’t you have sex with the angel?”

  I stop what I’m doing and lock eyes with him. “It didn’t feel like this. It felt good but not like this.”

  Janardan frowns and narrows his gaze. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”

  “He kept asking if I’d give him permission to have my body.”

  “You didn’t consent?”

  I shake my head.

  Janardan flips us, so he’s on top. “Why did you let me?”

  I break eye contact and look down the length of his body. He’s all muscle and smooth skin.

  “Angelica?”

  I meet his eyes. “It felt overwhelming. It felt right.” As I say this, a blush infuses my face. I know nothing about this man, and he kidnapped me. What the hell am I doing?

  Janardan kisses me and moves down my throat, then to my nipples. His tongue flicks over them, making them pebble. I arch into him, and he chuckles. I feel the sting of his fangs as he drags them over my hip but doesn’t draw blood. Janardan sucks on the inside of my thigh, and I open my legs for him. His eyes meet mine, and he smiles as he licks my slit. The current from his touch goes from my pussy to my nipples, and I cry out.