by D. F. Jones
“Problem, sweetheart?” Eddie asked as he gave Ash his meanest look.
Robin had always found Eddie to be intimidating. Now, he looked like a Siamese cat staring down a mountain lion. Ash looked murderous.
“No problem, Eddie. Ash was just leaving.” She turned her back to the large man, pretending to look for her phone in her purse.
“Is that what you want?”
She glanced over her shoulder, and scrunched her eyes. “Yes.”
Ash had waited over a thousand years for a lie. He almost felt sorry for her as he watched her trying to overcome the mental turmoil, but his had been worse. He was barely in control. His beast fought to be unleashed, wanting its mate’s admiration, never considering she was likely to run screaming from the creature that shouldn’t exist. He had forgotten how vain his dragon could be as he watched his chosen mate struggle.
She hunched over the table. Ribbons of glossy blond hair rippled like waves to her narrow hips. Her thin white T-shirt did nothing to camouflage her full breasts or the erect peaks adorning them. The combination of her short top and low fitting jeans left her narrow ribcage and flat stomach exposed. He had plans for the silver ring adorned with a single crystal that hung from her bellybutton. While he could see her frustration, he couldn’t read her mind. Yet.
When he had seen her that morning, he’d thought she was an apparition. An angel lost in time. While humans wouldn’t notice the subtle differences in her race, he’d felt his soul cry out, begging for the union he had endured centuries for. He’d been unprepared for the return of his libido.
Want. Lust. Passion.
He’d been so overwhelmed it’d forced him to sit on the ground and watch her run by. When the necessity to possess her became dominant, he had gone after her and had watched her ever since.
“Move along, dickhead,” Eddie snapped.
Ash had forgotten the insect she had guarding her. “And if I don’t?”
Robin looked around the room, concern for the other patrons clear on her face. “You need to go.”
Her soft words ignited a fire in his chest. His animal raged below the surface, eager for a confrontation with the bodyguard. Fighting for the right to mate was a primal instinct. Scales slid beneath his skin. Claws pierced the ends of his fingers. He looked around. There were too many people. If he shifted, he would take out the entire building, putting his own mate at risk.
He saw her frown. Uncertain. Concerned. He wanted to comfort her. Reassure her. He reached out, stopping when he saw her eyes widen in fear. Had she seen the beast within? Did she know what he was? Who she was to him? He retracted his hand, acknowledging the mistake he had almost made. He would lose control if he touched her.
Ash would have to gain her at a later date. His dragon sent vivid images of what it would like to do to the man standing in his way. While Robin’s body recognized him, it was clear that her mind did not. Despite this unalterable fact, he felt thwarted. He did not like the feeling and intended to rectify the situation soon. In his long life, no one had gotten the better of him. Especially not some little girl who did not understand the endowment she would receive.
The bodyguard shifted his stance. Ash was close to a physical altercation. Since that would end with his dragon swallowing Eddie whole, he diffused the situation. “If you tell me to leave, I will.”
She looked away. “Go.”
He waited for her to meet his metallic gaze. “See you soon, little bird.” He strode toward the door.
Robin raised her voice. “Eddie, how many Neanderthals does it take to change a light bulb?”
Eddie laughed. “You are terrible, Robin.”
A pit formed in Ash’s chest as his dragon growled in frustration. He didn’t have much time. He walked to the park across from the shops. Across from her. He shed his clothes, shifting into his dragon form. The magic that infused his beast, shielding him from the outside world, coursed through his blood. He felt the effects of his separation from her, which meant she would too. It would get worse. Much worse. He should have taken her, not talked to her. From now on, action would come before explanation.
Robin was in hell. Unfortunately, her hell looked like heaven. Acres of immaculate landscape surrounded the immense Victorian-style mansion. Large stone statues stood like sentries as they crowded the red brick that formed the elegant entrance. Dozens of crystal ponds, scattered white gazebos and impeccable gardens set the entire estate apart from any other, it reeked with money. Robin knew it for what it was. Sin. She lived with Satan, his real name was Samuel Dark, and he owned the property, several businesses, and her. A fact he continued to remind her of. Why her mother married death incarnate himself, she would never understand. Robin sprawled out on her four-poster bed with white satin sheets and thought about Ash. Again.
She had no idea why he affected her like he did. Her chest still felt like it was in a vise. It was scary and exhilarating. No man had invoked an emotional or physical response from her. Ash had. Sure, he was a little delusional or ridiculously arrogant, maybe both, but he was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. Since fantasy was all Robin had, she planned to dream about him. Her eyes closed before the knock at her door.
She expected him to come to her. He did every night. Robin was his favorite possession. The door opened before she could move. Samuel closed the door behind him and locked it.
Robin appraised him. The expensive dark suit fit him perfectly. With black cropped hair, a tall, athletic frame, and a distinctive cleft chin, he was attractive. Provided you never looked in his eyes. They were the color of fog. Different hues of grey that swirled when his emotions got the better of him. Like now. Samuel was angry. He strode in front of her and looked down. His fingers grabbed her chin, forcing her to look him full in the face. “Did we have a little problem today?” Although he never raised his voice, his tone held the echo of an unsheathed sword.
“No problem.” Her reply wavered. Where her tongue was her greatest asset at diverting others, it had proved useless against Samuel. On the rare occasions she had opposed him, he had touched her. Not inappropriately, he’d caressed her arm, but that was enough. His touch felt like maggots over rotten meat. A man’s touch had always repelled her. Samuel’s repulsed her so violently that bile rose in her throat, begging to be expelled.
“I wish that were true, Robin, but I sensed your arousal the moment you came home.” His tone was like frost.
“My arousal? What are you talking about, Sam? You’re pissed that some guy hit on me, but I got rid of him just like you taught me.” Robin always used the more intimate form of Sam when she was in trouble with him. His body twitched. He never lost control, but he was at the edge now.
“I can smell your lust. You not only found him attractive, but he also made you laugh.” She saw death in his eyes. He wanted her afraid.
Shit. “Sam, I admit the guy made me laugh, but I told him Eddie was my lover and when he pointed out that Eddie was eying up a transvestite, I slipped. I have never touched another man except Eddie.” Yeah, she just threw her bodyguard under a bus but god damn it, Samuel was touching her and she was about to puke. Eddie had worked for him for over ten years and was loyal. Eddie was a lot safer from him than she was. Although Robin had only touched Eddie to pull him off an admirer he was beating up, it was still the truth. Samuel had always detected a lie.
Samuel’s brow furrowed. Eddie must have left a bit of information out of his report. His hand dropped from her neck. “So, Eddie let his attention wander?” His tone was milder, more accepting.
“Just a bit, but he was all over Ash as soon as he noticed him.” She had to smooth things over here. His voice may have soothed but his face was that of an animal, ready to kill. Had she made a mistake? Surely, he wouldn’t hurt one of his own men, they were committed to him.
“Ash?” He walked back to the door, unlocked it, and told the guard to fetch Eddie.
Uh oh. She shouldn’t have mentioned Ash’s name, another mistake. What was wrong with her toni
ght? She was very careful around Samuel, watching her speech and never getting personal. She would get that arrogant, slightly nuts, but an innocent man killed. “Yeah, I think that’s what he said his name was. I could be wrong. I was just trying to get rid of him.” The reply was flippant with a quick shake of her head, signifying she couldn’t be bothered with the man. Eddie entered with a new henchman.
Eddie looked at Samuel. “Yes, Boss.”
“Ah, Eddie. Robin was just telling me you have quite a way with the ladies. She told an admirer you were her lover.” Samuel’s smile was one of amusement, but his eyes were a swirl of deadly intent.
“Did she now? Robin will say anything to get rid of the men. You know, Samuel, if she and this house weren’t in so many magazines, fewer guys would be after her. Most pursue her for the money or notoriety.” He answered honestly, and his observations were true. Eddie had no concept of the mistake he had made.
“Really, so you have Robin’s best interest at heart?” Samuel’s composure slipped. His face now edged on a sneer. Eddie noticed the change.
“I just do as I’m told,” he replied with a subtle quiver in his voice.
“That’s the problem, you don’t. I told you to monitor Robin and instead, you ogle a drag queen. I told you to make sure all men stay away from her, and today, she has given me another man’s name. I told you to keep an emotional distance from her, yet you still have ridiculous fantasies in your head. Do you think I would overlook such incompetence?” Samuel’s eyebrows raised in question. Scorn played across his face.
“No!” Eddie shouted.
Before Eddie could continue his protest, Samuel growled, long pointed teeth burst from his mouth. He grabbed Eddie, wrapping his arms around the large man, before he bit into his neck. Gurgling sounds escaped from the dying bodyguard’s throat as black eyes fixated on Robin’s mortified, disbelieving face. As Samuel continued to drink, Eddie slid to his knees, the smell of iron rich blood perforated the stale air. Eddie’s glazed eyes turned opaque as he slumped to the floor.
Robin froze in place, her head swirled in disbelief, her mind suffocated with the reality of what she had just witnessed. She had always feared Samuel and considered him a monstrous fiend. She never considered Samuel wasn’t human, and that unbelievable fact stood face-to-face with her. She willed her body to recover from witnessing Eddie’s brutal death, but her fragile psyche fragmented. He moved around her, and his warm breath against the back of her neck created prickles of fear. His sharp teeth pierced her skin with such pain, her knees buckled.
Then he released her.
“You ... you’re a vampire?” She trembled as she spoke, while her body twitched, attempting to rid itself of the violent energy that swamped it. Whereas she used to feel a sense of unease in Samuel’s presence, her mind now suffocated from the malevolence emitting from his dark soul. She continued to fight the queasiness that turned her stomach. Doubt, incredulity, mistrust of one’s own perception all crowded Robin’s emotions making it hard for her to keep her focus.
“No, my dear. Vampires are the undead. I am very much alive.” His voice shivered with a cold eagerness. His stance was casual in its perfection, his face yielded a marauder biding his time, waiting to stake his claim.
“I saw you. You sucked his blood. Killed him. You’re a monster. A demon.” Though she couldn’t get the stutter out of her speech, she still fought with the drowned feeling that smothered her.
“Yes, all of those things. Now, take off your clothes.” He smiled with the warmth of a snake then grabbed her unresponsive body and thrust it against himself.
Robin prayed. Not for life, for a quick and painless death.
Her world had crumbled, even when she lived with countless rules and the unalterable fact she would never love or touch a man, she had found some happiness. Sure, they were stolen moments, a child’s smile at a coffee shop, observing an old couple still in love, a young couple as they sneaked a kiss behind a chaperone’s eye, but they had given her hope that life could be delightful, though she would never see it so.
She knew she couldn’t fight him, and there was only one way out. The attack was thought out in her head before she struck. She was careful to keep her expression a mixture of fear and disbelief, so Samuel wouldn’t see it coming. When she hit him, he had no choice but to react. Her body slammed into the wall as her breath left her lungs, and she succumbed to the night.
Chapter 2
Ash had run as soon as the man hit her. He’d been too far away to hear their conversation, but he’d felt Robin’s anxiety escalating. It had squeezed his stomach into an emotion he had long forgotten.
Fear.
The sound of her body slamming against the wall had his beast roaring in anger, fighting to emerge. It was a battle he would lose if he didn’t get Robin to safety.
He smashed through the glass sliding door as the large man swung around. “Samuel!” he roared.
Samuel’s eyes receded from black to brown. “Ash, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here for Robin,” he growled.
Samuel backed toward the door. “You have no interest in humans,” he spat.
“She isn’t just a human. She’s a druid.”
“The druids are extinct, as is their magic. She is...”
“My mate.”
Samuel’s eyes turned black. “No! She is mine.”
“My dragon has chosen her. Fight or die.”
“You were an army high commander. You’re a member of the Rule clan. It would not be a fair fight.”
“It was unfair for you to throw my future mate into the wall. If her injuries were serious, you would already be dead.”
Samuel’s incisors lengthened. He stepped forward as if he would lunge, then grabbed the confused guard and pushed him toward Ash.
Ash held the man, searching his memories. When he saw only pain and death, he snapped the man’s neck.
Then he went to Robin.
Her nose was bleeding. She must’ve incurred a concussion, judging by the bruise forming on her forehead, but she appeared to have no broken bones.
Ash scooped her up and ran through the manicured grounds at a blur. Magic shrouded them from human eyes. His clothes ripped from his skin as he shifted into a massive dragon.
Pushing off with his clawed feet, they were airborne. Wind whipped over his wings as his copper scales glimmered against the afternoon sun. For the first time in centuries, his magic was a living flame of life.
Warmth.
Robin would never understand the gift she had given him.
Freedom.
She was locked with him for all eternity, and she had no idea what she was.
Robin’s eyes fluttered as she attempted to bring the large room into focus. The faint smell of cedar calmed her as she assessed her surroundings. She lay on a long comfortable plaid couch in front of a glowing fireplace inside an open two-story log cabin. It was peaceful with an eclectic flair that reflected the personality of its owner, one of a utilitarian. Everything in the home, including the weapons on the walls, were practical and serviceable. She closed her eyes when she heard nails clicking on the hardwood floor.
Robin felt the breath on her neck before a cold nose startled her. She looked into the eyes of the most enormous wolf she’d ever seen. Good one, Robin, you’ve managed to go from a wealthy heiress to doggie dinner. As the canine continued to nuzzle her in a nonthreatening fashion, she scratched his ears as she contemplated her situation. How had she gotten here? Had Samuel tossed her to the property hounds? No, he would never let her go, and this house wasn’t on the estate. Samuel would consider a place like this an atrocity. That made it more endearing to Robin, but she needed to find out what had happened to her and where she was.
Robin was so focused on her internal thoughts she never heard Ash enter the room. When she looked at his shirtless body and worn jeans, she felt the same fire race in her bloodstream. This time she had fear combating the arousal. His face was a g
rey thundercloud of anger. His immense displeasure seemed to be focused on the canine that had its tongue lolling out in a wolfish grin.
Ash folded his muscular, tanned arms. “I recommend you stop slobbering on my mate, or I will make a pelt out of you.”
Robin loved animals but could never have a pet. She believed Ash might hurt the poor affectionate beast. Kill him? No. But a certain level of violence was assured. “Leave him alone, jerk.” Yeah, that’s good. Piss off the crazy guy with the big dog.
Two shirtless muscular men entered the room. They were as beautiful as Ash, but she didn’t feel the electrical storm in her bloodstream. “So, I’ve been captured by the Chippendales from hell?” Oh, that’s much better. Accuse them of being the devil’s pole dancers. Surely, the male strippers will only take a minute to kill you.
The blond smiled but his black-haired counterpart scowled. “I’m Conner, this is Draco, and the mutt at your feet is Thorn, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
His smile was sincere so Robin relaxed. Ash seemed unsure whether to kiss her, or spank her. Both would be good. She appraised her hosts, deciding this was a good time to find out how she got there. She remembered being afraid of Samuel, but that was normal, she lived her life with varying degrees of anxiety. “So, why am I here? And where is here?”
She was still trying to make sense of the fragments in her mind when Ash spoke. “Samuel bit you and threw you into the wall. I brought you here for safekeeping.” He seemed surprised she didn’t remember.
Robin placed her hand over her neck as her memory returned. She felt the gauze bandage, pushing against it to assess the extent of her injury. It throbbed but was of little consequence compared to the realization that not only did vampires exist but she’d been living with one. Now that she thought about it, he’d said he was something else. She wasn’t sure what to call him. He was terrifying, disgusting and just plain gross. “Okay, Samuel is a bloodsucker, disgusting but whatever. Why did he wait till now to attack me? I’ve lived with him for years.”