His words hit me like nails across a chalk board. My blood boiled hotter. My fists released and curved over the edge of the benchtop. It was bending under my strength. I glared at him. Fucking bastard. His arms would break for touching her. But fingers first, one by one. For every moment he touched her. Fuck, my body was trembling furiously. Fire filled my eyes. My breathing deep and rough.
Even Velkan’s face annoyed me. It needed a good pummelling. My wolf growled, and I let it out. We were friends, packmates, but he… he…
A knock on the door turned my head. My anger too rampant to flush away at the thought it might be Stone. Tiffany opened it, and Mac appeared. She swooped her into the living room, away from me. Fucking Mac, damn it.
Velkan pulled his phone out and walked out.
That bastard. That bitch. Both had put hands on her. One hurt her, the other was playing with her. They had no right, no fucking right. She was mine.
My muscles flexed and strained against my skin; nostrils flared; a constant growl rumbled from within. The wolf was mad as all hell, it wanted to fight, wanted to sink its teeth into Velkan and tear flesh. I had to fight the urge to rip his throat out. He couldn’t woo her if he had no voice.
“What the hell is going on?” Cai asked once Velkan shut the door behind him.
My eyes flashed to him. He didn’t step back at the sight of the rage I knew my eyes conveyed. He studied me, my entire body. The trembling lessened only slightly, and my throat gulped hard, it hurt. I tried to speak but I had no words.
Cai didn’t know.
I scoffed and slammed my fists down on the benchtop, splitting it with a crack. My wolf was pushing to the surface with a snarling bite, but I held him back, just.
Blood splattered across the kitchen bench. My hands and fingers didn’t hurt, but blood dripped and stained them.
A pain filled my heart. I gasped. Air invaded my lungs, expanding my chest. The ache radiating around my body.
Cai stepped closer, his gaze fixed on me, and a hard line drawn across his face. “She’s the one, isn’t she?”
39
Radu. Every crevasse of my mind searched for any trace or recognition of the word. It had to be a person, didn’t it? The way she said it, with a glint of fear in her eyes.
My fingers tapped on the wooden top of my desk as I waited for Google to load. Hopeful that something would pop up, but as the search results flashed onto the computer screen, that small slither of hope faded away. Nothing.
Santini. He could know. I’d ring him in the morning.
My thoughts flashed to Jamie. His over-reaction was weird. He was hiding something. A shudder rocked me. His lips on my neck, the weight of his body pressed against mine. It surprised me that the intimate contact did not instantly repulse me. But he was a man, one whom attraction was easy, but I’d placed in the friend basket, never rehashing my teenage crush. Oh shit. I still had a thing for him.
That torso of his, ripped, gleaning with masculinity, tattoos… Wait a minute. I placed my fingers on the keyboard, and typed, Asena.
I let my finger drop down onto the ‘enter’ key. My eyes widened at the top search results. I clicked into the first one.
Asena, the great white she-wolf with a sky-blue mane. In Turkish mythology, legend tells of a great white she-wolf from the North who found a man who was the sole survivor of an attack by a great army from the South. The man was injured badly. Asena took pity on him and nursed him back to health. The great spirits of the sky, pleased with her kindness to the human, gave Asena a gift. Asena took the form of a woman and they fell in love. They had a child, a girl. The first half-breed, the first werewolf. Half wolf, half human, but stronger than both. Asena ruled with the man at her side until they were attacked by enemies from the West, and both slain. Their daughter escaped.
I laughed out loud. Jay didn’t believe in supernatural creatures. Of course, he didn’t have a werewolf name tattooed on him… But then…why would Santini think I wanted to know about werewolves while looking at Jay, and then he mentioned it again. That wasn’t a coincidence. Jay was hiding something…could it be?
My phone vibrated on my desk, making me jump. It was a text from Velkan.
Fixing my make up in the mirror, adding a little extra for the slight reddened hue on one cheek, I threw on my sweater, and headed for the elevator.
Running later for movie night where both Velkan and Jay would be in attendance. A sickly feeling turned in my stomach.
40
Nothing about tonight felt right. I’d agreed to movie night purely because Velkan was going to be there. But that was before Jay flipped out or kissed me.
The single moment of wild heat had thrust him against my skin. My body tingled. The touch of his teeth… Oh, God. It couldn’t have meant anything. This was Jay. He liked to play games. Just usually not with me.
On the fourth floor, the elevator stopped with a sudden jolt. The doors slid open, and there leaning against the side of the opening, was Velkan. His glorious splendour stole my breath, for a moment. Every inch of him was sexy. Our eyes met, and feeling a little in awe of him, a heat flushed my cheeks.
“Hi gorgeous,” he said.
“Hi.”
He placed his arms around my waist, pulling me close. His warmth radiated, and his cologne, subtle, sexy. Curly brown hair tied up in a bun, and his lapping green eyes, so memorizing. In slow motion, our lips crashed together, moving in sync gently at first. My mind wouldn’t stop shouting at me, slow down. Jay popped into my mind. I broke the kiss.
“We’d better hurry, don’t want Jay to pop a vein,” I said, sure that he was still fuming at me. Tough, he would have to get over himself.
Jamie’s apartment was bigger than my studio, with three massive couches all facing a sixty-inch television. Cai and Tiffany were canoodling on one of the couches. The kitchen was modern, like mine, and there were little personal touches, all but one – the gift I’d given him for Christmas last year. It was a sculpture – the bust of a headless woman. I thought it was funny and resembled the endless string of woman that he bedded. He wasn’t impressed, yet here it was.
“Bout bloody time,” Jamie said. There was an agitation to his voice, which made me happy. The visible annoyance in his eyes pointed at me.
“Hey,” Mac said, standing right in front of me, flinging her arms around me for a hug.
I raised an eyebrow at Jay but darted to the benchtop in front of him. A crack had split the perfected surface. What the fuck happened there?
“So glad you came. Tiff is no company, and someone,” Mac said, then rolled her eyes towards Jay. “Isn’t in a very good mood tonight.”
“Sorry, that’s my fault. We had an argument earlier.”
“Well, whatever happened, you sure as hell made him mad. But never fear, Mac is here, and I will turn his frown upside down.”
“I thought you swore off him, but now you’re having sleepovers.”
Mac’s mouth dropped open. She pulled me away from the kitchen. “What?”
“Oh, come on, you didn’t think I would find out.”
She looked at me with widened innocence. “We haven’t been. Is that what he has been telling you?”
I nodded.
“Jay invited me here tonight. I was quite surprised to hear from him after what happened on the weekend, but I can assure you, he would be so lucky as to have slept with me, which he hasn’t, yet.”
“Why would he lie about it?”
“I don’t know. But it’s a good thing, right? If he’s picturing us having sex. Must mean he wants to.”
I grimaced. That’s not what it meant at all. Jamie was a man whore, fact, and he didn’t lie about it. But it irritated me, that Mac wanted to. My internal reaction surprised me.
“Wait, hold on, did he say tonight was a date?” I asked.
“No, but why else would he invite me over.”
I didn’t know what to say without hurting her. Jay was a great guy, as a friend, not to the so m
any jilted women that he had ploughed through. And she knew what he was like. The only one constant in his life was, me.
“Call it whatever you want, but I don’t know if he is capable of change, just be careful.”
“You know it,” Mac said, then trotted into the kitchen to Jamie.
Jamie and Mac’s interaction appeared a little forced, his nostrils flared, and he shuffled his body when she wrapped her arms around him. If that wasn’t a red flag, well bloody hell. What was going on with him?
Mac’s affection wasn’t welcomed, and either she didn’t see it, or she didn’t want to.
The couch furthest away provided a perfect spot for Tiff and Cai to make out.
“Hey Tiff,” I called.
They parted, with red moistened faces.
Tiff turned and grinned. “Dani,” she said, rushing over to hug me.
“Hey yourself, I see you and Cai.”
“I know right, he’s pretty great. How lucky am I?”
“No, he’s the lucky one. So, Mac and Jay, huh?”
“Yeah, so she said. I’m afraid she’s reading way more into it than there is,” she whispered. “So, what’s happening with Vee? You guys done it yet?”
I laughed, awkward. “No, we haven’t done that, yet.”
“Something to look forward to though. But have you asked Jay how he feels about it? You know, dating his friend when you guys are so close.”
I hadn’t. Not even for a second. “No.”
Tiff re-joined Cai on the couch as Velkan handed me a drink.
“So, what movie are we watching?” I asked, not caring because my mind was focused on Vee, his sexy lips, and all the information I discovered today.
“I don’t know. I’m only here because I wanted to spend time with you.”
My heart galloped, sending warmth to my cheeks. “Me too. Can’t we just bail on the movie?”
“I would love to, but I think we should stay. It won’t take long, then I’m all yours,” he said, moving his body closer to mine. His free arm wrapped itself around my waist, pulling me closer into him. He leant down and pressed his lips against mine.
I liked the sound of that. A ripple of doubt flashed through me. Jay.
We soon settled on a couch, and Vee wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I swung my legs round, up onto the couch and leant deep into his side.
Jamie had picked a bloody horror movie for us to watch. I hated horror movies, and he knew it too. This was going to end up with me hiding my face in Velkan’s chest, not that he would mind, I’m sure.
As the opening credits flashed across the screen, and soon my thoughts drifted to the name, Radu. What worried me, was that Ruth seemed scared of him. Was he the one who had taken her? And why then would she be let go to wander the streets, where she could be recognized? My mind sped back to the way her eyes lightened when she’d seen the photograph.
‘He is coming. He can’t have her’. Who was she referring to? Radu? Who can’t he have?
The questions were piling up quick and fast, and I needed answers.
“Babe,” Vee said, his hand touching my arm.
“Yeah?” I said, startled.
“You ready to go?”
“Go where?”
The other couches were now empty, and the television was off. Oops. I’d zoned out for the whole movie. Vee’s stared at me with a concerned expression.
My chin bowed to the floor. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He stood up. “But let’s go to yours and you can tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Okay.”
We headed for the door but stopped at the kitchen. Jay stood, sipping from a mug. Mac was nowhere to be seen, nor was Cai or Tiff. The heat coming off him hit me like whiplash.
“We’re going to head out now, thanks for tonight,” Vee said.
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked.
“They left a while ago,” Jamie said.
My eyebrow creased upwards. “Even Mac?”
He wasn’t smiling. “It was time for her to leave.”
“Really? Are you feeling okay?”
“Speaking of, what happened to you captain space-cadet?” He was all but gritting his teeth to get the words out.
“Nothing,” I replied quick.
He stared at me for the longest second. “Does it have anything to do with that woman that slapped you?”
Damn it. My jaw clenched as I glared at him. He needed to shut his mouth. Velkan didn’t need to know.
“What?” Vee exclaimed.
“Yeah, she jumped out of a moving car, to go talk to this crazy homeless lady, who then hit her across the face.” He shook his head.
“Would you shut up,” I angered.
What the hell was his problem? Was he trying to cause problems? Because me and him, were about to have one.
Velkan went quiet, his muscles tensed.
“It’s nothing. We can talk about it later, when he can’t add his two cents,” I said, giving a nonchalant wave of the hand, brushing it off.
“Come on then, tell us, we’re both listening, who was that woman?” Jamie asked with an aggressive stance.
His words were just a reckless stunt to piss me off, and it was fucking working. That was it, I’d had enough of him today, telling me what to do.
“Frankly, Jay, it’s none of your damn business.”
Jamie laughed. “Don’t even start with me. You won’t win.”
My nostrils flared as my lips curled outwards, clenched. “Bring it on.”
“That’s enough,” Vee said with a low guttural growl. His mouth, a hard line across his face.
The air tensed between them. Their eyes locked. Jamie didn’t say anything back to him – at all. Velkan’s feet shifted, widening his stance, and stood up straight. Jamie did the same. The tension was suffocating. Jamie looked like he was about to rip Velkan’s head off, and vice versa.
“Do it,” Velkan warned.
“You wait. This isn’t over.”
“Fucking hell.” I stood between them, casting my eyes from Jay to Vee. “Stop it. Both of you. What the hell has gotten into the pair of you?”
Jamie slumped his shoulders and dropped his eyes to me. “It’s nothing.”
Bull-fucking-shit it’s nothing.
I shook my head. Jamie just backed down. That wasn’t like him. As if my night couldn’t get any weirder. It couldn’t have been a male thing, where Velkan had just asserted his dominance, could it? Jamie wasn’t the type to be controlled.
After a moment, Vee’s stance relaxed, held my hand, and looked at me. “He’s right, it’s nothing. Shall we?”
I nodded. As we turned to leave, just before we headed out the apartment door, I turned back to Jamie. “Good night, Jay.”
His eyes flickered up to meet mine, I did a double take, for the first time ever, there was a vulnerability to him, lingering deep behind a shield in his eyes.
41
A jolt ricocheted through me at the touch of his fingers intertwining with mine. Those eyes, wide and deep like a never-ending forest, stared at me. The hairs on the nape of my neck rose. Velkan was gorgeous.
Once we reached my apartment, I made us a coffee, and sat next to Vee on the couch.
“I guess you want to know what Jamie was talking about before?”
He took a sip of his coffee, placed the mug on the table in front of him, then grabbed my hand and sighed. “You don’t owe me any explanation, Jay is, well Jay, and all I care about is that you’re okay.”
I was taken aback by his answer. My heart warmed in a growing admiration for him.
“How about an exchange of information?”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Sure, what do you want to know?”
I didn’t have to think about it. It was simple, it was right in front of me. “Your scar?”
He laughed, shaking his head, then he kissed me. “Okay, but you first. Where did your mind go, during the movie?”
Oh. That was a h
ard one to answer. Did I tell him everything? I knew if I did, he would run in the other direction, and I couldn’t have that.
“Do you believe in reincarnation?”
“What?”
“Never mind,” I said, shaking the thought from my head.
I told Velkan about Ruth, and Gran’s sighting – minus a few details.
“Is that who slapped you?” he asked.
I nodded. “I confronted her earlier this evening, she got agitated. She mentioned a few strange things, including a name, who I believe is the person who took her.”
Vee’s face was expressionless, deep in thought. “No wonder your mind wandered.” He lowered his face and kissed me. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” he whispered as our lips parted.
I didn’t feel the wave of relief like I thought I would’ve. Velkan’s lack of response made me curious. He didn’t even appear surprised by what I’d said.
“What was the name she mentioned?”
“Oh, it was some weird name I’ve never heard of. Um, shit, I can’t remember,” I lied, not ready to divulge that to anyone just yet. I hadn’t even told Jamie yet and if I was going to tell anyone, it would be him, first.
“Okay, your turn,” I said.
His eyes betrayed a pain buried deep inside him, one he tried to hide.
“Obviously, you’re good with weird stuff, not the norm, I mean. So, what I am about to tell you, I haven’t told anyone outside my family, because they already know.”
“Okay,” I said, excited and eager.
“When I was a baby, I was kidnapped—”
Not what I was expecting.
“There was a secret group of men called the Sui, who hunted boys like me, to enslave them, brand them, and keep them like animals. Long story short when they tried to brand me, I bit them, so I was punished. As the whip came down, I moved, and it connected with my face.”
“What the fuck? Oh, my god. That’s insane.” My heart wrenched. “So, they’re involved in the child kidnapping and slave trade?”
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