Easier said than done.
As she had scanned the television channels, she’d felt a little better. At least she now had some frame of reference even if it was all based on fictitious television. There were still some things to be learned from sit-coms, or so they were called.
Jane knew she would need a job, probably something close since she didn’t have a method of transportation. A place to rest her head would also be a necessity.
Panic would’ve set in at this point, but the medical staff had been pushing something into her IV along with the pain medication, something that would help her relax, they said. It kept her calm. Mostly. There was still fear because she had no idea who she was, and the more she thought about it, the worse her panic became.
Breathe.
In … out … in.
Her gaze strayed to the television, and she picked up the clicker, tapped the button to change it to something more upbeat. Sleep was elusive at the moment, but she’d been catching up often. The problem was the stories her mind was telling while she was asleep. Jane wasn’t sure if they were real or a figment of her imagination thanks to all the television. The only thing she remembered when she woke was the stench of death and the unbelievable heat that seemed to consume her. Nothing ever appeared in her dreams, not that she could remember. It was as though she was locked somewhere, kept in isolation.
She sighed when Ray Romano said something to his wife, Deborah, on the television. Jane smiled in an attempt to force the fear to the back of her mind.
According to those who were currently responsible for her care, there was no sense dwelling on it now.
The question Jane had was, how long before she did have to worry about it? What then?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Acadia awoke in Kaj’s bed only to find the male was nowhere in sight. Evidently, he’d slipped out of the room while she’d been resting.
Not that she was surprised. It had been four and a half months ago that he’d been injured. During that time, he hadn’t spent a single minute outside of the room. Now that he was healed, it seemed he didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary in there.
Of course, he could’ve had the decency to wake her.
Fine. She had probably needed the rest. After all, he was taking a lot out of her these days.
The thought made her smile. More like she was giving him a lot more of her these days. Every time she turned around, they were falling into one another, the majority of their time spent horizontal unless they were in the shower. Then it was vertical sex and that … well, there was something to be said about sex in the shower.
Forcing her weary body out of the bed, she considered the gown she’d discarded this morning when she’d joined him in the bed.
Probably be best if she went to her own room to shower and change before she went in search of him. If she had to guess, Kaj was spending time with Obsidian. The two males were catching up now that Kaj was back to the land of the living, as he liked to describe his forward motion.
She hurried to pull her gown on, then slipped out of the room and down the hall. She could hear others moving around the mansion, getting up for the night. Doors were open as she headed down the hall, the rooms being cleaned by the heurosp now that they were vacated.
Acadia couldn’t wait for the new residence to be completed. As it was, it was still merely in the planning stages. But from what she’d seen, it was going to be a palace to rival all. No more sharing spaces for them. No, they would each have their own private spaces, and she looked forward to that. It was a pain to share a bathroom with two other females. It had been almost nice to be sharing a space with Kaj.
Hurrying into her room, she was glad to see Aasfa and Dahlia were already moving about. It meant she would have the bathroom to herself.
After a quick shower, she dried her hair, doctored her face with a hint of makeup, and pulled a clean gown from the closet. This one was one of her favorites. The burgundy velvet offset her coloring quite nicely. Not to mention, the bodice was one that accentuated her waist and her hips. She couldn’t help wondering what Kaj would think of it.
Once she was dressed, her hair pinned up off her neck, she set off to find Kaj. Before she could make it to the first floor, she ran into Khalon, one of the male soldiers who made up the fiestreigh.
“Good evening,” he greeted kindly, his eyes shifting to the floor bashfully.
“Good evening,” she greeted in turn. “Has everyone finished evening meal?”
“No. They’re still down there. I was … actually, I was coming up to find you.”
Acadia didn’t need to ask him what for. There was only one reason the males sought her out.
But the thought of feeding him… For the first time since being paired with Obsidian and his angel soldiers, Acadia did not look forward to her job.
Not that she had the luxury of shirking her duties.
“Shall we find some privacy?” she offered, forcing the words past her dry throat.
“I don’t believe anyone’s in the office,” he said, motioning toward the opposite end of the hall.
Nodding, Acadia pivoted and led the way, her steps slow, sluggish. She actually felt as though she was walking toward her own death, not simply heading off to do what she’d done millions of times over the centuries. And it was Khalon of all males. He was one of the most polite, most considerate within the household. He’d never made any advances toward her, never suggested anything sexual. She should’ve been relieved.
She wasn’t.
When she stepped inside, she made her way over to the desk, Khalon right behind her. He took a seat in the high-back executive chair, and she perched on the edge of the desk, pulling her sleeve back to offer her wrist.
As though he didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary, Khalon please’d and thank you’d her before taking her wrist to his mouth. His fangs pierced her a second later. While he fed, his eyes remaining down, Acadia fought the strange emotions that were churning inside her. For the past four and a half months, ever since Kaj had arrived, she had fed no one but him. This felt like something of a betrayal to the male she’d grown close to over those weeks.
A sound in the hall had her turning quickly.
Kaj was standing in the doorway, one hand on the jamb, the other rubbing his chest as though he was in pain. Their eyes met, held, and she could see the torment in those lovely green eyes.
Something churned in her stomach at the thought of him seeing her like this. It had never felt like an intimate thing, not even when there was sexual interaction because it was a means to an end for them. Acadia required their energy to survive and they required her blood. A give-and-take.
But right now, right here, Khalon taking from her wrist felt like the most intimate thing she’d ever done, and the thought of Kaj witnessing it...
She was seconds from halting the male still feeding from her when Kaj stood tall and masked his expression before disappearing.
Knowing she had to go after him to explain, she urged Khalon along, then excused herself before he was finished. She felt a tad guilty for leaving him there, staring after her as though he’d done something wrong, but getting to Kaj was all that mattered.
Kaj needed to go.
Clearly he’d overstayed his welcome, and he needed to get back to the life he’d abandoned when he’d been injured. Kardobahn and the Zenith were likely worried. Or more aptly, they were pissed, thinking he truly had abandoned them.
Up until this moment, the thought of leaving Acadia had been one he ignored, putting it off, telling himself he could stay a little longer. He wasn’t back to one hundred percent, though he was close, so he could take a little more time.
Evidently, he’d been the only one who wanted him to stay.
The instant he’d felt the pain in his chest, he’d thought he was having a relapse, that Obsidian hadn’t removed that final bullet or maybe there’d been another. But the
pain had been different and there’d been a strange pull that dragged him out of the dining room and up the stairs. He had followed that invisible line only to find himself standing in the doorway, watching the female he loved feeding another.
The agony he’d endured in that moment had surpassed even the worst of those bullet wounds he’d sustained all those months ago.
Because he had nothing here that belonged to him, Kaj wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing. He didn’t need to pack, and he already had his cell phone on him. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face the door, resigned to going downstairs and thanking Obsidian for his hospitality. Before he made it to the door, it flew open and Acadia came racing in. Her hair had fallen from the pins holding it up, and for a second, he thought he would lose what he’d eaten. Had she…?
“Kaj. I’m…” Her eyes widened as she came to a stop.
At first he wasn’t sure what she looked so shocked by, but then he heard it. He was growling, an animalistic sound that escaped him. The thought of another male taking what belonged to him… It was all he could do not to storm out of the room, find that fucker, and rip his head from his body.
The door closed, clearly willed so by Acadia.
“Did you let him fuck you?” he snarled.
She jerked back as though he’d slapped her, and a hint of regret went through him.
“How dare you?”
Kaj stepped forward. “How dare I? You were the one in that room with that male, Acadia. Not me.”
Her shoulders squared and her expression shifted from stunned surprise to outrage. “Because that’s my duty, Kaj. That’s why I’m here. Or did you forget that?”
“Or do you mean, did I think I was special?” he shouted. “Of course I didn’t.” Oh, he totally had but now he knew the error of his ways.
“Then why are you upset?”
“I’m not,” he lied, and he knew she could see right through him.
“Then maybe you should stop growling,” she countered.
Yep. That was him. Still doing that.
Fucking fantastic.
“What do you want, Acadia?”
She stared at him for a long moment. When she finally nodded, her shoulders squaring, her chin tilting up, he knew he was not going to like what came next.
“I came to apologize,” she said softly. “It was not my intention for you to see that. Unfortunately, it is my responsibility to feed the males within this residence. It is my sole purpose for being here. And while I’ve been able to avoid it since your arrival, it’s not something I can escape indefinitely.”
Now he felt like an ass.
A very possessive, very pissed-off ass.
“I don’t expect you to understand,” she continued. “But this is the sad reality of my existence. I figured you understood that. Now that you’ve healed, now that you’re up and about, I have no reason to continue to hide out from them.”
“You’ve been hiding?”
Her beautiful purple eyes lowered to the floor. “Ever since you arrived. I’ve managed to get away with it because I was caring for you.”
Kaj cleared the distance between them, curled his finger beneath her chin, and forced her to look at him. “Tell me you hated it.”
Her gaze bounced over his face. “Every second.”
Another growl escaped him as he jerked her toward him, his mouth finding hers. He needed to mark her, to claim her, to ensure every male within fifty miles knew she belonged to him. That she was off-limits to anyone but him.
Before he knew what he was doing, Kaj had all but ripped her gown from her body as he did the same to his own clothes.
If it hadn’t been for the fact Acadia was holding on to him so tightly, he would’ve been appalled by his behavior. Instead, he had a single-minded focus.
Kaj didn’t even bother moving them to the bed. Instead, he took her to the ground right there and mounted her.
“Acadia…”
“Please, Kaj.”
Her fingernails dug into his back as he rocked his body into hers, filling her.
“Mine,” he growled, marking what was his as he rubbed himself against her, ensuring her skin held his scent.
He could smell that other male on her, and he hated it with every breath he took. So much, he found himself lifting her wrist to his mouth and piercing her vein alongside those wounds that were already healing. He needed to rid her body of that male’s scent.
“Kaj!” Acadia’s body clamped down on him, her climax triggering his.
But he didn’t stop there.
Couldn’t.
He pulled out long enough to flip her over and take her from behind. This time, he pierced her neck with his fangs, not so much drinking from her but ensuring his scent was everywhere.
She came again, her hips meeting his thrust for thrust.
More shifting as he flipped her back over so he could watch her. This time, he knelt between her legs, his fingers curled around her thighs as he impaled her, pulling her toward him with every brutal thrust. This time when he came, he pulled out of her, spraying her stomach, her breasts. It was dirty and messy but so fucking necessary. He was out of his mind. He knew it. She probably did, too.
But he couldn’t stop.
Once more, he plunged into her body, curling his arm beneath her and holding her to him as he chased one more release for them both. When she cried out his name, he slammed into her, dragging out those sweet moans until he thought his head would explode.
“Acadia … balisra…” He threw his head back and roared, the sound more feral than any that had ever come out of him.
As much as he wanted to apologize for taking her that way, he couldn’t.
This was who he was. What he was.
And it only made sense that she know it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hours later, Kaj was still thinking about the “date” he’d had with Acadia.
Never had he really thought about the fact they hadn’t gone on a traditional date. Then again, their lives weren’t all that traditional, were they? Him being the Alpha of an entire species, her being part of an angel faction sent to Earth to protect humans.
But that didn’t mean Acadia didn’t deserve that sort of courting. She’d put forth the effort, and now, as he walked into his private quarters, he decided he would, too. She deserved far more from him than his alpha male ego insistent upon dominating her. The question was, what would she enjoy? During the time they’d spent together back when he was injured, they’d spent hours upon hours talking. Mostly about facts, though. Her upbringing, his. Their responsibilities. Never had he really asked her personal questions.
Of course, that didn’t mean Kaj hadn’t picked up on things. He happened to know she loved chocolate cake. As in, she would have it for evening and morning meal and every one in between if it were appropriate. He knew she gave herself pedicures and manicures because she enjoyed the solitude although she could’ve easily had someone come in to do it. Also, her favorite movie was Casablanca, though he’d never understood the fascination.
Hmm.
The sound of a throat clearing had Kaj spinning around. Blāz was standing on a ladder in the corner of the room.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Kaj asked, glaring at the male.
“Sorry, boss. Didn’t expect you back so soon.”
“Please fucking tell me that’s not a camera.”
Blāz snorted. “No. Absolutely not. Heaven knows we don’t need to see what you do in your private space.”
Kaj was thinking more about the fact he was not going to have anyone sneaking a peek at his female during those rare times Acadia came to him.
“Didn’t I leave my room so you wouldn’t be bothering me with this shit?”
Blāz smirked. “Didn’t help that you took up rez in one of the rooms I’m including in your suite.”
For fuck’s sake.
When Blāz didn’t continue, Kaj motioned him to get on with it.
; “I won’t bore you with the details, but we’re relatively close to being finished with the basics.”
“The basics?”
“Yep. Next comes the demolition and rebuild.”
Kaj rolled his eyes.
Blāz stepped down from the ladder, then folded it quickly and carried it toward the door. “We’ve got a lot to do in the coming days.”
“How long’s this going to take?”
“As long as it needs to. Like I said, you are the Alpha, and since we’ve got the means to do so, we’re going to ensure you have a safe escape should it be necessary.”
“Safe meaning what?”
“Everything, phaal. It means everything.” His voice lowered respectfully. “Where I’m concerned, we shall ensure you are never compromised the way your father was. Within the confines of these walls, you will be safe from any and all threats.”
“Including the sun?” he asked, meaning it as a joke.
“Yes.”
“And in the event of a fire?”
Blāz smirked. “Never underestimate me, phaal. Your safety is my utmost concern.”
With that, the male pulled open the door, offered a one-handed wave, and slipped out.
It took a minute to remember what he’d been doing before the interruption. When he did, Kaj grabbed the phone on the small desk, dropping into the seat, and hit zero.
“Yes, sire? How might I be of assistance?”
“I’d like to take Acadia on a date. A movie date. In the theater.”
“That can easily be arranged, sire. Are there any specifics?”
He rattled off a few things, then asked Phillip to send someone to his room. He wanted to handwrite the invitation and have it delivered to her. When the male agreed, they disconnected.
After jotting his request in a manner that was readable, then handing it off to the heurosp who arrived, Kaj had just enough time to shower and change before meeting Acadia in the theater.
Bound in Darkness Page 23