“Something almost did happen when you rejected me.” Her words had him confused. He searched her eyes, trying to find the answer.
“What are you talking about?”
She sighed and slipped out of his grasp. He had to fight the urge to grab her back. Ariana started to pace as she braided her hair. “There is a second part to the curse I never told you about. I wouldn’t let Alaina speak of it either.” She fell quiet at this. Roman still didn’t say anything, every muscle tense. He wasn’t going to like what she had to say next.
“The second part is that I… I have to have sex with all of my mates and complete the bond before I turn twenty-two or I die.” Her words gutted him. Why the hell hadn’t she told them sooner? If he didn’t have his brothers to knock some sense into his head, he would have been the cause of her death. Ariana was looking at the floor as she tied a hair tie around the end of her braid.
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Roman strode toward her, gently grabbing her face in his hands. He wouldn’t let her walk away or dodge this question.
“It just never seemed like the right time. When you said you didn’t want to be my mate, I refused to say anything. Mateo wanted to, but I forbade him.” When he looked at her sharply, Ariana blushed. “He read my mind before I had strong enough walls. I wouldn’t have that hanging over your head. I wouldn’t force you to be with me if you didn’t want to.”
Ariana grabbed his wrists, squeezing tightly. Roman’s heart broke all over again. She had been forced before, he knew this. Still, she would have rather died than force someone else to do something against their will. Ariana really was a priceless jewel. Someone to be treasured and adored all of her days. She was a warrior down to her core, but not bloodthirsty. She could have easily slipped down that path, but she had stood strong. All on her own.
He couldn’t believe his luck. He had somehow found the one woman perfect for him. Pulling her into him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her loosely, waiting to make sure she was okay with it. When Ariana wrapped her arms around his neck, and plunged her hands into his hair, his heart soared. He bent his head and kissed her with all the passion and love and wonder he had. It was slow and sensual. His cock hardened, and he groaned. He grabbed her ass and lifted her up, settling her core right over his erection, lightly rocking her over his hard cock. When she gasped, he swept his tongue inside. He made sure to stay in tune to her. If she stiffened or tried to pull away he would stop, but he had to show her what she meant to him. What she did to him. When she started responding on her own, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. This woman, who wouldn’t let any of them touch her a few short months ago, was now rocking herself against his cock. He pressed her a little harder against him, causing Ariana to moan low in her throat. He pulled his mouth away so he could kiss her neck, nibbling on her ear first. Her head fell back on a breathy gasp. Roman watched her taking her pleasure from him. Even if they still had their clothes on he didn’t care. She was his, right here in this moment. He thanked the gods above that she was wearing a dress as he reached between them and rubbed her clit and sending her over the edge. He nearly followed her over as she fell apart in his arms. She slowly came down from her orgasm, a flush on her pearlescent skin.
She looked so beautiful Roman wanted nothing more than to toss her on the bed and have his way with her, to truly show her the depths of his desire. But now wasn’t the time. She had their daughter to save, though he fully intended on finishing what they started when she got back. Sliding her down his body, he gave her one last heat-filled kiss and rested his forehead against hers.
“I love you. Ari-Lass. I never should have said what I did. I was a coward and afraid of my own magic corrupting you. I was too blinded by my fear to see how strong you really are.”
“You really think I’m strong? I don’t feel like it.” She sighed and looked down. Roman would have none of that nonsense. Gently placing his finger under her chin, he lifted her gaze back up to his so she could see the truth in his eyes.
“You are the strongest, bravest woman I know. I know you will beat this curse tonight, and when you come back victorious, we can work on fulfilling the second part.” He gave her a saucy wink and kissed the tip of her nose. “Now, get dressed. You have someone to kill, and a daughter to save.”
Roman walked out of her bedroom whistling a jaunty tune from his childhood. He had no doubt that she would come back, and afterwards he would show her his special room where they could work on getting rid of the second part of the curse.
Then he would train her on her new magic. Roman stopped to watch the sunrise out of one of the second story windows. Today his woman was going to kick some ass. That fucker who took their daughter didn’t know what was about to hit him.
Thirty-Four
Ariana
As Ariana studied herself in the mirror. She had to admit she looked pretty badass. The leather hugged her every curves, enhancing them. The pants and corset were both black with red stripes down the sides. The corset latched in the front and pushed her breasts up just enough to show some cleavage. She sent another silent thank you to Jazzy for the wide straps that could be added for extra support. Completing the look were her usual ass-kicking boots. Her guns were at her hips with a belt holster, while her sword and axe were strapped to her back. Her daggers had been placed at the small of her back, secured in the hidden pocket she had found. Roman was right. She looked ready for war. Ariana felt guilty for letting herself get carried away earlier. She should have kept her wits about her. Zoey was in trouble, for crying out loud. Yet there she was, finding pleasure in a man’s arms.
She never would have thought it was possible. Shaking her head, she let go of those thoughts. She was starting to get hot and bothered again. Putting on her game face, she strode from her room with confident strides. It was time to end this. Ariana stopped by Avery’s room, placing her hand on the door. “Don’t worry, Munchkin. Momma’s going to bring your sister home.” Kissing her fingers, she placed them on the door once again, then hurried down the stairs. If she lingered much longer, she would lose her nerve.
Striding into the dining room, she asked, “Anything yet?”
Her question was met with silence as everyone stared at her. Roman was leaning against the wall with his foot propped up behind him. The heat from his gaze seared her to her toes as he raked it over her body from top to bottom. Mateo’s mouth was hanging open, and Jess reached over and closed it with a snap. Jayden had a spoonful of cereal halfway to his mouth. His eyes were wide as he licked his lips. Easton’s book slipped from his hands, landing with a loud thud on the floor. The noise broke everyone out of their lust induced stupor, and Ariana chuckled. She had never seen the men like this, even when she had come down the stairs in her dress yesterday they hadn’t reacted like this. Ariana smiled at the guys as they all came towards her. One by one they grabbed her and kissed her senseless. Roman was last, growling, “When you get back, we are going to see how easy this is to take off.” He ran his hand down between her breasts, lightly grazing her nipples. She thanked God for the bullet proof mesh that helped hide her stiff nipples.
Smiling as she pushed back from him, she nodded. “Now, tell me you’ve found her, Jess.”
“I have. Well, within a twenty-mile radius.” Jess winced.
Ariana nodded and turned to Mateo. “Can you reach Aiden or Gray from that distance?”
Mateo scratched his head. “I should be able too.”
“If he can’t, I can when I shift.” Jayden sent a wink her way.
“Great. How far away is it?”
“About a four-hour drive from here. The tracker keeps pinging somewhere in the Shawnee National Forest. Best guess is they are just on the outskirts of it.”
Ariana groaned, rubbing her hand down her face. It would take too long to get there by foot or car. No wonder Aiden and Gray hadn’t made it back. Her head snapped up as an idea came to her.
“Mateo, can you transport people wi
th you?”
“Yes, but I can only take one or two at a time. I would have to make at least three trips and that would deplete my energy. I would need time to recharge.”
“We can’t have you vulnerable while we’re there. I can portal jump us halfway,” Jess offered.
Ariana whipped around to stare at her. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”
“How do you think I got here so fast? I can open a portal but can only go so far.” Jess held up her hand, stopping Ariana from asking why it still had taken her so long then. Ariana narrowed her eyes at her. She saw why Aiden hated it so much when she did it to him. Doesn’t mean I’ll stop. Ariana chuckled to herself, focusing back on what Jess was saying. “I was already low on power when you called. That’s why I could only jump halfway here, but I’ve had time to recharge. I can get us there in half the time. Cars too, but we’ll have to drive back.”
“Good enough for me. Let’s roll.”
Ariana blew a kiss to Roman as she strode out the door, the rest of the guys and Jess right behind her. “We’ll take the SUV.”
Breaking off from them, Jess headed to her motorcycle. “I’m going to open the portal, and as soon as it opens head on through. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Why aren’t you going first?” Mateo asked suspiciously.
“The portal closes once I’m through.” Ariana watched as Jess slung her leg over the bike and put on her helmet. She wasn’t thrilled with this plan, but it was the best they had. They could work out everything else on the last leg of the drive.
Ariana looked up at the stars before climbing into the car. Hang on, baby girl. The cavalry is coming.
Easton
He hated himself. Because of him, Zoey was in gone. Who the hell knew what kind of danger she was in. Easton could feel his magic turning on him. If anything happened to her, he knew he would turn Dark. His magic already had a slight purple tinge to it. The closer they got to Zoey, the angrier he got. He needed to calm down before it happened. He had found information on the curse. Easton hadn’t told the others that she needed at least a Light Mage, Dark Mage, Fae, and a Shifter as her mates. If he turned, he would lose Ariana and the girls. Easton clenched his hands into fists, determined not to let that happen.
They stopped at the edge of the forest and everyone filed out of the car. Mateo closed his eyes while he tried to get a lock on Aiden and Gray. Easton looked over at Ariana. She looked beautiful and dangerous standing there with her hands on her hips. His heart raced. He didn’t know what he would do if she didn’t forgive him. He couldn’t lose any of them. Devouring her form with his gaze, Easton knew he could look at her forever. She was strong, beautiful, and loved with all her heart. Even if it ended up being the last thing he did, he would going to earn her trust back. He needed her like the flowers needed the sun.
His thoughts were interrupted by Mateo. “They’re close. Aiden should be here any minute. He can lead us back to Gray.”
“Perfect.” Ariana checked her guns. Easton marveled at her once again, admiring how she wasn’t showing any traces of fear. She looked determined and ready to kick some ass. He couldn’t take it anymore, and he strode over to her and grabbed her hand. As soon as he did, his magic calmed, and he could feel the rage pushing back.
“Love, I need you to know that I love you, and I am so sorry for this.”
Ariana smiled at him gently. He didn’t know how she could even look at him let alone smile. He flinched slightly as she gently placed her palm on his cheek. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. It’s fate, East. I would have had to face this challenge one way or another. I’m just glad you all are here with me. I don’t know if I could do it on my own.”
Leaning into her touch, he kissed her. He pulled back slightly and whispered, “I know you could have.”
Aiden burst through the trees. Quickly shifting, he started to run to Ariana, stopping short when he finally got a look at her. His eyes bugged out of his head and his jaw went slack.
Chuckling, Easton nudged Ariana. “Is this what we looked like earlier?”
“Pretty much.” With that she sashayed over to Aiden. Grabbing him around the neck, she pulled him in for a searing kiss. Easton grew hard as he watched her take control with Aiden. Damn, that’s hot.
She pulled back and walked around him, smacking Aiden on his ass as she went past. “Come on boys. We have a daughter to save.”
Nodding their heads, they all filed after Aiden. Easton had to hand it to the man, he didn’t care that his dick was swinging in the breeze as he walked next to Ariana. Well, not so much swinging as leading the way.
It was a short five-minute walk before Gray slunk out of some bushes next to a run-down cabin, silently making his way over to them. Shifting, he swiftly kissed Ariana, then said, “They’re inside. Zo’s unharmed as far as I can tell. She’s in the back room sleeping on the bed. There’s only one man in the front. He looks familiar, but I can’t place him.”
Ariana gasped as she looked over Gray’s shoulder. Rage started to pour from her. “What the ever-loving fuck?” she seethed. Easton had never seen her this mad. Looking through the window, he saw what had her so pissed. Shock had him rooted to the spot. Looking of out the window was a face he knew.
No. It couldn’t be.
Thirty-Five
Ariana
Ariana could feel her blood boiling as red clouded her vision. How dare he touch my kid?! She had considered him a friend. Betrayal hit her hard in the next breath, almost bringing her to her knees. Why would he do this to us? He had played with her girls. Gave them piggyback rides. She had let him into their lives, and he was behind everything! The box that pulled her into her nightmare. The threats and pictures. That mother fucker! Her mind was nothing but a swirl of angry thoughts as she pulled her guns and stomped forward. The guys tried to grab her arms, but she shook them off. She pushed all the hurt down into a little box and locked it up tight, leaving only her fury. She would show this fucker nothing but contempt.
Ariana shrugged Aiden off again and snapped over her shoulder, “I’ve got this. That fucking Judas is mine! You guys get Zoey out of here.”
“Ariana honey let’s talk about a plan.”
“No, Aiden. That is the plan,” she growled. Ariana took off running, clearing the rotten steps in one leap. She brought her leg up and kicked in the door. Standing there on the opposite side of the room was the man she had called friend. She had him dead to rights, her guns pointed at him. If he so much as sneezed, he was dead.
“Hello, Danny. Miss me?” she sneered. Her eyes were narrowed, glaring daggers at him. If she still had her powers she would have smoke billowing out of her nose.
Instead of cowering in fear, he started laughing. She snarled as she moved closer to him. “Why? Why would you do this?”
Straightening up, Danny gave her an evil smile. Ariana felt her insides turn to ice. She knew that smile. It couldn’t be…
“Because, my pet. You. Are. Mine.” He had barely finished the words when he was engulfed by purple smoke. She could see the guys sneaking in behind him to grab Zoey. Easton hauled ass out of there with their little girl in his arms, the others staying behind. Ariana released the breath she had been holding, some of her tension easing with the knowledge her daughter was safe.
When she glanced back at Danny, in his place stood the Monster. She would remember his multicolored eyes until the day she died. His arms had gotten bigger, but she knew it was him. Her heart jumped to her throat, and she stumbled back a step.
“What? How? You’re dead!” she whispered. Her bladder felt like it wanted to give out, her limbs were numb and heavy, and she dropped her arms just a fraction.
“Come on, my little sparrow. You can see that I’m not. As for how, it’s called magic.” He snickered at her. His voice sent shivers down her spine, freezing her in place for a moment as her brain tried to catch up to her eyes. Before she could recover from her shock, he lunged at her and knocked her against the
wall. As she hit her head hard, her guns flew from her hands and skidded across the floor. She felt warmth seeping down from the back of her head. Jay and Aiden roared as they shifted and charged at the Monster. With a wave of his hand, he sent them flying through the windows, glass shattering everywhere. She heard them yelp in pain, then nothing.
“NOOOO!!!” she screamed. Pushing herself up from the floor where she had slid in a heap, Ariana began to fight him. Her training kicking in, and she swung and hit him in the nose making blood spurt from it. He yelled and backhanded her. This time she landed in a crouch. Jess blasted him with some of her magic, causing him to stumble back. That was all the opening she needed.
Grabbing her dagger, she threw it at him, hitting him in the shoulder He roared and sent a wave of magic towards Mateo and Grayson who were trying to sneak up on him. Knocking them into the wall, they landed in a heap and didn’t move. Ariana’s heart took a swan dive to the bottom of her stomach. Her mates were hurt. Growling, she grabbed her sword and axe, swinging them with expert precision.
When the Monster turned to look at her again, she closed herself off from the terror that threatened to overwhelm her. She would kill him. He was not getting out of this cabin alive; she wouldn’t let him hurt anyone else she loved.
Giving a war cry she attacked, swinging both her axe and blade and giving him shallow cuts as she dodged his magic strikes. She couldn’t get a clear shot for the kill, but he wasn’t hitting her either. Ariana was full of righteous fury. She felt invincible. Slamming him into the wall, she advanced on him. As he slid down in a daze, she noticed he was bleeding everywhere from the many cuts she had given him. Ariana was ready to deliver the final blow, ready to send his murdering, deranged man back to the hell he had crawled out of. She was so focused, she didn’t see him grab one of her guns until it was too late.
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