Darkest Temptation

by Rachel Van Dyken

  “They must mate…” The wolf said it with a shake of his voice. “…musn’t they?”

  “He will be her protector, and she will be his serenity.” Danu’s voice cracked. “Vow this to me, wolf! Vow it!”

  The Alpha walked over to the flames and held his hand high. Danu followed and pressed a hand across his forearm, and as both of their joined hands hit the first flame, it wrapped around their arms like an embrace, searing the blood oath into their skin. “What is meant for evil will be good,” they said in unison.

  “Thank you.” A single tear slipped off Danu’s face, extinguishing the fire.

  “Anything… for the goddess of the earth.”

  The dirt then strained to touch her legs as she walked back toward the group; it swirled around her, beckoned her, wanted nothing but more of the goddess as she stopped and looked up to the sky and whispered. “Guard her well, my Creator. Guard her well.”

  A star twinkled and then fell from the sky.

  “The Creator’s promise,” the Alpha whispered.

  “He is fair.” Danu nodded. “He is good.”

  They retreated into the forest and with a flash of light disappeared. I watched the smoke until my eyes hurt then sleepily rubbed them and collapsed back against the couch.

  MASON

  I jolted awake to see my mate covered in ash from head to toe, her eyes blinking, but not really seeing. “Serenity?”

  She shook her head and then looked at me as if with new eyes. “Your father, he was very tall?”

  “Odd question, but around seven feet. Why?”

  “Do you have pictures of him?”

  I brushed some ash from her cheek. “Is there a reason you’re asking about my father after having sex? Is this a vampire thing? You need to know I have good breeding stock as a wolf. I know I can—”

  She smiled and pressed a hand to my face.

  I was embarrassed as I felt my chest rise and fall like it was puffing up with each word that fell from my mouth.

  “Stop. It’s not that.”

  My frown deepened as she turned her attention to the fire and whispered. “I looked at the flames.”

  I sat down on the ground and pulled her into my arms. “And what did they tell you?”

  She looked down at her dirty hands and shook her head like she was still in disbelief. “What do you know of Danu?”

  I jerked at the name.

  The very name my father often talked about with affection as if he was close friends with a being so different from ourselves.

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. Wolves knew all the ancient texts; we knew secrets only The Creator knew. We knew of realms created only for certain purposes. For her to have knowledge of that was unfathomable.

  “Please, Mason?”

  I nodded and hoped Cassius wouldn’t put my head on a pike for saying anything. “Danu was one of the twelve goddesses of earth, originally an angel from the Garden of Eden, set to watch humans.” I shifted uncomfortably. “After the fall, The Creator had no use for those angels. Creation was finished, and the angels were in a way more powerful than the rest of the Heavenliness. It set them apart enough to cause jealousy, and The Creator had already seen so many of his children fall that he did the only thing he knew to do. He sent the chosen to a separate realm to live out their lives. Some even worshipped them as if they were true gods and goddesses. Only twice a year are they able to enter into the human realm, with one job and one job only. To help nurture the earth and keep it whole for the human race. They are powerful beyond measure, able to destroy with a single word, to create with a flip of their hand. Their beauty knows no bounds, and they are as dangerous as they are good. Nobody has seen a goddess of the earth since—” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “—since my father did.”

  “I did,” she said quickly. “I saw them.”

  My head swiveled to her. “What now?”

  “In the flames.” Her voice shook. “I saw them. I saw him — your father. I think…” She pressed an ashy hand to her face. “…I think Danu’s my mother.” Her expression darkened. “Is that even possible?”

  I opened my door to speak, to tell her no, to say she was dreaming. That a goddess wouldn’t choose a human mate or an immortal one. They simply did not mate because they were fine within their own angelic state. Perfect, except for one thing.

  Missing their purpose in life, which was always to guard the garden.

  And when an immortal no longer had a purpose, a part of them died inside. The part meant for something extraordinary suddenly turned ordinary and was always subject to fall just like humans had and the angels before them.

  The door slammed, jolting me out of my slack-jawed appearance and my jumbled thoughts and justifications. Alex strolled in with Hope. Ethan and Genesis soon followed with the twins.

  Once Genesis placed the twins in a playpen, the rest of the group addressed us, as if they wanted to make sure everyone was safe, that the house was safe before they did anything.

  “The deserters are back,” Alex announced spreading his arms wide. “Heard we missed a great party with some Watchers, but I had to keep my mate safe so… we went to a hotel downtown, had the best steak, Mason. Ah, you would have orgasmed on the spot from this—” Alex stopped talking and looked between us. “You guys been rolling around in the ash?”

  I put up my hand and looked to Serenity. “Are you sure that’s what you saw?”

  She nodded. “Positive. Your father, at least I think it was him, made a pact. They talked about you. They talked about us — as if they knew.”

  Alex raised his hand. “How about you guys fill us in? Because I thought the only remaining drama here was good ol’ Mason growing a pair of balls and marching back into his clan and claiming his spot as king.”

  I growled. As if I needed to think about that, now that I was staring into the eyes of my mate, a would-be goddess, for howling out loud!

  She shrugged. “Maybe it was a hallucination. I’m a vampire, clearly a vampire. I crave blood.”

  Ethan stared at her briefly and then looked to Alex, his expression damning.

  Alex let out a long sigh. “You ever heard of a glamour, sweetheart?”

  “Of course.” She clung to me tighter.

  Alex shrugged. “Could be that. I helped do it to Steph. She thought she was a siren for hundreds of years. Nope, all Dark One.”

  She wasn’t there to yell at him.

  He snorted. “She wishes she were a siren. We get all the nice tricks.”

  Hope rolled her eyes.

  “How could you tell?” Serenity asked the question I didn’t want anyone answering.

  But Alex had a ginormous mouth, so he simply said, “Cassius would know. Or any angel for that matter.” His smirk grew when he nodded to me and asked, “You dye your hair? She got a little angel fantasy.”

  “No, you jackass.” I threw a pillow at his face. “Apparently, I’m housing a Watcher! But thanks for caring!”

  Alex paled. “Seriously?”

  “No, I like red and black. They look good with my CLAWS!” I roared. “Yes, so not only do I crave blood like it’s my only chance of life, but when I turn into a wolf, I turn white now, and to top it all off, I look like a freaking psychopath!”

  “You don’t look like a psychopath,” Serenity said helpfully, patting my arm as if I was a child.

  I hated how it calmed me, her touch, the way her fingers grazed my skin, making my wolf rumble inside with the need to smell her neck, to taste her tongue.

  I stood.

  Alex backed up.

  Ethan put an arm around Genesis and pushed her out of the way.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not really one of them. I’m me—”

  “Just taller,” Hope added with a wink.

  Alex elbowed her.

  Ethan grumbled out, “Insanely strong and angelic-like sure, but it’s still you.”

  “Any more Watcher bodies who need a hand? Because I gotta say I could total
ly dig a nine pack.” Alex patted his stomach and winked.

  I was ready to rip his head from his shoulders when Cassius entered with Stephanie, looking way too pleased to make me comfortable.

  Alex coughed and looked away.

  Cassius ignored us completely and stared down Serenity. “So now you know.”

  She nodded. “I guess. I mean, what am I really?”

  “You’re you,” he said vaguely. Not helpfully.

  “Is this a glamour?” She pointed to her beautiful body.

  I would have been disappointed if it was. I loved her body, loved that it took care of her soul for so many years for me, despite my stubbornness and arrogance.

  Cassius jerked his head to me. “Ask Mason.”

  “Mason isn’t an angel,” Alex pointed out dumbly.

  “He may not be Gadreel in soul, but he has his memories and all the other attributes that made the Watchers special. He would be able to tell.”

  “I haven’t seen anything.” I lifted my hands into the air. “Only her.”

  “Because you only want to see her. You don’t want to see beyond what your eyes tell you.” Cassius, again with the vagueness.

  I scratched my head in frustration then braced Serenity with both hands, looking deep into her swirling eyes.

  And. Saw. Nothing.

  “Maybe kiss her,” Alex joked. “Always works in the fairy tales.”

  “He’s been doing more than kissing her,” Ethan said in a hushed tone.

  “Could all of you please just—” I took a deep breath and tried to focus on what Cassius said. Her, I need to see beyond what I wanted to see.

  What I wanted to see was my mate.

  Don’t look at her like your mate.

  Impossible.

  I squeezed my eyes shut then opened them, focusing in on her smooth skin and straight hair. A small movement near her heart caught my eye.

  I reached out and touched the ripple in the air.

  And every single window in the entire house blew out.

  SERENITY

  I flew back against the wall as pieces of glass filled the air in slow motion, hitting furniture and immortal, not taking any prisoners. I tried reaching for Mason as my back slammed against the wall.

  It was useless.

  I hit with such force it stole all the breath from my lungs.

  I crumbled to the floor and coughed as the glass from the windows made a crashing noise against the ground.

  And then seven pairs of eyes were trained on me…

  In a mixture of worry.

  And awe.

  I didn’t feel any different.

  If anything, I felt like I’d just been run over by a truck; my head hurt, my eyes stung, and my body felt too heavy to stand.

  Mason rushed to my side; his shaking hand pushed hair from my face with such reverence that I wanted to weep.

  “What?” I croaked out, even my voice sounded different, sharper. “What’s wrong?”

  Alex peered around Mason and gave me a satisfied smile before saying, “Well, well, well… looks like there’s finally someone strong enough to give me a run for my money.”

  I frowned down at my glowing palms then slid my tongue over my fangs. Thank God, they were still there.

  Cassius simply shrugged. “She was born of this earth, fully vampire, fully immortal, half goddess.” He stopped and then lowered his voice. “Half Watcher.”

  I flinched at the word Watcher.

  And then realized all too soon.

  My mate looked just like one.

  Did that mean I looked like my mother?

  Mason hung his head as he dropped my hand. “You knew?”

  Cassius sighed; it was long and drawn out, as if he didn’t want to have the conversation. “You’re aware that I see all possible futures, but whenever it comes to those closest to me, there is only so much I can see, Mason.”

  A trickle of blood ran down my lip. Mason reached out and caught it with his hand. “Is this why her blood tastes so good to me? Is she what brings out the vampire?”

  I flinched when he said she.

  As if I wasn’t his mate anymore.

  As if I was this unreachable being that just happened to be sitting in front of him and in his house. I still felt that tether of connection between us, but I also felt pain, insecurity. I felt betrayal, and it was all directed at me.

  I tried to climb into myself as I hugged my knees to my chest and looked away. When would I ever learn?

  I was the problem.

  Me.

  People always left me.

  Should have known. I was a freak.

  He would leave too.

  Just like them.

  “You crave her blood because it is the very blood that keeps you alive, wolf.” Cassius said the words with venom, as if he was pissed he even had to utter them. “She is the only reason that Bannick was able to use Gadreel as an anchor to make you what you are today. You want to know why you are powerful? Why you are the true Alpha? Why you are alive and breathing today rather than crippled the way your disease would have left you? Look no further than the sacrifice she made the minute she was brought into this world — and bound, to one such as you.”

  Mason closed his eyes as the room fell into a tense silence.

  And slowly, one by one, people rose and left, not once making eye contact with Mason, but nodding to me, as if I was in the right. And he was in the wrong.

  He didn’t move.

  Finally, I stood, and tried to walk past him.

  His hand jerked out and grabbed my wrist. “I was afraid. I didn’t mean—”

  I pulled away and walked off whispering under my breath. “I’m going to go to sleep.”

  I could feel the pain in Mason’s chest at our separation; the way his body ached to join with mine was so real that it made me catch my breath as I slowly made my way up the stairs.

  I stopped when Hope gave me a look and then pulled me into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

  “He was wrong,” she said in a small voice, “to react that way, but he’s wolf. One thing you need to know about wolves is they react. It’s what they were born to do, to react, to heal, and above all else to protect their clans.”

  “What about their mates?” I suddenly jerked up my chin. “Doesn’t it matter who I am?”

  Her brown eyes softened. “It does when he has to face his family again, a family he left a long time ago — a clan all but abandoned. He is the rightful king. How do you think they will react to his return? With the way he looks? With the way you look? Bad enough that he mated a vampire.”

  I tried not to be offended.

  “What’s worse… you have goddess blood mixed in your veins, and people tend to be fearful of what they don’t understand. Who’s to say you don’t destroy them all?”

  I scoffed. “I would never do that! I don’t even have any power.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Maybe tell that to all the windows Ethan’s going to have to replace.” She touched my arm softly, “Look, I’m not giving him a free pass. All men are assholes — we can agree on that — but he already feels like the cards are stacked against him, and this was a surprising blow to an already full deck, alright? Don’t doubt his feelings for you. This is more about him, about his place, and let’s be honest, had he done the right thing all that time ago, this wouldn’t even be a big deal.”

  I gave her a look.

  She smirked. “Okay, so it would be a big deal but not like… apocalyptic or world-ending.”

  My eyes widened. “It’s not that bad.”

  “To the true Alpha, it will feel that way. There are certain—” She stopped as if she wasn’t sure she should say it. After glancing at the door, she lowered her voice. “—there are certain rituals you will need to take part in once he takes his rightful place, certain things you’ll see and…” She licked her lips. “…do.”

  I rubbed my arms as the sound of footsteps neared the bathroom door. Hope gave
me a nod before going to it and pulling it open. Alex had his hand up ready to knock. He was shirtless, his low-slung leather pants hung so painfully past what was appropriate that I had to look in his eyes. And something about his eyes always made me feel like he was… probing.

  I didn’t like it.

  He smirked as if he knew it and then kissed Hope on the cheek, “Ready for our shower?”

  “I think that’s my cue.” I felt my cheeks heat as I pushed past both of them and walked down the hall.

  Did I go to Masons room?

  Or the room I’d been staying in?

  Awkward didn’t even begin to cover it.

  I’d never felt so wrongfully out of place, my heart knew which direction to walk in, my soul screamed, my blood pounded against my flesh, and yet my mind told me that I should sleep it off — alone, give him space.

  Give us space.

  So much had happened in the span of forty-eight hours.

  Slowly, I walked back to the room that I’d been staying with and pulled off my shoes and clothes, with each garment I peeled away, I felt more and more distance stretch between me and Mason, until my chest ached so much I couldn’t stop the tears from falling down my cheeks.

  I didn’t ask to be born this way.

  I didn’t ask to live a life of complete isolation and loneliness.

  I curled into a ball and started to drift to sleep when the door to my room opened, footsteps sounded, the bed creaked, and then a warm body was lying down next to mine, its muscular form too great to ignore as I stilled next to him.

  “Never again,” Mason whispered in my ear. “Never walk away from me again without talking to me first. I’m your mate, not Hope, not Alex, not Ethan, not Cassius—” He growled in the back of his throat. “You. Are. Mine.” His teeth grazed the edge of my ear, and then he sighed, his head pressed against my neck. “I can be an ass.”

  I didn’t move. I was afraid he’d see the tear-stained sheets or the runny nose that refused to go away even though I had stupid goddess blood in my veins.