by K. Rea
“She’s awake,” the gravelly voice beside me stated. I looked at the man; his eyes met mine—stormy and gray. Alex and the vampire beside me didn’t look alike. Alex was handsome, fair-haired, and pale, most likely from a life in the nightclubs. He had the lithe build of a dancer. The man beside me was rugged, with dark hair and a tan, as if he spent his free time outdoors, and his muscled body showed it.
“Aiden Kensley, heir to the Court of Shadow’s throne. Perhaps we should talk,” he suggested. I nodded hesitantly in return as Aiden turned his body toward me. His clothes still had bits of dirt from our tussle in the streets ground into them. The smell of the docks clung to his skin, mingling with the scent of citrus and sandalwood that was uniquely him.
“Let’s start simple—what is your name? Or would you prefer Evie?” Aiden asked smoothly, some vampire charm laced into his words. I kept silent. I could hear dance music through the wall from where I sat. Still in Elexon then, in the VIP section, based on the leather couch they placed me on. I took stock of my situation. There were only two of them, but I had to overpower them both before I could even attempt to escape. Luckily, I could feel the weight of my dirk and small pistol against my ankles—the fools hadn’t bothered to frisk me properly.
“Do you recall your name?” Aiden asked. I realized I had been quietly staring at him a bit too long.
“Evie is fine,” I muttered; Aiden frowned.
“I don’t know if you fully grasp the gravity of your situation; you don’t seem to be remotely afraid. You were caught in possession of tungsten weapons. You attempted to assassinate a prince of the Court of Shadows. Both crimes punishable by death—if the Court is merciful,” Aiden said as he stared me down as if he could pin me to the seat with that steely look. “Are you working for the Court of Light? Did they send you? If you are forthcoming, I may be able to help you.”
“I don’t know anything about the Court of Light. No one sent me,” I spoke clearly.
“Aiden, this is a waste of time. She’s not coerced; she’s choosing to be difficult. She’s not some little wilting flower. She’s got a bite,” Alex stated as he gestured to his healed shoulder.
“You know as well as I do that the Court of Light has a foothold here in Seattle, I wouldn’t put it past them to send a pretty face to ensnare one of us. I’d rather deal with this here then go home. Unless you’d like to explain to the king how a slip of a girl got the better of you,” Aiden stated bluntly. Alex rose from his seat, bracing his hands on the couch behind my head. The soft leather sunk under his weight, bringing his body closer to mine. He smelled of apples and blood.
“Look, answer my brother’s questions quickly and with respect. We would be happy to sink our fangs into you to get the answers we want,” Alex’s tone was gentle as he whispered into my ear, but that did nothing to soften the threat. The urge to rip that pretty boy’s throat out hit me hard, but I swallowed my growl and did my best to move away from his cool touch. He didn’t seem the kind to bluff.
I flexed my wrists to test the bindings’ strength again. They shifted and tighten around my wrists; the sharp sting of silver stilled me. Now tight against my skin, it was clear the ropes were laced with the slightest amount of silver, enough to trap me in human form but not enough to do permanent damage. The delicate skin around my wrists smarted like the edge of frostbite from the metal. I looked to Aiden; his expression hardened. Aiden knew. He knew I tested the ropes, same as he knew I could now feel the silver. He knew what I was. How could he not after I changed in front of him? The Dark Prince, the moon shadows’ personal boogeyman. I should thank the Goddess he didn’t kill me outright the night I bumped into him.
“Alex, sit down,” Aiden ordered, “Tell me, Evie, why did you attack my brother? Believe me when I say I’ll know if you’re lying.”
“He murdered my parents and broke the law,” I answered. Alex rose from his seat and grumbled as he walked away to a minibar in the corner. He grabbed the closest bottle and poured an excessive amount into a glass tumbler, slamming it back in one go.
“Laws of humans and packs do not apply to my brother. Did you reach out to the local barrister about your grievance?” Aiden asked.
“No, he’s a prince. He broke our law. He killed my parents; I have a right to exact revenge. Blood for blood,” I explained. Even if my father’s policy books were still valid, I doubted I could talk my way out of this. Alex poured another drink and sipped it.
“Trust me, even princes bow before the king and his law. Maybe, if you had presented your claim to the Court, we could have granted some remedy. There are laws that could allow a subject to seek revenge against another, but very few laws would allow you to go against an heir—especially as a moon shadow. I am sorry for your loss and the misfortune that awaits you, lass,” Aiden said before he turned toward his brother.
“Alex, tell me what you intend to do with her before you run off and do something rash,” Aiden stated, rising from the couch, running his hands through his hair. He looked weary and frustrated as he turned to leave.
“Don’t you dare leave me alone with him,” I growled; the wolf in me bristled. Alex smiled at me when I caught him staring. Of my future options, I got the distinct impression execution wasn’t what he had in mind for me. That would be too kind, given his reputation.
“Don’t try to alpha me, little wolf. That trick won’t work on me. You don’t get to tell me what I will and won’t do,” Aiden said darkly.
“In-between the bodies of my parents, your brother left his signature. Two black roses tied together with a gold ribbon. Your family is the only one I know that has a vendetta against mine,” I explained, careful not to look directly into Aiden’s eyes. Instead, I stared at the broad shoulders and the black buttons of his dress shirt.
“How long ago was this?” Alex asked.
“A few months ago,” I responded. I looked at Aiden’s hair, focusing on its length, the way it curled at the base of his neck and fell ever so slightly in front of his eyes.
“Unfortunately, I can swear that Alex and his mermaid have been a thorn in my side the last few months, in Canada, until this afternoon,” Aiden explained. He paced slowly in front of me; I could feel his stare. My heart stopped. If what he said was true, Alex couldn’t have killed my parents. I’d done all this for nothing.
“Perhaps whoever killed your parents only wanted you to think Alex had killed them,” Aiden whispered.
“At least tell me who you really are. There are no moon shadow packs in Washington,” Aiden stated, as if that negated my very existence. Perhaps he was right. I had been played, or at the very least, my family was a pawn in someone else’s game.
I had gladly walked to my death by entering this club to kill an heir. Pursing my lips, I refused to answer. Aiden frowned. The prince stopped pacing while I did my best to stare past him, through him, or at the art behind him on the wall. The splash of gold, red, and navy like drops of food coloring or ink in water swirled behind him. I tried to let the abstract distract me from him, all six feet and toned muscle of him.
I refused to meet his gaze. Aiden was far more powerful than Ben had been. I could feel the pull of his power, his charm trying to catch my gaze. I wanted to escape this moment. I looked swiftly to the floor and jumped when Aiden put his calloused hand on my chin and gently forced my head up to look into his eyes.
“Who were your parents? Who are you, little wolf?” Aiden whispered. Oh, how I wanted to escape into those eyes, into those arms. I couldn’t resist that soft, warm charm that pulled at me. I wanted to taste those lips, to hear him say my name in pleasure as his question caressed my mind. I knew that I’d regret the words before they slipped between my lips. There was no stopping them.
“Evelyn Adeline Wolfrik. My father was Jackson Wolfrik, and my mother was Georgia Wolfrik.”
Aiden frowned, closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath
. His hand fell away as he opened his eyes again. Alex approached with my knife, playing with it. He looked comfortable with it, despite the fact it had recently been lodged in his shoulder. He grasped the hilt; he had wrapped it in his shirt to protect himself from an accidental graze with the tungsten. He looked like a menacing fallen angel, ready to exact retribution.
“I heard another Wolfrik son was born a few decades ago in Montana. No one reported you or that your family had moved to Washington,” Aiden stated, intrigued. “Your parents took great lengths to hide you from us.”
He was lying. He had to be; my parents never lived in Montana—did they? My grandfather had a ranch there when I was growing up. We spent the summer there every year until the incident in the woods. I never went back, but father and Orion often did. Orion always claimed they hunted and trained on those trips.
“She could be lying. The witches cursed her bloodline. Wolfriks aren’t able to produce female offspring,” Alex argued; he gingerly held my dagger as if it would attack him of its own accord.
“She’s not lying. She’s a Wolfrik, she’s weak and young, but a Wolfrik,” Aiden responded. I felt the heat of his gaze, and his charm creeping up on me as he spoke. “Her story explains the tungsten weapons. This pistol matches the one I found here last week; it has her scent on it. During the Shadow Wars, vampires and moon shadows cultivated all the tungsten that was in use. Now our enemies create artificial tungsten, but that blade is genuine. The hilt is worn down, but it has the Wolfrik crest, not the symbol of the blazing sun of the Court of Light,” Aiden explained.
“Alex, has father given you any other assignments in the last few months? Or anyone from the Justice Quarter?” Aiden asked, turning to confront his brother. The moment he turned his back, I quietly worked to loosen the ties that bound me.
“I knew I would be shackled to you in Canada. I passed everything from Justice to Ciara since you refuse to do them anymore,” Alex said. He slammed both hands on the black granite counter in frustration, cracking the countertop and burning himself on the tungsten dagger. Alex hissed and shoved the blade off the counter, sending it skidding across the floor. He braced his hands on the counter, huffing in frustration. Taking advantage of his distraction, I worked myself free of the silver laced roped.
“Tell me you didn’t send Ciara out on a job. A job resulting in the moon shadow alpha’s death!” Aiden bellowed. I was just as frustrated; I had pursued the wrong person. It wasn’t Alex. I should have sought his sister, Ciara.
“The report said they were shifters causing unrest in the area, refusing to pay taxes, breaking laws, and exposing themselves to humans. She said that their kids were there, but they weren’t part of the warrant. Ciara waited until they left. I assumed she meant children, not grown adults. I didn’t tell her to leave my roses at the scene,” Alex explained.
“You may not have done it, but a Kensley did. Ciara broke the covenant,” Aiden stated.
“I’ll reach out to Piper and see if she can trace the order back through Justice Quarters,” Alex whispered. “Father will be livid.”
“Livid? Gaius may execute Ciara over this! Not one, but two Wolfrik deaths at the hands of a Kensley vampire? The moon shadows’ exile is broken. They can move around the Court of Shadow all they want and exact revenge for their dead. The Wolfrik bloodline heir can challenge for Gaius’ throne if they want,” Aiden declared.
Alex was strong, Aiden was stronger. Power emanated off him in waves of passionate fury.
“Don’t get up from that couch,” Aiden whispered, and I felt a tug to obey him. The final rope fell from my wrists, and I changed form. Aiden turned to face me, his face full of annoyance and regret.
Standing on the couch, I dug my claws into the soft leather and growled. I leaped to the floor, and pain bloomed behind my eyes, quickly growing into a full-blown migraine. Everything in the room was too bright, too loud, too everything. With a whine, I slumped next to the couch. Alex’s eyes were black as night as he approached me, his vampire power incapacitating me.
“Alex, that’s enough,” Aiden ordered. I closed my eyes to stop the sensory overload and attempted to crawl to the door. Even that proved to be too much as the pain overwhelmed me, forcing me to change back into a human. The agony in my head receded slowly as Aiden picked me up from the floor and placed me back on the couch.
“Unfortunately, you tried to kill my brother and failed. Therefore, you are no longer a free subject. As a representative of the Kensley house, we will take you to the Court. Once there, the king will decide what to do with you. The life you had before you walked into Elexon is over. I need to talk to Ciara,” Aiden stated dully. He picked up the silver-laced rope and retied the bindings around my wrists, though they felt looser than before. I watched Aiden walk out of the room and slam the door behind him, the wall shuddering at the impact. Alex had a look of misery on his face as he watched his brother leave.
“You seem scared. I won’t kill you. That would be a pointless and messy affair. I don’t need more trouble; Ciara is in enough of it as it is.” Alex murmured before rising from his chair to pick up the dagger he had shoved to the floor. “If it’s any consolation, my sister was only following orders. As the heirs, they charge us with keeping the peace and ensuring humans stay unaware of our world.”
“I’m not scared,” I whispered. If I could only force one of my hands into my boot, I could grab my dirk before he noticed.
“Heartbeats don’t lie. I sense yours; I can feel your pulse. Your heart skipped a beat, and your blood is flowing faster through your veins. I admit you’ve surprised me many times tonight. Perhaps I’ve misread you, and you’re not frightened, are you attracted to me?” I recoiled in disgust, and Alex laughed.
“I thought not, though I think you may like my brother a bit. At least you haven’t stabbed him yet.” Alex pulled a seat forward and sat in front of me.
“Do you have even the faintest idea how much a tungsten dagger like this hurt?” He twirled the dagger in his hand. “It’s like molten glass burning its way through everything it touches,” Alex said. “I guess it’s the same for you and silver. Not a pleasant feeling.”
Alex flicked the dagger at a spot near my head, and I did my best not to flinch as it flew past. Now that he was directly in front of me, I could see his shoulder sported a ragged star-shaped scar from where I had twisted the dagger. The same dagger now embedded in the wall above me, just out of reach. He moved to sit down on the couch next to me.
“The Shadows Wars were before my time. I’ve never met a female moon shadow. Their men always keep them hidden within the pack, out of sight. I’ve always wondered what one would taste like. I’m especially curious what you would taste like. Your blood almost sings to me, as pure as virgin snow on a cold winter night,” Alex whispered.
“Pure, cold, and dark enough to kill. A dangerous combination,” he said as he watched me with the unnatural stillness of a predator. I couldn’t hold back my growl at his words.
“Come now, you know you’re curious. It’s tempting, isn’t it, just the thought of being bitten by a vampire? Even with a dagger in my shoulder, with you on top of me, I wanted to take a bite out of that smooth ivory neck. You’re definitely trouble, but we could still have fun,” Alex suggested. His voice soft and sultry as he moved closer.
“She-wolf, you smell like heaven,” Alex groaned, his breath tickling my ear. The smell of apples and blood hit my nose, jolting me from the hazy fog of his charm.
“Keep your fangs to yourself,” I growled. The moment his damp lips touched my neck, I reared back and punched him in the throat. My vision blurred with exhaustion; the silver didn’t help, but I still managed to put some force behind the hit. He landed in an ungraceful heap beside the couch as Aiden walked in. Aiden tossed me a plastic bottle of water, the plastic crinkling in my hands as I caught it. He looked pissed.
“Alex, I told you, no
biting. You’re better than that. Leave her alone. We have to leave soon. Word of what happened here is going to get out soon. We can’t leave her here in werewolf country, and someone may stage a rescue attempt soon. Your club isn’t exactly a fortress,” Aiden said to Alex.
“I’ll keep that in mind next time I build a club. We bring the girl with us. She’ll liven things up,” Alex said, gracefully rising from the floor.
“That’s the last thing we need,” Aiden stated dully. “How did you find us? No one can find this place unless someone else shows it to them first.”
“My father used to mention that Shadow clubs existed all along this street when he was in college. I’ve made a variety of friends in the city. I don’t remember which one showed me this club,” I mumbled.
I wasn’t about to put Royce in the path of this attractive monster. Aiden frowned as if he knew my train of thought or sensed I lied to him. Even with those smoldering eyes, I’d stake this predator through the heart. Damn him for his unnatural charm and devastating looks.
“Tell me where you live. I can send someone to fetch a few belongings before we leave,” Aiden offered. He wanted information. He’d find Royce and my brother.
“No, thanks.”
“I can promise no one will be hurt,” Aiden said. He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, suggesting he’d go himself.
“What’s the worth of a promise from a Kensley to a Wolfrik? The Court of the Darkness and the damned can take you. I don’t trust you.” I glared at him, wishing I could knock that self-assured smirk off his rugged face.
“The Darkness won’t have me. They threw me out once; they would do it again,” Aiden said. He walked across the room, his boots echoing on the wooden floor. “I will find out what I want to know. You can tell me, and the people you are protecting will be better off, or you can continue to act like a petulant child and piss me off, little wolf.”