“Besides, I think we need to talk,” says Matthew.
Yeah, we do need to talk, but Matthew doesn’t know how dangerous my lycan mate is. I glance back once again and Matthew suspiciously turns to look behind us too. I know he can’t see them or their car. His human eyes aren’t sharp enough to see as far as mine can.
“I don’t know, I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
“Come on, Penny.” His eyes are hopeful. Maybe it’s the residual mate pull, as weak as they may be or the guilt for putting his life in danger, but I can’t say no to him. This is so not a good idea, Penny.
“Okay, but I can’t stay long,” I finally tell him as I turn off the engine while trying not to look behind us again.
I feel Darius’s anger as soon as I exit the car. This is a bad idea.
Bad idea.
The phone that Genesis lent me beeps with an incoming
message and I slide my finger across the screen to read it.
Darius: What are you doing, Malyshka?
I could almost hear him say that through gritted teeth. He is mad. I know. I can feel his fury.
“Is everything okay?” asks Matthew as he opens the door of the building for me.
“Yeah,” I tell him as I type my answer back to Darius.
Penny: Going into his apartment. Just need to talk.
Darius: No.
I sigh. Possessive neanderthal mate! Well, okay…if he were to go into an apartment with another girl that has feelings for him and he might have feelings for, I wouldn’t be too happy too. No, scratch that, I might go berserk.
Penny: I won’t be long.
Darius: Persephone
Penny: Darius
It takes a while before I received his next message. I feel him trying to calm himself down.
Darius: 5 min. If he touches you I’ll break his neck.
I don’t know if I can manage to talk to Matthew in that short amount of time, but I should be lucky he’s not here to break Matthew’s neck.
“Would you like something to drink?” asks Matthew as he closes the door and takes a few steps into the kitchen.
“No, thanks. I’m not thirsty,” I answer him. If I only have five minutes, I have to start talking now. Besides, I’m not very good at the subtlety or easing the subject into the conversation like normal people.
“Don’t mind if I do,” he says and I watch him turn the tap on and put a glass under it.
“Matthew, I think we should stop seeing each other.”
Matthew sputtered his drinks everywhere. “Wow, you go
straight for the jugular, don’t you Penny?” he says, wiping his chin. His face twisted as if he tasted something bad and pours the water down the sink. “Which one?”
“Huh?”
“I said which one?” he repeats his question as he searches his cabinet for something. His voice sounds harsh. This is the first time he talks to me like this. “Is it the pretty boy Darius, or is it that other pretty boy, what’s his name? Caspian?”
“They’re not pretty boys.” Pretty boys? That’s absurd. I’m feeling personally offended that he called Darius and Caspian pretty boys. “It really doesn’t matter. What really matters is this…us,” I point between the two of us. “This is not working.”
“How is it not working?” he asks. He produces a bottle of bourbon from the cabinet and pours it into his glass. “It must be one of those boys. It’s Darius, isn’t it?”
If only he knew his nightmare wasn’t really a nightmare and that I really am that monster that caused him to lose his sh!t last night, I’m sure he wouldn’t be fighting me on this.
“Please, let’s not fight,” I say as I try not to wince. My injured stomach starts to ache again. I need more painkillers. “Yes, it’s Darius…”
“I knew it! I knew it, Penny. You told me you were just friends, but I saw the way you were looking at each other. What about us Penny, huh? I was willing to give us a chance.”
“Oh, please, I know you’re still in love with Cece,” I tell him.
I’m starting to get pissed. I still remember how he reacted when Cece showed up at the cafe with Mason the other day. I knew I didn’t have much chance when it comes to Cece and I don’t have much patience with people who are trying to play victims.
“Leave Cece out of this. This is not about—”
There’a knocking on the door and Matthew groans. That must be Darius. I’m surprised he knocks like a civilized person. I was so sure he was going to kick the door like a caveman.
Matthew moves to open the door before I can move.
“Hi, Matthew,” says a feminine voice at the door. Cece. Her eyes widen when she spots me standing there. Great.
“Uh, Cece…” says Matthew awkwardly staring between Cece and me.
Cece gives me a heated glare. Jealousy is apparent in her eyes.
“I need to talk to you,” she says to Matthew as she
determinedly steps in. Matthew looks at her uneasily as he hesitantly closes the door behind her.
She crosses her arms and keeps staring at me pointedly. Here we are, the three of us just standing around looking at each other in silence.
I clear my throat just to break the silence and says, “So…huh!
This is…uh, different.”
“Would you like to sit down?”
“I really should go.”
Matthew and I say at the same time. Wow, this is not awkward at all!
I still feel a little possessive towards Matthew, but I know a big part of me belongs to Darius now. Once we’re fully mated, any feelings I may still harbor for Matthew will be gone and the attraction will eventually fade into nothing.
“Look, I really should go now,” I tell him.
“Oh, please, stay,” says Cece sarcastically as she unfolds her arms. She places her bag on top of a bookcase and drapes her cardigan at the back of the sofa, looking very much at home. It looks like this is her way of marking her territory. Just like a dog pissing on a fire hydrant.
“Don’t leave on my account,” she adds as she opens a cabinet and takes out a glass. She seems very familiar with the place.
She knows her way around. Yes, she’s pissing all over this place, marking her territory.
I look at Matthew, raising an eyebrow. He scratches the back of his head, looking guilty and about to say something when the front door bursts open. The doorknob bounces on the wall behind it, making a dent. The door looks like it’s coming off the hinges.
Darius storms in looking fierce followed closely by Caspian behind him. My 5 minute is up, it seems.
“What the hell?” yells Matthew.
“Persephone, we’re leaving. Now!” growls Darius. Neanderthal!
“Beany, let’s go!” says Caspian. Another Neanderthal!
I roll my eyes at the two. Oh, for goodness sake!!!
Cece is gaping at Darius and Caspian without a word.
Somebody should close her mouth before it hits the floor or the fly gets it….or something.
“Persephone,” says Darius again in a warning tone. He stalks closer and places his hand firmly on my back.
“Leave her alone. She’s not going with you,” says Matthew suddenly. Wow, somebody sounds brave, considering how
much taller the two lycans are. They’re practically towering over him, not to mention the wave of power emanating from them. Well, maybe humans don’t recognize or understand the wave of power as a danger warning that it is. Werewolves would have sensed it by now.
Darius’s hand circles my waist possessively and pulls me closer into his body. “She’s mine. She goes where I go. She’s coming with me,” he says. His anger is burning in my chest. His glacier blue eyes darken considerably.
Caspian isn’t looking too happy either. He’s holding the door open and when he tilts his head, I understand what he means.
I grab the back of Darius’s silky blond head to bring it down so that he’s looking at me. I stroke his cheek once and say, “Let’s go.”
“Penny,” says Matthew. I know he’s hurt. The mate bond makes it so, but this is for the best for him and for myself.
I ignore him as I take Darius’s hand in mine and walk out of the apartment, followed by Caspian. We take the stairs to get to the ground level.
I’m surprised to see that Matthew followed us all the way down. Cece isn’t far behind him.
I feel bad for him, but I know he loves Cece. Even if Darius wasn’t in the picture, I’m not good for him. I don’t know if he would ever get used to our world and be able to accept me for what I am.
When we reach his apartment parking area, I let go of Darius’s hand and walk to stand in front of Matthew.
“I’m sorry. You’re a good man, Matthew. I would like us to stay friends. I really do.” Then I turn to Cece who’s standing next to
him. “I think you two should talk…not fighting, but really talk…like adults. I know you love him…and he loves you.”
Note to self: take my own advice.
“Beany, key!” says Caspian, holding out his hand. I throw him the key and he easily catches it before he jumps behind the wheel of his shiny red Porsche.
Darius takes my arm and leads me to his black AMG Mercedes, parked right behind Caspian’s.
I watch Matthew and Cece standing at the curb as Darius rounds the car and slides into the driver’s seat next to me. They look like they belong together. Matthew and Cece. They’ve been together for so long that I feel like a third wheel whenever they’re in the same room even though he’s my mate.
I turn to look at Darius who sits behind the wheel staring at me with a curious look on his gorgeous face. I can’t even feel what he’s feeling right now when he puts that wall up.
“Tell me you want to be with me and not him. Tell me that you’re mine,” he says. His eyes intense, staring into mine as if trying to read my thoughts. I blocked my emotions from him as soon as he blocked his. Two can play the game.
“I want to be with you and no one else. I’m yours as you are mine,” I tell him, letting some of my feelings for him leaked through. I’m already good at this.
He slips his sunglasses on and his lips curve up into a sexy smug smile. He starts the car with a roar of the engine and drives off without saying another word.
He surprised me. He’s being more patient than I thought he would. I might have gone in there and killed somebody if he were to go into another girl who was supposed to be his mate’s apartment.
I look at Matthew and Cece who are still standing there through the car’s side mirror until they disappear from view. I hope they’ll work it out. I truly want Matthew to be happy.
When we reach home, I give Matthew’s car key to Lazarus so that he can drive it back to Matthew’s apartment.
Constantine announces that we’re going to have a meeting right after lunch.
It seems like our cook Anya is back even though she was given a day off. I think she’s not happy to have somebody else invaded her kitchen. I’m not complaining because she’s prepared enough food to feed an army with Rita’s help.
“I think Anya is worried that we’re going to replace her with Rita,” says Serena. Lunch is served buffet style in the backyard by the pool.
“As if we can replace her with anybody. Look at all this food,”
replies Genesis as she piles up her plate with a generous serving of everything.
“I’m glad our men decided to talk to us,” I whisper to Genesis and Serena.
Genesis laughs softly to herself. “Pending painting session can work wonders,” she says under her breath. Her eyes widen and her face turns beet red when she realized that she just said that aloud while Serena and I try not to burst out laughing…and fail.
I rub my sore stomach absently as I try to absorb the
information and secrets revealed to us during the meeting.
We’ve been sitting in Constantine’s office for half an hour now.
Lazarus and Serena are sitting close to each other on the love seat. Constantine is sitting on the armrest of a sofa where Genesis is sitting. His hand is playing with her red hair abstractedly.
Caspian is sprawled on a wingback chair with his feet up on the coffee table. He’s scowling and staring at his shoes like he’s trying to burn holes through them. I wonder if he’s thinking about the safety of this pack and his erasthai right now.
I’m sitting on a sofa with Darius. I tried to sit a bit further from him at the beginning, not wanting to distract him when he’s talking, but he pulled me close with my hand firmly in his.
His hand grips mine very tightly, almost painfully as he recounts what happened to his fellow officers’ mates. My heart breaks for him. I wonder what it’s like to be him. It must be so lonely. He’s busy trying to protect everybody, but who’s looking out for him?
I swear I’m going to be there for him from now on. As long as I live, I’m going to look after us and this pack.
“You’re one of us now whether you like it or not,” says Constantine.
“Nobody messes with anyone of us,” says Lazarus, echoing my thoughts.
“We have to get rid of the threat. We dig it out right to the source.” agrees Caspian in a steely voice. I’ve never heard him so serious. “We’re doing this together.”
“There’s a big royal party going to be held at the Palace. It’s King Alexandros’s & Queen Sophia’s Mating Godovshchina (anniversary) party,” says Constantine.
“What a joke,” scoffs Caspian with a harsh laugh.
“We were ordered to make an appearance, but we were
planning on avoiding it for Penny’s safety,” continues Constantine, ignoring Caspian’s outburst. “But now I think that’s a good place to start.”
I sense the feeling of dread coming from Darius though his expression is cold and uncaring.
“Malyshka,” he turns to me. “Would it be too much to ask if I were to ask you to stay away from Russia? I’ll send you anywhere…”
“No, I’m going where you and my friends are going,” I interrupt him. My heart is set and I let him know this through our shared
bond. If they’re going into the fire, then I’m going up in flames with them.
“Great! Now we’re just going to make sure no one else knows that you two are mated to each other,” says Caspian, looking at us with an amused smile. I look at him suspiciously with narrowed eyes.
For once Darius drops his stony expression as he drags his hand through his fair silky hair and lets out a frustrated groan
