We had decided to stay under Lucien’s roof and protection. Lucien knew that if we wanted to leave, he wouldn’t be able to stop us. We had done it once, and we could easily do it again.
When I realized Lucien believed Aria intended to kill him. It shocked me; We still didn’t know when or where. She still had the fly attached to her body, and because of that, Melissa could try to see if she could find out what Aria was up to and when she would try to kill Lucien. The problem was that she had left Lucien’s region, and we had to wait before our plan could be implemented. Lucien had pulled me aside and had tried to convince me he wasn’t with Aria. I had demanded to see his markings. We had had a full-blown argument. If he wasn’t her mate, how the fuck did he explain the markings on his wrist? Aria proudly showed off hers at every opportunity she had.
It was still a shock that the man we had spoken to was the wizard Ezra. Ezra was now in residence and did all he could to locate Enzo. He had vaguely explained what had happened all those years ago. Ezra had realized the only way to defeat Enzo was to trap them both on a different plane. He had been fighting Enzo from day one. Enzo had somehow weakened the barrier Ezra had put in place and successfully set them both free. Ezra was still finding it hard to adjust to the changes in the world and kept to himself as much as possible. Lucien, Damien, Jaden, and the other leaders were the only ones who saw him regularly. He had taken a liking to Melissa. Much to Jacob’s displeasure, she was often found in his rooms. Not that Melissa seemed to give a fuck what he thought. Only last week, I had witnessed them as they had stood toe to toe. One minute they had been arguing; the next, his mouth had covered hers with a hunger I had never witnessed before. I had expected Melissa to push him away; I hadn’t expected to see her return his kiss with reckless abandon. It still made me blush to remember their embrace. Neither of them knew what I had seen, and I intended to keep it that way.
I sat there looking down at the courtyard. The lights shone down onto the stone walls, making the shadows bounce. Spring had broken, causing the flowers to bloom; time passed quickly. It had been three weeks since my conversation with Lucien. I had been avoiding him. It could not happen for much longer. Every time I saw him, I ran the other way. I could see the frustration on his face, and I knew time was running out. At some point, he would catch me, and I won’t be able to get away. The others didn’t know that he knew about our son, and that’s how I wanted to keep it for now. I had enough on my plate without having my family get involved. Then there was Aria. I hadn’t seen her with Lucien for the last week or so. While she was around, there was no chance I could ever be with him. No matter what he told me. I would not put our child in danger. Astrid kept me updated on how he was doing and, for now, I had to be satisfied.
So far, Aria didn’t seem to know about the child we shared. I was on tenterhooks waiting for the day she found out. So far as we knew, Aria hadn’t tried to kill Lucien; it was only a matter of time before she tried. Before that happened, I would have to strike first and do it quickly. I will discuss that very subject with my family later this evening. It couldn’t be avoided. The sooner I got rid of her, the better.
BANG. BANG.
What the hell? I thought I was going to jump out of my skin.
Who would the hell knock on my door this time of night? There was only one person I could think of. Everyone else would be sleeping. I’m surprised that he didn’t just walk in. Standing, I walked over to the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled the door open. I was right about Lucien as he stood on the other side of the door. I wanted to demand what the hell he was doing here.
“What do you want, Lucien?” Turning away from the door, I walked further into the room. I heard the door close with a click.
LUCIEN
This woman holds my heart in her hands. She doesn’t know that she could break it in two with a few heartless words. She alone had made it beat again. I must get her to believe me. I have never felt this way before; not even with Aria were my feelings as strong. She has given me a son. I never thought I could love another as I did Scarlett. He is part of Scarlett, and I cannot but love him, though it is different from what I hold for Scarlett.
“She’s gone. For good.”
SCARLETT
Gone. The word goes around my mind. Am I supposed to believe him now? I stood there listening as he told me Aria was entirely out of the picture. Can I honestly trust what he was saying to me?
I turned to face him, taking in his rough appearance. This is the first time I have ever seen him so unkempt.
Taking a step forward, “I’m telling you the truth. Aria is gone for good. If she dares to show her face again, I will kill her,” Lucien growled, his promise to me.
“You have told me this so many times. How can I believe you?” I took a hasty step backward.
His coal-black eyes flashed red. ‘He’s telling you the truth; I would not lie to my mate.’
I could hear the sincerity in the deep rough voice of his demon, but could I trust Lucien? The words stick in my throat; I don’t know what to say. He says she’s gone for good, but what does that mean?
I held my hand up to warn him off as he took another step towards me.
“What do you mean, she’s gone for good? She’s your bonded mate.” I needed it clarified that she would not turn up out of the blue.
“She has never been my mate. I banished her. Banishment is a greater punishment than death. She will regret it if she dares to set just one foot on any of my regions or tries to harm you or our child. She would wither and vanish from existence.”
I so want to trust him; I can hear my witch and omega telling me to take that leap of faith. Should I? My feelings for this man, this demon who stood before me, have never wavered. I hated him, but I have always loved him under all that.
Many will call me stupid for what I’m about to do; my witch and omega are correct; I had to take that step of faith. Sensing my weakness, Lucien took my hand and pulled me towards him. A shiver ran down my spine as Lucien wrapped an arm around my waist, causing my heart rate to increase.
“I need you; so does my demon.”
He slams his mouth down onto my own. My mind can’t wrap itself over everything that’s happened. I want nothing more than to leave the past behind. Feeling bold, I swipe my tongue along the rim of his lips. As his lips open, I plunge forward. As we deepened the kiss, he pulled me closer to his body. All I can think about is how good he tasted. One minute we were standing, the next, we were crashing onto the bed with him on top of me. His mouth slams back down onto mine. I could never get enough of his kisses.
He lifted his mouth from mine; as I caught my breath, “You will always be mine as I am yours. Let no one tell you differently. You are the one thing I hold dear in this life, and now you have given me a son. Something I never thought would ever be possible. Now I have you back. I am never letting you go. Do you understand what you mean to me, to my demon? We are never fucking letting you go again. If anyone even thinks they can take you away from me, I will make them pay. If you have any doubts, talk to me.” His eyes searched mine as his love burned for me, spilling his heart out to me, “Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
How can this be the same man? My heart felt like it had exploded out of my chest. I’ve been so long without him. My heart and mind have always told me different things. Now, they’re on the same page. My heart is forever his. Throwing caution to the wind. “Yes, I understand,” I whispered.
At my words, his mouth covered mine. He kisses me with so much tenderness, his love for me pouring into my body as if he was healing past hurts. I dug my fingers into his scalp and returned his ravenous kiss, wrapping my arms and legs around him, trying to bring him closer. The kiss grew hot, heavy, and spiraled out of control. His kiss spread liquid heat through my entire body. He is the only one I want. I kissed him with so much force I’m sure it will leave bruises on my lips.
“Lucien,” I whispered his name out as he lifted his head. His coal-black eyes strip me bare, and he sees everything I have tried so hard to keep from him. The scorching look in his black coal eyes increased the desire soaring higher. Hastily, we stripped each other of our clothing until I lay naked before him. My soft, smooth skin cried out for his touch. I thrust my breast into the palm of his hand, his touch ignited flames in their wake. I rested my hand on his bare waist. He’s all solid muscle; I wanted to cocoon myself in him and indulge myself. Our bodies are flush, our hearts touching.
His hand slid across my belly as he fondled one firm round globe, its pink nipple marble hard. His hand slid down and cupped my pussy; fingers slid into my folds. I was drenched with need.
“Fucking perfect,” I heard him mumble as he laid kisses on my neck, “your pussy wants me. Do you feel your cream sliding over my fingers?”
“Yes,” I moaned as I felt him pinch my pebbled nipple; his lips moved down until he touched my nipple with tantalizing possessiveness.
“This pussy is mine. These tits are mine, and eventually, this ass will be mine,” he whispered into my ear. With every movement of his finger, I couldn’t stop panting as he rubbed my clit, rubbing me hard and pushing me towards orgasm. He slowly slid his fingers into my pussy and started to move them in and out.
“Do you want my cock inside you? Do you want me to fuck you so hard that you won’t be able to walk for the rest of the day?” He took the head of his cock, lined it up, and slammed inside.
“Oh god. Move,” I said, I needed more. Lucien’s eyes met mine, and a wicked grin split his lips. He pulled out and shoved himself back in. Over and over, he fucked me, making me cry out from how rough he was being. My eyes slid closed as my pleasure overcame me. I was so damn close. “Fuck me harder,” I have no shame in begging him.
“Fuck, come for me, squeeze my cock with that tight pussy,” he growled.
My eyes flew open; he was watching me. His fingers slid over my clit, my eyes closed, my body jerked as my legs wrapped around him. I was coming so hard I couldn’t control myself. I heard myself screaming as he continued to swirl my clit; just when I thought I couldn’t take much more, he grabbed me and shoved a pillow under my hips. Holding onto the headboard, he fucked me, causing the bed to slam into the wall. The entire bed shook with his movements. His fingers bit into my skin as he came; his breathing was hard as sweat dripped from his forehead and landed on me. When he opened his eyes, he bent down and kissed me. “Mine,” he glowed as his coal-black eyes flashed red.
“Yours,” I whispered back, wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt his dick as it hardened inside of me. He slowly rocked in and out of me.
He grinned down at me, “Time for round two,” he said, as he flipped me over onto all fours and pushed inside of me again.
I was still tumbling down from the high, our bodies naked and still moist from our lovemaking. I lay painting as my chest heaved. Our minds open, and our link reconnects until it is wholly joined. Every feeling and thought Lucien has for me hits me at full force. A burning sensation begins in my right wrist. It feels as if a fire is glowing from within. As if trying to tear my skin open. What the hell?
LUCIEN
Is it possible to love someone more than the woman sitting by my side? Until this moment, I would have said no now; I’m not so sure. I gazed down at the tiny child that I held in my arms. My son. As if sensing my gaze, his eyes opened, blinked. Startling, piercing gray eyes looked back up at me. It goes against everything I believe in, but to protect my son, I will agree, even if that means letting him leave with the witch who stood in the room with us; I could feel her dark gaze as she stared.
“You trust this woman?”
“Yes.” She turned her head to look over at the witch, “Joshua’s safe in Astrid’s hands.”
Joshua. It’s a strong name, one he will grow into. The woman Scarlett is talking about was a witch, and I knew she was full-blood just by looking at her. By the looks of her, a full-blood was alive and well. I couldn’t help wondering how many more were out there. At some point, I would have to find out where they were for if there was one, then I knew there were more of them. It had shocked me when she had appeared with our son. Holding him tenderly in her arms, I saw the distrust in her eyes as she had placed him in my arms. As if I would harm my child. I had to make sure Scarlett knew what she was doing before handing my son back to her.
‘Scarlett, are you sure we can trust her? I don’t need to ask you to know she’s a full-blood witch.’
She doesn’t turn her head to look at me; from the corner of my eye, I can see Scarlett as she smiles across at the witch. The witch who didn’t return the smile just frowned, her eyes darting back and forth between us.
‘We can trust her. I understand your concerns, but Astrid isn’t a full-blood. She’s part human. She would rather harm herself before anyone she classes as family or friend, and she’s my cousin.’
It was like a pin had dropped. Shit, what else was I going to find out about my mate?
‘Woman, you surprise me at every turn. What else have you not told me?’
‘Just as much as you haven’t told me! I’m sure there are a few surprises you have kept up your sleeve.’ Scarlett quipped back.
‘You will know everything about me in due time. Anything I might have kept back from you is for your own safety.’ I had yet to tell her about the one secret many didn’t know about. Damien knew who and what Chamuel was to me. We had decided long ago not to let our connection to each other out. So far, it had somehow worked. Oh, they knew I trusted him, but not the reason why. We preferred to keep it that way.
“If I agree you can take care of my son, let me warn you. If one hair on his head is harmed, I will search this Earth until I find you, and the outcome will not be pleasant.” It wasn’t a threat it was a promise. I meant every word that fell from my mouth.
“Lucien, we can trust her.” Scarlett reassured me, placing her hand on my arm, “She has been protecting and looking after him from the day I handed him over to her to look after, and that protection will not change now!”
I sat there in silence, gazing down at the tiny bundle in my arms. I looked up, looking first at Scarlett, then the witch. “I put my child back in your protection. Do not make me regret trusting you, I will hunt you down.”
She proudly raises her head, meeting my gaze. “I have given my word. While he is with me, he is safe in my arms.”
“Then we have an agreement.”
THREE WEEKS LATER
SCARLETT
None of us can believe it.
We now had a location where Megan and Nathan were being held. Instead of going in half-cocked, Lucien and the others had decided that it was a good idea to put it under surveillance. We just hoped it would not be a dead end. It was frustrating having to wait and see if our sister was there or not. We had told Lucien that we intended to be there when the place was stormed. He hadn’t been happy but, after a lot of arguing, had reluctantly agreed to let us go. He hadn’t wanted me to be included and had he’d tried everything, none had worked. Just because we are now together doesn’t mean he can tell me what to do. He had to understand I needed to be there. We were worried about Megan and what had happened to her while in the hands of an unknown enemy. I shouldn’t be annoyed that Lucien was still keeping things from me. I was doing the same. Some things were not mine to reveal.
Now we stood amongst Lucien and the other men. Lucien and the others had wanted to know if Enzo might have been involved with the naturals and humans that had and were still going missing. Ezra was the only one who could answer that question. He hadn’t ruled it out. Anything was possible. If it turned out that Lucien’s suspicions were correct, then we were in more trouble than any of us realized. We also needed to know if he was working with someone or doing this alone. Tonight, we might find the answers to who was behind the kidnapping of the naturals and humans.
I looked over to where Lucien was standing with a group of his men and the other leaders.
Our gazes met. Lucien still wasn’t happy that I was here. Did he not realize that I worried about him just as much as he worried about me? I had listened to his protests, and some I could understand. When he had brought our child into it, I had protested. Did he not realize I was doing this for my sister and our son? I didn’t want him to be brought up in a world of fear. I knew of the danger I was putting myself in.
I wanted to go over to him and take him into my arms, but this wasn’t the time or place. I joined our mental link, touching our minds. Images form in his mind of us together. Our bodies are entwined. His eyes darkened, burning with promise as he stared at me. Daringly, I licked my lips, then with a slight smile of satisfaction, I turned my head away and looked at my family. They knew we were together and would have to get over their disapproval.
We’re dressed in black leather, black leather boots on our feet. Strapped to our thighs were knives and handguns. I had noticed the shock on the men’s faces when we had walked into the room. Did they think we would be dressed in flowing floor-length dresses? We were intentionally going into the unknown and didn’t know what would meet us on the other side. If they even got a whiff that we were there, then we could be in a lot of trouble. Lucien had told us about the plan. There were three teams.
Along with Damien and Jax, Lucien was in team one with a hand full of Lucien’s and Jax’s men. Team two were Jacob and Gil-Galad and their own men; Team three held Reid, the Angel Archer, along with their own people. With them was the wizard, Ezra.
Team one was to go in first. Once Lucien had given the all-clear, team two would join them, then shortly after, team three. We were to join the second and third teams. We all left the building with Lucien’s instructions and bundled into three armored personnel carriers. I had seen nothing like it before. These were enormous beasts; I knew each one could easily hold twelve people or more at a time. I, Melissa, Emma, and Ava were in team two. Pamela, Abigail, Evelyn, and Mia were with team three and would be the last to enter the building.
As we rolled out, the noise of the vehicle was so loud I wouldn’t be surprised if they wouldn’t hear us coming. It was bad enough in here. What was it like outside? God only knows who would listen to us arriving. I felt as Mia bumped into me.
“Sorry,” she mouthed as I turned my head and looked at her. I could feel the vehicle move under us as we rattled around. Shit, if I wasn’t careful, I was going to end up on my ass on the floor in a heap. No one could call this a soft ride. I hoped it wouldn’t take too long for our destination. Otherwise, I could see us all ending up with numb asses by the time we got there. I glanced over at Melissa and Emma. They weren’t faring much better.
I felt the natural beside me bump into me, really; I was getting it from both sides. I felt like giving them both a shove back, but knew it wasn’t their fault. I had banged into the natural next to me more than once. Shit, did this always happen?
I turned my head to say sorry to the dark-haired natural next to me. I wished I hadn’t bothered. His head rolled back and forth while his mouth hung open. I couldn’t drag my eyes away. I watched a trickle of drool leak from the corner of his mouth and slide down onto his chin. I gazed at his face. He looked to be fast asleep.
‘Yuck.’ It wasn’t a welcoming sight.
I felt the elbow dig into the side of my body. Now that wasn’t an accident. It fucking hurt. I swung my body around until I was partially facing Mia. “What?” I whispered in annoyance.
“Do you think it will take us long to get there?” Mia asked.
Really, she was asking me that. How was I meant to know? “A couple of hours,” I replied, shrugging shoulders. “I really don’t know.”
“Lucien didn’t tell you?” she said, face crinkled in confusion.
“No, Mia, he never told me. You were there and heard the conversation like all the rest of us,” I reminded her.
“Well, I thought he might, you know, tell you more,” she replied, with a goofy grin on her face.
What on Earth was she on about? “Well, he hasn’t. I know as much of the rest of you,” I huffed as I turned away.
“Well, you would think he would have told you. I wish it would hurry and get us there,” she whispered in my ear. I wished she’d shut up and stop talking nonsense.
I heard the groan from the natural, “Can you shut up with your constant whining? We will get there when we get there. If you didn’t want to travel, you should have stayed behind.” Really? Was he listening to our conversation the whole time? “The location is out of the way, so we will have to go partly on foot.”
What? I can’t remember that part of the conversation. Fucking hell. I looked over at Melissa and opened our link. ‘Melissa, did you know that we would have to go on foot part of the way?’
‘Yeah, Lucien told us. Don’t you remember?’
‘Apparently not!’ I replied. Shit, I must have missed that part of the conversation, and why hadn’t he told me last night?
‘Ok. Lucien told us we would travel for about two hours in one of these contraptions. Then be on foot for about half an hour. He didn’t want to alert them we were coming.’
Great. Two hours in this thing. I just knew we were going to end up with sore backsides. Then there was the natural sat next to me. After hearing his voice, I was sure that I was seated next to a vampire. I could feel those blue eyes burning into me. I will not meet his gaze; I will not meet his gaze. With a groan, I turned my head. “What?!” I asked.
“Nothing,” he replied as he met my gaze and slowly looked me over from head to toe, lingering on my breasts, “so you’re the one everyone’s been talking about. You know you are just Lucien’s plaything?”
What the hell. Is that what everyone thinks? The bastard. “Why don’t you fuck yourself, vampire? I’m no one’s plaything and, especially not Lucien’s!” I told him, turning my head until I faced the others. What a dick.
“What’s wrong?” Melissa mouthed across at me with a frown.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Nothing,” I mouthed back. “I will tell you later.”
We settled into a serene silence. As time passed, my bum got numb. I have resisted the urge to wiggle in my seat, hoping to give it some relief.
“Have we much longer to go?” Mia shouted out, breaking the silence. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but my backside is sore!”
Really? I turned my head to look at her. “What?” she asked, eyes open wide as our gazes met, the palms of her hands turned upwards shoulders shrugged, “I’m only telling the truth; my ass is sore.”
I heard the snigger from next to me. “At least she’s truthful,” I heard from the natural seated next to me. I felt him sit up and saw from the corner of my eye as he leaned forward and turned his head so he could see Mia, “we should stop in the next few mins.”
If he didn’t shut the hell up, I was going to punch him.
“Oh,” Mia said as she leaned forward and turned to meet the gaze of the natural who sat on the other side of me. “Thank you!” she cooed with a vast, bright smile on her face.
“You are welcome, love,” he replied with a wink and a smile back, then leaned back into the seat. Completely ignoring me as if I wasn’t even there.
Really, so he could be nice to her, but he was a bastard to me? No matter if they were natural or human, men can be a pain in the ass.
I felt the vehicle jerk as it slowed down. We have come to our destination. It’s been nearly a year since we had seen Megan. Had it been so long? It didn’t seem possible.
Could Megan really be here?
