“Am I so bad?” He sounded hurt, and I hated that I’d done that, hated the way it made his voice rasp. “Am I so bad that you won’t even try?”
“There’s nothing to try, Wilder. The mate bond doesn’t work like that. We’re made for each other. I either accept it or I don’t.”
He approached me then, swiftly and without remorse, and damn me to hell, but I let him. I could have stopped him, but I didn’t. I let him pull me into his arms, my back against the wall, our lips a breath apart.
“Tell me how to change your mind.” His eyes burrowed into mine, that tether between us coiling tight around my heart. “Tell me how, Aella, and I’ll do it. Anything.”
My wolf purred at the sound of my name on his tongue. She wanted me to reach out, run my fingers through his dark hair and pull him against my mouth. The drive was so intense, I almost conceded. Almost.
“Do you know what I do, Wilder? I hunt rogues like you. I hunt them down and I end them before they can make a mess of the world.” He tensed at the admission. “It isn’t always right, and it isn’t always pretty, but someone has to do it to keep things in order, to keep humanity alive. My hands are covered in red, and it’ll never stop. My work will never be done. Not for as long as I live. Can you handle that?”
He hesitated. Just a second. But it was long enough.
I stepped out of his arms. “That’s what I thought. You don’t want me. Not really. You don’t even know me. So, do yourself a favor and find someone else. Another girl can give you all the things I can’t, family, comfort, stability. None of that is me. And I won’t change my life just because the universe fated me to be with you.”
The words burned like acid in my mouth. If I was honest with myself, I didn’t want him to find another girl. The idea of seeing him with someone else, kissing them, holding them, raising a family with them... My wolf raged against it. But I’d made a life for myself that I loved. It was a part of me. And I refused to trade who I was for a male. For anybody.
To my absolute shock, Wilder started laughing. Laughing. Full belly chuckles that reverberated in my bones. I wanted to snarl at him, to slap him. He wasn’t taking this seriously.
“Find someone else...” he scoffed. “Knowing you’re out there somewhere. Knowing what it feels like to even be around you.” We stared at each other for a long, silent moment, and he was serious again. “I’m not asking for anything you won’t give me, Aella. I’m not even asking for you to accept me right now. Just, don’t push me away. Let us get to know each other. Allow us that much.”
My instinct was to deny, deny, deny. He would change everything. He’d change me. But a little voice whispered in the back of my mind, halting me.
Are you so easily shaken? It wondered. Won’t you give yourself this chance?
And as I looked at him – his short brown hair unruly from sleep, those steel-blue eyes burning holes in my flesh, the way he rocked on his toes as if gravity were pulling him toward me – I knew my answer.
“Fine,” I agreed. “Get to know me. But I won’t promise you’ll like what you find.”
A wicked, dimpled grin lit up his face. Beautiful, this male. He truly was beautiful.
“I’ll take my chances,” he answered.
I had the niggling, nagging sense that I was completely and thoroughly done for.
15
Ryn
The music was thumping, bass so loud even the floor shook. I was pretty positive that I could feel myself going deaf.
Bodies twirled around me, grinding, and writhing in a way that nearly felt obscene to watch. There was a strange golden powder misting the entire place. It rained from the ceiling, coating the floor and sticking to people’s skin. It shimmered like glitter, staining people’s lips as they tilted their heads back and caught it with their tongue.
Out of curiosity, I held my hand out and popped my finger into my mouth, expecting it to taste like honey. But it didn’t have a taste at all. Ugh. What was the point?
“So, this is the New York coven?” I asked in a clipped tone.
I mean, it wouldn’t have been so bad if not for the bodies bumping into me at every side. And seriously, did the music have to be this loud? Everyone in this place had extra sensitive hearing. There was no need for the human-sized amplifiers overhead to be dialed up to max volume.
Luke’s answering grin was alluring and more than a little wicked. He reached around me, running his hands up my hips, skimming the exposed skin between my jeans and top. I leaned back against him as his lips pressed against my ear.
“There are things to like about it,” he rumbled.
Okay… he had a point. Nobody in this place was giving us a second glance. They were all preoccupied with their own bodies swaying to the music.
My heart started to thump as fast as the erratic bass. More gold mist rained down, dusting my skin and hair as we swayed together. My limbs were turning to liquid. I could feel every muscle of Luke’s firm body pressed against my back.
His lips pressed against my neck as my head swirled. Not for the first time, I wondered what this gold stuff really was.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I wanted to lie. Mostly because I didn’t want to stop dancing with him like this. The flirtation between us made my blood sizzle and I wasn’t ready for it to end. But I had to keep my head on straight. We weren’t here to dance like the rest of these vamps. We were here to talk business.
“My head feels a little funny,” I admitted.
He nodded and spun me in his arms so that we stood face to face. “It’s called euphoria. It’s a drug that inebriates supernatural’s whenever it’s inhaled or absorbed on the tongue.”
My eyes nearly bugged. A drug? I was on drugs?! I’d never done drugs in my life!
He chuckled at the sight of my rising panic and swiped his thumb across my cheek. It came away golden. Which meant I was covered in this stuff. In fact, Luke was too. His golden blonde hair shimmered with it. It dusted the corners of his eyes, his straight nose, the hollow of his throat. He looked like something out of a dream.
“Don’t worry, honey. It’s essentially the same as having a heavy alcohol-induced buzz. You’ll be fine.”
“But the meeting…”
He brought his thumb to my lips, and all thoughts of our purpose for being here died in my brain. We were caught in each other’s gaze as I opened my mouth and swirled my tongue around the golden appendage.
Luke’s breath hitched in his throat, his hazel eyes bleeding to black. His lips parted, revealing the tips of pointed fangs as he watched me.
When I released his thumb, he leaned forward, going straight for my lips. I stopped him with my palm.
“Can’t,” I grinned. “I need a designated driver.” If he kissed my lips, he’d inevitably ingest some of this stuff too. And at least one of us should be on our game tonight.
His breath rushed out as he leaned into my ear again, and I could hear the smile in his voice. He loved my teasing. “You’re wicked,” he growled.
My arms started to feel tingly as I waved them out at my sides. I was having so much fun! How had I disliked this place when we first got here?
“As for the meeting, I think you’d better let me handle this one,” he smiled. “Will you be alright for just a few minutes?”
“Of course!” I shouted over the music. I knew I should insist on going with him, but I really didn’t want to stop dancing.
Luke’s arms enclosed around me. A welcome breeze kissed my skin. And I suddenly found myself in a corner near the bar. There were fewer people crowded in this spot. Plenty of room for me to twirl around without smacking someone.
A look of apprehension crossed his face as he watched me. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I swatted him away. The sooner he was done with business, the sooner he could come back and play.
“I’m fine,” I leveled him with a firm look. “I’ll be right here when you get back.”
He nodded
and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you. Give me ten minutes.”
He was gone in a blink, but the butterflies stayed. I’d never get tired of hearing those three words.
I twirled again and again, throwing my head back to catch more of the euphoria on my tongue. That is until a big body pressed against mine – far too close for comfort.
Every part of me went taut as I shoved away.
“Not interested,” I snapped.
But the strangers’ hands reached for me again, this time closing around my wrists and pinning my arms to my sides. “You used to be,” he breathed in my ear.
Cold dread washed over me so violently I felt as if I might hurl. I tried to spin around, but the owner of that voice still had me pinned against him, holding me in place. That voice… That voice belonged to Brian, my ex-boyfriend. But Brian was human, and this guy was displaying some pretty incredible strength.
He snorted, but there was no humor in it whatsoever. “Brian and Ryan. It had a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
I thrashed against him, panic rising. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t possible. Unless… Unless somehow Brian was no longer human at all.
Finally, he spun me to face him. I wobbled on uneven legs, blinking away the gold dust on my eyelashes. And there he was. Brian Cline. The guy I used to think I loved. The guy I’d pined over and crushed hardcore on before he ever even noticed me. The guy I’d found cheating on me with my best friend. Except he wasn’t exactly the same. There was a sense of danger about him now that was never there before. His brown hair was perfectly combed, his skin didn’t have a single blemish, and as I looked into his eyes, I found that they were completely crimson.
Brian was a vampire.
“Who’s your new boyfriend, Ryn baby?” He caught a lock of my hair, twirling it between his thumb and forefinger.
“You’ve met,” I growled.
Anger flashed in his eyes. That lock of hair in his grasp pulled tight, and suddenly his entire hand was fisted against my scalp. To anybody looking, it would appear like a lover’s embrace. But in reality, it hurt like a motherfucker.
“The last time we met, we weren’t evenly matched,” he hissed.
Oh, I remembered. Luke had throttled Brian until he practically ran away with his tail tucked between his legs. Who could forget that?
But if he thought that his becoming a vampire would give him a better chance at winning a fight with Luke, he was dead wrong. Luke was powerful. There weren’t many alive who could best him.
“We’ll find out. He’ll be back any minute. Now. Let. Me. Go.”
His answering smile sent a chill right down my spine. “No can do, baby. As tempting as that offer is, it’ll have to wait. You’re coming with me.”
Even in my misty, addled brain, panic was a raging train blaring its horn in my head. I wasn’t going one gods-damned place with Brian. He’d have to kill me first.
Instinct kicked in as he moved to scoop me up. My elbow shot up, clipping the underside of his chin so hard I heard his teeth clack together. I swung my other arm back, winding up to nail him in the ribs when someone else caught me in their hold.
Three more vampires descended on me, each young-looking men. They grabbed each arm while one yanked me back against him by my torso. Between the three of them, I was completely ensnared.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I couldn’t let them drag me out of here. If I left the New York coven, Luke might never find me.
Recovering from my hit, Brian strode forward and wiped the blood from his lip. His teeth were bloody as he smiled down at me, and I writhed, straining against the grips of his friends so I might hit him one more time.
He grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet those black, soulless eyes. “This is going to be fun.”
16
Aella
“Must you be carried at all times?” Tara grumbled as Jamie clung to her back.
We’d been moving like this for two days, trying to catch some sort of scent or clue outside of the last place a body had been found. We stopped to make camp only once before running a perimeter, but there was nothing here to be found. It was as if the rogue were a ghost.
Wilder and I hadn’t spoken much since our moment alone at my cabin. We hadn’t had the time.
For the most part, we ran as wolves, and I was proud of the way he was focusing past his frustration even when it took him a while to turn.
“I have shorter legs than all of you behemoths,” Jamie smiled.
“You’re a lycan. I’m pretty sure you can keep up.”
I snorted at the two of them, my sisters, my family. I had been apprehensive to bring them along on this trip. This rogue was unpredictable, an unknown opponent, and if anything happened to one of them, I’d never forgive myself.
“When can we eat?” Seraphim chimed in.
“All you think of is food,” I rolled my eyes.
But he had a point. My stomach had stopped growling two hours ago and now it just felt hollow and pained. Granola bars didn’t sound very appetizing at the moment.
“I’m with him,” Wilder said. “I could eat a whole cow.”
I didn’t doubt it. Lycans had incredible appetites. We ate a lot because of our fast metabolisms. Move fast, burn off fuel fast. It was the law of nature.
“We should go into town tonight,” Tara waggled her eyebrows at me.
“Please, please, pleaseeeee?” Jamie squeaked.
I opened my mouth to shut them down just as a heavy arm draped around my shoulder. Wilder pulled me close to his side, beaming that hundred-watt smile at me. Tingles shot through my entire body. “Yeah, please?”
I was only vaguely aware of the others watching us. At this point, everyone in the pack knew or at least had guessed the truth about Wilder and me, but it was also pretty clear that we hadn’t accepted the bond yet. Our scents weren’t completely mingled, no matter how hard his wolf tried to rub himself all over me.
My entire face burned. Damn him and his attractiveness.
Teeth grinding, I relented. “Fine. But just this once!”
Tara shot Wilder a wicked grin. “You have no clue how valuable you are, my friend. Nobody gets her to change her mind like that.”
You would have thought she’d inflated him like a balloon for the way he seemed to swell with pride. Ugh. They could all bite me.
I expected the town that the last victim had been found in to be barren, but as it turned out, the area, Columbia Falls, Montana, wasn’t so bad. It was just tourist-focused enough to have a few appropriate lodges and bars around. Both of which appealed to my small pack.
It was approaching sundown by the time we found a cheap motel with two rooms side by side. The woman behind the front desk surveyed us all from head to toe, keeping an eye on us even as she ran my credit card and handed over our keys.
We were an odd-looking sort to be sure. Five out of towners without a car. Not to mention, none of us had taken a shower in two days and we’d been traipsing around in the woods for just as long. I’d be lucky if I didn’t find leaves in my hair.
Fortunately, she didn’t mention it as I flashed her my most innocent smile and we all hightailed it across the parking lot to our rooms.
“Boys in room three, girls in four?” I glanced at the group.
I was met with silence as I started to unlock the motel door. I glanced up at them all, surprised to find a plethora of expressions awaiting me. I’d expected easy agreement, not whatever this was.
Jamie shifted on her feet, staring down at her fidgeting hands, Tara arched her eyebrow at me, and Seraphim shook his head as if I’d said something stupid.
“What?” I asked. “Is something wrong with that?”
Against my better judgment, I looked over at the newest member of our pack. Wilder had the decency to at least look a bit ashamed, but there was unease in his eyes, the curve of his mouth, the crease between his dark brows.
I took a deep, frustrated breath. “Look,
will someone answer me sometime today? We already look odd enough without standing in the parking lot like a bunch of jackasses.”
To my surprise, Jamie was the one to break the silence. “It’s just that... That plan makes a lot of sense and all, but... Wouldn’t you like to stay with your mate?”
My jaw fell to the damn gravel. “Are you serious? That’s what this is about?”
“Hey Aella, I’m not trying to step on any toes but there are instincts at play here. We’re hunting a rogue we hardly know anything about. Wilder here is new to this thing. He’s new to being a mate, too, and I’m sure it will kill him to have you out of his sights for more than five minutes. Even if we are right next door,” Seraphim shrugged. “Maybe you two should room together. The girls and I can stay in the other room.”
Wilder glanced at Seraphim, and the males exchanged a look of understanding and... comradery? Ugh! Since when were they best buds?
“Look,” I jabbed my finger at them. “I appreciate the sentiment, and I understand that the dynamic here is shifting a little bit. But Wilder and I are not mated, and while instincts might tell us to look out for each other and all that other bullshit, it doesn’t undermine the fact that we haven’t known each other for long. So, sharing a room? It’s not going to happen.” I twisted the key in the lock and kicked the door open. “Girls, come make yourselves at home.”
Tara and Jamie shot Wilder apologetic glances before slipping past me without a word. The traitors.
I took a deliberate step towards the handsome male in front of me. His gaze burned me up. He was angry, or frustrated, or maybe a bit of both. But I just slapped the keys to room three in his hand and held his wrist before he could pull away.
“Remember what we discussed,” I said out loud. I won’t change my life, I told him with my eyes.
To Seraphim, I simply said, “See you in thirty minutes. Try not to look like you’ve been running through the woods for two days.”
Marked By A Rogue: The Rogue Hybrid Book Three Page 8
