by Tay T
With the war against the Hunters quickly approaching, he wanted to make his pack as prepared as possible.
Although his pack was already strong, he didn’t want them to let their guards down and slack off. Those who were too ambitious and overly confident might receive a rude awakening when they face-off with the chemically-enhanced creatures created by the human government.
Xavier wanted the losses at the minimal; it would be best if there were none.
‘Do something. Our mate is trying to escape,’ his beast whined, cutting into his thoughts with its miserable growls.
‘She cannot go too far,’ he reassured himself and his beast.
Even though Xavier knew Maya wouldn’t stay put for too long, he didn’t think she would try to escape while in such agonizing pain.
He only knew of her suffering because of the dull ache in his head. Since their bond was so strong, everything she felt was relayed to him, albeit in lesser intensity.
Xavier sighed under his breath.
When will the little sorceress learn running is useless?
In the end, he would always come for her, regardless of how far she had gone.
_______________________
It didn’t take but over one hundred steps for Maya to realize something was wrong.
Terribly so.
Her hands started shaking, her vision became foggy, and her breath was bated as sweat piled on top of her brows. It felt like fifty pounds of lead had been attached to her feet, making every step forward very difficult.
Within a matter of minutes, Maya became weary and nauseous, finding it harder and harder to breathe, like she had been running for days on end in the middle of a desert. Her chest felt heavy and cold sweat coated her entire back.
She was compelled to stop in her tracks and catch her breath as she tried to calm whatever this was afflicting her. But even that was useless.
After a minute, she tried to step one foot forward and was forced to take several steps back. It felt like the resistance from trying to pull a rubber band so far apart it angrily snapped back.
Maya soon lost her balance and was sent tumbling to the ground on a patch of thick dried grass. Then, she wheezed like she was having an asthma attack. And Maya didn’t have asthma attacks. She didn’t have asthma!
As far as she was concerned, she didn’t have any ailment other than the occasional seasonal allergies. But this was concerning, whatever it was.
Not one to give in so easily, Maya gritted her teeth and attempted to stand, but failed to do so. Her limbs would not follow her commands and her painful migraine was starting to come back to life the longer she laid there battling with her body.
Since her black magic was currently her pain pill, Maya panicked as it depleted. She had used every bit last night to deal with the Cardinal Alpha, and now, her well of power hadn’t recovered in time.
Once her magic completely ran dry, the pain resurfaced and was amplified to the max. Even her soul was starting to ache in a burning and painful way, lighting itself on fire like a combustible paint can.
It was making her sick to her stomach.
She felt as if her brain were swelling inside of her cranium. It hurt so badly; she regretted her previous decision to run. She should have waited until the pain had completely disappeared before trying to escape. But there was no point in beating herself up over a poor decision. What she needed to do was find a solution, quickly.
With her fingers curled around a long stalk of dried grass, the emerald-eyed sorceress slowly turned around and pulled herself into an upright position, leaning against the rough bark of a tall tree.
Since she was still on the Alpha’s territory, she feared some members of his pack would discover her prone figure on the ground and ridicule her for how pathetic she looked. Or even worse, if the members of the Coven of Light found her.
It would truly be game over.
Since Maya was as weak as a baby lamb, she couldn’t fight them off, even if she wanted to. She had no magic and just breathing was causing her pain. If anything, she would be an easy kill for anyone.
“Damn it,” she cursed under her breath, losing herself to the black haze affecting her thoughts.
As darkness gathered at the corner of her vision, the sound of twigs snapping and leaves crunching caught Maya’s attention. She could tell someone was headed her way at an alarmingly fast speed.
Her heart picked up its pace and pounded rapidly in her burning chest, but she could do nothing to stop their approach.
Maya’s trembling fingers curled into a tight fist until the knuckles were pale white.
As this person came closer, the tight and uncomfortable pain deep in her chest lessened. She felt her breath return and her lungs expand with each inhale she took.
From the slits of her eyes, Maya could see the tall figure approaching, and a breath of relief was quickly expelled from her lungs.
With striking eyes the color of topaz gems and tanned skin glowing beautifully in the morning light, Xavier Thaeos came to a standstill before her.
His dark aura was roiling frantically around his muscular form until it slid against the surface of her cool skin and seeped underneath to reach her very core.
Maya felt it travel through her body in soft and calming waves, easing the angry pain slamming at her head with a sledgehammer.
She stifled the urge to shudder, and her body became flaccid as she waited for him to collect her from her perch on the ground.
At this point, she didn’t care if it were Xavier Thaeos or the devil, she only wanted the pain to go away.
CHAPTER 18
Xavier kneeled down to her level, his long fingers running across her dirt-stained cheek with utmost delicacy. “When will you learn running won’t solve the problem, Maya? Leaving me will only cause you more pain.”
The dark sorceress scowled and turned her head away, feeling the ever-present sting in her lungs gradually cease due to his close proximity.
With the wind blowing in the opposite direction, his scent was flying far from her.
Maya was tempted to attach herself to him and bury her face into his chest, but she refrained before her body could respond to the instinctive call rippling through her veins.
It was a truly strange need progressing with each passing minute.
Had she not been so incapacitated by the crippling pain in her temples, Maya would have tried to envelope herself in him and his addictive scent.
“Why am I not able to leave?” she asked. Her voice lowered an octave, and her bright eyes glowered with simmering rage at the knowledge of her current dependency.
Maya knew the problem was with the Cardinal Alpha and the mate bond between them. It kept her from leaving him and made sure she could only go a certain distance before she was forced to rebound.
Though she didn’t feel the blood addiction rear its head anymore, she was now chained to Xavier Thaeos.
How terrific.
“Our bond is too new. You won’t be able to leave me until it is completely settled.” The Southern Lord sighed pensively, removing a strand of stray grass from her tousled red locks before standing to full height. He bent over slightly and wrapped his arm around her slim waist, hefting her up off the ground with minimal effort.
In fear of falling, Maya’s arms immediately circled around his neck.
She felt the sparks gather from along the inside of her wrists all the way to the tips of her fingers, heating her skin with a tingling warmth and bringing on a sense of safety. Within seconds, she closed her eyes and sagged against him.
When Maya opened her eyes again, she found herself back in the Alpha’s room, wrapped in the dense layer of black magic leaking from his body.
Not only could he maneuver her spells and traps as if they were his own, but now, he was capable of using her powers without any proper training.
What took her years to perfect came to him in days. Yet how he was able to do so was a mystery to her.
Maya’s lips pu
rsed as Xavier took a seat on the bed and maneuvered her pliant body onto his lap. Her face pressed against the crook where his shoulder and neck met, and her nose buried itself on his skin.
She steadily breathed in his calming scent and welcomed the soothing tingles cascading along her flesh.
As her lungs filled up with him, her mind went completely blank. Just one inhale of his scent made every muscle in her entire body relax. It was like a tranquilizer tough enough to beat every inch of agonizing pain out of her. Even the torturous ache in her head was seemingly gone the moment she was enveloped in his arms.
With the last bit of energy she still had, Maya’s fingers moved from his neck to the back of his shirt, gripping the smooth fabric to keep him anchored to her. “Is it this way for you, too? Your senses I mean.”
Maya had never felt this weak in her life.
“Perhaps, I had felt the same pain when I was a pup. I’m not too sure,” he murmured softly, patting her back with his big, warm hand.
The little sorceress was born with inferior human senses compared to him. For her to suddenly acquire his advanced senses would obviously cause a disruption too complicated for her body and mind to handle.
“Once you get used to it and learn to block the unnecessary noises and scents, it’ll feel better,” he explained, “Give it a couple of days to settle itself out.”
This was a process Maya had to deal with herself; nothing he did was going to help it progress faster.
Maya knew that, but just the idea of being so needy, especially for him, made her feel unwell.
She didn’t like the thought of being dependent on a man. It was one of the last things she would ever want.
In fact, if there were ever a day when someone came up to her and said she would be cuddling up against the Southern Cardinal Alpha Xavier Thaeos, on her own free will, she would have ridiculed them and laughed.
That’s preposterous, she would have said. But now that she was lying against his chest like a koala clinging to the branches of a tree, she didn’t find it any funny.
His hands wove through the silken strands of her hair. “Do you want to eat or rest some more?”
Maya breathed, “Rest.”
She didn’t want to move an inch from her current position because her brain felt like it was loose in her noggin and sliding around each time she moved. The aftereffect was an uncomfortable ache traveling from her forehead to her temple.
If she remained still in the Alpha’s arms, the pain wasn’t as hard to handle.
As the minutes drifted by in comfortable silence, her soft breathing gradually evened out and her eyelids came together.
The little sorceress fell asleep in his arms.
Her silken hair was plastered on the front of his shirt while her forehead rested against his neck. He felt her breath flutter soothingly on his skin, warm and soft.
Xavier glanced down at her peaceful face, noting the curl of her thick lashes and the pretty bow of her plump lips.
Although Maya had regained a bit of color in her cheeks, she was still fairly pale from last night’s activity.
This was why she had been the one to drink his blood and not the other way around. Had it been otherwise, he wouldn’t have let her continue with the ritual, regardless of how much he wanted to be bound to her.
Maya wouldn’t have lasted the nine days, if he were to drink her blood. She simply did not have enough to sate his baser needs, and her body wouldn’t have produced it fast enough to keep her alive.
The end result would be rather disastrous.
Besides that, Xavier didn’t like the idea of hurting her, regardless of the fact that he hadn’t known her for very long. In his mind, mates were to be cherished and loved, treated like a queen on her good days and a goddess on the rest.
Although Maya was strong and had a rather tough exterior, she was still his mate, and it was his duty to keep her protected, even if it meant protecting her from herself.
Xavier’s pointing finger affectionately brushed against the tip of her pink nose, only to have her deftly slap it away several seconds later.
“Stop that,” she muttered, brows furrowing in agitation, but didn’t open her eyes.
The little sorceress isn’t easy to deal with, even in her sleep, he thought.
The corner of his mouth curled upward until sharp canines peeked from his lips and a low chuckle billowed from his throat.
He made a move to stand and tried to remove her arm from around his waist, but her other arm wound right back around, like the tentacles of an octopus, and her fingers tightly clutched at his black dress shirt again.
Xavier’s expression softened.
He dipped his head and kissed away the knot between her brows before unfurling her fingers from his shirt.
Afterward, he set Maya properly on the bed and removed her dirt-stained dress, boots, socks, and bra, leaving her in her black panties. Though he tried not to ogle his little mate, he found it extremely hard to keep his eyes off her beautiful breasts, tapered waist and flared hips.
He was a virile male, after all.
Swallowing down the urge to get on the bed with her, he distracted himself with the thought of all the paperwork he had to attend to because of the upcoming war. Unfortunately, cuddling had to be left for another time.
As he stood back and noticed how Maya had floundered in search of his touch and became restless in her sleep, he unbuttoned his shirt and removed it from his body to put it on her.
Upon being enveloped in his warm scent, Maya unconsciously brought the sleeve to her nose and continued to sleep.
_______________________
The urge to use the bathroom woke Maya from her deep slumber. She pulled herself up from the warm covers and groggily swung her legs off the bed, before she realized she was still in the Alpha’s room.
Everything was pitch black, but she could see exceptionally well with her new vision.
Though it took her a minute to realize her head wasn’t trying to explode from her shoulders, she was extremely glad the pain was gone. If she had to withstand anymore, she might have exploded into bits and pieces.
Maya shook her head and stood.
From the memory of yesterday night, her bare feet slowly led her over to the bathroom door.
She turned the knob and looked inside the dimly lit room, noting it was completely clean.
The bathtub was free of bubbly water and the floors were tidy. But she didn’t remember hearing or feeling anyone entering the room to clean the mess, other than the Cardinal Alpha.
It couldn’t have been the Alpha himself…could it?
Maya swiftly shook away the thought and locked the door due to the force of habit.
Her fingers slid across the smooth fabric of the Alpha’s black dress shirt as she bunched it up, realizing he must have changed her himself.
Not wanting to think about that any further, she pulled her panties down and set her bottom on the cold toilet.
A shiver rolled through her body as goosebumps freckled her flesh.
Once she was finished with her business, Maya walked over to the sink, watching her dim reflection in the large mirror. She looked very pale, close to the alabaster of a vampire, and the only thing colorful on her body was her vibrant red hair.
As her green eyes moved down, she noticed the new addition etched on the long column of her neck. Vaguely, Maya realized the area where the Cardinal Alpha had bitten had formed into some kind of silvery-black tribal mark, taking up a spot on her skin.
It’s not ugly, she thought. But it was just so weird to see something there when nothing had been there before.
It startled her, kind of like when someone drank too much and woke up to a crazy tattoo on their body. That was how she currently felt.
Maya sighed.
She combed a hand through her messy hair and brought the long locks of red over her shoulders to cover the mark from view.
Out of sight, out of mind.
; As she reached down to pump a bit of soap on her hands, she saw a red toothbrush and a red ceramic cup that looked identical to the ones she had in her apartment.
Maya’s brows wrinkled.
She swiftly turned her head, glancing at the shelf next to the bathtub, and saw more items identical to the ones she had always used.
The same shampoo.
The same conditioner.
The same colored towels.
The same body wash.
Everything was the same!
Why was the Alpha using the same products she used? Was it a coincidence?
After a moment of thought, Maya didn’t think so.
But then, how was he able to procure all these items?
She was sure the Alpha had never stepped foot into her apartment.
There was no way he could know this…unless…
Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits.
CHAPTER 19
As soon as the Alpha walked into the room, Maya stated darkly, “You can read my mind.”
Her firm tone of voice showed her absolute conviction, and he knew there was no hiding it now.
Xavier had heard her contemplating about the items in the bathroom, items he had prepared to make her feel welcomed during her stay in his home. He had thought that if she were to see them, she would feel more at ease and be accepting of the change. Yet his actions had resulted in the opposite outcome, and the barrier between them was starting to rebuild at a rapid rate.
He could tell by the stiffness in her shoulders and the glint in her eyes that she’d become more guarded and suspicious of his every intention.
“Yes, I can,” he replied, golden eyes honing in on the beautiful figure seated on the edge of his bed. Her long red hair was draped over one shoulder, framing her ethereal face in silken tendrils, and her long legs were crossed, bared from where his shirt stopped just short of midthigh.
Maya was beautiful, and it took him a hell of an effort to tear his gaze away.
“But yet I can’t read yours,” she mused aloud, sharp green eyes glancing pointedly at his face like the rays of a daunting laser. “Not that I would want to.”
The urge to sigh bubbled in Xavier’s throat.
