by Shania Tyler
Meg touched her own neck and then shot her hand down. “Most people have something to hide. Something they’d want to go to the grave with.”
He turned his body toward her and asked, “Tell me a secret?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“You want to get to know me, right?” He glanced over at his brother, who was now talking to another guy who’d walked into the room. Then his eyes, with their devious gleam, came back to her. He leaned in and said, “You tell me a secret, and I’ll you one. How about that?”
Her heart jumped in her chest. “I don’t… know what to tell you. You’ve yet to gain my trust.”
He smiled. “Come on, Megdelene.”
A series of butterflies went off in her stomach at hearing him say her full name. “No one calls me that.”
“I just did,” he challenged. “Megdelene.”
It happened again.
His startling blue eyes moved over her, as if he knew how his words had affected her, but when his eyes returned to hers, they said nothing. He looked like he had not a care in the world, as though he didn’t care about her or anything, for that matter.
“Well,” she whispered. “Your hair is driving me crazy.” She reached up to touch it, but in the next minute, Maurice was not only out of the seat, but he’d flipped over the back of it to get away from her. Her hand rested suspended in the air. She’d been only inches from him when he’d moved and it had stunned her. Was he still afraid?
He stared at her with wide eyes and a tight jaw. She watched him visibly swallow before he leaned toward her. He brought his face about a foot away from hers and said, “Don’t touch me.”
“That’s not a secret.” She wondered how she’d found the strength to say the words. His words had hurt. He acted as though she were poisonous. It was not a good way to build their bond. She wondered if his aversion to touch stemmed from the lack of his mother’s attention.
Maurice whispered, “Anything we say can be a secret unless you tell someone else.” His eyes were fixed on hers in a way that made her want to move around in her chair.
She had no idea why his statement flooded her with guilt. The thought of keeping anything secret from Ethan seemed wrong, even if it was about something as stupid as moving hair and not wanting to be touched.
Their eyes remained locked.
And then he turned and strolled from the room.
“Hey,” Ethan said, dropping down next to her. “How did it go?”
She turned to him and said, “It’s a secret.”
Ethan gave her a weird look before grinning. “If you say so. I just want us to be a happy family.”
She smiled and leaned into his chest. “I want that, too.” And the first step to get it done would be to make Maurice more comfortable around her. She just had to find a way to break through to him.
* * *
Theo placed his hand on the lantern that sat on his dresser and watched black flood the room as it disappeared. Only, it hadn’t disappeared. He could still feel the lamp underneath his touch. He could feel the heat from the metal and glass that incased the flames. Evanesce.
He’d heard the legends, but had never realized he’d be one of them. He wondered why him and why Orry had seen fit to grant him this gift. Were the gods hoping the Rebels found victory? He remembered the look on the god Jinn’s face when Mason had presented himself to receive his shadow abilities. It was no secret that the gods did not favor vampires, no matter what side they were on. But maybe they’d changed their mind? He would have to find out later. Right now, all he wanted was the enemy gone from his residence.
He took his hand from the lantern and light flooded his bedroom once more.
He walked to the door and was not surprised to find two of the Rebels’ best fighters standing at his door. They would protect him personally until the Evaness was gone.
Maurice and Noel looked as though they’d been having a discussion and stopped at Theo’s presence.
Maurice turned away quickly. “Ready?”
Theo narrowed his eyes and then turned to Noel with a lifted brow. Noel shrugged and turned away as well.
Theo sighed heavily and started down the hallway. They were joined by the other fighters as the apex of the hallway and the noise of conversation and laughter filled the silence. Theo was glad for it. He didn’t want the gloom of the morning to fill the space again. Instead, he wanted the men to feel the victory of not failing the test of the Evaness. In a few hours, their guests would be packing their trunks and leaving and Theo would be able to breathe again.
Pushing away his own concerns, he turned to Maurice and said, “What’s wrong?”
Maurice glanced over and said, “What makes you think something is wrong?”
Theo turned to Noel. “What were you two discussing?”
“Nothing,” Maurice quickly said.
Theo’s mouth twitched.
Maurice sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. “It was nothing, I just… might have almost caused a scene earlier.”
“Almost?” Noel asked. “Mason, Lanzo, and I all caught it, even if none of us said anything.”
“Saw what?” Theo asked as they started down another hall. More men were coming out their doors to join the procession.
“It was nothing—”
“Maurice basically flipped out of his chair to avoid Meg’s touch.”
Theo frowned at his friend. “Why would you do that?”
Maurice looked very upset. “Can’t a guy just not like to be touched?”
“Not you,” Noel said. “Not by a woman.”
“Look who’s talking,” Maurice said back. “And that’s Ethan’s lady. I don’t want her touching me.”
“It wasn’t that sort of touch,” Noel insisted. “She was only touching your hair.”
“Maurice,” Theo said. They were heading down the stairs that led into the main foyer. “Do try to be nice. These women are our guests. Do not make this a hostile environment for them.”
Maurice’s eyes widened. “I’m the one getting touched. In America, this would be sexual harassment.”
Theo slid his eyes to him and said, “Well, not only is this not America, but I am also speaking to a friend who I know is better than this. This is not about simply touch. This is something else.”
Maurice looked away and said, “I vote we simply worry about the guests who are trying to kill you.”
“Agreed,” Theo said.
“For the time being,” Noel added.
Theo mentally agreed.
They entered the parlor and his eyes immediately sought out Piper’s. He found her standing by the fire talking with Kelly, Meg, and Fedora. The women all looked up at the boisterous noise of the new arrivals and Theo’s heart raced when Piper’s eyes caught his. She’d changed into a soft pink dress and had paired it with gold sandals. His chain rested exposed on her chest, and she looked beautiful. Serene. The color softened her, and he liked that she could be so versatile.
He boldly strolled across the room and took her hand. Yes. This was where he belonged.
Piper moved closer to Theo and the feeling of absolute comfort that overtook her confirmed the thoughts she’d had while dressing for the evening.
She was going to do it. She was going to give Theo forever and see just how long forever actually lasted. She wanted so much, but even more, she just wanted to be with him. After the fight, it became obvious to her that the magic of this world was real and so, perhaps, Theo and she were destined.
And it hadn’t been until she’d gotten to her room that she’d thought about Ben’s death. It hadn’t hit her fully that a man had died until she’d been putting on her dress. And as she thought about the fact that the day had already been dedicated to the memory of someone else, she realized that she was wasting time. She had no idea how long she had to be with Theo, but she wanted it, no matter how short the time or how broken her heart later.
Because no one had ever looked at her t
he way he did. The way he was looking at her right now. Those dark eyes held hers in a way that left her spellbound and the grin on his face told her everything she needed to know. They’d only been apart for hours, and yet he looked at her as though it had been days or even weeks.
Yes, she was ready for him. She was ready for this.
She took his hand, and he escorted her to the part of the parlor where his enemies stood and talked. Piper grabbed two glasses of champagne from a tray and handed one to him. He thanked her with his eyes and stopped before Isabella.
The woman held expectancy in her eyes. “Colester Theo,” she called.
Theo pulled in a breath and said, “I would like to thank you all for coming in my aunt’s honor.”
“Of course,” Isabella said. “We all loved Berna.”
“When do you leave?” he asked. It was obvious he didn’t care what Isabella had to say. The only reason they were holding the event at all was because of protocol.
“At early night,” Isabella told him.
“Good,” Theo said, and then with a bow they began to move on, but Isabella stopped him.
“You never told me how you came to be with healers.”
“I didn’t, did I?” he replied.
They stared at one another for a long time.
Then Isabella asked, “Was it Kelly? Does she have the gift to bless others? She is a goddess, after all.”
Theo’s only reply was a soft grin that said nothing.
“This changes things, Theo, and I don’t think you know just how much,” Isabella pressed. “We’d have to rewrite the books on what we know to be true.”
“Oh, yes,” Theo said. “I look forward to many changes.”
“As do we, but not to worry, I’m sure we’ll find out your secret later.” Then she quickly changed the subject. “Have you given thought to our proposal? The family seat must be filled.”
He turned to her and said, “You know the cost of me taking that seat.”
She narrowed her eyes, but then her expression cleared and she said, “So be it.”
Piper looked the woman over and a sense of unease settled.
Theo tightened his hold on her before giving Isabella a nod and moving away, but Isabella’s next words caught them both off guard.
“I can’t understand what drives you all to turn your back on your own kind. We must eat. The elves are little more than food.” And she gave Piper a meaningful look, as if the thought of trying her out was tempting.
Theo stiffened.
Piper lifted a brow, but with a breath she managed to keep her peace. She’d have liked to comment that the only part of her body what would be colliding with Isabella’s mouth would be her fist. But this conversation was not about her. It was about her man and he needed to be strategic.
Theo said in a cool voice, “It is only out of kindness to my aunt that I allowed you within my doors, but make no mistake, I can have you removed at any time of my choosing.”
Isabella leaned back, “But protocol—”
“Fuck protocol.”
Isabella, and those around her, blinked in disbelief and Piper’s reaction was not far from his. She turned and saw what looked like fire blazing in Theo’s eyes, ready to unleash itself and rain down the blood of his enemies.
His next comment confirmed what she’d been thinking. “If I were you, I would tread very lightly for the remainder of your stay.” Then he steered Piper away.
“She’s up to something,” Piper said.
“She is always up to something,” Theo whispered in reply. “But it does not matter. We’re protected here. We’ve more men and they know better than to start a war where they do not have the advantage.”
Piper took some solace in that. She didn’t think she could take more death. She shivered, remembering seeing her first dead body and then when she’d thought she’d lost Theo.
He paused when they were in a corner of the room alone and he said, “Are you all right? You’ve grown cold.”
She had. She shivered.
He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer and into the shadows. “What’s the matter?” he whispered in her ear. “No harm will come to you.”
She shook her head and looked up into his beautiful stone-like face. “It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s you. I almost lost you today.”
He studied her face, pulled his brows together, and then lifted a hand to caress her cheek. “You will never lose me. I am yours. Always.”
She nodded and then smiled when she realized how much she really liked this man. She was also scared that her feelings might have been growing to more than like. Way past like. Just his voice did it for her. So dark and cool with the touch of an accent and how he could make everything sound so proper even when he cursed.
He had the body of a god, and there were times when she could think about nothing but getting in his pants. She hungered for him. She wanted to press her body into his and become one. He’d said it was fate that moved them like this, that made it almost impossible for them to be near one another and not touch.
She lifted her hand and rested it on his chest. From their angle, with him being pressed into the corner and her standing in front, her hands were visible to no one.
He touched her hand, resting it over his heart. It pumped quickly and stirred desire within her.
“You’re still cold.”
She moved closer to him and said in a very low voice, “Perhaps, you could warm me.”
Theo looked down into Piper’s brown eyes and had the same thought he’d had when they’d been in the banquet hall. He could take her now and damn the consequences.
He lifted the hand that rested on his heart and brought it to his lips. “You know the price for my warmth.” Though he’d begun to waver on it. He did want her to agree to never leave him, but perhaps he could change her mind after bedding her. That was her power over him. She held him captive, and he never wanted to be released from her hold. He’d take the agony of her presence over never having her at all.
Her next words and her sultry voice pulled him from his thoughts. “I accept.”
And then she cupped him. Her hand rested on his already straining manhood, and Theo almost choked on the groan he held back. His fixed his eyes on her darkening ones to keep them from rolling to the back of his head. Their position in the room kept her hand from being seen by the crowd.
Once fate had brought them together, they’d fought, him unwilling to yield to desire without promise for the future and her unwilling to see their relationship beyond the present.
She moved her hand an inch higher, stroking him through his pants. He hissed and locked his hands on her shoulders to steady himself. He had to get them out of here. No more waiting.
His gaze fell back to hers and he asked, “Are you sure?” Though, he wasn’t sure if he actually cared anymore. He was on the verge of begging her for it.
Piper leaned forward toward his ear, her breath warm, causing a shiver down his spine. “Yes.”
He captured her wrist and spun her to block his obvious erection just as Mason and Kelly came over. The couple were smiling, but as they drew closer, Mason’s expression changed. He knew. He could smell the arousal permeating the corner. Fate had them wrapped in a thick cloud of desire.
Mason said, “We were coming to see if Isabella had done something to offend you… but you both seem quite all right.”
Kelly turned her head and narrowed her eyes at her husband. “They do?” Her nose was not as strong as a vampire’s. They were hunters. Elves were not.
Mason nodded at his wife and then turned to Theo and said, “If you’d like, I’ll take over for the rest of the night if you wish to—”
“Yes,” Theo said. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Mason grinned.
Kelly narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“Come,” Mason told her. “We’ve people to wish farewell.” He pulled his wife alo
ng as he began to speak to those gathered.
Theo took Piper’s hand and began to rush from the room. She laughed as they made it to the empty foyer. Before he could start up the stairs, she yanked him back around and kissed him. Their breath mingled, and their arms wrapped around one another. Her tongue swept into his mouth, and Theo felt a tightening in his groin. He groaned and swept her up in his arms.
She giggled against his mouth as they started up the stairs, but wrapped her legs around him and continued to make love to his mouth.
He couldn’t wait to get her alone.
They made it to the landing and started down the hall.
A lone servant stood in the hallway and stared in shock.
Theo told the young man, “Bring a bottle of my family wine to my chambers.”
“Yes, Colester Theo,” he said.
Theo returned his attention to the woman in his arms and to getting her to his room. His grip on her thighs tightened as he rushed down the hall. Piper bounced with his steps, her black hair fluttering around her. Her lips were swollen and red and her eyes were laced with heat. She smiled in a way that promised wicked things. She wrapped her fingers around the back of his head, brought it down to hers, and held his eyes. His feet didn’t slow.
They grinned at one another, and for a moment, they were lost in the moment. Time slipped away, and reality came into focus. They were doing this.
“You’re mine,” Theo growled.
Her smile grew. “I think… I like that.”
He smiled and then kicked the door open and entered his room.
* * *
ACT THREE
TAKEN OVER
16
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
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Piper slipped to her feet as they entered Theo’s personal suite. It was the same room she’d had breakfast in earlier that night. The room was dark and masculine with dark wooden floors, furnishings, and pieces that would fit the domain of a king.
