Rion is at my back. The heat of his body warming mine. “Stop,” he growls low. “We're making a scene.” I don’t need to turn my head to know there are a lot of eyes on us, but at this point, I’m above caring.
“Fine by me,” Ford replies. “You know I don't care what anyone thinks of me.”
I stomp my foot down onto his boot in an effort to hurt him. It does nothing to him, but my foot now throbs. Figures. “Nice try.” He smirks.
“One day, I'm going to make you crazy. I'll get my revenge.”
He looks me dead in the eyes and speaks with his mind so only I can hear him. “You do that every day. Your mere existence on this earth is enough to drive me out of my mind.”
Pulling back, I ask, “What did I ever do to you?” I'm pleasant to be around. Okay, maybe not at this particular moment, but most of it, I'm a sheer joy.
“Nothing, princess,” he says in a soft tone. “You don't need to. Everything about you makes me want you more. And it’s nothing you’re aware you’re even doing. You drive me crazy with a simple look, or the way you laugh. I want what I can’t have.” Ford straightens his back and peers down at me. The look of longing in his grey eyes is enough to have my heart thumping fast under their intensity. Neither of us says another word. Neither of us moves. We're caught in each other's stare, and I don't know how to break it. Rion does though.
Gripping my waist, he hauls me back against his hard body. His arm protectively snakes around my stomach. “Enough,” he warns.
Ford leans back on his SUV. “It's a game only two can play. Not three. Unless you're into that type of thing.” He winks.
I lunge forward, ready to hit him. “How can you go from being so intense and so--I don't know what, to being a jerk?”
“It's a gift.” He grins.
Paige walks over to us. She sidles up next to Ford and smacks him on the butt. The stunned expression on his face has me busting out with laughter. Hands down, that was the funniest thing I've seen all day.
Ford narrows his eyes at me, then turns to Paige. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“You tell me,” she replies, winking.
“If you two,” I start, fumbling over my words. “Just don't,” I end up saying. I’m not sure what it is about them, but the idea of them together causes a knot to form in my stomach. Ford has been there for me since I entered this paranormal world. I don’t want to lose him as a friend. Then again, wouldn’t I do just that if I decided to go back to my normal, boring life?
Ford quirks an eyebrow at me. “Got something you'd like to say?”
“Nope. I'm leaving.” I spin in Rion's arms, and start pulling him toward the Jag, leaving Paige and Ford behind. “Let's go.”
He doesn't speak during the drive to my house, but the second we’re inside and I throw my bag on the table, he's on me. His familiar scent enveloping me.
“Care to explain?” he asks. His lips are mere inches from mine. His dark hair falls forward onto his forehead and partially covers his right eye. It takes everything in me not to reach up and brush it away.
“There's nothing to explain. That vampire gets on my last nerve,” I huff.
“And you like it.”
“Excuse me?” Who is he to say something like that? Insinuating I have feelings for Ford or something?
“Who am I?” And he heard my thoughts. “I did. And I'm your mate.” He strongly enunciates the word mate. “I'm the one you're fated to be with, Ariane, yet from where I stood, there’s more than friendship going on between you and the vampire. Now, you tell me, what was really happening?”
“I can't help it that he has feelings for me, but I was not flirting with him.”
“Maybe not intentionally, but yes, you were.”
“This is ridiculous! I don't love him like I love you. I don't think of him every night before I fall asleep. I don't look forward to being with him every day, like I do you. And I don't wonder how I could possibly go on if something were to happen to him.”
Rion's hands grip my hips a second before his lips descend on mine. His kiss is strong, passionate, calling to my soul as he brings our connection roaring to life through his lips.
Fisting his shirt at his chest, I hold on to him tightly, as if at any moment, he's going to pull away. But he doesn't. He continues to kiss me. Continues to tell me how much he loves me with his mind, while his tongue dances with my own. And oh, boy, how I respond.
Pushing myself up on the dining room table, I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him down with me as I lean back on the hard wood of the table. Rion plants his hands on either side of my head, his heart thumping wildly in his chest; mine speeding up to match his rhythm.
“Can't you see what you do to me, Rion?” I ask between kisses. “Can't you see the effect you have on me? No one has ever made me want them like I want you.” When we’re like this, I forget about everything else.
He kisses across my cheek, down to my jawline, and farther south to my neck, causing me to arch off the table. “The feeling is mutual, little mouse. I want to take you and prove to you I’m the only one for you. My wolf craves it. He wants you to wear his mark. He wants us fully mated.” His hand skates down my side to rest on my hip again. “I want you so badly, Ariane. So very badly.”
My mind is a sea of emotions. Love for Rion. Raw need at how much I want him. Electricity is coursing through my veins at his every touch. I can't imagine anyone in my life making me feel the way he does.
Lifting his head from my neck, Rion peers down at me. “No matter where you run to, or try to hide, I will always come for you. You’re mine, Ariane. My one true mate. No one will keep us apart. I will always fight for you.”
Just like that, he gets to the cause of all my tumultuous emotions. My hesitancy for wanting to continue a relationship with him. My nervousness over something happening to him and it being my fault. My fear of what I’d become if he died. Everything wrapped into one. And fighting it is the pure, unadulterated love I have for him. Love you only read about in books. Love so powerful you'd never think it was possible to feel so strongly for another person. Everything in my entire being knows Rion is it for me. Knows it like it knows the sky is blue and the grass is green. Now, if only I can take that love and find a way for it to override my fear.
8
“Paige, are you ready yet?” I shout from the bottom of the stairs in her house. If she doesn't put a move on it, we're going to be late.
Spinning, I find Rion and Wake standing on opposite sides of the living room. Rion, in a pair of dark jeans that appear to be made solely for him, and a hunter green T-shirt, which might as well not even be there for how tight it is on his chest and arms. He smirks as my eyes make their way to his face.
“You know you're hot,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I've told you a hundred times. I don't know why you're getting cocky about it now.”
Then I glance at Wake. His head is down, focusing on his black, leather boots. His jeans are slightly baggier than Rion’s, as is his black shirt. His leather jacket is unzipped. With all that black and his dark brown hair, you’d think he’s from the underworld. What is it with these paranormals and their love of dark colors? Wake does have one thing going for him at the moment. He’s wearing a shirt. If he wasn’t, I doubt Paige would be able to keep her hands off of him. He’s completely chiseled under that thin layer of cotton. Add in the pair of dark-framed glasses he has on, and he’s very attractive. There’s just something about those glasses on him.
Rion clears his throat, drawing my attention back to him. He quirks an eyebrow. I blush at being caught checking out Wake. At least Rion isn’t raging with jealousy this time.
“Can you two at least pretend to get along tonight?” I ask, needing to take Rion’s focus off of me. “Or better yet, why don't you make up and go back to the way things used to be?” Please, oh, pretty please.
“Never going to happen,” Wake mutters.
Rion's head snaps to his direction. �
��That's on you, not me. You did this,” he says harshly.
“Paige!” I yell again. Maybe I can teleport back to Ford's house, where I just picked up Wake. I'll hide out there until everyone is at the diner and then I'll show up. I'm not in the mood to play referee all night.
Paige finally emerges at the top of the stairs. “You'd think the house was on fire with the way you're yelling.” Her red hair is down, fluttering behind her as she descends the steps. Her makeup is perfect—not too dark, but not too subtle. The black skirt she has on hits just above her knees. It’s not too tight on her body but enough to show off her curves. The white tank top is lacy, but not sheer. There’s a layer of silk underneath.
“You do know we're going to a diner, right? Not a restaurant where there will be candles and a fancy menu? A diner.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “I don't care where we're going, but this is as close to a date as I've had in the past two months. I'm living it up.” She slips on a pair of black heels.
Turning, I ask Wake, “Ready?” His eyes are glued to Paige. Big, brown eyes that devour her on the spot. Well, then. Maybe Wake isn't looking for a mate, but he sure is showing interest in Paige.
We pile into our cars. Rion and me in the Jag. Paige and Wake in her BMW Coupe. Her car isn’t big enough to fit either of these guys in the back, and she’s not going to let one of them drive.
Ten minutes later, we're at the diner.
Wiping my palms on my jeans, I take a deep breath to steady myself.
“It's going to be fine,” Rion reassures me. “She'll know we're wolves, so she won't try to cross us. We can easily overpower her. Plus, we're in a public setting. She's not going to shift inside and run.”
“We'll see about that.” One thing I've learned since I've met Rion is to expect the unexpected.
Inside, we find Bray and fox girl sitting at a corner booth. Oh, goodie. We get to cozy up in a half-circle booth. This should be interesting. They are smack-dab in the middle of the green cushioned bench. Paige slides in on Bray’s right with Wake to her right. I slip in next to fox girl, with Rion on my left.
The diner is brightly lit with about half the seats in the place taken. I recognize some of the kids from school. They’re watching us like we're on display. Lovely. Nothing like being the entertainment for the evening.
Offering my hand to the fox beside me, I greet, “Hi, I'm Ari. It's nice to meet you.”
“Brionna,” she says, shaking my hand. Her blonde hair is cropped close to her shoulders; her hazel eyes are warm. I expected some ruthless girl who wanted to slice my throat. It seems I got the opposite.
“I'm sorry,” Brayden interrupts. “Everyone, this is Brionna. That's Orion, Ari's boyfriend, and this is Paige. I'm not sure who that is,” he says coldly, pointing to Wake.
“This is Wake,” Paige says, smiling. “He's Rion's cousin and my date.”
“Your name is Wake?” Bray asks incredulously. I have to hold back a laugh. He’s having the same reaction I did to his name.
Wake finally stops sulking and trying to hide. Straightening in his seat, he levels Bray with his piercing eyes. “It's one you'll remember if you're smart.”
Bray leans forward in challenge. “I'm not afraid of you.”
“Then you're stupider than you look.”
“Hey!” I call out, undoubtedly drawing more attention toward us. I stop myself a second before snapping my fingers in Bray's face. Teleporting wouldn't have been good. “We're here for dinner. Not to throw testosterone around. Get a grip.”
Brionna leans into me. “I like you already.” I wink in return. She can try to warm up to me all she wants. Two can play that game. I don’t trust her one bit. It’s too coincidental she showed up when she did.
We order dinner, and while we wait for it to be made, I give Paige a slight nod to engage in conversation with the fox beside me. I need time to dig in to her brain. Find out what she’s hiding. Paige immediately dives in to talk about school and college, trying to distract Brionna as much as she can. She has a block up, but nothing I can't get through. Let's see what I can find.
I comb through a bunch of stupid stuff until I finally reach something interesting. She knows who I am. Knows who Rion is. Has never met Wake before but has heard of him. Seems she ran into Rion once while he was outside my house guarding it. Very interesting. I send a quick message to him with my mind, and he relays that he does remember chasing a fox one night, but it was alone and left immediately. He didn't think much of it.
So, she must be a scout of some kind. She was sent to gather information for... Digging deeper... Travis. No! That son of a—
I don't get to finish that thought because Rion takes my hand in his and kisses the back of it, effectively distracting me from choking the girl to my right. Within seconds, I tell him everything I found out, including how Travis is mounting another attack on the Avynwood Pack. He plans on testing their strengths and weaknesses to give him an edge in the pack war.
Somehow, and I'm honestly not sure how, I manage to choke down my meal and pretend like I don't have a clue she's a freaking fox shifter and shady as all get out. While I was eating, I dug around in her head some more and found out she doesn't care about Brayden. He's merely a pawn in this chess match we have going on with the Diaminsey Pack.
Poor Brayden. I don’t mean to eavesdrop in his head, but his thoughts float to me. He still cares about Paige but is hoping the new girl by his side will help him move on.
“Why don't we all go back to Paige's house after we're done?” I ask. “We can talk and get to know each other better.”
Brionna grins. “I like that idea a lot.” Of course you do, you vindictive—
“Great idea, Ari,” Rion says, cutting off my thoughts.
After the bill is paid, we walk to our cars. I sling my arm through Brayden's. “It's nice that we can all hang out together, isn't it?”
“Yeah, I finally have someone to bring with me who's genuinely interested in me.” This is going to be awful. If I have it my way, he's never going to see her again. He’ll blame me for it, which I’ll take. The last thing I want is for him to be wrapped up in this pack war as well.
Paige's parents are wealthy and their house reflects it. Everything is polished and pretty, not a speck of dust anywhere, thanks to the maid they hire to come in twice a week. Like most nights, no one is home when we get there, which works out for us. We walk through the house and out the back sliding doors to an expansive stone patio. There's an outdoor gas fireplace, which Paige turns on, built-in recessed lighting along the edge of the pavers, and a large in-ground pool.
Little Miss Fox strolls over to Bray's side and leans her head on his arm. It takes everything in me not to rip her away from him by her hair.
Sitting in one of the low chairs Paige has for sunbathing, Rion reaches out for me, pulling me down onto his lap. I relax against him but don't forget our reason for being here. Wake walks along the perimeter of the patio, always pacing, always keeping his distance from Paige. But I do notice how he's aware of where she is. His gaze keeps drifting back to her.
We chat about school, life, really everything except the stuff I want to know. Brionna says she's only nineteen and just graduated high school before her family moved here from California. Lies. All of it. She's taken refuge at the Diaminsey Pack house. As a spy. They've given her a plush room to sleep in and enough food to keep her happy. Plus they protect her as one of their own.
But I'm done playing games. Screw it. Bray will find out tonight that he's among shifters. He’s one of my best friends. I need this chick to get to the point of why she's here.
“So, Brionna, when was the last time you saw Travis?” I ask.
Her eyes widen briefly then go back to normal. “I'm not sure who you're talking about.”
“I believe you do. You're staying in his home after all. Must have been quite a jog to get here for your date tonight. That’s a lot of running, especially with little fox legs. Unless you
drove a car.” I smile wide, loving that I outed her.
“What are you talking about?” Bray asks.
“Oh, just the fact that your girlfriend is a fox shifter, who has zero interest in you. No, she wants to find out more about my mate and me. Isn't that right, Brionna?”
“Ari, seriously, I think you've been reading too many books,” Bray states. I don’t take my eyes off the fox.
“Please, like Travis cares at all about Orion,” she says. “He's no threat to him.” Game on!
Rion gently moves me aside and stands. He's in front of her in three long strides, towering over her short frame. “Then Travis is a fool,” he growls.
Wake is by his side in an instant. “Why are you really here?”
Her upper lip lifts. “Get away from me, dogs.”
Rion is in wolf form in an instant, triggering Wake to do the same.
“Smart move, fox,” I state. “Let's try this again. What information are you after? What is Travis planning to do next?” Not that I expect her to reveal anything, but it’s worth a shot.
Both wolves are growling, their lips pulled back, snarling at her.
“Ari, what's going on? What just happened?” Brayden says, panic lacing his tone.
“I'll fill you in later, Bray. I have more pressing matters at the moment. Please get back.”
“I'm not telling you anything,” Brionna hisses. She darts behind Brayden, one hand on his waist, using him as a shield. Her other hand drops down. However, I can’t see what she’s doing. Bray is blocking her. Then I see a glint of silver. The light from the fire bouncing off a blade. She moves it to Bray’s neck. “One step closer and he's dead. Don't test me.”
I hold up my hands in surrender. My heart starts thumping wildly in my chest as panic overtakes me. I won't let anyone else die. Not again. Especially not Bray. “Let Brayden go and you can leave here with no harm done to you.”
Rion yells at me in my head not to promise that, while I shout back how I don't care what happens to her as long as Brayden is safe.
Wake takes a step forward, causing Brionna to slightly sink the blade into Bray’s neck. Blood pools on the sharp edge before trickling down his skin.
The Somber Call (The Ariane Trilogy Book 2) Page 6
