by Leilani Love
Aithne shrugged. “What makes you think there’s something special about me? How do you know he didn’t just happen to capture my sister and train me?”
Viktor heard someone snort, and looked up to see a look of disbelief on everyone’s face. “I think we’re past these smart ass comments, my little fiery one. Lazzaro has never been known for his patience, and I’m pretty sure he’s anxiously awaiting a call from you.”
Viktor watched her intently, all senses focused on her. His dragon heard her heartbeat speed up and the subtle way all her muscles tensed at his words. Aithne’s grip on the arms of the chair tightened and her knuckles began to turn white. He heard her take a deep breath, watching her chest expand. “Lazzaro chose me because I have spent hundreds of years training to be an assassin. I’m human, but like Violca, that’s not all I am. I don’t have time to explain it. I need to call Lazzaro soon and come up with a plan to save my sister.” Turning her head, her eyes met his before she continued, “So either help me save my sister, or let me go.”
Victor’s dragon was so close to the surface, he could actually catch little flecks of light shimmering in her eyes as they stared at each other. His lips curved up. “We both know if you could save your sister on your own, you wouldn’t be here.”
“Why would a vampire go through so much trouble to capture Chase? What could he possibly want with us?” Violca asked.
Aithne turned her head, breaking the connection between herself and Viktor. She looked straight at Violca and smiled. “No Earth Witch has ever given birth to more than one female. Ever. You and your sisters signify that a change is coming, and everyone believes that you five are the key.”
Viktor watched as Chase tightened his arms around Violca who paled at Aithne’s words. “V, you know we’ll protect you and your sisters.”
Violca nodded and she looked at Viktor. “I know, and I trust you.” Violca looked at Chase and she smiled softly. “I’m not okay with someone being held hostage.”
Chase brushed her hair back, a sad smile on his face as he looked at her. “Violca, they’re going to use lots of ploys to get to you and your sisters. I won’t risk any of you when we all know it’s a trap.”
Viktor watched Aithne who was focused on the two as they talked. Her entire body tight, he fought the urge to comfort her. “I don’t totally understand what’s going on here, but everyone seems to think my sisters and I are meant to bring balance. What kind of balance would we bring if we let a girl be captured and didn’t help?”
Chase shook his head and looked up at Viktor. Viktor looked around to see Scott looking conflicted and Eryk, who was still young, excited about the idea of saving a damsel in distress. With all eyes on him, Viktor cleared his throat. “I’m assuming you have a vehicle stashed somewhere and a phone to contact Lazzaro?” Aithne nodded and Viktor ran his fingers through his hair. “Tell me where it is so we can get it and you can at least call him and buy us some time to come up with a plan.”
Aithne looked up and Viktor saw a trace of doubt in her eyes. The look in her eyes changed to that of acceptance before she sighed. “Take the main road out of town heading east, in twenty miles there’s a service road that goes north. I have an SUV a mile up that road. The key is in a magnetic box under the vehicle, on the rear side of the gas tank.”
Viktor raised an eyebrow, and she smirked. He liked that she was clever. Most people would’ve never thought to look there, and with his guys being so big, they might have checked the wheel basin but wouldn’t have checked that far under the SUV.
Looking up at Scott and Eryk, he nodded to them. They exchanged looks before getting up and leaving the room. The door clicked softly behind them. Violca looked at Chase, then at Viktor. “I think Aithne would be more comfortable with a shower and some new clothes.”
Viktor grinned and looked at Chase. The look on his face said he thought Aithne should spend her days in the cell. Glancing at Violca he almost chuckled. In the short amount of time he’d known her, he had learned that she wouldn’t give in. “Aithne doesn’t have to go back to her cell, as long as she stays with me. If she wants us to help her, she’ll remember that.”
Violca looked at him intently before she smiled at Aithne. “Great, I’ll get some clothes for her to change into. While you shower, I’ll make us breakfast, and we can come up with a plan on how to save your sister.”
Violca looked at Chase, kissing him gently on the lips, before getting off his lap and walking out of Viktor’s office. Chase watched her, not turning back to look at them until after the door closed. Then he turned to Aithne. “You do anything to hurt her, and there’s no place on earth you can hide that I won’t find you and make you pay.”
Aithne nodded at him before whispering, “I understand.”
Chase looked at Viktor before getting up and leaving the office. The door closed behind him and the office was silent as the two of them were left alone. Viktor watched as Aithne began to play with her hair, lost in her own thoughts.
Chapter 30
Aithne thought about how Violca had easily volunteered everyone to help, even though she had lied to them all from the very beginning. Her own sisters used to be that selfless, but over the last few hundred years, they’d become bitter and superficial. Most supernaturals thought humans were beneath them, that they were fragile creatures, with short life spans. They would constantly need to be protected because there was always a war going on and humans would not be able to protect themselves.
Jumping slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up into Viktor’s eyes. “Violca is looking for some clothes for you to change into so you can take a shower.”
“You’re going to leave me alone long enough to shower?”
“Not exactly, but don’t worry, as of now, I have no intention of joining you.”
His words stung more than they should’ve, but she grinned as she stood up. “Not as attractive, now that I’m not a helpless little female?”
When he grabbed her hand roughly and pressed it to his hard, pulsing groin, she gasped in surprise. “I’ve never thought of you as a ‘helpless female’, Aithne.” Releasing her hand, he grabbed her arm and led her to the door. “I just don’t want to have to worry if I’m going to find a knife at my throat when we’re finished.”
Snorting at his words, she said, “You know what they say, if a girl has enough energy to pull a knife on you when you’re done, you aren’t doing it right.”
Aithne was surprised to hear Viktor chuckle at her words. “To bad for you, you’ll never find out.”
Viktor opened the door with his free hand. Violca was there and her eyes narrowed before looking up at Viktor. “Here, I brought some clothes she can wear until Scott and Eryk bring back her SUV.”
Taking the clothes from Violca, Aithne smiled. “Thank you.”
Violca nodded, giving her a small smile before looking at Viktor. “She can take a shower in my room.”
Viktor shook his head. “No, she’ll shower in my room where I can keep an eye on her.” Violca glared and opened her mouth to say something, but he stopped her. “I agreed to help her, but until this mess is solved, she’s going to be closely watched.”
Violca bit her lip and she noticed Viktor holding back a grin. With a last small smile in Aithne’s direction, Violca turned and walked back down the hall. Viktor loosened his hold on her arm and continued on toward his wing. Noticing the extra guards throughout the house, she let him lead her up the stairs to his room. Aithne saw a few guards standing in front of one of the rooms and assumed it to be his. “Worried I’m going to try to escape?”
Viktor released her arm and gestured for her to walk in front of him. “If you leave here, you leave alone, with no one to help you. The guards are just here to make sure if you choose to leave, you do it empty handed.”
Snorting, she let him reach past her to open the door to his room. “Well, if I’m free to leave, why’s the king himself guarding me?”
“One can
never be too careful when protecting his people.” Viktor answered simply and Aithne thought about his words as she looked around his room.
The room definitely belonged to a man. The bed frame was made of an aged redwood, and she was willing to bet it was very expensive. The bedspread was black with an interesting pattern of red woven into it. The red sheets were tucked in hospital style and she was sure you could bounce a quarter off the bed. Glancing around, she noticed a closed door, as well as an open door that appeared to lead to the bathroom.
“Do you plan on following me into the bathroom as well?” Aithne asked, glancing at him over her shoulder.
Viktor smirked. “Is that an invitation?” As she rolled her eyes, he shook his head. “You’re going to keep the door open. I’m also going to point out, that besides the guards you see in the house, there are several outside, just below both the bathroom and bedroom windows.”
She headed into the bathroom, putting the clothes on the counter. “So you plan on watching me take a shower?”
Viktor shrugged. “Shy?”
Grabbing the hem of her shirt, she pulled it up and over her head. Tossing it in his general direction as she said, “Hardly.” fighting the urge to stick out her chest when she noticed his eyes start to slowly roam over her body. Normally, she felt self-conscious about her small breast size, but the way his eyes darkened and his tongue came out to lick his lips, caused her nipples to harden under her lace bra. The encounter made her feel powerful instead of insecure. As a small smile developed on his lips, she could tell he had noticed her body’s reaction. Raising an eyebrow, his eyes slowly rose to meet hers and her breath caught.
Turning her back to him, she heard him chuckle as she took another step into the bathroom and closed the door partially, before removing her pants. Aithne straightened up and looked into the mirror. She instantly saw Viktor’s eyes looking at her reflection. His lips curved up in a small smirk, before his eyes roamed down her body. Reaching behind her back, with one arm she unclasped the back of her bra and slowly let it fall to the ground.
The growl she heard coming from Viktor sent a shiver down her spine. The sound caused her nipples to harden painfully, as if begging for his attention. The heated look on his face made her breathless. When he licked his lips, she tightened her legs and tried to bite back a moan. A small sound escaped her and when his eyes traveled back up her body to meet her eyes in the reflection, she knew he had heard her.
Turning from the mirror, she felt slightly rattled by her reaction to her ‘captor’. She walked over to the standing shower and turned the water on, so she could begin adjusting the temperature. As the water began to come down, she looked up to see several large shower heads. When the temperature was right, she quickly removed her panties and stepped inside, closing the glass door.
Leaning her head back, she moaned. It felt like she was getting a gentle head massage while the water cascaded down her back, easing her aching muscles. Aithne wasn’t much into decadence, but she was definitely going to splurge later and buy herself a shower like this one, as soon as she was home.
There was something almost sad about the thought of going home. Since making friends with Eva and hanging out with her sisters, she had spent more time with people than she normally did. Her sisters were always jet setting from one guy to the next, going to parties and living it up, while she was happier curling up at home with a book, or working out in her gym.
Aithne really enjoyed hanging out with everyone. The two younger girls were happy and loud, but it was nice to hear them running down the hall, and calling out excitedly to each other. Then there were the moments when she was just sitting around with the older sisters and chatting. Those moments made her realize how lonely she really was. Washing her hair, she thought about everything she was going to miss when this was all said and done.
Rinsing off her hair and beginning to wash her body, she felt a bit melancholy as she thought about how she would miss the way she felt when Viktor looked at her. Before, men looked at her as if they found her wanting, especially after they saw her sisters. However, Viktor looked at her like he could eat her alive, and that excited her. She wondered if he would still look at her that way after he helped to save her sister and realized how she paled in comparison.
Aithne spent a few more minutes under the shower spray, letting her muscles relax before stepping out. She smiled when she saw two clean towels on the edge of the tub. Grabbing one, she wrapped it around her hair, before grabbing the second one to dry her body off.
Chapter 31
Viktor tried not to stare into the bathroom. He saw her hand come out and grab one of the towels and he immediately looked back down at the book he was holding. When he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, he knew Aithne was getting out of shower. Keeping his head down, he looked up between his lashes in time to see a long shapely leg step out of the shower.
Her legs were very long and muscular. He bit back a moan when he imagined how they would feel wrapped around his waist, holding him tight as he thrust his cock deep inside her. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he cleared his throat before closing the book. Looking up, he saw Aithne sliding on the shirt that Violca had given her to wear.
When she stepped from the bathroom, she looked at him, raising an eyebrow as if daring him to say something. Viktor slowly looked her over, enjoying the way the yoga pants she wore hugged her legs. Violca’s shirt was a little baggy on her, but he thought she looked adorable in it. “Scott called to say they should be back soon. Did you have a place you were expected to meet Lazzaro?”
Aithne shrugged. “Lazzaro wanted me to meet him at his house but…”
“Trying to get the drop on him isn’t going to be easy. Chase is trying to find a place that’s open and far enough from the public that we don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt.”
Aithne nodded “I came up with a few places.” He watched as she twirled her wet hair around her finger. “I’m sorry you guys are stuck helping me clean up my sister’s mess. She should have known better than to get involved with him.”
He thought about all the trouble his little brother had caused since he’d decided to look for the Dragon’s Ruby. “We can’t control our sibling’s actions.” Chuckling a little, he added, “Trust me, I’ve tried.”
Aithne looked up at him and he saw a look of understanding cross her face. “True, there’s a chance this all could be your fault, you know.”
Leaning against the bed he shook his head. “Maybe, but I have to think Lazzaro is up to something else totally. This is the first time there has ever been five earth witches from the original line. I have a funny feeling that they’re going to be very important to more than just my people.”
Aithne’s eyes stayed locked on his, and Viktor watched as she thought about his words. When he had first begun searching for the earth witches, it had only been with his people in mind. But with the information Kassandra gathered, he knew many other supernaturals would be coming after them eventually. The Grey sisters were now a part of his people, and he would do everything in his power to protect them.
Aithne nodded in understanding as she smiled at him. “I have some maps in my car where I marked a few places I thought would be best to meet with Lazzaro. I didn’t want to give him the advantage of being able to hide his people in the shadows, so all the places I marked are in large, open spaces with good visibility.” Aithne looked down for a moment, taking a deep, shaky breathe before she looked up at him. “I never wanted to give Chase to him, I just couldn’t figure out how to get my sister and keep Chase safe in the process.”
Aithne’s eyes stayed on his and he saw her fidget under his gaze. Viktor found himself wanting to believe her. It would be so easy to. “The maps should help us pick a place. I’ll have Chase look over the spots you marked when Scott shows up with the SUV. We should probably hurry with this though, because I’m fairly certain Lazzaro’s expecting your call.”
She swa
llowed, nodding in agreement with him. As he began to rise to his feet, he said, “Come, let’s go down to my office.”
Viktor followed behind her, watching every movement of her body. A part of him wanted to personally thank the person who invented yoga pants. The way they hugged her ass made him want to reach out and cup it with his hands, squeezing it just hard enough to see if it was as firm as it looked. Viktor didn’t know if he could trust her, but his body didn’t seem to care one way or the other.
When they got to his office, Aithne stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. Reaching past her he inhaled deeply, his cock hardening at her smell, as he turned the handle to open the door. Her body stiffened when his arm brushed hers, and he chuckled to himself.
“Itching to fight are you, my fiery one.” Viktor whispered in her ear.
Aithne snorted, as she stepped inside his office. She opened her mouth to say something but immediately closed it when she saw Chase sitting at Viktor’s desk. Viktor looked at him and grabbed Aithne by the arm, leading her to one of the chairs.
“Aithne has a few ideas, and I want you to look at them, Chase. You have about an hour after Scott comes back, before it’s my belief that she’ll need to call Lazzaro.”
Chase glanced at Aithne before nodding. Viktor wondered how hard it must be for him to be in the room with the girl who had almost succeeded in kidnapping him. Family loyalty was something they could all understand, but that didn’t make it any easier.
Chase rose and Viktor shook his head. “Go ahead and sit there, as soon as Scott comes back, we’ll put the maps she has on the desk.”
Chase nodded at him, as he went back to looking at the maps he had printed from the internet. They kept tabs on other supernaturals leaders and knew where several of Lazzaro’s homes were located. Aithne stepped around the desk, and looking over his shoulder, she pointed to one of them. “This is where I thought he was holding my sister.” Viktor fought the urge to growl at seeing how close she was to Chase, opting to walk over to the window instead.
