by S. Young
“I need him here.” Lucien stood firm, obviously annoyed at having his decisions questioned by his mother.
Ella didn’t reply, just smiled at Caia and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Lucien blew air out between his lips as he eased onto the beside her. She scrambled for equilibrium, leaning against the headboard.
“Your nightmare?” he asked softly, his silver eyes fierce.
It was Caia’s turn to exhale. “It was horrible. Like I was inside Ethan, hearing what he was saying and doing.”
Lucien grasped her wrist all of a sudden, his eyes blazing. “Do you know where he is?”
She wrestled her wrist free. Every time he asked her that, she felt more useless. “No.” She didn’t mean to snap. “I don’t.”
“What did you see?”
She swallowed the burning lump in her throat and managed to meet his eyes. “He was sending Jaeden to sleep because she was in so much pain. But he plans to do the same thing to her tomorrow … all that … torture. He burns her, Lucien. Tears her skin with flames and gets off on her screams.” A ferocious look fell over her face. “He’s not just some soldier on the wrong side of a war. He’s darkness and perversion, completely devoid of a soul. Just being inside his mind is a violation.”
Lucien tried to shush her but she shook him off, her green eyes huge and pleading. “No! He’s sliced into every inch of her body with fire, and she bears it. When I should. It should be me in that cage, not Jaeden. Me!”
Lucien made a choking sound, and before she knew it, she was being pulled into a tight hug, his huge arms enveloping her so that her face was pressed against his throat. Without thinking, she wrapped her own small arms around his back. His skin was hot, and as she brushed her cheek across it, she inhaled his comforting scent of storm and damp earth. The feel of him was like silk over steel, and for the first time since she’d learned of his deceit, she felt truly safe with him again.
“We’ll get her back,” he whispered into her hair. “We will get her back. I won’t let him hurt you. I won’t let him have you.”
Caia drew back to look up into his face. He wouldn’t release her, though.
“Lucien?” she whispered, drinking in the pain in his eyes, wishing she could soothe it somehow. “I—”
Before she could tell him she forgave him for keeping her heritage a secret, his mouth was on hers. It was as though he were kissing the life out of her, as if he could steal her very essence into himself.
And she wanted him to.
Caia gasped against his mouth as his hand slid up her waist and grazed her breast. She was rewarded with a guttural moan from him that reverberated throughout her entire body. So involved was she in his heated kiss, so desperate to forget the pain of the last few weeks and find that sense of peace she’d felt with the pack before learning the truth, Caia was surprised to find herself on her back and Lucien braced above her. The shock lasted all of two seconds, his lips burning everything from her mind as he trailed tingling kisses down her neck and chest. She shivered as his work-roughened hand slid up her thigh and onto the bare skin of her stomach. Then both his hands were there, pulling her camisole up and over her head.
She panted under him, her eyes wide as he stared back at her with such tenderness and lust, she thought she would shatter. And then his gaze traveled lower and she remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra. She should feel embarrassed, shouldn’t she? She shivered under his hot look, a whimper escaping her lips.
Smiling softly, his lips caught hers again and she clasped onto him, pressing her chest against his. He growled from the back of his throat and Caia erupted into flames. She could barely breathe her skin felt so hot, so tight.
“Caia,” he whispered into her ear before he bit her lobe. “Caia.” He repeated her name like a mantra, and it seemed so full of … love? She questioned it distantly and then forgot the thought and everything else as he cupped her breast. She gasped again and arched into him, and they were both lost as they explored each other, her touch, her kiss greedy for more.
A while later he whispered hoarsely, “Are you sure?”
For a moment she froze at the importance of what was about to happen. Could she be with him? Could she lose her virginity to Lucien? And if they did this, what did it mean for them? For the pack?
“Caia?”
His hand slid down to her hips and pressed her against him.
Oh my.
What had she been thinking again?
Did she care?
He did it again, his breathing heavier.
Insistent flames licked across her skin.
She nodded, incapable of forming actual words.
Lucien shrugged out of his jeans and pulled her PJ bottoms off. And when he returned to her, he held her gently as she wrapped her slim legs around his waist in instinct. He kissed her deeply, intoxicatingly, before pushing inside of her. A moment of pain dissipated into a blaze of heat that built and built, their gasps filling the night as she held on to him for dear life, unaware as she scored her nails across his back.
Marking him.
Eventually, the sweet tension he created inside her shattered into a million brilliant pieces.
He shuddered and collapsed on top of her, a heavy weight pressing her into the bed, his hot breath against her neck. After a moment, when she felt she might have to ask him to get up because she couldn’t breathe, he kissed her throat and rolled off, only to pull her across his chest, his hand grasping hers tightly.
“Caia,” he mumbled, sounding satisfied. She smiled almost smugly, and his eyes cracked open in time to catch the look. He chuckled and his grip on her hand tightened. “I’m sorry. I should’ve taken that a little slower, but …” Lucien laughed softly, as if disbelieving. “But I can honestly say I had no control over it.”
Caia was about to smile in understanding—it was exactly how she felt—but the smile was halted by a strange tingling sensation crawling up the hand he held. They both tensed.
“What the—” She tried to scramble away, but he stilled her, his eyes wide on hers before returning to their hands. A moon-colored glow spread with slow intensity through their hands and up their arms. It settled through their entire bodies like a peaceful warmth before melting into nothingness.
Caia had seen it before.
She ripped her hand out of Lucien’s and gathered her quilt to cover her naked body.
How was that even possible?
Had they just been mated?
About to ask Lucien what was happening, Caia stilled at the panic in his eyes.
“Caia …” It sounded like a plea. “I’m so sorry, Caia. I was going to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
Lucien tried to reach for her, but she flinched back, making him growl in irritation. He glared at her and sat up, pushing at his hair, his hair she’d mussed when they lost control. She fumbled, trying to distance herself from the look in his eyes, now a fierce mixture of pleading and possessiveness.
“Tell me what?” she repeated.
Not taking his eyes off her, and apparently unabashed by his nakedness, Lucien stood and pulled on his jeans. “That we’re mated.”
It felt like a bomb had gone off in the room, and with it the bulb in her bedside lamp shattered, throwing the room into near darkness, the only light cast from the bright moon outside her window. She saw Lucien frown at the lamp and then back at her, his eyebrow raised in questioning.
Yes, she had broken the lamp! It really was the least of their problems at the moment.
“Mated?” she asked, her voice an octave higher than normal.
He sat on the bed, and she couldn’t help but retreat again.
“Our parents asked Artemis to betroth us when we were kids. You were just a baby, a few months old. I was only six.”
“How is that possible?” Caia whispered, a lump in her throat as she tried to process this news.
“Back then, we weren’t sure why She agreed, but now we
think perhaps it was because of Gaia. If you are the child from the prophecy, then it stands to reason She wanted you protected. My father offered me to your father as an assurance that the pack would always protect you.”
She understood now. “Because only a Pack Leader had that authority.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s why you ran away,” she mumbled, everything making so much sense now, “when you were seventeen.”
“Yes,” he whispered. “But I’ve accepted my responsibilities since then.” Responsibilities? She jerked as if he’d hit her, and he noticed. “No, Caia, I didn’t mean—”
“Stop.” She was suddenly desperate to be away from him, scrambling from the bed, tugging at the sheet to hide her body. “Don’t.”
“Caia, please let me explain—”
“Did you know? Did you know that sleeping with me would close the deal?”
He groaned, edging around the bed. “Caia, no, I didn’t think—”
“I swear to Artemis, Lucien Líder, if you come any closer, I will kill you.”
Perhaps it was the quiet stillness in her voice that stopped him. It was more cutting than any shrieking female.
“Caia …” She heard the trembling anger in his voice, and she looked up to meet his furious gaze. The silver in his eyes shone against the moonlight, and she knew she was about to commence a miniature war with the Pack Leader. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re my mate. End of story.”
She scoffed. “I don’t think so. Once again you lied to me, and there isn’t even an excuse for it. Does the rest of the pack know about this?”
He shook his head. “Only the Elders, Ryder, and now Sebastian.”
“Sebastian?” And then she chuckled, a hysterical little laugh. “That’s what you were telling him today.”
Lucien nodded. “I had to. He thinks he’s in love with you.”
“And what, you think this apparent mating between you and me means he’s not allowed to be?”
That was the trigger. Lucien moved so fast, she barely saw him until he had her in his grip, his hand cupping her neck, holding her head back as if she were an offering. “Let’s get this straight,” he snarled. “I don’t care how angry you are with me, you are mine, Caia, and I will kill anyone who takes what’s mine.”
She shivered but not from the cold. “I belong to no one,” she said bravely. “And I definitely don’t belong to you. How could I be with someone who doesn’t trust me? Who I can’t trust?”
He released her, anger blazing in his eyes though his tone was neutral. “You’ve had a shock. You’re not thinking clearly. We’ll discuss this in the morning.”
Caia didn’t say anything. She didn’t think she could. She was on the precipice of launching herself at him, claws unsheathed. Her breath fell rapidly. Caia waited until he left the room before she collapsed onto her bed.
How could this be? She shook her head and winced at the spot of blood on her bedclothes. Her blood.
Blinking back sudden exhaustion, Caia looked away. Tonight, he was supposed to have been her comfort, her safe place, and that’s why she’d given herself to him without thought, without hesitation. And the way he’d looked at her, as if she were the only thing worthwhile in this world.
Lucien may have come to terms with their respective parents taking away their choices when they were children. He may even want her for real now. But he wanted her on his terms, and the more he kept things from her—important things that concerned not only the pack but this entire war—the more he made her feel like a pawn. And she wasn’t a pawn.
She tore away from the bed and clambered out of her bedroom window. The change burned out her exhaustion and soothed her jangling nerves as she rushed into the woods with renewed energy. She found the clearing where she and Lucien had first played together and stood staring up at the moon, the scents of the night fluttering into her snout and spreading through her body like rightness. She knew Lucien would hear her howl, but she didn’t care. She trusted at least that he would leave her in peace for the moment.
After howling her heart out, Caia padded around in a circle, back and forth, around and around, her mind whirling. What she needed was to be in on finding Jaeden. She couldn’t just let the others search while she stayed home twiddling her thumbs like the little Mrs.
Ha! She snorted and bared her canines instinctively. Bastard, she whined.
No, what she needed was to find Ethan, and to do that, she needed to connect to him again.
She glanced back through the woods toward the house. Unfortunately, that meant returning to the scene of the crime—her bed. She needed to sleep, and she needed to hope that in her dreams, Ethan would inadvertently lead her to her friend.
24
Resolve
“She sounds impressive, Marion,” Vanne mused begrudgingly, as he looked to his wife for agreement. Marion waited. If anyone thought Marion was hard to impress, they hadn’t met her sister. Marita was probably the most difficult person to please in the coven. That proved intolerable at times, considering she was its Head.
Sometimes Marion thanked Gaia for sending a magik with Vanne’s stubborn patience to deal with her sister. Her gaze lingered over him for a moment too long.
She looked away as Marita held her husband’s stare, the connection between them evident. Marita nodded. “Somewhat, yes,” she finally said.
Marion reached for her coffee and then eased back into the huge sofa that faced its twin on which Vanne lounged. As per usual, Marita acted the diva, perched primly on a reproduction Louis XIV chair situated near the head of the coffee table. Her sister’s home was an amusing clash of tastes—Vanne’s rustic coziness and Marita’s stern elegance.
“I said I would return to the pack as soon as I could. With Jaeden’s kidnapping, I’m sure Ethan’s closing in. Perhaps reinforcements?” she queried casually.
Marita sniffed. “If what you say is true, then surely Caia will sense the Midnight’s attack before it happens. Reinforcements will be sent then. For now, we are struggling to deal with infighting in Italy over territory between the largest packs in the north, a potential rogue Daylight magik in Caithness, Scotland, and we’ve received intel that there is a planned attack against the Króls.”
Marion’s mouth fell open. “The New York Króls?”
Vanne nodded, his lips pressed thin with tension. The Króls were one of the largest vampyre covens in the United States and a highly respected, powerful member of Daylight. That the Midnights would even contemplate such a direct attack reinforced their fears that the war was gaining momentum again.
“I see. I will return with Saffron, then, and continue my training with Caia, hoping for the best that her heritage pulls through in time to save the pack. I think perhaps I will—”
Marita hummed from the back of her throat. Marion stopped talking and waited for her sister to speak.
Marita smiled appreciatively. “I was just thinking …”
“Yes?” she and Vanne drawled at the same time.
“I understand that Caia will wish to stay with the pack until this business with her friend is concluded. However, I think it would be best for the coven if Caia were brought here to continue her training.”
Marion shook her head. “I don’t know about that, Marita. Cai—”
“Here me out,” her sister interrupted. “If Caia is going to be this important in the war, it stands to reason that she should be brought to the Center where she can benefit from our best magiks’ training.”
“What are you saying? That I am incapable of training her?”
Her sister seemed to realize her insult and actually blanched. “Goddess, no, sister. I wouldn’t have allowed you to be Caia’s protector all this time if I hadn’t thought you were the best. I merely meant that she should be with those who share her magikal abilities, and with those who are leading this war against the Midnights. What’s the use of having a weapon at our disposal if it’s not at our disposal?”
Van
ne cleared his throat and straightened. “I agree with Marita, Marion. The girl should be brought here.”
“The girl,” Marion replied between clenched teeth, “is as much a lykan as she is a magik.”
“So.” Her sister shrugged. “We have plenty of lykans at the Center. And vampyres and faeries. Caia should become acquainted with her allies if she is to lead us to victory.”
Although Marion could understand her sister’s logic, it grated that Marita was happy to forget that the girl in question was exactly that—a being with thoughts and feelings, not merely a weapon at their disposal. If Marion’s suspicions of Caia’s magik were realized, her sister and husband better hope to Hades that Caia came down on their side of the war. Not that she’d sensed any darkness in Caia.
The opposite, in fact, which was comforting.
However, this was not her argument against her sister’s proposition. “I think you’ve forgotten the part where Caia is mated to Pack Errante’s Alpha. I doubt he would be happy to have his mate carted across the sea, out of his reach.”
She smirked at their silence.
“I see you had forgotten.”
If Marion thought that was going to stop her sister, she was wrong.
“It doesn’t matter.” Marita responded. “It will be up to the girl. Explain to Caia our wishes and explain the benefits of her coming to us, to the Center. We won’t force her—”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Marion drew a breath. “That would be idiotic.”
Her sister snapped back as if she’d been slapped. “You forget yourself.”
“I do not. You may be the Head of the Coven, but I am still your blood. I refuse to bend to you when you spew nonsense.”
She barely listened to her sister rail at her about insubordination. Vanne yawned. As sisters, with only a year between them, they’d been arguing from the crib.
“Marita,” Marion cut her off mid rant. “Calm yourself and remember how delicate this situation with Caia is. I will return to the pack and to Caia’s training, and I will offer her the Center as an option. But if she refuses and wishes to stay with the pack, and with Lucien, then that is her will. With her tracing magik, she can fight a war against the Midnights from any location.”
