by Tamara White
She begins speaking in a foreign language, which I soon realize is French. Bonjour is French, right?
“Ah sorry, I only know ‘bonjour,’” I tell her, praying she can understand English.
She smiles at me, her eyes curious as she looks me over. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she turns to Talon and begins speaking in French again, her gaze darting between us as she does. When he replies in fluent French, I stare at him, gobsmacked. How did I not know he could speak French? That’s so hot!
After the woman replies to Talon, she shifts her gaze over to me. My beast rises in my mind, sensing an edge of violence from the woman in red.
“I am sorry, my dear. I sometimes forget that the newer of our kind can’t speak multiple languages.” While the comment itself isn’t insulting, her malicious tone and wrinkled nose makes her true feelings clear.
“Yeah, I didn’t bother learning any foreign languages because I figured I’d never leave the States,” I inform her with a sickly sweet, forced smile. Why the hell isn’t Talon saying something?
“No worry,” she responds, before returning her gaze to Talon, effectively dismissing me from the conversation.
“Talon, it has been so long since I last saw you. You must come visit me once again,” she insists, reaching out a hand to stroke down his arm. Upon seeing this, my beast pushes forth and I don’t try to fight her.
“Get your hand off my soul-tie!” I growl out, my voice filled with warning. Who does she think she is, touching him like they’re lovers? I won’t take that shit, regardless of whatever politics might be involved. My parents can get angry with me later.
Talon pulls his arm away from her hand. He squeezes closer to me, offering me the touch I need to soothe my beast. “Maria, while I am honored you wish for me to visit, my place is here with my soul-tie. Surely you can understand that.”
Maria stares at Talon, as if waiting for him to say more. When he remains stoic, continuing to stroke my arm, she turns to me.
“Interesting,” she murmurs, looking me over like I’m some new toy to play with. I fight the urge to shiver at the wave of power I feel coming off her, but my beast backs us up, giving me the strength I need to remain steady. We may not be a strong and powerful vampire, but we are an Alpha. We won’t bow to her.
“Very well, I will leave for now. But, Talon, I want to see you at least once before I leave. You owe me that at the very least, wouldn’t you say?”
He owes her?
I expect him to say no, so when he agrees, I whip around so fast I almost hit his head with my own. Maria saunters off with a wicked smirk after his answer, and I’m left staring at Talon, completely dumbfounded as to why he said he’d meet with her.
“Who was she?” I wonder, wanting the truth because it felt like there was history between them.
He shakes his head with a frown, his eyes shuttering all of his emotions as I watch. “Just someone I used to know. I’ll tell you about her later.”
Without another word, he leads me over to my parents, where they stand by the small podium and the caged people, while I continue to puzzle over the interaction between Maria and Talon. I’m trying my hardest not to let it bother me, but something about her is just getting under my skin. Especially the part about him apparently owing her. What could he possibly owe her to accept her request without question?
I’m so lost in thought that I let out a squeal of surprise when arms suddenly pick me up, ripping me away from Talon. My beast purrs and I instinctively know who has a hold of me. He sets me back down and turns me to face him. I smile widely and look up into his sparkling blue eyes, which are filled with joy.
“Hey there, little killer.” He grins down at me, still holding me by the shoulders, his touch warming my body. I’m not even bothered by the nickname anymore. Seeing him has me automatically feeling happier.
“Hey, Linc. It’s nice to see you.” I find myself unconsciously leaning forward into his chest, which I only realize when a growl sounds from behind me. I step back from Lincoln, trying not to agitate Talon, who looks ready to punch Lincoln if he makes a move against me.
“Talon, relax. He’s just happy to see me, okay? He didn’t mean to surprise me,” I soothe, trying to diffuse the situation.
He stops growling, but I can still see the murder in his eyes. I try not to feel guilty, but I know it isn’t easy for him to see me with Lincoln, especially after what happened that fateful day. Lincoln was the one to help me fight off our attackers while I had the guys locked away safely in the car, keeping them protected from the sun’s rays.
Then later, I ran off and sought Lincoln’s comfort over theirs, which must have been hard on all of them.
When Linc had visited the coven at the request of the council leaders, the guys all acted pretty neutral toward him, which gave me hope that they could get along, but no, it’s still the same old alpha male bullshit.
However, as I stand here between them, I feel the pull to be close to Linc and start to understand what he meant about the soul-ties blocking our connection before. My body is on fire with the need to have his wolf touch me, but I shove that feeling so far down that it hurts.
“Where are your pack members?” I question Linc, trying to distract myself with something mundane. In a gathering like this, I would expect his Beta or an enforcer to be shadowing him, but he seems to be alone.
Most of the other guests have brought their own guards, but as I study the people closest to us, none of them scream Beta or enforcer.
“Liz is around here somewhere. She likes to remain in the background so as to not tip off would-be attackers,” he explains. I feel a growl rise up, slipping free before I clasp my hand over my mouth. I frown, embarrassed by the possessive edge my beast is feeling. Damn! My gaze swings to Talon with wide eyes, worried about his reaction. His head is cocked to the side, not in confusion, but more like arousal.
Linc chuckles and I turn back to him, fighting a blush. I look at him in panic as I feel my beast rise up to take control. She does not like another female being near what’s hers. Oh shit! How the fuck do I control her? If I don’t do something, she’s going to force the shift right now.
My beast is clawing at me to find this so called Liz, and to make her stay away from what’s ours. No matter what I try to tell her, my beast is beyond reason at this point.
Linc seems to sense the change in me and frowns in concern. He steps closer, growling at Talon as he tries to separate us. “Liz is my enforcer, Emerald. You are my mate. My only mate,” he murmurs softly, right before pressing his lips to mine.
My beast freezes in her assault on my body, letting go of the need to shift, and melting into Linc’s kiss. I don’t know how long the kiss lasts, but when he steps away, I feel more grounded than I ever thought possible, especially after the past two weeks. It’s like his kiss has eased some of the lingering pain from the loss of my soul-tie connection.
My gaze drops to the floor, and I refuse to look at anyone, worried about what Talon might think. And I just know Dev and Nik are somewhere nearby, watching everything. That would be just my luck. But when I turn and catch Dev’s gaze, he’s grinning wildly. He sees me eyeing him and winks, mouthing, “That was hot.”
I look at Talon, seeing Nik has appeared by his side. There’s no jealousy or anger in their expressions like I expected. No, it’s lust. There may also be a little apprehension there, but the fact there isn’t any rage eases my worries considerably.
I don’t know what to say to any of my guys, so I just pretend the kiss didn’t happen and step away from Linc.
“I’ve got to go,” I murmur, fighting my embarrassment.
He just grins cockily at me. “Sure thing, little killer. I’ll see you later.” With that, he walks off into the crowd and I let out a sigh.
“Do I want to know who that was, Emmy?”
I groan and close my eyes, counting to ten before opening them again. I straighten my shoulders and turn to meet his gaze. I see I’
m faced not only with my dad, but my mother and father too.
Just fucking great. How the hell do I explain this?
“That was Lincoln. He’s the Alpha of the local pack here in St. Louis. And he seems to think he’s my mate, although I’m not quite sure yet...”
While that’s not entirely true, that’s the only thing I can think of. I can’t exactly say he’s not my mate, because after what just happened, I’ve never been more convinced that he is. The connection between us and the desire I felt was so strong that I’d have to be a fool to try and deny it. But until I have a chance to talk to my guys about it, nothing will happen between Linc and I. I know Nik encouraged me to get to know him, but is this really what he had in mind?
For the first time since meeting Lincoln, I feel determined to get to know him. My beast wants him so bad that I think if I had let go of my control and released her, she would have been dry humping him while in wolf form.
As if sensing my thoughts, my beast rises up again, looking through my eyes. We search the crowd until we find Linc. The grace with which he moves has me captivated. Even the way he stops to talk to individual people shows a certain level of respect that I admire. As I watch, I find myself proud to have him as a mate.
I push my beast to the back of my mind so I can try and separate her feelings from my own. I build up that metal cage in my mind, the one I used to keep her in while I lived with the pack. She whines and goes in willingly, but I see the hurt in her eyes. While I know she hates it, it’s the only way I can deal right now. Her influence is too strong otherwise.
My dad doesn’t look convinced by my words, and neither do my parents, but I don’t bother trying to assure them of something when I don’t even believe it myself. So I do the only thing I can think of and change the subject.
“So, what happens now? Do we just talk the rest of the night?”
Talon, Nik, Dev, my mother, my father, and my dad are all standing within a few feet of me, leaving Britt and her husbands absent from the conversation. I take comfort from knowing that Blaine will keep her far from Malcolm.
My mother smiles nervously, wringing her hands as she meets my gaze. “Actually, Emerald, it’s time to announce you.”
I swallow audibly, my heart rate rising in fear, but I nod and take a step toward her. I’m ready to get this over and done with, tired of having to keep my existence hidden from everyone. My mother holds out a hand for me to take, and I grip on tightly as we approach the podium, climbing the three small steps onto the impromptu stage.
My father is right behind us, but my dad and the other guys remain down on the floor, close enough to come to our aid should we need it, but far enough away to serve as guards, keeping the crowd from swarming us. It’s a tactical move, which leads me to believe they all discussed how this night was going to go without me.
A hush falls over the room as my mother steps forward, her back straight and her eyes hard. She stares out at all the supernaturals, smiling serenely as if this is just any other day. “Welcome, everyone! As you all know, this meeting has been called for two reasons. To deal with the actions of these three,” she says, pointing to the people in the cages behind us, “and because we have a serious matter to resolve.”
People stare at my mother with awe and I can see how she has ruled for as long as she has. There’s just something about her. While her appearance screams delicate like my grandmother, she has an undercurrent of power that can’t be ignored.
“A few weeks ago, I found out my daughter was alive.” Gasps rise up in the crowd, and numerous eyes swing my way, as if putting two and two together. It takes a lot of willpower not to shrink under their intense gazes, but I stand tall, wanting to emulate the same power my mother does. “It should have been a joyous time in my life, having my daughter back, but in these past few weeks, we’ve dealt with multiple attacks and a near death.
“My daughter was almost killed because a few individuals believed she was an abomination, a stain on both wolves and vampires. Well, they were wrong!”
The fierceness in her voice sends a shiver of fear through me and I pity any person on the receiving end of her anger.
“I’m here tonight to introduce you to my daughter, Emerald. She is a hybrid, a werewolf and a vampire, with the abilities of both species. But, I want to remind everyone gathered here tonight, if you attack her, you attack me. I will bring the whole force of my coven down on anyone who deems my daughter an abomination. We let the attacks play out because we wanted to find those responsible, but apparently the problem goes deeper than just those few individuals. So this is your first and only warning. She has been given permission to kill anyone who tries to attack her.”
Tense silence greets her declaration, and as I look out at the crowd, I see there isn’t open acceptance. Some people seem wary, while others appear angry. I feel sadness well up inside me from the glares directed my way, and wonder how to make them accept me. As I’m considering this, Dad moves to stand in front of the podium. He looks up at my mother, and for the third time tonight, I get the feeling this has all been rehearsed.
“Your Majesty, I recently found out a few of my pack members were responsible for one of the attacks on your daughter and have banished them from my pack. The treaty was broken by their actions, but you have mercifully offered forgiveness. Not many leaders before you would have offered such a thing. Because of this, I offer you my loyalty. I offer my aid to your coven and will help protect your daughter for as long as I am Alpha of my pack.”
I try not to roll my eyes at his corny statement. My dad has barely finished speaking when four wolves step forth. You can see by the way their amber eyes shine just how pissed they are.
The most menacing looking one of the group steps forward, glaring up at my mother. His muscles bulge as he moves, and his greasy black hair shines under the light of the dome. His eyes narrow as he glances from me to my mother, completely ignoring everyone else.
“Your daughter should never have existed in the first place. I, Davis Wright of the Louisville Pack, challenge Emerald of the St. Louis vampire coven.”
I cock my hip out as I stare at this Davis guy and wonder why he’s doing this. He said I shouldn’t have existed, but something about his words didn’t ring true. My mother growls down at him, “She will not—”
“I accept,” I interrupt my mother, watching as she turns quickly to meet my eyes. Hers are filled with horror, but I shrug. They had to have known something like this was going to happen. No matter what my mother says, I’m nothing to the rest of our kind. If I’m going to be attacked by one or all of the three races every time I leave the coven, then it won’t stop until they know what they’re facing.
I won’t be accepted by any of them until I prove my worth. They may have heard of my exploits in regard to defeating our attackers, but I doubt they really believe I had anything to do with it. More than likely, they think I’m still alive because of the guys.
My mother grabs me roughly, dragging me to the back of the platform. Even though she keeps her voice low, I’m sure everyone can hear her.
“Emerald, what are you doing?” she hisses, her eyes glowing the red of her vampire.
I shrug as Talon, Nik, and Dev climb the steps to reach me. My father, Lincoln, and my dad aren’t far behind.
Lincoln moves to stand off to the side, not quite part of the conversation, but not missing a word of it either.
I meet my mother’s eyes with a determined expression. “If I had let you intervene in the challenge, then the attacks would only get worse. They all need to see I’m strong in my own right, not some weak girl who’s hiding behind her powerful parents.”
My grandmother chooses that moment to join us, her voice surprising me. “She’s right. She’s not a child, Sierra. I know you want to keep her safe, but you can’t protect her from this.”
“What about us? Surely we can assist her?” Nik looks from my mother to Talon, but by the look in Talon’s eyes, I can tell he unde
rstands the same thing I do.
“Before the soul-ties were broken, yes, we could have, but without that connection, we have no right.” Talon’s words are met with silence, and I know that my guys are upset they can’t help, not that I really need it.
“Guys, trust that I can handle myself, okay? They may think they can take me down, but if I really need to, I can let my beast free and show them just what she’s capable of.”
Talon stares at me with concern, anxiety, and fear in his eyes. I want nothing more than to wipe that from his mind. Before I can do anything, however, he says, “I know you can handle yourself, but this is a challenge to the death. He won’t stop if you get hurt. You be smart, or I will intervene and destroy everyone.”
I nod, trying not to let him hear the hitch in my breath at just how aroused I get when he speaks so strongly. “I’ll be fine. Now, do you think I can get changed out of this first?”
Five
Challenge the Beast
Emerald
Half an hour later, I’m standing in nothing but a pair of tights and a plain black tee that my mother just happened to have on hand.
Since it’s a challenge between wolves, no one expected me to stay in my dress, but it wasn’t exactly easy to change out of, so my three guys made a wall around me, hiding me from curious eyes while I changed.
Talon, Nik, Dev, and I are now at the back of the force field, about to cross onto the open grassy field. Talon explained that once the challenge was set, it would need to unfold somewhere outside of the magic force field, because the barrier prevented such things. I hadn’t realized that until they told me, but I guess it wouldn’t be smart to have a meeting of supernaturals without some kind of magical safeguard to stop any potential fights.
The feel of the barrier as I cross it is like walking through a cold shower, except I’m still dry when I come out the other side. I look at the people who have gathered around and let my gaze linger on a few familiar faces before I turn to face my opponents.
