A Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Ashen Twilight Series #1)

by Lori, Rae

  Jace inhaled her enticing scent once more. He was tempted to lean in and kiss the full lips of this sleeping beauty yet he didn’t want to disturb her after the stressful night. She appeared peaceful in her rest, not even stirring as he brushed his knuckles against her soft, dark cheek. Interesting. Her warm body didn’t even react to his cold touch.

  Jace had many lovers over his long lifetime. Most of which were beautiful, charming and very influential in their high societies. None of them, however, matched the woman sleeping before him. Why did this woman stand out to him?

  Gently, he caressed her forehead as he focused on reaching the inner depths of her mind. Her smooth forehead furrowed in that instant and she gently stirred with a moan. Blurred images covered his mind and he felt like a brick wall pushed up against his brain.

  Jace broke the telepathic connection and took a few deep breaths. The girl was obviously hiding something. He lifted his head to check the red digital clock on the end table next to his bed. 1:03 a.m. Dawn would be upon them soon. If he was to get one last feed in for the night, the time would have to be now.

  He hoped the mysterious girl would remain asleep for most of the day. On the way to the kitchen, he left her to rest as the unanswered questions remained in his mind.

  * * * *

  Avery gently stroked his brethren’s matted fur, splattered red with blood. His own blood boiled and his skin was on fire as he looked across the corpses of their still bodies. He cursed Jace Archane for interfering on their turf, and their plans. The almighty elite of the Ashen Twilight House thought he had the right for this massacre. Now it was free reign for retaliation. If this ceremony worked as planned there would be no more Ashen Twilight House and the mortals would be a feast for their pleasure.

  “Chase, Kason, Ralphie and Billy are down.”

  Avery peered up at his assistant, Raine, who pushed away a strand of shaggy hair from his eyes. “Good thing they changed from human form or else we’d have a Shifter hunt on our hands,” Avery said.

  “Humans wouldn’t know what they were anyway,” Raine mumbled. “Pathetic wastes of flesh and good blood. They still believe they’re on top of the food chain.”

  “Can’t risk it either way.” Avery stood and began to collect the dead carcasses while Raine looked around

  His lanky body looked like a wavy noodle as he leaned back to take in the scene. “She really did a number on them.”

  “What makes you think it was just her and not Archane helping her out?”

  “Blakedon said she had the most power, right? Unless she’s as dim as she is hot, I can see her wiping out the Shifters left and right, dude.”

  “Yeah, well, you gonna comment on the aftermath or you gonna freakin’ help me already?”

  Raine knocked his head back with a snarl. “Pssh. Whatever.”

  They dragged the Shifter corpses like thick, heavy stones across the alleyway. Avery was surprised the predictably nosy neighbors didn’t peek their heads over the fences to see what was going on. Normally they couldn’t get enough of the sensationalism and violence in their community. Perhaps it worked to their advantage they decided to take the night off. He grabbed his cellphone from his pocket and flipped it open.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Raine yelled.

  Avery snapped the phone shut and threw Raine a bitter glance. “Are we trying to alert the entire nation that we’re here? Keep your freakin’ voice down! I’m making a call to Blakedon to let him know to keep an eye out just in case Archane makes an appearance. Something tells me he’s probably hiding her out.”

  From what he could remember in the fight, the Fairy girl struck her head when Archane pushed her out of the way. She didn’t move at all after that blow. In his sleepy haze after he was knocked out—no scratch that—after Archane got in a lucky hit, Avery watched him pick her up and leave the area. Luckily they wouldn’t be able to hide out for long if their creature can conform to any element. A thin smile crossed Avery’s face as he thought about the impending death of Jace Archane and the houses. He’ll be begging for mercy by the time the elements destroyed him.

  “Blakedon here,” the deep voice said from the phone.

  “Yeah, Dad, it’s me, Avery. I got some good news and bad news for you. Which one you ready to hear first?”

  * * * *

  Jace lost himself in the sounds of the nightly cityscape and the roaring engine beneath him as he pulled into the lot of the busy club. He figured the girl would be fine on her own while she slept as he sought some food for the night. The fight had taken a lot out of him energy wise and he could think of a lot of other ways to direct said energy than wasting it on testy Rens. He was relieved to see the sleek blue/black Kawasaki Ninja parked among the other motorcycles and various other vehicles. He stepped out of his Roadster and his gaze dipped down to the Kawasaki’s license plate; WLFKING. He chuckled.

  “Just put it right out there, man,” Jace said in a low whisper.

  “You know I love to flaunt my good fortune.” Rich Hammond held out his hands as he stepped away from the group. The two men met in a tight hug.

  Jace looked and waved to the group outside the club. From here he could tell they were all kin, even if he didn’t know them by face alone. A mixture of Nightwalkers, Lycans and the Shifter Elves covered the parking lot of the club. They had a reputation as good-for-nothing troublemakers within the territory and the surrounding inhabitants knew to stay away. He supposed it was better than being known in their true nature. If it ever got out that their kind truly walked among the living, he predicted a bloodshed like that of no other, much worse than the days he when he grew up.

  A familiar face caught Jace’s eye as he turned his head. Beautiful, smooth honey complexion, Dark silky hair that fell in soft waves over delicate shoulders. Shelly Harmon lifted her moist, delicately painted lips into a smile once she saw him. Right away he noticed the hulking Lycans holding her close. Vex Truman. Also known as Rich’s pack brother, fellow football coach, and a temperamental Lycan if he ever knew one—aside from Rich, of course. Despite her curvaceous form leaning into Vex, he couldn’t mistake Shelly’s thoughts she sent his way and what she wanted him to do to her body. Every aching detail sent his blood pumping faster. Alarm bells went off as every fiber in his being said she was hands off. Still, she and Vex hadn’t officially announced anything concrete in the same zip code as monogamy. Considering pack rules, she being a Nightwalker couldn’t be Vex’s betrothed by any means. Jace smiled. Free reign to do what they wanted.

  Rich’s thick boots crunched on the rocky ground, awakening him from his thoughts. His best friend towered over him and could easily be mistaken for a center on the Phoenix Suns basketball team. Rich wore his strength and Lycan characteristics well. Beautiful gold eyes entranced any mortal who dared look into them. Thick broad shoulders showed his prowess, like most of the males in the pack, and helped him to easily fit into the role of coach at the local college. His face was lined with a wide, square jaw to enhance his handsome brooding look. Long silky shoulder length auburn hair with a glint of gold from the streetlight intensified his strong, masculine features.

  Jace met the younger Lycan shortly after he was turned. The main thing he loved about the big guy was that they shared a passion for immortality, sex and living. They could be brothers—if Rich didn’t have that pesky little habit of shifting into Lycan form every now and then, besides just on the full moon.

  “What brings you here, bro?” Rich asked as he folded his arms in front of his body. He backed up to the car and leaned back with his warm eyes focused on Jace.

  “Renegade attack earlier. Knocked me off my feet. I needed some fresh air.”

  “You do look pretty washed out.”

  Jace rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks man.”

  “Ha! No really. Do tell. I can always sense when there’s something going on with you.”

  Jace raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seriously known you way too long.” He cleared his throat and l
eaned back on the bike.

  Rich emitted a deep growl in his throat, causing Jace to jump back with his hands up.

  “Sorry man,” Jace said with a sly smile. “I forgot.”

  The Lycan bowed like a nobleman from his time. “Please continue.”

  “There is something else actually.” I have a strange girl in my apartment and she freaks the crap out of me because I don’t know what she is. But she definitely isn’t human. Jace was thankful Lycans didn’t have telepathic ability. Heightened senses yes, but their powerful strength lie with the physical more so than the mental abilities. He was half tempted to tell Rich everything about the girl, or at least enlist his help to find out where she came from and who she was. Something told him for now she was a secret to unwrap for himself.

  Tonight he would pretend like everything was just as normal as any other night.

  “Had another necro on my hands tonight.”

  Rich’s mouth fell open. “Ah, man—You call Ange?”

  “Yep. Right after.”

  “I guess the bright side is you don’t have to cloud their minds after feeding on them like Julian.”

  Jace snorted. “Right. And I’m probably the high reigning king of kills for the all time feeding contest.”

  “It bothers you, doesn’t it?”

  The question made him shift uncomfortably. He never really focused on it for too long. The connection was never strong with the women he fed off and over time he got used to accepting the fleeting moment. Though every now and then he would feel the fact clinging inside of him.

  “It does,” Rich said. “I can read it off your face.”

  “Nah, man. I just—I need to curb this thing or it’ll kill me one day.”

  Rich shrugged. “They’re just food, Jace. A screwed up race of arrogant, greedy meat. Why would you care for their lifestyle when they would just as soon wipe ours out?”

  “Who said I did? And you forget we were once human.”

  “A long time ago.” Rich shook his head. “To them we would just be a cast of freaks to snuff out.”

  Jace shot his friend a hard look that made Rich shift his gaze away. Rich was right. The humans were pretty one track minded and were blissfully ignorant as long as they stayed in the dark. He thought he had curbed the slight guilt with each new feed. He dodged a huge bullet in the late 1800s with the prostitutes of Whitechapel, England. During one of his feeding escapades, his self-proclaimed feeding curse haunted him as the bodies of the prostitutes piled up. Jace was thankful for another sick freak at the time who evidently came along and desecrated the bodies for some strange reason or another. Practically sent a letter of confession and then got stuck with the murders. Jace felt a tinge of guilt whenever he read the papers. The victim’s throats were slashed before any more harm was done and he always wondered if it was to hide the two bite marks he had left on their bodies. He often pondered his fate if the attacker never came along to do his grisly work considering the Necro of the time didn’t dispose of the bodies before they were discovered. Thankfully the news of the time loved a good mystery and didn’t press for the killer’s true identity.

  “Tell me Rich,” Jace said with the memory still fresh in his mind. “How do you feel about taking on the Patriarch?”

  Rich raised his thick shoulders in another shrug. “I’m actually looking forward to it.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yeah. I’d love to stand at the head of the house with all eyes and hopes lying with me. Knowing that I have their loyalty and their trust.” Rich grunted with a sweet satisfying smile on his face. “It’s a beautiful thing, man.”

  “That’s all well and good, but our freedom to live is squandered with all these rules and obligations.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I don’t know if this life as a leader is for me. I don’t think the Nightwalkers would want to trust their life with a guy like me.” His brow furrowed. “I’m not sure I’d ever trust a guy like me.”

  Rich roared with laughter. His large shoulders thudded up and down like a bobbing buoy lost at sea. “Look Jace, it’s all nerves. I’m sure many good leaders get the shakes before taking the throne. Besides, think of all the babes that’ll be clawing to be your betrothed and aching to be alongside you on that throne.”

  “Until I have to choose my one betrothed.”

  “Jace and his immortal beloved,” Rich said holding his open palms apart from each other. “And never shall the twain meet.”

  Jace licked his lips looking past Rich to where Shelly stood. Sensing his gaze, she turned to look over her shoulder. Slowly she licked her luscious lips in a slow, enticing movement. With a gentle wave of her hand, she fluffed back the strands of her soft, dark mane and turned back to her group. The fullness of her cheeks told him of the sneaky smile she was trying to hide. Suddenly his jeans felt tighter. Shifting his position, Jace knew exactly how to make all his troubles go away.

  Rich chuckled, noting Jace’s gaze. “Shelly’s been asking about you all night. She said she had a feeling you’d come by hungry.”

  “That I am, my friend.” Jace smiled. He shared with Shelly the thoughts of what he wanted to do to her that very night as she sent him promises of a full night of pleasure to come. He couldn’t help smiling a little wider noting the distraction of Shelly’s boyfriend as she turned to him once again. Maybe this evening was looking up after all. “That I am.”

  “You know what Vex would do if he saw you looking at her like that?”

  Jace turned away and looked at his friend. The beefy arms folded in front of him reminded him of Vex’s large frame and the explosive temperament the Lycans shared. From the look in Rich’s eyes, he sent that very message with his threatening posture.

  “Of course. I’ve seen Vex in action before.” Jace flashed him a toothy grin. “Besides, I was just looking at her.”

  “Make sure that’s all you do.”

  * * * *

  Ariya stirred in her sleepy haze before her eyes fluttered open. She bolted up in bed.

  A rush of images suddenly returned to her. The dreams of Shya’s brutal death. The demise of her parents, too horrible to witness. The nightmarish dreams of a bloody, violent battle.

  And that mysterious man standing amidst the chaos of war.

  Looking around the room, Ariya tried to calm herself with some kind of familiar motif, but these were foreign surroundings.

  Bright yellow hues of candlelight warmed her sight, giving the room a temperate, comfortable and inviting feel. Antique dark wood furniture covered the bedroom matching the tall bookcases on each end of the room. The trinkets on the oak chest caught her eye. Rings with various designs of ancient symbols lined the top shelf of dark velvet. The ring with the ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life, especially stood out to her and reminded her of home. Another ring was made of a silver and gold metal with two hands holding a heart topped with a gold crown. Behind the chest on the wall, a large Highland Claymore sword sat on display. She slipped off the bed and walked toward it to get a closer look. The bronze hilt was topped with a large, bright sapphire jewel wrapped in black lacquard finish. Looking closer, she noticed a small shield was set within the jewel. The shield held a design itself, a red lion on its hind legs sitting over jagged red and yellow waves. The craftsmanship of the blade nearly took her breath away.

  An inscription along the blade caught her eye. She tried to read it, but the language, although interesting, was completely foreign to her mind.

  Ariya reached out to touch it when soft moaning caught her senses. Her first instinct was to relax and enter any open thoughts in the vicinity. The thought brought her back to her lands as they were destroyed right before her eyes. How much time had passed since she slept? It couldn’t be safe to stay in one place for fear of the elemental coming after her. Perhaps the person who emitted the sounds would be able to direct her somewhere else safe.

  Ariya braced herself and followed the sounds. Male and female.
Their scent was not that of a human’s scent. Their body temperatures were also too low to be mortal. She rounded the corner into the hall. Flickering lights drew shadows across the wall in the larger room ahead. The sounds of pleasure invaded her ears like a rippling wind warming her body. The two figures were partially obstructed by the back of the couch. Within the darkness, she saw the man; his wavy, shoulder length locks partially covered a handsome face contorting in passion. His bare torso showed the strength and makeup reminiscent of ancient, mythological male gods. Even in the darkness of the light, he was deathly pale.

  He arched his back and jutted his hips into the girl underneath him. She hissed and revealed her sharp, pointed canines. Fangs. The girl gripped his back with one hand while the other slipped down the front of his unzipped jeans. He moaned, pumping his hips into her closed palm. Ariya felt the rise of pleasure slowly overtaking him. The girl lifted her chin slightly before biting down on his neck like a predator moving in on its prey.

  Ariya watched in shock as the woman’s neck muscles constricted. She was drinking from him! The rhythm of his hips gained speed and he released a deep, strained moan as the heat within the room rose. Ariya felt her body tingle with the tease of an oncoming explosion struggling to claim her body. She backed up inadvertently and slammed against the back wall alerting both creatures to her presence.

  She had to think fast.

  The front door wasn’t too far. She sprinted toward it in a flash, passing the creatures on the couch.

  In an instant, the male appeared before her like a brush of wind. His long fingernails extended into claws. His eyes changed from blue to orbs of black and red. His lips parted in a snarl, revealing a set of large white fangs.