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

by Lori, Rae

  “Hey man, I’ll take my bike and meet you there,” Rich yelled once they stepped outside of the house. He walked over to his blue and black Kawasaki Ninja and prepared to climb on.

  “Why not come with us?” Jace said holding his hands out. “We got a big ole limo here that can hold us all. Not to mention half the houses themselves.”

  “I’m good. I have to make a stop before my big entrance though.

  “Are you ever going to tell us what we’re celebrating?”

  “Nope!” Rich said with a wide grin. “I said not until the last minute. I promise it will be soon. Believe me it’s killing me as much as it’s killing you.”

  “Yeah, somehow I doubt that.”

  “Maybe you can catch a bite to eat before stopping in.” Rich winked at the two before climbing onto his bike and revving it up.

  Ariya looked over at Jace. The implication would have made her blush but the truth of the matter was Jace didn’t bother to share that intimate experience with her since the night she saved his life. Seeing what she did tonight made her unsure of allowing his mouth anywhere near her.

  With the loud sputtering roar of his engine filling the air, Rich wheeled his bike around and saluted before racing off into the dark streets of the night. Jace opened the back door to the limo and helped Ariya in.

  “After you, m’lady,” he said with a smile. She slipped in and slid over to the other side of the limo then waited for Jace to slide in next to her. She listened to the soft hum of the engine and kept her focus on the driver ahead. She could see Jace watching as he leaned on the door of the window, balancing his jaw on his crooked knuckles.

  “What is it?”

  “What’s what?”

  “You haven’t said a word since he left and you’re blocking your thoughts from me. Something’s up.”

  Ariya froze, feeling Jace’s fingers gently caress the side of her face. His cold fingertips awakened her warm body and she wondered if they were really stopping to feed again.

  “Why not,” he answered aloud. “The night is good for it. And I could use another thrill.”

  She finally turned to him and watched his silhouette under the passing gold lights flooding him in shadow as they passed each street. Who was this man? she wondered. What had happened during the time she was gone?

  “Is that always the way the houses do business?”

  He smiled and peered over at her. “Always. Especially if we need important information. Sometimes it’s the only way that works.”

  “And the feed is just extra?”

  He smirked. “Need something for my troubles.”

  Ariya reached out to touch him. Her hands gently ran along his body, feeling the hard muscle beneath his jacket and shirt. He covered her hands with his and she wondered how a soft loving, caress could come from the same hands that were capable of such an outburst only moments ago.

  He leaned back, moving his head slightly as if absorbing her thoughts.

  Ariya couldn’t take her eyes off him. What else did she not know about Jace Archane? The question lingered as she sat back and watched him.

  Even in the shadows that covered him, he was handsome and exuded a confident charm, despite what he was only moments ago. He leaned back to his side with one leg propped up across the other. His pale form adorned in a smoky designer suit and a bright crisp white shirt partly unbuttoned from down the collar. Under the gaze of the streetlights, his shoes shined brightly like polished glass. His feet moved unconsciously, one tapping up and down, the other propped foot slowly flexing forward and back.

  Ariya couldn’t help feeling his gaze warm her body.

  “What were you like before the change, Jace?” She blurted before she could stop herself.

  He laughed softly. She couldn’t figure out if it was mocking because he was amused or because he was brushing her off like she was a child asking a stupid question. Either way, it wasn’t a laugh she particularly enjoyed hearing.

  “Why now all of a sudden?” he finally asked.

  She shrugged. “Curious. I know Julian’s story. Now it’s your turn.”

  Ariya shifted in her seat and leaned back, crossing her arms and legs in front of her. Her deep purple satin and black lace corset top hugged her torso snugly when she pressed her back against the leather seat. She knew he was well aware of her skirt scrunched up her leg, baring her smooth cocoa legs bejeweled in black leather knee high laced up boots. Her dark locks fell in a mass of curls down the length of her back and wings. She was amazed at how he spared no expense on her behalf. These clothes were rather comfortable and although she was not used to the style, she couldn’t deny how well they made her look and feel.

  Those deep blue eyes of his, like two jewels, watched her closely beaming as if he agreed with her assessment. He was awaiting her confession. Inside she knew she would confess to him her deepest desires. There was something about the Nightwalkers. They exuded otherworldly charm, mystic intrigue, a desire that any woman would willingly fall for. Perhaps they had all of their lives with centuries to perfect it. Perhaps it was the preternatural skill to cloud their victim’s minds before they moved into the attack.

  “Do you think I’m a monster, Ariya?” Jace’s low voice slipped into her mind, caressing her insides like a gentle, intimate kiss.

  “It’s not my call to make.”

  “Because sometimes I think you may forget what I really am. Part of that is my fault. Perhaps I let myself forget when you entered my life. Though, I’ve long accepted who I was some time ago.”

  “We should probably talk about it later,” she said, straightening up. “It’s rather detailed, I’m sure, and this is supposed to be a time of celebration, right?”

  “Right.” He focused his gaze on the window. “Before we head to the party, I need to make a stop, though.”

  “A stop?”

  “Rich made a nice observation about getting something to eat.” He gestured to the driver to stop.

  The limo turned off the side of the main road and parked near a dark abandoned street. Ariya felt a chill break through the air once Jace opened the door. Instinctively, he closed it behind his back and turned to face her once he realized she held the door open. His eyes squinted in curiosity for but a moment before his mouth opened.

  “You want to watch?”

  She shrugged, curious at why the question would come out now.

  “Sure, why not?” Can’t be much different from what she had just seen.

  “The feed varies, Ariya,” he said. “The Ren got his justice but that is different than a feed to survive—or for pleasure.”

  “But not besides you surviving?” She regretted making the statement less a question and more of an accusation. Right away she wanted to retreat the words from the air and from her mind. She had been the only one to survive Jace’s feed, as far as she knew. Judging from his tightened lips and narrowed gaze on her, he still held the curse of killing with each feed he indulged in.

  With a quick move of his arm, he slammed the back door shut and turned away from her. He straightened his suit jacket and from the shadows that settled on his profile, his jaws tensely and flexed as it always did when he was frustrated.

  “You may watch at a safe distance,” he said, his words tight. “But do not interfere. Remember this was your choice.”

  Before she could respond, he stepped away from her and entered the darkened street ahead. Ariya pushed away the feeling like she had been given a scolding by some king and she was a mere attendant trailing behind.

  She bit her tongue. This was going to be a long night, she thought as she fell into step behind Jace.

  A building sat near the edge of the sidewalk. From what she understood, this part of downtown was rather quiet and desolate for the time. No surprise considering it was almost late in the early morning. Or very early in the late night. Ariya got accustomed to the dark of night as she grew closer to the members of the house.

  Sensing a presence near, Ariya du
cked to the side of the building to watched Jace move in on his prey. The figure was a pretty streetwalker with a long fur coat and shiny ringlets of dark hair that fell around her shoulders. In the days she grew closer to Jace, Ariya learned to cloud her thoughts so he couldn’t easily read her. During that time, she learned to enter his when he wasn’t focusing. Snippets of a conversation were replayed like an old tape in Jace’s mind and sometimes replayed in his dreams. She couldn’t understand all of it, but she caught bits and pieces and tried to put it together like a puzzle.

  If I made her one of us—will that make a difference?

  You have never borne a Nightwalker before. You haven’t the experience.

  Well, I guess some things can always be learned, can’t they Uncle?

  The idea and the words sent a shiver down Ariya’s spine. Would he really turn her into one of them? A Nightwalker? What would happen to her people? Her guards and friends—

  She couldn’t leave them behind. If she had become just like Jace, she may not have the ability to cross realms. Not be able to see the beautiful bright sunlight of day. She swallowed. Nor to bear children from what she understood of his kind. In her readings about vampires, which Nightwalkers closely resemble, they were the undead through and through. They weren’t like the Aziza in that they could continue to reproduce their own kind as mortals did. Allowing their young to grow from youth to adulthood and continue the cycle of life. They produced another way, by assimilating other kinds and making them Nightwalkers themselves. The process could apply to children, she figured, but how could she live with the idea of an undead child perpetually living in its youth for the rest of its days?

  Then another question cornered her mind. How would her Aziza Fairy blood handle the transformation? How would she handle the need for blood?

  Looking up, she focused instead on Jace moving closer to the woman who smiled and giggled. She coyly brushed a stray lock of curls behind her ear while peering up at Jace through long, lush eyelashes. Jace leaned in toward her lips and she responded by moving in to hungrily take his waiting kiss. He moved back slightly, careful not to touch her until that last moment when she needed to have it.

  Ariya watched. This was the first time she watched him feed since she offered her own blood to save him, the Ren notwithstanding. He was fully aware of her presence as his hands roamed the streetwalker’s curved thighs. Her body moved against his as if hoping to raise the flesh between his legs. Jace’s hands clutched her throat, eliciting a surprised exhale from her lips. He gave a deep throaty laugh to calm her. Only when she chuckled back did he move his grip to cradle her face in his palm. He held her gaze and she watched him with intensity rising each second.

  Ariya’s heart beat fast deep within her chest, echoing the woman’s. Sweat formed within her palms. She knew she couldn’t take her eyes off the intimate act even if she wanted.

  Jace gently turned the woman’s head to the side to free her soft curved neck to feed. He angled her body to face Ariya, giving her a full on view. Their eyes met in that moment as Jace bared his sharp fangs before piercing the streetwalker’s neck with them. The lady’s body grew limp. Ariya could feel the transfer of energy emanating from the streetwalker’s body as Jace claimed her, she felt the sensations each shared. She felt the motion of Jace’s hard body pressed against her soft curves. His hands gripped her stomach as he slowly sucked the life from within her, his soft lips curved in a caress like a lover’s kiss around the contours of her neck. A deep animal groan escaped from deep within his throat and his desire for more grew with each second. A heightened pleasure devoured her body from the deepest sensitive area between her legs and throughout her limbs. The pain of his sharp, thin fangs buried within her was a distant feeling to the caress of his hands slipping over her thighs, stomach and finally her firm breasts. Jace jutted his hips between the curvature of the streetwalker’s buttocks and Ariya could tell he was aroused from the feed as the blood pumped through his veins and he came to life.

  The woman’s face contorted from the torturous pleasure she received as death slowly claimed her. She slipped a hand down to Jace’s leg and between her thighs, rubbing the hot flesh crushed between them. Jace tilted his head to look straight into Ariya’s eyes as he sucked harder. He moved his hips against the woman’s grip as his own release called near. Never did he look away as he dared Ariya to hold his gaze through the motions. His pleasure rose and just as she moaned deeply, a soft gasp escaped her lips and her eyes flashed open as she realized what was happened.

  It was too late.

  The streetwalker’s limp body remained lifeless, Jace raised his head from her. He wiped his mouth and quickly crooked his arm under her knees to lift her.

  Ariya finally broke her gaze from the scene as if awaking from a deep trance. Before the questions returned, another popped in its place. “You want me to call, Angel?”

  Jace remained silent as he kneeled down to place the dead body in a dark crevice of the building.

  “I’ll do it,” he said softly almost to himself. He hung his head, watching the solemn expression of the dead woman partly lit by the streetlight in shadow.

  “You feel sorrow for her,” Ariya said with a certain conclusion in her tone.

  Jace reached down to gently close her eyes. “From one death passes on to give another’s life,” he said. “At least that’s what I keep telling myself.”

  Jace stood and walked away from her. She had many questions swirling around her mind as he went into the shadows and unzipped his pants. Feeling her curiosity get the best of her, Ariya followed him as the sound of liquid dripping onto the pavement filled the air. Was he urinating? After more shuffling, he shook his hips a little and zipped his pants back up again.

  Jace was quiet as he exited the shadows and went into the light. He straightened his suit, careful to hide the bulge between his legs as best he could with the jacket. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package which he opened to produce the wet cloth within. His eyes remained on her as he wiped his hands.

  “You’ll have to excuse me. Sometimes when you have to go, you have to go.” He chuckled a little.

  “Jace, how—”

  “Sometimes mortals have more in common with animals than they ever realized. I suppose the same could be said for Nightwalkers and bats, as you may have read from your studies. No time for a physiology lesson right now though. We can’t be late for Rich’s party, now can we? He’ll massacre us on spot.”

  Ariya couldn’t help wonder what rules applied here. What would happen to the woman’s spirit? In her world, human and Aziza spirits were transferred, from one body to another, after death so they may live again and continue their purpose. Things were different here. She wasn’t sure how to take it, nor Jace’s other actions this night.

  After all, here was a man who literally sucked the life from humans so that he may continue to live, leaving the fallen with a trapped spirit in death. A curse, yes, but it wasn’t them who had her heart. Not like Jace.

  She sensed Jace’s body tightened as her words warmed over his mind. For some reason she didn’t care whether or not he read her thoughts then. Perhaps it was best he knew how she felt now before it was too late.

  Ariya climbed in the backseat after Jace opened the door. Once he joined her, Jace dialed the number to the Necro Cerberus and waited for the other end to pick up.

  Chapter 12

  Raine walked across the large sleek hall. Modern architecture updated the former office building causing it to feel like a sterile home right out of a designer catalog. He hated it because it reminded him too much of those high and mighty house members. With an elongated claw, he gritted his teeth and ran his nails across the side of the wall as he continued down the hall. Blakedon had no business trying to emulate them, no matter how close he was to Julian. And that Fairy did nothing to help his situation tonight. It just made him all the more hungry to dig his sharp claws into her tender little neck while Jace Archane watche
d as he broke her down right in front his eyes.

  He angled the corner with a smile as he thought this. Peeking over his shoulder, he nodded toward what was left of their team, and led them up the stairs to Blakedon’s office. He didn’t wait to knock before he stepped in. The large brown leather office chair slowly turned around, revealing a small weasel of a man. Ironically, Raine remembered this character most of all in his true form—a weasel.

  “Where’s Blakedon!” Raine barked.

  “Down at the Ellis’ home. I don’t think you should bother him tonight though.”

  “Yeah, tough.”

  Raine gestured over his shoulder for his men to turn around.

  “Wait! He gave me specific instructions for you to wait here! Come back!” The weasel’s high voice fell into the hall as Raine stomped away. Fire burned his blood. He would get to Blakedon tonight whether he had to fight his way through or not.

  * * * *

  The three story residential home sat amidst the edge of downtown Scottsdale. A row of parked cars remained outside while the owners crowded inside to the massive master bedroom suite. Blakedon walked amongst the crowd with Avery by his side. The boy told him earlier about the meeting and he was ordered to go right away, despite his desire to stay and wait in his office for Raine to report back.

  Even though they were in the exclusive home of their leader, Alexandru Drago, he couldn’t figure out what the purpose was—at this time of night, no less.

  “Only Blakedon!” The smooth Romanian accent reached outside the bedroom door before he made it to the top of the steps. The Shifter at the door quickly bowed and rushed away.

  Blakedon felt Avery’s nervous gaze on him and patted his shoulder with reassurance before continuing to the room.

  The large double doors led to an open space room with a high ceiling and a crackling fireplace in the corner. A soft beige carpet gave the room a homey feel that surprisingly calmed him right away.

  “Shoes. Take them off.”

  Blakedon wondered where the voice was coming from and how its owner knew he still wore his shoes. He quickly removed them and tossed them to the side. Right away, he snapped his fingers and gestured for Avery to do the same.