by Shania Tyler
“I’ve been trying to get him to do the same,” Theo confessed. “A pava is rare to find.”
“Yes,” Vivi agreed. “And if she is your destiny—”
Mason cut her off. “My destiny died for this cause. Kelly is a bargaining chip. No matter what problems we had, Cecina is the only woman I will ever love. We will not discuss the fact that Kelly is my pava any more than it’s already been discussed.” He gave a meaningful look to everyone in the room. “This knowledge stays here.”
“I already told Jenna,” Theo said.
“Jenna knows that everything said at the table stays at the table. Otherwise, she’d have never been selected for her vein. So, are we all in agreeance?”
Everyone nodded, but Theo was last to do so. He, more than anyone, knew the problems Mason and his wife had been dealing with. Theo’s family was of a higher rank than Mason’s in the Evaness and Cecina’s wealth had placed her out of every man’s reach.
But she’d chosen Mason.
Everyone had said Mason wasn’t good enough for her, and eventually, even Cecina had agreed and shut him out of her life.
But she’d still been his wife and he would honor her memory.
“We agree,” Aymee whispered.
Aymee was the Rebellion’s head prophetess. Her father had been Vivi’s captor and had taken a liking to her and forced her against her will. His bloodline was the House of Melina, the goddess of sight. So, it was through Vivi’s tragedy that the Rebels received a gift.
Aymee’s youth allowed her mind to see visions without prejudice and with ready acceptance.
“I am sorry if I have upset you, Colester,” Aymee whispered.
Mason frowned at the little girl and felt a squeeze around his heart before he turned from her round face. “It is not your fault, Aymee. Maurice and I are the only ones who could have gone after her, and there was no way we would have sent Maurice.” Maurice had lower morals than Mason.
“I’ll be sure to tell you anything else I see,” she quickly said, her voice going higher in pitch.
Mason turned to her and held her eyes for longer than he wished and saw tears gathering there. He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving her the last of his strength for this conversation. “It’s all right. No harm done.”
She scrunched up her face, but nodded that she understood. Her small fingers were wrapped around him so tightly that Mason was sure the blood was being cut off. “Will you still play dragons with me?”
Mason smiled, knowing that Aymee’s gentle hope and admiration of him had managed to shine a small light into his black soul. “I will play whatever it is you wish to play.”
She grinned then, and his whole chest warmed. “I’ll be Cassuss.”
Mason rolled his eyes as the mention of his friend Cassuss, a smug dragon shifter with as much bark as his bite. “All right, you can be Cassuss.”
“But later,” Vivi said, gathering her daughter in her arms. “Colester Mason is a very busy man.”
Aymee wrapped her arms around her mother and yanked. “I know,” she murmured.
Over Aymee’s head, Vivi mouthed, “Thank you,” to Mason and he nodded his reply as he stood.
He and Theo left the room and walked down the hall to the main juncture of the house in silence.
Theo eventually asked, “Does the pain ever go away?”
“No.”
“She does look like Reena.”
Mason smiled at the mention of his daughter and agreed. Before Reena died, she too had liked to play dragon.
“Don’t let pain stop you from following destiny,” Theo said when they reached the foyer.
Mason chuckled. “You sound like a real elf right now.”
Theo laughed, but then his smile fell as he looked toward the grand staircase. “A’ la Asea?” What in the world, he’d whispered in astonishment. “Maurice was right.”
* * *
Kelly stood on the steps and glanced around the entryway to the mansion and was amazed by its pristine beauty. The golden chandeliers with their hundred candles glowed a soft light over the tall, cream walls, making the house sparkle like a jewel.
She wrapped her hand around the freshly waxed banister and simply stared in awe of everything from the large, glass windows to the dome ceiling and the medallion and molding that flowed from its center.
Someone wealthy lived here, though she still had no clue where “here” was and why she wasn’t at school. She only hoped she had enough time to get back before class. She had finals to prepare for and never missed a class.
Thankfully, it was still dark outside, so she reasoned that she hadn’t been asleep for long.
Her eyes moved to where the carpeted stairs led to marble flooring, and she heard feet heading in her direction.
A moment later, two men came around a corner and she recognized one of them instantly.
His friend whispered something, but Kelly only had eyes for the one in the forest-green shirt and black jeans.
“Mason,” she whispered.
Her turned and the moment her eyes met his, the pulling between her legs grew intense enough for her knees to wobble. God, she wanted him to take her right there on the stairs, just rip her clothes off, and take her . . . and everything about his body told her he was more than capable of it. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe through the feeling, tried to calm herself, but it was almost impossible to stop wanting him, even with her eyes closed.
Mason’s own breathing grew rapid as Kelly’s aroused fragrance filled the air. He’d watched as she’d closed her eyes and her lower lip slipped between her teeth. She looked like a goddess in her white nightgown with her hair mussed from the pillows. A few of her golden strands had fallen over one eye, making her appearance even more tempting.
“My gods,” Theo said next to him, and Mason slowly turned his head to find Theo staring at him with apprehension. “Is that what it’s like? I literally feel the energy between you two.” And, as if to prove his point, he reached a hand out toward the air. “I’ve changed my mind. I think I would like to find my pava and experience this at least once.”
Mason didn’t. He could barely control his limbs as he walked over to Kelly.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, she fell into his arms without warning, bypassing the remaining few steps, and landing firmly in his grip. And he’d been ready for her, had known what she would do, and had prepared to have her against him. They were linked in a way that defied anything he’d come to understand about himself.
He liked being in control and staying focused.
He liked his women compliant and his relationships uncomplicated.
With Kelly, nothing went the way it should.
With her, he forgot his mission and the future. She had become the master of his thoughts and body, and with the obstacle of a boyfriend, their relationship would always be complex.
The only thing that made his situation better was the fact that she had little control over her reaction to him as well.
They needed to calm down.
The moment the thought entered his mind, he got a sense that she was thinking the same thing, and he held onto that thought. Slowly, he felt his body relax, his spine loosening one vertebrae at a time, and his desire for her diminished from the all-blazing fire into that of a candle’s flicker.
This he could deal with.
He gazed down at her in his arms, and Kelly gave him a soft smile before she said, “This isn’t a dream, is it?”
“No, it’s not,” he said in English, completely forgetting his vow to only speak to her in Chabar, his native tongue. The more she was exposed to the language, the sooner she would come to understand it. Most of the people in Asea had never been anywhere else, so while Mason could speak English, Theo and the rest of the Rebels couldn’t. He vowed not to be stuck translating for her while she was with him.
But Chabar was a tongue that never took long to learn.
Kelly saw the strain of his mout
h and knew he was trying to suppress a grin. She was happy, too. Her attraction for him, though still on a higher level than she’d had for any other man, wasn’t serial killer, stalker-in-the-night, Google-how-to-give-someone-Stockholm-Syndrome, kill-every-woman-in-the-world-to-keep-him-to-herself level.
She was calm again and laughed.
His eyes floated down to her mouth and he finally smiled.
“O’vaeuna E’ Te,” She is awake, his friend said, peering at them from a few feet away.
Kelly agreed that yes, she was awake. Then her eyes opened more widely and she said, “Ta katou E!” I understand you! Then she frowned when she realized she had not spoken in English.
Mason considered Kelly and watched the emotions flit over her face, but confusion was the most prevalent. He was confused as well. Usually when people from other worlds first came to Asea, it took much longer for them to learn the language. Chabar was a magical language, it flowed from the ground up; so long as a visitor ate the native flora and immersed themselves in the language, they could learn it quickly. The fastest Mason had ever witnessed was a month.
Kelly grasping it in only the span of a day was astounding.
“How is this possible?” Mason asked in Chabar, testing to see if this was really happening.
Kelly turned back to him, her face close, and he realized he was still holding her around her waist, not quite ready to let her go. Her fingers were around his neck and she replied in fluent Chabar, “I don’t know, but I understand you as well.” Her eyes twinkled with pleasure.
His face split into a smile.
“It could be her blood,” Theo said, coming closer. “It looks as though my friend will not introduce me, so I will have to introduce myself. I’m Theo.” He bowed to her.
“Kelly,” she replied. “Now, what’s this about my blood?” She turned her face toward Theo. Her fingers began to slip down Mason’s arms, and he realized she was letting him go.
Mason flexed his fingers to tighten his grip on her, but then slowly let her weight shift onto her own feet before stepping back.
The absence of her against him left him feeling cold and when her eyes flicked his way, he knew she’d felt it, too; the energy still flowed heavily between them.
The front door opened, and they all turned to watch Maurice, Noel, and Lanzo stroll through the door.
Maurice’s face looked grim, but Mason noticed his eyes glance up to Kelly and a slow leer stretched across his face. He sucked his teeth and said, “A gift for me? You shouldn’t have.” His blue eyes glittered dangerously, but Mason didn’t fall for the bait.
He knew Maurice was looking for a fight. He’d seen the tight look on his friend’s face plenty of times before and knew it stemmed from inactivity. It was why they allowed him to train with Noel and learn how to do more undercover work, but Mason was starting to think that a stealthy Maurice was the last thing anyone needed.
Maurice continued toward Kelly, “You even wrapped her up for me.” His eyes roamed up and down her nightgown. “I saw you bring her in, thought she was cute, but didn’t know she looked this good.” He stopped about a foot away from her and his eyes bulged as though he were choking on something. His supplies thudded as they hit the floor, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Upon its release, it vibrated past his lips. His eyes snapped open, and Mason noticed they had darkened, which was the first sign that Maurice was no longer playing a game.
He stared at Kelly with wonder. “Fuck!” he shouted. “I haven’t smelled anyone that good in centuries.”
Shocked, Kelly took an involuntary step away from Maurice. Mason moved to wrap his arm around her.
Maurice’s eyes turned to Mason and he asked, “When you’re done with her, can I have some?”
Kelly stiffened in his arms, her face drained of color.
Mason growled with a sneer and the arm he had around Kelly tightened.
Maurice, who was used to trying everyone’s patience, lifted a dark-blond brow and said, “Is that a no?”
“Maurice, it is indeed a no,” Theo said from a few feet away. He’d moved toward Noel and Lanzo when they’d entered and the three men were all standing in a tight circle.
Maurice turned to him and said, “I know I’m not the only person who smells this shit, right?”
The other men said nothing, but their expressions, and their distance, revealed a lot.
That was when Mason knew he had a bigger problem.
* * *
5
CHAPTER
FIVE
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* * *
Let me show you …
* * *
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Kelly looked between the men and became increasingly lost as the conversation flowed around her.
Maurice, who had the audacity to move closer to her and Mason asked, “What house are you from, baby?”
Baby?
“House?” she asked, clinging to Mason. She could feel waves of some strong emotion seeping from him, but she wasn’t sure what it was. When Maurice had walked through the door, something as smooth as a blade had severed her ties to Mason. She didn’t understand what was going on, but she got the sense he was blocking her. How or why she didn’t know.
But then Maurice had begun to speak, and she’d understood that Mason had shut down his emotions to deal with Maurice. She rolled her eyes, this Maurice reminded her of every playboy frat guy she’d ever met. He was cocky and evidently working to get on Mason’s nerves, since it was obvious they were friends.
Well, not together, but there was something between them.
But then she’d felt Maurice’s playfulness turn to sincerity. He’d visibly shivered when he’d come near her, and that was when she’d become lost.
“Theo,” Maurice said with an accusing finger. “I know you smell this.” From his turned profile, Kelly could see the diamond in his ear, which was the same shade as the ring around Mason’s finger. That same color of Maurice’s cool eyes.
Theo gave a single nod. “I do smell it, but she is off limits.”
Maurice glowered, and he turned to Mason. “No way you’re not sharing her.”
Kelly huffed. “What am I? A pizza to be shared between frat boys? No, you can’t share me, creep”
Maurice’s eyes turned to her. His look said, are you serious? “Look here, baby, you don’t get a say.”
Mason said, “I was unaware of her scent before this moment.”
Maurice’s nostrils flared and he spoke slowly. “You were unaware of it? Are you fucking kidding me? That thing just hit me like a fucking eight-wheeler! There is no way you’re not drawn to her.”
Mason’s jaw clenched.
Theo said, “Mason is drawn to her for other reasons . . .”
Maurice’s scowled as inspected Kelly up and down. “You mean her looks? I guess, but there’s no way—”
Mason asked, “Are you all drawn to her?”
He received no reply.
Kelly asked, “Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?”
Everyone kept their mouths shut.
Then the one with brown eyes and brown hair said, “Hello, Kelly. I am Noel.” He bowed to her.
Kelly gave him a brief smile. “Hello.”
Noel straightened. “I’m going to dinner, where I will gorge until my stomach can hold nothing else. Who will join me?”
The other man, whose skin was slightly toasted and whose dark eyes slightly tilted up at the ends, raised his hand and followed him. “Lanzo,” he said with a shot nod.
Kelly nodded back.
Then Lanzo said, “Let’s get drunk. Fedora would kill me if I even thought about her.”
Both men left and then Theo said, “This will take some getting used to, but I’m sure everyone will come around. I do, however, need a drink . . . a heavy one.” Then he was gone as well, leaving her with Mason, and Maurice.
Kelly discretely lifted her nightgown and sniffed,
but smelled nothing on herself. She’d showered before the event at the administration building.
Maurice said, “This isn’t fair.”
“Most things aren’t,” Mason replied.
Kelly broke away from Mason, she’d had enough of their speaking in code. “What’s happening?”
Maurice turned to her and said, “Do you really not know?”
She stared at him blankly.
With a straight face, Maurice said, “You’re an elf.”
Kelly let his words echo though her mind and came back with nothing. She didn’t know any sexual innuendos or abbreviations for ELF. “Sorry, still lost.”
His gazed at her. “You’ve never heard of elves?”
“Nope.” She only knew of the ones in fairy tales and works of fantasy . . . like her own fantasies with Orlando Bloom from The Lord of the Rings.
As if reading her mind, Maurice grinned. “I mean the kind with the pointy ears.”
“Maurice,” Mason warned.
Kelly lifted a brow. Did he really think she was that stupid? “There are no such things as elves.”
His next breath came out in a laugh and he said, “I guess there’s no such things as vampires either, huh?”
“Right,” she agreed.
“Let’s go,” Mason said, beginning to ascend the stairs and pulling her up by the hand.
She turned to follow him, but Maurice grabbed her other hand and yanked her back down a step.
“Hey!” she shouted. Then she froze as she looked into Maurice’s sneering face and saw his teeth. Her blood ran cold as she shook her head. “No,” she whispered. It was impossible.
The blue in Maurice’s eyes moved toward his pupils, causing there to be too much white in his eyes, and he scowled right before he hissed.
