Dark Ambitions: A Snarky Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance (Brigit Grey's Misfortunes Series Book 1)

by Maya Daniels

  A hot shower wasn’t in the cards for me. It was lukewarm at best, and I blamed whatever outdated hot water tank they had in the place, ignoring the fact I needed an ice cold one to wash off the need for Elijah clawing at me. But at least I was clean, and my mind was somewhat clear, so maybe I could get a few hours of sleep.

  When I walked out of the bathroom with a sad cloud of steam coming from behind me, Elijah was spread out on his back on the other bed, his arms tucked under his head. Those emerald eyes tracked me like prey, and whatever control I gained over my hormones went down the drain so fast it left my head spinning. Crystal was sprawled across the other bed starfish style, taking up the whole thing even with her tiny body, so I had no choice. Pretending I didn’t see him there, I crawled next to Elijah, not saying a word, and rolled to my side, giving him my back.

  As soon as my eyes closed, I was out.

  17

  Something was covering my face, making it impossible to breathe. Peeling my eyelids open with great effort, I tried to clear the sleep haze. I made an attempt to focus, but all I saw was darkness. Where the hell was I?

  It all came back to me in a rush. The attack on Crystal’s apartment building. The dingy motel. Elijah sleeping next to me.

  Oh my God, Elijah sleeping next to me!

  My eyes snapped open at that, and I attempted to bolt upright, unsuccessfully if I might add, but I was more awake than I’d ever been before. The scent of sandalwood filled my nostrils, clouding my brain, and I knew exactly who was on top of me then and why I couldn’t see a damn thing.

  Shoving with everything in me, I tried to get Elijah off of me, groaning and growling as I did with a desperation born of proverbial blue balls. Sound effects always made everything easier, at least for me, so I kept making stupid noises until his eyes cracked open, and I regretted moving at all when a lazy smile lit up his handsome face.

  Did The Hunter actually need to sleep?

  He was probably playing more games just to fuck with me. Whatever he was doing, I needed him to get the hell off me now, otherwise … I didn’t need to think about what would happen otherwise. Already, I was in need of a change of panties from his scent alone sinking into my pores.

  Gah! Where was my brute strength when I needed it?

  “Hmm, isn’t this nice?” he mumbled, snuggling closer and pressing me deeper into the thin mattress.

  “No, it isn’t actually. Now get off me, you ass,” I grumbled, pushing against his unmovable shoulders. I swore they were more like rocks than anything else, and I didn’t notice how nice they felt under my fingers. Yup, ignorance was bliss.

  “You smell nice.” His sleepy rasp almost made me giggle like a dumbass. I guessed Hunters did need sleep, after all. What the hell was the matter with me?

  “Um, thanks, but could you move?” Trying to wiggle out from under him wasn’t working either. “Please?” Blowing out a breath, frustration clawed at me. I didn’t like being in enclosed spaces, and being caged by Elijah’s hot, muscular body was about as enclosed as they got.

  Okay, maybe I didn’t mind a man on top of me, but not this man.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  “Elijah, get up.” Opening my palm and pulling it out as far as I could, I slapped his back.

  His eyes flicked wide, and he rolled off me, grinning. “Now that was a nice way to wake up. Next time try my ass, love. It might have a better outcome for both of us.” The jerk chuckled at my open-mouthed stare.

  “Maybe for you,’ I snapped, not in the mood for his games.

  Rolling off my side of the bed, I stormed through to the bathroom, emptying my bladder as quickly as I could. Washing my face, I felt almost human again.

  Almost.

  “Other people need to use that bathroom …” Crystal hollered, her voice strained.

  I stared in the mirror for a moment before opening the door and plastering my back to the side when she barreled past me like a fiend. Elijah didn’t waste time when the door was slammed in my face, cornering me and pushing me against the wall next to the bathroom with his palms pressed next to my head.

  “I know that you want me, Brigit, as much as I want you.” he muttered under his breath, his voice like velvet tickling my lips.

  Shutting my eyes tight and grinding my teeth, I refused to draw in a breath. Sure, he made me feel things, but I didn’t want to think about any of that right now when I didn’t know who I could trust. Not now with a horde of mages trying to track me down and probably kill me. Not the time, and definitely not the place in the germ central we were hiding in.

  Although, I would prefer never to be the time, if I was smart. Elijah was trouble incarnate, and I was not in the mood to go down that stupid path full of heartbreak and soul crushing if I could help it. No thanks.

  “Ms. Grey, I know you can hear me.” His hot breath teased my ear, sending shivers crawling up my spine.

  Nope. Not looking at him.

  I only had so much self-control.

  A flick of his tongue wet my ear, the tip tracing the shell forming goosebumps down my arms and my neck as I cringed inwardly, letting the sensation roll over me in waves. Resist it, Brigit. You can do this.

  “I can smell the sweet scent of your arousal from here, love.” His tone coupled with the way he said my name was my undoing, and stupidly, I opened my eyes, only to fall right into his scorching emerald orbs. Heart kicking wildly in my chest, I swallowed hard. Lips only inches away from my own, I wanted him to close the distance with everything in me. In fact, I needed it, so bad I found myself arching my back and pressing my chest against his while wrapping my arms around his neck in a desperate, unspoken plea.

  I was surrendering, and I wasn’t even a little ashamed to admit that.

  A girl could only take so much.

  Temptation was, after all, the tastiest sin of them all.

  “Guys, this bathroom is disgusting.” Crystal’s voice caused me to flinch, and Elijah backed away from me, though not before she rounded the corner and saw me pinned to the wall like the schmuck that I was. “Oh, so sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.” She didn’t look sorry at all, but I didn’t point that out.

  My face was on fire.

  “You aren’t interrupting anything,” I mumbled, ducking under Elijah’s arm to get away from him.

  A knowing grin split her face as she shrugged. “Whatever you say. So, anyone figured out what we do next?”

  Nodding to himself for whatever internal conversation he was having, Elijah sauntered to the door. “You both stay here. Do not leave this room until I come back. Understood?” He didn’t wait for an answer or any type of confirmation that we would be following his orders.

  Most of the time, I didn’t deal well with being told what to do. Shocker, I knew. I didn’t like it, and I certainly didn’t respect individuals who thought I would just fall in step because they said so, though in that moment, I knew Elijah had our best interest at heart. It still made me bulk because it rubbed me wrong. What kind of an idiot was still undecided when it comes to staying alive? I didn’t think he was all that bad, even if I still didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him, but he did keep us safe for the most part. I wasn’t trying to be a damsel, but I’d be dumb to refuse help.

  He definitely had an agenda. I just hadn’t quite figured out if he’d actually slipped in his attempts to convince me to trust him, leaving me breadcrumbs to follow so I could figure him out. I was, however, one-hundred percent certain that he was up to something.

  “Okay.” Sweetness oozed from my mouth like honey, and as soon as that one word left my lips, he glared and slipped out the door like a thief in the night. Well, day, as it was.

  Crystal busied herself trying to watch TV on the screen that kept flickering and popping, so I laid on the bed, waiting for what felt like hours before Elijah finally returned.

  “What was so important that you had to leave us here to play sitting ducks?” Sitting up, I fiddled with the disgusting covers on my bed,
fraying the cloth between my fingers to calm my frazzled nerves. If I stared at what I was doing, I didn’t have to look at him.

  “I left to make sure our magic didn’t leave a trail. Even if we didn’t use it, I don’t want to leave anything to chance.” An annoyed sigh passed his full lips. “Good thing, too, that I went to check, because shit is about to hit the fan. We need to get moving.”

  “What?” Crystal and I shouted at the same time.

  “The mages will continue attacking you both until one of you is dead.” He spoke all nonchalant, stopping my heart with his blunt slap-in-the-face statement. Crystal sure as shit didn’t want to die, and I was right there with her on that.

  “So how do we stop this?” Standing so I didn’t need to crane my neck to look up at him, my hard stare searched his. “Or do we just roll over and show them our bellies?”

  Elijah started pacing up and down the little free space we had in front of the beds, obviously trying to think. Good. He needed to use his damn brain, because according to his declarations, he found us so he could protect us. Time to put his money where his mouth was. I would help, of course, but he could do the heavy lifting here since I was swimming mostly blind.

  After what felt like hours but was probably only seconds, he stopped midstride, leaning his back against the small dresser tucked in the corner. “We have to go to them instead of waiting on them to find us. It is the only way.”

  “And how do you suppose we do that?” Crystal chortled nervously, sliding to the edge of the bed and leaning forward so she could grab her head between her hands. “Just storm inside the Mage’s Guild? My dad won’t make it easy, you guys know that, right?”

  “I already know where they are holed up, which tells me they want to be found. It stinks to the heavens of being a setup, but it is the only thing I can think of to get rid of them.” Elijah rubbed the back of his neck. “Unless either of you have a better idea.”

  Leaning back on my elbows, I shook my head. “I’m all out of those.”

  “Me too. My dad is a conniving bastard, and he won’t ever stop until he gets what he wants. Of course, if I die in the crossfire, he’s cool with it, too. So, I say let’s kill the bitch—or asshole.” Hysterical laughter bubbled out of her and she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, got a little caught up in my speech.”

  Chuckling at her antics, I plopped beside her on the edge of the bed, patting her on the thigh. “It was a good effort.” My grin hurt my face when she gave me a stink eye.

  “Well then, ladies, I suggest you get ready for a fight, because facing the mages might just be the highlight of this decade for me. I do think we have a good chance at success, especially because you have me on your side.”

  Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t believe the arrogance bloating the guy’s head up. “Humble much?”

  Grinning so wide it was more a baring of teeth, which of course were all perfect and straight and incredibly white and I wanted to punch him so I could crack one or two, he shrugged. “When you’ve got it, you embrace it. Isn’t that what they tell the ladies? It could be true for men, too, am I right?”

  “No, Elijah. You’re definitely not right,” I drawled, trying not to crack a molar.

  Ignoring him, I stood, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt for emphasis of how I felt. If the mages wanted a fight, we’d bring one to them. Wariness churned in my gut, forcing me to swallow the bile that was burning at the back of my throat. They would have a much better chance on their turf, but we had something they didn’t have.

  Desperation.

  And of course, Elijah Hawthorne, hunter extraordinaire.

  Suppressing a snicker at that thought, I blew out a breath. Honestly, I felt a bit sorry for the mages, but only for a minute. Then I smiled. I hadn’t had a good fight in ages.

  It was about a time I kicked some serious ass.

  18

  The mage’s were tucked in their hidey hole right in the middle of the city, in plain sight, of course, according to Elijah. I’d passed the building many times on my way here and there, and never noticed the damn thing. Perhaps because it was spelled to blend in and shrouded in wards, but I really had no idea.

  “We go at sunset. I’m more powerful when the sun is down.” Elijah’s somber tone skirted through the motel room, clinging to me until I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin. I started to wonder if he was using some kind of magic to mess with my head. It was not normal to be aware of another person the way I was acutely aware of everything he said or did.

  “What do you mean?” The question came out a whisper, though I hadn’t meant to breathe the words in that way.

  “I am part vampire, so my strength increases at night. Of course, they know that, too.” Elijah’s shoulders twitched in the resemblance of a shrug, the emotions flickering through his gaze not matching the nonchalant attitude he was displaying. The ass was worried but trying to play it off as nothing. “They know a lot.”

  “Probably a lot more than us,” I grumbled under my breath, gnawing on the inside of my cheek. The guy was like a barricaded fortress when it came to revealing answers, but honestly, it wasn’t like I could blame him. I was the same way, most of the time at least.

  Snickering, he glanced at the ground before his eyes flicked to mine, a heated look that made me want to throw him on the ground and ride him like a pony. Mentally slapping myself when my gaze fell to his lips, I swallowed thickly, jerking my eyes to the corner of the dresser he stood in front of with herculean effort.

  “They do, but they’ve been around as long as I have, so it stands to reason they would pile up information to keep them prospering. Know your enemies and all that.” Winking at me, he turned his back, looking at some nonexistent thing that held great importance to only him. Meanwhile, I was busy clenching my fists to hold myself back from jumping on him like a rabid squirrel, or taking a handful of the round globes of his ass and giving it a good squeeze.

  Maybe I should give him a black eye, because I couldn’t forget about that smirk that drove me to the point of insanity. With one eye swollen shut, he couldn’t wink either. Ha!

  “What do we need to know, then?” Crystal piped in, her words pulling me out of my hormonal slash rage-filled daze.

  Elijah spun around, his full focus falling on Crystal, but I still felt like he was looking at me. I felt his attention on every inch of my body, and it made me want to fidget. “Just be prepared for a fight. These guys are very powerful as you know, but not one of them has magic like either of you. That is why the Guild wants you both. If they ever got their hands on you, the world as we know it would probably be over. It’s a dangerous game your father is playing in his ambitions for ultimate power, Crystal.”

  “Don’t I know it,” she muttered in frustration.

  Shaking my head, I still couldn’t wrap my head around all of this. “I’m not that powerful.”

  “Neither am I, girl. Not even close. I create strong wards, but that’s it. A good offense was never in the cards for me. But defense, I got that one down pat.” Crystal patted herself on the back, grinning from ear to ear. The wariness was creasing the corners of her eyes and mouth, but she got an A for effort.

  I couldn’t help but follow suit, the smile that stretched my lips actually hurting my cheeks.

  “Neither of you have any idea of what you are actually capable of. Especially you, Brigit. You can destroy the world if you accept the full extent of your power. Keep that in mind when using your magic on instinct.”

  Scoffing, I rolled my eyes in an attempt to blow him off, but the doubt was already eating at me. “Nobody has that kind of power. Magic is all about balance. There is no other way if you want to keep breathing.”

  Jerking his chin in a mockery of a nod, he smacked his lips. “Believe what you want, but trust me on this. You are destined for greatness when you accept who and what you are.”

  “Mmmkay. Whatever you say, oh mighty one.” Acting like his words didn’t affect me wasn’t easy.
Inside, my heart was punching my ribs, jumping into my throat every fifth beat before dropping to my feet. Or that was what it felt like, at least. Nervous energy flitted through me, but also excitement shot like a pinball encompassing my entire being.

  I always knew I had issues. This just confirmed it.

  For a long time, I thought myself to be less of a fighter and more of a helper, a fixer if you would. But the older I got, the more I wanted to lash out at those who thought they could hurt others. Anger swished inside me all the time, and I didn’t even know where it came from most days.

  Perhaps from the childhood I couldn’t remember to save my life. The family I’d never met and had no recollection of. There were plenty of things to be pissed about, but most of all, I was furious that just because I had magic, the mages wanted to use me for whatever fucked up scenario they hoped to happen in their messed-up minds.

  Since it was a couple hours until we would leave, and because I really didn’t want to deal with anymore preparation talk or idle chitchat about Elijah and his arrogance, I slept, tossing and turning the entire time. Dreams—or should I call them nightmares—plagued me, magic swirling around me until I was choking on the sweet, cloying scent that filled my lungs. I woke grasping my throat, choking for air that didn’t want to come, my fingers clawing in attempt to open my airways.

  “You alright?” Crystal sat on the bed beside me as I pushed myself up, leaning my back against the wall and gasping for air.

  Nodding, I cleared my perched throat. “Just a bad dream.” I rasped throat smarting like I’ve been chewing on razors.

  “Makes sense. We’re about to go and poke the viper’s nest with a short stick, so of course your anxiety is playing with your mind.” Blowing out a long, slow breath, Crystal placed one palm on her chest, the other at the center of mine. “Just focus on breathing. In. Out. Long, deep breaths that you suck in all the way into the bottom of your stomach. Trust me, I learned this in therapy. It really works.”