Frankie waved goodbye as she got into her town car and if she wasn’t her mother, Adrianna would probably have sent her a rude gesture. “Thank you,” she said when William opened the door to his Mercedes.
“You’re welcome.” He walked over to the driver’s side and slipped inside.
The drive back to the house wasn’t too long and soon William pulled up to the front. Adrianna couldn’t help but glance around, searching for a particular gray Dodge Charger. Her heart sank when she saw no sign of it.
“Adrianna?”
She had been so distracted that she didn’t realize William was outside and had opened the door for her, his arm stretched out to assist her.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, but took his hand anyway. “It’s just a couple feet to the house.”
“I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I didn’t walk to your door.” They climbed the porch steps and headed toward the front door.
“So …” Well this was awkward. William was standing there, an expectant look on his face. “Um, so it must be a long drive back for you.”
“It is, but it’s worth it,” he said. “Your mother has welcomed me here anytime, especially now that it’s crucial we all work together to stop the mages.”
“That’s nice. So—” His hand clamped around her arm when she tried to turn away. “Yes?”
“Adrianna,” he began. “I was wondering if I could call you another time? Maybe have dinner? That is, so we talk more about how we can strengthen our alliance?”
Madre de dio. Could this possibly get any more uncomfortable? “Um, why don’t you call my office?” She reached into her purse and grabbed her card, then handed it to him.
He seemed taken aback, but took it anyway. “I’ll be sure to give you a call first thing.”
“Well, good night then!” She quickly grabbed the door knob and scampered inside. As soon as she heard the sound of William’s car pulling away, she breathed a sigh of relief.
God, she could wring her mother’s neck! It was bad enough she was stuck out here in Jersey, but for Frankie to meddle in her personal affairs … what was she thinking? It was out of line.
“You are back.”
Her heart fluttered in her chest and her knees went weak when she heard Darius’s accented baritone. She wanted to scream at her stupid body for reacting the way it did.
When she turned to face him, she groaned inwardly. He was standing in the hallway, his hair damp from a shower, and wearing sweatpants and a white shirt that was so tight she could see the outline of his abs. “Of course. Where else would I be? Speaking of which, I thought you said you had some errands?”
“I finished them.”
“Where’s your car then?”
“I parked it in the garage since there was space. I hope that’s acceptable, Miss Anderson?”
Her nails dug into her palms. “That’s fine.” She breezed past him, intending to head up the stairs, but his hand on her arm stopped her. Damn him! Why did William’s same gesture do nothing for her, but when Darius did it, she wanted to just melt against him?
“What’s bothering you?”
Your preference for buying shirts two sizes too small is bothering me! Since she couldn’t say that out loud, she stayed silent but attempted to yank her arm away. “Let go!”
His eyes grew stormy, and he lifted her hand to his nose. “I can smell him on you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Was it deliberate? Did he scent-mark you too?”
“How dare you!” Scent-marking was extremely personal. Only close family members did it. Or lovers. “What are you implying?”
He pressed his nose to her wrist, and the touch sent a thrill up her arm. “Perhaps he wasn’t bold enough to take what he wanted.”
Anger boiled inside her. “What do you care? You don’t even want me!” She cried in surprise when the words came out of her mouth. “No, I … didn’t mean—”
She was so focused on the loud thud of her back hitting the wall that she didn’t realize right away that Darius’s mouth was on hers. Hard.
Oh.
Oh.
His lips were rough and urgent, slanting over hers in a daring manner that made her knees wobble like jelly. He pushed her up against the wall harder, nudging her knee open so he could press his hips to hers.
Madre de dio.
His cock was already hard and the ridge pressed up against her, making her whimper in need and her core clench. A hand dug into her hair, yanking gently at the roots to tilt her head up so he could deepen the kiss. She couldn’t stop him as his tongue slid into her mouth, tasting her and doing delicious things that lit up all the pleasure synapses in her brain like fireworks. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing her body up against him.
His warm palm slid up under her shirt, caressing her skin, moving to the front to cup her breast. When his thumb brushed over the thin lace of her bra, her nipple tightened. She froze.
“Wait!” She pushed against him. Oh, God, even though he was standing right in front of her, her brain was still having a hard time processing that they had kissed. “Why did you do that?”
“Why?” His voice was as tight as a coiled spring. “Because I couldn’t stand his scent all over you.” He reached forward and rubbed his wrists against her neck, marking her with his delicious vanilla scent. She gasped at the boldness of his gesture. “And because I couldn’t keep letting you think I didn’t want you. Not anymore.”
“Y-y-you want me?”
“Did I not make myself clear?” He leaned forward, trapping her against the wall by placing his palms on either side of her. “Should I keep showing you how I—”
“Stop!” She pushed his face to the side and then ducked under his arms. “I’m just … this is going too fast. Darius, I …” Her body was on fire, but also, she couldn’t believe what he just said. “I just met you and you’ve been acting like you don’t even see me sometimes.”
“I see you, Adrianna. Do not doubt that.”
God, his words made her ache, and something deep inside her told her this wasn’t just going to be about sex, at least not for her.
“Adrianna? Are you home?”
Julianna! “Y-yes!”
Julianna trotted down the stairs, stopping halfway down. “Who are you talking to?”
“Huh?” Glancing around, she realized she was alone. Darius had somehow disappeared back to his room. Good. “Um, I was on the phone.”
“With Lucas?”
“Lucas?”
Julianna’s brows knitted together. “I told him to call you if he’s having trouble.”
“Hold on.” She held a hand up. “What do you mean having trouble? What happened? Is he okay?” The alarm bells in her head went into overdrive and her instincts were telling her that something was terribly wrong with Lucas. “Julianna?”
Her sister’s brows furrowed together. “I saw him today. He’s acting strange.”
“What? And you didn’t ask him what was wrong?”
“He wouldn’t tell me. But when I asked if he would talk to you, he seemed open about it. I thought maybe with your guys’ twin thing, you could pry it out of him.”
“He hasn’t called me at all.” Worry gripped her. She and Lucas talked about almost everything. Come to think of it, it had been a while since he even texted or called. “I’ll call him.”
“Just make sure he’s okay, all right? Use that twin juju you have and just … make him normal again.” The anxiety in Julianna’s voice was real.
“I will.”
“Good. Where were you anyway?” Julianna took one step down.
Oh, no. If Julianna got any closer to her, she would surely smell Darius’s scent on her. Arrogant prick. He accused her of letting a stranger scent-mark her and then goes ahead and does it himself. “Stop! I mean—I need to, uh, I left something in the kitchen. I’ll be right up and I’ll tell you how Mama roped me into a blind date.”
“Blind date?”
> “Go. Let me grab my things, and I’ll give you all the details.”
“Fine.” She wagged a finger at her. “But I want details. I’ll be in my room.”
As soon as Julianna disappeared upstairs, Adrianna dashed to the guest bathroom. She grabbed some towels, ran them under some hot water and rubbed the wet cloth on her wrists, neck, under her arms and then her face. Hopefully, this would remove Darius’s scent from her body. Her wolf whined in protest, but she ignored it.
God, this was a mess. Darius. And now Lucas. When they had been kidnapped, Lucas had suddenly shifted for the first time. He was only ten years old, which was unheard of as most shifters changed when they turned thirteen or fourteen. Worse than that, he had shifted in bloodlust, a state where a Lycan couldn’t control his or her animal and they went straight for the kill.
He had only done this two—no, three—times in his life, and during all those instances, Adrianna was the only one who could calm him down. Even in adulthood, she and Lucas had always lived close to one another, and though it remained unspoken between them, it was probably because only she could bring him back from the darkness.
As she climbed the stairs, she took her phone out of her pocket. No messages from Lucas. No missed calls. When she dialed his number, her call went straight to voicemail. Her brother never did that, not to her at least.
Her grip on the phone was so tight, she might have crushed the sleek device with her Lycan strength. She had to talk to Lucas. Damn the mages to hell. She would find out what was wrong with her brother, one way or another.
Chapter Ten
Darius hardly ever dreamed.
But when he did, it was only of one thing. Of that fateful night when he lost everything.
Maybe they weren’t dreams. They were too vivid. He wasn’t sure because the memories of that night remained fractured in his brain.
He was sitting in the kitchen, doing his English homework.
“Make sure you study hard, Darius,” his mother said in their native tongue. “You need to speak English to make it here.”
His father winked at him from across the table. “And remember what I said? Once you are successful and rich here in America, you can buy anything.”
“Even that car?” The photo of the charcoal gray Dodge Charger hung on the wall of the room he shared with his younger brother, Thomsin. He had seen the advertisement in a magazine and knew this was the car he would be driving one day.
“Yes, son. Even that car. Believe me, hard work pays off.”
His parents smiled at each other, like they were hiding a secret.
The next thing he remembered was opening his eyes. He was lying down on sterile, scratchy sheets, and his entire body was in pain.
He jolted awake. From across the bed where he sat up, he saw his reflection in the dresser. For a second, he felt the same shock that coursed through his veins the first time he looked in the mirror after that night, when he saw that his hair had turned all silvery white.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and rolled out of bed. His heart pumped loudly in his chest, the sound drowning out everything else. He needed something to calm him. As if on instinct, he grabbed for the shirt that hung from the back of a chair. Pressing it to his nose, he took a whiff. Adrianna.
Her scent invaded his senses, and his heartbeat crawled back to normal. He really should toss the shirt in the laundry. Or just throw it away. But he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it, not when it was soaked with her delicious smell. Of course now, his anxiety was replaced with arousal. His cock bobbed up, pressing against his sweatpants uncomfortably.
Last night had opened up a dam that he couldn’t close. He knew kissing her would be a mistake, but he didn’t know how much. He had a taste of Adrianna and wanted more.
He tossed the shirt into the laundry basket. His wolf growled in anger. “Stop,” he said through gritted teeth. It was his damn fault, and now he would have to live with the consequences. And he would have to face her now after he had slinked away like a coward when he heard Julianna come down from her room.
He should apologize for his behavior. It was not proper. The presence of the other Alpha had pushed him over the edge, but that wasn’t an excuse. She was to be Alpha, and he was nothing more than her bodyguard. Plus, there was the fact that he was supposed to spy on her for Anatoli. He was actually surprised his uncle hadn’t been bothering him every minute to ask for information. But he had a suspicion he would hear from Anatoli soon.
He could delay the confrontation with Adrianna, but he’d always been the type to face problems head-on. He heard her come down the stairs, probably to start her day with her usual cup of coffee. So, he walked into the kitchen, fully intending to take responsibility for his actions. He didn’t expect to see her sitting down at the table, her face scrunched up as she stared at the phone in her hand.
“What is wrong?” Anxiety, tension, and worry rolled from her in waves and tinged her sweet scent.
Her head snapped up, and those beautiful eyes grew wide. For a second, her expression softened, but her worried mask slipped back on. “It’s nothing,” she said before turning back to her phone.
He had expected her to be awkward or nervous around him, maybe even dismissive. Those emotions he could have dealt with, but not this. She looked deflated and the fact that she was unhappy made him edgy. He had to comfort her, but how?
Walking over to the coffee pot, he poured her a cup and added a touch of milk, just the way he’d seen her take it the last two days. He saw a box of pastries on the counter, then fished out a croissant and placed it on a plate.
“Eat.” He put the coffee and food in front of her.
She made a face. “I’m not hungry.”
“It doesn’t matter, you must eat.” He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. “Now, tell me what is troubling you.”
She put the phone down. “Noth—” He gave her a stern look, and she was taken aback. “It’s my brother. Lucas. Julianna said he was in some kind of trouble, but he won’t tell anyone what. He won’t even answer my calls and we usually tell each other everything.”
So, she was worried about her twin brother. And it seemed like she would not be happy until she knew what was wrong with him. “Then you must find out what’s troubling him.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Seek him out and ask him directly. Technology,” he nodded at her phone, “cannot replace a face-to-face meeting.” He knew it was old-fashioned, but that was how they did business in The Family.
“I can’t see him.”
“Why not?”
“You know why. It would be easier for the mages to attack—”
“The mages will not know where you are each and every second of the day. Besides, they have only attacked you during events that were planned ahead, correct?” He leaned back and put his hands together on top of the table. “Meet with him today.”
“But he won’t even answer my calls.”
He reached out and touched her hand. “Then you make him meet you, lupoaică.” Using that word as an endearment seemed strange, but it suited her. His she-wolf.
She didn’t pull her hand away or even flinch. “What do you suggest?”
“Set a time and place, somewhere meaningful only to the two of you. Don’t ask him. Tell him you will be there whether or not he confirms.”
“And we’re supposed to disobey direct orders from our parents? They’re still Alphas.”
He shrugged. “I won’t tell if you won’t. But you must let me come. To protect you.”
“I—fine.” She puffed out a breath. “I think I know where we could meet. I can leave work a little earlier today.” Taking her phone in her hand, she typed out a quick message. When the device let out a soft zzzzoom sound, she put it down. She lifted her head to meet his gaze. “So, um, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Tension hung in the air between them, and it was like both waited for somethin
g to give. Would she mention the kiss from last night? Or would she pretend like it hadn’t happened? Should he mention it?
“Good morning, sunshines,” Julianna greeted as she breezed into the kitchen. “Wow, you guys look so serious. Who died?”
Adrianna let out a forced chuckle. “No one.” She stood up and took a bite of the croissant, then a sip of the coffee. “I’m going to send out a couple more emails, then I’ll be ready to leave in fifteen minutes.” Her gaze met his briefly. “Thanks … for the breakfast.”
His eyes remained fixed on her, following her figure as she disappeared through the doorway.
“So, you made her breakfast, huh?” Julianna was leaning against the counter, munching on a Danish. “Are you going to make me breakfast too?”
“I simply poured her coffee and put some bread on the plate,” he explained. “If you’ll excuse me, I should get the car ready.”
She polished off the Danish in one bite. “You do that, Darius.”
Did Julianna suspect anything? He had made sure she didn’t see him last night. It didn’t matter. Adrianna seemed less unhappy after he offered his solution. His wolf preened that they were able to do something for her. And truth be told, he would crawl over glass to make her happy and give her what she wanted, damn all consequences to hell.
Chapter Eleven
Adrianna wasn’t sure why she was nervous. But as they pulled into their destination, her palms were sweaty and she couldn’t stop tapping her feet.
“He will be here,” came Darius’s reassuring voice.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that she was anxious about Lucas, Darius being thrown into the mix made her positively bananas.
He was attentive to the point of hovering around her like a nervous first-time parent. There was breakfast this morning, but then later, when they got to her office, he didn’t wait outside the building like he usually did. Instead he stood inside the waiting room, right outside her door like a guard at Buckingham Palace, making Giselle nervous. He had also brought her food from Muccino’s when she said she had to work through lunch so she could leave early. At five o’clock when she stepped out of her office, he dashed to the elevator to call it for her.
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