“But is he capable of those deep, stimulating conversations?”
I shrugged. “Don't know yet,” I said. “It's mostly been quips and small talk at the coffee house.”
“Has he called yet?” she asked.
“Actually, yeah. He did,” I said, biting my lip. “He called right before I came over. We're getting together tomorrow night for a dinner and a movie.”
“Well good for you,” Chelsea said. “At least one of us is getting some action. Or at least, has the potential to.”
Chelsea had been my best friend since high school and we'd been through everything together. After high school, our paths separated, but we were as tight as always, our bond, unbreakable.
Unlike me, her parents were paying for everything so she didn't have to work and go to school at the same time. Whereas I had to pick up as many shifts at Perky Beans as I could, just to afford school. And since I couldn't afford rent in Los Angeles, I was currently crashing on her couch.
Chelsea had been great about wanting me to live with her. But I knew I couldn't do that forever. I was impacting her social life – hard to bring a man around with your best friend asleep in the living room. She never said it – and I knew she never thought it – but I hated feeling like a burden on her. I knew the time would come – and probably soon – when I was going to have to make some tough decisions about my future.
“You'll meet someone, Chelsea,” I said. “You're beautiful, and going to college to be a freaking doctor for God sake. You're just busy right now. Soon, though. I know it.”
While Chelsea was going to UCLA, I was still stuck at community college. At one time, we both wanted to be doctors – surgeons. But at the moment, I was in a program studying to be a nurse. Because I wasn't sure I could afford college at this rate, much less medical school. I was on the slow and steady path, while Chelsea was going full-time, taking as many classes as she could and spending what little free time she had either with me or studying.
“So, what does this Aaron guy do?” Chelsea asked. “Is he a student? Does he have a job? I need details, lady.”
“Well, he's a little older –”
Chelsea side-eyed me. “How much older are we talking here?”
“Not much. Maybe a few years?” I said. “He graduated from college about two years ago. Business major. Works in finance – a boring desk job from the sounds of it.”
“But he makes good money, right?” Chelsea asked.
Shrugging, I said, “I guess so?”
“Maybe you can find yourself a sugar daddy,” Chelsea said with a sigh, as if she thought that would be a good thing.
It was odd to think we were best friends. All things considered, we were two totally different people from vastly different backgrounds. She was fairly well-off, a little spoiled and very much into living the pampered life. She wanted to be a doctor because of the prestige and money that came with the title. Not because she necessarily liked medicine, or even people, for that matter. I, on the other hand, found medicine to be my calling. It was a driving passion in me and every day I wasn't getting closer to that goal, it killed me a little more inside.
“I still think you should talk to Ozy,” Chelsea said. “Tall, dark, handsome and mysterious sounds sexy if you ask me.”
There was no question about that – he was sexy alright. With his large build, toned and fit body, and dark hair that fell to his shoulders, he was the epitome of sex appeal. Not to mention, those dark eyes of his seemed to have fire behind them. It was like when he looked at me, if the light hit them just right, they seemed to glow.
“Hard to get anywhere with a guy who won't talk to you though,” I groaned. “Besides, I don't think he's interested. He's probably married or has a girlfriend already. Or maybe gay – there's this one guy who hangs with him at the coffee house sometimes. Hot guys like him always have someone already, there's no way he's single.”
“You never know, Jess,” Chelsea said. “Unless you ask.”
She had a point, but I was already going on a date with Aaron. Might as well see where that took me. Besides, she was right – Aaron probably made good money, had his life together. I got the feeling that what you saw was what you got with Aaron. Not that it was a bad thing. A little stability could go a long way. Especially in a relationship.
As for Ozy, I knew next to nothing about him, except his name, of course– and even that could be fake. About the only thing I did know for sure was, that he was gorgeous and never failed to make my heart race and my stomach do flip-flops whenever he walked in.
“I dare you to talk to him tomorrow, Jessica,” Chelsea said. “I triple dog dare you.”
“Chelsea, I'm going out with Aaron tomorrow, I can't –”
“He's not your boyfriend yet, you owe him nothing,” Chelsea said. “Besides, aren't you curious? I bet you are. I can see it in your eyes.”
I was curious – that was the problem. “We'll see what happens, Chels,” I said. “He probably won't even talk to me anyway.”
“That's why you need to talk to him first,” she said. “Take that bull by the horns, girl.”
I laughed. “Maybe,” I said. “We'll see what happens.”
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EXCLUSIVE – The Bear’s Princess (Never Published)
Azaria is sick of life. She’s bored and hates the politics. She’s sick of being told what to do. Worse yet, her father is trying to marry her off to a Vamp three times her age—not her idea of a good union. She runs off and finds a wounded bear in the forest. When she realizes he’s dying she uses her blood to save him not even thinking of the consequences to both of them. He’s her mate and in that moment, nothing else matters.
Dulex is surprised when he finds himself naked in a dirty and dank cabin hidden far in the woods with none other than the Princess of the Vampires. Problem is she’s his mate and nothing will stand in his way to save her from the unwanted bonding. Dulex will do anything to protect his princess from harm, and when he wakes to find her missing… His beast takes control planning to wreak havoc on any that gets in his way or lays one hand on his mate. If only he could convince—her father, the king, that she is safe with him.
The vamp she was promised to isn’t playing nice and brings him before the Royal Council. It will take more than him alone to keep her safe. They must all work together to imprison the man sent by a rival to overthrow the King and Queen.
Will Dulex find a way to bring his princess home before it’s too late or will she succumb to the vile darkness threatening to take hold?
Chapter 1
Azaria
I wouldn’t do it. My father, fuck him, didn’t get it. Just because he was the King didn’t mean anything. How in the world did he get the idea that I’d want to bond with someone that much older?
I mean for real.
Just because I would live to be older than all get out didn’t mean I wanted to be stuck with some old school Vamp that had expectations of the Old Laws.
He lived by the Old Laws and that meant I would be nothing more than a live-in servant who had to do his bidding. It was my duty to produce the next heir to the throne as well, and I was nowhere near ready to become a mother. I was only 30 for heaven’s sakes. Living Vamps struggled to produce, but my family always produced a female heir and bonded with another royal family to keep the peace. It was our way. It’s why there were so little of us, and most of them ended in a horrible miscarriage and death for the female. I didn’t want to lose my life, and sure I understood what I had to do—but not with him. He was arrogant and old.
Love.
That’s what I wanted. No one seemed to get it. It was almost as if they wanted to force the bond so I couldn’t find my mate. I knew he was out there somewhere, but finding him was nearly impossible. Humans and other Supes populated the land. It was like looking for a needle in a stack of needles. I smiled at nothing. The saying was cl
iché but so true. I had less than three months to find my mate or I’d be stuck with Julian—forever.
Shuddering, I glanced outside. That thought didn’t sit well with me. Instead of focusing on my doom I realized it was raining again. Normally I loved watching each drop splash along the pavement outside my window as they glistened under the moon, but not tonight. My heart shuttered in my chest slowing to nearly nothing. That’s what happened when a living vamp stressed. The ache spread through my body thinking of how Father’s eyes had glowed when I fought. I hated when he was angry with me. Then he treated me like a teenager that rebelled and sent me to my room. I hated when he treated me like a child, yet he was trying to get me to act very much the opposite by bonding.
The hairs on my neck stood as footsteps sounded in the room. I didn’t move or acknowledge the man who wanted to ruin my life.
“Azaria,” Julian said with a deep and demanding voice.
I cringed. I had been taught to respect my elders, but I couldn’t do it. So, I sat immobile watching the clouds roll and the rain splatter against the asphalt. The street below was empty of its normal pedestrians.
“You should be so lucky to be bonded to me. I don’t understand why you seem so—unhappy about our upcoming union.”
I knew he really didn’t get it. There was no way I could explain it. Being the only child to the King and Queen meant showing no weakness. Wanting love was exactly that.
This time I spun towards him and narrowed my eyes when he seemed to take that as an invitation and sat next to me. His large, heavy hand was on my knee and I wanted to rip his fingers off when he squeezed.
“We’ll make a great pair for all the others to see.”
I sighed and lifted his hand moving it from my body. I held back the distaste as much as possible. “I don’t doubt that.” And that was the truth. We would make a great political pair. He was feared and respected across the world. I understood my father’s choice on that level. It was a smart move. But for me it was the wrong one. Not that it mattered.
“Then why did you fight the King.”
I rolled my eyes. “The King is also my father.”
Julian squeezed my knee again. “Princess, that doesn’t matter.”
He ran his nails over my bare flesh easing up my dress. This time I laid my hand over his using my strength to keep him from doing something he would regret. “It does, and I swear if you don’t stop touching me like this you will lose your hand.”
He chuckled but removed his hand from my leg. I didn’t let out the breath I was holding. Weakness wasn’t something I could show, because as my bonded he would use it against me. I needed to establish my dominance now or I’d never get it. Sadly, my mother hadn’t done that with my father, and that was exactly why she’d told me since birth to always be strong. Show the male we were a force to be reckoned with. I intended to do so.
***
Dulex
“Run little bear, run.”
The voice taunted from not as far behind me as I’d like. My bear wasn’t fucking small. That pissed me off more than the chase. I was used to being on the run. That wasn’t new. My paws sunk into the damp dirt throwing off my balance enough to slow me down.
“Dammit!”
It rained the night before, and it made for easier tracking.
I’d been running my whole life. Before Ma was caught, she told me to keep running and never look back—and that’s what I did. Being half bear and half Fae meant I was different and the magic worked a lot different for me. There wasn’t a day that I hadn’t been told I was an abomination. The Fae didn’t breed with the bears. It just wasn’t done. But Ma and her Fae lover sure showed them. I was proof of that. And I was certain there had to be others like me in the world—somewhere.
I’d spent my years as hiding with a traveling carnival. Being a smaller blue-black bear with wings tended to garner attention. Finally, the Fae trackers had found me. There was a pretty price on my head. I should take the compliment but instead I felt nothing but insulted. I hated running, and I was exhausted from always looking over my shoulder.
I’d always hoped to find another one—just one like me. It would get these Fae trackers off my ass and show the Fae council that they couldn’t kill me. I wanted that damn price off my head. I wanted my freedom and peace. It was only a matter of time before they caught me. In fact, they could have already, but these fucks liked to play.
I hated games, and this was no different.
I was so lost in my thoughts I’d missed the scent and the flutter of wings in front of me. I tried to stop my momentum but it was too late. The Fae was tall and thin with a bare chest. He wore trousers that fit like a second skin. They were black matching the suede boots that tied up the side of his calves. I wasn’t sure why I paid so much attention to him considering the sword he held was meant to take my head…
Only he didn’t do as I planned. Instead he shoved the blade right through me to the hilt. I didn’t even have it in me to growl. The agony started from the front of my chest and ended on the other side. My body shook and I panted before he yanked the sword back out adding more fiery pain through my body. A shifter could handle a lot but even this was too much for both sides. It was iron. As my body shook I was forced back into my human shape laying on my back and covered in dirt and blood. I felt the beat of my heart slow. I knew in that moment they had finally won. I was going to die.
Chapter 2
Azaria
Julian followed me around like I was going to run. He wasn’t totally wrong, but dammit. I needed time alone. I was sick of being watched like a hawk. Sometimes a woman needed a break. He didn’t seem to understand that. I walked down the corridor of the castle and looked over my shoulder to make sure I was alone before opening the trap door to the tunnels.
Most people didn’t know the original layout of the large castle. It had been in my family for hundreds of years. The Lucians were always royalty. They always ruled the Vampires. When Thomas Lucian came to the US and established his place, we’d stayed from then on. My family history was full of blood and pain, but I hoped to change that. It was time for the Lucians to pass the reign to someone else. Not that my parents would ever go for it. Father was nearing retirement. I knew that was why he pushed so hard, but he had to realize pushing only made me want to rebel.
I didn’t need light to guide me through the tunnels. I hefted my bag over my shoulder clenching the strap tight in my hands. I didn’t want to lose it. Ghosts loved to play pranks and this wasn’t the time. Normally I’d indulge them but not today. I was too close to getting away. This time I wouldn’t come back. I would not be bonded to that sorry excuse for a man.
I shuddered when a translucent figured grabbed my arm. “Princess,” he said.
I smiled at the boy I’d spent almost 30 years with. “Milo, my dear, not today, okay.”
He frowned. “Why, princess?”
“I’m leaving.”
He frowned harder. “But you’ll be back.”
I sighed. He was one of the spirits that attached to living creatures. And yes, I was living. My heart beats. I could eat and function like a normal human. I was just a bit extra.
Okay a lot extra, but that was beside the point.
“Not this time buddy.”
He seemed to understand and then cold arms wrapped around me. I gasped when I felt flesh. “You’ve been holding out on me.”
“I just learned how not long ago. I’ve been waiting to show you until I knew I could do it. Now hug me back.”
I did. He was my friend since my childhood. While I grew, he never changed, and I never thought he’d be able to store enough energy to become flesh. “I’m so proud of you.”
He pulled back and beamed. “Why are you leaving?”
“Julian McCallister.”
“Oh.”
And that’s all he needed to hear. “Yeah, Father is forcing the bond. I can’t do it. You know I need my mate
.”
He nodded because he did know everything. I should have been worried that my best friend was a ghost who couldn’t move on, but it never fazed me. Milo was always there. He always seemed to know more than he should. He was killed at 15, drained by a rogue in this very castle. His mother worked for the family, and they lived in their own wing. It was devastating to the family that one of their own had drained him dry. He never held a grudge though, and Mother liked to say he stuck around for me only.
“Can’t I come with you?”
I opened my mouth to say no. He’d been in the castle so long, but I knew he didn’t have to stay. There had been weeks he’d disappear. I never asked where he went; it wasn’t my place. Instead I nodded. It couldn’t hurt to have an extra set of eyes for the Vamps that were going to be on my tail once they realized I was gone for good. I didn’t need that shit.
He smiled and grabbed my hand. This time I saw it coming, but still…something was different about him. How was it after so long he could mimic flesh? Something tugged at the back of my mind, but when he looked down at me I couldn’t help but smile.
I let him hold my hand until at some point he was back to his corporal self. We eased through the tunnels careful not to make noise. Vamps had supersonic hearing, and even though I was one, I hadn’t quite perfected the silent thing yet.
“Almost there, Azaria.”
I nodded seeing the door. I was almost home free. This would be the place I’d get caught if I were going to. But I hoped everyone was distracted enough. Milo rushed ahead and scanned the area. I froze when I saw his astral like body light up like a blue orb.
It was beautiful.
He really had been holding out. I didn’t know enough about those left behind to know how he was capable of this but unease filled me.
He floated back. “Nothing’s there.”
Milo came in handy. I let out a breath and started towards the end of the tunnel again. Each step made my unease grow, and I wasn’t one to ignore my instincts. Milo stood smiling and glowing and it was then I knew…
Loved by a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 1) Page 68
