Cade (Alexander Shifter Brothers Book 2)

by Selina Coffey

  Jadrian nodded and disappeared into the bathroom, his hands going to his suit pocket to pull out the vials. One was good enough for now. Jadrian emptied the vial down his throat and stared into the mirror, waiting for the blood to work its magic. The transformation was instant, so quick he could see it happening as the lines disappeared from around his eyes and mouth and his cheeks took on a healthy colour. Even the tiredness that had hollowed out his eyes and cast shadows there was gone.

  Feeling restored once more Jadrian straightened his suit and walked out, ready to meet his fate. And the beautiful woman all but sniffing Jacqui’s lovely blonde hair. He snorted to himself, she could bark all she wanted to, she wasn’t getting up that tree.

  Of course, he told himself, she wasn’t going to go for him either, no matter how appealing she might find him. If she would ever look away from Cade long enough to see Jadrian she would look right past him. Shifter women didn’t marry or mate with non-shifters. It just never happened. Shifter males might marry non-shifters, but the females they chose were usually independent and strong, traits not always valued by human males.

  Jadrian watched the woman, her walk more of a strut than a glide, her hips pleasingly wide and along with her long hair, proclaimed her all woman but, her bearing and her gaze said there was far more to this woman than her gender. Was she an Alpha’s wife? She had the kind of regal bearing many females with Alpha mates took on.

  Jadrian’s nostrils flared as he caught her scent, something about the gentle flowery scent not only contradicting but alluring. He felt as though he were being tugged into her and when her eyes crashed into his he felt his heart stop. Shifter or not he knew this woman had to be his; she was most definitely the one. Whether he was ready for settling down or not fate had just changed his entire path and put this woman into his story.

  “Ready?” Cade looked at Jadrian nervously and for a moment Jadrian examined his brother’s face with a hint of worry.

  Had Cade finally figured out how Jadrian was keeping up? Did he use too much? He felt extraordinary, powerful, virile, but perhaps he’d overdone it. He shifted on his feet uncomfortably and nodded.

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, brother. Show me the way.” Jadrian followed Cade, nodding his head at both women as they passed.

  Jadrian walked down the long stone passage reminiscent of old English castles, and almost laughed. If they’d only put in torches the effect would perfect. He even felt a chill in the air that shouldn’t be there. He nodded his head at his brother Kane and his wife, Damesha, and carried on down the long hall. Finally they came to a side door and Jadrian was ushered into a room that had recessed lighting.

  A large dimly-lit room, the area was filled with rows of tables and had obviously been furnished to bring the eye to the front dais. On the dais were two ancient thrones of carved oak decorated with gold-leaf that had all but worn off. The seat and part of the backs were covered in red velvet and upon them sat the current heads of the magical world. Not royalty but more than simple elected officials. The magical world had had no royals for over a century, this couple stood in their place.

  Rumours had swirled for centuries about who the couple was but there was no name in any language for what they were. Many thought they were vampires because the couple was so pale, but they also gave off an aura of shifter. Others said they sensed something else about the couple and could only name it as dread.

  Both had long pale hair, almost white, and clear colourless eyes that gave them the appearance of being blind. Jadrian shivered as he looked at the pair. Their voice was the worst part. Voice because even though they were two separate people their voice came out as only one. Jadrian watched their discussion with the man before him, trying to figure out how, despite both mouths moving at the same time, only one voice came out. It was just too freaky and he had to look away.

  “Jadrian Alexander! You are called before the court!” That creepy voice, not masculine but not feminine boomed loudly through the long room.

  He moved up to a long blue carpet edged in gold, his head bowed as he approached the dais. Once he got to a spot marked on the carpet with two gold circles he knelt. Cade had taught him the procedure earlier in the day. Protocol was everything here and this wasn’t the place to display the cocky attitude he usually gave the world.

  “And what do you come to tell us, Jadrian Alexander?”

  The voice gave him the willies and Jadrian tried to repress a shiver. Yeah, these two weren’t getting his patented cocky smile that could make a woman’s panties fall off or a man doubt his sexuality for a moment.

  “I have come to give witness about the Mungons and their activities over the last few weeks.” His head was still bowed, following the protocol that stated that he couldn’t until they allowed it. Fuck, this sucked, bowing and scraping before people who weren’t even royalty. Not cool.

  “We know what they are doing. We have interviewed enough people about them now. You are not a magical, why are you here?” The voice sounded bored but curious and Jadrian shifted, his knees beginning to protest, even with the VB.

  “You called me here.” Jadrian had to fight the urge to add “duh” to the end of his sentence. He usually wasn’t one for protocol or holding his tongue but, as Cade had said, these people could zap him out of existence.

  “Indeed.” There was a bit of a harrumph, as though the voice knew he’d mentally added that “duh”, after all. There was a moment of quiet as the ancient pair shifted on their thrones. “What do you think to all of this, as a non-magical, Jadrian Alexander?”

  “Pardon?” He couldn’t believe they were asking his opinion.

  “You seem a brave but intelligent fellow. You are here, after all, before us. We are curious as to your thoughts, as a non-magical. How will their activities impact the non-magical world, and us?”

  Jadrian was shocked enough to spread his hands out before him, not sure how to answer. They were waiting, though, so he tried to form an answer.

  “I believe they want a war, majesties. The Mungons want to eliminate most of the shifters and whoever is left will be used as slaves, as will the vampires. For some reason they believe they can overthrow you, wipe out most of the non-magical population on the planet, and set themselves up as overlords. They want to enslave the world and set themselves up as the ultimate kings, with only the few needed to give them what they need to survive and control the remaining population.”

  “Indeed.”

  Jadrian was starting to see that the word was used as filler, to buy them a moment to allow them to think.

  “They have to be stopped or we all face a stark and rather bleak future, if we survive to see it.” He spoke bluntly but carefully. “Whether they do the unthinkable and find a way to oust you or they only succeed in part, they will cause chaos between the magical and non-magical worlds with their machinations. They must be stopped before it gets that far.”

  “Thank you, Jadrian Alexander. That is all. You words are blunt but honest and we appreciate your candour. You may take your leave.” The king waved a hand from his seat on the left as the queen nodded her head as though she had made a decision. “We shall take a break and return within an hour. You may all go.”

  The room began to empty and Jadrian gave a sigh of relief as he stood. The windowless room had started to feel like a coffin the longer he’d knelt there but now he could breathe again. He’d kept his wits about him, answered honestly, and now he was done. Done and still alive, all a man could ask for really.

  With a jaunty wave he found Cade in the crowd and joined him. Cade slapped his brother’s shoulder and shook his hand.

  “You did great. Maybe more ballsy than you have a right to be but it worked. Good call.” Cade guided his brother into the crowd leaving the hall.

  “What do you mean?” Jadrian had never been summoned for the king and queen before, he didn’t know he had done anything extraordinary.

  “You told them the truth. Most would have chosen to
keep most of that to themselves.”

  “What?” Jadrian looked at his brother with shock, had he been nearer to death than he thought?

  “People have been zapped for less. Sometimes they respond favourably to blunt honesty, but most of the time, it is the old zap. You must have impressed them.”

  Jadrian felt his knees go weak but he steadied himself. Damn, that was close.

  Chapter Two

  Jacob

  Jacob wandered the halls, at a loose end now Cade was in a meeting. Normally, Jacob made it a point to report to Cade immediately upon his return from a mission but his brother was overseeing Jadrian as he met with the royal rulers of the magical world. Jacob shivered and ran a hand through his black hair, remembering his own meeting with the overly tall couple.

  Jacob was over six feet tall but the couple both stand over seven feet tall. And their appearance was, well, gross! He shivered again, glad that he wasn’t here in the bayous with them every day. Give him Kansas any day of the week.

  Moonlight shot into the windows lining the long passageway as he passed each one, sparkling at him in long winks as he went by. The night was growing old now and soon the sun would burst across the horizon, brightening the day. Another night of little sleep and a lot of work. Wanting nothing more than a hot bath to sink into, Jacob headed for his room, little more than a cell situated somewhere down this hallway, he was sure.

  The long halls of the former monastery, built in the 18th century in a rather Gothic style, were unsettling and echoed even the slightest of sounds. The dark building was entirely intimidating and exuded an air of menace. Jacob assumed it was something the magicals thought of to scare off curious humans. Why else would you want such a frightening atmosphere in a place where the magical world came together for peace?

  With a confused look he realized he had missed his room somewhere, he was too far down the hall. He was turning back when he realized he wasn’t alone. Standing about ten feet away was her—that woman—the vampire woman. His brow creased even further as he saw her. He wasn’t afraid of her, he knew he could get away, but why was she here?

  “Shouldn’t you be crawling into a hole to avoid the sunlight by now?” He hadn’t meant the words to come out so acerbically but they did. He watched her as he waited for her response, ignoring the tall brunette male standing behind her in the shadows. Jacob didn’t recognize the other vampire and assumed he was a flunky of the woman before him.

  Somehow she looked softer here, not so dangerous and deadly, and not so capable of fiendish things that made his skin crawl. No, now she was far more alluring, beautiful certainly, but different somehow, some of her sexuality gone with the lack of danger. That didn’t mean she wasn’t intoxicating, far from it. He still felt a pull to her, a need for her that defied logic.

  “I thought you flew away, little blackbird.” Her words were just as soft but her voice didn’t hold that lacy veil of venom as it had earlier. She stared at him, as though he were a bug she was about to eat.

  Why had she dropped the attempt to hypnotize him, he wondered as he realized that was the difference between now and their earlier meeting. Had she figured out it didn’t work as well on shifters as it did on humans? Jacob didn’t feel afraid, he was a shifter after all. He could get out of most situations, but he was intrigued by her and that could be just as dangerous as her attempts to mesmerize him. Jacob examined her as time stretched out between them, the silence growing long.

  “Why are you here?” He wondered aloud, his hands itching to explore the bare expanse of her shoulders. Dressed in a black dress that pushed the top of her breasts up high while flaring out around her thighs, she was seductive, her pale skin almost too white to be real. Jacob couldn’t look away and wondered if he was incredibly wrong about her ability to mesmerize him. She walked towards him, stalking her prey. Was she going to kiss him? Somehow it didn’t surprise him that he still felt the longing to taste her lips.

  He only had eyes for those plump ruby lips as she stilled in front of him, her breasts pushing into his chest. She didn’t touch him as she looked up; she just stood there, her eyes drilling into his. Jacob felt a deep ache, low in his abdomen as she stared up at him, her face impassive, far too seductive. He wanted her.

  “Kiss me.” She whispered the plea and Jacob couldn’t say no. He forgot that he’d been looking for his room. He forgot he still needed to report to Cade. He let his world become the woman as his lips found hers. He didn’t know why, he hadn’t been hypnotized but wondered if maybe he had because he’d never felt lips so soft, never kissed a woman that tasted so deliciously of peaches. That was almost his undoing, the taste of her, and he felt a strong urge to push her against the wall and drive himself deep into her depths. He held the urge off, fighting with himself until the soft push of her breasts against his chest sent him into the abyss.

  He moved with the power of a shifter and instantly they were against the wall, his hand sliding under the thigh that wrapped around his back as he pushed into her, cradling himself in her heat. She made a soft sound of delight and it made his pulse jump. He needed to be inside her, he thought, as his lips sought hers.

  All that existed was this woman, this vampire, and his need to taste every inch of her. He wasn’t even upset when a man came up beside them in the very public hallway, cupping her breast in his large palms even as Jacob continued to kiss her. He knew the man was there, adding to her pleasure, heightening his with it. Creating possibilities of things to come.

  Jacob pulled away and looked at the man. All he could focus on was the man’s brownish gold eyes and on the challenge in them. That challenge asked if Jacob was man enough, if he could take her on with another man present. The man was handsome, but also a vampire. Would he survive the encounter?

  Vampires and shifters didn’t usually mingle but there were no restrictions on the act of sex. A shifter took their life into their own hands, much as humans did, when they mated with vampires, however. Shifter blood didn’t have the intoxicating qualities that vampire blood had on shifters, but they could drink it much the same as human blood. Was this the plan, then? Get him alone and suck him dry? A shiver passed through him at the thought of the woman sucking another part of him dry.

  Jacob blinked, looked past her eyes down to her lips. Pulling her to him once more, Jacob thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, pressing her to him and trapping the man’s hands between them. Challenge accepted.

  Jacob was normally a mild-tempered man, always in his brothers’ shadows, but he’d never been one to turn down a challenge. This woman was pure challenge. His body was strong, shifter strong and physically strong; he could defend himself if need be. The air of danger heightened his need rather than dampened it. He could take them both on, if it meant he got to fuck her until she screamed his name.

  What he’d seen in the man’s eyes was something he thought he’d never be offered, a chance of a lifetime, and that challenge had been reflected in her eyes. Jacob, his brain now doing little more than answering his body’s demands, followed them as they led him to a chamber far away from his own.

  He followed quietly, his mind already providing images of what was to come, what he hoped was about to come. He watched the sway of her bottom and felt his groin tighten, soon that part of her would be bare, he’d feel her silky skin and perhaps see the black garters she wore stretching across it.

  He loved a woman in a garter belt and stockings.

  They arrived at a larger chamber, much finer than his bare monk’s cell, with a fireplace along an inner wall. The room, lit only by the fire, was draped in velvets and furs, expensive coverings designed to keep the occupant warm. Perhaps vampires felt the cold more than he realised. Louisiana was a hot place to live but something about the monastery kept it at a little above freezing all year round, even in the depths of summer. Could the bone-chilling cold reach a vampire’s core?

  Jacob squinted at the woman for a moment as she went to a drinks tray and prepared three dr
inks. What was her name? She looked as though she would have an exotic name, perhaps something Slavic or Italian. Maybe something even far more ancient, Mesopotamian or even Phoenician. She didn’t appear ancient but something about her gave off the impression that she knew things that man had long ago forgotten.

  Jacob shook himself, the moment passing as her fingers brushed his to get him to take his glass.

  “Stop daydreaming, blackbird.” Her voice was as intoxicating as the rest of her. Her fingers wandered down his chest, lower to his abdomen, and lower still, beneath the button of his pants.

  Jacob held his breath as her fingers played there, teasing him with small circles that kept going lower.

  “We have all night, all of eternity, but I want you focused. I want you to know what I am doing to you.” Her words were a spell, drawing his gaze to her lips and he bent forward, wanting to taste the sweet peaches of her lips once more.

  She allowed the caress, a soft brush of flesh against flesh, and pushed her hand deeper into his pants. When she flattened her palm over his very hard length, he shuddered. The coolness of her skin was a sharp contrast to the heat of his own. She wasn’t as cold as he thought she might be, she was rather warm, really, but there was a coolness in her hand that appeased the heat in his groin, soothed it. His breath shook in his chest as his eyes burned into hers. This was really going to happen.

  “I want to know. But if you don’t want me to bend you over that table and fuck you until you can’t scream my name anymore, I suggest you take your hands out of my pants.” His words came out roughly, the passion she’d stirred adding a tightness to his throat, but she gave him a pleased smile.

  She still pulled her hand out of his pants, a move that made Jacob groan in protest but made the other man in the room groan in pleasure.

  “Orgasm denial can be very sweet you know.” The man’s words were sibilant, his voice almost feminine.