Nyx bit the inside of her lip to stop her pleased smile. One battle won. Her answer would be the same in the morning. “Where shall I sleep?”
Anton pointed back the way she’d come. “The old service quarters are on the opposite side of the house. My last secretary chose one of the rooms in that wing as hers. It’s the only one furnished. It’ll be yours if you decide to stay on.”
A chill ran down Nyx’s spine. Anton’s last secretary, Bianca, had disappeared close to a year ago. Many suspected she’d been murdered. By Anton. He was known for his fits of rage. Especially toward those who wronged him. As Bianca had done. Nobody had been able to prove Anton had killed her. The truth had a way of coming out, though. When it did, Nyx would be ready.
“Then I’ll see you at sunrise.” She made her way to the door.
“What’s your name?”
Ugh. How could she have forgotten to introduce herself? Anton’s scent and aura had obviously scrambled more than her hormones.
She unbuttoned her jacket and removed a sealed recommendation letter from her uncle. “Nyx Mercer, niece to Boris Mercer. You know him, I assume.”
The snap of Anton’s teeth sounded overly loud in the quiet room. She jerked, and the envelope fell from her shaky hand.
“I told you I have no time for games!” Anton’s voice boomed.
Nyx linked her fingers instead of bending to pick up the fallen envelope. “I’m not—”
“Of course I know your uncle.” Anton stood and slammed his palms against the desk’s top. “I know every member of the Council. Making such comments to me is not only condescending but childish. If this is the behavior you plan to indulge in, then I suggest you arrange for your uncle’s driver to return for you and your belongings. You will not be an acceptable fit for my needs.”
Nyx’s back went ramrod straight. “I didn’t mean—”
“Go!” Anton pointed. “Either to your room or your uncle’s residence here on campus. I assume you know where it’s at. Pick one and go. Now.”
The trembling returned to her limbs. Anger or fear? She couldn’t tell. She only knew Boris’s plan to remove Anton from the Council sounded like a wonderful idea. Anton deserved the shame of being kicked out of this gorgeous house and his position. He was a royal ass.
Chapter 2
Sleep evaded Anton. After a millennium of walking this earth, he accepted this aspect of his personality. Actually, he valued it. Insomnia allowed him to get more work done.
Anton glanced over his shoulder at the blinking cursor on his laptop. The memo he’d been writing earlier in the evening showed on the screen. He hadn’t added a single word to the important document since before the felines housed by his body and soul alerted him to the stranger in his home.
Similar to alphas, councilmen had an open-door policy. Any constituent could come to them day or night for help. Few of the shifters he represented exercised their right to his counsel. In theory, the lack of visitors meant his pride leaders and dominants were effectively handling any situations affecting the shifter groups for whom he spoke.
Theory rarely equated actuality. Anton knew why so few shifters visited him. Fear.
People actually feared him.
“Ridiculous.” Anton paced from one end of the room to the other. Just because he’d served justice by beheading a few traitors to the Council—in front of the other assembled councilmen—he’d been labeled cold. Dangerous.
Prone to fits of rage.
He fisted his hands and bit back a growl. The absurd rumors about him killing his last secretary didn’t help his popularity. It was no wonder he hadn’t received a single applicant for his open position.
Until tonight.
Anton stalked to his bed. The antique yellowed envelope, with its genuine wax seal, he’d retrieved from the floor of his library carried Nyx’s scent. The handwriting on it, however, belonged to her uncle Boris, the sole representative of the jaguar shifters.
Shaking his head, Anton tossed the unopened letter, no doubt recommending Nyx for his open position, on the bed. It didn’t matter how much Boris praised Nyx. His words carried little weight in Anton’s decisions.
Every member of the Council told lies, usually on a daily basis. Anton did so himself. He had to. There were traitors on the Council. He’d uncovered only two of them. Both lost their heads. There was at least one more. Had to be. Otherwise, the topics they’d discussed in chambers a couple of weeks ago wouldn’t have been leaked to their enemies.
Enemies who went on to behead the eldest member of the Council, Brock Kane: an ancient shifter and the one man standing in the way of making Anton the eldest member of the Council, the one with the most power.
He worked his jaw and strode for the door. The timing of Nyx’s arrival left Anton with an uneasiness he couldn’t squelch. Every member of the Council knew he had been pushing to introduce major changes during the next monthly meeting. With the title of eldest attached to his name, Anton could overrule everyone in order to enact those changes.
People feared such power.
What would fearful Council members do to prevent Anton from wielding it?
Assassinate him, the way Brock had been taken out?
Anton shook his head, dismissing the possibility. The councilmen’s Code of Conduct banned Council members from killing each other while conducting Council business. Any councilmen who broke their code earned themselves a death sentence. Their names would also be stricken from every document they’d ever signed. Worse yet, any law they’d advanced or case they’d won would be reversed.
The harsh consequences of breaking the councilmen’s Code of Conduct all but guaranteed his safety as long as he remained within the fence line of this campus. That was the mistake Brock had made. He’d left these grounds and paid for that poor choice with his life.
Outright murder, however, wasn’t the only way to take out a feared Council member.
Convicting Anton of a crime would work too. A majority vote would be enough to end his life. Except, he hadn’t committed any crimes.
Evidence could be planted suggesting he had, however. Someone with access to his personal belongings and space could easily make it appear as if he had broken the law.
Nyx could be that someone.
Or she could be a young female looking to make it on her own.
Anton secured the important documents in his room, then locked the door behind him.
No matter Nyx’s true motive, she needed to leave. He couldn’t take any risks. Not now. The future of their species depended on him stepping into his new position during the next formal meeting. Nobody else would be brave enough to shake up their male-dominated world.
The tower stairs connecting Anton’s bedroom to the ground floor loomed before him. Flickering candles lit the darkened stairwell. He usually didn’t bother lighting them. If he allowed his cats close to his psyche, he could tap into their enhanced vision, using their senses to magnify his own. Anton had no intention of doing so tonight. His cats liked the way Nyx smelled. They wanted to get closer to her and breathe her in.
He jogged down the stairs. Even without his cats’ enhanced senses, the first hint of moonflower reached Anton after only a few steps.
Nyx.
His cats stirred, lifting their heads and sniffing the air. Anton tightened his control over them and pushed them deeper into his psyche, leaving the man in charge. Their immediate response to Nyx’s scent intensified the uneasiness gripping him.
Why this female?
Anton paused at the bottom of the stairs and inhaled. Nyx’s spicy invigorating scent filled his lungs. Rich and provocative, her personal fragrance wrapped around him as completely as it had back in the library. She smelled exactly like a moonflower.
His cock twitched with the blood rushing to fill it. It’d been years since he’d had such a visceral response to a female. No doubt Nyx’s age played a factor. At a week past maturity, her hormones raged, literally inviting a male to claim her—
mate her—before anyone else could.
Exhaling, Anton stroked his tongue over his descended fangs. Blood flooded his mouth, adding to the primal instincts Nyx’s presence had awakened.
Although he’d never claim her, he wouldn’t mind getting her beneath him, pressing her cheek to his bed, then taking her. Riding her until he couldn’t hold back his release. Too bad it couldn’t happen. Even if he trusted Nyx, the niece of a fellow Council member wouldn’t be the proper female to meet his needs.
He held a reputation for using women, then tossing them away. For a man known as an advocate of women’s rights, his sexual appetite made him out to be a hypocrite. Maybe he was. It all depended on how you looked at it. He chose not to see his actions as improper. If his lovers knew they were being used, it wasn’t his fault when they complained after the sex was over.
Determined steps took Anton to the old service quarters. He hadn’t stepped foot in these halls since his last secretary disappeared close to a year ago. There’d been no reason. Everything he needed was in the main section of the house.
Light shone around the door to Bianca’s old room. He stepped in front of it and waited, but Nyx didn’t greet him. Surely, her jaguar had alerted her to his presence. Unless she’d blocked hers as he’d done to his felines. He’d be impressed if she could pull off the feat. Such control came with age. A week past maturity wouldn’t lend Nyx much discipline.
With a balled fist, he knocked. “Nyx, open up.”
No response.
Cursing, Anton twisted the knob and flung open the door. Nyx’s empty suitcase lay on the bare mattress. Her heels had been kicked carelessly across the floor, and her sweater jacket was draped over the back of the worn wingback chair near an open window. A cold breeze chilled the space and made flickering shadows dance on the walls.
She’d lit all the candles and unpacked as if she had every intention of staying the night. Then left.
Where had she gone? The door to the attached bathroom stood open. There was no place to hide in there. The library, maybe? He hadn’t locked it. He’d simply taken everything important with him. She wouldn’t know that, however.
Another raw curse fell from his lips. She’d left him no choice. He couldn’t allow a woman he didn’t trust to go anywhere she wanted in his home. What if she did mean to plant evidence against him? Hell, with an open-door policy, any visitor could.
At least with the cameras recording his visitors’ arrivals and departures, he could sweep his home after each visit whether he was here to greet them or not. With Nyx living here, however, he wouldn’t be able to pinpoint when he’d been betrayed. She could do so today, tomorrow, a week from now.
He couldn’t take the chance she’d betray him.
Anton cracked the metaphysical door blocking him from the felines sharing his body and soul. His jaguar took the slight opening and barreled his way through. Anton jerked from the force of the big cat’s head slamming into his chest.
He gritted his teeth and tightened his control over the animal, forcing it into submission. Anton would not be ruled by his felines. Not now. Any decision he made tonight would be his own, not one influenced by the animalistic drives of his primal side.
The jaguar snarled. The sound reverberated in Anton’s body. Anton ignored the cat’s displeasure. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d clashed with the spirits he’d been born with. Nor would it be the last.
He took hold of the jaguar and drew it close, allowing its soul to merge with his. Nyx’s scent intensified, drugging him on her decadent fragrance.
His groin tightened, along with his chest. He licked his lips and closed his eyes. He swore he could taste her. She’d be sweet…spicy…addicting.
Latching on to her scent, he followed her to the basement. The floral fragrance of laundry detergent and the rhythmic whooshing of the washing machine clued him in to Nyx’s activities. Apparently, she was making herself at home. That couldn’t happen. Allowing her to remain this long had been a mistake, a weak moment spurred on by his cats’ fixation on her scent.
With his fists balled and teeth gritted, he pushed against the forceful will of his jaguar. The predator fought him. Years of discipline gave him an advantage. He slammed a brick wall between him and his jaguar. Its vengeful growl echoed in his mind.
Anton might’ve won this battle, but his cat would be ready for the next one. It’d have time to solicit the help of his tiger and lion.
If his cats ganged up on him, he’d lose. Wouldn’t be the first time. Nor would it be the last. Nyx needed to be far away from him before that happened. People didn’t whisper behind his back about his unstable behavior for nothing. It wasn’t his, though. It belonged to his cats.
The door at the bottom of the stairwell opened. Nyx sucked in a sharp breath and pressed her palm to the base of her throat. “Anton. What are you doing down here?”
He stopped on the landing above Nyx. A thin white top clung to her full breasts. While the material covered her chest, the shirt did little to hide her nipples pushing against the cloth. He focused on the outlines of those hard tips for a moment before sweeping his gaze lower.
Loose black shorts covered her bottom. Nyx looked tiny dressed this way. Delicate. Her thin but shapely legs would hook nicely around his waist. The heels of her small feet pressing into his ass would feel heavenly too.
“Do you need something from me?”
Nyx’s breathless voice yanked his gaze to her face. She’d pulled her long black hair into a sloppy, loose ponytail. A single tug on the band holding her hair in place would unravel it, sending the shiny strands cascading around her shoulders. While she’d looked tempting with her hair loose, this style drew his attention to her smooth neck and shoulders. A savage bite would look beautiful there.
The throbbing in his jaw matched the awareness settling in his groin. Even without the influence of his cats, the evidence was undeniable. This female had triggered his primal side. His baser half wanted to answer the lure of her provocative scent, claiming her—mating her—before anyone else could.
Why her?
“Anton?” Nyx swallowed hard. She fisted the front of her shirt, pulling the material tighter over her full breasts. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “You need to leave.”
Brows pinched, she stared at him. “Why?”
“I’ve reevaluated my work load and decided that I won’t have enough things for you to do. You’d be bored here.” He crossed his arms over his chest. The pressure intensified the ache centered deep inside him. His felines were exerting their will upon him. That in itself troubled him. It meant the big cats were working together. Already. Nyx’s scent sent them into a frenzy. They hungered.
If he was honest with himself, so did he.
“But…” Nyx glanced at the ground before looking up at him. “You said you work from sunup to sundown. With my help, you can finish sooner and enjoy your evenings. Maybe spend your extra hours—”
“I don’t need to finish my day sooner or waste my hours on unproductive things. Once I’m done working, I sleep.” Or pace until exhaustion claimed him. Technically, not a lie. While he walked the floors, he thought about work.
Nyx’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Her gaze hardened. Her lips thinned. The subtle signs betrayed her annoyance. Apparently, the little show of her temper earlier hadn’t been a one-off. She didn’t like not getting her way. Just another reason she needed to leave. He had to be in charge. In all situations.
“Of course.” She released her bunched shirt and let her hands fall to her sides. “But as I was saying, maybe you could spend your extra hours addressing the cases brought to the Council that sit open because of lack of resources.”
Unfortunately, there were many issues he couldn’t address. Time played a part in some cases. Others, he couldn’t act on because he didn’t have the right to do so.
Yet.
The ancient laws written by their forefathers had guided t
heir species since the first shifters stepped from the heavens. While not perfect, they offered a foundation for their actions. Becoming the eldest member of the Council wouldn’t change his commitment to the laws he’d dedicated his life to uphold. It’d only allow him more leeway interpreting them. Or exploiting any loopholes.
“Do you think I sleep from sundown to sunrise?” He grinned. “I’m old. I don’t need much sleep. I work on those cases from my bedroom.” Sometimes while pacing.
“I can help you.” Nyx’s eyes brightened. “Tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.”
What he needed, she couldn’t give him. It’d involve her losing those silky shorts covering her sweet ass. His hand over her mouth. Her body pressed against the wall.
His dick in her pussy.
As much as he wanted to discover why she’d triggered his primal side, he couldn’t find out. Only two possibilities existed—raw, unadulterated lust or a soul-deep connection he could never experience.
Nyx moved to the bottom of the stairs. She gripped the railing and lifted one foot onto the bottom tread. “I’m serious. Just tell me what you need. If it’s not something I know how to do, you can teach me. I’m a quick learner.”
He bit back a groan. It was too easy to imagine Nyx on her knees with his cock in her face and her looking at him with those dark brown eyes of hers, waiting for him to tell her how to pleasure him. He shook his head, ending the fantasy he had no business indulging in.
“No.” He closed the distance between them, stopping on the tread above her. Nyx’s knee brushed against his leg. His pants saved him from the skin-to-skin contact, but a shiver raced through him anyway, exactly as it had when she’d so boldly licked his finger earlier. “I don’t seem to be making myself clear. I have no use for your services. You need to leave. Tonight.”
Nyx blinked several times, then stepped away from him. She leaned against the wall but didn’t release the handrail. She clutched it as if it not letting go would stop him from seeing her out. “You said I should stay the night.”
While innocent enough, her words made the ache in his chest grow. He wanted Nyx here. In his bed. Moaning his name. “I changed my mind.”
Forbidden Mate: Shifter World: Royal-Kagan series book 8 Page 2
