Tamed: A Huntress Spin-off Novel

by Adria Wade

  He claimed my lips one last time before rolling off me. I laid there so still, my breathing heavy as my body felt so incredibly drained, like the life had just been sucked out of me.

  He leaned over me and kissed me on my forehead. “I’ll see you really soon.”

  I didn’t have the energy to say anything back. I couldn’t even move, so I closed my eyes and drifted away.

  My eyes fluttered open to a bright, sun filled room that hurt my sensitive vision. I groaned, feeling my exhausted body protest against me as I slowly sat up. I looked around for Silas, momentarily confused as to where he was. I looked down, feeling for any rips in my shirt. There was none. The realization of what actually happened finally set in. It was only a dream. Even though I felt so completely worn out and it felt like I actually lived the dream, it was nothing but a fantasy.

  I heard a knock at my door and Ms. Schultz peeked her head in. “Good morning. Someone is here to see you.”

  I stood up and put on my bathrobe. “Eli?”

  My heart skipped a beat at the thought of him, but I quickly calmed the butterflies that swirled around my stomach. Andie was what was important at the moment, not my raging desire to be in his presence. Besides, he promised me he would take me to see Andie.

  My hopefulness slipped away as Ms. Schultz shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not. It’s Silas.”

  My brows rose in surprise. How does he even know where I live? “Oh…okay, thanks.”

  A ball of nerves settled in the pit of my stomach. Eli did a hell of a job putting the fear in me last night. I was going to have to face him again, and now that I suspected that he was stalking me the whole time last night, I was starting to doubt the reassurance that he actually could be a good guy for the simple fact that he saved me.

  I headed downstairs, running my hands through my knotty hair, and yawned. I felt like a zombie from Night of the Living Dead. I was too drained to get all dolled up for him, so a bathrobe would have to do.

  He was standing by the door with a Starbucks coffee in his hand and my purse tucked underneath his arm when I walked downstairs.

  His presence couldn’t go unnoticed as the intense, thick air, hot and heavy, filled with lust, pulled me to him, and my heart sped up. This wasn’t good. Now was not the time to get wrapped up in my sexual attraction to him; not when I wasn’t sure of him anymore.

  His brows rose as he looked me up and down. “Very sexy.”

  No, that’s you. I just look like shit. “I feel like crap.”

  “I figured you would with the night you had.”

  He took a step closer to me when I held out my hand. “Stop.”

  And so he did. “Why?”

  “I need you to keep your claws to yourself.”

  “I plan to…my hands are a different story.”

  The sensual, seductive look in his eyes told me that it was lust and not to kill.

  My stomach filled with excitement at the thought of his hands on me, just like in my dream. Maybe he could live up to his performance from my fantasy…if only I trusted him.

  He cautiously moved toward me, waiting for me to stop him again, but I didn’t.

  I smiled as he handed me the coffee. “Thank you, pumpkin. Where is yours?”

  “No problem. I don’t drink coffee.” He backed away slowly, holding his hands up. “Just so you don’t have a heart attack. You’re too far away, though.”

  “You scare the shit out of me.”

  I took a drink, and the taste of raspberry filled my mouth. Oh, it was so good.

  “Scare or scared?”

  “Both.”

  I looked around for Ms. Schultz, hoping she wasn’t within earshot of us. “Uh, we should probably go outside.”

  Excitement showed in his eyes as they drifted to the staircase. “Or we could go in your bedroom.”

  I bit down on my lip, feeling the temptation build, but I quickly looked away. I refused to get lost in those bedroom eyes no matter how unbelievably affective they were.

  “Or we could go outside.”

  I walked past him and held the door open, waiting for him to follow. “Well, come on, lover boy.”

  He grinned and shook his head as he walked outside.

  “I was a tad bit alarmed as to how you figured out where I lived, but now I have my answer.” I pointed to my purse under his arm. “It’s a good look for you, actually.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot.” He handed me my purse. “It was on the floor by the bar. You look hot in your ID picture, by the way. Not many people do.”

  I smiled. “Thanks. Does yours have the name incubus on it?”

  He smirked. “Yeah, right underneath sadistic demon.”

  I chuckled. “I bet.”

  His lips twitched into a smile. “So, you know what I am.”

  “I know bits and pieces. I don’t know much about your kind, and I’m pretty new to this world, but I have seen first-hand how lethal you can get…I really don’t think there are any good demons.”

  “I would have left you there to die if I wanted to hurt you. Saving you would have been a waste of my time.”

  I took a drink of my coffee. “So, why did you save me?”

  “I guess I saw something in you that…drew me to you. I knew I had to protect you.” His brows furrowed. “I’m curious, though, what is it that you know about our kind?”

  “You like to seduce women, and I was told by my friend, Eli, that one of your kind actually murdered his sister. That’s all I know. He warned me to stay away from you.”

  His face hardened. “Did he now…and is this friend only a friend?”

  “He’s a friend. Why would you ask that?”

  “Maybe your friend wants you and wants to make sure that you stay away from me. I am quite irresistible. He wouldn’t stand a chance against me, it’s obvious.”

  “Wow, arrogant much.”

  “I’m not trying to be arrogant. I’m only telling you the truth. Look, don’t listen to your friend. You don’t have to fear me.”

  “After last night, I’m cautious with everyone.”

  He shook his head. His eyes were sincere yet determined as he gazed at me, pulling me in as I stared dreamily into his eyes.

  “Your friend is jealous of you and me. He is afraid that I’m going to take you away from him. That’s why he is advising you to stay away from me. You don’t ever have to fear me, Paige. I’m not like the others. Everyone around me just doesn’t understand me.”

  As he talked, there was a strange feeling of warmth that covered me like a blanket, and I felt my emotions begin to shift from fear to comfort, washing away any doubt that I had. I knew then that I could trust him. I could feel it in my heart that he was just a misunderstood creature that meant no harm.

  I nodded. “Okay, I know I can trust you.”

  Satisfied, he smiled. “Good.” He leaned in and placed a kiss on the corner of my mouth.

  His body tensed and the smile on his face slipped away as he looked down.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He didn’t answer. It was as if he was in his own little world.

  I grabbed his arms and gave him a shake, trying to get his attention. “Silas.”

  He jerked his head up, snapping out of his daze. “I have to go. I forgot I had to do something.”

  I shook my head, confused as to why he all of a sudden wanted to leave. His whole demeanor had suddenly changed. Something was wrong.

  “Paige.”

  I looked past Silas as Eli was walking up the driveway. “It’s Eli.”

  Silas’ jaw clenched and his eyes hardened. “The friend who wants to keep me away from you… should be interesting.”

  Eli approached with his hands fisted at his sides and a scowl on his face. I could feel the intensity and bad energy in the air already. It made the hair on my arms raise, and I knew immediately that neither one of them wanted to be in the presence of the other. I was nervous. Silas was right. This was going to be interesting.

>   “You kept your word,” I said.

  “I always do.” There was an edge to his voice, one filled with attitude.

  My brows rose. “Okay then…Eli this is-”

  “I know who he is. He’s your incubus,” he cut in.

  “He’s not my incubus. How did you even know this was Silas? You’re just assuming.”

  Eli narrowed his eyes. “All incubi and succubi have a symbol on the back of their neck, so no, I’m not assuming. I know this is Silas.”

  Silas exhaled with a glare to his face. He kept his back turned to Eli, refusing to acknowledge his presence. “Very observant,” He muttered.

  Silas then looked at me, his eyes once cold, were now warm as a smile spread across his face, and I could have sworn I could feel his warmth pour right into me. “I’ll see you soon.”

  I returned the smile. “Okay.”

  Eli scoffed. “Great. I’m sure she can’t wait.”

  Silas turned to face him. With their bodies tense, they looked each other up and down in disdain. Then a mischievous grin formed on his lips. “I had a great time last night, Paige. Thank you for the dance. You’ll never know how much I enjoyed you rubbing up against me.”

  I gasped. My heart dropped as my wide eyes found Eli’s. I didn’t want him to know that, because I didn’t want it thrown in his face. Thank you, Silas.

  The disappointment and hurt that I saw on Eli’s face had faded as it filled with so much hatred. “I win, remember that.”

  “Not with the way she looks at me, you don’t. She wants me bad. It’ll only be a matter of time until she’s mine.”

  Anger flared inside of me. The pissing contest between them was getting out of hand. Silas was only making the situation worse.

  “Goodbye, Silas,” I said.

  “You’re in my way, hybrid,” he spit out.

  Eli moved out of his way. “Have a great day, demon. I know I will; I’ll be spending it with Paige.”

  “Oh, but nights are all mine.”

  Silas snickered and walked away, turning his head around with a satisfied grin on his face.

  Eli kept his eyes casted down, sneaking a peek at me once. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to talk, and I really didn’t know what to say. He was upset. The silence dragged on until I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what? You’re a grown woman. You’re single so you can do whatever you want. If you want to mess around with those sick bastards then go right ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Just know, though, that I won’t make it easy for you. I’m here and I want your attention, too.”

  I ran my hand through my hair. “No one wins. I don’t do the love thing. I don’t want to be attached to anyone. You don’t have to worry about me. Silas and I talked and I know now that the problem is that you and everyone else don’t understand him.”

  He scoffed. “Oh, right. I don’t understand the creatures that killed my sister. I went through hell with them, Paige.”

  “That wasn’t Silas, though. He didn’t kill her. I know he can be trusted.”

  His nose flared as he shook his head. He was getting frustrated. “How do you know? You just met the dude.”

  “I can feel it on the inside.”

  “Oh, you can feel it, huh?” He pressed his finger to my temple. “He’s in here. Open your eyes.”

  I scowled. “He is not.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “If you want to go see Andie then please go get dressed.”

  He was dismissing me. I stomped my foot on the ground. “Eli!”

  “Paige!” he yelled back.

  There was so much more that I wanted to say to him, but I bit my tongue.

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I snipped out.

  I didn’t have it in me to fight with him anymore, and because of that, I knew that I cared about him more than I thought I did. I don’t walk away from a fight with anyone. He was growing on me, slipping through my walls every time we were together. I refused to be the match that lit the fire. He was already crushed, knowing that the girl he wanted was cozying up with someone else—an incubus at that. So I walked away with my head bowed, feeling sorrow build in the pit of my stomach. Arguing with him just didn’t seem to sit well with me.

  ****

  I stood outside of Athena’s home, looking up at the massive, beautiful, three story manor that took my breath away. It was bigger than my home and that was saying something.

  I jumped as the car door slammed shut and the window shattered. I scowled at Eli. This was going to be a long day. We didn’t talk the whole way here. Eli was in his own little world most of the time. I was one hell of a moody brat. Not only was I annoyed with Eli, but I was nervous about seeing Andie. She was an immortal now, so I didn’t know what to expect.

  He shrugged. “Super strength. I’ll pay for it.”

  “More like anger.”

  “I’m not angry.”

  The vibrations of hostility that ran through him and right into me was unwelcome.

  I narrowed my eyes. How could he say he wasn’t angry? It was clear as day.

  “Really, Eli. I know you are. I don’t want you to be mad at me. I don’t like it. It’s actually kind of weird because I enjoy pissing Taylor and my father off, but not you.”

  “Okay, I’m extremely upset. I care about you and I protect the ones that I care about. Whether you like it or not, I will continue to fight for you and I will protect you from him if I need to. I’m not going anywhere, Paige.”

  “Okay, I don’t want you to go anywhere, so if Silas is going to cause turmoil between us then we don’t need to talk about him.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see how that goes.”

  He held the door open and beckoned me inside. I stood by the door, hesitant to go inside.

  “Is she okay?”

  “Well, we had a little problem with her. When she woke up and found out what she was, she flipped out. She went crazy when she smelled that a human was in the house, but she has already fed so she should be full.”

  “Am I safe with her?”

  “You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think you were safe.”

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me inside where, in the distance, a double staircase had caught my eye and the huge, crystal chandelier shined from above. It was elegant yet modern. It didn’t seem like Athena’s personality whatsoever. She had the edgier vibe going for her, and the only thing edgy about this house were the dark walls.

  “Athena owns this home?”

  “Yep; she inherited it when her father passed.”

  That explained the feel of the house. It was what her father wanted.

  I shook my head, feeling sad for her. She must have been devastated.

  “What happened?”

  He shrugged. “She killed him.”

  My mouth fell open as his words shocked the hell out of me. He said it so nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal.

  “You’re not the least concerned about that?”

  “He tried to kill her first. She betrayed him for loving Lucas. He deserved it. He was a bad, controlling guy, who created our society of reapers to get revenge on her mother, who left them when she was three years old to go off with a vampire. His hatred is what started it all. He treated Athena terrible, because she reminded him of her mother.”

  “Pain and death surrounds us all, it seems.”

  “Unfortunately.”

  I walked over to the round table in the center of the foyer and picked up the silver photo frame that was surrounded by lit candles. It was of an older woman, maybe in her early sixties with grey hair, a beaming face, and soft, blue eyes.

  “That’s Mrs. Wilson.”

  “Athena’s grandmother?”

  “No; more like mom. She took care of us all, actually.” He immediately looked down, trying to hide the sorrow that showed on his face.

  I rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry.”

  He cleared his throat. �
�Come on.”

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the double staircase. There were portraits of men, women, and even children all over the walls. I stopped and Eli tugged at my arm as he took another step up the staircase. I ran my hand over the many faces, finding Athena and Taylor out of the bunch.

  “Those are portraits of all the hunters and huntresses that were once here. It seems endless. It goes all the way up to the hallways.”

  “It’s pretty cool. Was your family hunters as well?”

  “It was only me and my sister. My parents don’t know what I am, and I’m content with keeping it that way.”

  “How do you hide it?”

  “I always made sure I kept my composure. I haven’t visited them since I was turned. I’m kind of avoiding it.”

  “Contacts and composure…you’ll do just fine.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, I guess that could work.”

  “How do you keep your composure around me?”

  “I try not to think about it. I make it a point to stay full when I’m around you or any other human. It’s easier for me to control the urge.”

  I jumped as I heard Andie’s screams, demanding that they leave her alone. Such rage filled her voice. My widened gaze looked up at the stairs. She didn’t sound that far away from where I stood.

  Eli shrugged as my eyes fell on him. “She’s been this way since she woke up. She doesn’t want to be here.”

  “She’s probably scared. I need to see her.”

  He nodded and led the way to the hall that led down to the north wing, and standing at the end of the hallway was Lucas, Athena, Kyle, Chelsea, and Taylor. They were huddled in a group, talking.

  Taylor looked up as we approached. “Joy is just radiating from her.”

  Eli snickered. “I bet.”

  Chelsea scowled my way and placed her hands on her hips. Yep, she’s still angry.

  “I hope you had fun last night. I was really worried about you, Paige Jacobs.” she said.

  “Oh, I had a blast. I fell down the steps and got attacked by two succubi, but I’m still alive. I’m sorry if I worried you, though.”

  “Oh, my jewels had a blast,” Lucas said.

  “So how are you holding up about the Andie issue?” Athena asked.

  “I’m just really happy she’s alive.”