by Franca Storm
Nathanial laughed. “I can smell it on them both. She is nothing but a whore to do with as he pleases. He takes her, but offers her nothing more. A whore, Damon.”
“They are mates!”
“That remains to be seen.”
“I’ve seen it, Nathanial!”
“I will investigate the claim. But I need time. Take the orb and go. She will not be harmed. She is here under my protection.”
“Only my King can command me.”
Nathanial took a threatening step towards him. “Your King is in no fit state to give you an order right now. So you will heed mine. Ryan and I have an alliance. As such, my word will suffice. You cannot deny me and you know it. Do not try. Trying my patience is a very foolish thing indeed. Leave, wolf.”
Damon growled and stepped back. “If you hurt her—”
“I have no reason to. Rest assured that I would not hurt anyone whom Ryan cares for.”
Nathanial watched the surprise flicker in Damon’s eyes.
“This isn’t just duty to you? You care about Ryan?”
“He is like a son to me.”
“I…wow,” Damon gasped.
His reaction amused Nathanial. “I see you are surprised that I am not the cold bloodsucker that you always took me for. Perception is not always in keeping with reality, Damon. You’d do well to remember that in the future.”
“But…Cornelius. You murdered him.”
“A mistake I now have to live with for eternity.”
“Mistake?”
“Yes. It should have been Oriana. My perception was skewed at the time. You see the consequences?”
Damon nodded and Nathanial saw him struggling to absorb his revelations. He’d always seen him as a ruthless demon, but now he was seeing the reality of how things really were. “I will protect the orb and pull my wolves from the castle,” he finally agreed.
“You and your wolves are welcome to remain on the grounds for as long as you like. Your King has taken his rightful place now. Wolves belong here as much as vampires. But Jada must remain here in secret until I have uncovered the truth about her and Ryan supposedly being mates. The White Realm Princess is still in the Dark Realm and she cannot be made aware of Jada’s presence or her connection to Ryan. It could destabilize her magic—magic that is far beyond even mine. Do you understand the severity of the situation now?”
Damon swallowed hard. “Yes.”
And with that he turned on his heel and walked away.
Nathanial breathed a sigh of relief. Now that Damon understood, hopefully he could keep the wolves quiet about Ryan and Jada. He doubted very much that Ryan had been discreet about what he’d been doing with her. Wolves rarely were when it came to sex. Too many people already knew about it. Short of killing them, there wasn’t much else he could do but hope that Damon kept them quiet. Killing an army of wolves would destroy his and Ryan’s new alliance. It wasn’t an option.
CHAPTER 18
Ryan opened his eyes to find himself tucked up in the bed of the same guest bedroom that Nathanial had prepared for him last time he’d come to the Dark Realm. He struggled to sit up, finding he was almost completely devoid of energy. He was weak, weaker than he’d ever felt. He glanced down at his naked chest to see that all his wounds were now healed. Cora? Had she healed me? I remember her being there…Nathanial telling her to use her magic…not her blood. Shit…I can’t think about her right now. It…hurts.
“Fuck me,” he hissed as he shakily climbed out of bed. I need food. Now.
He crossed to the door and struggled with the stubborn doorknob for several seconds before finally managing to open it. Shit, how weak am I right now? I don’t even have the strength of a human?
He glanced at the robe hanging on the back of the door, but he didn’t even have the energy to reach for it. He was shirtless but still wearing his jeans. Good enough.
He remembered there was a kitchen right at the end of the corridor with real food in it—not just blood for all the vampires living in the castle. Gripping the walls for support, he slowly made his way down the corridor at a frustrating snail’s pace. He pushed through the door at the end of the hall and stepped into the guest kitchen.
“You look like shit,” Luca said.
Ryan couldn’t even summon forth a growl at Luca’s infuriating presence in the kitchen. The asshole sat with his feet up on the small, four-seater kitchen table, sipping from a glass of blood in his right hand. Ryan eyed the buffet table over on the far side of the room. Fresh food. He could smell the red meat from where he was standing. His mouth watered as he staggered towards it.
As soon as he reached it, he grabbed the largest steak he could find and tore into it hungrily, gripping it with his right hand and using his left to steady himself against the table. As soon as he devoured it, he reached for a plate and slowly piled more meat, vegetables, and bread onto it. He wavered on his feet and clutched the table tighter.
“You need help, brother?” Luca called with amusement.
“No.”
But, as usual, he didn’t listen. In a flash of vampire speed, he stood beside him. He leaned against the buffet table, watching him with intrigue. “You’re lucky Cora isn’t wolf or vampire.”
Ryan put his plate down and, exerting great effort, he forced his body to turn to face him. “What?” he demanded, hating the obvious weakness in his voice as he spoke.
“I can smell her scent all over you. Another wolf.”
“Stay…out…of it.”
“Cora is your wife.”
Ryan took a step closer and sniffed him. “I can…smell…her.”
Luca smiled with amusement. “You think I fucked her? My brother’s wife?”
“Yes.”
“I’m curious,” Luca said as he stepped into Ryan’s personal space and glowered at him. “What is it that you want to hear? That I didn’t or that I did? If I did then you’re off the hook for your betrayal. If I didn’t then, well, shit, Ry. Either way, it’s over between the two of you.”
“Did…you?”
They locked eyes.
And then Luca grinned. “No.”
“What?” Ryan choked.
“I kissed her. That’s it. She wouldn’t even kiss me back because of her loyalty to you. A pretty amazing feat considering we both know she feels something for me.” Luca gripped his neck and jerked him towards himself as he said, “You don’t know how lucky you are. There will never be a woman like her again in either of our immortal lives. You struck gold, all the riches of all the realms, by being gifted with her.” He released him roughly and Ryan struggled to maintain his balance by clutching the buffet table with the little strength he currently had.
Luca turned away and paced the room slowly. “Your fated love. Your destined mate. You didn’t earn it. And you certainly didn’t deserve it! But you got it nonetheless. And what do you do with it? You fuck it up. Cast her aside for some cheap whore.”
Ryan forced a warning growl from his throat. “She’s not…a whore.”
Luca spun back to him and scoffed. “Really? She’s more than your little fuck toy? What is she then?”
“Also my…mate.”
Luca froze at his words. And then he burst out laughing. “Impossible.”
Ryan shook his head.
Luca stilled for a moment, clearly caught off guard. But he recovered himself and said, “Well, whether it is true or not, you’ve still made your choice. Thank you for that.”
“Touch her…and…I’ll…kill…you.”
Luca’s hand shot out and wrapped around his neck again, lifting Ryan off the floor. “Kill me? You can barely stand, almighty Wolf King. Besides, I’m not gonna do anything she doesn’t want me to. I want her to come to me.”
“Why?” Ryan rasped against Luca’s strong grip. “You always…just take.”
“Because that near-death experience gave me a fucking epiphany, brother. I. Love. Her.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed to slits, enraged by Luc
a’s admission. “She’s…mine.”
Luca released him and stepped back. “Not for long. Not after she finds out.”
“After who finds out what?”
Ryan eyed the kitchen doorway. Cora was walking in. He saw Luca smirking at him. He was clearly picking up on the fear that was spiking through him, worrying that she’d heard them.
But then Luca surprised him by covering it up and telling her, “Oriana. We were saying that she’ll yield when she witnesses the full force of your power next time.”
Cora looked between the two of them. Her eyebrows rose with suspicion. But she didn’t push anything. Instead she said simply, “I see.”
Luca smiled sweetly at her, making Ryan want to rip his head from his body.
“You did well today. You kept control,” the asshole praised her.
“Thanks,” she said shyly.
“How did it go with the barrier? Did you and my father manage okay?” Luca asked.
“Yeah. No one without an invitation from Nathanial himself will be able to pass through into the Dark Realm now unless they have the power to break through my magic.” She grinned as she added, “Which they don’t.”
Luca chuckled.
“Are you…okay?” Ryan asked her.
“I’m fine,” she said, approaching him. “But you should be in bed. Why are you up?”
He gestured to his plate of food beside him.
She nodded and picked it up. She moved into him and said, “Lean on me.”
He hesitated.
“Would you rather Luca put you to bed?”
Fuck. He heaved a sigh and complied.
Luca stepped aside to allow her to lead him out of the kitchen. Ryan could feel her struggling against his weight.
Apparently Luca noticed, because, in the next second, he was there. He took hold of both of them and swept them down the hall, stopping just outside Ryan’s room.
He leaned into Ryan and whispered so quietly that only the two of them—those with supernatural hearing—could hear, “I didn’t tell her about your activities because then she will hate me. But you must.”
Ryan met his intense gaze but didn’t respond.
“Thanks for your help, Luca,” Cora said.
Luca nodded politely and then walked away back down the corridor.
Cora helped Ryan the remaining few steps to the bed. He grunted as he climbed in and hoisted himself up to a sitting position. She perched on the other side and placed his heaping plate of food on his lap. He could feel her watching him eat. He concentrated solely on the food and didn’t even glance at her once. He couldn’t.
“I’m fine now,” he said, hoping she would get the hint and leave.
But she didn’t. Instead she moved further onto the bed and started to stroke his hair gently. “I’ve missed you, Ryan.” She sidled closer and wrapped her arm around his shoulder as she said, “Seeing you like that in the dungeon earlier….”
Ryan looked at her and saw tears glistening in her eyes.
“You were so…messed up…in so much pain…I almost lost control.”
“Control?”
“Because of the magnitude of my power, if I lose control it could kill me. Engulf me. Nathanial has been teaching me how to maintain concentration, but when I saw you like that…the man I love…my husband…I almost lost it.”
Oh fuck. “I’m…tired,” he said. He needed to get her out of there right now. If she read his thoughts, given what she’d just said about her power, it could put everyone in danger. Shit, he couldn’t tell her about Jada. She could never know.
“I healed you, but you’re feeling weak right now because of how Oriana tortured you,” she said, still not getting his hint.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and finished chewing his last mouthful of steak and then asked, “How she…did it?”
She smiled sadly and lifted his plate off his lap, placing it on the bedside table. “Her magic ripped through your very being…your essence. Unlike what you’ve endured before—manmade weapons, silver—where my blood could heal your wounds quickly, this kinda…diminished your life force. She was ripping you apart…magically. It would’ve killed anyone else. My blood was the last line of defense—she couldn’t breach the magical properties of it. It’s what kept you alive. So, even though I healed your wounds, your body was unbelievably drained. It’s why you feel weak now. Fortunately, you have your new Wolf King abilities and its accompanying strength so it won’t be too long until you’re back to your normal self. You should feel better by tomorrow.” She smiled at him and added, “And then I should be able to read your thoughts again.”
My thoughts? She can’t read them right now? Thank Christ. “You need to…go,” he said, not wanting her to stick around to tomorrow when she could read his thoughts again and see Jada there.
“What?” she asked, hurt by his words.
“Go…our son.”
She pulled him tighter to her and said, “I don’t want to leave you when you’re like this.”
“You already…left me.”
She moved away like he’d just slapped her across the face. “You’d made it impossible for me to stay, Ryan. What you did. What you said.”
Yeah, the things I’d said outside Luca’s place had been pretty harsh. And the way I’d treated her hadn’t been any way to treat my wife. Knowing now that Luca had barely touched her at all changed everything. She hadn’t cheated on me. She’d spurned all Luca’s advances. The guy had told him that himself just moments ago. And he knew it wasn’t an easy thing for him to admit, that a woman had rejected him in that way.
“I’m sorry,” he offered. “I...shouldn’t have…treated you…that way.”
She took his words in and then she suddenly straddled him.
He reached for her hips, to lift her off him, only to find that he couldn’t. He was too weak. His grip was loose and limp on the waistband of her leather pants.
“Do you wish I was wolf?” she asked, gazing down at him intensely.
Shit. “I...you’re not.”
“I know, but—”
“It’s hard…sometimes. I have to…hold back…with you.”
“It’s worsened since you acquired your Wolf King abilities, hasn’t it?”
He nodded.
“But I’ve told you before, Ryan. I want the wolf. And you’ve shown me your wild side plenty of times in bed.”
He shook his head. “No…I haven’t.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. No, not surprise. Shock. “I don’t satisfy you?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“You do.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he could hear his own hesitancy. Fuck. He watched her eyes flash. And then, before he could stop her, she called her power to her palm, pushed the duvet down, and pressed her palm to his cock.
“Fuck!” he gasped, shifting beneath her as an intense wave of pleasure shot through him.
“That’s right, I do satisfy you. I’m your mate. It’s impossible for me not to be able to.”
“Stop…I can’t…I’m too weak…for this. Cora….”
But she didn’t stop. She wouldn’t remove her hand.
Ryan used what little shred of strength he had to summon his claws of his right hand. He swiped her arm, hard enough to draw blood. She gasped and drew back quickly, climbing off him and glaring at him with disbelief as she cradled her bloodied forearm. “You hurt me?” she choked out. “You’ve never….”
The look on her face was gut-wrenching. He couldn’t bear it. He had to look away as he told her, “Go.”
Whimpering, she crossed to the door. “Do you still love me, Ryan?”
He started at her words, frozen for a moment by her question.
“Ryan?” she pressed.
He grunted and sank down into the bed, turning away from her. He felt her watching him for a few moments and then she closed the door quietly behind her and left.
“Shit,” he breathed. Of course I fu
cking love her. But now everything is so damned complicated because of the Jada thing. They can’t both be my mate. So which one is it?
Ever since Damon had suggested that Vazra could have engineered things between them, he hadn’t been able to get it out of his head. And when he’d seen her, the love in her eyes, he’d been disgusted, knowing that it could’ve all just been manufactured.
The recent separation between them and the Luca thing had just intensified those feelings to the point where he couldn’t stand to look at her.
He didn’t know what was real.
And a wolf relied on his instincts.
The fact that he couldn’t do that unnerved him. He didn’t want Cora anywhere near him until he could figure things out. He didn’t want to screw things up permanently with her. There was too much at stake—their son, for one.
But, fuck, the moment she’d straddled him, he’d wanted to fuck her—weakness or not. It still felt right—the pull between them.
But all he’d been able to think about was what he’d done with Jada. How he’d slept with another woman.
How could he fuck Cora knowing that? It would’ve been wrong.
God, if Cora had any idea how much self-control he’d had to exert to force her hand from his cock in that moment, she would’ve given him a frigging medal instead of being angry with him. That pleasure power of hers was like nothing he’d ever felt. A few more seconds and he would’ve come. Guaranteed. A hell of a feat, because wolves could last for ages. That was how intense her power was when she used it on him sexually like that. Fuck me.
CHAPTER 19
“Down boy!” Ryan commanded his cock as he pulled on a fresh pair of jeans.
He’d woken up hard, which was nothing new, but the fact that he’d stayed that way for the last couple of hours was the strange thing—even after taking a cold shower. And he wasn’t just turned on in the normal sense of the word. It was beyond that. It was bordering on painful, actually. His cock was throbbing for release. Was it because of Cora’s actions last night? That’d been hours ago. How could that still be affecting him? But if it wasn’t that, what was it?
He tried to refocus his mind—and his insatiable cock—as he slipped on a black, ribbed t-shirt. He reached into the wardrobe once again and pulled out a leather jacket. As he slipped it on, he silently thanked Nathanial for being such a good host and having his people provide the clothes that he liked. Anything he wanted was here. He didn’t need to request a thing. Shit, he knows me well.
