by Lenore Wolfe
Then she took a shower. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
She woke to the dawn, stretching. For once, the night had gone without incident. Well, to be honest, many nights had, but between Justice and Dracon….
She sat up abruptly. The window was open. And a single, red rose sat on the table next to the chair. She got up and picked up the rose, sniffing it. But it wasn’t Justice’s scent that lingered on the rose. She dropped it. He had been here while she slept.
Justice threw open her door. As usual, he had been reading her mind. He marched over, took the rose, and sniffed. His eyes narrowed at the scent.
“Okay, Jes, that tears it,” he growled. “It’s obvious he’s not going to leave you alone.”
She was more than a little afraid—and more than a little angry because of it. “You think?!”
His gaze narrowed on her face. “Hmmm.”
His next words stopped her in her tracks.
“So neither will I.”
Those last words were the only things she thought about all throughout her training that day. They were the only words she thought about all through lunch. And they were the only thing she thought about during her teachings, and studies, on Jaguar politics.
All throughout the professor’s teachings, she couldn’t keep her mind on her lessons. Her thoughts kept straying to Justice.
He was sitting in the hallway—and would have easy access to her thoughts—so she did her best to force her thoughts away from him and back to her lessons.
It didn’t do any good. Before she had even realized what she was doing, her thoughts returned to her worries—about the upcoming nightfall.
The implications were that he would be there—all night. And with the power of everything she felt when she was with him, she knew it wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge—into his arms. And she didn’t know if she were ready to concede, yet, that Justice was her mate.
It wasn’t just that he had killed the humans. She was past that now that she realized why she had really hunted him all of those years.
It was just that once she went down that lane, it would no longer just be her—it would be them. And there wouldn’t be anything that would undo that—for the duration of their lifetime.
And theirs was a very long lifetime.
She could have, at the very least, spent the first few hundred enjoying some freedom, she thought. But, now, she couldn’t imagine her future without him.
She turned, then, realizing the direction in which her thoughts had just led her, staring at Justice across the room, which he had entered—the moment that thought had popped into her head. She couldn’t have hoped that, just for once, he had missed that particular thought.
Of course he hadn’t.
He watched her now. She knew by the smoldering look in his eyes that he had read her thoughts clearly, and knew exactly what had happened. She knew it was over—that he knew she had just surrendered to their future—together.
He came across the room, then, and dismissed the professor. Taking her hand in his, he quietly led her from the room.
She was out of breath when he closed the door and turned to face her. He was magnificent, standing there. He came toward her, and kept coming until he was within a breath of her lips.
In the next moment, they were kissing—kissing like she had never been kissed before—kissing like she had never kissed anyone else before. She was tearing at his shirt, and he was stripping her of hers. She unbuckled his pants, and he unbuttoned hers. They took turns pulling one another’s clothes from their bodies, swiftly—the aggression of passion. Coming together naked—kissing.
It was some time later that she laid there—a fine sheen of sweat coating her skin. He had fallen beside her. She stared at him. She had heard of this—of the power of the attraction between two mates of the Jaguar People. She had almost feared it. But nothing she’d ever imagined had prepared her for what she’d just felt.
She watched him as their breathing slowly returned to normal.
He got up and headed for the bathroom, turning on the shower. He came for her then, holding his hand out to her. They went into the shower together, and the water had run nearly cold before they came out.
Jes slept that night in his arms. They were right—everyone whom she had been afraid to believe before. She couldn’t imagine how her life had been—before Justice. How did her life become so completely absorbed by him? She couldn’t get him out of her head. And she had really tried. She’d stop herself and deliberately start concentrating on something else—and the next thing she’d know, she’d find herself thinking about him again.
This was not something she was used to. She’d spent years meditating—controlling her breath, controlling her thoughts—and this was not something she was used to.
She spent much of that night—just watching him sleep.
It was just before dawn. She must have finally drifted off. She woke with a start. She could feel, beneath her fingers, Justice was awake too.
She shifted her gaze toward the window.
He was standing there.
Justice sat up with a flurry. “You abuse your invitation, brother,” he snarled.
She saw Dracon smile. “I had to be sure it was true.” He turned and was gone.
Jes let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “That what was true?”
Justice got up from the bed and, without looking at her, he headed toward the bathroom. “That I was with my mate,” he flung over his shoulder.
She blinked. “And, now what? What does he intend to do?”
Justice turned at the bathroom door. His gaze was cool, his features locked in an impassive expression. “He intends to toy with me.” And with that he shut the door.
Dawn broke the sky in the next minute. Dracon would not be back this day.
Jes was waiting for Justice that evening. He had managed to avoid this conversation all day—but she would have answers now. She wasn’t waiting any longer.
She could see by the look on his face when he entered the room that he knew that she intended to know everything.
He actually hesitated at the door—which would have been a bit amusing on any other day.
“Okay,” he said. “Pack up your things. We’re going for a trip.”
She couldn’t have been more surprised. She didn’t move for a long moment.
His brows shot up when she didn’t move. “Well?” he said.
She jumped up and started packing. She couldn’t imagine why he was taking her anywhere, when an explanation would have done just as nicely—but she was up for a trip. She was tired of training and standing idly by.
An army of his men traveled with them—though they didn’t do so all at once. Ten left with them. Others joined them as they drove. Before she knew it, there were at least seven other vehicles around them.
He had obviously been prepared to do this—had obviously known that she was done with only getting half the answers.
His sister was in the next vehicle—and she was surprised to see Jared riding with her.
They drove to a very large mansion in the suburbs of Chicago. It was just far enough out of town that there were not so many neighbors to watch them. Just the same, the vehicles did not all head there at once.
The walls surrounding it were made out of rock, laid in a beautiful design, but she knew the walls served a purpose and would have guards secreted along them.
When the vehicles pulled to a stop, a guard met them and escorted them into the building.
Justice took her arm. “Is everything set?” he asked the man.
The guard inclined his head at him.
“Good, please have the kitchen send some food to our rooms.”
The guard inclined his head again. “Will do, sir.”
Jes’s brows shot up at this, and she looked at Justice questioningly, but his face remained impassive.
“It’s very late,” she finally said,
as she followed him upstairs. “Will we be going to bed now?”
He shook his head. “First we must entertain a guest.”
She frowned at him.
They ate a light snack, since they’d already had dinner back at the house. Apparently, they were staying up. Justice told her that she would need her strength. It was going to be a long night.
When they came back downstairs, it was to a flurry of activity. The staff was going in every direction, obviously busily getting the place ready. Jes watched them as they rushed around, each busy with their own tasks. After an hour, the place was ready.
Even Jared was there. He smiled at her from across the room and raised his glass.
But ready for what? And why so much to-do about it?
When the door opened, the guards accompanied their guest into the main room.
Jes couldn’t have been more surprised when she saw exactly who their guest was.
Dracon stood before them and gave them a small bow.
Justice inclined his head, and motioned toward a seat, which Dracon took with fluid grace. Every eye in the room was on him. He drew attention like a magnet. No one looked away, or even bothered to try.
He was obviously used to the attention, for he took it all in stride. “To what do I owe the honor of this invitation?”
Justice actually smiled. “You know what, brother. Your repeated visits brought about the invitation. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
Dracon smiled. “If you wish to speak to me as your brother—brother…,” he said, “you will drop the faery glamour.”
Chapter Sixteen
Justice
Sons of the Dark Mother
Jes saw Justice incline his head. “Yes, brother. It is time to do so. It is time for our people to see the true dark princes of the Earth.”
He stood, taking her hand, and led her beside him. Together, they walked within the circle of the people. In the next moment, he dropped the Fae glamour which had been placed on him as a infant, and before them stood the prophecy.
Jes’s mouth fell open. She would have left the room, right that moment, if he had not taken her hand in a crushing grip.
“You wanted to know all of it,” he said clearly in her head.
She stared at him. She did not know this man. His hair was to his waist and was white as snow, with silver threads shot through. Not gray: pure silver. His skin was white as snow, translucent, and had a hint of violet. His eyes were—violet.
She had heard of these rare ones—had even met Lucius, though she had been under a mistaken impression. He had said he was one of the Starborne.
But they were—something else entirely. They were the rare elite. Most of their race still thought that they were a fable—much like the humans thought all talk of the Fae was the stuff of children’s fairy tales. No one believed these rare ones still existed. Most of her people didn’t believe they had ever existed.
So how was it that Justice was one of these rare, elite princes of her people—a prince who only still existed in children’s fairy tales? How had this happened?
And with all the years she had spent with him—grown up with him—how was it she had never known?
She felt as though everything she’d ever known about him—had been a lie.
Justice turned from her, allowing her to return to her seat.
She knew he had read her thoughts again—and that she had only seen more lies.
For a long moment, Justice only walked along the windows, toward the outside of the room. Finally, he stopped in front of Dracon.
“We are what the world fears so much,” Justice said to Dracon. “We are the dark princes of the Earth, the Sons of the Dark Mother.”
Dracon watched him. He did not take his eyes off of him.
“And yet, we both know, we are not the darkness.”
Jes watched the both of them. They were as though they’d been caught in time. Dracon did not move—much like he’d been carved from stone. He was as still as death. He only watched. He appeared to have waited for this moment all of his life.
Justice straightened, then. He addressed everyone in the room at that moment. “We are not the darkness the humans fear in their ignorance. They fear what they do not know—what they do not understand. We are Her sons. The darkness the humans fear is another—and we all know who that is.”
He turned and stood, now, once again, in front of his brother. “We have a common enemy, brother. And we must unite, as the prophecy said we would, or all will be lost.”
Dracon sneered at that.
Justice tilted his head. “Brother. The very sons the world fears are the sons who must come to their aid. It is not just their world that will be torn apart. It is not just their world that will be lost. This is our mother. I know that you chafe at humans who walk around in their ignorance, destroying Her, thinking that they are the only ones who exist, when we could crush them with a single blow and be done with it. But they are a race, like us, like the Fae, like any other race of people. And they are waking now!”
“You are ignorant yourself, brother, if you think the humans will ever accept us. As you have said, they fear us. They see the dark princes as the evil they so fear. They call the dark angels demons, but the energy they fear is much, much worse than that.”
He stood now, too, pacing around the room, facing each of them—yet, in spite of this, his face remained impassive.
“They allow the true darkness to make buildings in their cities, buildings that convey their dark energy. They allow the true darkness to take up leadership—and they follow this leader in ignorance, while they fear everything spirit as being their Christian devil.” He came back to face his brother. “How will we help these people? They fear everything they do not understand, and in their ignorance, they will kill everyone whom they fear.”
His lip curled in his anger, but that was the only emotion he showed.
“And, yet,” Justice said to him, “I compel you to unite with us. Take your place, brother, in the prophecy.”
Dracon came to stand in front of Jes. “You did not know you held such a place in the prophecy, did you?”
Jes stared up at him. He was something to behold. He reminded her of that movie character—what was it, oh yes, the Crow. Yes, he reminded her of the Crow.
He smiled. Too late, she realized that Justice was not the only one who was adept at reading minds.
“No,” she answered. “I did not realize I was to be any part of the prophecy.”
“And yet, you will bear a son who will play a vital role in helping to see the world through this period of change, this period where all humans will come to see they are not as alone as they would like to think.”
Jes’s head snapped up at this. She looked up into Justice’s eyes, waiting for him to deny thiss proclamation.
But he did not deny it—only held her gaze steadily.
Dracon actually laughed at seeing this. His entire being took on a different light with his laughter. He turned back toward his brother. “She still thinks you’re a murderer.” He grinned.
She opened her mouth to deny it, but Dracon had pulled those thoughts from her.
Justice turned from Jes and frowned. He now stood fully in front of Dracon.
They were something, the two of them. Both intimidating—and yet, they had something wildly beautiful about them too.
They had always called each other brother—though they were of no kin. Now she understood why. They had known that they were brothers of a different sort—as Princes of the Dark Mother.
Justice’s hair was bound on either side in ropes as it came together on top his head, and then the silver-white of his hair fell down his back. He wore a woolen tunic of icy purple, with silver and white bangles and etchings decorating the front and down the arms.
Dracon was a contrast, with his hair so inky black it was blue. His hair was loose and moved with him when he moved, his skin as white as Justice’s, but without the violet hue
. Also, his skin was not translucent, but pure white, almost to the point of looking painted. However, his skin was dark about the eyes and mouth. He wore all-black garb. His shirt was an old, English style. He had lived a lot longer than Justice. And he still wore these old, English-style shirts.
He also wore the traditional, pitch-black cape, complete with a high collar.
Didn’t he know this kind of garb made him stand out amongst the humans? He gave her a long look, and she realized that perhaps he did know—and got some perverse pleasure out of toying with people over it.
Jes didn’t know if they wore the capes because the humans thought they did—or if the humans thought they did because they had always worn the capes. But most vamps dressed as any other human.
Only the old ones refused to change.
But then, Dracon preferred the night—and you would never see him during the day.
Jes didn’t know if any of the fables that surrounded this were true, either. But she had never once seen him during the day.
Justice looked hard at Dracon. “Brother, the rogue factions of your people have become a menace to the humans.”
Dracon sobered, not tearing his gaze from her. “Yes, brother, they have.”
“What are we going to do about it?”
Dracon looked up at him then—still as a night without shadow. “We—brother?”
Justice met his gaze. The whole room went quiet.
“We, brother. I am calling upon your honor-bound word to the People.”
Dracon’s bark of laughter was derisive. “Are you, now?”
He turned to face Justice, and Jes held her breath. He would make a formidable enemy, should he decide to remain one. She now realized he had never truly been their enemy at all—for Justice was right, if he had been such, none of them would have lived.
Dracon looked as though he would tear Justice limb from limb for even suggesting it—and bringing his honor into question. The guards looked ready to pounce—two of them shifted into their jaguar forms.
