by Meg Xuemei X
His ocean blue eyes roved over me, its heat scorching me. “I’ll tell you what I want when you agree to the terms. I don’t like to spoil the surprise.”
“Are you stalking me, Marrok?” I hissed to make sure only he could hear me.
He cocked his head, his gaze falling on my lips. “What do you think, Kaara? Would you like me to stalk you?”
The way he said my name was so intimate and caressing it made me swoon.
“It was just one fuck,” I said. “That’s all. It meant nothing. If you want to make anything out of it, you’re fooling yourself.”
“I don’t want to make a fool out of myself, Kaara,” he said. “So why don’t we improve the situation? We’ll fuck more, so it won’t be just one fuck, and we’ll make those fucks count.”
I glared at him, and he smiled disarmingly.
People didn’t smile on Pandemonium, except, apparently, the wolf alpha. And his smile was like rare sunshine, striking me with warmth and craving, yet troubling me so much. It was easier never having something nice than to have it and then lose it completely.
How could a man like Marrok be on Pandemonium?
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Marrok, what’s your business here?”
“I came to formally invite you to join me for dinner.”
When I didn’t perceive an ounce of deception or teasing from him, my jaw dropped.
Marrok was asking me out on a date.
The old, glamorous life in the Lithuaria Empire swirled back.
Dating. How fun. But that could happen only in a civilized society, even though a variety of noble houses had never ceased to undermine each other and fight for more power.
Having a dinner date on Pandemonium was a completely foreign concept.
“You’re asking me out on a date?” I stuttered.
“I plan to court you. If you’re still familiar with the idea of courting—”
“I know what courting is,” I cut him off. “And I think it’s bullshit, even on my former planet.”
“With me, it won’t be bullshit,” he said, a half smile on his lips. “I’ll show you the right way. If I’m not mistaken, you’re also a woman who enjoys a challenge.”
“Don’t ever include me in your collection of conquests,” I said. “I’m not one of them and will never be.”
Even though I had never had the honor to meet the shifter alpha before this day, I’d heard of his reputation. As an alpha, he had the privilege to bed any and all the female shifters in his pack.
Something dark flashed in his eyes, as if the beast in him didn’t like my rejection.
“You have no idea, do you?” he said. “I was right when I thought you weren’t ready.”
“Ready for what?” I demanded.
He stepped closer, and his body heat radiated to me.
I wanted to rub on it, but I held my ground.
The wind blew his scent to my nostrils. Stars, I could see nothing but him and smell nothing but him. Everything about him was electrifying and delicious and exciting.
I lost my train of thought for a moment.
Marrok studied me with amusement.
Why didn’t he struggle the same way I did? I saw undeniable heat in his eyes. Then it dawned on me. I was fighting my attraction to him, but he rolled with it.
“It’s only dinner, Kaara,” he said. “No strings attached. I won’t touch you again unless you beg me to take you to my bed.”
“Right, like I’ll beg you,” I snorted. “As for dinner, are you planning a picnic with vampires, cannibals, and all sorts of monsters dancing around us under the three faint moons?”
“Your sarcasm is endearing,” he said. “As appealing as it sounds to have bloodsuckers and cannibals pole dance for us while we dine, I’d prefer to enjoy the meal with you alone in the Keep. You might not know that we have a bar. Don’t you miss going to a bar or a club? Did you ever have that on your former, very civilized planet?
Envy stabbed me. While we often starved, the wolf clan had opened a bar. An instant later, I let go of the resentment. Marrok was trying to make the best out of the city of ruin. He had no hope of leaving it.
But Fia and I had worked every minute toward escaping Pandemonium.
“You’re inviting me to dinner inside the Keep?”
“I ran all the way here to tell you in person,” he said with a wolfish grin. “So you could see how sincere I am.”
It seemed so, but the popular fairy tale of The Big Bad Wolf every child in the Lithuaria Empire was familiar with popped into my head.
I’d seen how big his fangs were when he was in his wolf form.
Everyone here had heard that the wolf pack never allowed any outsider inside their Keep. If anyone snuck in, they never came out, because mostly they just presented themselves as an easy meal.
And now Marrok, the mysterious, powerful wolf alpha, invited me—an outsider—to dinner in his Keep. What would come out of that?
Only one thing would come of it—that much I was sure of. We would have wilder sex than we’d had in the ship. At that thought, my pulse spiked, and Marrok’s gaze grew more heated. I bit my lower lip and my eyes grew hard as my mind moved to the next possible scenario—he would dispose of me.
He might even eat me after sex.
I’d informed him that the Eshmaki was a sentient being, yet he had still ordered his pack to take the she-demon back to the Keep as fresh meat. What had been his words? “We’ll roast it tonight with pepper and garlic.”
That was his proposed dinner for me!
And my flesh was tenderer than an Eshmaki’s.
I shivered.
Marrok sent me a look of amused pity. “I admire your vivid imagination, Kaara. I’ll feast upon you, but not in the way you pictured.”
His gaze dipped to my breasts, caressing and bruising them without touching them.
I’d showered right after I’d returned to the tower and I hadn’t put on a bra. Under the weight of his gaze, my taut nipples pricked against the fabric.
Marrok could see them clearly.
“My version of feasting on you is to lick you all over.”
Apprehension streamed through me.
Once again, he had seen my thoughts, sensed my cravings and fear.
How?
For all I knew, I was the only Empath here. Even though the shifters had acute senses, there was no way Marrok could be like me. And I’d detected no magic in him.
“Shush!” I hushed him.
He stepped closer as if instinctively wanting to shield me from my panic. I didn’t back away and he was now only inches from me.
“Kaara,” he said in a careful, measured tone. “I can’t see all, but I can see some pictures in your head if they present strongly. I can sense your want, desire, and mood. I have no intention of playing games, so I’ll be direct with you. We’ve bonded, not to your knowledge. You aren’t aware of the mating bond since you aren’t a shifter. But a wolf knows, especially one as powerful as I am. I’d never thought this could happen to me. Of all the places, I found my mate on Pandemonium. Kaara, you’re my mate.”
Was that why I’d felt an unseen thread tugging me toward him? But this couldn’t be. This was beyond my reasonable perception.
My eyes widened with a wild look. “No fucking way. I’m not your—”
A flow of thick darkness billowed toward us, questioning and probing. It was no ordinary darkness but magical. It could shield. It could kill.
Fia strode toward us, icy frost blowing out from her parted lips.
She had no mercy for those she perceived as enemies. If she believed Marrok aggravated me, she would damage him, if not kill him right away. Marrok wouldn’t go down without a fight. He might even maim my future queen.
I couldn’t risk finding out who would win.
Fia’s foul temper bounced to me.
Her mood was always darker and bleaker when she returned from the jungle.
Today it was worse.
&nbs
p; I wondered what had happened between her and Akem. Lately, they seemed to be locked in some kind of tense, twisted game. Akem and Fia were both volatile forces.
I wanted to hide Marrok from my capricious princess.
Fia looked at Marrok with predatory intensity. I had yet to see anyone not recoil under that gaze of hers, but Marrok appeared quite relaxed. He flashed her an equally predatory white smile.
“Evening, Wicked Witch,” Marrok said.
Idiot! Was he seeking his own demise? She could summon her ice spear out of the mist. With a simple push and thrust, the spear often went into her victim’s heart without missing a beat.
I shifted slightly, trying to block Marrok, but that effort backfired.
Fia’s sharp stare immediately fell on me, realizing I was trying to shield him.
If she’d met the wolf alpha before, she didn’t recognize him. There wasn’t a trace of acknowledgement in her blank, icy eyes.
“Lady Fiammetta,” I said with a light bow, “the wolf alpha is leaving.”
“No, I’m not,” the idiot said. “I just got here.”
“State your business,” Fia demanded, turning her focus back on Marrok.
“I was asking Kaara out on a date,” said Marrok. “I’m still waiting for an answer.”
Surprise flitted across Fia’s face. She flicked her gaze between Marrok and me. For a brief second, she was uncertain how to take this.
“I already said no, Marrok!” I sent him a warning glare to prohibit him from saying any more. “Just go.”
“Kaara.” Marrok sighed, as if I was a spoiled brat.
“If you don’t like him bothering you, Kaara,” Fia offered, “I can dispose of him for you.”
Marrok shrugged carelessly.
“No!” I said. “No, Fia. I can handle him.”
Fia frowned. “I’m not sure you can even go out on a date in this city.” Her gaze moved up toward the far horizon. Half the city was still burning in the residual fire.
Fia hadn’t made a conversation with anyone else but me. She usually gave orders or interrogated her subjects or captives. But she was now conversing with Marrok and me.
Marrok grinned. “We have haunts in the Keep and a lot of booze.”
Fia’s eyes rolled slowly, clearly thinking whether she should take the Keep for herself.
I glared at Marrok. If he could read my blunt thoughts, then he could read this: Do not tempt or taunt my mistress. Once the Wicked Witch sets her mind to do something, she never backs off.
I turned to my princess. “I’m not going out on a date with anyone, Fia. I’m staying to guard you.”
“I don’t need anyone to guard me,” Fia said, a stream of icy frost breathing out of her lips. She gave Marrok a purposeful look. “Anyone entering my tower without my permission will suffer my wrath.”
“That sounds inviting,” said Marrok.
Did he have to provoke her? Why hadn’t he heeded to my warning? The Wickedest Witch didn’t get that title for nothing. She would kill for less.
But strangely, Fia didn’t seem to be offended. She didn’t even mind his sarcasm.
“Kaara Nightshades,” she said. Hesitating for a second, she raised her hand and her cold, elegant fingers brushed across my check. “You need to have fun sometimes.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. Ever since she’d been banished to this planet, Fia hadn’t touched anyone with affection. When she decided to touch someone, it was to torture, punish, or destroy. Until this day, she hadn’t uttered a single gentle word to anyone.
At first glance, she’d realized there was something between the wolf alpha and me and that he wasn’t a threat, so she didn’t attack him. She’d seen me trying to shield Marrok, and yet she hadn’t questioned my royalty to her. She didn’t know who I really was, but in her heart, she knew I mattered to her.
Fia turned to walk off, but stopped a few feet away and turned an icy stare at Marrok. In the most menacing voice I’d ever heard her use, she said, “Be careful with Kaara. Hurt a hair on her head, and you’ll regret it with your every breath. When danger comes, wolf alpha, you better throw yourself before her.”
She trekked back to her tower without glancing back, her darkness—darker than any night—billowing and hissing at her feet. When she’d been the beloved princess in the Lithuaria Empire, there were stars in her magical darkness. Now it was just pitch blackness with a hint of smothering smoke.
“She actually cares about you,” Marrok said thoughtfully, peering at Fia’s dark figure before fixing on me again. “Maybe the Wicked Witch isn’t as evil and cruel as the rumor said. And you don’t fear her like others.”
“You don’t know her. Lady Fiammetta is unfathomable. She also has mercy,” I said, not wanting to discuss my princess with anyone. “So,” I continued, my breath leaving me in a huff. “You think I’m your mate.”
“I know you’re my mate,” he said, gazing at me with longing.
My empathic magic twirled around him, sensing no deception.
My body purred at the desire seeping off him.
“And you’ll know it once—” he stopped.
“Once what?”
“We’ll take it slow. I can see you’re already overwhelmed by my small revelation.”
Small revelation?
But mate or not, I couldn’t let him in. I couldn’t afford to let him in on the secrets concerning my exiled future queen Athena Faya.
I had to interrogate Marrok and see what degree of threat he posed for us. If he proved to be a danger to Fia, would I have the heart to terminate him?
At the very least, I’d need to contain him.
Since he wasn’t one of us, I wouldn’t invite him into the tower. Just because he claimed I was his mate didn’t mean I had to trust him.
“Follow me, Marrok,” I said and led him toward the torture chamber at the fringe of the witch’s territory.
Chapter 9
I led Marrok toward a withered garden of black trees and blossoms, lighting the narrow path with the witch light. Even during daytime, we never had enough light on Pandemonium.
Marrok swaggered beside me, eager to be alone with me.
Rocky and two guards brought up the rear, but I waved them back. “I’ve got it,” I said, giving them a firm look. They withdrew, but not too far.
“They obey you, but not out of fear,” Marrok said in approval.
Their fear of Fia drew them to me, but I didn’t tell Marrok that. What happened inside the Witch Tower remained in the Witch Tower. No amount of distraction from his radiating body heat and intoxicating male scent could make me lose my head like that. I wouldn’t allow it.
His hand constantly brushed against mine. Marrok was finding every chance to touch me. Every small brush of contact brought me pleasure and sent an electric spark into my bloodstream.
Even in complete darkness, Marrok never stumbled beside me. His wolfish vision was superior, though his kind liked the sunshine—unlike the vampires who occupied the other tower in the City of Nine. The bloodsuckers might be the only species who favored the lack of sunlight.
Marrok grabbed my elbow and lifted me up when he spotted a rock. He veered me away when he spied a line of broken trees ahead. He thought I, the warrior Kaara, had a great chance of throwing myself onto the trunk, or typically had a habit of stumbling onto the rocks.
“Stop that!” I growled.
“Can’t help it,” he said ruefully. “I don’t want a scratch on your skin.”
“I’m not going to have a scratch.”
We prowled through the garden that half concealed a gray, low building.
“What is this place?” Marrok asked.
“It used to be a small museum.”
Marrok arched an eyebrow. “A museum for what?”
“Books, paintings, and historical records.”
Though the building had survived whatever had happened to the old civilization, part of the garden had been burned. Some stone columns etched with
complex drawings still stood as the witness to a once grand, old civilization.
“Were you a woman of letters before you came here?” Marrok asked, seeing the forlorn look on my face.
I liked that he was still curious about me, even though we’d already fucked. I usually lost interest in any man once I screwed him, and any spark of curiosity I felt toward them went down the drain.
But with Marrok, it seemed different.
I wanted to know more about his background, though I constantly showed him my indifference. On this alien planet, we didn’t dig into each other’s past. We simply didn’t have the capacity to care.
I eyed the looming grey building and answered his former question, “I’m more of a swordswoman.”
“You’re a fine swordswoman,” he said in appreciation. “Where did you acquire that rare sword with strange runes on its blade?”
“It’s called an angelblade,” I said, stopping a few yards away from the building.
I scanned the surroundings with my empathic ability for other presences, but we were alone.
“Tell me what this place is for,” Marrok drawled.
“The museum is Lady Fiammetta’s ideal place for interrogating suspects and foes. There are two torture chambers inside.”
He laughed. “Kaara, you’re taking me to a torture chamber? I didn’t think you were such a romantic.”
Fearless and arrogant. The wolf alpha didn’t think I could harm him.
“So, you thought I was the opposite of romantic.”
“I think you’re perfect,” he said.
My heart stammered. Was this his way of courting me?
“Bringing me here to interrogate me so no one can rescue me if I scream. Is that your genius plan, little mate?”
“What if it is?” I asked.
“You’ll find me most cooperative,” he said, his white, even teeth glinting in the dark as he grinned at me.
No wonder I couldn’t sense the other two wolves. Marrok had sent them far away to give me the privacy I wanted.
“How can you prove that I’m your mate?” I said. “You can be wrong. Fated mates are fairy tales from where I came from.”
“It’s no fairy tale,” he said. “Your pussy is always wet for me whenever I’m around. Even right now, your slick heat is seeping into your panties. I don’t even need to palm you there to know it. But if you want me to fuck you right now to ease the ache between your thighs, I’ll be more than happy to fulfill my duty as a good, considerate mate. ”
