Why would the oracle say I needed to be here in this place? I hate the city. I love my little haven out in the woods. But she was adamant that I needed to be in this club at 7:00pm. I think she may be losing her gift. There is nothing here for me. As that thought passes, I start to get up and leave. Then I hear a voice that stops me in my tracks. I turn and see a woman with brown hair coming in with a group of ladies. I have no idea how many or what they look like because I can’t take my eyes off her.
“Gabby, you really need to quit telling us all the places you and Lee do it at the office. I am beginning to think nowhere is safe.”
They all burst out laughing. I still can’t take my eyes off her. As if she senses it, she looks right at me. She would see me if I hadn’t thrown up my magic to shield me from view. She looks around, as if she senses that she’s being watched. Her voice alone has me ready to beg her to come back with me. I have never seen anyone so beautiful. There is this attraction that pulls me toward her, like our souls know each other and want to reunite. I have to leave before I do something stupid. I vanish as quickly as I can, appearing back into my room. What was that? How can this woman I have never met, and only heard her speak once, already have her claws in me?
I try my best to go about my daily schedule, but I can’t get her out of my mind. I am the leader of the Immortals and I am brought to my knees by a woman?! “Derrick, see if you can find me the Oracle.”
Derrick is my first-in-command and I trust him with my life. We have been friends since we could talk, and he has saved my life more than once. After my parents died, his parents are the ones who saved me. He disappears in front of my eyes. My chest itches again. It started when I saw her and hasn’t stopped. I walk down the hall to my room and then into my bathroom. I take my shirt off and admire my tats. They cover both my arms, up to my shoulders. I don’t have other tattoos anywhere else. These mark me as the leader. They also tell how powerful I am because each line represents a gift or power. The thicker the line, the more power the gift has. Only men Godgels have the tattoos that tell how powerful they are. The women of our kind do not get tattoos.
I notice that where my chest itches, an outline of a puzzle piece is forming right over my heart. What the hell? What could it mean? I have heard of tattoos appearing out of nowhere, but I have never seen it...except with our power tattoos. I need to look in the old text of our people to see if this is in there. There has to be a meaning. It must have something to do with her. Maybe the Oracle will know what it is.
Ever since Derrick came back empty-handed and said he couldn’t find her, I have been in our library looking in the old books on our history. So far, I have found nothing. I am going to need to enlist some help if I want answers. There are too many books here for me to go through alone.
It’s been a week since I heard her voice and it’s killing me. I sent a scout to the city to find out her name and anything else she could find on her. I have had my head in the old texts for days, but there is nothing on the puzzle piece tattoo or the magic she has over me. What could this all mean? I had to take a break so I am sitting in my room, thinking about her and the way her voice made me feel. Suddenly, Derrick comes running down the hall, calling my name. “Neeko, you need to see this! Come quick!”
I follow him to the library and he points to a very old book that’s lying open, the pages yellowed and crinkled from age. I sit and flip the book over to see the title...Immortals and Their Mates. I knew some immortals had mates, but there hasn’t been any since before my great-grandfather’s rule. I have only heard stories.
“What does this have to do with me and Gabby?” I ask, curious.
“Just read it!” He nudges me.
I start reading the page. It basically states that mates of Immortal males are very rare and are always some form of an Immortal themselves. The Immortal male and their mates share a soul. They are only born with half and when they meet their other half, the souls will recognize each other. They will not know each other, but will feel familiar, like they should know each other. There will be this magnetism that will draw them closer together. Once the souls recognize each other, they will not be able to be apart long without missing the other half. In some instances, tattoos have appeared on one’s body. Sometimes both the Immortal male and his mate will get the tattoos. The tattoos differ with each set of Immortal male and mate, and it will be significant to the pair.
Holy hell! She is my mate? But she is human! What do I do? My scout came back and told me that she visits that bar with her girlfriends every Friday. I guess I am going to need to “accidentally” bump into her so she is drawn to me. This is the only explanation there is. She has to be my mate.
It’s been 6 weeks and she has not showed back up at the club yet. Not even her girlfriends have visited. Maybe I waited too long. What if something happened to her? I am going to drive myself insane with all the scenarios that I have playing out in my head of what could have happened to her. I am going to try next Friday and if she doesn’t show up, I will hunt her down.
I sit in my usual seat and wait. I guess I am too deep in thought to see her come in because I am suddenly surrounded by her voice. “I need something fruity and strong, please.”
Oh my...the feelings her voice stir up in me. Hidden by my magic, I sit and watch her. I don’t want to freak her out so I need to plan how I am going to approach her. Just as I get up from my table to walk over to her, a boy who looks to be in his early 20s walks up and asks her to dance. Damn it! Now I’ll have to wait. Pissed, I plop back down on my seat.
Finally, three hours later, they stop dancing and head to a table near me. He comes back with a drink and sits down way to close to her. They talk for a few minutes and I can tell by her body language that she is uncomfortable. She excuses herself to go to the restroom. I really look at this guy and see his eyes turn completely black. Shit! He is a demon! What could a demon want with her? I wait a good ten minutes before I realize she probably went out the back. Thank god. I would have hated to blow my cover to protect her. I don’t want her to know I am an Immortal until she knows me better. I can’t risk her running from me. Good thing I have two guards positioned out back. As quickly as I can, I flash outside and hear a commotion. I walk up to my men holding her. “Gentle with her,” I growl at them.
She stops and looks at me as if she wants to run. I can’t let her disappear again. I ask her if she is ok. I do the only thing I can. I reach out my hand and grab hers, flashing her to my room. She becomes dizzy, and as I ask her again if she is ok, she passes out. Shit. We should have warned her before we flashed her here.
I catch her before she hits the floor and carry her to the bed. She looks so peaceful. I take her shoes and socks off, tucking her into bed, then I ask the guards to leave. I dress in my night shorts and slide into bed beside her. As she cuddles into my chest, I realize that she has just stolen my heart and completed my soul. I cannot lose her. Listening to her breathing and inhaling her scent, I fall fast asleep.
I wake up to her curled around me. I have to pry her off of me so I can get up before she wakes. I hate to leave her, but I have to figure out what being mated means exactly.
Chapter 3: Cinnamon and Trust
Gabby
I wake up in a huge bed that feels like clouds. It smells of fabric softener and the mystery man. I look around. I’m in a bedroom the size of my apartment and my neighbor’s apartment combined. It’s decorated in warm browns. A flat screen hangs on one wall, and a huge window takes over the other. The furniture is masculine, looks like it is made of cherry, and probably could withstand hurricane force winds. Then everything comes back. How did I get here? Was I drugged? Damn. I need answers!
As I get up and stomp toward the door, it opens and he walks in. My eyes land on his bare torso. In this light, it looks as if someone took a hammer and chisel to his abs. I have never seen abs so defined. His arms are ripped and covered in tattoos. There looks to be a puzzle piece tattoo near his heart. His sk
in is flawless and tanned. I drag my attention to his face. His hair is a honey brown color, and he has the clearest blue eyes I have ever seen. He is grinning at me and he has deep dimples. This man looks like a piece of art. One look and he has my panties soaked. I have forgotten what I was going to do. Wait...oh, yes. I need answers.
“What do you want? Who are you?”
“My name is Neeko Dressel. You won’t believe me when I tell you what I want with you and why so, for now, just know that I won’t harm you. When the time comes, I will explain everything. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat, but how do I know you won’t poison me?”
He chuckles. “If I wanted you dead, you would be. I have brought you here to protect you, Gabby, not harm you.”
“How do you know my name?”
“I heard you tell that guy in the club.”
I don’t know what to say to that. I am starting to get uncomfortable with how comfortable he makes me feel. Am I still drugged? Could they drug my food? “On second thought, I’m not hungry.”
He looks a little saddened by that. “You will have to learn to trust me.”
“Trust you? You grabbed me in an alley and brought me to...wherever the hell this is.” I motion around the room. “And you want me to trust you? Not going to happen.”
He smirks and his dimples show. They are so cute. Wait! Why am I attracted to him? “You will see that I can be trusted. I will not touch you unless you say I can. Now, would you like something to eat?”
“No.”
He stomps out and slams the door. I guess he doesn’t like the word “no”. What am I doing here? What does he want? Can he be telling the truth about it being for my own safety? I sit back on the bed and place my head in my hands. Why am I attracted to this man? What is this pull I feel toward him? Before I can dwell on it any longer, he comes back through the door with a bag full of food.
“I went to the store and got things with wrappers on them so you would know I didn’t mess with it. I didn’t know what you would eat so I got a few things.”
I look in the bag and it is full of junk food. Not my favorite breakfast food, but it will do. I reach in and grab a cheese danish. I check the wrapper to make sure there are no holes or anything, and I hear him laugh. It sends a jolt to my libido. I look up and frown. It just makes him laugh harder. I look back down at my food and open it. It smells good. I take a bite and am in heaven. I notice him watching me with a dark and devious look. I take a deep breath and stare into those dangerous eyes. I feel like a deer caught in the headlights. I finally gain mobility and look away, but not before I see a smirk appear on his face. I finish my food in silence, scared I might say something stupid to cause him to turn into a ragging lunatic. He has been nice so far, but I don’t want to push any buttons.
He walks toward me and I freeze. He bends down and wipes a smudge of cream cheese off my mouth. The feel of his smooth skin on mine causes me to shiver. I look up at him and see him lick the cheese off his finger, then looks at me with his dark, stormy eyes. “That is so much better with the little taste of you mixed in.”
I almost purr at him, but I catch myself and roll my eyes. “I thought you weren’t going to touch me unless I told you that you could.”
His face darkens. “Your body was begging for my touch.”
I can’t refute that because it is true. My body is begging to be touched, but my brain knows it doesn’t make any sense. He looks at my face. He must see that I am confused because he smiles and says, “Don’t worry. I will only undress you with my eyes.”
He chuckles and walks out the door, leaving me alone. I sit there, stunned. How can a man I have only known a few hours make me feel like this? I am too broken to be fixed. Lee stole too many of my pieces to ever be whole again. I sit and stare at the wall, not knowing what to do. Time passes slowly, but I don’t want to shake things up and cause them to throw me in some sort of cell.
After three hours, Neeko walks back in, carrying a container from Chicken Delight. It’s one of the best chicken places around. I smell it as soon as he opens the lid and my stomach growls. Great. Now he knows I’m starving. He doesn’t even look at me. He just walks to the sitting area of the room and plops down in a chair. My stomach growls louder. He grabs a chicken tender and slowly brings it to his mouth. He takes a bite and chews it. “Mmmmm.”
I think he is playing with me. He eats the chicken tender, then seductively licks his fingers. I have never seen a man make eating a chicken tender sexy. He looks my way and raises his eyebrows, then gets up and walks out, leaving the chicken box on the table next to the chair.
I wait a few minutes and take a few tentative steps toward the box. I stop and listen to see if he is coming back. I could grab one and he would never know it. I cautiously sneak toward it. I sit in the chair, which smells just like him. The smell of the chicken makes my stomach hurt. Can they be drugged? Nah, he ate one. I quickly grab a small one and stuff as much of it into my mouth as I can. The chicken is so moist and tastes so good. I finish off that piece and grab another.
“Well, I see you are enjoying my lunch.” I drop the piece I was holding back into the box and get up from the chair.
My voice is shaking. “I’m sorry. I wa...was just hungry.”
He walks closer to me and places a hand on each of my arms. I instantly freeze. He looks at me with a tortured expression on his face. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Eat all you want. There is plenty. I was just joking. Gabby, I promise you, I will not go crazy on you for eating.” He looks so sad. I look into his eyes and see the sincerity. I start to relax a little. I was almost on the brink of a panic attack. Possible psycho or not, I don’t want him to see me like that. I am surprised I haven’t had one yet, but there’s just something about him that relaxes me.
“I’ll leave you to eat in peace. I don’t want you to starve yourself because I am in here.” He walks to the door and stops, turning back toward me. “I mean it, Gabby. You will come to no harm as long as you are with me.” He smiles and walks out the door.
I finish off the chicken and fries. I feel too full now, but it was so good. I pull my knees into my chest and stare out the window. I wonder what he really wants with me.
The next couple of days go about the same with Neeko sneaking in touches whenever he can. Every time he touches me, a current of electricity runs through my body. I may just combust when he touches me next time. As if reading my mind, Neeko walks into the room. I swear I start to sweat from the sexual tension. With a cocky grin on his face, he looks at me, slowly walking toward me. He looks as if he is going to devour me. Damn my body for its betrayal.
“You are looking good today, Gabby.” He stops right in front of me. I have no response to that so I just look down. He clears his throat and I slowly look back up. He slowly raises his hand to my face and stops, asking my permission.
I want to tell him not to touch me, but I just nod and squeak out, “Promise not to hurt me.”
He places his hands on the side of my face and very gently kisses me. His lips on mine cause warmth to spread all over my body. He slowly deepens the kiss until I have parted my mouth just enough for him to slip his tongue in to meet mine. He tastes so good. I’m going insane just from the contact. My knees begin to give out, but he easily catches me, never breaking our kiss. He wraps his arms around me, covering me in his sweet scent. Why do I feel so safe in his arms? I feel like I can live in them forever. He breaks the kiss, but still holds me. I sneak a peek at his face and he is smiling. How can he not be affected? I’m ready to strip right here and let him take me after just one kiss.
As if reading my thoughts, he takes one of my hands and places it on his erection. So I do affect him. Inside, I’m jumping up and down.
He leans in and whispers, “I will not cause you pain unless you ask me to.”
Then he lets go and walks out the door without even looking back.
Dazed, I stand there until my stomach growls. I feel hollow without hi
s arms around me. I sit back on the bed. What am I going to do? My stomach growls again, louder this time. I stand up, determined to go and find food instead of him bringing me anything. I need to get out of this room before I go crazy anyway. I walk to the bedroom door and sling it open, anticipating a fight. Nothing. That’s weird. If I kidnapped someone, I’d have guards on them 24/7.
“Hello?”
Still nothing! Where is everybody? Maybe I can look around and find the exits and make a run for it. I start walking down the hall. This must be a mansion. Every open door I see is a bedroom or bathroom. I come to the stairs and look down. Nothing. This is weird. Where is everybody? I creep down the stairs and peek around the corner of the second floor. It’s another hallway with more bedrooms and bathrooms. So I continue down the stairs, and end up in what looks like an oversized living room. It has four huge brown sofas and the biggest TV I have ever seen, which takes up the whole wall! I look through the window that covers the other wall. It looks like we are in the country. I see only trees and more trees, and the driveway is dirt. Where the hell am I? They must have drugged me. That is the only way we could have gotten here without me realizing it. Why haven’t they drugged me since? I can see the front door, but how far is the next door neighbor? I’ve got to try. This may be my only chance. I reach for the door and begin to turn the knob.
“Do you need anything, miss?”
Shit. I have to play this off. I don’t want to know where they’d put me if they knew I was trying to escape. I turn around and see a man about 20-years-old. “I was looking for someone to help me find something to eat. I looked upstairs, but couldn’t find anybody. I thought maybe they were outside since I called out and nobody answered.”
Missing Pieces (The Pieces Series Book 1) Page 2
