by Cassi Carver
The men immediately threw up their hands up, making their signs. The shorter man had his hand clawed in the sign of the dragon, but the taller man held two fingers down like the legs of the witch. “Ha! Dragon eats witch!” the shorter man cried.
“Two out of three,” the other complained.
Aiden’s growl peeled from his chest like the bark of thunder. “Dragon eats witch—now get the fuck out of here!”
When they trotted off, Gavin turned to him. “Dragons, witches and jewels? I attempt to rule with the Wisdom of Solomon and you make a mockery out of it. If you don’t treat the companions with respect, Aiden, the men may cease to do so as well.”
“Like the respect you’re allowing Julian to show to Kara Reed? What about respect for our laws, Gavin?”
Gavin’s chest froze on his intake of breath. “What do you mean?”
“He’s coupled with her. And I’m assuming she wasn’t freely offering her womb with the way he put her sleep afterward.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I watched.”
“You what?” Gavin exploded. He looked as if he might shoot steam from his ears. “You witnessed their coupling and did nothing to stop it?”
Aiden’s brows quirked together. “Like what? Yank him off her and tear her womb to shreds? She would heal in time, but that’s not usually the way I introduce myself to a woman.”
Gavin looked off in the direction of the palace and took a deep breath. “This is a problem. I knew it would be. That’s their second coupling and the third time they’ve been together. Julian can’t control himself. He’s going down and he’s taking Deanna’s daughter with him.”
“Their second coupling? You told me she hadn’t reached maturity yet.”
“Hell, I didn’t know she’d even begun her seasons.”
Aiden frowned. He’d been so sure they were coupling, but that wasn’t possible until Kara reached full maturity, which would be years—decades even—after she first came into season. Yes, it was possible to speed up the process if she was bred continuously, but twenty-four hours with Julian shouldn’t have been enough. “Then maybe I was wrong.”
“You weren’t wrong. Julian and Kara have coupled. I don’t know what’s different about Kara, but I’m beginning to suspect there was a good reason your father separated Deanna from his stable and hid her gifts. Now Julian has made a sire’s claim over her daughter.”
“Oh, that’s lovely. Just fucking lovely. How could you have let this happen, Gavin? You told me he planned to pull out so he wouldn’t bring her to maturity any faster or jeopardize our clan, and now I learn he’s made a sire’s claim. How the fuck could you have let this happen?”
Gavin growled and stepped up chest to chest with Aiden. At Gavin’s height, even Aiden had to look up slightly to keep eye contact with the enraged lord. “It’s easy to judge when you weren’t the one tasked with watching her. No, you stay here and rule our clan from between the legs of your servants, popping out to make decisions with children’s games! Don’t you dare lecture me, you indolent ass!”
The words stung, but more interesting was the way unflappable lord had lost control. What was Kara to him, then? “Fine. I merely thought you’d like to know. Deal with it yourself.”
Chapter Fourteen
When Kara woke, her body felt like it had been used for kickboxing practice, then thrown into a lumpy pile of old laundry. She was so damn tired, it was hard to open her eyes. It took her a moment to figure out where she was, but slowly, she saw torches burning, creating dancing shadows in a white marble room. She dragged her fingers through furry rugs piled high under her naked body.
She was in the palace.
Julian.
She’d had sex with him—again. And heaven help her, her first coherent thought was that she still wanted him.
Beads of sweat pearled on Kara’s forehead. She reached a hand up and swiped them away, but it felt like she was getting a fever. Her body ached. Her hips felt disjointed. She needed Julian. She stood, then suddenly heard a rustle of cloth behind her.
She whirled around, afraid of what she might see, but it was only Gavin, standing two feet away, staring at Kara with unblinking eyes. “You scared the crap out of me, Gavin!”
He didn’t say anything, just allowed his gaze to roam over her naked body. Her nipples hardened and her pulse pounded, but something about him seemed off. She had to admit she was surprised by his intimate appraisal. “Do you like what you see?”
“I do,” he said. He was dressed in a flowing white robe, something she’d never seen him wear before, and his hands were folded in front of him. “I would bend you over and mount you now if you didn’t reek of that lowborn bastard.”
She frowned and brushed the hair from her eyes. “I thought you liked Julian.”
“Why would you think that? You don’t even know me.”
Kara shifted on her feet as her arms broke out in goose bumps. “Because you seem close to him. He calls you brother.”
“The closest I’ll ever come to that son of a human whore is smelling him between your legs. Rinse him away, Kara. Let me cover you with something far richer.”
“Gavin, what’s wrong with your voice?” He looked like Gavin, but he sounded entirely different. His voice was as deep but utterly cold.
“Ah, you see, I do not sound like Gavin, because I’m not Gavin. I’m Gable.” He still hadn’t blinked the entire time he’d been standing in front of her.
“Gable?” She gaped at him and her blood chilled. “Gavin’s twin?”
“So my brother told you about me.” He smiled, but it didn’t soften his eyes.
“That he had a brother, yes. He forgot to mention there were two of you.”
“He doesn’t like to brag.”
Kara wrapped her hands around her breasts, realizing she was naked in front of a complete stranger. “I really need to get dressed now.”
Gable smiled and reached for Kara’s panties. “Allow me to assist you.”
That was it. She’d had enough of Gavin’s creepy twin. “Julian?” she called out, her small voice echoing in the cavernous space. Then she realized what an idiot she sounded like. She didn’t need a man. She didn’t rely on anyone but herself.
The sound of bare feet slapping against the stone floor brought her head up. Julian rounded the corner at a dead run and came skidding to a stop at the foot of the pelts. “What’s the matter? Are you all right?”
Kara looked back over her shoulder to see that Gable had evaporated like a figment of her imagination. She ducked her chin as her cheeks heated. “Yeah. Fine. Please tell me Gavin has a twin brother and I’m not losing my mind.”
“You met Gable? Here?” Julian glowered, his lips pulling away from his teeth.
“Uh, yeah.” Why did he seem mad at her? She hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I want you to stay away from him. He’s only come to stay with us recently and he’s not like Gavin.”
“I noticed.”
He grasped her shoulders and began to inspect her. “Did he hurt you? You sounded frightened.”
“No. Of course not.” She laid a hand over his to calm him. “It was a little weird waking up in an unfamiliar place and having it be dark again for the second time tonight. But I’m fine.”
Julian grabbed a pelt and settled it around Kara’s shoulders before he wrapped his arms around her like cocoon and pressed her face to his bare chest. His heart pounded under her cheek. He pulled away to smile at her. “You scared me.”
“I was confused for a second. No big deal.”
He cupped the side of her face and nuzzled her ear. “I like hearing you call to me when you’re unsure.”
Kara snorted, trying not to suck in the unique fragrance clinging to his skin. Her own aphrodisiac. “Don’t get all excited. It probably won’t happen again.” God, how humiliating. “What time is it?”
“Dinnertime.” Julian frowned and kissed her forehead. He ran his lips along the
moist surface, testing it with his tongue. “Holy hell. You have a fever, love. I don’t think you should go down to dinner.”
She didn’t owe Gavin anything, but it bothered her that he was so disappointed with her not wanting to meet the others. “I’m rethinking it. If Gavin’s sure it’s really that important…”
“Kara, let me have something brought up for you.”
There was her heart, fluttering against her ribs again. She wanted to close her eyes and lose herself in Julian’s warmth, but the saner part of her rebelled against the weakness. “If there’s one thing I’ve never been, Jules, it’s fragile. Don’t start treating me like that now. I skipped the princess-dresses-and-tea-parties phase.”
He grinned, revealing his perfect white teeth and those dimples Kara couldn’t get enough of. “I can imagine how adorable you would have been in a frilly dress, sipping tea and eating cakes.”
She rolled her eyes. “In the foster homes I was in, dirty hand-me-downs and stale beer were more the order of the day. The morning after poker night was always especially good. I could usually find pretzels to go with what was left in the bottles.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t have to stay that way, Kara. Here, you would be a queen. Every need met twice over. Your word, a command.”
“That’s sweet, but I just want to find out about my parents, say hi to the gals then go home. If Gavin can fly me back with a to-go plate, all the better.”
He trailed his fingertips down her cheek. “Your father never wanted you to grow up like that. He was trying to protect you and give you a life where no one would think to look for you.”
“Well, if my parents were as important as you say, I’m sure no one would have thought to look in the shitholes I lived in. He was pretty smart. Great guy.”
“You have every reason to be angry, but never doubt that he cared for you. He’d arranged for one of his allies—an Aniliáre like him—to hide you in the event that he lost the battle to Ailexon. Even we didn’t know where you were. Teras reasoned that if we were captured and tortured, we might give up your location.”
“How did you find me?”
“We were to wait until you were twenty-five, then Gavin traveled to the Shadowland as instructed and was given your general location. Once we knew you were in San Diego, you were easy to find.”
“Why twenty-five? What’s so magic about that number?”
Julian almost looked embarrassed. “Nothing, exactly. But as you age, you’re beginning to give off a scent that might attract attention from others of our kind. It was a natural time to bring you under our wings.”
Kara bit her lip as she regarded him. “What if I’d been adopted and moved out of state?”
“It might have taken longer, but we wouldn’t have stopped until we brought you home. We promised your father as much.”
Part of her was still angry, but the other part had to admit that it felt pretty good to be wanted, to be searched for—not that she was ready to tell him that. She pulled away and wiped a hand down her slick skin. “This island is making my skin crawl. I’m sweating out of every pore. Would you mind grabbing me a towel?”
“Of course. I was looking for something warmer for you to wear when you called.” Julian looked her over and swallowed, seeming fairly unhappy about Kara’s state.
“What? Do you think I’m really getting sick? I’ve never been sick a day in my life.”
He stepped forward to adjust the pelt around her shoulders again. It made her feel like a little old lady. “I…ah…doubt you’re ill, love. I wouldn’t worry. You need to relax in a bath while I bring you something to eat. I think you’ve had enough today. Why don’t you meet the ladies another time?”
“Don’t tempt me.” She wasn’t an extrovert on a good day, and the idea of meeting women who might have known her mother was more than a little overwhelming. But hadn’t she just declared she wasn’t fragile and she could handle whatever came her way?
Still, she couldn’t meet the ladies of the clan like this. They could have been friends of her mother, for Pete’s sake, and even Kara could detect Julian’s scent not only on but in her body. Talk about awkward.
“Just a quick bath,” she conceded. “After that, I’ll go down and meet who I need to meet before Gavin shows me my parents’ stuff, then I’m going home. I have a life there, Julian, and people depending on me.” Half a world away, she had a job to do and a rapist to contend with.
Julian went still. “You could have a life here, too. With me.”
She sighed, but her eyes softened on Julian’s intense black gaze. He was so handsome, his tan skin and perfect features seemed to radiate his otherness. She would be crazy not to see where this went. “Hey, you still have the apartment next door if you’re coming back. It’s no white palace, but if you’re brave enough to eat my cooking, I could make you dinner tomorrow night before I go to Abbey’s.”
He smiled and pulled Kara into a crushing embrace. “Of course I’m coming back. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. My place is by your side, and if you’re cooking, love, you’ve got yourself a date.”
He leaned down and kissed her, sweeping his tongue into her mouth, causing her senses to cry out, begging her to drink him in. Even the moisture of his mouth was addictive to her. It was a fight not to simply pull his soft pants down to his knees and wrap her legs around his waist. At this moment, if she could live as a permanently mounted fixture on his lap, she would.
Her knees went weak as one heavy drop of sweat rolled down her temple. Julian flicked out his tongue to catch the salty bead. “Your bath awaits.”
He lifted Kara in his arms and carried her up the grand marble staircase to the second door on the left, nudging it open with his foot.
“Is this your room?” she asked, her eyes widening at the expensive furnishings and plush tapestries. The vast room was done in soft colors, golds, creams and greens, and she saw signs of Julian all around—sword and weapon displays, a table with richly jeweled boxes and strange knickknacks, masterful paintings that looked immeasurably old. And against the far wall, a bed so large it could have fit five men Julian’s size.
He carried her straight through the room into the bathroom. The marble was richly veined with green, and a large sunken tub sat in the center of the room with dozens of flickering candles flanking its edges. The tub was filled with fragrant, steaming water and gardenias floated in the brew. Julian set Kara on her feet and tossed her sheepskin aside, then pulled off his own pants until he was as naked as she. Taking her hand, he led her down three steps into the toasty liquid. Chills ran across her arms as her heated flesh hit the water.
She sank down to her waist, scooped up one gardenia in her palm and pressed it to her nose. “You don’t have to try so hard to seduce me, you know. I won’t say no to you, even if I should.”
Julian sank to his shoulders and moved close to Kara. He reached for a silver cup on the ledge, gently tilted her chin back and poured water over her hair. “I’m not trying to seduce you. I only want to take care of you.” He squeezed berry-scented soap onto his palm and massaged it into Kara’s scalp, using his strong fingers to soothe away the stress and the doubts. When he was finished, he rinsed her hair, then ran his thumbs over her eyelids to clear the water away.
When she opened her eyes, he was only inches away, staring at her with adoration. “I love you.”
Her heart sputtered. She’d never had a man tell her he loved her before Julian. Not a father, not a brother. Never a lover. “We just met. Under false pretenses, at that.”
“Are you saying you don’t feel the same?”
The water swished as Kara turned away. She’d never been in love, but this felt dangerously close to what she imagined it would be like. She didn’t want to be apart from Julian. She felt more at peace with him by her side. His smile brought light to the dark recesses of her soul.
“I like you, Julian. I may be insane, but I want to spend more time with you in my world. I hav
en’t had this before. I’ve never been attached to a man. That means something to me, but it’s not love. Not yet. Give me time to process all of this. I barely understand what I am, much less what that’s going to mean for the future.”
He stared at her for a moment, acceptance slowly seeping into his features, then dropped his forehead to hers. “I told you before and I meant it, I’ll give you as much time as you need.”
Kara closed her eyes and rested against him, loving the feel of the strong, steady energy radiating from his skin into her own. She swallowed. It would be so easy to get lost in the love of a man like him and never find her way back to the solitary life she’d led before. Could she risk it?
She cupped his cheek and inhaled slowly through her nostrils, breathing in his essence like he was oxygen in a fire. “Jules—” she began, but then his head shot up and his fangs snapped down.
Seeing his instantly feral expression, Kara sloshed to the side of the tub, but then Gavin’s deep voice echoed behind her. “Julian, we need to talk.”
Julian stood and stepped past Kara, water sluicing off the hard planes of his body. “Leave, now, old friend. My woman is bathing and she doesn’t require your assistance.”
Gavin’s gaze traveled over Kara’s naked shoulders and the tops of her breasts before he looked back at Julian. “Kara is not your woman. She’s a Demiáre female. She belongs to no one.”
Julian’s silver wings spread from the slits in his back, effectively blocking Kara from Gavin’s view. “Let’s discuss this outside then. I’ll come to you after she’s cared for.”
A deep rumble reverberated in Gavin’s chest. “I know exactly how you plan to care for her, you fool.”
“Stop it, you two.” Kara stood, gently pushing Julian’s wing aside, not giving a damn if Gavin saw her breasts—hell, even his brother had seen more. “It’s none of your business, Gavin. I don’t care if my father told you to watch out for me. I’ve taken care of myself my entire life and I’m still here.”
