Angel lifted his head and said, “Gage is the son of Helena.”
“Oh, shit,” Cody remarked, as he immediately went to his knees. He may have been a wolf, but he knew the history of vampires. He worked for them. Marcus, who was a vampire, was still standing so Cody shot an elbow into his leg.
“Ow,” he yelled, and then understanding lit his face. He joined them on the floor, bowing to his king.
“I said stop this!” Gage whined. Yes, he was actually whining like a school girl. He didn’t care. He would gladly turn in his man card if it meant his family would get up off the floor. “I am no king. I am just Gage. Plain Gage. Now get up off the floor before I lose my fucking mind!”
Someone chuckled. “As you wish, your Highness,” Rebel said with a smile.
“Remember a while back, I asked you guys to stop calling me “My Lord” and no one would listen?”
Angel asked Gage as he stood to his full height. A grin split across his face as he said, “Karma’s a bitch.”
Gage remembered. Angel hated it, but everyone insisted on calling him that. It wasn’t until women started moving into the house that the titles and shit were dropped. “I am not king,” Gage repeated himself. “There is no reason to call me anything but Gage, because that is all I am.”
“For now,” Jade said.
“What do you mean, for now? For always,” he told her.
“Well, it seems perfectly logical to me,” Jade said sweetly.
“What is on your mind, child?” Angel asked. His daughter had shown wisdom beyond her years lately, and he was curious to hear what she had to say.
“Well,” she said, “Serena’s mother wants her to marry a prince. Gage is not a prince so he can’t marry Serena, right?”
Everyone was watching her intently. “Go on,” Angel said.
“But now we know Gage is so much better than a prince! He is a king! That’s higher than a prince and, therefore, better. Maybe if Serena’s mom knew it, she would let Serena marry him instead of that sand dweller.”
“Jade!” Brea chastised her. “That’s not a nice term to use.” Jade shrugged her shoulders.
“But she does have a point,” Frankie said. “I prayed to the Goddess for a way to help Gage and two seconds later he walks through the door. I think she was telling me that the way to help Gage was Gage!”
The family all nodded in agreement, except Gage, and began talking all at the same time. They were discussing how this could actually work and started making plans. Gage wanted to get in on the conversation, but couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Besides, he was too busy feeling like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, while his family made plans without him that would change his life forever.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
She will never belong to you. You are not worthy of her. Another man who is made for her will come to get her. He will take her from you, by force if necessary. He will have the full support of an army that belittles your own. Her heart will never belong to you.
Rakimesh jerked his eyes open at the sound of the voice in his head again. He didn’t know who the voice belonged to, but he did know that he was getting sick of her being in his head. He knew the voice talked about Serena. He could tell from the moment she arrived that she would rather be anywhere else. Instead of the look of joy he would expect from his soon to be bride, she was sullen and broken. She hardly made eye contact and even though she didn’t speak it, he was certain she hated him.
He knew he had not done anything to make her feel that way, so he assumed that she was, in fact, in love with someone else. He was also fairly certain that she was behind the catastrophe in his bathroom. Not that he blamed her, really. He forgave her the moment he decided it had been her. He only wished that she would have come to him and discussed her feelings first.
But it didn’t change anything. There was nothing he could do about their upcoming marriage. It had been arranged from birth and these things did not change easily. In fact, the only way an arranged marriage among the fey was ever broken was due to death, whether it be by natural causes or another prince fighting for the princess’s hand.
No, he couldn’t not marry her, but he wasn’t a monster. He would not come to her bed until she was ready for him to do so. He knew eventually she would be, but until then he could still be with his ladies; Delia in particular. He also knew from his short time with Serena, that she would never accept another woman in his bed. It was clear in the manner in which she held herself. If the situation was reversed, he would not allow another either. Not if he were required to give up his true love for a marriage he didn’t want.
And what if the voice in his head was right? What if another man did come for her? Would he give up his bride? No. Not without a fight. Serena was to be his bride and eventually, his queen. He would fight for her with honor and to the death to protect her and his family.
The merging of the fey clans was important in political circles. The fey had managed to maintain relative peace because of merging and becoming allies. If he reneged on his end, it would be the same as telling Anora that her daughter was not good enough for his clan. It would undoubtedly start a war.
She will never be yours, the voice said again.
“For the love of God, get out of my head!” he shouted into the air. “I get it! Now leave me alone!” He was nearly certain he heard the tinkling of laughter before the voice went silent.
Frankie knocked lightly on Jade’s bedroom door. She heard Jade chuckling softly inside, then immediate silence. Jade opened her bedroom door and let Frankie in.
“Hey Aunt Frankie,” she said with an innocent smile, “What’s up?”
“What are you getting yourself into?” Frankie asked with suspicion in her eyes.
“Nothing,” Jade answered, all innocence and smiles.
Frankie studied her for a moment and decided that since the house was still standing and no one was hurt, that it couldn’t be too bad. She peered around Jade to look in her room, just in case. All she saw was the normal stuff. A bed with fluffy pink pillows graced the corner of the room, and stuffed animals were strewn all around. In the far corner, in stark contrast to the girly-girl décor of the rest of the room, was an Avenged Sevenfold poster. The skull and wings would have looked more at home in Jacque and Frankie’s room.
“Ok,” Frankie finally said. “We are all going to the mall. Do you want to go?”
“Oh yes, of course I do,” Jade said with a sweet smile. “Just let me get my shoes.”
Frankie waited for her and they both walked downstairs together. Jacque met her at the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt and black jeans, the studs in his face gleaming under the foyer lights. The only signature part of his outfit missing was the studded collar. He had stopped wearing it since he and Frankie mated. He had told her that he wanted the world to know he belonged to her, and Frankie agreed. She felt a fierce possessiveness for him that she would have never before thought possible. She wondered what would happen when the world found out the Hound Dog had traded in his collar for a wedding band.
Her thoughts were interrupted as he snatched her off the last step and pressed a kiss to her lips. Frankie automatically wound her arms around his neck and sucked his tongue into her mouth. A low moan escaped her.
“Ewe, really?” Jade snarked as she pushed past them. “Get a room.”
Frankie laughed against Jacque’s mouth, but pulled away. “Later,” she promised. The gleam in his eyes told her that he was going to hold her to that promise.
“Everyone make sure you have fed before we go,” Angel announced. “Samuel is going to meet us there. He is doing some Christmas shopping for the company party tonight.” Detective Samuel Corbin had become close to the Knight family some time ago and was now the liaison between humans and the local vampires. He worked closely with Angel to bring lawbreakers, vamp or human, to justice, by whatever means necessary. It was Samuel that Leigh had approached about her stalker problem, which tu
rned out to be Rebel. This time, his job was going to be a little bit different.
“I’m done,” Jade answered, tossing her empty blood bottle into the trash. It was still a bit odd to see her drink blood when she so often ate regular food, but then again, so did Rebel. His mating with a dragon changed him for the better, Frankie thought.
They piled into the Escalade and waited as the elevator in the garage clicked and whirred, taking them to the secret tunnel that would allow them to exit the property without the throngs of fans who were constantly gathered at the front gates seeing them.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at the mall. It was near closing time, but it was still busy. Angel instructed the women to take Jade to buy whatever she wanted, but stood corrected by Brea. “I will get her new clothes because she is outgrowing the ones she has. Anything else will be determined on a case by case basis.”
Jade rolled her eyes, but Brea wouldn’t feel bad about saying no to her daughter. She didn’t want her daughter to be the spoiled little rich kid who never wanted for anything.
Angel watched the women in his life walk away into the mall, noticing that Cody and Marcus were following at a discreet distance. He didn’t bother to tell the women that he enlisted a security detail for them, but he figured they knew. And if they had a problem with it, well, he didn’t care. Too many things had threatened his family lately, and he was not above starting a fight with his wife to ensure her safety.
“Well, let’s do this shit,” Rebel said from behind him. Rebel was wearing his signature Stetson and had pulled the brim down low to partially hide his face. Not that it would really do any good. Angel had the most recognizable face in LA, and if someone did recognize him, nothing would stop the masses. It was a glamour that Gage tossed out of his head that made sure the shoppers paid no attention to them. The five of them walked through the mall to the food court where they were to meet Samuel.
Gage had no trouble finding the man. He was sitting alone at a table with a fountain soda in front of him. Rebel pushed past his brothers and went straight to the counter. Angel, Sebastian, and Gage all walked to the table and took a seat in the metal chairs surrounding it.
“I was startin’ to wonder,” Samuel said, thrusting his hand out to shake his friends’ hands.
“Sam, it’s good to see you,” Angel said, taking his hand. “I have asked you to meet us here because my family needed to get out for a bit.”
“So what’s up?” Samuel said. Angel noticed that his hair was thinning and he was getting a bit rounder around the middle. He entertained a fleeting thought for a moment. What if he changed Samuel? Then he could join Angel’s team. He shook off the idea though, because he knew Sam would never accept. He loved his job with the Los Angeles police and wouldn’t be giving that up willingly, any time soon.
Rebel finally joined them with a tray filled with food. He had gotten himself a burger, fries, a gyro, and something else Angel couldn’t identify.
“Gage is King of vampires,” Jacque blurted out, fidgeting with the silver ring in his ear.
Samuel choked on his drink and shot soda out of his nose. Angel reached over to pat him gently on the back. “I’m sorry, what?” Samuel asked, after the hacking stopped.
Angel explained the situation to Samuel. When he was finished, Samuel said, “What can I do to help?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Gage sat on the edge of the cliff, looking out over the Pacific, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The moon shone brilliantly against the churning waters below, casting light into the night. This was his thinking place. For so many years he had denied who and what he was, but it seemed fate had another plan. Serena was in another part of the world and he was helpless to stop her destiny. No, not helpless. If he was going to claim his mate, he was going to have to embrace his heritage. He was going to have to become the thing he hated the most. He was going to have to become King. He would claim her legally, or he would die fighting for her.
He worried that his family would be in danger, and that was a real possibility. But, in true Knight family fashion, they were willing to stand by his side. He had failed them before by not trusting them; had hurt his family while trying to protect them. He had sorely underestimated them, and now look at the position they were all in.
They had devised a plan to get Serena back with little help from Gage. He wanted to argue with them, to tell them it was too dangerous, but he knew they were right. He had failed them once before, he would not do it again. And he most definitely wasn’t going to fail Serena.
He remembered all too clearly the hurt in his family’s eyes when he told them the truth. He remembered the pain Leigh bore when she was kicking the shit out of him. He remembered the look on his precious mate’s face when he last saw her; when he left her side. He hated himself for leaving her there, alone in the woods, to face her mother’s wrath alone. In hindsight, he should have stayed, no matter what Serena thought about it. He should have been the mate she deserved. He should have been able to protect her. And he might have been able to if only he had not been so blind.
Would’ve, should’ve, could’ve, he thought to himself. It was high time he grew a real pair of balls and did what he should have done from the beginning.
Brea searched Angel’s face for answers. “Are you sure this will work?” she asked him. They were in the privacy of their bedroom, and no one else could hear what they said thanks to sound proof walls. Otherwise, Brea would never have voiced her doubts.
Angel sat heavily on the side of the bed. “I don’t know,” he finally answered her, “But it’s all we’ve got right now.”
“I just don’t want to lose anyone else,” Brea said. “We have lost so much already.”
“I fear that if we do nothing, we will lose Gage. We were willing to fight not only for you, but for Jessica, Frankie, and Leigh as well. How can we not fight for Serena? I had come to think of her as family even before this mess. I would have torn down the entire city for you, and Gage would do the same for his mate. He stood by our sides when we needed him, and we will not stand by and let him lose his mate.”
“I’m scared,” Brea admitted. “I used to think vampires were indestructible. Now I know differently. I used to be afraid of them, now I love you all so much. It hurt so much when Antonio died, I don’t think I could go through that again.”
“Shh, Ma Cherie,” Angel whispered. “It will be alright.”
“You promise me,” Brea demanded. “You promise me that if it looks like a fight, you will be careful. You promise me we won’t lose anyone else!” A single tear streaked down her cheek as she pleaded with her husband. “I can’t lose anymore. My heart can’t take it.”
“I know,” he soothed. He brushed her hair out of her face with his hand, and then ran it through the silky curls. “I promise that I will do my best.”
“I guess that has to be good enough, huh?” she said with her eyes cast down. “It will be good enough,” he said as he pressed his lips gently to hers. He kissed her softly and briefly. When he pulled back to stare into her eyes, his heart broke right there in his chest. Her violet eyes were rimmed red with tears and they looked like a violent storm raged behind them. He could understand her fear and pain, because he was feeling it too.
“Angel,” she whispered softly.
“Yes,” he answered against her lips. “I know.” He took her mouth in a soul deep kiss. He traced the lines of her lips with his tongue and then darted inside her mouth. He kissed her like he did the first time. He was tender and full of need, and relayed that feeling into the kiss. Brea opened for him and wound her arms around his neck as he laid her back against the bed.
He broke the kiss from her lips and moved to her neck and shoulder, lavishing affection on his wife with every ounce of his heart behind it. She was the most important thing to him, and he wanted to make sure she knew it.
“You haven’t fed recently,” she breathed as she turned her head further to the side, off
ering him her neck.
A wicked grin split across his face. He stared down at her with those brilliant green eyes and shivers broke out all over her skin. “You first,” he dared her, and he made a small cut on his throat with his nail.
Brea watched the blood well up on his skin from the small wound he created. At one point in her life, the sight would have terrified her. Now, being mated to him and knowing what vampire blood could do, she licked her lips in anticipation. Her mouth wasn’t the only thing that took notice either. Her entire body reached for him as little electric currents ran through her body, emanating from her core.
She reached up and pulled his head down to her, her mouth finding his neck with ease. She sealed her lips over the wound and sucked hard. Angel groaned and rolled his eyes to look at the back of his own head. He loved it when she drank from him. Not only was it erotic as hell, but it ensured that she would live a long life by his side.
Brea sucked hard and ran her tongue over the scratch Angel had created for her. She could feel the passion growing inside her. Without taking her mouth from his neck, she reached between them and flicked the button of his jeans open, allowing his cock to spring free of the restraint of his pants. He growled deep in his throat and held her head tightly to his throat.
She wiggled under him and managed to get her own pants undone and shimmied them down her legs. He rolled with her and rested his hips in the cradle of her thighs. She could feel his erection hot against her sensitive skin. She finally let his neck go and turned her head to the side.
“I need you,” she said. “Now.”
Angel didn’t waste any time. There were so many times that he had spent hours worshiping her body and he wanted to do that again now, but it wasn’t happening. He had to get inside her as fast as he could. He had to celebrate their love in the best way he knew how. He had to reassure her that all was going to be alright.
Brea grabbed a handful of is raven hair and tugged gently to emphasize her request. Angel positioned himself at her entrance and kissed her neck. He could feel her pulse thundering under her skin, and it called to him just as strongly now as it had in the beginning. She raised her legs up and wrapped them around his hips. Angel knew he was not going to be able to fight the urge to mark her again, so he didn’t. He sank his sharp fangs into her neck at the same time he pushed his cock into her body. Brea screamed out her pleasure as an instant orgasm took over her body. He drank his fill from her neck and then sealed the wounds carefully. He then proceeded to show her how very much she meant to him with his body.
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