Jaded

by Danielle James

  He could see her mouth open in ecstasy and he could see her fangs elongate. As he pushed himself into her harder, he saw her eyes zero in on his neck. Without hesitation, he dropped down to her and she grabbed a fist full of his hair. Her lips sucked on his neck and then–she bit. Her teeth slipped easily into his skin and his blood flowed as she sucked greedily. It was more than he could stand and he buried his face in his pillow to muffle the roar his orgasm wrung out of him.

  ***

  Jade moved her hand faster as Michael offered his vein to her in their shared fantasy. She remembered all too well the taste of his blood and in her mind, she took what he offered. The tangy treat was explosive to her sex drive and sent her over the edge. She bit down on her lip to avoid screaming out with pleasure as he helped her reach the top of the cliff.

  ***

  After Michael caught his breath, he got out of bed and cleaned up. He knew there was no hiding the mess he made on the sheets, so he took them off the bed and tossed them down the laundry chute. After a hot shower, he dressed and prepared to face the day.

  He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. He was certain that every thought hearing vampire in the house had heard his episode this morning, but if they did, they didn’t say anything. Even Angel didn’t toss him a dirty look. Maybe all those lessons his mother had given him on shielding his thoughts were working.

  “Not so much,” Rebel answered the unspoken idea. “I can hear you loud and clear.”

  Shit. If Rebel could hear him, then so could everyone else. How many people were privy to the episode?

  “What episode?” Rebel asked as he shoved a donut into his mouth. Rebel was probably the only turned vampire that could eat food. Mostly, vamps could handle a rare steak, but not much else. Thanks to his mate, Leigh, Rebel was special. When they mated, her magic changed him enough so that he could not only eat–and eat he did–but go out in the sun and levitate.

  Michael tried to think of anything but the incident in his room, but it was too late.

  “Whoa,” Rebel said with a knowing smile. “Think about something else. Fuck, anything else. Especially around Angel.” He pushed the box of pastries in Michael’s direction.

  Michael nodded and took a donut. He made sure to think about how good it tasted. The sweet sugar coating woke up his taste buds and the cup of hot coffee that appeared in front of him washed it down perfectly. He supposed Rebel made the coffee and he was grateful. He ate two more donuts before leaning back in his chair and putting his hand on his belly. “Thanks, man,” he said to Rebel.

  “No prob,” the vamp answered. “Better get some protein in your system too. I don’t know the plan for today, but you wanna be prepared for just about anything.” He didn’t wait for a response from Michael, just left the room with all the swagger a famous, food eating vampire should have.

  ***

  Angel smiled as he talked quietly into his phone. “Thank you Toni,” he said so softly that it was amazing that she heard him at all. But she was the daughter of a dragon and a vampire. Her physical capabilities lined up more with her mother’s, but she inherited Rebel’s vampire hearing and speed. She had been away at college, but Angel had just asked her to do him a big favor and return early. He asked and after some explanation, she agreed. She would be coming home.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Stephan marveled at the show of loyalty by his demons. Thousands of them gathered in the Throne Chamber. As he sat straight in his late father’s chair, Stephan found that he was exceptionally pleased with himself.

  “Sire,” one of his demons said softly to get his attention. Stephan didn’t know, nor did he care, what the demon’s name was. He was nothing more than a pawn in his plan.

  “Yes?” Stephan asked.

  “I found it,” the demon said. He held a scroll out at arm’s length for Stephan to take. Stephan snatched it out of the demon’s hands and opened the parchment.

  “This is good,” Stephan murmured.

  “Thank you, Sire,” the demon replied, bowing his head.

  “Yeah, now fuck off somewhere else,” Stephan snapped without taking his eyes from the paper in front of him. Yes, this would be perfect. He stood to address the masses that had gathered. “Thank you for being here today,” he started. “As you may have heard, Satan no longer lives. I have taken his place as your leader and your God. I will rule now and you shall all bow to me!”

  There were whispers and quiet questions spreading through the crowd of demons and minions. Stephan did not like it in the least. “Silence! How dare you talk when I am not finished speaking!”

  A demon with the head of a horse and the body of a snake stepped forward. Or rather, slithered. “Sire, we heard rumors that the King of Hell was dead. Dead by your hands. Is this true?”

  Stephan rolled his eyes. These types of questions and the expected answers were what made his father weak. A weakness he would not embrace. “It is true. I killed him and now I rule. If you have any concerns, speak now.”

  “We were just unsure that you had been trained,” the demon answered. “What can we do to help?”

  “You can help me by taking your questions and dying with them on your lips!” Stephan screamed into the cavernous room. His voice echoed off the circular walls and shook the floor. With a wave of his hand, an invisible force blew wind through the room and the demons below had to scamper for something to anchor themselves to. The few in the front were standing tall, though. These were the demons that would not be on board with Stephan’s plan. These were the demons he would make an example of. He stared at them intently, focusing his newfound energy on their bodies. The six demons erupted into flames. They screamed out in pain as their bodies turned to ash in front of everyone.

  “Any more questions?” Stephan asked.

  The cavern was silent. One by one, the demons knelt to their knees and pledged their loyalty to Stephan, the new King of Hell.

  “I have an idea to raise our numbers,” Stephan announced. “We are many and we are strong, but still we are not enough. I have found the way to raise an additional army! One that is impervious to most anything. One that has survived for centuries!” He began to chant in an ancient language that few understood. The few that did, kept their mouths shut. They didn’t want to suffer the same fate as the demons Stephan had dispatched so callously.

  The air swirled within the cavern and the temperature dropped. And then he was there. Standing in front of Stephan was a man with skin as black as night, muscular arms and legs, a thick necklace of gold, and the head of a jackal. There were matching gold bands on his wrists and ankles. His torso was covered in a gold breast plate. Two deadly swords were strapped to his back.

  Stephan grinned from ear to ear. “Welcome, Anubis,” he said reverently.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Three days. Three days had passed and Michael had been subjected to all kinds of torture. He had caught Rebel trying to sneak onto the property, but Jade had snuck right past him. He never heard her or saw her.

  No one, not even Angel held it against him. Jade possessed power that no one else did. She had one helluva strong mind and she wasn’t above using it. She seemed pleased to be asked to help with Michael’s training.

  Ever since the night he dreamed of her, Michael avoided Jade. There was no way he could be in her presence and not think about it. Besides, Angel had kept him so busy that he didn’t really have time to think about it.

  He dropped into his bed the same way he had for three consecutive nights. Fully dressed and out cold in a matter of seconds. So he was surprised when he felt the bed dip on his right side. Had Jade read his thoughts and joined him? A part of him desperately hoped so. The bed dipped again, and this time he knew it was from someone sitting on it. He opened his eyes and saw the outline of a female. She appeared to be looking for something under the bed by that point. Her body was hunched over and her head was below the bed. Her hand was holding the comforter as if it would stop her if she started t
o fall.

  “Can I help you?” he asked as he pushed up onto one elbow.

  An ear-piercing scream filled the room and the woman jumped up, tripped over something, and fell onto the bed. Onto Michael, to be more specific. He raised his hands and held on to her sides as she screamed her head off.

  “Hey I’m not going to hurt you,” he shouted, but it was no use.

  Suddenly the room was flooded with light. “What the hell is going on in here?” Angel demanded. “Get your hands off her!” The weight of the woman lifted from him but not before Jade appeared in the doorway.

  And what she saw… she saw Michael lying on his back with a thin, dark haired woman lying on top of him. His hands were on her and she was screaming.

  He knew the shit was about to hit the fan. Jade turned an impossible shade of crimson before that lovely mouth of hers opened and hell spewed forth from it.

  “What the fuck is this shit?” she demanded. “What are you doing with my cousin? MY COUSIN for God’s sake!” Her cousin? Michael redirected his stunned stare at the woman in question. She was about Jade’s height, only her hair was black as night and her eyes were the same yellow as Leigh’s. If that wasn’t a total giveaway, the golden skin along her temple gave her away. Toni was home. And the worst part? She was wearing a sexy nighty that screamed fuck me.

  But she didn’t hold a candle to Jade. Even furious, Jade was stunning. He felt his cock harden with her being in the same room. And she noticed. Except, that isn’t what she thought was going on at all.

  “I thought you were different!” Jade screamed. “But no! Here you are, in the middle of the night, taking advantage of another woman!”

  “Jade, it isn’t like that,” Michael said in his own defense. “I was sleeping.”

  “I was looking for something and he woke up. Scared the hell out of me,” Toni told her.

  “I don’t care what you were looking for!” Jade snapped. “He had no right to put his hands on you! And look at him! He is so fucking hard he might as well just come in his pants because lord knows we can all see it. I can’t believe you would do this to me. I can’t believe that I thought… oh fuck it, never mind what I thought. Get out. Get out now.”

  “Jade,” Michael pleaded with her. He didn’t owe her an explanation, but still he tried. He wanted her to know that he didn’t want Toni. She didn’t let him explain.

  “I said, get the fuck out. Get out of here and never come back!” she screamed at him. The entire house rumbled with her anger and Michael thought about trying to talk her down again.

  “Don’t you ever fucking think about me again you fucking man-whore!” she screamed as she turned her back on him.

  “I think it’s time for you to leave,” Angel told him in a stern voice. He realized that there would be no arguing his side. No one was going to listen. Michael got his things together and walked for the door.

  Before he walked out the front door, he turned to take one last look at Jade. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought I knew you,” he said quietly. “I thought you knew me. But I was wrong. I don’t know this cold- hearted bitch you have turned into.” And then he walked out the door and took flight into the night without looking back.

  Michael couldn’t explain the pain in his chest. Sure, he could blame it on the fact that his goal of being his own man on the security team was being tossed out like a rotten egg, but he knew that wasn’t true. Yeah, he was disappointed by that, but that wasn’t the reason the Grand Canyon had been moved from the dessert and dropped in the center of his chest. He could try to deny it, but he knew the reason. It was Jade. It was the look of hurt on her face before it was replaced with fury.

  He flew through the sky, changing directions every so often, trying to get away from the memory of that look. He barely registered the tree tops or the cars below him. He barely paid attention to which direction he was flying. He wanted to erase that image from his mind. The image of Jade hurt. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, hell, it was an accident. The whole thing was one monstrous misunderstanding. But he wouldn’t be able to make her understand. She thought she saw desire for Toni in him and nothing was going to change her mind.

  He had hoped that their easy friendship would someday turn into something more. Now, that idea was in the trash as well. He knew eventually she would calm down, maybe even forgive him. But he wasn’t sure that he wanted to pick up where they left off. She didn’t trust him and that really hurt. He wanted her to trust him. He wanted her to believe in him. He thought that she had feelings for him too, but he supposed he had been mistaken about that as well.

  As the sun started to rise, Michael did the only thing he could do. He turned and headed east, toward his home. He knew it was only a matter of time before his mother got wind of what happened, and he wanted it to come from him, not someone else. But coming home a failure was a great big kick to his ego. He had tried and failed, in more ways than one. He let Angel down, he let himself down, but worst of all–he let Jade down.

  All the time that he had known her, he had felt something special for her. When those thoughts about her turned from innocent to red hot, he thought he just wanted her. Now, he knew better. He had harbored real feelings for her since the first time they met. He loved her. He had loved her his entire life, it seemed, and now she was gone to him.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “I’m sorry, Jade,” Toni said with sincerity.

  “You didn’t do it,” Jade grumbled as she pushed her food around on her plate. Michael had been gone for only a day, but it felt like a lifetime.

  “Maybe it’s better this way,” Toni offered.

  “What do you mean?” Jade asked her, looking up from her dinner that was getting cold fast on her plate.

  “Just that, isn’t it better to know if he would be unfaithful before you got involved?”

  Jade had always respected Toni’s privacy. The two had grown up together and even though there was no real blood relation, they were as close as sisters. But the look on Toni’s face was guilty. There was something she wasn’t telling her. Jade pushed into her mind and what she heard made her want to throw up.

  “My dad put you up to it?”

  Toni nodded and looked down. At least she had the decency not to deny it.

  “And you went along with him?” Jade accused. “You deliberately put him in a compromising position so that I would find you?”

  “Yes and thank God we did!” Toni answered back. “How would you feel if he had made a move on me after you were dating? Then what? You kill us both?”

  “I think I might kill you now,” Jade snarled at her.

  Toni was unaffected by her anger. “He’s just a guy,” she said flippantly.

  Jade roared her anger to the ceiling. “Just a guy?” Oh hell no, she did not just say that. Jade grabbed Toni by the arm and yanked her outside. “Just a guy? You fucking idiot!” And then, she punched her.

  Toni recovered quickly and pushed Jade away from her. “That is the only one you get,” she growled. She would be the first to admit that she deserved it, but she wasn’t about to let Jade beat her into a bloody puddle.

  “Fuck you,” Jade replied.

  “No thanks,” Toni sneered.

  “He is not just a guy. He was my fucking mate you gutter dwelling, inbred, swamp cunt!”

  Toni had enough of Jade’s abuse. She lunged forward and tackled her to the ground. “Take that shit back,” she demanded.

  Jade used her mind to push Toni off of her and rose to her feet. “No fucking way!” she shouted.

  Jade threw a blast of air at Toni and she stumbled under the force of it. “I don’t want to do this,” Toni warned her.

  “Don’t want to do what? Get your ass kicked? What? You gonna call your dragon to whoop my little ass?”

  “I don’t need my dragon to take you out, Bitch,” Toni snarled. Then she came at Jade again. She slammed into an invisible barrier. “Chicken shit, put your walls down and fi
ght me like a real woman. Or are you too scared?”

  “I am not scared of you!” Jade shouted and dropped her barriers. She ran at Toni using her vampire speed. She pulled her fist back and swung, but hit nothing but air. Toni appeared behind her and yanked a fistful of her hair back.

  “If he was your fucking mate, why did he have a hard on for me?” she said too close to Jade’s ear. Jade whipped around and kicked Toni in the shin. When she wailed in pain, Jade did it again. Toni yanked her hair harder and forced Jade to the ground. Jade wasn’t having that and shoved Toni off of her. She used a roundhouse kick to the shoulder to knock Toni off balance and then used the advantage to throw a right hook.

  It connected and the crunch of Toni’s nose was a satisfying sound to Jade’s ears.

  Her blood trickled down into her mouth. Toni licked it away and smiled. “Now we’re talking,” she said as she came for Jade once more. Toni opened her mouth and fire shot out in Jade’s direction. Jade stopped it with a simple motion of her hand. An invisible arc led the dragon’s fire up and harmlessly over her head.

  “Somebody do something,” Brea begged as she watched the fight progress. Virtually everyone on the Knight Estate property had gathered to see what the commotion was about. Not one of them dared to interfere. Doing so would not only be stupid, but deadly. They formed a large, loose circle around the girls. Some of the security cheered them on, while others begged them to stop.

  “I’ll do it,” Rebel finally said. He ventured out into the yard where the girls were fighting. “Hey, can we knock it off please?” he asked in a loud voice. The only answer he got was a snarl from Toni and tossed on his ass from Jade and her mind. “Nope, that ain’t gonna work,” he said as he took his place next to Leigh.