Andromeda's Reign

by K. S. Haigwood

  “Oh, then there you go. Hoo-ha and hoo-has.”

  Frowning, I shook my head. “I don’t like that word. Call it something else.”

  She grinned playfully, mimicking my head shake as she turned to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to me, enclosing her in the iron-like frame of my arms. Her skin—coated in a thin sheen of sweat—slid against mine, bringing to mind all sorts of erotic delights, but I only held her tighter. She stiffened, but she was too distracted to keep her walls intact. We were too close and she wasn’t as experienced with blocking as I was. I felt her desire for me the exact moment I smelled it.

  Not only did the lion in me wake up, but the bonded male in me did, too. I wanted her. Bad. But it was too soon. She still had that vampire on a leash and I hadn’t told her my secret. My wants could wait for the perfect time. And there would be a perfect time. I was damn sure of that.

  I had her right where I wanted her, though. Her walls were down and she was fully aware of how much she wanted me. The bonding did that to us. The attraction we felt for each other was unavoidable when we were this close. It may have been mean of me to use it to my advantage, but I had to know; she could not leave this room without me knowing. I did exactly what I intended to do from the start and no more. I bent until my lips almost touched hers, and then I dove into her mind. She hadn’t even tried to hide it from me. It was right there, for the taking, what she called her Golden Grotto, her Holy Grail or, in her words, hoo-ha.

  I smiled as I whispered, “Kitty-cat.”

  Desire left her eyes as she pushed against me. I let her go with a light chuckle.

  “You’re an ass, Ace,” Andra said as she avoided looking at me. I could feel her embarrassment and guilt. Yes, guilt was there, too. The fucking vampire was cock-blocking me from seventeen-hundred miles away.

  There was no need to bring up the fact that she would have willingly let me pet her kitty-cat if I had only kissed her. There was no vampire here for her to run to now. She wouldn’t have stopped me, but she would have regretted it. I didn’t want her to regret being with me. Ever. I had to play my cards right. There was no folding or losing in this game. I would win.

  The gym doors opened, and Slade walked in with Kai, Rogan and Chaos. Chaos ran straight to Andra, and she knelt down to ruffle his ears and baby-talk to him. She was spoiling him, and he was eating it up. I frowned, my mood turning a bit sour at admitting to myself that I was envious of my Rhodesian ridgeback.

  “Great timing, assholes,” I grumbled.

  Slade’s grin was a mile wide as he watched Andra pet my dog, and then his green eyes cut up to mine, his black eyebrows rising in amusement. He thought it was funny as hell that I’d finally met a woman I liked and she wouldn’t put out. His words, not mine. And what made it worse, I hadn’t even told him. My Beta knew me better than I knew myself most of the time. I guess he could tell by the sexually frustrated look on my mug that I hadn’t gotten any—or any worth bragging about—in a while. I was never, ever telling him what Andra called the cockpit. Hoo-ha… What kind of word is that for something so awesome? The fucker would never let me live down how vanilla she was.

  Slade nodded to Andra. “Has Ace been a good host? Are you getting settled in okay?”

  She smiled shyly as she gave him a curt nod, but her face was still a little pink from the embarrassment I had caused only a few moments earlier, so I closed the distance between us and took her hand. She squeezed my fingers in response, and I winked at Slade.

  “I’ve got it taken care of. She’s staying in my room.”

  All three men did a double-take. My dog even looked at me funny. It didn’t surprise me. No female of mine had ever been allowed in my room—not that I kept one for more than a night, but that was beside the point. I took care of my women away from the lion’s den. None of the other pride members who lived here were allowed to bring anyone to the house with them for some kinky play, either. It was best for everyone if humans didn’t know shifters existed. Every Tom, Dick and Harry would grab their pitchforks and hunt us. That’s all we needed, a bunch of simple-minded rednecks who didn’t understand a damn thing about us, trying to become slayers. That wouldn’t do anything except get a bunch of humans killed.

  Rogan’s whiskey-colored eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Huh?”

  “Your room?” Kai said as he swept his shaggy blond mop out of his deep blue eyes so he could see me with both of them. “But you—”

  “How did I miss that?” Slade said, interrupting Kai. “I thought Olivia had an extra bed in her room that Andra was supposed to sleep in while she stayed here.”

  Narrowing my eyes at him, I released Andra’s fingers so I could drape my arm over her shoulder and pull her closer to me. I already knew she had access to everything about my past, since she’d received all my memories the moment we bonded, but I didn’t want these dickweeds making her think she was like those other chicks. “Andra is special, guys. Shut up, will ya?”

  The guys just stared at me in disbelief. I wasn’t joking, but they were obviously waiting for me to tell them I was. Did they expect me to be a bachelor forever? Of course they did. Five days ago I would have expected that of myself.

  Andra snickered, I was guessing at the nervous feeling I was sending her through our connection. “I got settled in just fine. Thank you, though I haven’t had much time for rest. Ace has had me training since we arrived.”

  Slade grinned at her mischievously. “He’s easily bribed. Give him something he wants. He’ll do whatever you want him to do.”

  “You can go now,” I said, letting the lack of amusement that I felt seep into the tone of my voice.

  Andra laughed softly. “I’ll have to try that. What would he want?”

  Kai snorted. “What does every man want from a woman?”

  I looked up to the ceiling and huffed in annoyance when her embarrassment crept over my skin. Every damn hair on my arms was standing on end. “Get the hell out of here, guys. We’re about to turn in for the night. The rest of the pride will be here early in the morning to meet Andra.”

  “Turning in for the night?” Rogan said, and then looked at the other guys, as if he was missing something important. “We came to tell you it was time to leave for work. None of us are as good as you are, Ace.”

  A muffled curse passed through my lips as I ran my free hand down my face. “Uh…” I stammered, and Andra turned to look at me, confusion pouring out of her and into me in waves. She was on the verge of freaking out that I might leave her here alone. I forced a smile as I pried my wide eyes away from the guys to look at her. “It is, uh… tonight is poker night, and kind of a tradition I started a few decades ago. I’m pretty good at it, hence why I named my lion Ace. Most of us don’t really work around here. We gamble. It’s how the bills get paid. And I guess it’s my night to make sure we have a place to live next month.”

  She glanced around the huge gym that was only a small fraction of the house. “You gamble and win enough money to pay for this place?”

  “Yeah… and then some. Look, I won’t go if you don’t want to go, but I’m better than anyone here. We’ll lose everything pretty quick if I depend on some of these losers to cover the bills. A few of them lose more than I win sometimes.”

  “Wait… the chick is coming with us?” Rogan said on a chuckle, and then his expression turned serious. “You’re fuckin’ joking, right?”

  I saw red, but managed to shove Andra out of the way before I shifted—the welcome feel of bones stretching and changing, the fur sprouting, the muscles morphing—and pounced on Rogan. My teeth not-so-tenderly brushed the skin above his jugular where his pulse was pounding hard enough I could hear it. Kai and Slade backed away, but I could sense Slade wanted to interfere, and I suppose that was the only thing that stopped me from biting Rogan’s head off.

  “Rogan doesn’t know about the bond, Ace!” Slade shouted. “Nobody but me and the crew that went with you knows that you’re a bonded m
ale now! Don’t kill him! Christ! He didn’t know any better!” I didn’t glance up, but I imagined that he was running his fingers through that stark black hair and gripping it hard enough to pull it out by the roots.

  “Ace,” Andra’s startled voice said. “Don’t kill him.”

  I moved my head back enough to close my mouth, and then just stared down into Rogan’s eyes as a low growl rumbled up my throat.

  “I would advise against ever calling her a chick again if you value your life, Rogan,” Slade said on a relieved exhale. “Ace bonded with Andromeda in Alabama. She’s your Alpha now, too.”

  There was cold fear in Rogan’s confused eyes. He knew he’d screwed up, but I could tell that he wasn’t sure how he’d managed it. The truth was that none of us knew how strong this bonding thing was—well, aside from me and Andra; we knew exactly how tough this bitch was, but I wasn’t in the mood to give lessons or talk about it unless bloodshed was involved. I’d let Slade explain it to Rogan. Instead of backing away, I stepped forward, placing one of my back paws on Rogan’s groin as I made my way back to Andra.

  Howls of agonizing pain issued from behind me as I shifted back to my human form.

  Ignoring the scene behind me, I chuckled when Andra held out my shredded gym clothes, her head turned away from my immodesty.

  I took the threads and covered myself enough to make her comfortable. “So, how are you at poker?” I said as we walked toward the doors to leave.

  She laughed. “I’m better at Blackjack.”

  “Let’s go Double Down then, my dear,” I said with a flirtatious grin, and she beamed at me. God, I loved that smile.

  “I need to take a shower first,” Andra said.

  I grinned playfully. “Good. You can shower with me. There’s a spot on my back I can never quite reach.” She gaped at me, and I nearly busted a gut laughing. “I’m kidding… unless, of course, you want to shower with me. I wouldn’t tell you no. I’m nice like that,” I said with a wink.

  Catching me off guard, she shoved me into the corridor wall, and then laughed when I hit my funny bone and let out a loud curse. “You are not showering with me, Ace.”

  I scowled as I rubbed my elbow, until I glanced up to see her walking away from me. That high ponytail and the look of her ass in those workout shorts had me forgetting all about the sharp pain shooting from my elbow to my wrist. I bit my lip as I watched her hips sway, and then I ran to catch up with her before she noticed I had started panting.

  She might not shower with me tonight, but she would soon. She would soon.

  Chapter 2

  Wednesday, February 4th 2015 8:10 p.m. CST

  Montgomery, Alabama

  Phoenix

  Phoenix stared at the cell phone in his hand, willing the damn thing to ring or receive a text message. Something! He couldn’t even convince himself that Lea had forgotten to pay the bill, because several texts and calls had come in over the time span that Mena had been gone from Montgomery, just none of them had been from her.

  What the hell is she doing? He really didn’t want to know the answer to that. Since she had drunk the pink potion that relieved her of the Nexus spell, he couldn’t feel her anymore.

  But that damn werelion could. And, man, knowing that fact was killing him slowly, a difficult feat for someone who was immortal.

  Six days. He wasn’t sure he could make it that long without seeing her again. Though it wasn’t like he actually had a choice in the matter. She wasn’t expecting him. She needed to train. Maybe that’s what she was doing. If he showed up early it would only distract her. And as much as he hated to admit it, he had neglected his own duties as High Vampire and club owner of Hellhound since he’d met her. There were phone calls to be made. He had to find a witch to break the bond. There had to be someone who could do something. He really did need to tend to a few things before he flew halfway across the United States to ruffle that lion’s feathers some more.

  He had to smile at that. Pissing that overgrown cat off was pretty damn satisfying, even if it did make the guy try to come up with ways to end his relationship with Mena.

  That was never going to happen. He’d known it wouldn’t happen the first time Ace tried to force him to break up with her. He rolled his eyes at the thought. Like Mena was going to believe he really wanted to end things. He was too damn selfish to let her go. He knew that. She knew that. Ace said he could read Mena’s mind and her emotions. He should have already known the attempt would fail. It hadn’t stopped him from trying, though, and Phoenix knew it wouldn’t be his last attempt. Ace was bonded to her. He would never stop trying to rid him from their lives.

  Love sucks.

  Phoenix growled in frustration as he brought her number up. He really hadn’t wanted to be the first to make contact. It was true that he loved her, but he didn’t want her to think he was just sitting around moping. Which was exactly what he had been doing ever since she had boarded that plane.

  He clicked to bring the text message screen up and stared at her last text.

  See you soon. ~ Mena

  The tightness in his chest was real as he read those three words. Raw and very fucking real. It wouldn’t hurt to send her a quick text to see if she made it okay. That wouldn’t seem too needy, would it? He shook his head at his inner monologue and leaned forward in his chair, placing his forearms on his knees, and then he just stared at the screen some more.

  What if getting away from me was all she needed to move on? Just thinking that made him feel sick, and vampires never got sick. At least he never had before. Out of sight, out of mind, right? He tossed the phone on the cushion beside him and ran his fingers through his hair. Will she sleep with him? Of course, he already knew that she would sleep in the same bed with the jerk. She’d done that while they were here. The bond pretty much forced them to do that. But will she have sex with him? Will she eventually fall in love with Ace and forget about me? What if she does?

  The questions and what ifs kept coming at him, harrowing and forcing their way into his mind like a brain-eating virus or something equally torturous. It wouldn’t stop. He feared it never would, at least not until he went bat-shit crazy. All this over a damn woman. It’s crazy, Phoenix. You’re crazy! “Or swiftly headed in that direction,” he finished aloud, confirming the fact that he was nuts. People who weren’t crazy didn’t talk to themselves.

  Love. He hated it already. It was exactly as he had imagined it would be. He was a love-sick fool, and there was nothing he could do about it except think about her and miss her and wonder what that asshat that was bonded to her was planning next.

  Picking the cell phone back up, he sighed in disgust at himself as he typed out the short text.

  Hope you made it okay. See you soon. ~ Phoenix

  Squashing the urge to tack onto the message that he loved and missed her, he hit send and stood from the chair, thankful that the sun had finally gone down so he could get the hell out of the house for the night. He needed to make someone bleed.

  Wednesday, February 4th 2015 6:16 p.m. PST

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  Andromeda

  With the distance between her and Ace, the anxiety began to creep back into her bones, sending chills throughout her body. Even the heat from the shower did nothing to chase away the cold and empty fear. She hated the panic when it came, but she hated it even more that Ace was the only one who could make it go away.

  While Andra’s soul was eternally linked to Ace’s soul, Mena’s heart would always belong to Phoenix. Technically Andra and Mena were one and the same now. She didn’t feel like there was another female trying to control her anymore. She only felt strong and powerful now that she had named her wolf, but sometimes she still felt like she was two different people.

  Andra needed Ace.

  Mena wanted Phoenix.

  The feelings she had for both men only seemed to intensify, and she had no clue what to do about it anymore now than she had when she’d opened her eyes and looked at
Ace the first time.

  Phoenix was supposed to be her one and only. Karma was definitely having a ball with her of late.

  Making sure extra sturdy walls were up around her mind, she allowed herself to think without fear of Ace overhearing her thoughts.

  I’m such a hypocrite! I would never be okay with Phoenix being with another woman, even if they were bonded. Why are you thinking about how sexy Ace looks in his workout clothes, Mena! She scolded herself. Phoenix! Phoenix! You love Phoenix. Ace is dangerous to the relationship you have with Phoenix. Don’t even look at him!

  A heated rage swept through her body, making her fingers instantly curl into tight fists, but it wasn’t the anger she felt toward herself that had her on edge. It was Ace’s anger she felt. And just as swiftly as it had come, it faded away.

  Blinking in confusion, she peeked around the tiled partition of the shower. “Ace?” Andra said, but there was no response. Had someone upset him? She opened her mind to him. “Ace! Is something wrong?” Still nothing.

  She quickly rinsed the shampoo from her hair and soap from her skin, and then cut the shower off, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her body as she rushed to get to the bedroom.

  After she jerked the door open, she froze in her tracks and stood there staring at a perfectly sculpted bare back, ass and legs. Ace wasn’t looking at her as he dropped his shredded gym clothes to the carpet.

  He was naked. And she couldn’t move. Or speak. Or think.

  Ace leisurely bent to his right and snagged a folded towel from the end of his bed, oblivious to the fact that she was gawking at his naked backside.

  Heat bloomed between her legs as he wrapped the towel around his waist, covering up that gorgeous ass of his.

  Ace sniffed the air and jerked his head to look over his shoulder at her. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he turned around.

  She was rooted to the spot on the floor as if her feet were super glued to the plush carpeting, and she had no idea what to do or how to get out of the situation that the smell of her desire had put her in. There was no point in lying. The hunger in his eyes as he stalked toward her told her that he already knew everything she wanted from him.