by Cara E Holt
“I heard that,” Drayce says as he comes up beside me and places his arm around my waist.
“I intended for you to hear.” He grins, releasing my hand. “You’ll have your hands full keeping this one in check.”
“Oh, you do not need to worry. I can more than handle your brother.”
Keir and Kasen both laugh. “Well then, looks like you have met your match, brother,” Kasen chuckles.
Drayce grins, looking down at me. “You got that right. She has called me more names than you can imagine.”
I flush red and I give Drayce a sneaky dig in the ribs. Mr Black joins in on the laughter and then he directs me towards Ryker and a younger male who I can only presume to be Drayce’s youngest brother, Arlo.
“We meet again,” Ryker says with a grin, as he takes my hand in his and kisses it.
“The two of you have met?” Theon Black asks in surprise.
Ryker grins, keeping his eyes on me. “We have. We met in a local pub near the academy where I was conducting some business.”
By business, he means illegal fighting, but his secret was safe with me.
“Meet Arlo. He is our youngest son.”
Arlo is the mirror image of Drayce, same eyes, same chiselled jaw and dark hair.
“Hey, Elara. Welcome to the family.”
“Nice to meet you, Arlo.”
Mr Black claps his hands together. “Finally, you need to meet the matriarch of the family, my mother.”
I swallow nervously as my eyes land on a lady who is sitting at the dining table. She has silver hair that is short and stylish and her blue eyes are closely assessing me as we walk over to her.
“Grandma,” Drayce greets, leaning down to kiss her cheeks.
“My gorgeous boy. I have missed you,” She tells him as she squeezes his cheeks affectionately. She turns her attention to me. “Well come closer girl, my eyesight isn’t what it once was.”
I move closer and she takes my hands and pulls on them so I am bent over and my face is level with hers.
“Pretty little thing. So, you’re a Bennett by blood?”
The room falls deathly quiet and everyone seems to wait on my response. “So it seems, but only by blood. I am and always will be a Latimer.”
She nods, continuing to assess me. “There have been years of bad blood between our families, you know?” I nod in response. “What do you make of it?” she asks me.
I feel like this question is some kind of test and I ponder whether to answer honestly or politely.
“I think there comes a point when people need to move forward and stop living in the past. What’s done is done and no amount of bad blood will undo that.”
“Mm hmm,” she replies, nodding, before breaking out into a warm smile. “I like this one, she speaks what she thinks.” She pats my hand. “Welcome to the family, Elara Latimer.”
Behind me, I hear Drayce release a sigh of relief and I think I may have passed the test.
We all take our seats for dinner. I am sitting with Drayce on one side of me and Raine on the other. Theon Black heads up one end of the table and his wife the other. The servers bring out the starters and everyone begins to eat.
“So, Elara, do you like the academy?” Theon asks me.
I nod as I swallow my food and wipe my mouth with the napkin. “Yes, it is great. It has been an interesting couple of months so far.”
“Are your parents not worried for your safety, after the attacks on the students?”
I look up to find Evony’s shrewd eyes upon me.I straighten the napkin on my knee. Drayce places his hand on my thigh under the table and gives it a squeeze.
“They worry naturally, but they know that Drayce keeps me safe and the grounds are guarded well.”
Evony takes a sip of wine as she nods. “Still, it must worry them. I don’t believe the rumours of it being some rogue vampire. If you ask me, it’s that hybrid group.”
I almost choke on my drink. “A hybrid group?”
“Yes, there are rumours that the HDS are responsible,” Raine explains, and when she sees my puzzled look, she explains further. “They call themselves the Hybrid Defence Society. They state they are a peaceful organisation but evidence shows different.”
Drayce squeezes my leg again under the table and offers me a tight smile. I know he is trying to calm me.
“I haven’t heard of them,” I reply. “I wasn’t aware there were many hybrids in existence.”
Evony sniggers. “You are naïve to think this. There are more of the vermin than you might think. They say there are many living hidden amongst the supernatural societies.” She shudders. “They are unnatural, and we should eliminate them all.”
I fist my hand around my knife and try to rein in my anger. “They can’t be much of threat then if they are already living amongst us. I mean, doesn’t the supernatural council say their dual breeding makes them unstable and violent?”
Evony eyes me with disdain. “Make no mistake, they are vermin and dangerous. They are unnatural.”
Raine pats my hand. “Please excuse Evony. Her father was involved recently in a raid and a vampire-fae hybrid bit him.”
I look back at Evony in surprise. “I am sorry to hear that. I hope he has recovered?”
Evony nods as she lifts her glass to her lips and takes a drink. “He has, but he was lucky. Their bite is rabid and believed to cause psychosis.”
“Really? That is terrible,” I reply. Well, that was false information. I had been chomping into Drayce’s neck for the last month now and he was showing no sign of going mad.
Raine steers the conversation onto more pleasant matters, telling me about her six boys and what a handful they are. She tells me I will get to meet them tomorrow at some point.
“So Elara, you are cursed?” The room falls quiet and everyone looks at Evony, eyes wide and shocked.
I clear my throat and place my knife and fork down, worried that if I don’t, I may launch it at her. “That is what they say, yes.”
Evony offers me a tight smile, but I can see the venom in her eyes. She is out for my blood. “If I have read it right, all Bennett females die before they are twenty-one. How old are you?”
“I am eighteen.”
Evony looks over at Drayce. “Looks like it will be a short first marriage for you then.”
“Evony!” Mr Black exclaims. “Your comments are inappropriate for the dining table.” He glares at her from where he sits at the head of the table.
Evony wipes her mouth with her napkin, looking composed. “I am merely asking a question. Let’s not pretend we haven’t all been thinking the same. She is cursed.”
Mr Black stands to his feet. “Enough!” He barks. “What you don’t know is that this girl and my son could be the ones to lift the two curses.”
I glare at Drayce in shock, and he swears under his breath.
“An ancient prophecy speaks of the curses being broken when the two of them declare their love for each other. We could finally be free of the curse that has haunted our coven for centuries. This girl here could finally free us.”
“Is this true?” Drayce’s grandma asks us both, the shock clear in her face.
“It’s true,” Drayce states. “If Elara and I truly fall in love with each other, it will break the curses.”
His grandma smiles wide. “Well, well, it looks like destiny has set its path.”
Evony smirks. “If you believe in prophecies, you are a fool.”
“Enough Evony,” Kasen booms, his voice hard and firm. He stands from his seat. “I apologise for my wife’s behaviour Elara. I don’t know what has come over her this evening. I think we will retire for the night.” He places a hand at her elbow and urges her to her feet.
“Honestly, it is fine.” I meet Evony’s stony faced glare. “I understand why you are angry. I know you feel I have stolen your sister’s place and I would no doubt feel the same in your situation, but I can’t help what has happened. I cannot change it and
I will not apologise for it.”
“Here, here,” says Drayce’s Grandma, and she raises her glass to me with a wink.
Evony does not respond, but her face reddens in anger as Kasen pulls her to her feet and with his hand at her back ushers her out of the room. Everyone is silent for a beat.
“Okay now the shrew has left the room, maybe we can finally enjoy the evening,” Grandma announces and I almost laugh out loud. Drayce’s grandma was my kind of person.
“Elara, tell us of your plans when you graduate from the academy,” Mr Black urges as he re-takes his seat and reaches for his wine.
“Well, I hope to join the guards.”
This brings a laugh from Drayce’s mother who has up to now remained silent. “Oh my dear, you’ll be a mother before long and there is no place for a mother in the guards.”
I clench my fist and Drayce places his hand over mine.
“Elara and I have plenty of time to have children, Mother.”
“It is your duty to breed and strengthen the coven, and if what you say is true, then it is important that we breed females again.”
Ryker chuckles, and everyone looks over at him. “Elara doesn’t strike me as the stay-at-home motherly type. Besides, I’m sure there are women in the guards who are mothers.”
I look across at him and offer him a silent thank you and he smiles at me in response.
“Yes, well, you are hardly fit to comment. Twenty-two and still unmarried,” Astrea Black retorts giving her son a pointed look.
Ryker holds up his hands in mock surrender. “I told you, I need a few more years before I settle down. When the time is right, I will do my duty to this coven. I’ll breed an army of sprogs.”
“Mother earth help us, an army of mini Rykers,” Raine jokes and we all laugh along with her and the mood instantly eases.
A half hour later the meal ends and we make our way back to Drayce’s room. I don’t speak on the way back and Drayce doesn’t try to engage me in conversation. I think he knows I am quietly fuming. As soon as his bedroom door shuts, I shove him lightly in the chest.
“Why?” I ask him.
He steps forward and tries to take my hands but I step back out of his reach, putting my hand up.
“Don’t try to soften me up by touching me. Sex isn’t the answer.”
“He was going to cancel the engagement raven. I had to do something,” he explains.
I scoff. “I knew it. I knew there had to be another reason why he had agreed for this farce to continue.”
Drayce flinches. “A farce? Is that what we are?”
“Yes, no.., I don’t know what we are Black. You had no right to tell him without discussing it with me first.”
Drayce sighs and rubs at the back of his neck. “Look, you were unconscious in the academy hospital. I had no choice. You would have been unprotected, I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Why?” I ask, throwing my hands up in the air. “Why couldn’t you?”
He closes the distance between us and I try to block him, but he pulls me flush against him. “Because I care about you, raven. I feel the need to protect you and I knew if my father knew about the prophecy he would keep the engagement.”
“You should have told me,” I say softly, messing with the collar of his polo.
“I know and I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” he asks, giving me his puppy-dog eyes.
“I suppose,” I reply gruffly, “Though you’re not off the hook yet.”
He grips my butt with his hands. “I’ll do that thing you like with my tongue.”
I playfully slap him. “You will never let me live that down, will you?”
He grins mischievously, his blue eyes twinkling. “You mean when you told me I have nice eyes, oh and a nice arse.”
I hold up my middle finger to him, and he laughs. “Seriously though, get those tights off,” he orders, his hand reaching under my dress.
I grab his hands and stop him. “We can’t. Your brother invited us to his place for drinks, remember.”
Drayce shrugs. “So, we’ll go over in half an hour, beside you need to feed.”
He was right; I needed to feed. I was still feeding three times a day. Silas had seemed to intimate that I should be able to manage twice daily by now, but my hunger had not reduced at all. If I didn’t feed three times a day, I became a raging blood thirsty bitch. He tugs my tights down and throws them over his shoulder, his eyes burning with lust. He drops to his knees and hooks one of my legs over his shoulder. I steady myself against the dresser and shudder when his mouth finds my core. Drayce Black played me like a fiddle. I had gone from raging mad to moaning his name in a matter of minutes. Damn him, with his charming smile and wicked tongue.
AN ELITE PARTY
The next day we are both awake early and we go for a run in the coven grounds. It is a beautiful but chilly October morning and the colours of autumn make the setting look even more beautiful. We are heading back inside the house when Katriona springs out on us the second we walk through the door, making me jump a mile.
“Holy Cauldrons, Katriona!” I exclaim, coming to a grinding halt to stop myself from charging into her.
“There you both are. You both need to shower and change. The caterers will be here at nine to discuss the wedding breakfast.”
“You’re kidding me?” I groan. “The wedding is eleven months away.”
Katriona glares at me from under her glasses. “Have you ever planned a wedding before Elara?”
I shake my head, and she gives me a pointed look. “Exactly. I have planned over a dozen weddings.” She urges me towards the stairs with her hand. “Now hurry and shower, because well you are both smelly.”
Chuckling, Drayce takes off up the stairs and rolling my eyes I follow suit.
An hour later I think I have tasted every flavour of wedding cake there is.
“Which one do you like?” Drayce asks me. He looks as bored as I feel.
“Let’s have chocolate,” I determine. Most people liked chocolate cake, and well it was my favourite and it is my wedding.
Katriona looks like she is about to protest.
“What raven wants, she gets Katriona. The cake will be chocolate.”
I lean over and kiss him. “Thank you. Will you always let me get my way?”
He smirks. “Depends on what I get in return.”
“I’m sure we could negotiate,” I reply grinning.
Drayce leans over and kisses me back. “Are we done here Katriona?”
Katriona sighs and looks at her watch. “We are finished for today. Tomorrow the florist is coming over and we need to discuss floral designs.”
“Yippee,” I say none too enthusiastically and Katriona glares at me.
“You are a strange female. Most love planning their wedding day!”
Standing, I slip my hand in Drayce’s.
“Latimer isn’t like most girls,” he tells, her winking at me.
“I know,” Katriona sighs, looking disappointed in me. “Remember the makeup and hair team will be here for six this evening. I’ll have the dress I have chosen for you delivered to your room later today.”
Today was Samhain and we would join Drayce’s parents and his brothers at the council celebrations. The celebrations were being held at the De Meath residence. It would feel strange going to the house where Norah was brought up and knowing she isn’t there. There had been no news on her where-about; it was if she had vanished without a trace. I felt guilty sitting here and tasting wedding cakes when I should be out there looking for her, but with no leads, we had no clue where to start.
“You look amazing,” Drayce tells me as he drinks me in. His eyes glide over my body and fill me with heat.
I twirl and look at down at my dress. It was silver silk and clung to my hips and breasts but flared out at the bottom, the dress had short fan sleeves and I wore grey silk gloves to match. My hair had been curled, and it hangs down over one shoulder.
Drayce was we
aring a charcoal suit with a pale blue shirt underneath. He looked incredibly masculine and hot as sin. He comes up behind me and kisses my neck. “When I strip you naked later, can you keep those gloves on?”
“Really?” I ask, my cheeks heating.
“Really. The gloves and the heels,” he states firmly, his eyes burning into mine with desire.
“Okay.” I turn and wrap my arms around his neck. “You have a glove fetish, Black?”
He grins against my lips. “I do now.”
“Okay, hands off her Drayce. I haven’t had my best style team working on her for the last two hours for you to mess it up because you can’t control yourself.” Katriona commands him.
I giggle, and Drayce rolls his eyes at her. Katriona glares at him in warning and he reluctantly pulls himself away from me. “Okay, let’s get going.”
I wolf whistle as I take Katriona in. She is wearing a long black lace dress that hugs her tiny frame. Katriona blushes and adjusts her hair self-consciously.
“Seriously Katriona you look hot!”
She looks heavenwards and stalks off to the door, holding it open. “Come on, we haven’t got time for idle small-talk. The plane waits.”
“The plane?” I ask, looking back at her as Drayce guides me out into the corridor.
“My father has his own plane. We’ll be flying to the event,” Drayce explains.
Of course he did. I needed to remember what kind of world I was in now. It was the kind where people had planes and helicopters at their disposal.
We enter inside the plane and find everyone else already seated and waiting for us. Katriona ushers us into the seats opposite Raine and Keir. I don’t give Evony eye contact. She had been a first-class bitch to me yesterday, so I owed her nothing.
“Elara you look beautiful,” Raine tells me. She winks at Drayce. “You have got yourself a gorgeous fiancée there Drayce.”
Grinning, he takes my hand in his and kisses it. “Don’t I know it.”
The plane door closes, and the engine starts up and I look around the cabin confused.
