Chapter 5

AYRA

I spent the next hour staring at the mark he left on my collarbone, wishing it'd just fade away, but of course, it didn't.

I slid down the window, wishing I could undo the events of the last two hours. Then I wouldn't have this stupid mark that mocked me every time I looked at it in the mirror.

"Ayra. Lunch is ready," Reese called from downstairs.

"I'm not hungry," I called back.

It wasn't long before I heard the footsteps as they approached my bedroom.

"Ayra, are you okay?" Reese asked, knocking on my door.

"Yeah. I'm just tired. I'll come down when I've had some rest."

"Okay. We're here if you need someone to talk to."

Her footsteps faded, and it was quiet once more.

Marking was supposed to be a special thing between mates, not something to be taken lightly. And it certainly wasn't something possessive douchebags had the right to do because they felt the need to.

Thinking of what happened in his office filled me with renewed anger. If only I could see him right now, I'd punch his stupid-looking face.

I felt a mind brush up against mine, and I knew immediately that it was him. I waited for him to say something, but after several minutes of waiting, nothing came.

I sighed, leaning my head back against the window, allowing sleep to claim me.

I woke to the sound of something slithering around in my room.

"Is anyone there?" I asked, straining my eyes to see in the dark, but that didn't help. I was still without my enhanced senses.

Darn it.

Nathaniel said they'd return soon, but so far, they showed no sign of doing so. Neither did my memory.

I rose to my feet, reaching out with my hand to get myself through the dark space when my hand came in contact with a chest.

I shrieked, moving backward, but I ended up bumping against another person.

And then I saw them. Red glowing eyes.

"Pretty mediocre for Nathaniel's taste, but we'll take her nonetheless," the man in front of me said, wrapping his hand around my throat, effectively cutting off my circulation.

"Yes, brother. Take her life," the other one behind me said with a cackle.

I clawed at the arm, but it was useless. I couldn't get him to let go. Giving up on removing his hand wrapped around my neck, I dug my fingers into his eyes.

He howled, throwing me to the floor. I scrambled on the floor, desperately crawling away from them.

"Where do you think you're going?" One growled, yanking hard on my leg.

Pain shot up my leg, but the cries wouldn't escape my lips. One of them came forward, slamming his foot down on my ankle.

"Let's see how you run with that," he sneered.

Tears stung my eyes, and soon they were falling out. I dropped my head on the floorboard, resigning myself to fate.

I waited for the pain, but it didn't come.

"Ayra."

That unmistakable voice. It couldn't be him. Why would he come to help me? My mind was playing tricks on me.

"Ayra," he said again, scooping me off the floor and into his arms.

The familiar scent filled my nostrils - tobacco, and vanilla, two different smells I hadn't expected to go well together, but surprisingly, they did. I'd gotten acquainted with the smell of it last night.

"Nathaniel?"

"Yes. It's me."

***

NATHANIEL

She was shaken from the attack. That much I could tell. She rocked herself in the tub, her eyes vacant as she whispered words to herself.

I had tried gaining her attention for the last ten minutes, but I'd failed. She wasn't going to be responding any time soon.

I sighed, heading for my bathroom door when she spoke.

"Who were those people?" She asked, her voice far from shaken. There was a deep edge to it, adding to the huskiness of her tone.

Focus Nathaniel, I chided myself.

"I asked you a question, Nathaniel. Who were those people?"

I turned to face her. The look in her eyes said she knew who they were. She just wanted me to confirm it.

"Demons."

"Why are demons in The Borough?" She asked.

"I don't know," I lied.

I knew those demons I'd killed some minutes back. They had been a part of my lair. That was how they were able to gain access to the lair. We still shared a bond, even though it was faint.

"You're lying," she spat, climbing out of the tub, not realizing she was naked.

I could tell the moment realization dawned on her. Mortification filled her eyes, but she was too proud to cower away or hide her body. She didn't want me to have that satisfaction.

It irked me and amused me at the same time. I wasn't used to someone challenging me, and she'd done exactly that in my office.

As a creature used to order and obedience for many years, it was something new to get used to.

"They sounded like they knew you," she said, snapping my attention to her face.

It was challenging to stay focused on her face when she stood naked before me.

"Did they?"

"Yes. They called you by your name, and they found me 'mediocre' for your taste in females. It sounded like they knew you too well."

"I am known far and wide. That's hardly telling anything. Are you going to keep arguing or will you get dressed? You have had quite a long day."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," she snarled, picking up the towel on the edge of the tub before brushing past me.

It was on the tip of my tongue to apologize for marking her, but I couldn't bring myself to. I wasn't wired that way.

Instead, I walked into my closet, picking out a sweatshirt and basketball shorts.

"You can wear this for the night. I don't think it'll be smart for you to return to your room tonight."

I could see the displeasure in her eyes, but she said nothing. Even though she was mad, she knew she couldn't fight off the demon herself.

The other demons would have gotten the sign by now that two of their own were lost. They'd be furious and thirsty for blood. Not just any blood. Ayra's blood.

She was better off staying where I could see her. The demons had no chance of getting in here. The house had a spell around it that kept demons away. It had cost a fortune to find a sorcerer that could cast the spell around the house.

Demons had no chance of penetrating the shield. Even if they were able to, they'd have to go through me first, and they all knew they couldn't.

Speaking of sorcerers, I made a mental note to visit an old friend. Ayra needed a weapon to protect herself against demons.

Draenhium weapons caused fatal damage to demons. They cost a huge fortune, hence they were rare with only a few possessing the weapons. Luckily, I knew the sorcerer who made them. Getting to him would be tasking, but for Ayra's safety, I had to find him. I was responsible for the attack on her life, after all.

***

I laid wide awake long after Ayra fell asleep. Before she fell asleep, she made sure to keep a lot of space between us, but the deeper she fell asleep, the closer she drew to me.

She was fully on my chest when the sun peaked in the sky the next morning. I'd barely gotten a wink of sleep, but I was eager to get my day started.

Easing her off my chest, I changed into my gym attire before going down to the gym. I'd worked off a bit of sweat when Kai's mind brushed against mine.

'Nathaniel, you need to see this. It's horrendous.'

"Fuck me," I groaned, dropping my dumbbell to the floor.

'Is it something really important?'

I had a long day ahead of me, and I hadn't even gotten about finding the sorcerer.

'Yes. Two more werewolves were infected with Wylim.'

That was serious. Wylim was a poison used centuries ago to make werewolves lose their minds. The manufacturers had quickly stopped their production after they had been threatened by some werewolves.

If someone was recreating the poison, we had a lot to be worried about. Number one on that list was how they knew how to make the poison.