Trista’s POV Did I like it?Of course I did. It was impossible NOT to like.“It’s not flashy,” he chuckled. “In fact, sitting beside all those other expensive gemstones, it looks kind of… I don’t know… naked.”I chuckled along with him. The ice jade certainly didn’t have the glitz and glam of Liam’s expensive gemstones. They glittered and sparkled unabashedly in the light.The ice jade, though, held no sparkle.It had an entirely different sort of allure.“I’ve never heard of ice jade before,” I said. “Where did you get this?”“It’s from my grandmother’s collection,” Lucian said. “It was given to her when she was young, by a lover. She moved to Hong Kong and they missed each other desperately. One day, this appeared in the mail. He said it was a token of his love for her. And that it symbolized how much he missed her, like the way ‘the stars miss the moon when it’s a new moon’.” Lucian chuckled again. “He was apparently quite poetic, my grandmother’s lover.”I smiled. It
Trista’s POVGlancing at the faces in the audience, I know I made the right decision. I could have used Liam’s gemstones, but then I wouldn’t be true to myself.And I certainly wouldn’t have a design that created this much stir.Lucian flashed me a smile. He was just as invested in this design as I was. The jade had sentimental value for him. If no one bid, it would be destroyed.And even worse, LUCIAN would be the one who had to destroy it.But…People seemed intrigued.“Moon mates,” a woman in the back said pensively. “I like the sound of that. I don’t know what ice jade is worth, but there’s something charming about his design.”“I agree,” the woman to her left said. “It’s so different from all the other designs.”I used my wolf ears to listen in on people’s conversations.And I liked what I was hearing.“I wonder how much it’s worth. I like the way it glows,” a man in the front said while puffing on a cigar.“Me too,” the man across the table from him said. “It looks rare, this ic
Trista’s POVONE?HUNDRED?MILLION?Had I heard that right? My eyesight wasn’t great but my hearing usually was. But still, there had to be a mistake.All voices in the room stopped. People craned their necks, looking up, trying to see where the bid had come from.“Uh, one hundred million dollars,” Lucian repeated, in an unsure voice. He was only reiterating the way we ALL felt.One hundred million dollars was a fortune! And not a small one. That was even much higher than where The Heart of the Ocean stopped at. And the Heart of the Ocean was a legendary, massive, sapphire!Hazel caught my eye.“Holy hell,” she mouthed at me. I smiled with uncertainty and shrugged. Then I made eye contact with Liam. His face had changed. A smile crept up his face. He nodded at me. Then he gave me a cute little thumbs up.“One hundred million dollars going once,” Lucian said. We both knew no one else was going to bid. Not against that price. So Lucian made quick work of the final bid calls.“Going twic
Trista’s POVI was brought upstairs to the VIP room. The staff member opened the door.“Aren’t you coming in?” I asked. But she shook her head and scurried away, leaving me alone at the door.Hesitantly, I stepped inside.It was a large room that looked out over the auction floor. I could see the lights of the stage shining down below. But the room itself was dark, the lights low.I squinted. Given my poor eyesight and the dimly lit room, I struggled to see. I heard the clink of ice cubes in glasses and low murmurs. There were several people in the room but no one addressed me.Eventually, my eyes adjusted, but only slightly. I saw a few men sitting on a large, black leather couch. The sweet scent of scotch and whiskey permeated the air.They were rich. Filthy rich. That had that demeanor that only ridiculously wealthy people had. They looked up at me, eyeing me like I was some sort of prized possession rather than a person. I didn’t know which of these men had bid on my jewelry, s
Trista’s POVIt was an odd thing to say. Devour me with his eyes?There was something about his tone.I should have bolted for the door. I should have run.But the truth was, I was torn.I was intrigued by this man. Who was he? What did he want from me? He wasn’t human so WHAT was he? Why had he bid on my jewelry and demanded to see me?“Come,” he said again. He was still sitting, in the dimly lit corner. I was strangely drawn to him. Serena acted like he was dangerous. I didn’t feel like that, though. Arrogant? Yes. Bossy? Absolutely. Entitled? You bet.But not dangerous.So, out of curiosity, I moved towards him.It was so damned dark in that room though. I stumbled over a low coffee table and tripped. But instead of hitting the floor, I fell into his arms.He’d caught me with lightning speed. Inhuman speed. If I hadn’t been sure before, I definitely was now.This man was NOT human. He held me, dipped backwards in his arms. He hovered over me. Then he removed one arm from my bac
Trista’s POVI ran out of the VIP room, my dress clutched in my hands. I put it back on as best I could, even though I had to hold it together with my hands. I couldn’t let anyone see me, not like this, so I ran to the stairwell and hid in a corner.Tears spilled from my eyes.What just happened? Who was that man?He looked like Johnson but he couldn’t have been. There was no way! Johnson knew I had poor eyesight. He knew how much I hated dimly lit rooms. Johnson would NEVER try to trick me like that.My breath was coming in ragged gasps. I had to calm myself down.The man’s silver eyes flashed through my mind. Johnson had beautiful blue eyes. And yes, I’d seen them turn a strange sort of uncontrolled red before.But never silver.I wrapped my knees into my chest and rested my cheek on my knee. I was calming down now but I was still very upset.That man had spent a hundred million dollars on my jewelry! Yes, Johnson was rich, but he wasn’t THAT rich. He couldn’t flippantly squander a
Johnson’s POV Fear.That’s what I saw in Trista’s eyes as she pried herself from me. I released her then I watched with narrowed eyes as Trista ran out of the room.“Arggg!” I hollered, plunging my claws into the table. It was all I could do to stop myself from grabbing her. I wanted to run after her but I knew I had to stop myself“What have I done?” I whispered out loud, horrified at myself. My wolf, Silver, growled menacingly. “Get her,” he demanded. “She’s yours!”I shook my head, my claws digging into the table.“No,” I told him.“Yes,” he hissed.“SHUT UP!” I snapped at him.He paced, his fur bristled. “She belongs to you. CLAIM HER!”My hands shook. “I won’t let you hurt her,” I said. “Stop it, you bastard.”Silver stopped pacing. He chuckled, a low, threatening laugh. “Bastard?” he scoffed sarcastically. “A moment ago you were deliberating between fucking her or tearing her to shreds. If I’m a bastard, then so are you. Admit it.”He glared at me, and I saw the gleam
*Warning*: Dear reader, I apologize for the somewhat gory and violent content of these two chapters. It is meant to show that Johnson did go through a dark moment.Johnson’s POVMy mother had called me, out of the blue. I was in the United States, missing Trista. Her words made my blood run cold. “Please come, Johnson,” she pleaded into the phone, her voice barely above a whisper. “Your father’s been shot.”I hung up the receiver and booked a red eye flight to Milan.Shot?My father?But whom?I rushed to their home in the south of France, expecting the worst. I knew by then that my father was involved in some pretty shady business, but I hadn’t known the extent of it until I arrived at their estate.I ran into the lobby of our family home and instantly noticed a strange atmosphere. Instead of being greeted by our butler, the lobby was full of big, burly men in black suits.“Where’s my father?” I demanded, unease settling in. Who were these men? Where was our normal staff?Just then