Chapter three

”What’s this new job you’re talking about?” Sapphire asked one of her more famous clients, Raven.

“It’s more of a gig. You’ll be meeting with someone for an hour. It’s about a sponsorship program that I thought would be beneficial to you. Strange thing is he said you’ll be paid for the meeting. I think it’s one of your admirers.” Raven said and wiggled her brows, making Sapphire laugh, however she was still confused.

“I don’t get, is this a meeting with an admirer, a gig or a sponsorship program?”

“Who cares? A shitload of money was wired to me to arrange the meeting, I don’t think it’s a big deal to give him one hour if you can get that  too yourself.”

Unfortunately, Raven’s weakness was money. She needed money to pay for her costly addictions and so she made money to feed the unending addictions in a vicious cycle but the public did not know that.

Sapphire did not share the pressing need to make quick money but she admitted she was intrigued. Someone was paying a shit load of money to meet her, she must find out what they wanted.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have security stationed all around the hotel.”

“Jeez did you pimp me and now don’t want to let me know? We’re meeting at a hotel?!”

She was getting uncomfortable, wondering if she should fear for her safety. Despite not being in the spotlight, her job as celebrity fashion designer made her famous and she had had her fair share of obsessed fans and creepy stalkers. This person was beginning to look like one.

“Of course not!” Raven exclaimed, her cheeks turning red.

“You’re turning beetroot red.”

“I’m not!”

Sapphire laughed and dropped it.

~~~

She waited at the balcony where she was meeting this mysterious person and now that she was here, her stomach turned with unease.

Where was he?

For some reason, the cursed letters she burned were coming to her mind and she glanced around worriedly, wondering if this was how stupid humans got themselves killed by psychopaths. Ugh! This was stupid from the beginning. She spun around to leave and came face to face with a face from her nightmares.

Killian! The barbarian king.

“Mate Mate Mate!” Her wolf danced excitedly in her breast, surprising her. Mate?!

“No.” She whispered as her greatest fear entered the room and pinned her with the same intense green gaze that dissolved her panties that night three years ago.

“Killian!” She spat his name with all the hatred in her soul.

“I finally found you.” Said Killian. “Why did you not respond to my mails?”

“Are you out of your mind?!” She screeched, beginning to panic. He couldn’t be here, dear goddess! “Do you even have to ask? I want nothing to do with you! Excuse me.”

She tried to leave but he blocked her way to the only exit.

“Killian I am warning you, get out of my way.” She growled.

“I’m here to take you home.” He said and she laughed bitterly.

“Home?!” She had a home once, before he opened her father’s jugular and bled him like a pig! Oh how she hated his perfect face. “This is my home.” Sapphire said disdainfully.

“Your home? Don’t be silly, this is the human realm. Walking amongst them will not make you become one of them. Your place is in Diamond pack, at my side.”

“Diamond pack you say?” She spat. “There is no Diamond pack anymore, you made sure of it that fateful day. I’ve found myself a new home here so get the fuck out of my way.”

“This is not your home! And the humans are not your people!”

“They are now.” Said Sapphire. “These humans took me in when I was lost, when you invaded my home and ruined my life!”

He stormed towards her and she glared right back at him, refusing to back down.

“These humans you call so fondly are not your friends!” He exclaimed. “Do they know you are a wolf disguising amongst their numbers? What will they do to you if they find out? Will they still have your back or will this precious new family of yours turn on you? Should we find out?”

She grew cold with his threat.

“You wouldn’t dare.” She whispered.

“Wouldn’t I? Come with me.” He offered her a hand. “Come home.”

“That will never happen!” She said. “Stay the fuck away from me.”

She tried brushing past him but his hand lashed out, grabbing her arm and she squeaked.

“Mate.” He said, pulling her in. Her protest died on her lips as he brushed a hand up her bare arm, causing her to shiver while he followed the pattern of goosebumps.

“No...” She whispered but it was weak. She was reacting to his closeness, his wolf calling out to hers.

“Come to me.” He whispered in her ear and pulled her even closer. To her greatest dismay, she caught flashes of his voice whispering those dirty things in her ear as he bent her over that night. The way she was unable to keep her hands off him...

“Let me claim you.”

He nudged her neck up and slowly closed the distance between them and her eyes grew hazy with lust as her body molded into his.

“Killian don’t...” she begged, even as her body strained for a taste of him.

“Be mine Sapphire.”

Her phone suddenly blared out and she leapt away from him, dismayed at the treachery of her body.

”Stay the fuck away from me.” She cried and took off. He found her, and now she feared the life she had built so painstakingly was already shaking, threatening to come crashing down around her ears.

What if he found out about her triplets? What if he took them away from her? Never!

She promised to protect her babies. She would do that until her dying breath! Especially from their father! She ran from him and never looked back.

~~~

“Mummy!” Her three angels ran out to meet her and she dropped to her knees and hugged them tight.

Just like ever, their tight hugs made everything bad feel better.

“My babies! Hope you didn’t give Mrs. Persimmon a hard time today.”

“Not at all.” They chorused and she laughed, knowing they did the exact opposite.

“Should we ask her then?” She asked. “Do you agree to be spanked if she says otherwise?”

“No mummy!”

“Don’t do that Mummy!”

“You coming in or what?” Drake asked. She was not surprised to find her closest friend in her house. He was here so often it might as well be his second home.

“Drake.”

With one look, his brows lowered and he picked up that her mood was off.

“What’s wrong?” He asked after twirling the triplets one by one and sending them off to play.

“Why do you look so pale like you saw a ghost?” Asked Drake.

“I did.” She said, her earlier worry coming back threefold. “They found me.”

“Who did? Is it one of your animal people?” He asked.

He was the only person that knew she was a werewolf, and he didn’t believe her for the longest time until she shifted in front of him. She took such a huge risk and thought he would not want anything else to do with her after that but he stayed right by her side and they became closer than ever.

“Not just any of them. It’s their father!”

“What?!” He exclaimed. “He followed you here? What does he want?”

Drake looked like he was ready to challenge Killian into a fight and she remembered suddenly how over-protective he always was.

“Tell me where he is, I will make sure he crawls back into whatever hole he crawled out from!”

This was bad. Drake was always so calm and collected but few things triggered him like this and her safety was one of them. She feared what impulsive decision he would make if she bared her heart to him about how evil Killian was and how scared she was for her kids so she smiled instead.

“Oh it’s no big deal. I was just shocked to see him.”

“Sapphire...” She took a step closer and she looked away from his eyes that always saw more than she was willing to show.

“Relax, he’s not a threat to me truly. I just didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”

“What does he want? Why is he here? Is it to take you back?”

“Don’t be silly, I’m going nowhere.” She said as her phone vibrated and she gratefully excused herself to pick the unknown line.

“Hello?”

“We need to talk.”

Adrenaline slammed into her heart at the painfully familiar voice on the other line.

The devil himself, Killian.