Why was he so nervous on taking his wife out to dinner? Solaris, the brightest ray was clinging to his arm. Her scent drifted over to him, driving his beast to the edges of control. It wanted to ravish her upon seeing her in that little black dress.
It’d been a year. Emma’s body might’ve gone through changes, but she still had it, her natural allure, her effortless charm. Even if she didn’t know it. A pin-up model could be naked in front of him right now and Niquel would still shove her out of the way just to get to Emma.
While he was soaring in the heavens, Emma was obviously uncomfortable and nervous. Her eyes kept darting to the exit as she walked stiffly beside him. They were led to their table, which was situated by the windows to give them a view of the city lights. Dragon’s Lair was a highly-regarded restaurant situated on
The panic returned. “What? Let’s just go!”But he had already closed the passenger door and locked the doors. “Stay here,” he mouthed then disappeared along the line of parked cars. The spaces between them were dark, and he could feel them lurking, following him. Niquel sighed, his beast threatening to surface.At least the area was clear of humans. The guards were humans. All three bleeding on one corner of the basement – a sight Emma could’ve seen if she was on his side of the path.They don’t kill humans. It was an unwritten supernatural rule. Human deaths were messy and involved more nosy humans. Only the independent factions didn’t care, which risked the entire community, and were therefore anyone’s fair game.This one was new. He recognized the scents to be a rogue’s, a defect’s, and another that
For the last few days there was the eerily creepy feeling of getting watched, not by a single pair of eyes but by many. Emma felt it again the moment she stepped out of the elevator to go to school. It was finally Monday – time for everything to resume back to normal. Only it didn’t feel the same anymore.That morning, Niquel had already gone for work, effectively confirming that whatever was happening between them last night, she had overthought. As usual, she left Vanessa sleeping with Gladdy. Emma sighed, caterpillars creeping on the insides of her stomach. Today was also the first day of her job, at H.S. & Associates. She hoped Aidan wouldn’t be there to see her screw up.She made her way to the King’s University, casually taking a stroll as she listened to an audio recording of her classes on her earbuds. Keeping herself distra
There were more watching. Emma and his child’s safety were compromised the moment he stepped foot out of the hotel with her. Or was it way before? His guards were on their posts and so were the werewolves, but after the attack yesterday, Niquel didn’t have the luxury to be complacent.This was why he left. This was why he had to let her go. It hadn’t even been a week since he was around them and their lives were already threatened. Danger followed him everywhere he went. The only reason he was able to live freely for at least a year was because the council didn’t recognize his power.It was foolish to think that leaving the throne unattended for such a short time wouldn’t bring any significant harm to his kind. If it wasn’t for his ever-nosy brother, he wouldn’t have known of the independent factions that were hunting
Gladdy giggled as he rocked her gently in his arms. Deep dimples adorned both of her chubby cheeks. Saliva dripped down her chin, which the Dragon King wiped with the white bib around her neck.His lips were set on a wide smile, joy filling his heart from spending time with his daughter. She had the cutest giggles and coos and Niquel knew within him that he would always look out for her – keep her out of harm’s way to his last. If he felt his world was complete with Emma, it was perfect with Gladdy. The two most special women in his life – his family.“Solaris, you are cute,” he chuckled as he raised his arms and brought her closer so he could place a kiss on her forehead. Gladdy was so light that she felt weightless in his arms, vulnerable and innocent – different from the heaviness of any valuable rock he had ever carried.
Aidan was beyond pissed that the vampire brides left behind on the property weren’t eliminated as per the scheduled time. While they were easy pickings for his men, they outnumbered them. Vampires had always been nasty for him, even in business. The new facility had to be constructed according to schedule so they could expand operations right away.He sighed; the sounds coming from inside the old Victorian style mansion, which was seemingly misplaced considering its neighbors of dilapidated buildings, irritated him as the seconds ticked by. There were gunshots and growling, as well as the shrieks of the undead women – poor human souls who fell prey the charms of a vampire noble whose intentions were far different from his title. At least he was currently on the run from the Vampire Council that he’d approach the Werewolf King to sell his estate instead of one of
He could see them, their eyes red and angry, newly grown fangs bared at the sight of unwelcome visitors. But most importantly, he could sense their hunger for the powder that he held in his hand. They were hesitating, aware that if they run towards him, they’d suffer the same fate as those before them.Aidan taunted them. He clenched his fist, tons of excess powder falling into the ground. The ones on the front almost sprung forth.“Come,” he commanded, tilting his fist and letting the rest of the powder slowly pour from the slight relaxation of his fingers. And for the last push, he stepped on the gathered powder and scrubbed, hard, the sounds of the grainy powder earning heaves of breathes from the undead brides.The halflings snarled. Their nails grew into point edges. They bared their fangs as they spilled into the hallway, the narrow passage restricting their movements.
It was during lunch that Emma escaped through the small window on the girls’ bathroom that was near the football field. The team was doing their usual runs, and the cheerleaders were shouting rhymes along with dance steps and incredible stunts that Emma could only dream of ever mimicking. She hid behind the bleachers, keeping an eye out for the school’s security guard doing his rounds before bolting towards the old school building, which was situated a distance behind the open fields.While she could easily spy on the school’s most popular kids from there, Emma had no interest. Well hidden by a line of trees that was part of the school’s EcoCare Project, she ignored the “No Students Are Allowed Beyond This Point” sign and entered the building. Demolition was halted for about a week, the old building deemed unsafe for continued use,
Niquel slumped by the door, disappointed at himself for causing her more pain. The beast in him fought to be freed upon hearing her muffled cries. With their bond solidifying, he could feel her pain in his chest. Minutes ticked by and the room quieted down. Since Gladdy’s crib burned, he transferred her on the pull-down bed. An hour before midnight – they must’ve fallen asleep. He sighed in relief – at least they were within arms’ reach. While his plans went awry, it could’ve been worse. Niquel took out his phone and dialed a number. The receiver picked up on the first ring. “How can I be of assistance, Sir?” “Send more security on the borders. No one goes in and out without my permission.” “Yes, Sir,” Allen replied, then paused for a while. “Sir, I have to inform you of the situation after your departure.”
From the panel on the side, Niquel swiped over a card. The door opened with a mechanical whirr, signaling the captive that he had a visitor. There was but one chair in the room, and the cameras on all four corners were off. A tattoo of a dragon breathing fire from its open mouth decorated the captive’s entire upper half, leaving only patches of skin uninked. He huffed, mocking the visitor.“I suppose I must be honored to be graced by the presence of the Dragon King,” he greeted.Niquel draped his jacket over the only chair in the room after placing it nearer the man, who breathed heavily through his nose. “You should be,” he replied. “I’m on a tight schedule.”Scorch marks lined the floor from where the man was tied. No wonder they had a difficult time getting him to talk. His ton
The thick titanium infused doors opened before Niquel. Lights immediately turned on, illuminating an empty passage between the outside world and the highly guarded prison and torture facility. Cameras situated on the corners followed his every move – he paid them no heed, resisting the urge to burn them. He had never been fond of being watched of. For days, Niquel had been waiting for results, only to be disappointed every time the reports said the same thing – the captive continued to act mute. He ambled through the passage alone, his jacket creasing from his tight grip. Stains were unavoidable, hence why he preferred to have others extract information for him. The thought of what he was being forced to do irritated him more. He had to meet his wife and child tonight, and he was on a tight schedule as it was – at most, he had only an hour to make the captive talk.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me,” she whispered as she curled her fingers against her chest. “That was Hunter, mate.” He reached out to touch her face, but she irked away from him in disgust. “Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?” “Please don’t touch me.” Her voice cracked, and more tears fell. “Listen to her,” Hunter pleaded. Haisek ignored him. He held her arm and she screamed. “Why are you still crying!” he demanded, annoyed to the fullest. He caught her arms again and pinned them down and placed his weight on her thighs, so she’d stop struggling. “Stop … please …” “Stop crying!” he shouted. Why wouldn’t she calm down. He wouldn’t take advantage of her and intentionally physically harm his mate without a justifiable reason. An act of weakness was beneath him. But it was
He could keep a serious relationship, couldn’t he? He used to sleep with numerous girls and took none of them seriously, but he could be loyal and caring and sensitive ... to his mate.“What’s wrong with me?” he questioned. He treated her like one of his past times, letting his ego answer for him. For fuck’s sake, he wanted her to stay with him and do things with her – whatever she wanted because all he could think of were of a sexual manner.“What was that!” Haisek roared. He emerged from the dark corners of his mind and showed himself, teeth bared. “Go after her.”Hunter tried to raise his wall. “I just gave her what she wanted,” he said weakly.“This isn’t what she wants.”“Well, shit, Haisek … I d
Just as he surmised, they arrived a quarter before ten. Hunter expected her to be in bed by then. He had to sleep alone in his own bed since the previous night because she decided to sleep on the couch, and he couldn’t have that. So he gave her a separate room. Unfortunately, the closest one available was on the opposite end of his. And unsurprisingly, as he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, his wolf whispered a risky idea in his head. Late into the night, he secretly went into her room and kissed her goodnight. Only then was he able to rest in his own room. “Well, here’s to another night of sulking,” he muttered as they walked in. “What are you gonna do?” Aidan had a scowl on his face. Even his mate had been distancing herself from him, obviously unhappy about their situation. It didn’t help that his work was keeping him preoc
“She hang up on me,” said Hunter with a look of disbelief. “Of all my years … no one had ever done this to me!” He sent the rogue flying towards the ceiling. Another came for him right after, and he quickly reached out to break his windpipe, bringing him down on his knees. It was far from enough to calm him down at this moment. His fists went down on the rogue’s face as he shouted, “Why. Are. Humans. So. Fucking. High. Maintenance!” A hand stopped him from landing another punch on the rogue’s broken nose. He looked back and saw that it was Aidan, whose eyes were gleaming a deep dark red. The Alpha was simmering in anger, but he was being more patient than him by giving the girls some space, which was an unlikely trait. Was he actually guilty about the whole thing? They were in danger for fuck’s sake! If they left the mansion, they’d be stepping out of the barrier which had been keeping them alive for a week
Vanessa peeked from the door. “Hey,” she whispered, just in case the baby was asleep. Emma was folding the laundry, which she recognized as those that Niquel bought for her and for Gladdy. It was already past noon, but she was still wearing her pajamas, and the bed was a mess. She looked up from the cute pink onesie she was folding and offered a tired smile. Dark circles lined under her eyes and her lips were chappy from dehydration. Gladdy was on the floor, playing in her own pseudo jail of a playground. The child was already crawling, the giant teddy bears looking down on her. It was a wonder Emma hadn’t tried to escape until now. So far, there were no attempts at her life and Gladdy’s for a week, but the stress of being in this new environment where she wasn’t allowed anywhere near the door was beginning to physically show on her friend. A
Her thick lashes curled against her blushing skin as she sucked in a breath. Aidan dipped his head, warm breaths fanning her neck. She had the most intoxicating scent Aidan had ever encountered. It set her apart from all other women he had been with, and he had no intention of letting the Dragon King have his way with her. It was far too late to renege on his claim – he would make her his for good just as he must. Even if his pride wasn’t in complete agreement, his ego couldn’t take letting the overgrown lizard have what belonged to them since birth. A growl rumbled from his chest. Arke was please with her docile stillness. Surely the bond was doing wonders on her body simply from being this close to him. “Emma,” he murmured as his lips descended on her tender skin. Tingly sparks crept under his skin, fueling images in his mind that would serve to excite her. She gasped and grabbed his arms. His gums itched
He was a werewolf. They were given one mate for life and that was it. There had to be a reason why the Moon Goddess mated them together and he’d rather lose his rank than lose her then. Besides, he made a promise that he’d cherish his mate forever when he found her. Goddess, if his sister was still around, she’d be screaming his ear off because he actually thought about rejecting his mate.“Have a seat,” he said, motioning for her to sit opposite him.Emma glanced at Niquel before turning her back on him. “Leave,” she said quietly.See how that feels. What she did to him earlier was something only three women in his life were capable of, including her. Aidan met the dragon’s burning gaze. Such a shame that he had to be told the same – they were even.“Please … just go, Niq.”