Cursed by Destiny (WG 3) (25 page)

I took in his face with my eyes and his body with my hand. All I felt was hard stone beneath the softness of his skin. He had always been muscular like a boxer, but now Aric’s physique resembled more of a wrestler’s.

His chest rose and fell slowly and his face flushed. “I’ve missed your touch.”

I continued my slow caress. “You’ve really bulked up.”

He took my hand and kissed it. “I spend most of my time hunting the Tribe, training, and fighting—working out my frustrations so I can better manage my wolf.” He smiled when I continued to play. “Do you like it?”

I shrugged, to me he’d always looked good. “So long as it’s what you want. I just like you.”

Aric’s hand slipped beneath my tank top and slid over my side and tummy, frowning when his fingertips skimmed along my waist. “You, on the other hand, are even smaller. Hasn’t Misha been feeding you?”

“Yes, Aric. I actually eat more now.” I snuggled against him and released an extremely content purr. His laugh rumbled against me. I placed my hand over his heart, to feel it beat and as proof he was lying next to me. It was warm, comforting, relaxing. But it didn’t last.

Aric’s Alpha wolf voice replaced his soothing timbre. “We need to talk.” He lifted me with ease so we could face each other, keeping his hand tight against my hip. “What do you know about what’s after you?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. Just that whatever it is sees me as the one who’ll destroy it and those it leads.”

“Considering what you’ve been into, everything points to the Tribe.”

I watched him carefully. Our relationship had lasted mere months, but they’d been the most intense months of my life, filled with powerful moments that had left me breathless. I knew this wolf enough to know there was more. “You’re not convinced it’s the Tribe.”

“I’m convinced enough to slaughter them every chance I get.”

“But you still have doubts.”

Aric nodded and palmed my backside. “I can see them portraying you as an enemy of evil and influencing other dark forces to annihilate you. And I can see why they’d want you out of their way.” He growled. “But the why of it doesn’t make sense. What’s this damn key you supposedly possess? Could there be a hidden power we still don’t know about?”

“I suppose. Mish— I’ve been working on my ability to
change
into other animals, but my efforts are pathetic at best. My power to return a vampire’s soul was something I didn’t know I had, so it’s possible there’s some other freak talent I possess.”

Aric stiffened. “How many beings know you’ve been practicing
changing
into other creatures?”

“Just the vamps.”

Aric snarled. “You can’t trust these assholes, Celia. If the damn shape-shifters get wind of this, they will try to destroy you. They see themselves as the only beings powerful enough to command any form. To them you’re competition, regardless of your inability to heal.” He swore up and down. “I’m leaving on my last mission tonight. When I come back, I’m going
lone
and getting you out of here.”

I stared at him, unable to blink. After my shock wore off, I flipped out. “Are you nuts? Aric, you can’t abandon your pack. You once told me you’re nothing without them.”

“Celia, things have changed. You’re the one I’m nothing without. Don’t you see? This is the only way we can be together.”

I touched his stubbled jaw with my fingertips. “Not like this, baby. There has to be another way.”

Aric shook his head. “Celia, tonight you shone like the amazing beauty you are. It should have been me escorting you—not Misha. I should have been the one you turned to when Destiny frightened you. I should be the one asking you to dance, not that goddamn lion. I should be the one who talks to you about starting a family, not anyone else.” He waited, taking in my thunderstruck reaction. “And I should be the one protecting you from whatever seeks to harm you.”

Aric had warred with his inner animal to stay in control, but the man in him still hurt despite his beast’s best efforts to protect him. “Don’t let your jealousy cloud your judgment, Aric. And take back authority over your wolf. He doesn’t need to fear being without me. So long as you want me, I swear never to leave you.”

“How can you doubt that I want you?” Aric cupped my face. “And how can you fail to see what you mean to me? You are my mate. I live and breathe for you, Celia. My heart and soul are soldered to yours for eternity.”

Aric had shown command in his gaze before, but all those times paled to how he looked at me then. My heart thumped like the slow beat from a heavy mallet. I took a moment to allow the depths of his words to sink in. When they did, it felt as if I’d broken through the snow after being buried in an avalanche. Mate, he’d said. I was Aric’s
mate
. I quivered from the tears that threatened to fall. “Why didn’t you ever tell me? I never knew how you felt.”

Aric’s face split with sadness and guilt. “Because as pureblood I wasn’t supposed to love you, but as man I can’t stop.”

He kissed me. It was so different—new in a way. Our passion exploded so quickly we yanked each other’s clothes off. His left hand stroked my breast to tease my nipple with his thumb. The other hand traced down my stomach until he found my building moisture. My back arched and I grunted while his hands rediscovered me inside and out. The salt from his skin made me hungry to taste other parts of his body. My tongue slid down his chest. Aric was in such need. He thrashed and grunted, completely turning me on. My mouth hadn’t been around him long before he pulled me on top of him and I began to move.

CHAPTER 20

Water slid down my arms. My cheek and breasts cooled against the slick tile as I panted. Aric kissed his way along my shoulder. “Are you ready?” he asked breathlessly.

I didn’t want him to separate us, but nodded. Dawn was quickly approaching. He needed to return to his pack and leave for the mission. I’d convinced him not to go
lone
, at least for now.

His groan matched mine upon his release. I opened the glass door and staggered out of the shower, aching in all the right places. “You’d better get my scent off you.” The twinkle in Aric’s face made me laugh. That’s exactly what I’d said before he’d yanked me into the shower to wash the latest aroma of our lovemaking.

Aric lathered his skin, watching me slip into my robe. “Four times in one night. Brings back some sweet memories.”

I shuddered from his deep murmurs and from the rush of images his words flashed across my mind. My brain reasoned my body should be more than satisfied, but my tigress insisted we hadn’t made up for lost time. I sat on the edge of the bathtub and admired his luscious physique. “Do you think your Warriors know you’re here?”

“Koda and Liam don’t. Gemini must. He didn’t blink when I asked to borrow his phone. While he recognizes the importance of continuing our race, he also knows I love you. He told me tonight that, for once, he’s happy not to be of pure blood. He said he didn’t know how I’d been able to stay away from you and that no one would keep him from Taran.”

Aric’s hands passed along his chest as he washed, just not with the same enthusiasm I’d demonstrated. “At least he’s supportive,” I said.

“As much as he can be. He knows being away from you has tortured me. I’m pissed all the time and I’ve been a bastard to be around.” He placed his hands against the tiled wall and dropped his head. “I can’t believe I ever left you. I couldn’t even bring myself to touch you that day. If I had, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I thought was right for the sake of my race.” His bruised gaze met mine. “I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you.”

I hugged my arms and turned away for a moment. The pain I experienced that day still affected me. And it still wasn’t behind us. “What happened when you met with the Elders tonight?”

Aric stepped out of the shower and took the towel I handed him. “It was damn obvious we’d been together. I couldn’t hide our scent, nor did I want to. We . . . had words, and Anara ordered me never to see you again.”

I frowned, confused. “As Beta, Anara closely matches Martin in
were
magic.”

“Yeah, he does.” Aric answered as if he didn’t care, and that the Elders’ supremacy meant nothing.

“Then how are you here, especially after a direct order to stay away? I thought that whole blood bond wolf mojo thing prevented you from disobeying.”

He toweled off, smirking. “There are certain loopholes to the blood bond. When Anara ordered me to take Barbara as my fiancée, I had to obey. During the ceremony, my bond to you as my mate helped me resist.”

“But the Elders are aware of the loopholes, right? I would think they would have tightened them somehow.” I scoffed. “Especially given all the power they can draw from the pack.”

Aric wrapped the towel around his waist, his grin widening. “They’re aware. And I’m sure they used some of our collective magic to help strengthen the order. But I don’t think they realized how strong I’ve become, and I’m not planning on telling them.”

I reached for him, but thought twice before touching him. “What happens if Anara or the others discover you disobeyed them?”

Aric stopped smiling. “Let me worry about that.”

“Aric . . .”

“Celia, I hate hiding our love like it’s something wrong. If they find out, I’ll deal with it.” Aric’s eyes held the strength and determination that first attracted me to him. “I’m going to fix this, Celia. Somehow I’ll find a way for us to be together.”

I returned with Aric’s clothes after running them through the dryer with a softener sheet to remove my scent. I watched him dress, my growing need to hold him worsening. We were together again, but still so much apart. “Be careful,” I said softly.

Aric slipped his long-sleeved black shirt over his eight-pack. He leaned forward. “I’m going to come back to you. Don’t worry.” He stilled. “In the meantime, I want you to stay sharp. The only reason I’m not dragging you out of here is that, assholes or not, the vamps have the muscle to protect you and keep you safe in my absence.”

My body tensed. This was so not the moment to tell Aric I was jumping off the S.S.
Bloodsucker
. Maybe I could crash at Bren and Danny’s.
Two wolves and a tigress should be enough to thwart scary monsters, right?

“Okay, love. I promise to keep my eyes open.” I walked him to door, smiling when his lips found mine. He licked his own lips, camouflaging my scent and having one last taste of me.

No sooner did he disappear into the breaking dawn than the snow began to fall and Maria appeared at my door.

She followed me into my bedroom. I ignored her and hauled my large suitcase from beneath the king-sized bed. Her walk lacked her usual shimmy and she kept quiet despite her typical tendencies to say something wretched. “You are really leaving, aren’t you?”

“Yup.”

“It will not be de same without you. You are crazy bitch weird and all, but okay.” She made an irritated gesture with her hand. “Just okay.”

I couldn’t help but smirk. “Gee, thanks, Maria.”

A breeze slapped me in the face and I felt someone behind me. “Do you need something, Liz?” I asked.

She flung her ice blond hair back and started filing her nails. “Chef prepared you some breakfast. You should go eat.”

It was too early for the vamps to be up, including Chef. Misha’s anger must have kept them up. “Is Misha there?”

She stopped filing. “No. The master is not there now.”

“But he will be.”

She tried to sound indifferent. “Yes, most likely he will be.”

Misha and I would have to talk eventually, and I’d never been one to walk away from a fight. When I entered the kitchen there was a whole spread laid out. The vampires I was most familiar with loitered around, watching me with solemn faces and unusually quiet mouths. I tried to smile encouragingly, although it was foolish of me to do so. They were annoying, oversexed, selfish, and downright vicious. Still, I didn’t want the so-called creatures of the night to feel bad.

I thanked Chef and proceeded to eat like I was going into hibernation. I was almost done when Misha appeared with Virginia in tow. “Leave us,” he said to the others in the kitchen.

Everyone scattered like dropped marbles. Misha sat at the table and watched me as I drank my orange juice. Our eyes met with equal stubbornness, but I didn’t want to play “who blinks first.” I wiped my mouth and threw my napkin on the table. “I’m sorry about what I said last night, Misha. I was angry, but I didn’t intentionally mean to hurt you.”

“What do you hope to accomplish by seducing that mongrel?”

“
What?
”

“Are you trying to convince him to leave his pack?”

My hackles rose and my tigress readied us to strike. “Misha, you’re way out of line.”

“Do you know what happens to a
were
of his stature who decides to turn his back on his race?”

I stood, knocking my chair back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” My body shook. “I suggest you
shut
the
hell
up
!”

Misha’s stare fired with malice and his voice thickened with spite. “
Yes, I do
. The reputation of your wolf’s family will be destroyed. All his finances
and
those of his closest relatives will be depleted—”

“Misha, stop it.”

“He has an elderly mother, does he not? Are you prepared to take her home from her? All her valuables—”

“
Shut your fangs now!
”

“They will all be disgraced and shunned. All because of you—”

My hammer fist strike to the table quieted him. The table split in half and all the contents splattered to the floor. I threw the sections aside and went after him. “You want to do this?” I shoved him through the door. “
Fine. Let’s go
.”

The snow fell in large thick flakes, coating my long hair almost instantly. The sky had darkened and thunder roared in the distance. I continued to push Misha until we reached the large section of lawn separating the garden from the main house. Misha’s vampires gathered, forming a wide circle around us. I expected them to hiss and attack me. Instead they stood silent, watching us closely while their rising anxiety danced around me.