Darkest Risings (3 page)

Someone
was after his family. And while his visions gave him glimpses of the future,
the future was a prickly bitch that only allowed him to see what it wanted,
which at times, wasn’t much. The uprising had been prophesied for years and
involved his sons. Once they all found their
viata amants
, they could come into their true blood, ancient
powers. When that happened, the uprising, the war, would occur.

Until
now, Marilena had talked him into letting her handle that information. It had
been the biggest mistake of his life, and may ultimately prove the downfall of
his bloodline once and for all.

“Hate
me all you want, Marilena. You’ve never been shy to do whatever you thought
best, even if it wasn’t the right thing to do.” Ragnor was tired of fighting
with her.

She
was his
viata amant
, and she had
taken his children and left him after he told her about the prophecy. Her
anger, born from the belief that he was capable of stopping what was prophesied
to happen, had fueled her determination to keep his family from him.

“Why
won’t you stop this? Our children could die! One already has.” Marilena pleaded
with him.

His
heart ached. “Why will you not believe me when I tell you that I cannot stop
what is fated? Do you honestly believe that I would put our children in a
situation that could result in their deaths if I had the power to stop it? You
are bonded with me. You can feel my powers, know what I am capable of, but even
that has failed to open your eyes to the truth.”

“You
can stop it. I know you can!” Tears streamed down Marilena’s face.

He’d
never seen a more beautiful woman, never wanted another woman like he’d wanted
her—still wanted her.

“Enough!”
He took her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “This is the last
time I will tell you. I. Can’t. Stop. This.” He sighed in resignation. “I am
powerful, but even true bloods have limits. I cannot alter Fate. No one can.
She is a force of her own. A force unrivaled.”

Marilena
beat her small fists against his chest until her body began to quiver then she
slid to her knees. He followed her down and held her to him.

“Damn
it, woman. Why do you have to be so stubborn? It is time to stop acting like a
child. We must make this right.” He stood and held his hand out to her. “Come
now. We have much to do. The first thing is to set Uriah free and hope he
doesn’t hate both of us.”

Marilena
sobbed then bowed her head in defeat. “Promise me that you will do everything
in your power to save our children.”

“That
is a promise I can make easily for I love them as much as their mother. But my
love for you has led me to make too many bad decisions, led me to remain silent
in the background when I should have been roaring and screaming. That time is
over.” He smiled sadly, reached out, and let the backs of his fingers trail
down her lovely face.

How
he’d ached for her. It had been torture being separated from his
viata amant
for so many years, but he
hadn’t been willing to force her to stay by his side. She had free will, and
he’d never treat her as property like his father had his mother. After all that
had happened, he wondered if he should have dragged her back to his side where
she belonged.

Did
she ever miss him or had her hatred eaten away all of the love they had once
shared? Then and there, he made a vow to himself. If they all survived the
upcoming war, he’d claim her once again. And no force born of all creation
could take her from him again.

Wilhemina
Jenkins stared at the door that led into the bar. It had been years since she’d
been in the Midwest. She’d grown up in a small town called Plainview, but had
left shortly after graduation. She’d planned to become a big time journalist,
and a small town was not conducive to those dreams.
See how well that panned out for you?

She
was an accomplished writer, but competition on the East Coast was brutal. Her
dreams had been crushed time and again. She’d been passed over for promotions
left and right. The job always went to the man, no matter how much better
qualified she’d been.

Women
had come a long way in this world, but it was definitely not a
woman’s world
as she’d heard some call
it. She’d found out the hard way that unless she could magically grow a dick
and testicles, she was not going to climb her way up anywhere in the journalism
world anytime soon. She got plenty of work, but she didn’t care to spend her
time and talent writing advice columns on cleaning or, worse yet, sex. Like she
had any advice to give on sex. Hell, she’d just turned twenty-eight and had
never had it.

She
sighed. She’d missed out on so much while trying to get somewhere she was
doomed to never reach. A few weeks ago, she’d given her life a long, hard look
and had decided to quit her job, move back to Plainview, and try her hand at
another dream. Writing a novel. She hoped she wouldn’t waste her time, sweat,
and hard work on this new dream to fail yet again. She squared her shoulders.
She was about to remedy one thing. She was going to get laid tonight if it was
the last thing she did.

She’d
heard about Drake’s through the grapevine. It was a swanky bar in St. Louis
that was rumored to attract some very hot men, and she was ready to meet a hot
man that would knock her socks off—her panties too if she had anything to say
about it.

She’d
been on the verge of changing her mind on the drive there, but damn it, it was
time for her to have some fun. Besides, there was nothing wrong with a girl
getting a little action if she wanted to. It was the twenty-first century after
all. She frowned and dug through her small purse for the tenth time to make
sure the condoms she’d placed inside the small zipped compartment earlier were
still there.
What the hell do you think,
Wilhemina? The condom fairy came and took them?
She snorted, trying not to
contemplate what exactly the little fairy would leave in exchange.

She
took a deep breath and walked through the door then promptly gasped.
Holy shit! I am so out of my league.
The
place was beyond posh. It was darker inside than most of the bars she’d
visited, but light enough for her to see the décor. Red walls, black leather, overstuffed
booths with dark wooden tables, and a huge, polished dance floor with
flickering lights were only a few of the garnishments. She smoothed her hands
down her sides, wondering if she was underdressed for the place, but another
glance around showed that casual was accepted.

The
music was loud, and the bass rumbled the floor under her feet. She made her way
to the bar, got a shot of tequila, and went to search for a table in the corner
so she could scope the crowd for prospects.
Prospects?
Geez. You sound like a freaking hooker.
Had she completely lost her mind?
She slid into the cool seat, wondering if she’d just made a huge mistake.
Relax. You can still have a good time.
True. It wasn’t written in stone that she actually had to sleep with someone.

Just
when she’d decided to squash her plan to find a one-night stand, the sexiest
man she’d ever seen walked through the front door. Her jaw nearly hit the floor
when she gaped in awe of his perfection. She whistled low under her breath.
Maybe this would be a good night after all.
Yeah,
but how do I get something like that to look at an average girl like me?
She
sighed. She wasn’t bad looking, but he was way out of her league. No doubt he
preferred blondes with big tits and legs up to their necks. Her red hair and
short to average legs with a few extra pounds on the thighs simply wouldn’t cut
it.
Oh well. Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy
the view.

* * * *

Aldin
found himself at Drake’s for the second time that night. It was no less crowded
than when he’d met Alaina earlier, and he wasn’t surprised to see that the
club’s number of human patrons was climbing. When the building had been rebuilt
after the fire, word had gotten out about Drake’s to more than just vampires.
It hadn’t been unusual for a human to wander into the club here and there
before the reopening, but it hadn’t been the norm.

He
took a long, deep breath. He needed to lose himself, and forget about the mess
he’d made with Alaina. He needed a woman. As he began to think sifting through
the crowd might prove difficult, he spotted a redhead sitting alone in a corner
booth. And damn if she wasn’t fine.

As if
she’d felt his eyes on her, she looked directly at him and gaped before
smiling. Oh yeah. If he had anything to say about it, he and Red were going to
go for a long, hot, sweaty ride. He knew from experience that the women who
came here were no delicate flowers. Deciding she’d be able to handle him, he
ordered two beers and started in her direction.

* * * *

Wilhemina
squirmed in her seat when Mr. Sexy walked toward her. How in the hell had she
attracted the attention of something like that?
Damn.
Her hormones were practically doing somersaults as she
watched his approach. His long legs only added to his seriously yummy swagger.

“Hey,
baby. You all alone?”

She
jumped, startled by the voice beside her. She’d been so enamored by tall, dark,
and gorgeous that she hadn’t noticed the blond man’s approach. He was nice
enough looking with his blue eyes and sharky smile, but he didn’t compare to
Mr. Sexy
. Not to mention he called her
baby, which she absolutely detested. If there was a sure-fire way for a man to
get shot down by her, it was to call her baby.

“No.
I’m waiting for a friend.” God, she hoped she was waiting for a friend.

“How
about a dance while you’re waiting? I’m Roger, by the way.”

“No,
thank you.”

Obviously,
Roger wouldn’t take the hint if it came in the form of a two-by-four across the
back of the head.

“Come
on.” He gave her arm a tug.

“Let
me go please.” She resisted, but he wouldn’t let go.

“Aw.
Don’t be like that.”

“I
believe the lady asked you to take your hands off of her.”

She
and Roger looked up to find
Mr. Sexy
standing not a foot in front of them. Holy hell, the man was huge. And his low,
gravelly voice sent shivers down her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck
stood on end as if to warn her that this was the ultimate predator. Yet she
couldn’t find it in herself to take that bit of information as a bad thing.

Roger
let her arm drop immediately upon seeing
Mr.
Sexy’s
imposing frame looming over him.

“Sorry,
baby,” Roger murmured as he skittered like a frightened bunny off through the
crowd.

“Thank
you.” The words left her mouth in a breathless whoosh.

“You’re
welcome. Would you like a beer?” He held up the extra bottle.

“Sure.
Would you like to sit?”

He
nodded before sliding in beside her. The leather of his long duster creaked as
he sat down. He was close enough that she could feel the heat coming off him.
Her mouth went dry as she tried not to gape. Up close he was nearly more beautiful
than words could describe. He was not only sexy, but sex practically oozed from
every pore of his golden, flawless skin.

Huge,
muscular, and dark hair cut short on the sides but longer and spiky on top. His
lips were fuller than any man’s should be and begged to be kissed. Her fingers
curled around the beer bottle as she imagined how his hard muscles would feel
under her hands. The shadow of stubble on his jaw gave him that rugged,
don’t-fuck-with-me look, and she wondered if she’d get whisker burn on her face
from his kisses.

Her
cheeks flamed hot when she thought of how she’d like to get stubble burn on
other areas of her body as well. This man was making her hot, making her want
to do things with him she’d never imagined she’d want to do with a man she’d
just met. That very instant, she decided that if he invited her to his place,
she’d go without pause. If she was going to lose her virginity, she’d be
absolutely happy to lose it to him. She had a feeling he could make her toes
curl, her eyes cross, and fulfill every fantasy she’d ever had and then some.

“I’m
Aldin.”

Unique
name for a unique man.

“Wilhemina.”
She pursed her lips, wondering if he’d laugh at her name. Most people did.

“Wilhemina.”
He drawled the syllables out, making each letter sound like a wicked secret. “I
like it.”

“Thank
you.” She smiled.

Get a hold of yourself, Wilhemina.
Stop acting so polite and goodie-two-shoes innocent. He doesn’t seem like the
kind of man who makes a habit of taking home virgins.
If she didn’t stop acting naïve, he was going to catch on
and ditch her for some bimbo who would rock his world with the experience she
lacked.

No.
He was definitely not an inexperienced pup. He looked as if he’d eat her alive,
and she was willing to offer herself up for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert,
and a snack. What the hell was wrong with her? Only minutes before, she’d
decided she wasn’t going to go through with the ridiculous one-night stand
crap.