Gravity (16 page)

My mouth sucked on the soft skin of his throat just above the vein, feeling every muscle in his

body tense and move all at once.

“Ever had a Mage?” I whispered, wrapping my fingers around his wrists and placing his hands

on my chest. He dropped them to my hips again, as if unwilling to participate. Christian became a

combustible package of dynamite that I was desperately trying to blow up.

Deepening the kiss, I tore open my shirt and the buttons tumbled down his chest and rolled

across the floor. I hissed, not expecting how painful his grip would be.

Christian quickly let go. Breathing heavy. Glossy, black eyes hooded. His mouth parted and

fangs extended.

I wanted to get it over with, and fast. I unzipped his trousers and wrapped my hand tightly

around him.

“Ah, Christ,” he groaned. Christian bucked beneath me. Our energy had no effect on Vampires,

but then again, there was no sexual energy rushing through my body. I wasn’t as aroused as he

was, and because of that, I wasn’t sure if I could take him. He didn’t smell like Logan or touch me

in the same reverent way. Christian also didn’t have that faint trace of mint on his tongue.

It was all wrong.

“Slow down,” he said. “Slow…”

I closed my eyes, trying to forget who I was with, stroking him against me. Nothing worked

and my frustration rose. I finally gave up and lifted my hips.

“Wait, Silver, you aren’t ready.” Christian began pushing me away.

“I’m so ready.” I said, kissing his jaw.

“Stop this. Stop!” His loud voice shook with frustration and anger. In a swift motion, he tossed

me onto the white carpet like a heap of dirty laundry.

And that’s exactly what I felt like.

“This isn’t what you want. I can sense it in your touch, I can hear it in your heartbeat, I can

see it in your capillaries, and I can taste it in your blood. What is this all about? Don’t use me for

your games,” he said, straightening himself up. “Do you think I would take a woman who doesn’t

even want me? I’m not desperate. Or are you so insecure that this is a feeble attempt to convince

yourself that you could have any man, and you aren’t as undesirable as I once suggested?”

Christian rose to his feet and zipped up his pants. “I have little patience for a woman’s whims of

insanity.”

“Just go,” I croaked.

He stood over me and his face soured. “I wasn’t thinking with the right head when we got this

started up. Had I been, I would have remembered that I don’t find you attractive in that particular

way. Not to say that men won’t take a shine to you, but…”

Christian cut himself off and his black eyes glimmered.

“Something else is behind this,” he said decidedly. “Does this have to do with Tarek?”

I shook my head. “Leave.”

Chapter 13

As planned, Logan arrived at the house shortly thereafter. I lowered the security to allow him

entrance and changed into a new shirt, not even bothering to put on a pair of panties. I may not

have had sex with Christian, but Logan would be able to smell the sexual intent all over me. It

wouldn’t matter if I had consummated the act or not.

In my mind, I had cheated with Christian. Tarek would never be able to scent the lie because it

was something I wholeheartedly believed.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to throw up.

I wanted to kill Tarek.

When the front door swung open, Logan’s nostrils flared and his face became placid. Before I

could close the door on him—having had second thoughts—he caught my arm and pulled me into

the hall.

His pupils were engorged, fluctuating between black and gold. Logan bent forward and ran his

nose along my hair, down my neck, and drew in a deep breath. A frightening sound rumbled from

within his chest, the kind of sound a man might hear just moments before death. Logan had

developed his skills over the years—able to pick up layers of emotions the average Chitah could

not.

“Why is the smell of sex and guilt all over you?” His monotone voice gave me a fright.

I jerked my arm away. “Let go of me.”

A door crashed open from down the hall and Christian stalked forward.

“I command you to step back. As her guard, I will only give one warning.” His eyes flicked

between us, and I knew if it were anyone else, Christian would have already thrown him to the

ground.

Logan turned away from me when something else caught his attention, and that was my smell

all over Christian.

He cocked his head to the side, stepping forward once.

Twice.

And then a third step. When Logan turned to look at me over his shoulder, his eyes were

blazing with rage and betrayal.

In one second, every beautiful moment between us crumbled at my feet. The way he would

stroke my cheek as I told a story, his boisterous laugh, the way he watched me with such

adoration whenever I entered a room. Every memory we had together that laid out a path of the

unknown—a future I’d been afraid of—was blackened. In that instant, any choice I ever had with

Logan was removed. Any resolution I had hoped to find in my heart was destroyed.

“Logan, it’s my life and you can’t control what I want. You’re only courting me, but I’m a

woman of free will and this isn’t working between us. I don’t want a man who takes his time

because deep down, he’s not serious. You can’t satisfy me the way a woman needs to be

satisfied.” I looked at Christian and thought of him so that lies didn’t bleed into my scent.

Logan winced, and my anger at Tarek fueled the fire on my tongue.

“This isn’t right,” I said, waving a finger between the two of us. “It was just an infatuation, but

it’s stagnant and going nowhere. I need more in my life than what you can offer. I’ve made my

decision, and I reject you, Logan Cross. I want you to leave before we say things we’ll regret.”

An observant Chitah could sense a lie, but not amid so many complex layers of strong

emotions, including his own.

He didn’t lunge after Christian as I had expected. Logan Cross turned his back and made a

memorable walk down the long hall until he vanished from my life.

The person Tarek really murdered was me, because I had to hurt someone I cared deeply

about. Logan would one day recover from this and move on. I never would.

I closed the door, turned the security back on, and went into my room. I slept beneath the

covers for two hours before Justus stormed down the hall.

“Silver! Explain why my retinal scanner is destroyed,” he shouted from outside my door. A

scanner that Christian had damaged when he broke down the door.

A low volume of murmurs in the hall caused me to roll over. “Move out of the way, Christian.

Then allow me to see for myself. Is she in there?”

I listened to the tumble of voices outside the door, rising and falling in volume.

“…happened to the doors?” That was Justus talking.

“…discuss this in the morning… getting upset so you need to fecking go to… and let her…”

“Then leave the house and stand guard. The security alarms will…”

“…staying right here all night,” I heard Christian reply firmly. But the words drifted in and had

little meaning.

“The hell you are.”

Christian raised his voice so that every syllable was felt more than heard. “I am not moving

from this door. If we have to fight, then let’s be done with it. I have known you too many years to

swing against you, but so help me, I will. You’re not taking one step past this door without going

through me, and that is on my order as her guard.”

***

After that night, Christian no longer hid in the shadows and guarded from afar.

Logan didn’t call, but Levi did. The emotions were still raw, so I quickly hung up without

explanation. Logan’s brothers were probably patting him on the back and telling him he did the

right thing. It would have never worked out between a Chitah and a Mage.

Let them hate me. Let them despise me for what I did. But let them live.

Regardless of how Christian might have felt about me after what I did, he performed his duty

to the fullest. Using him was horrible, but it didn’t cause any irreparable damage, not the way it

might have with someone I loved. I think he was mortified he was so caught up in it that he forgot

his place as my guard.

I had to give Justus the impression that I’d been seeing someone new, so each night I dressed

up and went out. He questioned me relentlessly until I admitted I broke it off with Logan. He

didn’t seem surprised as he’d warned me long ago it wouldn’t work out between us.

Tarek’s invitation arrived on a heavy card with fancy lettering, announcing the new Lord of the

Youngblood Pride. It came with a long box and when I untied the ribbon and lifted the lid, I stared

at a wine-colored dress lying on soft tissue paper. A small note indicated the hour he would arrive

to pick me up.

The night of the party, I slipped into the expensive gown. It was a flattering fit, but for this

occasion, I felt like a whore. Burgundy fabric draped past my knees and a long slit ran up the side.

The neckline plunged past my breasts, fastened by a silver chain that wrapped around my neck. A

chain that I discovered rather quickly was infused with magic to suppress my powers.

Justus knew I had a black-tie event to go to, but he got nothing else out of me. Now that I

worked for Novis, he couldn’t be demanding with his questions since some of my secrets could be

work-related.

With my hands tucked in the pockets of my long coat, I walked down the driveway at sunset

with Christian three paces behind me. While I didn’t ask him to dress up, he wore black slacks and

polished shoes beneath his trench coat. At the end of the road, Tarek’s black car slowed to a stop.

I opened the back door, relieved to find he wasn’t inside. Christian left the bike behind and

joined me in the backseat. I watched a beautiful sunset with streaks of orange-sherbet and

raspberry clouds melting into the darkness.

Tarek’s mansion required me to turn my head left and right in order to see the whole thing.

Each Lord in his Pride had acquired the same house and property during his term. I counted three

floors with windows that were trimmed in tiny gold lights. Inside, guests were laughing and

holding wine glasses, savoring a celebratory moment as leadership changed hands for the first

time in fifty years.

Tarek waited out front, wearing a black suit and a cocksure grin. Christian wedged between us

and the Chitah laughed heartily.

“Vampire, move out of the way. Silver is my date.” He punctuated date with his canines. I took

his outstretched hand with as much grace and dignity as I could salvage. Christian’s expression

told the story—he never saw it coming.

“Remove the jacket; it’s not doing a thing for you,” Tarek complained, unlatching the buttons

on my coat and yanking it to the ground. He belted out a dark laugh as I stood in the cold wearing

his dress.

“Silver, what you are doing?” Christian asked in disbelief.

“She’s attending a party. Vampire, I’m not sure that you’re on the invitation,” Tarek said,

clucking his tongue.

Christian’s body language showed his intent was to step forward, but he merely leaned. “Where

she goes, I go. By order of the Mageri, I am assigned to protect her life, and there is no exception.

You know as well as I do the law entitles me entry.”

“Very well. Shall we?” Tarek slipped his arm around my back. “Sweetie, you’re shaking,” he said

with a smirk.

Christian’s hand slapped around Tarek’s wrist so fast I would have sworn he crunched every

bone in it. Tarek yanked his arm free and scowled as four Chitahs surrounded us with lightning

speed.

Guards.

“Do that again, Vampire,” Tarek dared. “Lay your hand on a Lord and see what happens.”

Christian’s expression hardened and he reluctantly backed down.

Within the lavish home, a spectacular chandelier illuminated the center of the main room.

Cream walls made the oil paintings pop, and adorning every available table was a stunning

arrangement of fresh orchids. Guests nibbled on desserts and sipped wine that was placed in

specific areas, if not brought directly to them by a servant.

Tarek babbled in my ear about how most of the men present were high-ranking officials, and

that they’d never permit all Lords in one building at the same time due to the security threat. If

there were a Mage in the room, they wouldn’t have sensed me as the chain around my neck

smothered my light. Not everyone was a Chitah, so I guessed Tarek was keeping his enemies

closer.

“Tarek! My good man.” One of them greeted him, clapping his hand on Tarek’s back. “We’re

delighted by the change in power. It will be a good thing,” he said with a toothy smile. Not

everyone at the function seemed to like Tarek, but they all respected the position of his family