Jewel of Darkness (18 page)

“How did things go with the djinn?” he asked her, not turning away from the window. She knew that, despite his posture, his attention was completely on her. He knew exactly where she stood, knew exactly how long it would take him to get to her, and would know if she moved even an inch. He was completely attuned to her.

“It could have gone worse,” she said as she walked further into the room. Her feet moved toward him, seemingly of their own accord. She itched to be near him and her hands fidgeted with the need to touch him. “He could have certainly done something to Sally instead of just snatching her.”

“What did he want with her?” Lucian asked.

“He was curious. He’s been alone for a very long time.”

“It probably would have been better if only males had gone,” he pointed out.

Peri shook her head. “Sorry wolfie, but I have to disagree. Had only males gone, he might have been much less inclined to help. Hate to break it to you, wolf, but women have power.”

Lucian chuckled as he finally turned to face her. “Believe me, female, I totally understand the power of a
certain
female.”

“Is that so?” Peri purred as she stepped closer to him.

“Yes,” Lucian answered. “That is definitely so.”

“How do you know of this power?” Peri took another step closer to him as she looked into his silver eyes.

“I know of it because it is the only power that could hold me captive. I’m held captive by it as completely as if I were back in that dark forest. Only this time, the scenery is much better.”

Peri tilted her head back to look up at her mate. He towered over her smaller frame, but he never attempted to use his size to intimidate her. He’d only ever used it to shelter her, protect her, and love her.

“Perizada.” Her name was a whispered plea as he cupped her face in one of his large hands. His other hand wrapped around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Lucian ran a thumb across her bottom lip and she shivered. He seemed completely enthralled by her.

“I am,” he said distractedly, picking up on her thought. “Everything about you enthralls me.” He pulled her closer and leaned down until his lips were pressed firmly against hers.

Peri wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tightly to her. It didn’t take long before Lucian’s hands moved to her waist and he picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked her back until she was pressed against a wall. Peri reveled in
his
power and his strength as he held her. His lips moved against hers with the ease of a familiar lover. Lucian tasted her as though she was the most exquisite dessert to ever grace his taste buds. She parted her lips and let him slip his tongue into her mouth. They both groaned at the same time as flavor burst across their taste buds. He tasted of spice and sugar causing Peri to only push closer.

“More,” Peri practically growled as she tugged at his shirt. She wanted to touch his flesh, to feel the heat of his skin and the tautness of his muscles beneath her fingers. Lucian set her on her feet so that he could let her go and help her remove his shirt. Once it was gone she leaned back to look at his chest. “You really are beautiful,” she told him, feeling heat flush her skin. Only Lucian could ever cause her to feel the slightest bit of insecurity. It wasn’t something she cared about with others, but she cared what he thought of her.

“I am nothing compared to you,” Lucian told her as he began to relieve her of the things keeping him from her skin.

As they pushed away the world, forgetting briefly about the trouble, turmoil, worries, fears and all that was bombarding them, they simply focused on each other. Peri knew that she should feel guilty for indulging in this time, with everything falling apart, again. She should be more focused on the fact the Jewel was in the hands of a psycho and Gustavo was losing his crap and Anna was freaking out. But she couldn’t focus on those things. She needed time for herself. Lucian needed her and she needed him just as much.

“Quit thinking, love,” he murmured against her neck as he pressed tender kisses against her flesh. “There is nothing left you can do tonight, so let me take care of you.”

“Bossy even in the bedroom,”
she teased through the bond. Peri had never realized how intimate having the mental bond would be, especially when they were together physically. For a brief moment her heart twisted for Jewel and Dalton’s loss. They would never have this.

“I obviously need to do something else if you are still thinking about other things than me,”
Lucian growled. And then he proceeded to do things that caused Peri to give him her full attention.

J
ewel woke with a start. Her head throbbed as though someone was playing the drums and using her brain as their cymbal. The last thing she remembered was Volcan finding her lost in his castle and then proceeding to try to beat her into submission. She’d held out until he’d threatened her mother and those she loved. All of the abuse he’d handed out came flooding back as her body reminded her that she’d taking the thrashing of a lifetime.

She’d known that if he’d realized she was attempting to escape that there would be repercussions, but she honestly hadn’t thought he’d treat her like his own personal punching bag. Her stomach ached and she was pretty sure she had a couple of broken ribs. The bones in her face throbbed and her left eye was swollen partially closed. Jewel hoped that he would stay away and give her time to heal. She might as well have been wishing for the sky to fall. Footsteps where echoing down the hall and her stomach was attempting to empty what little it contained.

Jewel stood, not wanting to be sitting when he walked in. She might have had to pledge herself to him, but she would not tuck her tail like a whipped dog.

The door to her room flung open and in walked Volcan. “Honey, I’m home!” his voice reverberated off of the walls.

Jewel noticed the wild look in his eyes and was beginning to truly believe he was taking some sort of recreational drug. And despite the fact that he wasn’t human, it was making him high as a kite.

“Today is the day, my dear. We have much to do before the grand finale. Come,” he made a motion with his hand for her to follow. When she didn’t budge his face quickly contorted into what could only be described as monstrous. “MOVE,” he snarled at her. Jewel hurried forward and to her shock his face returned to its previous state, manic smile and all. It was as though the outburst and grotesque look had never been there.

Volcan grabbed her wrist as soon as she was in reach and flashed her to the usual room. He didn’t give her time to ask questions or wonder about his intent. A knife was suddenly in his hand and he was slashing the wrist of his other hand. He let the blood pour from the wound into a cup. The dark red liquid was thick as it flowed from his body. Once the goblet was full, he took a cloth and wrapped it tightly around his wrist.

In the blink of an eye he was suddenly before her. His hand grabbed her face as he lifted the liquid to her lips.

Jewel tried to turn her head away but Volcan held her face so tight she couldn’t move. He forced his fingers into her cheeks to open her mouth and then put the chalice to her lips. He tipped the cup up and slowly the liquid, still warm from his wrist, poured into her mouth. She gagged but still was unable to move.

Where Dalton’s blood had been warmth, spicy and invigorating to her body, Volcan’s was cold, putrid, and dead. The chill of it was so frigid that she was sure her insides would turn to ice. It was bitter and burned her throat. Jewel squeezed her eyes closed and tried her best to ignore the power she felt growing inside of her. Like a creek follows the natural, downward flow to empty into a river where it joins and then continues on, so his magic followed the path of her magic, seeking out its source and attempting to merge with it.

Jewel wasn’t sure how long the whole, awful moment lasted, but Volcan finally lowered the chalice what seemed like hours later. He held her mouth closed, ensuring that she swallowed all of the blood. When he was satisfied, he released her.

She didn’t want to look at him. Her body felt violated though he hadn’t touched her. Her heart broke over the invasion and she longed for a hot shower. But deep down she knew that she could never wash the filth away. Jewel didn’t want to see the satisfaction in his evil eyes. She hadn’t been with him all that long, but she had to admit she’d learned a great deal. Most importantly, and a lesson that she would never forget, was that Volcan was evil in its purest form.

“How do you feel?” he asked her, his voice eager for her answer.

How did she answer that honestly and yet in a way that prevented him from beating the snot out of her? “Full,” she finally croaked. And though that was partly true, her stomach was full, what she really felt was utter emptiness, as though the blood he’d forced into her had eaten a hole inside and pushed everything into it.

“You will be a force to be reckoned with once our magic merges. Once the transformation is complete, you will be able to pass on your dark magic simply by sharing your blood. You will build my army of witches. And the best part is, you won’t be able to resist the need to release your power. It will build inside of you until you will feel like you are going to explode unless you let it go.” He laughed as though he hadn’t just told her she would still be birthing evil into the world, though not necessarily by way of her loins. She thought again that this was actually much worse than giving birth to babies that would grow up to be evil. These beings that she would birth would be fully grown adults. The world will not have to wait until they grew up before feeling the effects of their malice.

“Now that it is done, my dear one ― as much as I have enjoyed our time together ― it’s time for you to go.”

Her head snapped up and her eyes met his. “Go?”

“Well, yes,” he said as though she should have realized this all along. “You can’t make witches if you are locked up in here. Not to mention, how will you torture your mate. Oh wait, he’s not really your mate anymore is he? Which is just as well since I have grown quite fond of you. In fact, I’ve decided that once our magic fuses, I might even claim you as my own. Eventually, you won’t resist the power growing inside of you — you will long for it. And then you will be one worthy of being my mate. And just like the male Canis lupus, I do not share. So Dalton will get to see you again, but he will not be permitted to touch. You are unsullied right now and I will not have you soiled by his filth.” Volcan reached out and pressed his hand to her chest, just over her heart. Jewel tried to back away but she couldn’t move. All she could do was watch and listen as he muttered words in a language she didn’t understand. She felt more coldness flow over her and she realized he was placing a spell on her.

“A simply
protection
spell, my dear,” he said with a maniacal grin after he’d finished his muttering. “If he touches you with any intentions of lust whatsoever, then my magic will awaken. The darkness hidden in you will seep into him, intensifying, multiplying. And we all know that the werewolves are already vulnerable to the darkness hiding inside of them. They do their best to keep it at bay, sure, but in the end, if they don’t have a mate to help them, it overcomes them. This spell will only speed up his decent into feral madness. You will watch him lose himself to his beast, slowly, naturally. But if you join with him and let him defile you, you will watch it happen right before your very eyes. How satisfying it will be to know you are right within his reach and yet so very far away. Seeing you but being unable to claim you will just be one more nail in his coffin."

Jewels stomach rolled at the reminder of the destroyed bond. She’d tried so desperately not to think about it. The only relief she could find in it was that perhaps he wouldn’t desire her in any fashion, and then they wouldn’t have to worry about the darkness destroying him instantaneously.

“I don’t know what’s better,” Volcan continued. “The fact that you will make fully functioning witches, or the fact that your bond is destroyed and the darkness in Dalton will grow without your light. Or the fact that if he still wants you, he cannot have you. His own pack members will have to put him down like a dog, and you will watch without any feelings toward him at all. ”

Just as Jewel had been about to respond, Volcan flashed to her side. He grabbed her arm and flashed them out of the castle. When they reappeared, they were standing on the corner of a busy street with rain pouring down and wind whipping around them causing the rain to feel like tiny knives slashing at her skin.