In the protection of his home, Aiden paced with a long-forgotten restless energy. He thought of her soft skin, how it would feel beneath his palm, under his body, how it would taste. The thought of her mass of silky red hair brushing his heated body, the line of her vulnerable throat exposed to him, excited him. His body tightened unexpectedly. Not the mild physical attraction he had felt as a fledging, but a savage, demanding, relentless ache. Shocked at the erotic twist his thoughts began to pursue, he imposed rigid discipline. He could not afford real passion. He was shocked to find he was a possessive man, deadly in his rages and protective beyond measure. This kind of passion could not be shared with a witch; it was far too dangerous.This was a woman of freedom, strong for a mortal, and she would fight his nature at every turn. He was not human. His was a race of beings with animal instincts, imprinted before birth. Better to keep his distance and satisfy his curiosity on an int
The pounding on her door penetrated the deep layers of sleep. Freya fought the thick fog forcing her eyes closed, making her body heavy. Alarm spread. It was as if she had been drugged. Her gaze found the small alarm clock on the bedside table. Three o'clock in the afternoon. She had slept two hours away. She sat up slowly, feeling as if she was wading through quicksand. The pounding on her door began again.The sound echoed in her head, thundered at her temples. "What'?" She forced her voice to be calm, although her heart was slamming against her chest. She was in trouble. She needed to pack quickly, run. She knew how futile it could be. Wasn't she the one who had tracked four serial killers following the mental path of their thoughts'? And this man was a thousand times more powerful than she. The truth was, she was intrigued by him. She had never met anyone like him before. She wanted to stay and learn from him, but he was far too dangerous in his casual use of power. She would ha
The contact was broken abruptly. Freya let out her breath slowly, all too aware that she should be feeling relief, not feeling bereft. There was seduction in his hypnotic voice, his masculine laughter, in their very conversation. She ached with the same loneliness as he did. She didn't allow herself to think of the way her body had come alive at the touch of his fingers. Burned. Wanted. Needed. And he had only touched her with his mind. The seduction was far more than physical; it was some deep, elemental thing she could not precisely put her finger on. He touched her inside her soul. His need. His darkness. His terrible, haunting loneliness. She needed, too. Someone to understand what it was like being so alone, so afraid to have an intimate relationship with another being, afraid to be too close. She liked his voice, the Old World elegance, the silly male arrogance. She wanted his knowledge, his abilities."Freya..." A voice called out to her from behind her door.A tentative smil
The chairs around the tables were occupied, except for three,certainly more than it used to be before, three years ago. Yes, that was when her mother had come and taken her away from the orphanage. At first, it had been a bit rough relating with her and the others in the new community, away from her friends in the orphanage, even though she had still attended her old school, but when she had told her the reasons why she had left her in the orphanage home, for her protection, she had come to accept her bit by bit, the community too. But they usually ate alone in the large dining table. Not with others. Ordinarily, Freya was an introvert. She avoided public places as much as possible, preferring not to have to worry about shielding herself from unwanted emotions, especially since after that night. She took a deep breath and walked in, her hand clasped with Yodah's.Kyran looked up with a welcoming smile, stood, as if waiting for her to join the group at the table. He had also reser
Aiden furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the man beside her lean forward, look into her eyes, raw longing on his face, desire in his eyes. "I will come with you. The vampire won't be needed." He suggested, and his hand moved from her thigh to rest just above her knee.Aiden saw red.At once the pain in Freya's head increased, crushing at her skull, stabbing at her behind her eyes. She jerked her leg out from under Kyran's hand. Demons leaped, raged, burst free. Never had Aiden felt such terrible fury, not even when he had known that the wolf boy had slept with Emma. It rushed over him, claimed him, became him. That someone could hurt her like that, so casually, without even knowing or caring. That someone might touch her while she was so vulnerable and unprotected. That a man would presume to put his hands on her. He hurtled through his open window, to the sky, the cool air fanning his rage.Freya felt the force of his anger. The air in the room thickened; outside, the wind rose,
"What is the matter, Leonarya?" Yodah asked, shocking Leonarya. It had been long someone called her by her name, without attaching the queen title.She would have ensued a strong order to her cabinet to wreck him with their magic, at least to paralyze him-surely they could, but for the fact that he would be an assest, and because of her daughter."You guys can't stay late. You have just two hours to go out with her and come back. The night is not safe." She replied calmly, hoping that he wouldn't refute her. She didn't have an alliance with patience.But he didn't refute her.Rather her daughter did."Why?" Freya asked." Why is it not safe? What is happening at night, mother?" She questioned, remembering the trainings she had seen some witches and wizards undergoing in the large field near thr house."Nothing that should be of a concern to you." Leonarya replied, hinting at Yodah with her eyes to take her daughter away, but the latter refused to acknowledge her request. He was loyal
"I see." Freya heard her mother say, and sighed.Here it goes. She thought, the emotional blackmail. The woman was a pro at it."I see that you have grown wings eh. Is that how you repay your mother after all she had done for you huh? Do you know what I went through for your sake? Do you know how much I fought for you?...." Leonarya was saying, and Freya found herself shaking her head in denial"Mother, it isn't like…." She was saying, but Leonarya interrupted her sharply."...so, what you chose to pay me back with after all these years of my sacrifice, is to have a vampire read my thoughts?" Leonarya inquired, dropping her hand on her chest, faking a tear, shaking her head as if in sorrow."No, mother. I'm sorry.""I'm not a vampire, woman!"Freya and Yodah said respectively, at the same time that Aiden scoffed. "Fake.""You are not a vampire? So, what are you?" Leonarya asked, furrowing her eyebrows at Yodah."What I am is none of your concern." He replied, ignoring the murmurings g
Freya opened her eyes, after what seemed like seconds to her. She noticed that she was in the arms of someone that was not Yodah. Their scents were different.She trailed her eyes from the powerful chest to the face of the man who was carrying her.His hair was the color of dark coffee beans, a dark espresso, drawn back and tied at the nape of his neck. His face was that of an angel or a devil, strength and power, with a sensual mouth that hinted at cruelty; his hooded eyes were black obsidian, black ice, pure black magic.She couldn't read him, couldn't feel his emotions or hear his thoughts. That had never happened.But she already knew who he was. Her heart was beating faster than the normal. Her insides were humming in pleasure.Aiden."Tonight might not be so good for me. I'm feeling..." She broke off, trying to get his attention, but then catching a glimpse of a moving shadow pacing them. Her heart nearly stopped. She looked around, sighted a second, then a third. Her hand clutc