Wild Hearts (Blood & Judgment #1) (14 page)

“Let’s start again,” he says, clutching at his self-control like a lifeline in a tempestuous storm.

“Why?” I ask obnoxiously.

“You are a difficult woman,” he broods, straightening his jacket and picking up his scotch again. This time he sits himself in a straight-backed armchair. “Take the olive branch or you can get the hell out of here never to return.”

“Fine,” I grumble, knowing that I have no choice.

“Now, Ember, what is it that I can do for you?” he asks politely. Too politely. Dick.

“Well, Draven, it seems that my vision has led me to you and you are to help me and Aria—”

He frowns at me.

“The wolf,” I elaborate and he nods slowly, a surprising realization dawning on his handsome face. “We need to form a circle...”

“To fulfill the prophecy,” he mumbles and sits up straighter.

“To fulfill an ancient prophecy… Wait?
What
?” I ask a bit sideswiped. He knows?

“Before my mother passed, she told me a vampire and a wolf would appear at my door and that, together, we would bring down the Jurisdiction,” he explains quietly.

“Your mother was a Seer?” I ask amazed, losing my defensive stance and sitting on the coffee table in front of him, scooting it back several inches so that our knees aren’t touching.

“Yes,” he says. “How do you know?”

“I, too, am a Seer,” I say. “I have had visions for many years, all of which have led me to Aria and now to you.”

He takes that in, his brow furrowing even deeper. Geez, the man knows how to brood.

“Your mother… was she from the other Realm?” I ask carefully.

He looks up in surprise. “Yes,” he confirms.

I nod and it all makes sense now. “So was mine and Aria’s.”

“You had a mother?” he asks incredulously.

“For fuck’s sake. Have the lot of you never heard of born vampires? Do you all live under rocks or something?” I snap at him.

“You are a rarity,” he says, the look in his eye now back to the glowing desire that he had before he found out I banged his little brother. “Such a treasure.”

“Eurgh, please,” I say, really
not
going back to the doe-eyed moron I was earlier. I have been well and truly snapped out of that nonsense.

“You are,” he says, sitting forward.

I lean back as his face is inches from mine and I’m worried he is going to try and kiss me or something.

“Back to the prophecy,” I say clearing my throat, glad that I don’t have to explain it to him.

“Yes,” he says softly. “I was never sure if what my mother said was true, but I guess it is.” He takes a sip of his scotch and then holds the glass out to me. “To our new endeavor,” he says.

I stare at the glass with a frown at the intimate gesture. I wouldn’t even share a drink with Simon, never mind this buffoon.

“I didn’t spit in it,” he says to me with a smile that lights up his eyes.

“I might,” I say and take it from him anyway as he laughs at me.

I take a teeny sip with a moue of distaste and hand it back to him.

“I am not easily offended, Ember,” he says. “You could have refused.”

Now he tells me. I lick my lips and stand up. A very bad idea as his face is now perfectly in line with my pussy and he is licking his own lips, like he wants to delve his tongue right down my slit.

“Uh,” I say and stumble backwards. “We should get going, you know, daylight...”

“You can stay here,” he says grandly, offering us his home for the day.

“Aren’t you afraid I might corrupt your brother?” I say stupidly, thinking of a reason not to stay. I don’t trust him. His turnaround was far too quick and accepting for my liking and that can only mean he wants something. As I’ve said, his kind are sneaky and devious and he is the Head of all of this sneakiness. It makes me very nervous.

He grimaces at me, but then his face relaxes. “I am not worried about Jacob,” he says dismissively. “You are mine, Ember. We belong together. I know that, because my mother told me. She had a vision on her death bed and it appears she was right about everything else.”

“W-what?” I stammer and head for the doorway. “No, no. I am here for one reason only.”
His?
His?
Is he fucking joking? No one has the right to claim me, especially not him.

He boxes me in, coming up so close behind me that his body is touching mine. I reach for the door handle, but he slams a big hand to it, keeping it closed. I can feel the magic coming off him in waves and it is making me feel lightheaded. I need to feed and soon.

“Two reasons,” he whispers in my ear.

“But you don’t do sloppy seconds,” I say, not liking to refer to myself in such a way, but needing to get him off me.

“Think of Jacob as a warm-up,” he says darkly. “When
I
take you to my bed, Ember, you will know what it is like to be with a real man.”

“Ah,” I choke, trying to regroup my thoughts. “I have been around for two hundred years. There isn’t a single thing that you can do for me that others haven’t,” I tell him, feeling the beads of sweat pop out on my forehead.

“Just wait,” he says with a dark laugh and steps back from me.

I hastily pull the door open and come face-to-face with Aria, whose nostrils are flared as if she can smell the arousal on us both. Her eyes are flashing in question, but I pull on her hand.

“Dawn is coming, we need to leave,” I say.

“I’ll be in touch,” Draven says, leaning against the doorframe.

“You won’t know where to find us,” Aria says.

“I will follow the trail,” he says to me with a smile so wicked, that in spite of the fact that I have to get away from his overbearing presence, I feel myself go damp anyway.

Chapter 14

~Aria~

I glance around the bar of the swanky hotel as I sip at my bottle of beer.

This is the fanciest hotel I’ve ever set foot in. I’m pretty sure the floors are actually marble. Even
I
know that’s some expensive shit. There are chandeliers hanging from the ceilings that I bet are real crystal and not that fake stuff. The bar top and the tables around the room are made of some decadent frosted glass. Sunlight is streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind me. It has me wondering why Ember chose this place. It’s definitely no friend to vampires. Even the room we’re staying in upstairs has the same oversized windows. At least there were heavy black drapes to shield her from the sunlight as she slept, otherwise she would’ve fried in seconds when the sun came up a couple of hours ago.

I think she just wanted the luxury, something that this place has in spades. It’s a pretty fucked up way of thinking, if you ask me, choosing comfort over concerns for her life and practicality. But, hey, that’s her lookout. I’m just here enjoying a few drinks right now. It feels good to actually be able to relax for a couple of hours without having to worry about anything.

I really need it after all that shit Ember threw at me just a few hours ago. A prophecy? Jesus Christ, that’s a lot to absorb. Although I’d initially dismissed it, something in me
knew
she was speaking the truth. I’ve always known that I’m more than other wolves. I just didn’t have an explanation for it.

Until now.

My dad never spoke about my mother. I had no idea she’d been one of
them
—from the Ambassadors’ world. But was Ember also right about me being bred just for power? That thought sickens me. I don’t want it to be true. Hell, it can’t be true. My dad loved and cared for me. Whatever Ember’s relationship is with
her
father, that isn’t the same as the relationship I had with mine. No, my dad loved me.
I
wasn’t bred for power. My dad wasn’t that cold hearted or calculated. I don’t accept that. I
won’t.

I don’t like being away from my pack right now. I know that Carter has it covered and that he’ll take care of them, but it’s still unsettling being away from them. I’ve already checked in twice since we left the safe house. I’ve asked Carter to explain the situation to my wolves, telling him that the mission Ember and I are working on could very well end all of this and stop the Ambassadors from carrying out the Jurisdiction’s orders once and for all.

I just hope that’s the case. I’m so fucking tired of running and hiding from them.

Holding out hope of finally being able to destroy them was why I’d forced myself to hang back when Ember had disappeared into that room with Draven and rudely left me outside with his brother, Jacob. Argh. That baby warlock is a piece of work. He couldn’t keep his perverted gaze off me for the entire time Ember and Draven were in there. Sickening, considering he’s clearly fucked Ember. The kid clearly doesn’t know how to keep it in his pants. He probably pulls his dick out for any woman who gets within a few feet of him.

Not my type of man at all.

Where’s the challenge in that?

Besides, I wouldn’t touch someone
she’s
fucked. As much as I hate it, because making new friends is just reckless and dangerous with the way my life is, I can feel myself developing an odd loyalty to her. Right or wrong, it’s there. I think Jacob got that message when I bared my wolf teeth to him. The look on his face was priceless. I love freaking people out like that.

It seemed like
both
the warlock brothers have a thing for her, because the desire in the air when Ember and Draven finally came out of that room was so fucking potent I could hardly breathe for a few seconds. Messing with brothers? Dangerous. If Draven really is as important to this prophecy as she says, she better fucking lock it down around
both
of them. We need all the help we can get right now. We don’t exactly have the upper hand at the moment. Fuck, let’s face it: we’re being hunted.

Maybe she was just on edge and unable to control her desires around Draven, because she hadn’t fed. She picked up a hitchhiker on the way down to the hotel and fixed that pretty damn quick. It was sickening to watch her tear into the guy, but at least she didn’t kill him. Probably, because she knew I’d try to stop her. Fucking vamps and their uncontrollable bloodlust.

Although, I do have my own self-control issues, too. The damn wolf.

“You want another?”

The voice pulls me from my thoughts and I look up to see the handsome bartender eyeing me expectantly.

He flashes me a sexy smile. “Miss? Another?” he presses.

I nod. “Yeah.”

He takes my empty bottle and places a full one down in front of me.

“Thanks.”

He smiles and turns back to his work. He probably finds it odd that someone’s actually in the bar and drinking at seven in the morning. Well, I’ve never been one to follow the rules. It is what it is. I’m just glad I’m the only one in here. I hate human company. It puts me on edge.

I reach for my beer bottle and bring it to my lips. A sudden cool breeze hits my back. I turn my head to see two massive guys walking in. They look like they’ve just stepped out of an old detective movie with the ridiculous black trench coats they’re wearing.

And then I smell it.

My wolf senses snap into focus.

Danger!

Ambassadors undercover, trying to pass as human.

Before they can catch my eye, I turn my head away.

My hands are shaking as the wolf within has gone on high alert. Fight or flight mode. The incredible rush of adrenaline is almost enough to choke me. But I need to keep calm here.

I feel them approach me, but I remain still.

What the hell are they gonna do in public like this? They can’t risk exposing themselves to humans any more than I can.

They slide onto the stools at the bar, one either side of me, boxing me in. Shit.

“Wolf,” the one to my right whispers hauntingly.

“Assholes,” I grit out.

The one to my left leans in close to me and says, “Come quietly or you will expose your true self.”

I tense at his words. So, that’s their plan? They’re gonna play on my fear of humans finding out what I am? I reach for my beer, acting completely unaffected by his words, as I take a sip. And then, I say, “All of you have become real fucking talkative lately. What’s up with that, huh? Did the Jurisdiction fork out some money for some home tutoring?”

“Engaging with the
Tainted
is beneath us. However, sometimes it cannot be avoided,” the one to my right tells me.

Beneath them
? Urgh. Fuckers.

“Get up and walk with us now,” he goes on.

“No,” I growl.

I feel Leftie shifting on his stool.

The next thing I know, he’s snapping something to my left wrist. It burns like a motherfucker and it has me hissing. Silver!

As I turn to try to rip it off me, the same thing happens to my right.

The wolf rages within.