Mafia Beasts: The Complete Series, page 29
Now I knew the truth of that night. In many ways, it was worse than the trimmed-down version that made me look like a teenaged psycho killer. When I remembered my dad, I never thought of those times when he was the other version of himself. I always remembered him and Mom being happy together, family picnics, and school events. Never that drunken abuser.
I blew out a long exhale. My actions were justified—awful—but reasonable considering the situation. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have killed Mom, and probably me, too. Who knew what he would have done to baby Orion? A chill pricked the hairs on my scalp.
Getting a hold of myself, I stood up, unsure of where I was going to go. I needed time alone to think. Every time I discovered one truth, other questions popped up. Who had hidden this memory? Probably my mom. Mind magic was more common among the Fae, but Mom had been a powerful witch, so she could have done it, not wanting me to live with this guilt. Was that her only reason?
Footfalls raced down the hallway and Lucas appeared in the doorway. His golden wolfish eyes found me. “Are you okay? Cade said you needed me.”
Did he now?
“I’m fine. I’m ready to talk to you now.”
15
EMMA
“She has a half-form, just like me,” Lucas said, smiling at me with his eyes from across the dinner table. We were eating in Zane’s parlor just like old times—the four of us seated before the blazing hearth with a wealth of food on the table. In the past week, as I’d healed, I’d managed to put on enough weight that my cheeks were no longer hollow.
I’d told first Lucas, then Zane about the memory 5th Circle had somehow corrupted and fed me. How they’d used Orion to deliver it, or maybe there’d been magic in that holding cell. Either way, the abbreviated version was a half-truth—a lie. A lie meant to break me. To make me hate myself and believe that I deserved to suffer punishment and then die.
I swallowed my mouthful of shrimp scampi. “So, why is it that I can’t shift until the full moon? I don’t have my locket and I’ve been off those suppressant pills for weeks. I should have my full hybrid abilities, right?”
“You might be able to if you tried really hard, but your body has never done it before—not a full shift—so there’s no memory to call on. The full moon will force you to shift. It will be easier afterward to change forms on command.” Lucas shoveled another scoop of pasta into his mouth.
Cade, as usual, sat silently at my left. His entire focus was on his food, or at least that was how it appeared. I was sure he was paying attention to every word of our conversation.
“What do you make of the fire?” Zane asked from my other side.
Right. The flames pouring out of my clawed fingertips. It had obviously been magic. Wolf shifters didn’t have that kind of magic, only whatever mysterious power that allowed them to morph forms, have heightened senses, strength, and speed.
“Witches have been known to produce magic when they hit puberty,” I said. “It’s often chaotic and spontaneous. Not something we can control until we get our wands from the academy. I wouldn’t read too much into it. I was distraught at the time.”
“Sweetness, you’re full of surprises. I think we should never underestimate you.”
Only the most powerful witches could work magic with their hands, and even then, it was limited. I wasn’t one of them. I was useless without a wand.
I chewed on a juicy shrimp. “I want revenge.”
“I know,” Zane said. “You spoke of it the first night of your return. After dealing with Eclipse, we will turn our attention to Forrest and 5th Circle.”
“I know. But I mean, I want revenge.” I swallowed as three pairs of eyes met mine. “I want to learn to defend myself, how to shoot, how to conjure spells that do harm—the ones they don’t teach us at the academy. Forrest tried to break me, and he nearly did. For a time, I wanted to die, to end it all. Now, I want to take back everything he stole from me. My family, my dignity, my sense of self—the fucking skin on my back. Everything.” My statement was met with silence. The bosses exchanged a look I couldn’t read.
Finally, Zane said, “Very well. Samuel is our best witch. He will teach you magic.”
“I’ll teach you to fight as a wolf when the time comes.” Lucas’s eyes flashed with gold. “I’ll teach you to shoot, too. We’ll go out to the range tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” They were going to give me what I’d always wanted: Survival skills. My stomach flipped with fluttery anticipation. I couldn’t wait to start.
“You’ll train with me in the gym,” Cade said. “You’ll learn to fight in your human form.”
I was so shocked by his offer, which sounded more like a command, that it took me a few seconds to respond. “I’ll be learning to fight against you?” Seriously, the Fae was more than twice my size.
Half of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “That’s right, little witch. If you can take me down, you can hold your own against anyone.”
I inwardly groaned. I mean, I wanted to learn to fight, but who knew what kind of hell Cade had in store for me. He never offered anything that didn’t have strings attached. Every compliment was followed by an insult. Every favor I asked of him I tallied up in my head, knowing one day he’d cash them in. Two so far. Was training me going to be a third?
“You have a good point,” I admitted. Once I mastered this mountain of a man, I would be able to defend myself against anyone.
“Good. We’ll start this week. You’re going to be busy.” He went back to ignoring me in favor of his plate.
“As I said before,” Zane spoke softly, “if you want in then you’ll be all the way in. You will join me in the office in the evenings to learn about our business. From tonight on, you are officially a member of Penumbra Syndicate.”
Cade grunted with a curt nod.
Lucas’s eyes crinkled with his smile.
Zane’s proclamation, and the other bosses’ agreement to it, sent a thrill through me. For some reason, those words felt right as they settled in my mind, in my heart. I belonged here. I’d prove it to them all. It was more than the power they wielded that I found exciting. More than the ability to get back at those who’d terrorized me my entire life, took away my loved ones, and corrupted the only family I had left.
I could finally stop running and hiding. I could take back the power that the hunters had stolen. Take back my freedom and the ability to direct my own life without fear of them at every turn. No longer did I have to be on my own either. Alone. For the first time, I wasn’t afraid to share my problems with other people. The hunters had already tried to take out Penumbra Syndicate and failed. I should have seen that more clearly at the time. They’d failed.
Finally, 5th Circle had met their match. And I was part of the team who was going to destroy them. I felt fucking giddy.
I froze as a trembling began in the table and my chair. The dishware rattled as the localized earthquake shook the mansion. It stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
I glanced at Zane. “Does this mean I’m also under the same curse? As a member of Penumbra?”
“I have no idea. If we don’t break it, you may die with the rest of our household. But since you’re here to help us with that, I find little to be concerned about.” He took a sip of the thick, crimson liquid in his glass. “Besides, your soul is tied to ours no matter what, curse or no curse.”
My lips parted at the intensity in his black eyes. Was he... He was saying he’d want me even if the curse hadn’t driven us together? This was the first time he’d hinted at a truer connection between us. My pulse quickened.
Zane’s palm landed on my thigh, possessively resting high enough to feel the heat from my core. I blushed and glanced away.
“It’s true,” Lucas said, his voice growly. He reached across the table and took my hand. I squeezed his in return.
I’d had fantasies before about a werewolf and vampire sandwich. Day by day that was becoming more of a potential reality. Both of them touching me at the same time, however seemingly innocent, made my blood rush. My panties grew damp. My nipples hardened under the delicate fabric of my satiny dress.
Cade choked. He downed some water, then stood, grumbling. His gaze briefly caught mine on his way to the door. He didn’t slam it this time, but the result was the same. He wasn’t part of this, nor did he want to be. Training with him was going to be a real joy.
“Dessert?” Zane asked as if nothing had happened. “How about a game of chess after dinner?”
I smiled. “I look forward to winning. Again.”
He tsked. “We’ll see.”
I won, barely. Zane was an admirable opponent, cunning and logical. I loved how it irked him to lose, at the same time his gaze lit with approval and pride. I drank it up.
Afterward, Lucas walked me to my bedroom. The tension between us was taut and I couldn’t wait to feel him in me again. At my door, I faced him and took a fistful of his shirt, dragging him down for a kiss. His body immediately responded, crushing mine against the doorframe, one hand in my hair while the other found my breast. His mouth was hot and hungry on mine.
I moaned as our tongues tangled. Gripping his hair, I pulled him closer and slid one leg around his hips. Through the thin fabric of my evening dress, I felt his erection. Fuck, I needed him.
He broke away. “I want to mark you under the full moon. Our mate bond should be perfect, not rushed.”
It took a moment for his words to sink through my lust-hazed brain. “You don’t want me right now?”
Lucas growled, rocking his hips against me. “I want you. But tonight, we will not form a bond. Trust me, it will be better under the full moon after your first shift. You’ll understand everything then. You’ll know what it’s like to be a wolf and what the mate bond means. I want that for you—for us.”
“Okay.” More wolfy mysteries to find out about.
“No marking tonight, but I still want you. Come to my room,” he breathed into my ear. Lucas took my hand and led us along the hallway. He let us into his room and turned on a standing lamp in the corner. It was the first time I’d been inside any of the bosses’ bedrooms. Curious, I glanced around.
The space was messy with piles of discarded clothing and papers. In complete contrast, his bed was made, which had to be the work of the household staff. The room was laid out the same as mine. His furnishings were also wood and leather. The air smelled like him—earthy and wild.
Lucas tugged me to him so my back was against his chest. His warmth surrounded me, enveloping me in that feeling of safety. He swept my hair over one shoulder and planted open-mouthed kisses on the back of my neck. I shivered in response.
Slowly, he unzipped my dress, leaving a trail of tongue flicks and kisses down my spine and licked his way back up. I let the dress fall away to pool on the floor, leaving me in only my panties. From behind, Lucas took hold of them and yanked. The delicate fabric ripped, leaving me bare. I was going to need more underwear if he kept that up.
“Tonight, I want to taste you,” he said, making my knees weak. He picked me up and carried me to the leather chair beside the crackling fireplace. “Sit. Lean back.”
I did. My skin broke out in goosebumps from the cold leather. Lucas settled on the floor between my legs. He hooked my knees over his shoulders and gave me a predatory, wolfish grin before burying his face in my pussy.
I gasped. There was no playing around with him. It was all or nothing. He licked up and down my slit, tasting me. He hummed his approval. His tongue circled my clit, then he sucked it between his teeth, and I moaned. My fingers laced through his soft hair. When he slid two fingers inside me, my grip on him tightened and my hips undulated, fucking his face.
He ate me up, driving me closer and closer to release. Besides the delicious sensations, all I could think about was how this man had died trying to find me. I could have lost him forever.
He hooked his fingers and hummed against my clit. The two different stimulations together pushed me right over the edge. I cried out. My cunt pulsed around his fingers. He kept pumping them in and out until the last tremors had vanished.
Before I had a chance to catch my breath, I found myself lying on the plush rug in front of the hearth, gazing up at Lucas as he tore his clothes off. Fucking hell, he was gorgeous—all rippling muscle, hard cock, and feral eyes alternating between hazel and golden amber.
My tongue flicked over my lips. I wanted to taste him. To run my tongue over every bulge and valley. To take his cock into my mouth as far as I could until I choked on it. I wanted to hear my name on his lips as he came down my throat.
I’d save that for later.
“I won’t mark you,” he said, falling to his knees. He seemed to be talking to himself more than me.
I spread my legs, inviting him in. He took hold of himself, unrolled a condom over his shaft, and thrust into my soaked pussy. We both groaned.
For a long moment, he held still and gazed into my eyes. I cupped his closely trimmed bearded cheek and brought his lips to mine. The kiss was languid, sensual. We were in no rush. I tasted myself on him and opened my mouth to his tongue.
When I couldn’t wait any longer, I bucked my hips, and he responded with a low growl. He started to move. Slowly at first, taking his time to pull almost all the way out before pushing in until he was buried deep. With a grunt, he fisted my hair and tilted my head back. Gently, he bit my chin. I wanted his teeth lower, on my neck, marking me as his. I turned my head to the side giving him full access.
“Fuck, Emma. I said no.”
“Please, I need more.”
“I’ll give you more.” He drove in with punishing force. The hold he had of my hair made my eyes tear up. I loved every minute of it. I dug my heels into his butt, urging him on.
My orgasm crashed through me, and I saw stars. My fingernails scratched down his back. He came with a rough, throaty growl and a curse, his eyes squeezed shut. When he opened them, I stared back at his wolf. He opened his mouth, showing elongated, sharpened teeth. My breath caught. I lifted my chin higher.
Lucas tore himself away. He pulled his cock out and stood, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Fuck. Fuck.” He glared down at me. “You’re a fucking temptress.”
I eased up onto my elbows. “Just days ago, you said you’d mark me so you could protect me. Hell, I turned you down this morning. What’s changed since then?”
“I came to my fucking senses, that’s what.” He tossed the condom in a trash can beside his bed. “I want you to know what it’s like to be a wolf first. You need to understand the urges you’re having and what it all means. Do you know why you want my mark on you?”
“No.” I frowned. “And I’ll understand all of that after my first shift?”
“Yes.” He crouched down, trailing a finger over my breast. “Now get your sexy ass in my bed and go to sleep so I can test my control again in the morning.”
My nipples pebbled, and I shivered under his touch. I started to sit up further when Lucas hauled me on top of him.
“Fuck it. Let’s test my resolve again right now,” he said.
How could I refuse such a wonderful idea?
16
EMMA
The malachite wand felt unfamiliar in my hand. It was weighted differently than my old citrine wand. I swished my wrist again and inky smoke streamed from the end, covering a nearby rosebush. The shrub wilted, blackened, and shriveled to dust.
“Not bad,” Samuel said from where he stood several feet away. “Not bad at all.”
We were in the garden behind the house. Snow-covered evergreen bushes and vines were laid out in an obvious, symmetrical pattern. In the center was an open space that allowed for practicing dangerous spells.
My breath fogged as I spoke. “Isn’t that what it’s supposed to do?”
“Yes. But you’re hesitating. Put some determination behind the spell. Try it again.” Shockingly, Samuel had stopped glaring at me and agreed to tutor me in magic. He was actually a good teacher, too. He was older than the bosses, putting him close to twenty to thirty years my senior. If the academy was ever looking for a dark magic instructor, he’d be perfect for the job.
I tried again. This time, not thinking so much about the words and focusing on my intention. Swish. This time the smoke was denser. It sprang forward and landed on a tall weed. The plant steamed as it dissolved.
“Very good!” Samuel approached. “That’s three spells you’ve mastered today, which is quite enough. You’ll continue practicing them as you learn more.” He brought out his snowflake obsidian wand. “Now, I want to see what you’re made of. Duel with me.”
I gaped up at him.
“You’ve been hunted for years. You must have some skills to defend yourself. Or better yet, to attack.” He lifted a blond brow.
“Uh, not really.”
He waved me off. “I’m not asking, Miss Graves. Let’s begin.”
Taking ten paces away, he turned and murmured a spell. My wand flew from my hand. Cheeks flaring with heat, I bent over to retrieve it. Okay, I could do this. I produced a blue shield. He tore it down in less than fifteen seconds. I tried the same disarming spell on him, but he blocked it. Irritated, I flung random magic at him, and he defended against it all.
He changed tactics, going on the offensive again. Reacting, I teleported and reappeared right behind him. I thought I had him, with his back turned. Was it honorable playing this trick? No. But in this world, you took any opportunity that presented itself. Except, I hadn’t fully learned that lesson. I hesitated too long, and he avoided my stinging spell.
“That was one of the fastest teleportation spells I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Good job.” The corners of his eyes creased with his grin.
I shot him a half-smile. It was the only spell I was especially good at—by necessity.
“The rest of what you’re throwing at me is academy stuff. Did you not learn magic on your own after school?”
