The vampire’s cold fingers trailed up my thigh, exposed beneath the daring slit of my gown, and his low, sultry voice whispered against my ear. “For crying out loud, Chloe, this is supposed to be sexy. Can you at least pretend you’re a little into it? ”
“How do you even know how I look?
You’re sitting behind me,” I countered, trying to sound assertive and failing miserably. “I don’t need to see you. You’re as rigid as a statue,” Damen complained against my neck, like the petulant man-child he was. “You know, I’m beginning to think you don’t find me attractive.
”
His teeth grazed my skin, and it took every ounce of willpower not to squirm. One would have to be blind not to find him attractive, and he knew it. Since we’d met, he’d made a show of flirting with me, finding my embarrassment highly entertaining. My gaze traveled around the mansion.
Tonight’s ball was being held in a space reminiscent of a lavish court from a forgotten age, and amongst all this elegance and excess swirled an infinite crowd of vampires, sipping blood politely from crystal cups or, in some cases, from the throats of the living. A shiver ran down my spine as I imagined myself in their place. Everyone here expected it, after all. This could be me soon.
“Relax,” Damen brought the inside of my wrist to his lips for a kiss. “I promised I wouldn’t bite, didn’t I? ”
He had promised. But he had also promised his grandfather he would never drink my blood, and yet here he was, threatening to do just that in front of his mother and the entire vampire elite.
I bit my lip, feeling even more nervous. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. ”
Damen scratched his throat expectantly, making me frown. “Oh, right.
I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Master,” I corrected myself, trying to make the title sound adoring rather than laced with the disgust I felt. “Good girl,” Damen grinned, giving my upper thigh a firm squeeze. It took all my willpower not to yelp. If someone had told me only a few days ago that I, Chloe, would become a vampire’s bride, I wouldn’t have believed them.
To the calculating predators that were vampires, nothing was more prey than a chosen bride. Brides were paraded around by their masters as glorified living blood bags, there to be fed upon in exchange for formidable wealth and status. I hated the concept and had never thought I’d end up on a vampire’s arm. I was a werewolf, something no one at this horrifying pretense of a party could ever find out.
“Come,” Damen said abruptly, pulling me after him, his presence parting the crowd like a dark ship cleaving through a sea of bodies. “We’re going to dance. ”
His long fingers were cold against my back, though not as cold as his icy blue gaze. The music swelled, and I put a hand on his shoulder, following the steps I’d only recently been taught.
Eyes were on us—some envious, some calculating, others pitying—as we executed this mockery of intimacy. “I think we should rather keep a low profile,” I objected as he dipped me toward the ground. “We’re too exposed. Everyone is staring.
”
Damen flashed me a brilliant smile. “Comes with the job. ”
I sighed. How did I end up here?
Only a few days ago, I was patrolling the streets of my town, fighting vampires. Now I was dancing the night away in a ballroom full of them. —
Ten days ago, I was late. “You’re late,” Vivien told me instead of a greeting when I found her on a dark street corner, half an hour past our rendezvous point.
Her red hair was tied back into a severe ponytail, and her dark sports clothes couldn’t have been more casual, yet she still managed to look like a supermodel. However, her good looks had nothing to do with her being the beta of my pack. She was one of the strongest and most cunning wolves I knew. “Sorry,” I mumbled, looking for an excuse because the truth just wouldn’t cut it.
“I thought you were going to pull a Jake,” she sighed, heading for a crossroads at a hurried pace. “You mean you were afraid I wasn’t going to show? ” Vivien smirked. “No, I thought you’d just be hours late, drunk, and accompanied by a hooker.
”
I bit my lip, weighing my words. Jake wasn’t the most reliable member of our pack, but I doubted he’d ever do that to Vivien. Still, I was sure she’d feel better if he were here instead of me. “I’m sure you’d feel better if he were here instead of me,” I mumbled apologetically.
Vivien tensed as we turned a dark corner. “I’d feel better if Harry was feeling better,” she grumbled, avoiding giving me an answer. “That mating bond of his has been a real nightmare. ”
Vivien had had to handle most of Harry’s Alpha duties ever since he’d been mated.
When he broke his bond, it almost killed him. Mating bonds were sacred to us wolves, and once formed, it was extremely rare to see one broken, as we rarely survived the separation. It was true for regular mating bonds and even more so for fated bonds like the one between my Alpha and his mate, Emma. “Yes, well, you broke your bond with your fated mate and I don’t see you on the brink of death,” Vivien put a hand on my shoulder, giving me an affectionate look.
“I’m proud of you, you know. You’ve been incredibly strong. ”
Guilt twisted my heart, and shame finished what was left of it. If only she knew.
If I was doing so well, it was only because my mating bond was far from broken, like she and everybody else in my pack believed it to be. I was still very much bonded to the most hated rogue wolf in the region, Nate. If my Alpha didn’t kill me upon finding out, my pack’s disappointment would. I was about to reply when a muffled scream pierced the air around us.
Passersby didn’t react, but that was because they were humans who did not have enhanced hearing. “What was that? ” I asked Vivien. “It came from behind us,” she said, glancing over her shoulder.
“Shouldn’t we turn? ” I asked, feeling my wolf itching to claw its way out. “Not now,” Vivien’s expression was calm and collected. “We’d only attract attention.
Could be just a basic aggression. ”
“It was a woman’s cry. We’re still helping, right? ”
We erupted into the back alley of a club.
More muffled sounds echoed into our ears, growing closer. I pointed towards two figures hidden behind a fire escape. A woman was being pinned to a wall by a cloaked figure who quickly revealed itself as a vampire when it turned around, bearing its fangs. “Step away from the girl,” Vivien snapped warningly.
“Or what? ” the vampire asked. The blonde woman being pinned down was trying to speak, but her words were muffled by her captor’s hand. A second vampire emerged from the shadows with all the eerie grace of a big jungle cat.
“Wolves,” the newcomer said, wrinkling his nose. “Smells like wet dog for miles. ”
“You’re breaking the Accords, attacking a human,” Vivien reminded. “Let her go.
”
“The Accords,” the one holding the woman growled. “We didn’t make the rules, and we’re done following them. ”
“Don’t make me come here and bite you,” Vivien warned, giving the vampire a hardened stare. A werewolf bite induced a transformation, but very few could survive the turn, and no vampire ever had.
Essentially, we bit them, we killed them. “You wouldn’t dare,” the vampire replied, bearing his sharpened teeth. The vampire who’d been holding the woman hostage dropped her to the ground and ran towards Vivien in a poor semblance of an attack. She took a mere second to parry.
Vampires were quicker than us, but they weren’t as strong. They rarely had the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat, especially when faced with a skilled fighter like Vivien. The same couldn’t be said about me. When the second vampire came at me, I barely managed to avoid his arm and dodge to the side, losing my balance in the process.
My attacker seized the opportunity and pounced, pinning my arms to the ground, his fangs inches from my face. I retaliated by headbutting his nose, making him screech and loosen his hold. My arms freed, I quickly grabbed him by the throat with one hand, ready to punch with the other. But then Eve’s face flashed before my eyes, twisted in fear and covered in blood.
I choked, frozen in place. “Chloe! ” I heard Vivien scream, but it sounded far away. I couldn’t move.
The vampire pinned me back down, and I let him, feeling all the air had left my lungs. His body was suddenly lifted off me. I expected to see Vivien’s face above mine, but it was my attacker’s vampire friend who had come to my rescue. “Feeding discreetly is one thing, but if we get caught, we’re done for.
This isn’t worth it. Let’s get out of here. ”
“Why would we get caught? ” my attacker frowned.
“Because there are two wolves here, and at least one of them looks competent enough to live to tell the tale,” the vampire replied, pointing towards Vivien, who was crossing her arms and clenching her jaw. Reluctantly, his companion moved away, giving my beta a wary glance. “Whatever. The king will soon be dethroned.
We’ll have our fun, dogs. ”
Vivien barely raised an eyebrow at his words, watching them leave while I hurried to the blonde woman’s side. “Are you okay? ” I asked her, helping her to her feet.
“I’m fine,” the blonde replied, scrubbing at her clothes. She indeed looked and sounded fine, if a little miffed. You’d think she hadn’t almost gotten bitten by a vampire. “Chloe,” Vivien joined us, putting a hand on my shoulder.
“What happened back there? ”
My eyes met the blonde’s clear blue ones, and my wolf immediately tensed. This woman we just rescued was no ordinary human. I could tell.
She wasn’t a vampire and she wasn’t a wolf, but a dangerous aura emanated from her nonetheless. “You’re a witch,” Vivien guessed. The stranger nodded. “Thank you for your help.
I am now in your debt. ”
She didn’t sound very pleased, which made me uneasy. I gave her a tentative smile. “Don’t worry about it.
You don’t owe us anything, really. ”
The witch sent me a thundering look. “That’s not how it works. I collect debts, not the other way around.
My higher-ups will not be pleased. ”
“Why are you looking down? ” I asked, confused. “Because that’s where they are,” the witch replied lightly before settling her calculated gaze onto me.
“You’ll both get a wish, free of charge. ”
Vivien and I exchanged a confused glance. “Wait, are you that witch who lives in town? The one that grants favors?
”
“I grant favors for a price,” the witch replied, staring at her nails with a frown. “And trust me, they never come cheap. Although I leave it up to the customers to decide whether the price is worth it or not. ”
“Anything we want, except killing people,” Vivien said.
“And forcing them to fall in love, surely? ”
The witch looked confused. “No, I can do that too. Why would you like someone dead?
” she asked me. I shook my head, my heart beating at the idea of having that kind of power. “We’re not interested, thank you,” Vivien said, grabbing my hand. “Come on, Chloe.
”
“Are you not? ” the witch crossed her arms. “I can read auras, you know. Yours screams unrequited love.
”
Vivien’s face became as red as I’d ever seen it, leaving me speechless. She was usually not one to show much emotion. “We’re going now,” Vivien stammered nervously. “Thank you, but no thank you.
”
She pulled on my hand and dragged me behind her while I took one last glance at the witch. “I’ll be seeing you soon,” she said, like there was no doubt about it. She ended up being right. I made my wish that very night, changing my life for the worse.
For making the wish was what would lead me straight to the nest of vipers that was the vampire court. —
My dance with Damen ended abruptly, my head spinning from all the swirling steps I had to execute, but also from the stress of monitoring the entire ballroom for threats while doing so. And Damen wasn’t any help either, criticizing my every step in between shameless flirting attempts. He was supposed to be my one ally here in this strange, dangerous world, and yet he couldn’t be less reliable due to his innate incapability to take anything seriously.
To Damen, life was one long, seamless joke, and the fact that someone was very intent on ending his early didn’t faze him in the slightest. “Well, I’ve done my fair share of parading you around,” Damen said, letting go of my hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get ridiculously drunk. ”
I grabbed onto his arm and trailed after him.
“I thought vampires couldn’t get drunk,” I mumbled, trying to keep up with his hurried step. “Don’t remind me,” Damen sighed dramatically. “I still intend to try. ”
“I have to stay by your side,” I said, gripping his arm.
Damen scratched his throat again, giving me a pointed look. I sighed in resolve. “I have to stay by your side, Master,” I corrected. Damen beamed at me.
“It’ll be safer,” I concluded, slightly distracted by his bright grin. “Safer for who? ” Damen rolled his eyes, snatching a glass of blood from a passing waiter and bringing it to his lips. “You’re so twitchy.
One would think you’re the one needing my protection. ”
“Blondie,” Damen pointed to my forehead. “With all this frowning you do, you’re going to be prematurely wrinkled, and nobody wants that. ”
“Damen,” a painfully beautiful young woman with long raven hair and clear blue eyes approached us, her walk reminding me of an elegant panther, graceful in its lethality.
She put a hand on Damen’s shoulder and placed a delicate kiss on his cheek. “Chloe,” Damien smiled so brightly it looked forced. “Meet Alexandra, my mother. ”
I did my best to execute the customary curtsy I was taught only a day prior while hiding my astonishment.
This young girl was Damen’s mother. I best remember not to assume anything about age when meeting a vampire. Alexandra briefly glanced at me though she didn’t bother with any form of greeting. “Your bride?
” she asked with the barest of frowns, her words laced with disdain. “My love, you really should have let me pick one for you. I had plenty of perfectly suitable candidates lined up, and you had to go and pick that. ”
I schooled my features into a neutral expression.
I wasn’t allowed to react to anything a vampire threw at me. It was against the rules. Ever since becoming Damen’s bride-to-be, the rules had been drilled into my brain by the forceful, ever-efficient staff of the Cromwell family estate. —
A week ago, I met Ian Cromwell.
“I’ll be leading the negotiations,” Vivien reminded me as she drove us across a large, crowded boulevard. I nodded, expecting nothing else. I was still stunned she accepted to take me along to meet with a vampire king. Vivien couldn’t deny Ian Cromwell his audience, and it wasn’t safe for her to go alone.
With our Alpha unable to attend and Vivien’s usual backup missing, I’d been assigned the job. Our destination was an opulent hotel nestled among the city skyscrapers like a grand old monarch. It was here, in a suite that probably cost more per night than my entire monthly expenses, that we were to meet the vampire king. I stared dumbfounded at the luxury that enveloped us.
The hotel lobby was a vast expanse of marble and gold with chandeliers that sparkled like stars captured within glass. “Good evening, ladies,” the man finally decided to make his grand entrance. He was a classically handsome man in his mid-fifties with marble-like features and a bright smile that didn’t have an ounce of warmth. He was fascinating to look at, graceful in his movements in a way that was almost predatory.
A shiver ran down my spine, my wolf telling me to run. “Vivien,” he said, giving her an appraising look. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember. ”
Vivien inclined her head politely.
“And who’s this? ” Ian added, turning towards me. “I was expecting your infamous Alpha to come along instead. ”
“Harry’s indisposed,” Vivien said tightly.
“He’s been recently mated. ”
“Really? ” Cromwell gestured for a staff member to bring him something dark red liquid, which I realized was blood as he pulled it towards his lips. “I wasn’t aware these mating bonds of yours were such an impairment.
At least, not for an Alpha as renowned as yours. ”
“His bond is a fated bond,” I explained, feeling defensive. Not only did I not appreciate anyone belittling my Alpha, I myself was part of a fated pair, something few other wolves could really understand. “A fated pair,” Cromwell’s eyes glistened in interest.
“Sounds fascinating. I would love to meet your great Alpha’s little mate. Tell him to bring her to me next time, won’t you? ”
Vivien nodded evasively instead of telling him off.
Wise, probably, not to tell an important vampire our Alpha would rather die than let his mate near him. “Why did you want to meet with us, Mr. Cromwell? ” she asked politely.
“Straight to the point, aren’t we? I like that,” Cromwell paused to drink another sip of blood before going forward in a neutral tone. “I would like to strengthen my relations with your kind. I’m aware some of the vampires in the area haven’t been particularly well-behaved as of late.
”
Cromwell hadn’t done a thing about the increase of vampire attacks these past couple of months, and the entire werewolf community was pissed. “I could ensure they’re kept in line,” Cromwell continued. “In fact, I’d love nothing more than to do so. You know, I’m rather good at that sort of thing.
It’s just, you see, I’ve been rather busy as of late. Rather pressing family matters. ”
“I wasn’t aware you had a family,” Vivien commented pleasantly. “I have a daughter, the apple of my eye,” Cromwell replied with so little emotion I briefly wondered if he was being sarcastic.
“And she herself has a son. He’s very recently been turned, and he’s a little mercurial. ”
“Is your grandson the one behind the attacks? ” Vivien asked coldly.
Cromwell laughed. “Oh dear, no. Damen isn’t like that. He is a Cromwell, after all, and my heir.
He’s perfectly civilized. But for some reason I cannot begin to fathom, someone seems dead set on having him killed. ”
Vivien frowned. “Someone’s trying to kill your grandson, and you have no idea who it could be?
”
“None,” Cromwell confessed with a pained wince. “In fact, I can’t be certain if the culprit would be satisfied with his demise or if it’s our entire family he or she is after. Which is why we elected to hire extra security. ”
“I don’t see how this concerns us,” Vivien began, her eyes widening in understanding.
“You’d like someone from our pack to become your grandson’s bodyguard? ”
“Precisely,” Cromwell exclaimed, grinning like a cat. “We tend to hire specialized humans for the job, or sometimes other vampires, but Damen’s been attacked twice now, and his mother is becoming somewhat paranoid. Her theory is that the job could have been ordered by someone from the inside, which is why a neutral party—someone who isn’t usually part of our world but with the physically enhanced capabilities for such a task—seems ideal to me.
”
“You’re the one I had in mind for the job,” Cromwell told Vivien. “I know you’re an influential member of your pack, and rumors of your great beauty have not been exaggerated. ”
Vivien ground her teeth. “I’m flattered, but there’s no way I can leave my Alpha’s side right now.
”
“That’s a shame,” Cromwell took another drink. “To be completely honest with you, I think this assignment could be beneficial to both our people. I’ve got a hunch that the ones responsible for attacking my family could be the same people encouraging vampires to go after humans. ”
“I’d like the wolf looking after Damen to not only keep him safe but to help me investigate who could be encouraging these attacks.
”
I thought back on the vampires Vivien and I had stopped only a night prior. One of them had claimed that their king would soon be dethroned. Upon hearing Cromwell’s input, it now seemed likely it was him they’d been referring to. “I will speak with my Alpha about finding you the right candidate,” Vivien said, inclining her head.
“What about you, pet? ” Cromwell interrupted, his eyes snapping to me. I blinked in stupefaction. Was he really talking to me?
Me, the weakest wolf in our pack? “Chloe’s not—” Vivien began. “She seems perfect to me,” Cromwell said. “She’s a wolf, she’s part of your pack, and you brought her here, so I know she must be competent.
”
“Chloe is very young,” Vivien tried. “And besides, she’s mated. ”
Vivien’s face gave her away. I was mated, but she didn’t think I was, and it showed.
I wasn’t about to tell her otherwise. Neither she nor anyone in my pack could find out I was still mated to Nate. “She isn’t mated,” Cromwell clasped his hands. “Well, that settles it then.
You’re hired. ”
I didn’t know what to say. On one hand, I wasn’t remotely competent enough for the job. It was clear Vivien didn’t want me to accept, as it would surely reflect poorly on all of us if I failed.
But on the other hand, this could be my chance. If I worked for the vampires undercover, Nate would be unable to approach me without creating a huge diplomatic incident. This would buy me some time to figure out the terrible truth I’d learned after making my wish to the witch. “This is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Cromwell teased.
“I won’t offer again. ”
“Thank you,” Vivien said, getting up. “I will find you a suitable candidate and get back to you. Let’s go, Chloe.
”
But I ignored her. “You’re really offering me the job? ” I asked Cromwell in a small voice. He smiled at me in a way I tried to convince myself was kind.
“Of course I am. ” He took my hand in his, ice cold. “I feel better already, knowing you’ll be looking after my daughter’s pride and joy. ”
“What do you say, pet?
” he asked me with a sardonic smile. I felt cold, but not as cold as I did only three days ago after making my wish. Being a vampire’s bodyguard couldn’t be worse than the consequences awaiting me. “I accept,” I declared, squeezing Cromwell’s icy hand.
—
“Well, thank you, mother, for this warm and loving conversation,” Damen said with mock enthusiasm. “But my darling Chloe and I must retire for the evening. ”
He grabbed onto my wrist, clearly aiming to drag me away, but his mother blocked his path. “Don’t call her by her name, Damen,” she snapped.
“Somebody might hear. ”
“So what? ” her son replied lightly, though tightening his hold over my wrist to the point of pain. “Vampires don’t refer to their property by name,” his mother flashed him a cold smile.
“You do well to remember it. Now is not the time to be showing weakness. ”
“Careful, mother,” Damen laughed. “Someone might think that you care.
”
“Of course I care,” Alexandra snapped before frowning at her own outburst. Damen turned to me. “Chloe, did your parents let you do drugs? ‘Cause my mom introduced me to cocaine when I was 12.
Isn’t she the best? ” he added, smiling broadly at his mother. Alexandra bent towards him to whisper her next words into his ear. She probably thought I couldn’t hear them.
A human wouldn’t, after all. But I wasn’t human, and my hearing was excellent. “Behave, or I’m revoking your visiting rights,” she said. “I’m only saying this because I love you, darling.
”
An image of Nate flashed in my mind upon hearing her last words. He too tended to follow his warnings with a declaration of love. “Shall we? ” I blurted out without thinking, pulling decidedly on Damen’s arm.
We wolves were protective, and I was after all meant to protect Damen. But his mother didn’t know that, and being subjected to her cold, angry gaze, I realized my little display hadn’t been well received. “You’ve read my mind,” Damen said with a tight smile that seemed to indicate I’d be paying for that later. He attempted to drag us away again, but his mother put a hand on his chest, stopping him.
“Darling,” she said, sounding exaggeratedly sweet. “Now that you’ve finally chosen a bride for yourself, how about you give everyone here a little demonstration? ”
I frowned, confused. A little demonstration?
What did she mean by that? “I’ve already drunk from her earlier this evening, mother,” he replied in a disinterested tone. “I don’t think my lowly, unbecoming plaything you so loathe is ready to go again. ”
Realizing what Alexandra was suggesting, my entire body went rigid.
She wanted Damen to drink from me, here, in front of this entire crowd of vampires. “You don’t look like you’ve had any blood recently,” Alexandra observed with a tight smile. “You’re so pale, my love. You need to feed.
”
I sent Damen a brief, panicked stare. He ignored it, and I felt my heart plummet. This couldn’t be happening. Ian Cromwell swore to me this wouldn’t happen.
—
“Remember,” Cromwell told me before we exited the vehicle. “No one can know of your true nature, not even Damen. ”
I gave him a pointed look. Even if I did want to tell Damen or any other vampire for that matter, Cromwell had well ensured I couldn’t.
It would make them look weak and vulnerable if other vampire clans were to find out they had to resort to asking werewolves for help. “That’s precisely why I would like to ask you to keep your werewolf identity secret from every single vampire you’ll encounter until you’ve completed your mission,” Cromwell said. I didn’t really mind keeping my identity a secret, but I didn’t think it would be possible. I’d been about to tell Cromwell about my reservations when he spoke again.
“Damen can never know you’re a werewolf. You won’t tell him, and you’ll hide it from him and all other vampires at all cost. ”
As Cromwell spoke, looking straight into my eyes, his pupils expanding slightly, I understood too late this wasn’t a request but a command. One that seemed to imprint itself at the very center of my brain, making my wolf cower in shock.
My breath froze in my lungs as I realized I’d have no choice but to comply. I wouldn’t be able to tell any vampire I was a werewolf if I tried. “Did you just—” I gulped. I’d never experienced a vampire compulsion before.
It was a rare but powerful gift that not all of them possessed. Unfortunately, it appeared Cromwell was remarkably gifted in the art. “I apologize, pet, but it’s for the best. It’ll be easier for you to execute your purpose that way.
Even if I don’t tell them, won’t the vampires be able to tell? I thought your kind could smell our wolves. ”
Something glinted in Cromwell’s eyes as he handed me a small flask that until then had been hidden inside his jacket pocket. “This potion will ensure no vampire will know about your wolf,” he explained.
“You’ll need to take a new one every week, which I’ll ensure you’ll receive. This will give us a chance to speak on your progress regularly. ”
And that is how I’d been compelled to keep yet another secret, piling it on top of the long list of secrets I’d already been keeping. Secret one: I was still bonded to Nate.
Secret two: I was a werewolf. Secret three: I’d made a wish I couldn’t come back from. Cromwell pulled a dark cloak over my head as we exited the car, guiding me across a large hall and up a flight of stairs. Once we’d entered a small yet elegantly furnished sitting room, he told me to wait for him there while he went to get his mercurial grandson.
I hadn’t had much time to check my phone that evening, and had avoided doing so even when I very well could have. I knew what was awaiting me, but it still twisted my heart to see Nate’s name appear on my screen. He sent me over a hundred texts and left me endless voice messages. My fingers itched to open them and hear my mate’s voice, the very impulse bringing tears to my eyes.
I was so ashamed. I’d betrayed my pack for him. I was hiding in a den of vampires because of him. My entire life was in shambles because of our bond.
And yet here I was, moved at the insistence he placed in trying to reach me. Why was I like this? Just as the door to the sitting room opened, the silhouette of an impossibly tall man barged into the room with little to no pretense. “Good evening, whatever your name is,” he said, sagging onto a nearby chair, though with such grace he made it look an art form.
He was barefoot, I realized. My eyes traveled up his long legs, and I was surprised to find him wearing dark sweatpants and a white t-shirt that should only accentuate the pallor of his skin, except it only made it look all the more flawless. “Come,” he said, beckoning me over with a finger. But I was too stunned to move.
The thing with vampires was that they were all unfairly beautiful. What werewolves had in pure strength, they compensated for with allure, their charm being essential to lure in their prey. So I was obviously expecting Cromwell’s grandson to be gorgeous. But this—this was just—
“Are you deaf?
” Damen mocked. I was blushing all over. I’d never seen someone so beautiful in my entire life, and I was using all my energy not to gape. Framed with wavy black hair, his features bore a delicacy that would have felt feminine if it weren’t for their sharpness, added to an eerie, apathetic blue gaze.
His presence was as threatening as it was appealing. But it was his scent that truly stole my attention. A regular human would think nothing of a vampire’s scent, but we werewolves could smell them for what they were: decaying bodies naturally kept alive by blood magic. There was nothing like the lingering smell of death that stuck to them to put our wolves on edge.
But Damen smelled nothing of the sort. His scent was that of a forest at dawn, crisp and breathtaking, intertwined with smokier tones reminiscent of a distant campfire. “I’m sorry, you were saying? ” I asked, feeling myself blush furiously.
I felt ridiculously underwhelming next to him. He got back up and, in one swift movement, came to tower over me. “I’ll be sampling you,” he explained, raising my chin up with his index finger, surprisingly gentle. I shivered at his touch, and not only because it was cold.
“Me? ” I asked, my mind just a little bit muddled. “Your blood,” he explained. I’d lost track of the conversation even more so when I felt his thumb graze my lower lip.
“This will do,” Damen said, drying some of the blood that had flooded my skin with his finger, slowly bringing it to his own lips. My throat went dry as I watched him lick his finger. It felt so intimate. Damen’s pupils dilated and his eyes snapped to my mouth upon tasting my blood.
I felt locked into place. “Is it okay? ” I asked, feeling particularly self-conscious. Damen didn’t respond right away.
Instead, he briefly hesitated before lowering his mouth slowly against mine. For the barest moment, I wondered if he was going to kiss me. Instead, he barely grazed my lip and then gave it a small lick. We weren’t even properly touching, and yet my pulse was wild long after he’d pulled away.
“I see you’ve made Chloe’s acquaintance then,” Cromwell’s voice boomed into the room, and I jumped away from Damen, heat rising to my cheeks like we’d just been caught in some illicit act. Damen sank back into his chair, folding his arms. “Yep, sampled her. Don’t want her,” he smirked, a grating grin at his grandfather before waving at the door with his hand.
“Off you go, then. ”
I was too stunned to feel the humiliation. It would come to me later. “Oh, Damen,” Cromwell said, sounding only vaguely apologetic.
“I don’t think I’ve made myself clear earlier. You seem to be under the misconception that Chloe is here as a potential bride. ”
At the words, Damen frowned slightly. “Isn’t she?
”
“Of course not. You’ve made it very clear to us on multiple occasions that you didn’t want a bride. ”
“And you made it very clear on every single one of these occasions that you didn’t give a damn about what I wanted or not,” Damen replied, raising an eyebrow. “I’m on your side,” Cromwell said more sincerely.
“I told your mother if you didn’t want to take a bride, then we shouldn’t push the issue. She’ll come around. But you know how she is. ”
“Evil?
” Damen deadpanned, making Cromwell smirk. “Overbearing,” he rectified before giving me a glance. “I do hope you haven’t scared Chloe away. I assured her you wouldn’t drink from her.
I can assure you, Damen won’t be doing it again. He definitely didn’t look like he enjoyed tasting you. Right, Damen? ”
His grandson didn’t reply immediately.
“If she isn’t here for the bridal position, then what is she here for? ” he asked. Cromwell clasped his hands in an almost childlike excitement. “Oh well, I’m glad you asked, son.
Chloe here will be acting as your new bodyguard. ”
A heavy silence descended upon the room, one that Damen eventually broke with a genuine laugh. “That little thing? ” he said, grinning.
“Oh well, looks like I’m saved then. ”
Seeing his grandfather’s serious expression unchanged, he asked, sounding unsure, “Wait, this is a joke, right? ”
“I’m afraid not,” Cromwell replied, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Trust me, Chloe has been well trained.
I have complete trust in her ability to guard you. I’ve already explained to you how important you are to our family, Damen. You are my heir. Your potential is our most precious gift.
When I pick someone to look after you, it’s with utmost care. ”
“Does she pack a magical punch or something? ” Damen asked. “Something like that,” Cromwell smiled confidently.
“Though this is all she and I will say on the matter. For your safety, Chloe will be working undercover. This will give her an edge over our enemies. ”
“Yeah, sounds like a bulletproof plan,” Damen deadpanned.
“Except, how are we going to explain why a random human follows me around everywhere if no one is to know she’s my bodyguard? ”
“That’s a rather good question, actually. Chloe will be posing as your bride,” his grandfather exclaimed, clearly very happy with the idea. “Don’t look at me like that.
You yourself assumed that’s what she was when she arrived. Everyone, including your own mother, expects you to pick a bride any day now, yet you hate the idea. This is the perfect cover-up, and it will get everyone off your back on the matter. ”
I paled.
I had no idea this was part of his plan. “Excuse me? ” I asked in a small voice. “What does it mean exactly?
Are we going to have to act the part? ”
“Absolutely,” Cromwell grinned. I threw Damen a nervous look. He seemed very amused.
“Act like we’re engaged? ” I squeaked. “Oh no, darling,” Damen smirked. “You’re going to act like you worship the ground I walk on, and I’ll be treating you like a cheap hooker.
It’ll be fun. ”
I tensed at his harsh words, sending his grandfather a distressed look. He smiled soothingly. “Don’t worry, Chloe.
I’ll have someone come over first thing tomorrow to begin your education before you’re taken to court. You’ll see, you’ll be acting like the perfect bride in no time. Though of course, it’ll only be an act. Damen will never actually drink your blood.
I guarantee it. ”
—
Back at the ball, Damen pulled me towards him as if shielding me from view would make his mother forget about her latest great idea—namely, that he drink my blood in front of an entire crowd of expectant vampires for entertainment. “What is it, Damen? ” Alexandra asked.
“I thought this girl was your bride to be. ”
“Exactly,” Damen gave his mother an innocent look. “To be. I haven’t committed to her yet.
If you insist I feed from someone, I’d rather it be Gemma. ”
“Your uncle is thinking of making her his bride. ”
“I know,” Damen wiggled his eyebrows. “He’s going to hate it.
”
Alexandra sighed and waved her hand at someone, beckoning them over. “Gemma, darling, come here. ”
An exquisite young woman with warm brown curls and a golden complexion quickly made her way to us. “My lady,” she bowed gracefully to Alexandra and then to Damen.
“My prince. ”
“Damen needs to feed,” Alexandra said, leading Gemma closer to him by the hand. “Will you help him, please, love? ”
Gemma inclined her head.
“It would be my honor, my lady. ”
Alexandra gave Damen a hardened stare. “Well, what are you waiting for, darling? You said your bride to be wasn’t fully recovered from your previous session just yet.
Chloe won’t mind, right, Chloe? ”
It took me a second to realize Damen’s mother had finally deigned to acknowledge my presence. “Oh, no, of course not,” I replied, attempting not to sag my shoulders in relief. Damen took Gemma’s hand in his, making a show of kissing it.
“Hello there. ”
He pulled her after him, and it took me a second to remember I should probably follow. “You want to watch, munchkin? ” Damen asked me before winking at Gemma.
“She’s kinky like that,” he explained, making me feel oddly self-conscious. My awkwardness only grew when, after Damen led us into a small private living space and closed the door behind us, I realized I was going to have to witness him drink from an innocent girl. I gulped, staring furiously at the fire burning in the chimney—anywhere but at Damen or Gemma. “Where would you like to drink from, my prince?
” Gemma asked Damen, batting her eyelashes. The girl looked perfectly composed, though her eyes betrayed an excitement I was stunned to witness. I knew vampire brides accepted their positions willingly, but I thought it was the money that attracted them, not the prospect of actually being bitten. “Wherever you like, darling,” he replied, looking positively unmoved.
“Shall I remove my dress, then? ” Gemma asked coquettishly. I gulped loud enough that it reminded Damen of my presence. “That won’t be necessary,” he told the girl, amused.
“My bride-to-be is very possessive of me, you see. ”
I did my best not to roll my eyes while Gemma sent me a pitying glance. “Would she like to join in? ” she then asked, smiling invitingly.
I kind of wished for the ground to swallow me whole. Damen, meanwhile, looked like the cat who ate the cream. “Would you care to join us, my darling? ” he asked me, voice full of mock concern.
It took me far too long to realize he actually expected me to answer. “No, thank you,” I muttered, averting my gaze. Damen shrugged, sending Gemma an apologetic glance. “She doesn’t like to share,” he told her, taking her wrist in his hand.
His fingers traced the veins that ran like delicate streams under her skin, a slightly hesitant look in his eyes. “Please don’t hold yourself back, my prince,” Gemma encouraged gently, raising her wrist to Damen’s lips. My breath caught when he lowered his head, his lips parting to reveal the sharp elegance of his fangs. As he was about to bite into the skin, he raised his eyes towards me, holding my gaze like he wanted to make sure I was watching the entire thing.
Damen suddenly bit into the girl’s flesh with crushing force, making her gasp. I watched, transfixed, as Gemma’s initial shock gave way to a sigh of contentment. The room became silent, save for the sound of the fire and Gemma’s panting breaths. Tears had begun to form at the corner of Gemma’s eyes, but it didn’t sound like she was in pain.
In fact, one would think she was rather enjoying the moment, with the obscene way she was moaning. Damen released her wrist and put an arm under Gemma’s knees, carrying her over to the nearby couch like she weighed nothing. “You barely took anything,” she slurred, her voice faint. Damen gently laid her down, avoiding her pleading gaze, though his hand remained hesitantly on her cheek.
He looked pained. “More,” the girl begged with a sob, reaching her fingers towards Damen. I gasped. His darkening eyes snapped towards me, and for the first time since I’d met him, he looked very much like the apex predator I forgot he was.
His control warring with the primal part of him that had been aroused by Gemma’s plea. With unprecedented speed, Damen leaned down again and bit the flesh, his eyes rolling back when he tasted his victim’s blood once more. I tried not to think about how much it made him look like an addict getting his fix. Disturbed and yet breathless, I found my own heart a confusing blend of repulsion and an undeniable draw.
A pleasant burn arose within me. My wolf seemed to enjoy the show, the brutality and primality of it pleasing it immensely. Gemma’s eyes glazed over, her body relaxing completely as she drifted into unconsciousness. Damen probably felt it because he abruptly moved away.
His eyes met mine across the room, and for a brief moment, a flicker of something closely resembling shame reflected in them. I told myself it was simply my imagination as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. I thought there was something seriously wrong with me. —
Later that night, after I’d retreated to my room for a quick nap in the very early hours of the morning, I was rudely awakened by the vibrations of my phone.
Half asleep, I didn’t think before answering the call mechanically. “Where the hell are you? ” Nate’s voice boomed across the line, making my eyes snap open in shock. I was such an idiot.
Why did I answer my phone without checking caller ID? My heart began to pound against my rib cage in terror. “Are you cheating on me? ” Nate barked, bringing tears to my eyes.
He sounded the way he did when he was about to do something awful, something my mind always tried to bury deep within my memories after the moment had passed because it was too painful to bear. Nate sounded like this when he’d conspired to kill my Alpha and his mate, and he sounded like this in the future I’d seen when I’d made my wish. “Of course not,” I told him in the most soothing, loving tone I could manage. “How could you even ask me that?
”
“I felt your desire through our bond earlier,” Nate sneered. “It was practically dripping with it. Don’t lie to me. Who are you with?
”
A flash of Damen’s blissful expression as he sank his teeth into Gemma’s body flashed before my eyes, and for some reason, the next image that came to my mind was one of him biting me instead. “Baby,” I told Nate in the sultry, soothing tone I knew he loved. “I was missing you. That’s all.
Thinking of you and what you’d do to me when we’d be together again. ”
This seemed to appease Nate, if only slightly. Though the same couldn’t be said about me, who was feeling very eager for a cold shower. “Then come home,” Nate begged into the phone.
“I can’t,” I bit my lip. “I’m on an important mission for the pack. ”
“Is that so? ” Nate sounded like he was smirking.
He could probably feel my desire and was thankfully attributing it to me being on the phone with him. “I have to go,” I lied. “There’s a knock on my door. Wait a minute—speak soon.
”
I hung up, tossed the phone across my room, and buried my face in my hands. I was going to have to come up with a better excuse, in fact, a much better plan in general, if I was going to escape my mate for good. Hiding amongst the vampires was only delaying my problem. My skin felt too tight around me, and I realized I needed to turn.
I couldn’t turn inside the house—it was too risky. Luckily, it was built on large grounds. If I retreated far enough from the main property, I could probably manage a quick turn without being caught. I jumped out of my bedroom window, landing easily three floors down below without making any noise.
Then I sprinted behind the trees at the far end of the garden, grateful for the semblance of woods. I rid myself of my clothes, hiding them well inside a bush, and dropped to my knees, bracing myself for what was to come. Once my wolf finally took over, it began to run around this small haven, though making sure it kept quiet. My wolf picked up on varied scents which intrigued it in their novelty, but one in particular quickly called to it: the fresh, alluring scent of crisp dawn.
It only occurred to me too late that I’d sensed it before, in my human form. Deep inside a clearing, sitting on a fallen trunk with a bottle of liquor in hand, was Damen, whose blue eyes immediately snapped up as I approached, widening slightly as he took in my wolf’s presence. “What the hell? ” he said, surprise quickly giving way to curiosity.
“Hello there, gorgeous. ”
Personally, I thought we were doomed. But my wolf, on the other hand, was very pleased to see him. —
I begged my wolf not to engage or approach, but my efforts were in vain.
It found Damen’s scent much too appealing to resist, notably because it remembered the brutality he displayed earlier, drinking that girl’s blood. My wolf had enjoyed recognizing another predator at work, one it admired yet didn’t feel threatened by. I wasn’t expecting Damen to extend his wrist over to us in an obvious invitation to scent and mark him. That was surprising for someone who didn’t ever interact with wolves.
It was like he instinctively knew what to do, the best way to make contact. My wolf leaped at the opportunity, briefly smelling the skin before nuzzling it. Damen remained perfectly still during the whole process. “Where do you come from?
” he asked eventually, his body unmoving. My wolf settled by Damen’s side. “Must be nice being a wolf,” Damen observed after a while. My beast huffed in agreement.
“Have you ever killed? ” he abruptly asked, his eyes lost in space. My wolf hadn’t, not even easy prey like birds or squirrels. But I reminded it that it had done much worse, Eve’s face in mind.
My wolf sighed in frustration and lowered its head to the ground. “Not sure if that’s a no or a yes,” Damen sighed. “I’ve died before. It didn’t feel nearly as bad as I thought it would.
So maybe it’s all right to kill. Everyone must die one day or another. ”
I was glad my wolf was in control at the moment. I didn’t know how I’d have reacted if it was me Damen was saying this to.
I knew what death felt like, and I’d forgotten somehow, amongst all the things I had learned about him the last few days, that perhaps the most important one was that Damen did too. “I can’t believe I’m talking to a wolf,” he said, closing his eyes. In the days following my encounter with Damen in the woods, I often caught myself wondering how Damen died, how he became a vampire. Vampirism is genetic.
One either has the gene, the unlocked potential to become one, or he doesn’t. Born human, they’re reborn undead and need blood to survive, but only if death claims them too soon. So what was it that killed Damen? Some freak accident?
A disease? Murder? The more I got to know him, the less I understood him. When we were with others, he bombarded me with sarcasm-induced flirting that aimed to mock rather than seduce me.
When we were alone and under no obligation to perform any act of closeness, he tended to avoid me like the plague. In short, Damen didn’t trust me. And while I didn’t think I trusted him either, there was now a kind of inexorable fascination that wasn’t there before when I looked at him. “Your grandfather said you’d been attacked twice,” I asked one evening during dinner, a forced affair where we stared at each other from the opposite ends of the longest dinner table ever made.
“Could you tell me how and when? ”
“Tell you about the attacks? Boring,” Damen replied, getting up to glance at a nearby shelf. “I’d hate for you to become even gloomier, munchkin.
”
“Worrying about your well-being is what I’m here for,” I reminded him patiently. “Is it? ” he asked challengingly, though not unkindly. Caught in that impenetrable stare, all my answers fell short.
Silence stretched for much too long to be believable. When I finally managed a choked “yes,” Damen continued to stare at me like he could see right into my soul. “You’re a terrible liar. Anyone ever tell you that?
” Damen laughed, though it wasn’t a joyful laugh. I winced, panic creeping up my spine. What if he began to suspect me of something much worse than wanting to protect myself? What if he started seeing me as a possible threat due to my reservations?
“Tell you what,” Damen crossed his fingers to rest his chin on top of them. “You tell me why you accepted my grandfather’s offer, and I’ll tell you how I almost died. ”
I opened my mouth on instinct, the truth ready to spill from my lips, but Ian Cromwell’s compulsion twisted around my mind, and my lips closed tight against my will. Something that didn’t escape Damen’s notice.
“I need the money, that’s all,” I attempted to explain in a weak voice. “Forget it,” Damen interrupted, looking disinterested once more. Feeling strangely guilty, I avoided his gaze to stare at the nearest row of books. I took one without thinking, eyeing it distractedly.
“The Beast Within,” Damen said, amused. “I didn’t know you liked French literature. ”
I was confused, and it showed. “Your book,” Damen said, pointing to the one I was holding in my hand.
“You’ve read it? ” I asked, surprised. “Had to. It’s pretty good.
It’s about a man who feels the need to kill all the women he desires. ”
An involuntary grimace twisted my lips as Nate’s picture came to mind. “Maybe not the right pick for you,” Damen said, taking the book from my hands. He briefly glanced at the shelves, shook his head, then moved a little further down the room to pick a more modern-looking book, handing it to me.
“This one. You’ll love it. ”
I glanced at the book to read its title. “The Time Traveler’s Wife?
I’ve never read it, though I’ve heard of it and always wanted to. I’m surprised you’d pick it for me. Though you like romance novels? ” I asked with a laugh.
Damen smiled, a private smile, one that seemed reserved only for me. “I do, with the right novel,” he said, making my breath catch for some reason. Maybe because he was looking at me so intently. I pulled the book a little closer to my chest, not knowing what he expected from me but finding myself wishing to give it to him nonetheless.
“Your phone keeps ringing,” he said. “You might want to get it. Seems urgent. ”
I realized this was true.
I’d been so preoccupied with our conversation I hadn’t realized. It was probably Nate calling. In any case, it wasn’t a call I could just take in front of Damen. “You can’t think of any reason why anyone would want to kill you?
” I asked him, changing the subject. “So we’re on that again. Come on, Damen, this is important. You really can’t think of anything?
”
“Did I say that? ” he smiled brightly. “I can think of plenty of reasons why someone might want me dead. And plenty of people who do.
My mother, for instance. ”
“Your mother? ” I asked, trying to gauge whether he was being serious. It was impossible to tell.
“Amongst others,” Damen replied with a shrug. “Vampires spend most of their time trying to kill each other. Could be any of them, really. ”
“I hear the werewolves are pretty angry with us.
Maybe they’d want revenge. ”
I did my best to hide a frown. A werewolf going after Damen? If that was the case, it was certainly not one from my pack.
Before I could ask Damen to elaborate, a butler showed a beautiful young woman inside the dining room, draped in an elegant black dress. “My dessert is here,” Damen announced with a wink that left me dumbfounded. “If you’ll excuse me. ”
A silly sense of disappointment made my heart sink as I watched him greet his guest.
She was probably here to feed him. I was shocked to realize the thought sincerely bothered me. Was I disappointed that Damen was ditching me for some random girl? I could admit I appreciated his company sometimes, when he wasn’t being an ass.
“Unless you’d like to watch me again, Chloe? ” he asked suddenly from across the room. “You seem to rather enjoy it the last time. ”
I fumbled for words, my cheeks reddening at an alarming rate.
“I didn’t—not at all. ”
But Damen had already turned back around, and I was left staring at his back. “Maybe next time,” he said, and then he exited the room. —
Two months ago, in a modest motel room on the outskirts of town, my mate’s lips traveled down my body, leaving a trail of kisses along my bare skin.
I’d messed up again, meeting him here today. Though when was the last time I did anything right? It would probably be easier if being bad didn’t feel so good. Nate’s hands gripping my hips grounded me in the moment, the type of all-too-brief moments I was always chasing after.
I just wanted to forget for a while, pretend we were two simple wolf shifters in love, blissfully happy like any fated pair should be. But it wasn’t possible, was it? I should never have met with him today, just like I shouldn’t have the day before or the one before that. I always told myself this time would be the last, that I couldn’t do this anymore, I shouldn’t.
If any member of my pack found out about us, or worse, if my Alpha found out, would I be banished just like Nate had been? It would be all I deserved. “Just relax, baby,” Nate murmured into my ear. “I got you.
I’ll take care of you. ”
I nodded, tears pricking my eyes. Why did I need to hear those words so much? Why was I like this?
“You know I love you, Chloe, don’t you? ”
When I looked at him, I got these flashes, and suddenly what he’d done, the reason he was banished, was inescapable. “Tell me you love me,” Nate commanded as our bodies became one once more. “I love you.
”
He frowned and grabbed me by the throat. He didn’t squeeze, but the threat was there, sending a shiver down my spine. “Now tell me you need me. ”
“I need you,” I whispered, feeling the truth behind these words.
Because of course I needed him. He was my fated mate, the one wolf I was meant to be with forever. We were destined, and lucky enough to find each other when most wolves never found their soulmate. I didn’t get to choose.
One day, there he was, claiming me as his. And despite everything, I loved him. I must. “You’re crying,” he complained through a moan, flipping me over.
“I don’t like seeing you cry, baby. You know that. ”
I knew he didn’t. He wouldn’t look at me when I did.
Nate and I met when we were both sixteen. I’d only just received my wolf, unlike other members of our pack who’d started to turn from as young as five or six. Being a late bloomer and not a particularly gifted wolf—if not the weakest from our pack, though they all avoided using the word “omega” around me out of pity—I couldn’t believe my luck. Meeting your fated mate was the stuff of legends, a monumental thing every wolf dreamed of but very rarely ever experienced.
I was the first in our pack to find her fated mate for centuries. And suddenly, I wasn’t danger-prone Chloe or the klutz. I was one half of a fated pair. Members of my pack were in awe of me.
I was special when I’d never been special before in my life. It was an intoxicating feeling. And Nate was so proud. Not only had he found his mate, but he’d been allowed to join our pack, the most influential, powerful pack in the country.
These days of being finally valued by the other wolves and loved by my soulmate were the happiest ones of my life. Then the accident with Eve happened, and it ruined everything. “Did you tell them yet? ” Nate asked me with a smile, still basking in the afterglow.
I tensed up immediately. “It isn’t the right time, Nate,” I reminded him. My pack didn’t know I’d rekindled my bond with him. I’d officially severed it two months ago and was supposed to stay away from him forever.
They all thought I was being a pillar of strength, keeping away from my mate and surviving the separation. Breaking a mating bond was extremely difficult for us wolves, and even more so for a fated pair. My Alpha himself almost died trying. So the fact that I was managing it had everyone impressed.
If only they knew the fraud that I was. “How quickly do you think Harry will welcome me back once you tell him? ” Nate asked, stroking my hair. I did my best not to let any of my emotions filter through our bond.
Nate sounded so hopeful. I knew he’d like nothing more than to rejoin our pack, but I also knew with the utmost certainty that it would never happen. Nate had betrayed us, unfairly challenging Harry for his position as Alpha during his weakest moment. And maybe Harry could have forgiven him for it, if only for my sake.
But Nate had also threatened his mate. They were so recently bonded that these days Harry barely allowed anyone to even look at Emma, apart from me, her best friend. Letting Nate back in, when he expressly put her life in danger? No, this was an offense even time would never heal.
But I couldn’t tell him that. He wasn’t ready to hear that our life with the most powerful pack in the country was over. I was afraid to make him understand. Would he love me outside this pack, or would I lose everything?
“I have to go,” I told Nate hurriedly, grabbing my clothes which lay in different areas of our motel room. “I’m on patrol duty tonight. ”
Nate raised a dubious eyebrow. “Patrol?
You? ” I read him loud and clear. How was an omega wolf like me expected to keep the peace? I wasn’t strong enough.
“Vivien requested my help,” I explained, avoiding Nate’s eyes. “Then why are you going? They’re shady as hell. Most of them aren’t as strong as us,” I defended, repeating the words Vivien had used to reassure me.
“They can mind-control you. ”
“Not all of them can. And those who can, do it to us wolves even rarer. ”
I was done putting my clothes back on.
I took one last look at my lover, knowing better than to reach for a kiss that would only delay me further. “I’m late,” I said hurriedly, escaping our room. “I’ll see you later. ”
I didn’t know if I would, but I did know I wouldn’t be able to resist.
I would betray everyone I loved over and over again for this bond with him, for us. —
“How are things going, my dear? ” Ian Cromwell asked, sitting in front of me at the low-end diner I was told to meet him at. All retro, with its red booths and checkered floors, I could practically taste the leftover grease and coffee in the air.
“Any luck on finding out who’s trying to harm my grandson? ”
He said this while handing me a cup of coffee. I could already tell he’d poured my weekly potion into it. My wolf’s sense of smell was too sharp to be deceived by the overlaying smell of coffee.
“None,” I sighed, taking a sip. “Although he believes it could be anybody. Which, in retrospect, is not a happy reality to live in—one in which you’re convinced practically everyone you know wants you dead. ”
“Anybody?
” Cromwell laughed. “Oh, he’s always been dramatic, that one. Takes after his mother. ”
“She’s his prime suspect,” I confessed a little awkwardly.
“I don’t think he trusts anybody in his life but you. ”
Maybe I should have kept this to myself. I didn’t know if this was something Damen had told me in confidence, and Ian might take badly to someone badmouthing his daughter. But he laughed again, proving me wrong.
“They’ve always butted heads. Though I doubt Alexandra would do anything to harm Damen. She’s quite protective of him. One might even say controlling.
But she wouldn’t hurt him. And besides, I wouldn’t let her. Perhaps due to my old age, I take the notion of family seriously. I protect my own.
”
I finished my coffee, placing it on the diner table. “Damen wouldn’t tell me how he was attacked in the past. Would you mind sharing information with me about that? Maybe this will help me find a lead.
”
Cromwell nodded. “Yes, I should have led with that. My apologies. I was certain Damen would fill you in.
I hope you won’t mind me saying so, but I find you to have a very soothing aura. I’d assumed he would think so too, but it seems perhaps I was mistaken. ”
“I think it would help build some trust between us if I could tell him that I’m a werewolf,” I told Cromwell with a frown. Cromwell nodded slowly.
For a moment, it looked like he was considering changing his mind, but then he pursed his lips, shaking his head. “Damen’s no fool, despite appearances. He’s one wondering why I chose you to protect him of all people. The fact that we haven’t told him is making him suspicious.
”
“Exactly,” I exclaimed, relieved he was seeing things my way. “Perhaps if I could just tell him—”
“No,” Cromwell decided, resolved. “Damen’s too brash, unpredictable. I’m worried he’d give your secret away, even unintentionally.
And we can’t have that. But perhaps an excuse, a cover story. ”
“We could say you’re a witch or perhaps a demon. ”
All of these things seemed foreign and unlikely to me, and my grimace gave me away.
Cromwell smiled indulgently. “How about we focus on making Damen trust you instead? Have you tried being more fun? ”
My mind went blank.
“More fun? ” I asked dubiously. “Yes, he’s quite the party animal usually, when no one’s out to get him. ”
I sighed.
“I’m not a big party girl myself. ”
“Well, perhaps just wear shorter skirts. He’s not a complicated man, my grandson. You could try seducing him.
I’m sure he’s attempted to flirt already. ”
I flushed furiously, confused as to how a grandfather could ask me things like that about his own grandson. I supposed a century-old vampire who’d seen it all didn’t have the same reservations as a mortal one. “Obviously, I’m not telling you to do anything you don’t want to, my dear.
But playing along will get you a long way. Damen may not look it, but he’s terribly insecure. Flatter his ego and you’ll have one foot through the door, so to speak. ”
“You still haven’t told me about the killing attempts,” I redirected, feeling embarrassed.
This man would suggest I seduce his grandson, and even more, because I was seriously considering taking his advice. “The first one took place six months ago. It was so surprising we labeled it as a freak accident at the time. Damen was out at one of these nightclubs he enjoys.
Anyway, a vampire used his compulsion power on him to try and drag him away. Damen resisted, and when he confronted the vampire, the latter attacked. Someone from my security team was quickly able to extract Damen from there safely. And if that had been it, we’d have thought nothing more of it.
But this is where it gets strange. When the culprit was apprehended, he convulsed and died almost immediately. We’re still unsure what killed him. But then, about one month ago, Damen was poisoned.
”
“Poisoned? ” I asked, furrowing my brows. “Yes. He complained of having a migraine, then began to convulse, similar to how his previous aggressor had before meeting his demise.
Luckily, we were quick to feed him some fresh blood, and he recovered quickly. But we don’t know how he ingested the poison, nor what it was. Only that it seemed to have similar effects to the one which killed Damen’s past aggressor. ”
I bit my lip.
“So our best lead would be to find traces of this poison. ”
“Indeed. Though I doubt whoever’s behind these attacks will try the same method again. Damen knows to drink blood from the nearest source to get better.
If someone attacks him and seems to convulse once apprehended—this is where your wolf power will come in handy. Try to see if you can identify the poison. Smell it. ”
“Smell it?
” I asked, surprised. “Why, it could help us figure out what it’s made of and thus trace its origins. It’s one of the reasons I thought having a werewolf around would help. And precisely why I don’t want anyone giving it away.
Hence the secrecy with Damen. As you may have noticed, he’s not the most discreet individual. ”
I nodded pensively, thinking about the many loud insinuations Damen had made in public about me being his bodyguard rather than his bride. Maybe his grandfather had a point.
“How did he become a vampire? ” I asked before I could stop myself, regretting the words instantly. This wasn’t a very happy topic and was probably private. To my surprise, Cromwell burst into laughter.
“A silly incident, though no one was surprised,” he said fondly, like this was a warm memory. “He drove his car off a cliff. ”
My jaw dropped. “What?
” I gasped, my mind reeling from the revelation. “You mean, purposely? ”
Cromwell blinked before realization dawned on his features. “Oh, good God, no!
” he exclaimed, affronted. “Nothing of the sort. He was just drunk and probably on too many drugs. He used to consume quite a ridiculous amount when he was still a human.
”
“Oh, don’t pout. He’s not doing any now. Wouldn’t have any effect anymore. ”
—
“I don’t know what the hell it is you think you’re doing,” Jake told me, arms crossed and looking very, very annoyed.
“But you’re coming home right now. ”
I was so lost in thought at the diner, considering Cromwell’s words, that it took me much too long to realize someone else had joined me at my table. Jake and I had a rather difficult relationship. It didn’t used to be that way.
Jake was ten years my senior, and when I grew up, I saw him as my previous Alpha’s son and thought of him as the future of our pack. I thought he looked like one of those heroes from the movies with his golden blonde hair and light blue eyes. He was witty and always managed to charm every single person in the room. Harry was different.
He enjoyed teaching and was quickly given the task of helping the younger wolves train, which included me. He was always patient and encouraging, pretty much my only friend growing up. I worshiped Jake and Vivien, but I adored Harry. “Did he send you?
” I asked Jake, lowering my eyes. Jake scoffed. “Who, the big boss? Of course not.
”
I frowned. Was Harry so angry he didn’t even care what happened to me? And to think he didn’t even know about Nate yet. “Kid, he didn’t send me because we didn’t tell him about you,” Jake explained, brows furrowed.
“Which is why you need to come home before he figures out you’re doing God knows what with the vamps. Can you imagine his reaction? ”
“Hey, what’s with the face, kid? I’m kidding, all right.
Look, Harry’s not going to like that we’ve let you play vampire bodyguard for a few days, but he’ll get over it. And Vivien will go back to being his perfect beta in no time. ”
“You really think Harry will forgive me? ” I asked in a small voice.
“Of course he will. He can’t stay mad at this face,” he said, pointing to me with a wink. When he noticed my disbelieving expression, he added, “Look, worst-case scenario, you’re besties with his mate. I’m sure she’ll put in a good word.
”
The mention of Emma made me feel uncomfortable all over again. The last image of Emma, the one I’d seen upon making my wish—
“I can’t come with you, Jake,” I told him. He looked perplexed, like my words hadn’t reached his brain yet. But then, “Don’t do this to me, Chloe.
If I don’t bring you home, Harry will get mad. Forget Harry, Viv will get mad. Chloe, she’s terrifying,” Jake complained, grabbing my arm. “I have to do this,” I replied.
“Everyone’s always looking down on me. You should have seen Vivien when Cromwell offered me to work for him. She didn’t believe in me at all. No one does.
After what I did—”
Jake’s confident expression crumbled into an uncomfortable one. “What you did, Chloe, it wasn’t—”
“I don’t regret protecting you,” I told him. “I’d do it again. I only regret harming Eve in the process.
”
Jake properly deflated at the word. It was like all his charm and bravado had left his body. “You should have never been in that position. ”
He was right.
If I’d been better and stronger and trained more, if only my wolf had come to me earlier, but it hadn’t. I’d been faced with an impossible choice because I was a failure. “I know I shouldn’t have,” I told Jake. “But I was.
And since then, no one trusts me. I have to do this—improve our relationship with the vamps and get Cromwell to get them to respect the Accords again. This is my chance, Jake. My chance to prove myself to everyone again and not be seen as some weak failure.
You were there that day. I did what I did for you. Now let me do this for me. ”
Jake’s shoulders sagged in defeat, his expression a mixture of frustration and something else I couldn’t quite pinpoint.
“Look, Chloe, about what happened that day—”
“Chloe! You here at this diner? ”
I was so stunned at hearing Damen’s voice booming in my ears that despite its familiarity, I didn’t immediately acknowledge his presence. Though it was very much him who had just arrived, strolling towards us with an overstretched grin, dressed much too fashionably for the shabby establishment we were in.
“What are the chances? ” Damen exclaimed as he slid into our booth to sit next to me, or rather, to glue himself to my side like he belonged there, making me blush a hundred times more than I’d ever done in Jake’s presence. “Were you following her? ” Jake asked, surprised and a little wary.
Damen flashed him a dazzling smile, though there was an undercurrent of tension underneath it. “What makes you say that? ” he asked, taking a sip of my iced coffee before spitting it back out dramatically. “That’s gross, Chloe.
”
Jake stared at his left arm, which had been resting on our table. “Did you just spit on me? ” he asked Damen in disbelief. “Did I?
” Damen replied, the picture of innocence. I sighed, pushing his shoulders to get him to leave the booth before things got more out of hand. “Let’s go home,” I told him, sending Jake an apologetic glance while handing him some money to pay for my drink. “He’s completely harmless, I promise.
”
“Excuse me, but I happen to be threateningly charming,” Damen protested, batting his eyelashes at me exaggeratedly. “A real menace,” I teased back without thinking, then realized what I just said when a pleased smile grazed Damen’s lips. I scratched my throat awkwardly. If I let him see his flirting was getting to me, it was only going to encourage him.
So I hurried us out, giving Jake a little wave as we passed the front door. “See you soon,” I told him, hoping he’d take this as the indication it was to not follow after us. “Bye, Drake. ”
“I literally just said his name was Jake,” I snapped at Damen.
“Yeah, I wasn’t listening. ”
Damen wrapped his arm around my shoulder as he guided me towards his car. I was about to climb inside the vehicle when I spotted him across the street, watching me from behind a newsstand. Nate was here.
And he looked absolutely furious. —
Two weeks ago, right after I made my wish, the forest dissolved around me, and I found myself in a long hallway full of closed doors. “Behind each one is a part of your future,” Iris’s voice echoed into my ear. Without a thought, I opened the first door within reach, and I found myself back in Nate’s motel room.
He was there, holding me in his arms. Except it wasn’t me. It was another Chloe, a Chloe from the future. “It’s going to be all right, baby,” he sang soothingly.
“No, it isn’t,” my double sobbed into his neck. “Harry says I have to choose. You or the pack. ”
My heart sank upon hearing this.
This meant, in the future, my Alpha found out about Nate, and just as I’d suspected, he refused to let my mate back into the pack. “You can make him change his mind. He adores you,” Nate said with a strange expression on his face. “He adores Emma more,” she protested.
“He won’t let you near her. ”
“Then it’s simple. We get rid of Emma. ”
Both me and my double recoiled at the words.
“How could you say that? Harming Emma? Never. You hear me, Nate?
Never. ”
“You said because of her we can’t be part of the pack. Do you want to lose your family? ”
I couldn’t listen to this.
It felt like I’d been stabbed in the stomach. I stumbled out of the room, panting with labored breaths. Dumbly, I opened another door. “We can make our own pack,” my double was telling Nate, looking sad yet somewhat hopeful.
“Our own pack? Don’t be ridiculous. We deserve better than that. ”
“I’d be content being only with you.
”
“Well, I wouldn’t. ”
I fled out of the room, tears forming at the corner of my eyes. It hurt too much hearing this. The worst part was that I think I always knew, deep down, that while he was far more than enough for me, I wasn’t enough for Nate.
I’m not good enough. Not for him, not for my pack, not for anyone. For some reason, I opened another door, and another. It was only heartbreak after heartbreak, sadness and despair paving the way to the bleakest future I could have hoped for.
But just as I was convinced it couldn’t get any worse, I passed through a new door. “Stay away from Chloe! ” Emma’s voice erupted into the room, light blinding me before I could see her. “You leave us alone!
”
“She wants nothing to do with you. ”
“Yes, she does! She wants to go home, and you won’t let her! You’re ruining her life!
”
I blinked through the tears. Emma was standing before Nate, clenching her fists. For some reason, she was in the motel room with us. My double was crouched in a corner, holding her bleeding nose.
“Get out! ” Nate yelled, raising his hands. He slapped Emma so hard she fell to the ground. Only when her hands grasped at her stomach did I realize she was pregnant.
I screamed in horror. So did my double. “I, Chloe, reject you as my mate! ” I heard her cry out through the tears as she crawled hurriedly towards Emma, who seemed to be unconscious.
Nate screamed in rage and surged towards my double, encircling her neck with his hands. I watched helplessly as he choked the life out of her, out of me, a crazed expression on his face. I ran out of the room with a scream. In the next one, Nate stabbed me after I rejected him.
In the next, he crashed our car after yet another rejection. I watched myself reject my mate and die in the process over twenty times, each one more horrifying than the next. “This isn’t real. It’s not happening,” I told myself, crouching on the hallway floor and hugging my knees.
“It’s very real,” the witch’s voice echoed into my ears. “There’s an infinite number of futures, but in each one, Nate will drive you to reject your bond. And when you do, he kills you. It doesn’t matter if it’s next week or next month.
It is unavoidable. You’ll die at the hands of this man you love within a year at most. ”
I gasped in horror, feeling Iris’s words surge through my very soul like a wound splitting open. I knew she wasn’t lying.
I could feel the truth lacing her words. I’d seen the truth for myself. I had one year left at most. And then I’d be dead.
—
The sun was set behind the city landscape. The air was warm, the concrete still radiating some of the heat it had accumulated from being in the sun all day. It probably wasn’t, but my surroundings suddenly felt scorching and stifling under my terror and shame. Terror at seeing Nate so close, looking like he was inches away from walking over to us to drag me away from Damen’s side.
But shame at being pulled by his presence despite it all, beckoned by the familiarity of his gaze. Oh God, and Jake was still inside the diner. He’d see Nate should he come closer. How long would it take for him to figure out we were still bonded?
How long till I was then kicked out of my pack? A terrible prospect, though still better than its alternative: Emma coming to my rescue and getting killed in the process. What was I going to do? How was I going to get rid of him?
Maybe if we hurried inside his car, Damen could drive us out of there fast enough. “Oh no,” Damen suddenly sighed, making me jump as he spotted Nate. I felt silly for thinking this almost immediately. He didn’t know Nate.
Even if he did see him, Damen wouldn’t think anything of it. “What is it? ” I asked. “I forgot my wallet inside the diner,” Damen said, making a show out of searching his empty pockets.
My gaze traveled back to Nate, who looked seconds away from heading over. The stress was going to eat me alive. “I adore this wallet,” Damen groaned dramatically. “It’s one of a kind.
I can’t believe I just left it there, probably right next to your friend who really doesn’t like me. How will I ever get it back? ”
“Shall I go and get it for you? ” I asked, slightly disbelieving.
“Would you? ” Damen gave me a bright smile. “That would be great. ”
I nodded, feeling dazed and incapable of phrasing a coherent protest when Nate was right there.
He could come over at any given moment. Was this how I died? Was he going to kill me here? I headed inside the diner, hoping with all my heart that he didn’t follow me inside where Jake could see him.
I found Jake still in our booth, looking at his phone. He handed me Damen’s wallet, which he must have found after we’d gone. “I considered fitting it inside it,” Jake declared. “Fair,” I replied.
I went back outside, feeling like I was heading to my execution. It was the most uncomfortable walk of my life. I felt like death was breathing down my shoulder. “My wallet!
” Damen exclaimed, grabbing onto his leather good with childlike glee. I barely acknowledged him, frozen in shock. Across the street, by the lamppost, Nate was—
“Did you see a—” I licked my lips nervously, glancing around. Nate was gone.
“See what? ” Damen asked, getting into his car. I looked back inside the diner and screened the area one last time, but there was no sign of Nate. “Never mind,” I replied, feeling a mix of relief and unease.
It wasn’t like Nate to give up on a confrontation. So why did he just now? Could it mean he was planning something? —
The morning after I met Damen, I opened my eyes blearily to a lavish cream-colored bedroom I didn’t recognize immediately.
The sun was filtering softly through the curtains, and the ceiling I was looking at was adorned with intricate golden moldings. My gaze trailed confusingly. Then a pleasant, fresh scent filled my nose, making me smile softly. “Morning, wifey.
”
A startled yelp escaped my lips, and I jumped into a seated position, staring in shock as I realized Damen was lying beside me on my bed, fully dressed and propped up by a couple of pillows. He was staring at me with a sarcastic smirk, arms crossed. “What are you doing here? ” I exclaimed, briefly worrying something may have happened before I took in that we were both dressed and that, being unlikely he’d ever be interested, of course nothing happened.
“Testing your reflexes, which suck, by the way,” Damen wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ve been here a good hour and you haven’t even stirred. ”
“I was tired,” I explained lamely, trying to cover my upper body with a pillow, making Damen roll his eyes. “Well, I don’t know how you’re planning to keep me alive in your condition,” he said, staring at his nails.
“Looks to me like you need a vacation. Or am I the vacation? ”
“I’m sure I don’t look it, but I can protect you,” I assured him, surprised at how resolute I felt on the matter. I didn’t really come here because I wanted to look after him, after all.
My goal was to escape Nate. But it occurred to me that since meeting him, I’d been growing more determined to take my job seriously. “Look,” Damen said lightly. “You don’t have to do this, all right?
Whatever made you desperate enough to accept my grandfather’s offer, I’ll help you deal with it. And then you can be on your merry way. ”
His gaze was surprisingly kind, and he sounded sincere. I was speechless.
Was this guy I just met really offering to help me? “Come on,” Damen joked, opening his arms to me. “Tell Uncle Damen what’s wrong. ”
My lips twitched involuntarily.
“Was that an almost smile? ” Damen asked, pointing to my lips. “Wow, didn’t think you had it in you. You seem to live in a perpetual state of anguish.
”
“I’m not,” I protested, embarrassed at being so obvious to someone who didn’t seem the type to incline to read people. “You’re like a rabbit caught in the headlights. What are you going to do when the car comes crashing down on you, huh? Stare?
”
I pursed my lips. He wasn’t trying to be kind. He was just hoping to get rid of me because he didn’t think I could help. And I couldn’t blame him for having a sense of self-preservation.
“I swear on my life that I will keep you safe,” I told him, taking his hand in mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He froze, his eyes wide. Damen, I think I just broke him. He looked shocked, touched maybe.
But by what? Certainly not by what I said. He should be used to people serving him, shouldn’t he? I was about to say something else when Damen moved away so abruptly you’d think he’d just been burnt, getting up from the bed in one swift movement.
“It’s your funeral, I guess,” he sighed, sending me a brief glance over his shoulder. “But remember, my offer still stands. You don’t have to be here. I can make your problems go away, Chloe.
You only have to ask. ”
“I don’t have any problems,” I told him, suddenly finding the lie to come much more difficult than usual. In fact, I don’t think it’s ever been this hard to lie. Why was that?
I didn’t know this man. There was no reason I should trust him, no matter how attractive he was. He left the room, and the next time I saw him, he acted like this entire conversation never happened. —
I was expecting Damen to drive us straight back home to the Cromwell residence after we left the diner.
But instead, he left the city, driving us through the nearby woods onto a coastal road towards the north. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but it looked like we’d be late for dinner with his grandfather. “Forget it. She’ll never approve of you,” Damen said.
“She hates everything I like. ”
“Ah, so you do like me,” I smiled, oddly pleased. I was sure he liked me like one does an old, familiar pair of slippers. But still, it felt rather nice to hear.
Damen gave me a sideways glance, a rather warm glance, and it left me blushing. “Have you started reading the book I recommended? ” he asked after a while. “I have,” I replied enthusiastically.
“I don’t know if I like it, though. I have a feeling the hero is going to die in the end. ”
Damen grinned, though it wasn’t a very happy grin. “Well then, hopefully it won’t stick.
”
His car stopped in front of a closed iron gate that seemed to guard a large property, literally lost in the middle of nowhere. This looked like a mansion from a horror movie. “Wait for me in the car,” Damen requested. “I won’t be long.
”
I frowned. “No, I’m coming with you. I can’t leave you alone. ”
“Chloe, this house belongs to me.
Everyone inside of it works for me. I’ll be fine. I’ll be back in 10 minutes. ”
I nodded begrudgingly, watching him turn and be greeted out the door by two men in uniform who inclined their heads upon seeing him, and then disappeared inside the mansion.
I wiggled nervously in my seat. I didn’t like this. I was supposed to be looking after him. It was weird that he wanted to go in there alone.
He must be up to something. The question was, would this something put him in danger? I exited the car and began walking around the house, trying to get a glimpse of Damen inside. I concentrated on trying to hear the sound of his voice from where I was.
“We’ll get tonight,” his voice said from somewhere upstairs. I looked up to the upper floor of the house. There was a balcony I could jump onto. Then I’ll climb up the walls.
I reached the second level of the house with surprising ease and crouched by the window pane to peek inside. Damen was standing in a sumptuous bedroom with a young woman whose face I could not see, her back facing me. However, I noticed she was wearing an elegant, albeit particularly short, red silk robe. “I’m so tired of staying here,” she was complaining.
“When are we going to be able to leave? ”
“Soon,” Damen gave her a tight smile before pulling her into his arms, holding on to her with surprising tenderness. “I’m working on it, I promise. ”
My foot slipped, making Damen’s gaze snap up towards the window, and I was forced to jump away, feeling embarrassed for having witnessed what was probably a private moment not meant for me to intrude on.
I hurried back to the car as discreetly and hurriedly as I could, my heart pounding. Who was this girl Damen was with? A girlfriend? But then why hadn’t he mentioned her?
Was he hiding her in this house? She said she wanted to leave. He said he’d make it happen. And most importantly, why did my throat feel so tight?
Damen and I weren’t really together. I knew that. This was so stupid. I was such an idiot.
After another good 10 minutes, Damen finally emerged from the house, looking distractedly at his phone. I watched him, trying to read his face for information on who the girl he’d been seeing was to him, exactly. I was so distracted that I didn’t notice the two men abruptly coming out of the trees. When they seized Damen’s arms, one of them injecting him with a syringe that I was sure couldn’t contain anything good.
It took me much too long to jump out of the car and sprint towards them. They’d already thrown Damen into a vehicle that had been hidden amongst the trees, and I watched helplessly as they drove away right before my eyes.
