1. Lorna

Chapter 1

Lorna

I t'd been one whole week since I'd arrived in New Orleans. Seven days since I'd given myself to Kenrid and Damon. Seven days since I promised to prove I could be trusted, not just by my demon mate, but also trusted by Nathan.

Yes, Damon's trust was important to me, but the friendship between the four men who'd risked so much for me mattered more. I didn't want to drive a wedge between them. I didn't want resentment replacing their dedication and loyalty to one another.

Nathan made it very clear that the clan knew me as Damon's mate. Not Kenrid's mate. They all agreed that there were too many consequences for allowing the clan to see I had more than one man committed to me.

Even though Elliott and I hadn't officially claimed each other, it was coming. I could feel it just as strongly as I felt the draw to Damon and Kenrid. Elliott was mine, but no one would believe that a wolf could share his mate. It just didn't happen .

And apparently, Kenrid was fae royalty. But if his family discovered that he'd found his soulmate, things would get all kinds of ugly for me and Kenrid.

Been there. Done that. Not trying to do it again.

Mir and I did our very best to not draw attention to the lies we were living. I'm pretty sure I failed most of the time. Seriously, it's impossible to ignore someone you care about. Impossible for me anyway. So instead of hanging out with the rest of the clan, we spent a whole lot of time trying to discover the extent of my magic.

Just like now.

I sat on an old stump surrounded by tall trees whose broad branches created a canopy above me, blocking out most of the evening sun. The sandy dirt beneath them made me believe this entire area probably flooded during the rainy season. Today, it was hot and humid. Sweat trickled down my back and between my boobs, distracting me way too easily.

A slight tug between my ribs redirected my thoughts. The first time it happened, it scared the shit out of me. I thought for sure I was having a heart attack. I wasn't. It was just Damon tugging on the connection of our mate bond.

Another tug made me growl. My demon didn't allow distractions or laziness during training. He was a completely different person as a teacher than he was as a lover.

He's a very attentive lover , Mir said.

Don't distract me, I snapped at her, even though I completely agreed.

I was supposed to be trying to ‘sense' Damon and Kenrid, who hid among the trees. Kenrid wasn't that hard to find. His aura—his energy—shined like the sun in my mind. I looked to my right and followed my connection to him, trying to send feelings of love and happiness his way. When I got gratitude and longing back from him, I smiled .

A flare of irritation lit up Damon's bond. I sent my own frustration right back. He was hiding from me. Not just physically but in every way. I couldn't sense him at all unless he sent an emotion directly to me, like just now. Not today or the three previous times we'd played this little game.

Damon would not be found unless he wanted to be.

I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes. I used to be really good at meditating. I'd spent a lifetime perfecting my focus, organizing the compartments in my mind, and keeping my personas exactly how I wanted them.

Now, the tiniest stray thought had me losing concentration.

I huffed and forced my mind to think of nothing except that tiny thread connecting me to Damon. His magic always felt heavy to me, like a protective cocoon. During our claiming, its darkness contrasted with Kenrid's light. It shouldn't be this hard to pinpoint Damon.

It seemed fricking impossible!

No, I could do this damn it! I bit my bottom lip and pictured my demon. His strong jaw, full lips, and dark eyes that read me too easily. I loved the texture of the thick horns that curved over his black hair and his oh-so-sensitive pointed ears.

A gust of wind ruffled my hair and a smile spread across my face. There he was. A few feet behind me and…

I screamed as a pair of strong arms wrapped around my middle and pulled me into the air. The ground got farther away for several moments before it rushed back up to greet me. Damon landed first, making sure I was steady on my feet before he let me go.

I spun around and pointed at him. "Why can't I feel you?" My voice was a little breathless from the thrill of flying, even though it was only a few feet off the ground. I was not supposed to be thrilled with my demon. I was frustrated !

Damon shook his head in obvious disappointment, and I shoved away my memories of my elementary school teachers doing the same thing. It only added to my frustration.

"You're trying to use our mate bond to find me," he replied. "But you have more magic at your disposal that you're completely ignoring."

I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. I didn't need the reminder of my other magic, the one that turned someone's brains into scrambled eggs.

"Your magic doesn't always have to kill, little d'laej."

Could he read my mind? I searched Damon's face for any sign of

… of what? What would mind reading look like? I had no idea. I met his eyes and reached for the bond between us. I could feel him now that he was only a few steps away. Was there something else I was missing? Could I really use my magic for something other than killing?

A sense of pride drifted through my connection to Damon. He could read my mind! Or was I making assumptions?

Let's do a little test, Mir suggested, projecting a vision of Damon's naked body tied to the bed.

Oh, good idea!

I added to the vision, making it his demon. I hadn't actually seen his demon naked, but I could imagine it. He was in his demon form now, standing at least eight feet tall. His broad chest was always bare, and I loved ogling his chiseled abs. The leather trousers covering his lower half nicely accentuated his muscled thighs and his firm ass. I'd never gotten to see his cock, though.

In his human form, it was enormous. The three ridges along the base were my favorite part. Was there anything different about it in his demon form? Did it get bigger? I shifted my stance, becoming more than a little bit turned on imagining him tied to my bed. He'd be completely under my mercy .

Damon growled and closed the space between us with two easy strides. The snap of his wings blew my hair back, and I grinned. The outline of his arousal proved it was bigger in his demon form. Did it have more ridges? Would he let me find out?

"Lorna!" Damon grumbled. "Do not tempt my demon."

I tore my gaze from the bulge in his pants and looked up at him. Fire burned in his eyes—actual fire—and my smile faltered. It was easy to forget he was a demon. I know, I know. How could I forget when he was standing in front of me with horns, wings, and a tail? But he was so reserved, calm, and compassionate. I always saw that side of him first, no matter what form he was in.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Damon dropped to one knee in front of me. A dark, cloudy fog surrounded his body, taking away the demon and leaving the man behind. I didn't hide my disappointment.

"You can never be intimate with my demon," he whispered. "He knows none of those things that you see in me. You would not survive the encounter, and I would die a million deaths because of my guilt."

And just like that I felt like a complete ass. There was so much I didn't know about my guys. Instead of trusting Damon to have a good reason for keeping his demon from me, I'd been selfish and provoked him. While I'd proven he could read my mind, I'd also crossed a boundary that wasn't mine to cross.

I reached out and cupped his jaw with one hand. "You're mine," I reminded him. "I would never force you to do anything you didn't want to do, especially in the bedroom."

I leaned forward and kissed him. He didn't pull away, but he didn't deepen the kiss either.

"I'm sorry, Damon," I said. "I didn't mean to tempt your demon, I was merely … "

"I know exactly what you did." He rose to his feet, taking my hand in his rather than just letting it fall away. "I'm disappointed with your method, but I'm proud that you figured it out."

Frowning, I looked over at Kenrid, who'd emerged from the trees at some point. He wasn't smiling. He stared at Damon with an unreadable look.

"You're glad I know that you can read my mind?" I asked.

"I can't read your mind," Damon said. "You projected your thoughts and images into my mind. Very successfully."

Kenrid strolled up next to me but kept his attention on Damon. "She can project."

Damon nodded and my frown deepened. I sort of understood what they were saying but not really.

"You mean I forced you to see … um." I blushed furiously, not wanting to voice what I'd imagined.

Damon smiled. "Yes, you forced me to see my demon completely naked and tied to your bed."

My cheeks burned. How could he do that to me? Kenrid laughed and Damon just continued to smile.

"I might let you play out that little fantasy—without my demon," Damon said, bringing my fingers to his lips and kissing them. "But we're getting distracted from your training."

We'll definitely take him up on that offer, Mir whispered.

Shut up!

Mir laughed, and I just shook my head.

"Okay, enough distractions," I said, my voice squeaking. "Tell me about projecting. Can I do that with anyone or just you guys?"

"You could probably project with most humans," Kenrid replied, turning to face me. "They don't know how to protect their minds or even that they should. Unlike humans, magical beings are taught to protect themselves from someone intruding into their thoughts."

Kenrid pulled my free hand into his and entwined our fingers. My heart swelled with the gesture. With Damon on one side and Kenrid on the other, it felt like everything was suddenly right in my world, despite all the challenges. Then Kenrid smiled, and my life was complete.

I had no idea how I'd fallen so damned hard for them, but I had. Which was ironic since I'd spent a lifetime avoiding personal contact with nearly everyone.

"I suspect you've spent most of your life projecting your personas onto those around you," Damon said, drawing my gaze from Kenrid. "Did anyone ever suspect you were not Mallory?"

I frowned and shook my head. "I was really good at my job," I replied. "Are you saying it was because of my magic?"

Damon didn't reply, but he didn't have to. That's exactly what he'd said. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Was it a bad thing that my magic gave me an edge no one else had? I'd always assumed it was because men didn't see a pretty face as a threat. Had I manipulated their brains into believing I was safe? Did the method matter? In the end, the results were the same.

"There is nothing wrong with using the talents you're given," Kenrid said, gently squeezing my hand.

Sometimes I hated that they read me so easily. Or was I projecting my thoughts on them? What did projecting my magic have to do with how I'd killed?

"Do I have to tell you to trust your magic?" Damon asked, tugging on my other hand.

A short laugh escaped me. "No, you don't. It's just hard to trust something that scrambles someone's brains." I squeezed both of their hands, then slipped free of their grasp. "Projecting is nothing like what I did to that guy at Maxwell's. "

I couldn't voice the rest, and luckily I didn't need to. They'd both been there. They'd seen it.

"There's no need to test that part of your magic, now," Kenrid said.

I sighed with relief, but Damon crushed it a second later.

"We don't need to test it now, but we do need to understand it," Damon said.

I jerked my head up to argue with him, but he pressed a finger against my lips. "You're right. We need to know if it's connected to your ability to project or if it's something else entirely."

"Fine," I grumbled, and he dropped his hand.

I stomped back to the little clearing where I'd been sitting earlier and plopped down on the old stump. I didn't want to think about what I'd done, but I was smart enough to know that we did need to understand it. I couldn't learn about my magic if I ignored one of the first abilities I'd developed as a child.

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

The guys joined me in the small clearing. Kenrid reclined in the grass, resting on his elbows with his legs stretched out and crossed at his ankles. Damon sat cross-legged, still in his human form.

"Can you explain what happened when the human attacked you in the parking lot?" Damon asked. "I'd like to know what you experienced. I witnessed what you did to him, but I have no idea what you felt."

I swallowed hard and drew in a deep breath. God, I did not want to talk about this.

Damon wouldn't ask unless it was important, Mir said.

I know.