Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I sat at the ornately carved, gold-gilded dining table that could easily seat thirty people and fought not to fidget. It felt weird with only the three of us, but my discomfort evaporated when the Hunters appeared.

“Everly!” Mrs. Hunter cried when she saw me. I stood quickly to receive her desperate embrace.

“It’s okay,” I said softly. “Miles will be okay.”

She pulled back to look me in the eyes. “He didn’t do it, Everly. He would never kill someone.”

I didn’t want to have this conversation with them, but they couldn’t remain in the dark forever. So, I took her hands and met her gaze.

“Normally, Miles wouldn’t,” I said. “But he’s not exactly himself.”

She frowned. Behind her, Mr. Hunter did the same.

“Let’s sit,” I said. “This is going to take some time to explain.”

I started from the beginning—Miles sending us on an exploratory hunt to check the validity of the information he’d provided. In some spots, I kept the details vague to protect Cross and to keep Vena from getting into trouble. But I stuck with the raw truth about Miles going missing and why we hadn’t immediately called them.

Mr. and Mrs. Hunter listened silently, along with the king and the princess. I paused whenever servers brought in the next course but otherwise continued to the end. Or what I’d thought had been the end.

“We all saw him die. The connection Adriel had with Miles should have been gone. We thought it was. I’m so sorry.”

Mrs. Hunter looked down at her untouched lamb steak.

“It’s not your fault,” she said. “It’s not Vena’s or Miles’ either. It’s ours for letting our kids believe we would have scolded them instead of helping them.” Mr. Hunter’s hand covered hers. Comforting her. “We’ve lost our parents; we won’t lose our kids.”

Mr. Hunter nodded. “I believe the rings are what my parents had been working on before they disappeared. Each ring possesses a special stone created to ensure the four races have equality.”

I realized what he meant. The stones in the back of the book Vena and I had found had been labeled for each of the primary races. Those were the stones in the rings.

“Is that why the vampires are after the rings?” I asked. “Because they don’t want equality between the races anymore?”

It didn’t exactly make sense, though, since the vampires were definitely not equals. They hid in the shadows while the fae played in the daylight. Even the werewolves were carefully cautious about exposing themselves.

“In a sense,” the king said. “And I think that’s all I can safely say on the subject. As you’ve learned, it’s a dangerous topic.”

“Agreed,” Mrs. Hunter said. “I do have a few questions for you unrelated to the rings or vampires, Everly.”

“Ask me anything,” I said.

“So Shepard is the Alpha werewolf?”

I nodded hesitantly, hoping I wasn’t giving away something that should be kept secret.

“And he runs Blur along with his men, meaning they’re all werewolves too?”

I responded with another cautious nod.

“And Anchor, the man you mentioned Vena is interested in, works there?”

Understanding settled with heavy sickness in my stomach.

“He does. He’s really, really nice and perfect for Vena.”

Mrs. Hunter smiled. “With her wild nature, she needs a strong, protective man who can keep up with her. We’ll talk more about this later. Let’s eat before this delicious food gets cold.”

I ate in silence with the rest. My thoughts strayed to Cross and Shepard as I nibbled. The mountain was huge. How long would it take them to search every inch? Even though they were fast, traversing the staircases had to be tiring.

Indri rang the bell again and snapped me from my thoughts. The king stood with dry, red-rimmed eyes to bid us good night. He flagged his personal guard to go with him.

The Hunters stood, prepared to be escorted by another guard to their room, but not before Mrs. Hunter pulled me into a hug. “Stay safe.”

“You, too.”

When they were gone, Indri waved for me to follow her.

“How long does it take to get around this mountain?” I asked.

“With all the tunnels, mines, living and storage areas, it could take a dwarf a few days to navigate. Perhaps a wolf and a vampire could do it in a day.”

Indri led me down a golden hallway and opened the door to a large room painted white with more gold details. A large sapphire-encrusted mirror was prominently displayed above a vanity.

“The sapphire room will be yours for as long as you stay. Your bag is already inside. The ensuite bathroom is stocked with necessities if you’ve forgotten anything. However, if you do need anything else, there is a rope bell near the bed. Someone will come as soon as they can.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” I said. “I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances.”

She gave a small nod. “Me, too.”

Indri closed the door on her way out, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Alone, I checked the time on my phone and saw we had been in the mountain for hours already. The summer sun had set an hour ago, not that I could tell since the mountain didn’t come with windows.

Grabbing my pajamas from my bag, I went to the modern bathroom for a hot shower to relieve the ache in my legs.

Steam curled in the room as the water heated before drifting toward a vent in the ceiling. I stepped under the spray and let the water melt away my tension. My thoughts circled around what we’d learned and what I was supposed to tell Vena.

Although the king hadn’t taken my phone, I hesitated to send an update until Shepard and Cross found Adriel.

Cleaned and rinsed, I shut off the water and toweled dry. A huge yawn popped my jaw as I slipped on my pajama tank top and shorts. I checked the door to my bedroom to make sure it was locked then shuffled toward the bed.

Just as I was about to pull back the covers, a chill stole through me that had nothing to do with the room temperature and everything to do with a tingling sense that someone was watching me.

Slowly, I turned around to find the room was empty. Yet the feeling was still there.

I reached over to pull the rope bell when a loud crash filled the room.

Startled, I whirled to face a leanly muscled man who stood below where the vent cover used to be. He was naked except for a familiar diamond collar.

Adriel.

My heart seized then went into overdrive.

His dark eyes turned darker as he sniffed the air.

“I love the smell of fear.”

I scrambled to pull the rope, but he was on me, his naked torso pressed against my back as he pinned me to the wall beside the bed.

The protection charm I always wore around my neck flared but winked out before it could do any good. Adriel never even noticed.

“What’s the hurry, Everly? I just want to play a little.”

I fought against the panic bubbling up inside of me. How fast would Cross be able to reach me once I bled? Fast enough to stop me from dying?

“Listen to that,” Adriel said softly. “The flutter of your pulse. Mmmm. So tempting. What is it that you fear, Everly? Me? Or perhaps you fear liking what I will do to you. Should I make you moan my name? We can record it so you can play it for the Alpha and Cross. I think that might upset them more than your screams. But I do crave your screams.”

My body started to shake, and I hated my visible reaction.

He chuckled low in my ear and scraped one long nail along the length of my arm hard enough to leave a red mark but not hard enough to break the skin, knowing one drop of blood would alert Cross.

“I think we’ll leave the screaming for next time.” He spun me around suddenly to face him, capturing my wrists as he locked his gaze with mine. “Give in to your hidden desires, Everly. Let go of what is holding you back from enjoying everything this life offers.”

His words echoed in my mind briefly before wrapping around me with a heaviness I couldn’t resist. They pulled at me, flooding my mind.

What hidden desires did I have?

I thought of Cross then Shepard. They’d been tempting me with their presence for weeks. A vampire and a werewolf. Dangerous. Deadly. Yet, I wanted to do more than spend time with them. I wanted to taste everything they could offer me.

“Mmm. I can smell your desire. I knew I wasn’t wrong,” Master said, snapping me back to the present. “Kiss me, Everly.”

My gaze dipped to the twisted smile tugging at his lips, and I felt nothing but revulsion.

“I’d rather walk across a field of broken glass,” I said before thinking better of it.

He hissed in my face and twisted my wrists painfully. “Give in to me. Give in to your desire. I smelled it.”

“Whatever you were smelling, it wasn’t for you,” I said through my pain and fear. His fingernails bit into my skin, and I attempted to twist my arms out of his grip, hoping it would scrape me hard enough to draw blood.

He snarled again and darted in toward my neck.

I screamed, giving him one of the things he wanted.

The door crashed open behind him, and he was ripped away from me but not before I felt his tongue and teeth on my skin. Snarls and growls filled the room. Something hit me from the side, and I crashed onto the bed.

When I sat up again, only Shepard remained in the room. His shirt was torn and bloody as he faced the door.

Something about the way he stood there, his chest heaving while radiating anger, called to me. I wanted to go to him. To comfort him.

Give in to your hidden desires…

I was halfway across the mattress when he turned toward me. His intense grey gaze met and held mine. I felt it all the way through me, like a seductive caress.

“Are you hurt?” he asked roughly.

“No.”

His gaze drifted to my neck where I could still feel the rasp of Master’s teeth.

“I can smell him on you, Everly.”

“And you don’t like it when I smell like someone else,” I said.

Some of the anger in his stance melted away as he frowned at me.

“No. I don’t,” he admitted when I remained quiet.

“Should I shower again?”

He stared at me for a long moment before saying, “I’m going to ask Indri to check you for bites.”

Give in to your hidden desires…

“Why ask Indri?” I drew my top over my head and tossed it to the bed beside me.

I didn’t care that the door was smashed and standing wide where anyone could pass by. Only the way Shepard’s gaze raked over my exposed breasts mattered.

He swallowed hard and shook his head slightly.

“You’re right. He might have bitten me somewhere else,” I said, hooking my fingers into the waistband of my shorts.

Shepard crossed the space between us and captured my hands before they descended more than a centimeter.

“Everly,” he said, his voice carrying just the right amount of growl to make me breathless. Yet, I also heard the warning and saw his resistance.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “You threatened to strip me more times than I can remember just last month. Did you change your mind? Are you no longer interested in seeing me?”

I watched his pupils dilate and shivered in anticipation.

Give in to your hidden desires…

“Kiss me, Shepard,” I said softly. “Show me you still want me like I want you.”

He groaned and released my hands to cup my face. The kiss he laid on me conveyed every ounce of his hunger. I kissed him back with as much need, using my hands to push his shirt up his abs so that he would understand he needed to get rid of his top too.

He tore his mouth from mine and ripped off his shirt. I watched him toss the shredded material to the side and shivered with anticipation as he placed a knee on the mattress. My breathing hitched, and I reached for his shoulders. He made a pained sound as I smoothed my palms over them and down his chest.

Then he trapped my hands under his.

“What are you touching, Everly?” he asked.

“You. Your chest.”

“And what do you feel?”

My face flushed. “Horny. Are you going to make me beg, Shepard? I didn’t think you’d be so petty.” Yet, I wasn’t unwilling to beg. Anything to get him to touch me like I was touching him.

“You don’t have to beg for anything, beautiful. I’d gladly give you the world without you needing to ask for it. But I’m worried this isn’t you. The Everly I know would have noticed the blood soaking her palm. She would have been worried that I’d been hurt.”

My gaze flicked to his bloody chest and skimmed over the wounds.

“That was before I saw how fast Doc healed on my couch after the fight. These scratches are already closing. I didn’t think they’d bother you enough to stop this from happening. But if I was wrong…”

I tried removing a hand, but he caught it fast.

“You’re not wrong. I’m just terrified this isn’t you, Everly. Why now? A day ago, you weren’t ready for this.”

“A day ago, you asked me to give you a chance, Shepard. Do you know how many near-death experiences I’ve had this summer? I’m tired of overthinking everything and denying myself what I want.”

“What do you want?” he asked.

“You.”

His eyes glinted with gold. His body crashed into mine, knocking me back into the mattress. The press of his hot chest against mine was almost as good as the way he was tenderly kissing my brow and nose and lips.

Another growl escaped him as he opened his mouth and deepened the kiss. When his hand found my breast, I ground my hips against his hardness.

Give in to your hidden desires…

“Am I interrupting something?” Cross asked from behind me.

I ripped my mouth from Shepard’s and smiled at Cross.

“No. You’re just in time. Join us.”