Chapter 4

Kiara

Pain explodes all over my body when I begin to awaken. The back of my head is sore and tender. It feels like it's been hit with a sledgehammer. Stone walls stare back at me as my eyes blink a few times, clearing my vision. A wave of dizziness hits me when I sit up and slide against the headboard, trying to gain my bearings. My gaze skates across the strange room, looking for anything familiar, but I come up empty.

A few sconces line the walls, giving off enough light to see. Black curtains with silver trim cover the lone window. They match the black sheets on the massive bed I'm on. A large fireplace is off to my left, with a roaring fire brewing. Mysterious and alluring seems to be the theme of this place.

Softness rubs against my skin as I shift on the mattress. When I glance down at the red silk negligee I'm wearing, my stomach drops. I've never owned anything like this. It's expensive and not mine.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up." A voice cuts through the silence, making me jump. All my limbs ache in protest from the sudden movement, but I focus on the stranger.

The mystery man from the bookstore is sitting in the armed chair across the room, watching me. He was not there a second ago, but both vampires and Nephilim can appear at will. That's what they taught us in the coven. They never said anything about them being sex wrapped up in a sinful package, though. I should have realized what he was the second he walked in, but he disguised himself somehow.

His bare chest is on display, showing off his perfectly chiseled body. Strange symbols that I don't recognize are inked all over his pale skin. The silver piercings of his nipples reflect off the dim lighting. Pale feet peek out from the bottom of his black leather pants.

My eyes trail up to his face and take in his striking features up close. I only managed to catch quick glimpses of him in the bookstore. Now, I can take my time.

Striking blue eyes, a strong square jaw, high cheekbones, a Roman nose, and full lips. I recognize the silver barbells that run through each of his brows. He's a walking-talking cliché. A bad boy personified.

"Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?" Spots fill my vision as I spit out question after question. My heart races against my ribs as I watch him and await an answer.

He tilts his head side to side as a slow smile spreads across his face, revealing deep-set dimples on either side of his mouth. "Which question would you like me to answer first?"

"All of them." My jaw hardens. Fear is leaving me, and anger is following in its wake. I'm in no mood to be toyed with.

"I'm Elek." He watches me, waiting for recognition to set in. When it doesn't, he keeps talking. "And you're Kiara of the Daughters of Enid Coven."

"You can't possibly know that. We've been hidden for centuries." My body tenses at being found out. This stranger shouldn't be able to tell what coven I belong to. We were thought to be extinct and prefer to live in the shadows.

"Mmm." He nods. "They made us work for it this time. You were almost impossible to find."

I open my mouth to ask him what he means by that when a different voice cuts me off.

"Is it story time already?" Another man leans against the far wall with his arms crossed over his naked chest. Straight brown hair stops at the top of his shoulders, bringing out the green in his eyes. Tattoos of more strange symbols cover his chest and crawl up his body to his neck, stopping at the apple of his cheek where the outline of some type of bird is. A deep V peaks out beneath his black leather pants that hang down low enough on his waist to reveal he isn't wearing any underwear. He uncrosses his arms and closes the distance between us, giving me an unobstructed view of his six-pack as he sits on the arm of Elek's chair.

"She's quite inquisitive this time, Mátyás." Elek drops his head back to look at him.

"Is she now?" He flicks his tongue, licking across his bottom lip, giving me a peek at his forked tongue. With his gaze locked on mine, Mátyás grabs Elek by the cheeks and shoves his tongue down his throat. He's owning him, dominating every inch of him with a simple kiss, showing me that he belongs to him.

Warmth pools between my legs as I watch. Every touch is sensual but demanding. He's rough and gentle all at the same time. My throat goes dry as he trails a hand down to Elek's chest, toying with the piercings of his nipples, making my own harden against the red silk. Elek growls into his mouth but keeps his hands to himself. The message is clear. This is Mátyás's show, and he's submitting to him with complete trust. It's one of the hottest things I've ever seen.

Images of the three of us together in this bed flood my mind, making my pulse quicken. Moisture pools between my thighs as I wonder what it would be like to be in the middle of all that raw energy, all of that power, as they fill me and fuck me in every way. Heat courses through my veins as I'm overcome with emotions I can't explain. I clench my thighs together, willing the empty ache building inside me to dissipate.

"Miss me?" He turns and winks at me as if he knew the direction of my thoughts.

"Always." Elek places his head on his chest and glances my way. His hand rests against Mátyás's thigh as they both watch me.

It's a bit unnerving to have the full force of their attention on me.

"What all did you tell her?" Mátyás cocks his head from side to side, like the predator he is.

"Not much." Elek shrugs.

"I guess we could start at the beginning." Mátyás toys with a piece of Elek's hair as he holds my gaze. "What do you know of your mother?"

"My mother died when I was a child." My brows pinch together, struggling to remember if my aunt told me anything else, but she was always vague about my parents. When I asked what happened to them she became angry and threatened to send me away. I learned not to bring it up again.

"And who told you that?" Elek asks.

"My aunt Natália."

"The high priestess is not your aunt." Mátyás's face hardens. "And she lied to you."

"She is not a liar." My body goes rigid at his insinuation.

"Oh no?" He arches his brows. "Did she ever mention the name Kesabel?"

"No. Who's that?"

"Many fell from grace with our fathers, but only one was female. Your mother," Elek adds.

"Are you telling me that your fathers are fallen angels and my mother was a succubus?"

"Some refer to her as the Witch of Endor. And she's still very much alive." Mátyás continues to play with Elek's hair. "She is all things sin. A siren who tempts men to stray from the light. Knocks them off their righteous path and welcomes them into the darkness. A task she was quite good at. Until she fell in love with a son of man and gave birth to his child without telling anyone. A daughter that she kept hidden."

"Things between the Fallen were out of control, so the fates intervened. Uniting the three elements of the earth to bring forth a change." Elek gestures between the three of us. "But nothing is ever that easy. We never know when or where you'll be born, but if we don't find you by your forty-fifth birthday, we lose, and you die."

"Forty-five? The number of new beginnings."

"Fate has a twisted sense of humor." Mátyás wears a sour expression.

"This is crazy. You both are crazy. We are not mates." All of this information makes my already sore head want to explode. I shift against the mattress, searching for a way out, but there isn't one. Getting past them will be next to impossible. Besides their brute strength, they also have superhuman speed. They'd be on me before I made it halfway to the door.

"Why would we lie?" Elek cocks his head to the side.

"Because you're Nephilim. It's what you do. You feed on the blood of the innocent and seduce them with your forked tongues as you turn them into vampires, who feast on humans." I hold my chin high and spit out every word of their treachery.

"Recognize this?" Mátyás pulls my amulet from his pocket and dangles it between his pale fingers. "It's what kept you safe and hidden from the world."

My hand goes to my chest where it should be. "No way. That's not possible." My head violently shakes back and forth, denying the evidence in front of me. "Only my?—"

"Mates can take it off," he finishes for me.

"It was much harder to track you down this time, but our blood will always call to yours. You were promised to the devil's spawn." Elek grins, flicking out his forked tongue. "And we've come to collect."

"No. This is all a warped mind fuck to mess with me and trick me into betraying my coven." I attempt to call upon what little power I have to knock them back and prepare to run for it, but they must be able to read my thoughts. Before I realize what's happened, Mátyás is next to me, bending the iron on the headboard until they're wrapped around my wrists, and a scarf is tied around my mouth.

"Your powers won't work here. There's a spell of protection around the castle. You're ours and not going anywhere," Mátyás growls. "Welcome home, kis boszorkány."