“I’ll come back a little later and check in on you, but if you need anything in the meantime, just use your call light.”
He nodded and smiled. She smiled in return and left the room.
Chapter 24
Adrik sat in Aleksei’s private office. Lana, the king’s Chosen, lay on the leather couch across the room with a romance novel in hand. She had no shoes on, and her little feet hung over the armrest as her eyes widened at whatever sordid passage she was reading. Her stomach was flat, her pregnancy not even noticeable under her formfitting shirt. Aleksei had asked him to come by, apparently having some big news he wanted to discuss.
Aleksei stared at him, his thick arm hanging over the chair as his other hand tapped on his desk. “Thank you for coming by. I wanted to see how things were going.”
This was the important business?
Aleksei wasn’t one for small talk or wondering about others’ personal business. No, this was just the tip of the iceberg. Aleksei had other agendas for why he had called Adrik here.
“I’ve been fine, and you, my lord?”
Aleksei smirked, and he turned to look at his female. Adrik could feel the love he had for his Chosen
.
He knew it was exactly the love he felt for Kayla.
“You seem different.”
“Do I?” Adrik leaned back and flicked a glance toward Lana. He wondered if Kayla had told her about them.
“You have found your Chosen.” Aleksei said it low enough so that only the two of them could hear. “I can smell it, can smell her all over you. Is it not Kayla, Lana’s friend?”
Adrik gave a sharp nod, not about to deny it. What was the point?
“Things are well?”
Adrik nodded again. “They are.”
Aleksei took a deep breath and looked at Lana. “You will see, my friend.”
He didn’t need to ask what Aleksei meant. He knew his king was smitten with the little brunette. Aleksei was telling him in so many words that the life Adrik had always known was now forever changed.
Aleksei turned back toward him, his face going serious. “I’ve received word from the House of Daemon that they may have a lead on a map that will locate the Dagger of Life and Death.”
“What do you need the Dagger of Life and Death for?”
According to beings of the Otherworld, the dagger supposedly had been created by Kerrian the Dark, a powerful sorcerer who resided in the Shadow Realm. Legend said that Kerrian created the dagger to bring back his murdered love. When it didn’t work out quite as he’d planned, he hid the dagger so that it wouldn’t get into the wrong hands. It was an indestructible weapon, able to kill any being, Otherworld included, and could bring life back. He ended up making a map that led to the dagger, but that, too, became lost in time. Anymore the legend was more myth than reality.
“
I
don’t need it for anything, but Osip contacted me and asked for help. Although I refused him, seeing as he almost got Lana killed, my Chosen eventually talked me into it.” Aleksei gritted out the last part, which warranted a smirk from Lana.
Osip was a banished Seeker, a group of beings within the Otherworld who worked for the Divinity of the Eye, a group of supernatural creatures who extracted steep prices for favors. No one knew exactly why Osip had been banished. It was true he had kidnapped Lana and delivered her on a silver platter to the horde leader, Dorian, who also happened to be Aleksei’s brother. Adrik could see the frustration and anger that still brewed within his king, and he couldn’t blame him. No doubt his Chosen had “talked” him into helping the banished Seeker.
“What does Osip want with the dagger?”
Aleksei shrugged his broad shoulders. “He said his reasons were his own, and to be honest, once this mission is done, he will be on his way.”
“You know how powerful the dagger is.
If
we find the map, and I use that term lightly because you must realize how insane this whole thing sounds, how do you propose we go about getting it? It could be on another dimension for all we know.”
Aleksei gave a sharp nod of his head. “I know this, but even though this originally started off as Osip’s request, think of the power and good we can do with the dagger.”
“The
good
we can do with it?” Adrik ran a hand through his hair. “How can bringing the dead back or extinguishing Otherworld beings be considered good?”
“Instead of losing our brethren to the Bloodless, the knife can get rid of them with little effort.”
“Sounds cowardly, if you ask me.”
“Cowardly? How do you figure?” Aleksei’s voice dropped low and deadly. Adrik knew he had overstepped his bounds.
“I only mean that we should be fighting our enemies with our bare hands, receiving the wounds that are dealt like warriors.”
With that, Aleksei seemed to relax, understanding what he was saying. “I understand, but Adrik, I’m tired and weary of all this bloodshed. Every day a Blood Breed succumbs, submits to their bloodlust, and turns into a true monster, a Bloodless.”
It was true. Every day, one by one, their brethren were giving in to their temptation, letting their bloodlust, their addiction, rule over them and change them into the creatures they fought every night. It wore on each of them, having to kill the males they once called friends. He would never go against what the king ultimately decided, but voicing his opinion was something he always had done, and he knew Aleksei appreciated it.
Lana set her book down and walked up to Aleksei. “I’m hungry.”
At once, Aleksei was focused on her. He took her much smaller hand in his and used his free one to cover her flat belly. “Would you like me to call something up to the office for you?”
She smiled down at her male and shook her head. “No. I want to walk a little. I was thinking of going out for lunch and getting some shopping done. My clothes are starting to feel tight.” She scowled as Aleksei beamed.
“Anything you want,
miliya moya
.”
They kissed passionately, and Adrik turned his head. He sensed her leaving a moment later. He looked back at Aleksei and saw a content smile playing on his leader’s mouth as he stared at the now-closed door.
“I will do whatever you decree, my lord.”
Aleksei nodded and pulled out a folder. “Now is not the time, though. According to Destrick, when the moon is at its fullest, that is when the power of the map will be revealed. It is then that we will be able to sense it.”
Destrick was the demon king, a powerful and fierce male. “How do we know Destrick tells the truth?”
“The demon owes me his life. When I asked for his help, he could do nothing other than agree to help me.” Aleksei leaned back in his chair. “One of his men came across a black oracle.”
“A black oracle?” Adrik knew surprise filled his voice. Black oracles used their powers nefariously, seeking to harm others for the sole pleasure of seeing their pain. If one of the demons had come across information from a black oracle, it could only lead to misery. “I don’t know if I would trust that information.”
“Apparently this demon pleasured the oracle so immensely that he was able to acquire information on the map.” Aleksei rubbed his head and breathed out. “I agree with you, but we have to start somewhere. I can’t see what harm the information we got could bring. All that was said was about the full moon and power.”
“When is the next full moon?”
“One month from now, but there are thirteen full months in a lunar year, so who knows which time will lead us to the dagger.”
Adrik whistled under his breath. “Long time for Osip to wait.”
Aleksei nodded. “Yes, but this is the best we have so far, and as much as I loathe him, Lana is right. Without him, I never would have found her.” A flicker of emotion washed over his features before he quickly masked them.
Adrik could sense the despair and sorrow from Aleksei. He blamed himself for what had happened to his Chosen. Adrik knew he would feel the exact same if the roles were reversed.
“I think day and night about what could have happened to Lana and the child she carries. I feel so much guilt over it that, more times than not, I just lie in bed, unable to sleep.”
Adrik listened, not interrupting his king as Aleksei spoke. Never had the Blood Breed king been so openly honest about his feelings.
“What’s done is done, my lord. Your Chosen is safe, and your child grows within her. All you can do is look forward and protect her now.”
Aleksei watched him for a heartbeat before speaking. “When did you become so wise?”
“I’m not wise in the least. I just know what it feels like to have finally found your female, only to have her taken away.” Kayla might not have been literally taken away as Lana had, but Adrik had felt it in his heart nonetheless.
“I wanted you to have a heads-up because you are going to be the one to help organize a team. I want the best out there searching for the map. Remember, this isn’t just about me repaying a debt, it’s also about saving our people from the Bloodless.”
Chapter 25
Adrik paced his living room. He held his cell and took several deep breaths. It had been a while since he had fed last, and the need was starting to build inside of him. He needed to find sustenance before he saw Kayla tomorrow, or he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He shouldn’t have let himself go this long, but the very idea of drinking from another female seemed abhorrent. The club had a freezer filled with bags of blood, and although it wouldn’t give him the kind of strength a fresh vein would, it would have to do.
He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He was already feeling his body priming at the idea of blood. If he were to let his need go longer, bloodlust would soon take over, until he couldn’t control himself. He would attack anything and everything, killing without remorse, seeking that ultimate high that came when a Blood Breed entered bloodlust. It was then that his kind became a Bloodless, a being completely changed and always seeking his next victim.
Joslyn sat in the overstuffed leather recliner as she picked through a bowl of cherries. The television was muted on yet another infomercial. It was the middle of the night, and the house was pretty quiet. Most of the clan members were either in their rooms or outside running. She turned the television off and set the bowl of cherries aside. The darkness surrounded her, but it was welcome.
The front door opened and closed. Joslyn tried to look around the corner to see who it was. A female giggle sounded, and then a deep male chuckle followed. She could smell the liquor before the couple even made it through the foyer. Another door opened and closed, and then all was silent again.
She leaned her head back and breathed out. Her eighteenth birthday was in just a few short days, and she would be given a little more freedom. Although turning eighteen wasn’t saying much in the Lyken community. No matter what age, all males were extremely protective of the children and females. She at least hoped to have her leash lengthened a little.
Since her parents’ passing a few years after she was born, Liyam had watched over her to the point that she felt smothered. She loved her brother, but knowing he was always there, watching what she did and making sure she didn’t do so much as stub her toe, grated on her nerves.
Joslyn knew she had screwed up royally when she left the protection of the clan and ventured into the city, but the lights looked so beautiful and exciting. She loved the mountains, but she felt isolated and secluded. True, she was surrounded by people who loved her and clan members who helped raise her, but even so, she felt as though she was missing something.
Another door softly opened and closed. There wasn’t any noise for several moments, and then Joslyn heard the distinct sound of two people making out. It wasn’t a hard sound to miss, not with the heavy panting and the wet noises that followed.
She always hated this time of year, when no Lyken male could control himself and all the females were horny little sluts. She couldn’t wait to hit her maturity because it might warrant more freedom, but with that maturity also came her Lyken nature. Her control would be more feral, and her hormones would be so out of control that any male would seek her out. They would be drawn to her pheromones and would
need
to be with her.
Her decision had been made already. When her eighteenth birthday came, she would go into hiding, keeping away from anything male until her hormones settled. It could take days, weeks, or even months for that to happen, but she was damn sure not going to bend over and present herself for some male to mount. No thank you.
The wet kissing noises grew closer, and she internally groaned. No way was she going to sit here and be a spectator to two people screwing. As quietly as possible, she eased from the leather chair. Easier said than done. The leather squeaked and cracked beneath her, and suddenly the lights flared on. She froze and slowly looked over her shoulder. Her heart sped as she looked into Kaleb’s amber-colored gaze.
“Just leaving.” The recliner slammed shut, and she closed her eyes. Joslyn grabbed her bowl of cherries and made her way out. The female draped over Kaleb grabbed the bowl out of her hand before Joslyn was able to leave the room.
“We could have some fun with these, baby.” The female rubbed her body against Kaleb.
Gross.
Joslyn didn’t even want to imagine what they would be doing with those cherries.
“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” Kaleb’s comment was like a slap across the face.
Joslyn hated being reminded that she was still considered young to the clan. She straightened and narrowed her eyes. The anger inside of her grew as she made her way past him. She didn’t even bother giving him the satisfaction of a response.
Kaleb watched as Joslyn left. He hadn’t meant to offend her, but she had gotten so angry that her face became a bright shade of red. Carina slithered up to him. The bowl of cherries was balanced in one of her perfectly manicured hands. She smiled at him seductively. Her breasts were against his chest, and her hips pressed into his.