Enslaved in Shadows (15 page)

“Royce?”

“Hmmm.”

“Why do I want to have sex with you?” The ca
r swerved hard to the right and
dipped dangerously on the shoulder. Royce braced himself on the dashboard while laughing loudly.

“Have I ever told you I like you more and more as a person Jesminda?” Royce gasped trying to recover from his hysterics.

“No, but answer the question. Why do I want to screw your brains out? Not as much as I wanted to earlier but the thought and some of the feelings still linger.”

Draven grunted and hit the gas pushing Jes back into her seat.

“That’s quite simple.
I’m irresistible and well excuse my frankness but my cock,” He turned around in his seat and spread both his hands apart as far as he could reaching over into Draven’s driving space. With
an extremely dark
seductive voice
, he
said, “Is about that long, and yes, I do not lie. There is one other animal on the pla
net
that
has a dick the size of
mine.
”
He stopped and she thought he was going to answer with that age old answer ‘the blue
whale’;
instead he took on a serious look and said. “My brother Ronin.
I hear from the ladies
that
he is a tad bit thicker than I am, so it would be quite the challenge.”
Royce waggled his eyebrows and grinned wide. Fucking men and their egos. Still, she smiled.

Draven pulled into the rest stop by the time Royce finished his statement. He didn’t say a word just hopped out of the car and headed inside. Royce had a knowing look on his face, and Jesminda guessed he would because, well he read minds. He knew exactly what was bothering Draven, but he sat there and just beamed with devious intentions. Royce was thinking something, but what?

The inside of the rest stop was nice and warm. Jesminda loved Indian summers, and knew it wouldn’t be long until fall came onto the scene with its vivid reds and maple browns. She walked down the aisle until she came to a rack with varied sizes of printed tees. There was a red t-shirt with a picture of toilet paper and right above it, it said, “This is how I roll.” Jesminda laughed out loud which got the attention of everyone in the store. Something she didn’t want to do. She
did not
want to draw attention to herself
and
she could never forget her true purpose. Get to her daughter, and get to safety. She grabbed a pink tee and quickly walked to the register to pay for it.

As if on cue her cell rang, she pulled it from her pants and then went to open it. A large hand grabbed it before she could speak.

“Who is this?” Draven asked. Fucking perfect.

* * * *

Draven heard the voice of the little girl on the other end of the line and cringed. This wasn’t going to sit well with Jesminda at all.

“Um, hi mister, where’s my mommy at?”

Draven bristled at the sound of the small child. He had no idea Jesminda kept a cell phone, but that was going to change.
Maybe that’s how Marcus was keeping tabs on her and able to take a shot at her in front of the office. It was
distressing
enough the human was tying him up in knots. She’d almost died. He’d aged twenty years, knew there was gray hair mixed in with his black.
He didn’t want to talk to the kid.
Didn’t even really care for pups or any other sort of child-like annoyance.
Draven quickly passed the phone back to Jesminda and walked over to a snack rack, pawing the items roughly. Fucking women!

Draven was still pissed about the entire ordeal with her dry humping him into a frenzy,
and
that she wanted Royce was the icing on the fucking cake.
F
ucked up icing at that
.
Royce
explained his blood was rare.
The side of effects of anyone taking his blood not only h
ealed but had aphrodisiac e
ffects on the drinker.
Royce hadn’t gone into detail but had asked him to not say anything to the others.
He had nothing to worry about as long as the giving of blood d
idn’t happen again. Royce knew
he
struggled
with his feelings for her. How could he not?
She was an
enigma to him,
it made him want to get down to the skinny of it and find out who she was body and soul.
And so what if his friend had blue blood.
Blue blood
?
A thought hit then and he realized Royce and his twin’s people were once used as blood slaves to the Gods.
He’d heard the stories from his grandfather.

Sons of Romulus or F
erals. He didn’t remember all the details but he did remember the term ambrosia was based on the orgasmic qualities of their blood.
The Gods had been relentless in their pursuit
to have them for blood slaves, k
eeping them fo
r all manners of depravity. He
was told
the Gods had killed the entire race. Drained them dry. Obviously that wasn’t true. Royce and Ronin Zarides were alive and well. It was the
ir secret and he would keep it as long as his friend kept his orgasmic blood to himself.

Draven needed to deal with his feelings for Jesminda. Closure they both needed. She was all up in his personal space. Granted, she didn’t ask to be, but hell it is what it is. Doesn’t matter how the cards were dealt. Fate had a way of going full circle, and he was stuck inside its circumference. Failing miserably.

“Don’t think too hard man. You’ll hurt yourself and Jesminda and I will find us without our personal driver.”

Royce slapped him lightly on the back and walked over to the side of the rest stop that held a diner.
He took a seat and signaled for the waitress with silver white hair and a pink apron. Draven followed suit, he was hungry and he needed something in his stomach besides the knots Jesminda kept tying him in.

Draven sat in the b
ooth next to Royce when he saw
Jesminda from the corner of his
eye. Fresh shirt and all. She’d bought a pink tee that hugged her breasts. Breasts he wanted to lick and
pinch. They were fuller now that she’d had a baby. One thing to add to the like column. Post pregnancy had its perk
s
, he thought to himself. What he w
asn’t prepared for was her fury
and she was pissed.
Real pissed
.
Her anger seemed focused on him. He could feel it as it wrapped around his neck and attempted to choke his senses.
Gods, she was even sexier when she was angry.

“You bastard! Don’t you ever take my cell and answer it! That was my
daughter;
she doesn’t
deserve
to be barked at.”

She slammed her purse on the table and sighed heavily mumbling under her breath.

“Don’t be shy with those words, speak your mind.” Royce said.
The man was always trying to start shit. He was a regular trickster. The idiot. She looked over the table at both men and grunted. The waitress took that moment to appear.

“What can I get you folks?” The waitress said.
She pulled out a pad and pen, waiting patiently for them answer.

             
Royce winked at the elderly lady and she smiled back.
He ordered for everyone. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what they wanted.
Arrogant bastard. He could turn it off, not listen in on them. Royce knew he should extend
them
that courtesy but he didn’t.
Fucker
.
Royce nodded in his direction mocking him with a tilt of his lips.

“You know, you two are really stupid for a couple.”

Draven and Jesminda both spoke at the same time. “We’re not a couple.”

“Well, you two should be as much as you two go on with the inner monologues. I tried to shut the two of you out, but frankly it’s too entertaining.”

Royce looked between both of them and scrunched his face.

“I have someone.” Draven blurted.
No you don’t. You broke it off.

“Yeah, I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.
You keep drooling over her and I am sick and tired of you sighing about her eyes, her lips, her voice, blah blah blah.
Man up or bow out.”
Royce took the salt shaker in his hand and stared at it like it was the most interesting thing at the table.
He finally looked up and started in on Jes.

“And I am tired of hearing you young lady, about how much you can’t stand him, but ooh, he’s sooo sexy, but I don’t want him, but ooh maybe I really do and let’s not forget—“
Royce grunted and glared over at Jesminda who shrugged her shoulders.

What was going on between those two?

“Yeah, I’ll shut up, but you know what they say the truth will set you free.”

She snorted and rose out of the booth to walk over to the juke box.
He watched her the entire way.
He was definitely an ass man.
No doubt about it, h
ands down. He knew if she turned back to look in his direction she’d see the decision he’d made all over his face.
He would have all of her.

Chapter 10

             
There were many reasons why she wanted a do over.
One reason why she didn’t. Weighing the pros and cons of any situation was never a good thing. Pros, she would never have been in this predicament.
She really couldn’t say that because she still would’ve married Marcus.
She’d thought she was truly in love with him. He’d made her laugh, but the jerk had also made her cry, on several occasions.
The first time he’d hit her, he’d apologized i
mmediately followed it up with kisses
and tight hugs.

             
She’d written it off as stress. Tried to be a better wife, make things easy for him. As their relationship progressed the beatings got worse. Those dark days were finally behind her. It was time to put one foot in front of the other.
Regardless she’d still be in this situation. A definite con she didn’t want to accept. If she’d never had her run in with Draven there wouldn’t be a Faith and all the joy the pretentious five year old brought to her life.
It was a no win situation, she may not have met Draven, but she would have had to meet him now. There wouldn’t be this bad blood between them. Their relationship wo
uld be protector and protectee only.

             
She looked over the juke box and noticed there wasn’t much in the way of music she’d normally listen to. She continued to push the button to get to the next set of songs when she found a track that made her smile.
She and Faith would dance around the house singing this at the top of their lungs.
Faith would laugh, dancing and twirling.
Pretend she was playing the guitar and would always say, “Mama you have more than enough reason to stay, plus I don’t have to call you we live together.” Jesminda laughed and hit the play button.
Tracy’s voice was slow and low as she opened up into her first bars of the song lyrics. She needed the comfort, needed to be reminded of happier times at home with Faith.

             
Give me one reason to stay here and I'll turn right back around
             
Give me one reason to stay here and I'll turn right back around
             
Because I don't want leave you lonely
             
But you got to make me change my mind

             
Jesminda stood at the juke box and began swaying back and forth, eyes closed, she pictured her little girl twirling around on the carpet of their living room floor singing the song and playing her air guitar.
The beat of the music soothed her, calmed the emotional storm she faced back at the booth.
It
completely took control of her and brought a smile to her face.
She hummed the song tapping her foot to the music
, l
e
t
t
ing
the stress of the day drain away.
When s
he opened he
r eyes and turned her head,
a tall man sat at the bar watching her.
He looks familiar.
Like she’d seen him in a movie, or passed him along the street.
He wasn’t hard to look at either.
He winked when she focused on him.
Jes smiled back and the man took it as an invitation.
Relax it’s just a man.
She didn’t feel threatened and she wasn’t sure if it was because Draven and Royce were only a few feet away, or if it was the way he approached. Unsure, he walked towards her while asking her permission at the same time.