Seithe (32 page)

"You mean the right human chose you."

"Shut up and warm me up. I'm not finished with this juicy girl."

"Good, because there's a lot more naughty in here that needs excavating."

One hand traces my throat, his lips close hotly over mine, "I have a hook with your name on."

"I am definitely hooked."

Staring up into his delicious dark brown eyes, pulling him closer, my arms wound tightly around his neck I ask the final question.

"What is the oldest secret?"

"God never left. He was right here with you all along. Your kind thought he'd abandoned you. Praying to an entity out there somewhere. The oldest secret mankind has forgotten, are the words, you yourselves are the temple."

He drops his head, sucking on my earlobe before setting my skin alight with anticipation with his warm breath on my ear, "God never left you alone. You are as great as God as long as He lives within you. That Spirit created everything. Can't does not exist as long as you use your true power. It was said, I shall not leave you alone. I'm leaving the Helper with you. The Holy Spirit."

I close my eyes as he walks with me, "I'll never leave you either."

"You'd better not, I'm rather addicted to you."

"Good, because I have a lifetime of catching up to do."

"Shut up and kiss me, human man."

"Can't order me around now, baby girl."

"Oh crap, there goes my master plan."

"The master's plan is about right."

"And you're the master?"

"Free will's the real motherfucker isn't it?"

I laugh as I realise this truly is checkmate.

~ The End ~

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to my beta readers and reviewers. You

give me the strength to keep writing.

And a huge thank you to David H, the model on the cover.

Teaser for Book 2

Venix

Simmering, I hold his gaze, squashing down the fascination when his hair and eyes morph to brown.

That delectable smile softens his features while simultaneously turning him into chiselled angles.

“
I'm older, hence my stature. I have rank to pull a mortal out of danger.” His hands clench, making the leather under his elbows creak, “And you
were
in danger. You can take my word on that.”

“
What kind of danger?”

Oddly I have trickles of fear squirming through me now.

“
Zauran, a neuri, is on the hunt. Neuri only hunt once every decade. He's a new alpha, out to prove himself, and the place he goes looking for a compatible female, is Pravus.”

“
New alpha?”

“
Yes, he recently reached maturity. Forget everything you've ever heard about werewolves, the Neuri are nothing like the stories.”

He stands, returning to the cabinet, and I watch long legs in leather jeans and a white shirt tightening over muscles when he moves, pouring new drinks.

With his back still to me, he says, “So aside from red eyed Vampyre, you also have that crowd out for new blood. New Year's might be a celebration for you, but in the supernatural world it's a time of gathering, of renewal, a time for finding a mate.”

Twisting, holding a goblet in each graceful hand, he strolls back, offering me one, “As an alpha, as an elder, I was duty bound to remove you and any other human out of Pravus before Zauran arrived with his brethren. And to get you away from the men who hunt to kill.”

Taking the goblet, I sip it. It's the same stuff Darise was drinking. It's deeply purple wine looking stuff, heavily laced with festive spices. Coughing when my eyes water, I swallow the cold brew with my nose tickling and fever exploding on my tongue.

Inhaling a harsh breath, I bury the cough long enough to say, “So you're saying only you can protect me and that's why I'm here?”

“
Technically I'm not the only one, but present tonight I was the only option you had. Darise can't take on Zauran.” Sitting down again, blue eyes stare straight through me, “You'll understand when you meet him.”

“
When? Are you saying I will?”

“
It's inevitable...”

His calming baritone trails off, and I'm instantly aware of how I'm leaning forward, almost tipping off my chair waiting to hear my fate. “But?”

“
Zaria...” he releases a long sigh, downs his drink and places it onto the polished black stone table between us, all the while distracting me with the way his muscles move in rhythmic dance with every movement of his arm and fingers. “Look, you've been dropped in the deep end. There's no kind way to say this.”

“
Oh god! Say what?” Nausea squeezes my gut and I relinquish my own goblet to the coffee table.

“
If you don't want to be a neuri conquest, you have to learn to be more than you are. You have to acquire survival skills you obviously lack. You are drawn to danger, drawn to the supernatural kind, and you have no way of understanding how to control the world.”

“
Control?! I don't want to control the world.”

He makes a face, twisting his mouth skew and tugging my heart right there with it. “Control's the wrong word. Aaah, more like, influence. Humans have abilities they're not aware of, but in order to survive in my world, you need to hone your senses, your instincts–”

Leaning closer to me again, fresh night air breath wafts hotly at me, “In short, you require a tutor. You may fancy Darise, but he's not the alpha in his family. He'll never have the patience and endurance to teach you what you require – in order to survive.”

When he speaks, referencing Darise, it's as if Darise doesn't matter. I can't believe how intoxicating Venix is. I could stare at him for hours, lulled into security with that incredible voice.

Hang on.

“
How do I know you won't hurt me?”

“
I never said I won't hurt you. Pain is an excellent teacher. But I have silver eyes. That means I've never caused a death. That makes me safer than ninety-nine percent of the men you've met in Pravus. Safer than Darise.”

“
What about that Jowand... guy?”

“
He's safe, but not omnipotent. You have a mammoth neuri after you, tracking your scent, and now mine because of it. If you require protection, best you choose a male built like him. There are a dozen of us, if that, worldwide. Good luck finding another prepared to tutor, teach, and protect an innocent, when it's just so much easier leaving you to them.”

When he says 'them' he nudges his head, forcing soft hair to drop abruptly into his eyes.

Smoothing it away off his forehead, he flops back to stare up at the ceiling.

“
I don't know what I was thinking. It's easier to stay out of conflicts. Instinct just took over.” Swiveling his attention, brown eyes look deeply into my heart, “And now I'm stuck with you. Fuck you are going to complicate my peaceful existence.”

“
Hey, I didn't ask for your help. I'm fine on my own!”

In an instant he's standing over me, hand round my neck, squeezing my throat with tungsten fingers, “Oh can you? You didn't even see this attack coming. I'm one male, alone, can you handle twelve of them catching you this easily and gang raping you? The one who impregnates you wins. Can you, Zaria? Or do you need me because you are pathetic prey who can't even sense danger when she's staring into his eyes?”

This novel was written on a Mac