Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 53433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
He had no idea how much I wanted to open myself to him. There was a rawness and honesty about him that I craved. In a world full of so much evil, so much darkness, Ansin felt like an oasis. A sanctuary. Nothing could touch him. Of course, I knew that wasn’t true. If a man like King could be taken out with a dagger, so could Ansin.
He continued, “Just say the word, Jeni. Just say yes, and we will begin right now. And come what may with Draco, you will know that you are not alone. You and your family will never fall victim to anyone again. Because I will not only love you, I will teach you.”
I stared into the deep browns and golds of his eyes. Ansin was offering what I truly wanted. To protect what I loved. Not only would I have him watching my back, but he could show me how to defend myself.
“I’m not ready to give up, Ansin. So if you really want me, if you really mean it, then you have to help me protect what I already have.” I exhaled with a whoosh. “But trust me, who wouldn’t want a wolf by her side?” I flashed a weak smile.
We locked eyes, and he slowly leaned in, pressing his lips to mine. I could practically taste his two sides. Ride or die. And evil as fuck. Both sides pulled me in. One was what I craved. The other, I wanted to learn from.
Our tongues meshed, and my breath grew heavy. His strong hand cupped the back of my neck and pulled me in to deepen the kiss.
I’d seen him naked before—the scars, the muscles, the beautiful cock. He claimed he could make me come hard, and if there was ever a time I needed release, it was now. Nevertheless, I didn’t deserve pleasure. Not when Draco was out there.
I pulled away and drew a slow breath. “I’m not ready.”
He nodded. “You must find Draco first.”
“He’s more important than us, than this, than anything.”
“I understand.”
He stood, not at all ashamed by the hard bulge in his jeans. But why would he be? The thing was massive.
I looked down at my lap, not wanting to make eye contact.
“I will return in a few hours. You will be safe here. If anything, King was a master of wards. We will leave at six p.m. sharp for San Francisco.”
He’d arranged the flight? “Thank you for not giving up, Ansin.”
He left, and with him, all sense of security flew out the window. I was in a massive house in Crete, sitting on the land once occupied by my ancestors. This was the home of King, a man I loved. The man who loved another and always would. Just like Ariadna said.
But maybe, just maybe, I could move beyond all the curses and the past I didn’t remember. Maybe I could find a new path forward. The question was, would Ansin really teach me so I could determine my own fate? Or was he playing me to get what he wanted?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ansin
Jeni had no idea what she was doing to me. I wanted her. More than I’d ever wanted anyone. Her untapped strength, her light, her beauty and resilience. Very exciting for a man like me.
Yet what I liked most was how she’d remained so untainted by the evil in this world. If my plan played out correctly, I might salvage that. She could be happy. She could live a peaceful life.
Unfortunately, things were not going exactly as planned. Jeni’s anguish was becoming more than I could bear, and I only had one more card to play. One. If it did not work, I would have to cut my losses.
“Did you get some sleep?” I said, entering the garishly large kitchen later that afternoon.
Jeni had her soft wavy hair up in a ponytail, exposing the gentle slopes of her delicate neck. She was a classic beauty, the sort that once inspired men to dress them like goddesses and capture their likenesses in marble. Her delicate mouth and soft brown eyes were always showing her emotions. It fascinated me how she wore her gentle heart on her sleeve—the exact opposite of me. It made her braver than I could ever be.
“I slept for ten minutes, but then I had a nightmare of some old guy who liked to remove women’s skins and put them on his dead wife.”
Vaughn. He’d been one of the sickest motherfuckers to ever belong to Ten Club. Vaughn probably died right here in this house, forever imprinted in these very walls.
“How about you?” she asked. “What were you up to?”
I’d hunted down a few objects here on the island. Just because the other members of Ten Club were dead didn’t mean their infrastructure was gone. There was an entire industry—the darkest of black markets—built around their depravity and thirst for the occult.