A Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Ashen Twilight Series #1) (30 page)

The smell grew stronger toward the staircase. He passed by a group of kids involved in a chugging contest and a few couples kissing. Nearly sucking the face off one another was more accurate.
Was this what passed for romance in today’s youth?

Dismissing the question he continued up the stairs, more bodies hanging around. Upstairs the hallway was still. The strong scent suddenly vanished. Did he imagine that smell?

He turned toward the staircase to leave when he heard it. Two heart beats rapidly racing.

Come on baby don’t fight it,
the male voice was lower than a whisper. Nearly undetected by human ears, but he could hear it as if the words were spoken right in front of him.

No—Steve please—I don’t want this.

Don’t want? Don’t you dare tell me what you don’t want, baby. You owe me this. And you can’t do a thing to stop it right now.
His laugh was low and thick.

Jace could already smell the liquor on both of them, more so on the girl. For a split second, he turned away. This wasn’t his fight and he shouldn’t get involved. His head was screaming the words, but what was left of his heart was saying otherwise. A loud slap reverberated amidst a small whimper. Loud shuffling and the sound of a buckle followed soon after.

Turning toward the room, Jace’s hands formed into fists at his side. He knew exactly where to go. He entered the darkened room with only the shadow of the moonlight peering through on the bed. Jace could see them clearly through his vision; a large muscled college age man holding down a thin intoxicated girl who tried to move beneath him. His thick arm pushed into her neck, cutting off her oxygen. His free hand fumbled with his belt buckle.

The kid laughed, his thick booze filled breath nearly choking the girl.

“Come on, baby,” he said deeply. “Open wide for me.”

Jace moved in mere seconds. He slammed his hands on the kid and threw him through the closed window, shattering the glass on impact. The girl moaned softly in her daze. He rushed over to her to check her pulse. Racing, but otherwise her vitals were okay. With haste, he grabbed a nearby blanket and gently wrapped it over her. She gently relaxed as he placed his hand on her forehead to calm her.

Still his blood boiled. And he was suddenly very hungry. With a deep growl, Jace revealed his sharp fangs and his eyes were surely changing as the desire to feed overcame him. He raced to the window, climbed on the windowsill and dove down into the dark backyard below, easily landing on his feet. The party and loud music still continued from what he could see from the patio. The college kid was still on the ground trying to recover from his fall. Jace couldn’t tell if this was one of Rich’s football players, but he would surely question him later.

“Wha-What the he—”

Jace bared his teeth as he yanked the kid from the ground and held him overhead.

“What are you? Help! He—”

The backyard patio door opened as Jace covered the kid’s mouth and slammed his body toward the ground out of sight. To outsiders, Jace knew the kid appeared like he could pound him into the ground with his muscles. Compared to Jace’s lean muscular frame, to Steve’s thick, wide frame the college kid was huge. None of the boy’s muscle worked against his brute strength as he held his mouth close. Jace leaned back with a hiss and dove down into the neck waiting for him. Steve’s pulse called to him, beckoning him to drink. And drink he did.

“Steve?” The male voice from the patio shouted out. “Was that you?”

Jace sucked furiously as Steve tried to scream under his hand clenched over his mouth. His lips caressed the soft contours of the large neck. All of the pent up anger and passion firing up like a furnace within his skin was calm as he fed. Slowly as the moments passed, Steve stopped struggling as his pulse weakened to silence.

Jace stood back up, wiping his mouth and looking around the area. Steve’s friend took one last look around the dark patio before turning back to return to the party. The urge to relieve the excess amount of blood he consumed was strong in his body. Looking back, at the still body, another feeling coursed through him: that of remorse. He had applied a rather harsh sentence upon this kid for what he almost did. Throughout his life, he couldn’t stand seeing the bold feed on those weaker than themselves. He tried to stop all cases from the corners of taverns to brothels and even churches when woman were preyed upon by men in power. Like his father said, he couldn’t take on the world. It wasn’t their job to save everyone.

Looking down at Steve’s still body Jace realized this had been his first kill since Ariya’s return. Over the centuries he had gotten used to this flawed turning. He spent his life trying to figure out how and why this had happened to him and no other Nightwalker. Now he saw it as a passing of life from his victim to him. It was his way of survival and he had made the choice long ago to survive at all costs.

Jace gently caressed the two marks he had made on Steve’s neck and closed the skin. Finally he stood and hauled up Steve’s large body, tossing it over his shoulder like a doll. He didn’t weigh a thing to him and he could have easily left him here for his friends to find. Though the consequences would shake up the city as speculation grew over his mysterious killer.

Killer.

The word nearly stopped Jace cold in the middle of the street.

The monster inside Jace had reemerged. Although he worked on good intentions, he allowed his instincts to feed. How could Ariya understand his lifestyle? This was what he had become used to as the centuries went on. He didn’t have to worry about what others thought because he lived life for himself and no one else. Now all of that has changed—or has it?

The smell of an immortal caught his scent again. Aged musk mixing with death and the desire to hunt to kill. A Shifter Ren’s blood. Jace ducked between the shadows of the street as he made his way to Angel’s home. Her work wasn’t too far, and if she wasn’t there, at least one of her workers would be hanging around this time of morning, he’d know how to dispose of the body. Later he would question Rich about this Steve character.

Ignoring the smell, he continued down the street trying to keep within the shadows and away from mortal eyes.

* * * *

Later that night, Jace returned home after dropping the body off. He was sure Ariya would still be awake waiting for him but the apartment was silent although he could hear her rhythmic heart beating softly in his mind. Yes, she was surely asleep. He released a sigh of relief, thankful not to have to face her. He knew he couldn’t tell her what happened that night. Part of him still wondered what she would say if he did and wondered whether or not she would feel the same way about him afterward. Perhaps it would be a fitting test for later.

He slipped his jacket off his shoulders and folded it over the back of the couch as he passed by. Later on he would deal with it, but tonight he just needed some rest. The morning sun would be rising soon and death would claim his body until the night claimed the Earth once again.

Stepping into the bedroom, he saw her through the darkness snuggled up on her side underneath his covers. Her chest rose and fell in succinct pattern. He took slow steps toward her and stopped when something caught his eye.
The rings sitting on top of the dresser.
She must have found the other one he threw across the room. He almost forgot to pick it up before she saw it. He didn’t regret giving it to her and the fact that she left it still caused a sting in his heart. Perhaps it
was
the wrong time to give it to her. And perhaps he did let himself fall too quickly when he felt the need to protect her.

Now he saw things in perspective. Ariya was the first woman to touch him because she was
immortal
and strong willed. Sure there were women like Shelly he could have, but there was something beautiful, extraordinary and pure about Ariya. Something that proved he would fall for her again if given the chance to relive the past few weeks once more.

Still she belonged to another world and the last thing he wanted to do was bring his darkness into her light.

Slowly Jace slipped into his bed next to Ariya and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. She moaned softly in her sleep as she shifted, her silky curls falling into his face. Brushing them aside, he breathed in the soft floral scent that always seemed to surround her and finally, after so many years, he felt like he was home.

Chapter 11

A
riya raced across the darkened streets under the shimmering moonlight.

Her shaky hands clutched the dark velvet cloak around her shoulders, pulling it in place. She quickened her pace, feeling dark air like a womb enclosing around her. A presence was moving in among the quiet streets. Good. Just what she wanted. A faint fog hung in the air and the naturally clear sky was covered with a dark orange overcast of clouds made lighter by the dim streetlights overhead.

Ariya’s footsteps crunched the tiny pebbles on the sidewalk as she quickened her pace. She couldn’t quite tell what kind of beasts there were in their current Shifter forms but their smell was a mixture of death and aged blood. These were definitely Rens. From what she came to understand during the house meetings, Rens didn’t believe in the rules of the Ashen Twilight House. They lived their own way. Each day the houses were careful over the centuries to make sure they weren’t seen by human’s eyes.

A deep howl caused her heart to beat twice as fast. She hurried along the sidewalk, careful of her environment.

Ariya gripped the silver rapier under her cloak. The sweat from her tight grip made the blade handle slide in her hand. Still she held on and coached herself to remain calm. Feeling a heightened sense of confidence, she whipped around and faced the dark, empty street. Her eyes told her she was alone, though her senses knew better. She turned and checked the street on the opposite end. Tatum was just ahead. Just over the alleyway was an open, barren piece of land where the rendezvous was planned.

“Calm yourself, girl,” she whispered. Her fingers tapped on the cold, sturdy hilt quickly warming within her warm palms. She could feel her crushed wings flutter beneath her dress and cloak. Just what she needed to further unease her already anxious nerves.

Ready or not
, she thought as she gripped the rapier tighter within her grasp.

Another howl echoed in the area, this time much closer.

They were here.

Ariya started toward end of the alleyway. A shadow flashed across the building wall entrance— and then another. Two Siberian Huskies trotted around the corner followed by four more. Although they stopped, a
pitter-patter
sound echoed from behind. She peered over her shoulder and saw another pack covering the back entrance. A sea of growls emitted from their snarled maws as they moved in. Saliva dropped from their tongues, all too ready to dig into her warm flesh.

Which one was the leader?
Slowly she dipped her rapier behind her cloak, feeling the rapid adrenaline pulsing through her body. Ready to strike at any moment, she awaited the ring leader as he came closer to her. As if on cue, the pack moved away and a single Husky stepped forward.

Ariya licked her lips slowly and tried to remain calm. “I know what you’re here for. And I won’t struggle.”