Sylvia's Torment (Enforcers and Coterie Book 2) (28 page)
Read Sylvia's Torment (Enforcers and Coterie Book 2) Online
Authors: Veronica Del Rosa
Another moan came from Sylvia, this time filled with longing, not pain. Her eyes opened, locking onto him.
“Please kiss me. I need to know you’re here and real.” Her plea nearly broke him.
She’d suffered so much in such a short time. His lips covered hers, and he felt an odd shifting inside of his mind. A stretching, pulling sensation he’d never felt before. He leaned back and gazed into Sylvia’s eyes, wondering if she felt the same. The confusion on her face confirmed it.
What was that?
Derek heard her thought clearly.
Testing his theory, he locked down his Alpha link and sent to her,
Can you hear me?
She nodded and said, “Of course I can. You’re my Alpha.”
“No, that wasn’t on the Alpha link. That was through the lifemate bond.”
Her mouth dropped open, and through the bond, he experienced her astonishment and joy. “Really? We’re bonded now? That’s fantastic!”
She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.
Guilt stabbed at him for denying the bond. She didn’t feel it was an intrusion, and of course, she’d know what it entailed, as her parents were lifemates. If he hadn’t suppressed it, he would’ve found her sooner, before she’d gotten hurt. She deserved a better mate, one who could protect her.
“You’re an idiot. You’re sweet, but you’re an idiot.” Her gentle words broke through his self-recrimination. When he quirked an eyebrow in question, she continued, “I don’t need a big, brave man to save me from the dark. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. What I need is a man who will support me, cherish me and treat me like an equal. And that’s exactly what you do. You’ve pushed me all these years to stand on my own two feet, to be proud of who I am and what I’m capable of. Why would I want someone who’d take that away from me?”
She laid a loving hand on his cheek and pulled him close for a kiss. He shuddered as her nails scraped just below his ear, desire for this woman flooding his body. A seductive smile curved her lips as she was now in tune with his emotions.
“You were right to block the bond. You understood me. It would’ve overwhelmed me, made me claustrophobic. I needed space to heal and come to terms with what happened. While we can’t change the past, I can make sure it doesn’t affect my present and future. I’ll have bad days, ones where I’ll push you away while I heal from all this. But I’ll never stop loving you. I just need your patience and love to help me through.”
He felt an insane urge to laugh and cry at the same time. A cough behind him had him straightening, and he glared at the intruder.
“Thank you for standing up. That robe covers nothing. Put your clothes on,” Markus complained as he tossed the backpack to him. “Unfortunately, your packmates will be without clothes, but I’m sure they’ll survive. I’ve also called Sylvia’s parents. They should be here shortly.”
The bag hit his chest, and Derek grunted as he caught it. He dug to the bottom to find his clothes and tossed them onto the bed. He pulled on his jeans and ignored Markus’ grumbling about Derek’s lack of decency. One little flash of his ass and the mage became a prude, acting like he’d never seen a naked man before. A muffled snort from Sylvia told him she knew he’d done it on purpose.
The robe he threw onto a nearby chair, and he yanked on his long-sleeve shirt. Glancing at Sylvia, the heat in her eyes burned him. He gave into temptation and leaned in for a searing kiss.
“That does it. Neither of you are fit for company,” Markus exclaimed in disgust. “I’ll be back in a few hours to teleport you both home unless you’d rather someone pick you up?”
Pulling away from Sylvia again, he reminded himself she was recovering from a knife wound and didn’t need him pawing at her. She laughed and mouthed to him,
Yes I do.
“Hush woman.” He winked at her before turning to Markus. “Yes, come back for us. It’ll be easier for a port instead of dealing with a car right now.”
“Fine, I’ll be back here in a few hours. I have more important things to deal with, and I’m done with this lovey-dovey crap.” With a mocking grin, Markus disappeared leaving behind a faint crackle of energy as the only evidence he’d been there before it, too, dissipated.
“I better stay over here, away from the temptation of your sexy lips.” Derek settled onto a hard plastic chair and reached out to grab Sylvia’s hand. He threaded his fingers with hers and pressed his lips onto the back of her hand. “You know you’re screwed, right?” he said with a mischievous grin.
“Oh? How so?”
“We both know I’m a bastard as an Alpha and bossy as hell. Now you’ll have to put up with me as a bossy mate, too. Plain and simple, you’re screwed, since you have to listen to what I say.” He tried to act stern and lay down the law. Sylvia ruined the effect by laughing.
Through giggles, she managed to reply, “Oh sure, whatever you say. Of course I’ll obey you. Uh-huh, always.”
“You’re gonna run circles around me, aren’t you?” He chuckled when she nodded. “Good. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“
Seraphina,” Markus said
quietly, knowing she’d hear him. He’d been patiently waiting in her home for the past hour, not bothering to snoop, as he already knew all the skeletons in her closet.
She whirled around, smiling seductively through pointed teeth, her silky white hair caressing her shoulders and arms.
“Markus, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” Seraphina closed the gap between them and ran her fingers through his hair. Her nails scraped his scalp, letting him know she could cause damage if she wanted.
He almost snorted. She couldn’t harm him.
“You took prisoners. That wasn’t part of the deal. You were to help us rescue the prisoners, nothing more.” Some of his anger seeped into his voice. He hated being disobeyed.
She pouted, “That’s what I did. I rescued prisoners. Or at least they would have been
your
prisoners, so I rescued them from
you
.”
“You twisted my words. Damn you, Fae, give them back. You have no right to them.” He could feel magic building up, reacting to his displeasure, and he knew his eyes were glowing. They always did when large amounts of energy gathered in his body.
“I have every right to them! And I will
not
give them back. They are mine, and you’d do well to remember who holds the power in this land. Leave now, or I’ll forget myself.” Her hair whipped around her body with anger and agitation.
He had no idea why she wanted them so badly, especially to defy him to keep them. She had an endgame, and he’d find out what it was.
It seems she did have a secret from him.
“Fine, creature. I’ll let you keep them.” He smiled chillingly at her. “Just remember, nothing remains hidden from me for long.”
With those parting words, he opened a portal from her house to a private wooded area behind his own home.
Yes, he’d find out her secrets and then make her regret keeping them from him.
###
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Unexpected Werewolf
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Thank you,
Veronica Del Rosa.
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The Enforcers and Coterie Series
Throwing Away the Good (Novella 0.5)
Magic Resistant (Book 1)
Sylvia’s Torment (Book 2)
Unexpected Werewolf (Novella 2.5)
And now for the never before published bonus novella, Unexpected Werewolf.
Table of Contents
The loud, incessant
beeping wouldn’t shut up. Smacking, flailing and finally flinging the damn thing on the floor stopped the alarm. Rolling onto her side, she sighed deeply, and snuggled into the covers.
Light caressed her face, and Lori grunted in displeasure. Hadn’t she closed the curtains last night? Grabbing her pillow, she covered her face, hiding from the cheerful, early morning rays. A fog-shrouded thought drifted to the forefront.
Why was sunlight on her face? Most mornings she was out of bed and ready for work before the sun had had a chance to rise. Oh shit, what time was it?
Panic slammed into her as she flung back the blanket. Heart pounding in her throat, she glared at the alarm clock, broken and silent. Shit! Staying up late last night had been a mistake, a huge mistake. But missing the season premiere of that time traveler series hadn’t been an option. She had
needed
to watch it.
Racing to the bathroom, she flung off her tank top and shimmied out of the matching shorts. Naked, she dragged a brush through her hair before twisting it into a bun. A quick scrub of her teeth, some light makeup, and she declared herself decent for work.
Once she put on some clothes, of course.
Next stop on her hurried tour: the closet. Snagging a bra and underwear from the dresser along the way, she grabbed the first suit her hand found. Grey and somber, unlike her panicky state. Clothes tugged on, straightened and arranged so the seams lined up, she skidded through the kitchen, stopping to grab an apple and glancing at the time.
“Damn it! Ed’s gonna fire me over this.” Once out the door, she fumbled with her keys, locking up behind her before tossing them in her purse. Work was a few blocks away. A light jog would shave a few minutes off her time. Maybe Ed wouldn’t notice? Ha, not bloody likely.
Feet pounding down the stairs – the elevator took too long – she raced out the main lobby. Muttering apologies, she waded through the crowd. Early morning rush hour sucked, filled with hundreds of people with the same idea as her: get to work on time.
Building now in sight, she pulled out her phone. Oh good, five minutes until Ed thundered into her office, demanding spreadsheets and reports. He resented her, had since the moment she stepped foot in her new office. A few months ago, she had replaced his work buddy, Johnny. The company had caught him embezzling, and Johnny had committed suicide. In Ed’s mind, Lori was at fault for taking over Johnny’s small office.
Now, Ed found as many mistakes with her performance as he could. Already she had three written warnings and one final. One more screw-up, like being late, and she was done. Each day her tongue was raw from biting back her scathing remarks towards Ed.
And each day it became harder to control the urge to rage at him. It hurt, oh damn, did it ever hurt to put up with his shit. Normally a calm person, able to ignore others irrational behaviours, she couldn’t remember the last time she was so close to losing it on another person, even an asshole like Ed.
Losing her job, though, wasn’t acceptable. Her apartment in downtown Toronto was ridiculously expensive. She’d blow through her savings in a few short months without a steady income. And moving in with her stepdad, yeah, that was never going to happen. They had barely spoken since her mother’s death six years ago.
Hurrying along, she bumped shoulders with a man moving in the opposite direction. Pain radiated in the joint, like she’d slammed into a boulder at high speed, and she stumbled. The man had passed her, his bulk a blur in the corner of her eye. Lightening quick, he spun around, as if sensing her imminent fall. His hands shot out and gripped her upper arms, steadying her. Pasting a friendly, impersonal smile on her face, she opened her mouth to apologize when she heard a strange sound behind her.
“Did you just sniff me?” She demanded, back stiffening in outrage. Like her day needed this strange freak sniffing at her hair. What in the nine hells was wrong with people?
“Yes, I did.” A deep, growling voice answered her. A strange shiver coursed through her.
Damn it, he wasn’t human.
She pulled away from him, whirling around to face him. Harsh words died on her lips. A face hewn from rock, hard and unyielding, stared back at her. A neatly trimmed beard highlighted his strong jaw. Smooth brown skin set off the most gorgeous eyes she’d ever seen. An emerald paled in comparison to the vibrant bright green irises studying her. A handsome man, well aware of his impact on a woman.
His smug grin set her off again. Good looks didn’t excuse bad behaviour.
“Who taught you manners? You don’t sniff strangers. It’s rude!”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to insult you. Which pack do you belong to? Does Derek know you’re here?” the delusional man – no scratch that – werewolf asked her.
“I don’t belong to a pack. I’m not a werewolf. Now go away and leave me alone.” She didn’t have time for this. Ed would delight in firing her.
The stranger inhaled deeply, a questioning look on his face.
Stamping her foot, she snapped, “What was that? You just sniffed me again, didn’t you?”
Thoroughly aggravated by him, Lori spun away, wanting as much distance between them as possible. A hand on her upper arm stopped her, her foot dangled in the air before it slammed onto the sidewalk. Her body jerked backwards, and she almost tripped. His strong grip again kept her upright.
“What is
wrong
with you?” She tried to pull away. Instead she succeeded in wrenching her arm. Great, now she’d have bruises to hide tomorrow.
“You’re coming with me.” His tone brooked no argument. Pity he didn’t know her very well. She didn’t blindly obey orders, a good reason why her boss thought she was insubordinate. That, and Ed was an ass.
“No, I’m not. Let go of me,” she ground out, thoroughly pissed off now. If she lost her job due to this asshole, she’d hunt him down and skin him.
“Packless wolves must present themselves before Derek. You need his permission to stay here.”
Blinking at him, she wondered if werewolves suffered from hallucinations and insanity. No other reason came to mind for why he was so adamant about this. She wasn’t a werewolf. Mom and her birth dad were both human – normal, boring humans – and no wolf had ever bitten her. She'd have remembered something like that.
“I’m going to say this slowly for you, maybe then you’ll understand. I’m. Not. A. Werewolf. There, understand now?” Another tug against his hold. Nope, still not moving.
“What’s going on here?” A male voice intruded upon their tug of war with her arm. “I’m sure the lady told you to let her go.”
Turning to her would-be saviour, she gave him a grateful smile while gorgeous Green-Eyes growled at him.
“Don’t growl at him. You really do have no manners. Raised in the woods, were you?” Lori snapped.
“This isn’t your affair, mage. Leave us.”
“Can’t do that. The lady said to let her go, so let her go.” He splayed a hand, showing the gathering energy in his palm. The dancing blue light played across his features, turning his light brown hair darker and adding a depth to his brown eyes.
“Not scared of a little mage magic. You’re not an Enforcer, so toddle along. Come back when you have the magic to back up your threat.” Green-Eyes calmly stated, dismissing the other man.
A flash of hurt flitted across his face before his expression hardened. “Last chance.”
“I’m done with this. She needs to see Derek, and you need to stay out of my way.” Green-Eyes pulled out his cell phone, ignoring the mage. His eyes stayed on her.
“Derek, I need you at Yonge-Dundas Square on the southeast side. Have a mage teleport you if possible. We have a situation.”
They didn’t wait long, a few minutes at the most. Minutes that ticked away her job. Ed must be ecstatic. Bastard. Job-hunting sucked, especially in a city of several million.
Working up a fury, she opened her mouth to blast Green-Eyes for causing her grief when two men appeared next to them in the designated teleporting spot. No one wanted an accidental merging when mages ported, so the city had areas set up solely for their use.
Her mouth continued to hang open while she stared at the newcomers. Her tormentor and her rescuer were both handsome, but these two were simply gorgeous, although for different reasons.
A huge black man prowled forward, the silver studs in his ears, eyebrow and lip glinting in the sunlight. A short, black mohawk emphasized his wildness, a rawness to him that seized her breath. She wanted to bow down to him, and submit to his authority. A feeling she didn’t like.
Tearing her eyes from him, she sized up the other man. Long, inky black hair framed a face meant for immortalization in paintings and sculptures. His black eyes were bottomless and ripped her soul naked. The other man should’ve dwarfed him; instead, power flowed through him, making her hair stand on end. This was a man to be wary of, one who’d easily annihilate any threats.
“Markus?” her rescuer asked.
The black-eyed man turned towards him, and the coldness thawed a fraction. “Nolan, what are you doing here? This is werewolf business.”
“No, it’s not,” she interjected and tugged her arm. “This is I’m-late-and-will-now-be-fired business. Damn it, let me go.”
A slight nod from the other man, and Green-Eyes finally released her. She rubbed her arm, the imprint of his fingers tingling against her skin.
“I'm leaving.” She inched away from Green-Eyes but stopped when the behemoth rumbled.
“You're coming with us. Packless werewolves are to present themselves to me. No one roams without my permission.”
A small screech of fury escaped her and she wanted to rake her nails across his face. How utterly infuriating these men were. “How many times do I have to say it? I'm not a damn werewolf!”
“You are,” Markus stated, flat and bored. His unnerving gaze never left her.
“Markus, what's going on here?” Nolan asked, no longer trying to save her from these insane wolves. He seemed way too friendly with the mage and willing to follow his lead.
Hmm, could she make a run for it, get to security before they caught up with her? Her stance must have given her thoughts away.
“Don't bother running. Wolves love the hunt, and you don't have an Alpha to protect you,” Derek said, a predatory gleam in his eye, almost like he was daring her to try.
Lori gave him a disdainful sniff, refusing to back down. They were on a public street. He wouldn't dare harm her. Werewolves tried to present their cuddly side to the humans, but it didn't fool her. However, it meant he'd be less likely to attack.
“She needs guidance. Soon she’ll be out of control,” Green-Eyes said.
“I know. Markus, port us to my place,” Derek commanded. When Markus raised an eyebrow, he tacked on, “Please.”
“I can port two people at a time. Tariq can meet us there.”
“I’m coming, too. You can’t just take someone off the street. She’s not a prisoner or a criminal, and I want to make sure she’s fine,” Nolan added, taking a step closer to Lori.
“Stop talking about me like I’m invisible. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. I don’t know who any of you are except none of you are human.”
“Neither are you,” Tariq stated.
She pointed her finger at Tariq. “You. You stop talking to me. I’ve had it with your delusions.” Markus snickered, and she rounded on him. “Do you find all this amusing? Strange men assaulting a defenseless woman?”
“I have a feeling you’re far from defenseless.” The sly, subtle humour transformed Markus’ face from darkly handsome to not quite forbidding. She didn’t envy the woman who took him on.
Fire flared in his eyes.
Before she could comprehend his intent, Markus placed a hand on her shoulder and Derek’s. Magic swirled around them, wind whipped through their hair and clothes. The city sidewalk was no longer under her feet. Instead, she stood on a wooden porch attached to a house. This close, she couldn’t get a good look at it, but a glance at the massive yard told her all she needed to know.
They’d ported to a mansion in Toronto, and the locked gates would help keep her prisoner.