Tears fell from my eyes as we drove away from the hotel. Asher sat next to me while his siblings sat across from us, watching me. I could tell they had questions, but I wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation. I just couldn’t believe three little words led to all of this. Darius’ behavior was deplorable. I’d never seen him throw a tantrum like that before, and all because he said he loved me. He hated himself for saying it, but it was also more than that…he hated me. As if it was somehow my fault…as if it were a bad thing.
“Are you all right?” Asher asked.
“What’s wrong with him?” I wondered out loud, “What’s wrong with me that he would react the way he did?”
“Nothing is wrong with you,” Asher assures me, “And Darius…let’s just say I believe he was caught a little off guard. I’m pretty sure he didn’t want any of us knowing before he could work out his feelings on his own.”
It made sense. Darius was a private person and he didn’t trust his family. Perhaps I should have waited or taken Cara away from prying ears before telling her what happened. Then there were the moments leading up to his slip of the tongue where he was adamant he didn’t love me. Somewhere deep inside something did and it fought its way to the surface to reveal the truth to us both. Darius Draven loves me. For all his denials and insistence that I meant nothing to him…the truth came flying out of his own mouth, forcing him to confront a hard truth. He’s in love with a human, an act his father would detest…wouldn’t approve of. An act he himself didn’t approve of.
Asher placed his hand over mine and the contact, while uninvited, made me feel better. He motioned for me to come closer and I did. I lay my head against his shoulder and curled my knees up to my chest, hugging them. In no time the swaying of the car we were in and the emotional drain from my argument with Darius put me to sleep.
What seemed like minutes later, Asher tapped me on the shoulder to let me know we’d arrived at our destination. My head must’ve fallen into his lap, because when I opened my eyes, the bulge in his pants greeted me. He smiled when I quickly shot up into a sitting position. His siblings were a bright shade of red as they tried to stifle their laughs.
“I-I’m so sorry,” I stammered.
“No need to be sorry,” he opened the door for me and helped me out of the car.
We’d pulled up to a large mansion and servants greeted us as we ascended the ash gray stone steps to the front door. The outside of the home was gray and white. It had a well-manicured lawn with beautiful flowers of varying colors, and large white pillars standing at the entryway to the home, whose double doors opened to a white tiled floor. I took a step inside and a woman who looked no older than twenty-five greeted us.
“My-my-my,” she smiled at Asher, “Who is this lovely creature?”
“Giselle,” I answered, holding out my hand for her to shake.
“Well, excuse me for saying it, but my darling you smell delicious,” she laughed.
I looked to Asher who seemed embarrassed by his aunt’s lack of restraint. He took me by the hand and led me further into the beautiful home. “Aunt Viola, this is Giselle Mason, she is my guest and is not to be harmed. Let everyone know as she will be free to roam as she pleases while she’s a guest here.”
Mason…he knows damn well I’m a Draven now, but I dare not correct him. I’m sure he has his reasons and without knowing anyone here I assume he did it for my safety.
“How long are you staying?” She asked.
“Just tonight. We needed some fresh air and good home cooking.”
“Well you came to the right place,” She beamed with pride.
His aunt was short and plump, but well kept. Even her teeth gleamed at me they were so sparkly white. “Is uncle around?” Asher asked.
“In the study dear. Go ahead and go in, I‘ll keep your lady friend company.”
Asher disappeared down a hall before I could protest, leaving me alone with his aunt and his siblings. “Relax,” Asher’s sister Anya smiled, “No one here bites unless asked. Come with me.”
I followed Anya up a spiral staircase in the foyer to the second level of the house and into a large bedroom. “You’ll be staying here for the night,” she informed me, “I’ll have the servants bring you up some clothing. Size two?”
I nodded, unable to take my eyes off of the beautiful room. The wood trimming in the room looked hand carved and very detailed. The furniture looked like brushed metal, and the linens were a regal navy and white throughout.
Anya disappeared and a servant showed up twenty minutes later with a handful of clothing. “Master Draven told us you were a size two so I hope they fit you,” the servant laid the clothes on the bed and left the room.
Curious, I picked through the clothing. Most of it was tasteful, except for one very revealing dress. I picked out the items I liked and handed the rest back to the servant when she returned carrying boxes of shoes. Surprisingly they were my size.
While I sorted through them Asher appeared in the doorway. “How did you know what size I wore?” I asked, curious.
“I may or may not have snuck a peak inside the collar of your shirt when you fell asleep,” a wolf’s grin covered his face.
“That’s not creepy at all,” I replied sarcastically.
“I like to think of it as gathering Intel.”
“And this?” I asked holding the revealing red silk dress up.
“Wishful thinking,” he laughed.
“You do know I’m married to your cousin, don’t you?”
“I’m well aware of that,” he nodded, “But I also believe your brother is right about the way he treats you. You deserve better Giselle.”
“Like who? You?”
“No. You’re too good for me too. Besides, I don’t think you can handle what I have to offer.”
“Your cousin said the same thing,” I smirked.
“Yes, but he underestimates you. I do not.”
“What do you want from me? I won’t help you bring him down Asher.”
“I know,” was all he said before letting me know I was free to do as I pleased and left the room.
There was a bathing suit inside the pile of clothes. A bikini to be exact, which meant there had to be a pool on the grounds. I briefly recalled the swim lessons dad hired someone to give me just in case I fell into water. I loved the way it felt against my skin and how the water would drown out the sounds of the world once submerged. I put the swimsuit on, grabbed a towel and went exploring, hoping to find a pool. There wasn’t one outside so I was about to give up my search when I noticed the faint smell of chlorine. I followed the smell to a room in the rear left wing of the house. There, a full, Olympic sized swimming pool sat.
After discarding my towel, I dove into the deep end and was surprised to find the water warm. It felt even better than I remembered against my skin.
I was hoping to stop myself from thinking about Darius, but even the water wasn’t enough to keep my thoughts of him at bay. Eventually I swam over to the steps and sat down on the top step, half submerged in water.
Asher appeared in swim trunks and sat down next to me. It’s so unfair how physically fit night-dwellers are. Every plane in his abdomen is cut with precision, much like his cousins, and the v-line dipping into his shorts, don’t even get me started on how I’d have to starve to achieve cuts like that.
Asher’s knee rubbed against mine and I quickly crossed my legs to avoid having contact with him. He noticed my reaction and his lips curled up into a smile. “Are you okay?” He asked me.
“I am now. Thank you for bringing me here,” I flash him a fake smile.
“The water feels lovely, doesn’t it?”
“Yes it does.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” I replied, rolling my eyes, “Not with you.”
“Okay. I’ll take that as my cue to go,” Asher rose from his seat and started to leave.
I should let him leave, it would be the smart thing to do, but as much as I don’t like him for what he did to me before, I don’t want to be alone either.
“Wait,” I stopped him, “Don’t go…sit.”
He sat back down next to me and for the next few minutes we both stared out into the water without saying a word. “It’s not his fault you know. Darius has been groomed, much like every other night-dweller walking this planet, to view humans as no more than animals whose sole purpose is to feed us, serve us and die,” Asher explains.
“What are you, an advocate for Darius now? You don’t even like him.”
“Of course I like him. What’s not to like about him. He’s ruthless, he’s cutthroat, and he has a brilliant mind. My only quarrel with Darius begins and ends with our father’s feud. If it weren’t for that we’d likely be closer than we are.”
“Why try to destroy him then? Why not leave the feud to your father’s?”
“Because I do as I am told, as does your husband. We do our father’s bidding as their favorites and we don’t ask questions.”
“But you have your own mind. Why not just say no?”
“And disrespect my father? We’re taught not to go against our blood.”
“That actually explains a lot about Darius." Like the fact that he would deny loving me out of fear that he might lose favor in his father’s eyes.
He laughs and says, “Darius is a complicated person.”
I took Asher’s words into consideration and fell silent again. “So what’s your story? Why the blood bond? Why take me away from Darius knowing it will put the two of you at odds with each other?” I asked, “What are you hoping to gain?”
“I have my reasons,” was all he would say in response.
Asher wasn’t going to willingly let me in, so for the rest of the night I just listened and watched. Like Darius, he was his family’s golden boy. There was nothing he could do wrong in his family’s eyes. His aunt Viola was very proud of the man he’d become and showed me photos of Asher and his siblings growing up.
He was the comedian in his family, which I found hard to believe. Like Darius, he was all business all the time. There was no hint of the comedian who stuck his tongue out in every photo or placed bunny ears behind people’s heads. Dare I say he appeared almost humanlike in all of his photos?
I kept waiting for Asher to make a move, but he didn’t. And even though he hadn’t, I didn’t allow myself to believe for one second that he didn’t have an angle. I was determined to find out what it was.
Viola called us over the intercom to the dinner table and Asher escorted me to the dining room. I was starving and Viola’s cooking was as good as he said it would be. It was so good I got seconds, and had to talk myself out of asking for thirds.
After dinner I took a hot bath and stared at the ring on my left hand. The weight of that ring resonated with me. I love Darius and now I believe he loves me, but whether he’ll allow himself to is a different story. He’s a very stubborn man. He’s a stubborn man who’s been taught all his life to despise every thing I am. That alone…the internal conflict waging war inside of him…I’m not sure he can conquer it. I’m not sure he even wants to.
I have a lot of time to think about my next steps when it comes to my marriage to Darius. Knowing my father he’d encourage me to make it work, but what if we couldn’t make it work? What if things between Darius and I are too far-gone? I won’t know until I see him again, but I’m also afraid of what his reaction would be. He didn’t want me to go and I defied him.
For most of the night I lay in bed, deep in thought. It wasn’t until exhaustion set in that I was finally able to fall asleep. The next morning I was awakened by Anya who threw the curtains open in my room, blinding me with sunlight.
“You can’t be serious,” I groaned, covering my eyes with my hand.
“Get up and get dressed, it’s almost noon,” was all she said.
She ripped the covers off of me and summoned servants to come clean my room. Having no other choice, I climbed out of bed, shot daggers at her with my eyes and dressed myself.
“Do you wake all of your guests like this or am I just special?” I asked.
“Guest?” Anya scoffed, “My brother may have a bleeding heart where you’re concerned, but as far as I’m concerned you’re hardly a guest. You’re more of a human whore who prostitutes herself to the highest bidder, or high lords with extremely deep pockets. Your kind is always trying to find ways to be like us.”
“Ah,” I nod, “So you don’t like me.”
“Anyone who’d fall in love with a maniac like Darius Draven is either just as nuts or working for him. As far as I’m concerned, you’re filth.”
“So your kind keeps telling me,” I shook my head, “You know…as long as you people have lived, you’d think you’d come up with a more original way to insult us humans. The whole you’re filth bit is played out.”
Quickly…so quickly her hand clenched my throat ready to rip it from my body. “Go ahead,” I challenged her, “I’d rather die than spend another day as a part of your psycho freak family.”
Anya’s eyes softened and something like respect spread across her face. She let me go and exited my room without so much as a word.
Curious, I went down to the kitchen where Asher and his siblings were whispering about something. Instead of walking into the room, I stood just outside the door and eavesdropped. “No wonder Darius chose her as his mate, she’s an idiot and a martyr for her kind,” Anya told her brothers, “He’s probably fucked the poor girl to the point where reason and sanity is no longer present. She can’t even think straight. If she could, she’d realize exactly how much power she has at her fingertips…how much their very existence hinges on her. If it weren’t for her Frederick would’ve already made his move and wiped them all out.”
Frederick. Now there’s a name to file away into my memory bank. If my presence within the Draven home prevented an attack, I must have something this Frederick values.
“She’s more resilient than you think. Don’t discount her just yet,” Asher defended me, “If anyone can help bridge the gap between humans and night-dwellers I’m willing to bet my trust fund that Giselle can do it.”
“You mean if she can find her backbone and stand up to Darius. He has a reputation with women and if the rumors are true the poor girl is in way over her head,” Anya argued.
“I believe in her,” Asher told them.
“Of course you do. I’ve seen the way you look at her when you think no one is watching,” Asher’s older brother Alexander teases, “You’re playing with fire little brother. If you go poking around Darius’ things you’ll wake up in the afterlife. For all his faults and shortcomings, if there is anything that should give you pause it should be his affinity for merciless violence.”
“My intentions with Giselle are pure,” Asher defended.
“For a million dollars I’ll pretend to believe that.”
Asher’s siblings laughed at him. They believe Asher has a thing for me. That’s one more thing to file away for later. I took that moment to step into the room and they all went quiet. “I see you’ve finally joined the land of the living?”
Not in the mood to trade pleasantries I said, “Am I? I mean are you people technically living because the last I checked you’re all walking corpses.”
“See, I told you she was bitchy,” Anya shook her head.
“Good morning to you too,” Asher carefully examined me.
“Take me back.” I demanded.
“I still have several hours with you.”
“Fine, then I’ll be in my room,” I turned to leave, but not before pointing a finger at Anya, “And if you send her up to my room to drag me out of bed again, I’ll stake her with a nail file.”
“Aren’t you hungry?” He asked.
“I just want to go back.”
The four of them stared at me incredulously, and a smile tugged at Asher’s lips. I went up to my room, kicked the servants out and closed the curtains. There was no way for me to lock the door, undoubtedly to keep me from being able to keep them out, so I just lay down on my bed and pulled the covers over my head.
A half hour later the door to my room opened and someone sat down on the edge of the bed. “You’re not sleep so you may as well eat,” said Asher.
He’s right. I’m not sleep and what’s worse is my stomach is already growling so loudly it betrays me. Turning over to face him, Asher places a tray of breakfast over my lap. Why is he being so nice to me? What’s his angle?
“I don’t have the patience to wait you out and find out what you want from me, so why don’t you spare us both the agony and just tell me.”
Asher grabs the newspaper he has under his arm and places it in my hand. I open it and it feels as if someone has punched me in the stomach. Draven construction accepts a multi-billion dollar deal to build homes in California. It doesn’t take long for me to put two and two together. Darius and his family will put every resource they have into building these homes, leaving no one available to help rebuild the human communities. No night-dweller will fault them for putting their own before humans. It’s expected of them. And everything I’ve worked so hard to build up to now is about to come crashing down.
“Assholes!” I tossed the paper across the room, “They’re purposely sabotaging me.”
“I’d say that’s exactly what they’re doing, but I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m listening,” I give him my full attention. This ought to be good.
“When you attend the press conference this evening, I want you to announce that A&D construction will be honoring the agreement Draven Construction will no longer honor. I will back your endeavors publicly and together we will make sure you’re dream for the future of your people comes to fruition.” Interesting.
Skeptical, I asked, “Why? At what cost?”
“Just keep to our weekly arrangement. That is all I ask.”
I mulled over his response trying to find any loopholes or ways he could turn the agreement against me, but I found none. His angle isn’t to hurt me it’s to hurt Darius. I should have known.
Testing him to see just how far he was willing to take this I said, “Fine, but I want in on all negotiation meetings regarding this campaign tour. And I want your word that you’ll help bring my dreams for my people to fruition bonded by blood.”
“Within reason,” he adds, but agrees nonetheless. Whatever he’s up to, it’s BIG.
If there’s one thing I learned from the many years of watching my father finagle his way through politics, it’s that everyone has an angle…and a weakness. I’ve yet to discover Asher’s weakness, but Darius’ weakness is Aria. Viktor’s weakness is his sense of duty and honor, and Lucien’s weakness is Esme.
Furious with Darius for his betrayal, I made another blood oath with Asher. Little did he know that I planned to make them all pay for using me the way they have, including my father. I will no longer be their political puppet or a chess piece in whatever twisted game they’re playing with one another. And the best part is they constantly underestimate me so they won’t even see me coming.
ns 64.252.185.109da2
