Addict (3 page)

“It’s Owens. My name is Kelsey Owens.” If he thought I would run screaming from the coffee house, he was in for a surprise. I really wanted that chicken salad sandwich.

His lips quirked up in a semblance of a grin. “Ah, you’ve embraced your long-lost papa. That is sweet. He’s practically a saint to the royal family, you know. Does it bother you that he thought of the queen as his daughter when his actual daughter was treated so poorly? The queen gets everything, doesn’t she? She had your father’s love. If she’d wanted it, she certainly could have had your lover. If the queen crooked her finger, he’d be in her bed in a heartbeat. He’d forget you the minute she glanced his way. Do you really think he’d be with you if he wasn’t obliged to train you? Your own brother thought you should be in a cage. Marcus Vorenus is only doing his job, which is to keep you firmly in control. The minute the king is satisfied he has you in his grips, Marcus will fly right out of your life. No man stays with you.”

It was like he stared into my soul and pulled out my deepest fears. He’d summed them up neatly—I was unlovable, unworthy. I was jealous of Zoey Donovan-Quinn. Marcus leaving scared me more than I wanted to admit. I took a deep breath and tried to let those feelings go. They weren’t worthy of spending time and energy on. Another thing Marcus had taught me. “What do you want, demon?”

The demon crossed his arms over his well-made chest and glared down on me. “I want a woman with some constancy. Is that too much to ask? This is why I have no interest in the fairer sex. A good man falls madly in love with a woman. He offers her everything he has. He proposes marriage, a family. What does she do? Oh, she runs off with the first Italian billionaire to come along.”

“You’re Gray’s brother,” I said as the pieces fell into place. It made perfect sense. Gray mentioned his older brother was an empath, and no one unattached to Gray would care that I’d left him.

The demon’s eyes flared briefly. “I’m rather surprised he mentioned me. He doesn’t like to admit he has a family…until we’re useful, of course. It doesn’t matter. He is the only brother I have and I care for him.”

My expression must have registered my extreme doubt.

“I’m perfectly capable of loving people,” the demon said. “Demons are fully functional when it comes to emotions. Believe me, love is absolutely the most destructive force in the world for some people. All of the truly horrible acts I’ve committed I did because I loved someone.”

“Did Gray send you?” I have to admit, there was a place deep in my heart that I’d locked away, and it flared to life at the thought of Gray reaching out to me.

“Not at all.” The demon flicked lint off his tailored coat. “He would be perfectly upset with me if he knew I was anywhere close to his one true love. Unfortunately, his one true love turned out to be a whore.”

I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t going to be offended because a demon called me names. It was in their job description. “Are you going to continue to insult me or get to the point?”

Was my espresso ready? I was starting to lag.

“You’re a tough one, aren’t you,” the demon purred, his lips curling upward. “You’re going to be fun. I like a challenge.” He pressed a piece of paper in my hand. “Here’s the address for a rather exclusive club downtown. I’ve made sure your name is on the list. Be there at two a.m. My brother needs you.”

The demon started to walk past me. I put out a hand to stop him.

“What’s wrong with Gray?” Even I could hear the tension in my voice. I was sure the demon could feel it.

He knew he had me. It was right there in the way his lips curled up in victory. “If you want to find out, come to the club. I’ll be waiting for you. And don’t you dare bring that vampire with you.”

The demon walked out the doors as the barista walked up with my food. I stood there holding it as the Porsche sped off. The door opened and my uncle walked in.

“Kelsey? What’s up?” He snagged the bag I was carrying. “Nice, I could use a sandwich.”

I gulped the espresso as I followed my uncle back to the limo. I watched as he wolfed down my sandwich. It didn’t matter. I’d lost my appetite.

Chapter Two

My appetite had come back with a righteous vengeance two hours later as I sat in the elegantly appointed private dining room in Ether. I’d only been to Dev Quinn’s notorious nightclub once before, but if he had his way I would be a permanent fixture. He probably saw me more as a member of the security team than a guest. I looked across the table and thought that Devinshea Quinn probably saw almost everyone as a potential employee.

“I hope your flight was good.” The prince was all smiles and cordiality. He was third in line for the Seelie
sidhe
throne, but the Fae were much more interested in the man for his status as a fertility god. “I certainly wish Marcus had allowed me to send my private jet for you. It would have been infinitely more comfortable for you and your boyfriend.”

“Marcus is an environmentalist, I’m afraid,” I murmured as a perfectly cooked steak was placed in front of me. It was a lovely bacon-wrapped filet the size of my fist, and there were two of them. I wondered if there were a couple more somewhere.

“Marcus is stubborn. I’m sure turning down my generous offer was his last insult. From now on when you fly you can use the jet. You’re Lee’s daughter and Zack’s niece. Like it or not, you’re a member of our family, and I want you to feel like one. Anything you need, you only have to ask for it.” Quinn was apparently playing good cop today. He was all charm, and when he wanted to pour it on he really could. When he focused on you, you felt like the only person in the world.

The steak melted in my mouth. Quinn was wrong about Marcus. He really was an environmentalist. He belonged to all sorts of green political groups and he always flew commercial. First class, of course, but commercial. He’d told me vampires should be concerned about the environment. They would have to live here for a really long time, but it didn’t surprise me that Quinn thought it was an insult.

My boyfriend and my boss did not get along.

“Did Zack get the paperwork done on your friend?” Quinn asked as though it was an everyday, ordinary occurrence for one to have to get Council approval on whom one slept with.

“I filled everything out. You have your paperwork, Mr. Quinn.”

He enjoyed his steak and the Chianti that paired with it. “I’m looking forward to getting to know this man. He must be special. Where did you meet?”

“A nightclub.” It had been Ether. Quinn had introduced us himself. I had been a large part of his “push Marcus out of town” plan. I was kind of looking forward to the moment when he realized it hadn’t worked. “He loves dancing.” Marcus did, though not hip-hop or anything modern. He’d been teaching me to tango, but it always got me so hot we ended up going at it on the floor. I thought of something else. “He’s also an excellent cook.”

For a man who hadn’t physically eaten food in millennia, he watched a lot of Food Network. When it became apparent our bonding was completely successful, he’d been thrilled. Marcus is a particular class of vampire called academics. They aren’t the physically strongest of vampires, but their mental powers are unmatched. They can bond with certain females on such a profound level that they can taste the food she eats. He’d promptly banned protein bars.

Quinn sat back, taking a drink from his wine glass. His lips turned up in an arrogant grin. “I’m happy you found someone. I’m surprised Marcus allowed you to date, but I’m happy if you’re happy. You’re practically glowing, so he’s doing something right. I think I was the one who told you this man was out there.”

I felt my lips curl up. “If I remember correctly, you told me Marcus Vorenus would be a good lover.”

Quinn’s eyes changed suddenly, flooding with that emerald green that signaled the emergence of the ancient fertility god who shared the faery’s body. I’d been told the god’s name was Bris and he had a completely different personality from his host.

“I was the one who told you that, and it’s still true,” the fertility god said, looking me over carefully. “The vampire is a good match for you. I’m rather surprised the two of you managed to stay away from each other. The pull between a trainer and a Hunter is very strong. An academic is as likely to get obsessed with a Hunter as he is with a companion.”

“He said it was up to me.” Marcus had waited for me to make the first move.

The god receded, and Quinn made the transition almost imperceptible. “Well, it’s for the best, I suppose. Know that your boyfriend is welcome. Anything he needs, let me know. I can find him a job if he wants one.”

“As long as he passes your vetting process,” I said with no small amount of bitterness.

The unbelievably gorgeous faery stared at me across the table with a concerned look on his face. “You don’t like me much, do you?”

“You haven’t given me a reason to like you, Mr. Quinn.” I finished the first steak and went to work on the second. “Let’s see, you’ve manipulated me. You’ve used me to further your own plots. You put me in a cage.”

“That was Daniel’s idea,” Quinn interrupted. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Well, I’m not exactly afraid of her, Dev.” A deep Texas drawl filled the room and I looked up to see the King of all Vampire striding across the dining room. Big and broad, with an impossibly muscular frame, sandy-blond hair, and all-American good looks, Daniel Donovan oozed authority. It was just my luck that the king was a daywalker. I’d been hoping to avoid him until later, much later. “I think I can handle her, but she could hurt you. She could hurt Z and she could hurt our children if she wanted to.”

I flushed and set my fork down. The bad cop had definitely shown up. Donovan strode across the room in his jeans and black T-shirt. He was casual, but there was no denying his magnetism. The faery was gorgeous, but Donovan screamed power. His demeanor answered one of my questions. The king still considered me some form of dangerous animal.

“I couldn’t hurt them if I was in Italy,” I said flatly. “Perhaps you should have left me there, Your Highness. I can get back on a plane this afternoon if you like.”

The king leaned against the edge of the table and glared down at me. Arms crossed over his powerful chest, I could tell he was still pissed off. “Do you have any idea the chaos that stunt of yours caused? Your uncle has been my faithful servant for over ten damn years. You walk in and now I have to question his loyalties. Did you really think I would let you get away with it?”

“Daniel, what are you doing?” Quinn stood up as four big, burly werewolves walked in. I recognized one of them as Trent, the queen’s guard. He was carrying handcuffs and leg shackles. He approached me, a grim look on his face.

“You going to fight me, sweetheart?” Trent popped the cuffs open.

I put out my hands. “Nope.”

His hands covered mine and he was far gentler with those cuffs than I would have expected.

It didn’t matter that Trent was a thoughtful jailor. I felt the need to fight. The need to run as fast and far as I could flared inside me. Rage began to build. It started in my gut and threatened to spark like a wildfire. The wolf inside me started beating on her cage. She wanted out. She wanted to fight.

This had been Donovan’s plan all along. I wondered why he hadn’t come to Venice and arrested me there. Anywhere I ran he would find me. I had two choices. I could let my beast out and they would kill me, but not before I’d killed a bunch of them, or I could stay calm and let them take me to my cell. The cell at least offered tomorrow. I fiercely brought down my mental walls. The last thing I needed was to scare the hell out of Marcus. He would know what had happened to me soon enough.

“Did you hear me?” the king was asking.

“Yes,” I replied, the world already receding at the periphery of my vision. In this place, I could think calmly. This was a place unavailable to the wolf. We shared a soul, but I was in charge, and I pushed her out of my calm oasis.

Trent was securing the shackles and he did the oddest thing. He leaned over and I heard him whispering in my ear. “You can do this, Kelsey. You can beat this.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant. I couldn’t beat anything. I wasn’t allowed to fight at all.

“I’m putting you in a cell,” the king enunciated. “I’m going to chain you up and leave you there because you can’t be trusted. You’re an animal and you proved it by running away. Hell, you proved it in that arena.”

“All right.” I heard myself respond and I felt the chains snapping on, but my mind was already elsewhere. It was all a part of Marcus’s training. He’d taught me I was stronger than my instincts and that sometimes the true fight wasn’t about violence. I let myself relax and focus on something good. I could tune out negative forces in this moment by focusing on something positive from my past. I wasn’t an animal no matter what Daniel Donovan claimed, and he couldn’t turn me into one.

Vaguely, I heard Donovan continue to rage at me as I was hauled up, but I could feel the cool of the Italian night on my skin. It was six weeks earlier and I was back in Venice. It was the night I decided to become Marcus’s lover.