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Authors: T. A. Grey,Regina Wamba

Chains of Frost: The Bellum Sisters 1 (6 page)

BOOK: Chains of Frost: The Bellum Sisters 1
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She hadn’t realized she was
staring into his eyes—eyes the color of the lightest of skies—until he blinked
and shattered the look.

“You know what I say is true, Ms.
Bellum. Do not fight this or you will only make trouble for yourself. If you
are aware of what your father has done upon his death, though I am still unsure
why he made such a decision, then you know you are under my exclusive care. I
am your Protector now.”

Being so near him was like
standing next to your executioner. An executioner who could take her, use her,
share her in the worst of ways and nothing the law did could help her. Because
she was his.

“I am not yours. I will never be
yours.” She gulped at his unblinking stare. “Commander,” she added somewhat
nicely. If she couldn’t take the bull by the horn, then maybe she could coax it
to lie down while she found a way out of here…and maybe a shirt.

His brow furrowed and she swore
that he seemed closer to her, though she hadn’t seen him take a step. Was this
a vampire trick or her imagination?

“This situation is one that
neither of us seems to want.” For some reason, the fact that he didn’t want her
miffed her. Just a little.

“Then let me go.” He didn’t shake
his head, but she sensed the refusal in him.

“Impossible. I am sealed by a
debt of honor to your father. I will uphold it, no matter how complicated this
matter is. The rules I mentioned before still stand and will never change.”

He had a mouth that if wasn’t
pulled into that tight line might be kissable, even lickable.
Dang, Chloe.
What’s wrong with you? Checking out the captor?
She was crazy.


Honestly, who upholds any of that
old school stuff anyway? No one. My Papa didn’t even pay into the whole
patriarchal thing. Seriously, we were raised to be independent and taught not
to rely on a man. That fact that he’s…he’s given me to you is ridiculous and
completely wrong for him. Just let me go and we’ll call it even. Your debt
paid.”

“I can’t do that, Ms. Bellum. I
will not dishonor your father and the vow I made to repay my debt to him. You
will stay here, under my protection.”

She scoffed. “And where is here?”
His voice was like cold ice running over her. It pebbled her nipples and
brought goose bumps over her skin but not in a pleasurable way.

“You are at my castle in Norway.
We are near the Jorgmund, the biggest hole in the rift, where we get the most
lapses. Many of the Atal Warriors are stationed below the castle.”

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut.
Think!
Okay, what would her sisters do? Willow was probably already near China. No one
could ever stop her, and Lily would probably try to perform some voodoo to get
free.

She took a deep breath, which did
the opposite of calming her, because she accidentally drew in his scent. She
gasped and felt a flash of pleasure surge through her. He smelled as a man
should, like something she could lick and bite and sink her teeth into over and
again.

Oh God, what am I doing thinking
thoughts like that! She was losing her mind. First, her Papa died leaving her
to this nonsense, and now she was stuck with the most notorious man in the
world. She would escape. She could do that. He didn’t seem intent upon hurting
her and she might even be able to use the fact that he was indebted to her Papa
to gain some leverage, if necessary.

Escape. Her mind whirled with
possibilities. Like how the heck did she get out of Norway and to an airport?
She didn’t even have any money on her.

“We need to discuss what will
occur at the next new moon.” The thought she’d been having came to an abrupt
stop in her head. Her eyes slammed open and her back dug into the door to try
to get away from him.

“You can’t…we can’t,” she said,
shaking her head to clear it. “No way,” she said finally. The commander turned
around and marched away. She took a deep breath; it was as if he sucked up all
the air in the room with his presence. Now she could breathe, but it didn’t
smell as delicious as it did when he was near.

She tightened her grip on the
towel to keep it from sliding down and embarrassing the hell out of her while
she slowly, quietly slipped her free hand behind her. Her heart was beating so
hard and fast, she prayed he couldn’t hear it. Could vampires hear such things?
She reached, searching for the door handle.

“Something must be done. I am
sure you are aware of the changes that you will go through at the new moon.”

Chloe glared at him. He knew just
the right things to say to piss her off. “I am a succubus; of course I know.
Better than you, I’m sure,” she said without hiding the sarcasm in her voice.
“And I am
not
doing that with you,” she added for good measure.

He brought those eyes back to
her, seemingly assessing everything about her. From the red nail polish on her
toes to the not-perfectly-thin figure she sported. She clutched the towel
tighter around her and did what she knew Willow would do. She glared at him
with a look that clearly said
fuck you
.

“That is more than acceptable to
me. I am sure you can find any number of willing males around the castle for
your time of need. I’d recommend one of my closest guards because I sincerely
trust them. If they do not meet your standards, perhaps one of the other Atal
Warriors that reside below the castle. Please feel free to ask any of them. I shall
not announce it to them in order to spare your privacy.”

Chloe thought his proclamation
might be sweet if he didn’t say it with a tone that bordered on arctic. Though
she couldn’t help but think that he was acting as her pimp with the suggestion.
Bastard. Handsome bastard with a nasty scar that kept drawing her gaze. What
was the story behind it? Every scar had a story, no matter how simple. Never
mind, it didn’t matter. She was getting the hell out of here.

“I’m rather tired. I’d like to go
now.” That is if I even get my own room. She swore that if he tried to put her
in his own bed, he was going to lose his balls by the end of the night.

He gave a clipped nod then strode
toward her. Her heart kicked up again. If she plastered herself any more
thoroughly against the door, she’d carve herself into it. Whatever she thought
he was going to do, it wasn’t to reach behind her and grab the door handle. His
hand touched hers, which had curled tightly around the brass. She squealed,
jumping at his unexpected touch. The action sent a series of events into
motion.

Chloe jerked her hand away from
the shocking, scalding heat of his hand. The quick motion dislodged the knot of
her towel and sent the scrap of cloth fluttering to a pool around her naked
feet. As her wide eyes shot to his, she bent forward to try to cover her
nakedness. The commander, Tyrian en Kulev’s expression was something she would
never, ever forget.

The cool, indifferent blue of his
eyes ran quickly over her nipples, stomach, and sex. Those ice blue eyes
widened a fraction, flared, and burned her with the intensity of their heat.
Chloe gasped in a mix of surprise and pleasure. Stupidly she wondered if the
commander had any idea how…seductive, intoxicating,
sexy
, he looked
right now.

The bloom of heat that unfurled
from inside her couldn’t be stopped, nor could the thought of him taking her
into his arms and kissing her.
Do it,
she pleaded silently to his
downcast eyes. How did he make her go so quickly from wanting escape to wanting
to be in his arms?

He blinked and took one hard step
back. The spell broke like glass shattering. He didn’t meet her eyes, but
pulled down the door handle and opened it. It was as if the moment never
happened.

“Draven,” he called out. A second
later, a tall warrior appeared at the door. His eyes instantly hit hers and a
grin spread across his face as his eyes trailed down her body in a purely
masculine sweep. His appearance didn’t have the intensity that Tyrian’s had,
nor did it warm her body in hot anticipation. She recognized the warrior as one
she’d twice punched solidly in the face before he captured her.

Before she had a chance to move,
Tyrian flashed before her, picking up the towel and wrapping it around her. She
had only a brief glance, but it was enough to see the anger in his eyes. At her
or at the warrior? Another flare of heat sparked inside her, warming her blood
like hot syrup.

The warrior named Draven nodded
at her, and at Tyrian’s orders, led her to her room. Chloe ached to look back
at the commander, which was silly and all kinds of stupid. She was…attracted to
him. Literally, the absolute last thing she’d expected when she learned she was
his. A warmth washed over her back. Was he watching her right now as his guard
led her away?

Surprisingly, insanely, the
thought of spending her new moon with the commander was not unpleasant. Chloe
followed the guard and wondered what her sisters would do in this situation.

 

Chapter Six

 

 

Willow stepped off the train,
tucked her chin to her chest, and kept walking. It didn’t take long for her to
feel that same presence behind her as if she was being watched—or followed.

How was that possible? He
couldn’t be here already. She barely resisted the urge to turn her head around
and scan the area for anyone suspicious. She found herself starting to turn but
snapped her head forward. She would not give in to this man in any way. It was
a man, too. She’d felt his masculine presence ever since she’d left London.

She’d even gone so far as to
randomly get off at some stop in the west of France only to hop onto another
train that would take her into Spain where she was now. Yet that presence was
still behind her.

She’d discreetly checked the
train cars around her, eyeing people in the seats but saw no one taking
particular notice of her. Either she was paranoid, which considering her nerves
right now, was a definite possibility, or he was already here. But how could
that be?

Was the Alpha, Lyonis Keelan,
here? Tracking her like a runaway pup or, in this case, his runaway woman? Her
hands tightened around the backpack straps over her shoulders. She barely
resisted the urge to turn around and scream
I’ll never be your woman, beast!

She was a grown woman living in
the year 2011. This was not the dark ages. These were not like the old times that
many succubi still lived by. Her life did not belong to a man; she would never
be owned by a man. She’d rather die first than lose herself. Lyonis Keelan
would have to find his mate elsewhere.

Finally giving in to the
temptation, she darted a glance behind her. Early morning light crept in
through the windows of the train station, lighting the place up in a happy
orange glow that did nothing to improve her mood. People bustled about, getting
on and off trains with luggage and backpacks. The smell of freshly brewed
coffee and the bitter tinge of cigarette smoke floated by her nostrils.

She saw no man following her.
What did the Alpha of all shapeshifters look like anyway? She had no clue. Big,
skinny, tall, short. It could be anyone and no one. The chances of him somehow
finding her were incredibly small, yet that nagging feeling wouldn’t leave the
back of her neck. It had her constantly searching faces, always wanting to
glance back. Logic told her he had no idea she’d gone to London or was now
wandering around in Spain.

She couldn’t stay in any place
for too long. From here on out she was going on foot. Hiking, walking, and
maybe catching a few rides here and there.

Willow stepped out into the fresh
morning light, bought a map from a vendor, and started out. She headed east.
Anywhere in the middle of Europe would be good.

The further she got from the
train station, though, the more she realized someone had to be following her.
If anything, that feeling of being watched was now worse, closer, and more intense.
Her frustration peaked like a boiling thermometer.

Spinning in a circle, she threw
open her arms and said, “Come out and talk to me, you fucking coward!”

Trumpets did not sing to announce
some grand arrival. A red carpet was not unraveled. What did happen was that a
woman with dark hair opened a window and spoke in quick, angry Spanish at her.

Mumbling an apology, Willow
tucked her head back down and started down the street. The more distance she covered,
and quickly, the better. As she reached the end of the street, she felt a
change in the air. A stirring in the wind rustled leaves off the street and
blew a hanging sign over a bakery. And just like that, Willow’s gaze landed on
a man leaning casually against the wall of a bookshop. He looked like he was
ready to be in a Marlboro commercial, minus the cowboy getup.

Willow blinked and tried to get
her mind to work. He hadn’t been there a moment before, right? She thought hard
and fast, which was a struggle because she couldn’t tear her eyes off him. This
man looked simply perfect, distracting as hell. She was certain he also hadn’t
been standing there just a moment ago. He looked casual with his booted foot
resting against the wall, his arms crossed loosely.

BOOK: Chains of Frost: The Bellum Sisters 1
13.71Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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