Chains of Frost: The Bellum Sisters 1 (9 page)

One thing Tyrian didn’t know
about her was that she’d always been a poor listener, and even worse at obeying
the rules. Obviously her Papa had left out that little bit of info.

She had only a vague idea of
where he slept, so as he went into elaborate detail over how she couldn’t leave
the castle, she debated over searching and exploring his bedroom first or the
entire wing he’d said was off limits.
Office first, then the bedroom,
she thought and gave him a big smile.

He faltered for the barest of
seconds in his speech then continued. The fact that he wasn’t immune to her didn’t
go unnoticed. Perhaps this vampire commander was not so cold. Maybe he just
needed to be warmed up and she had just the heat to do it.

Chapter Eight

Henry paused. Dammit, there was
that sound again. Closing the door to the training room harder than necessary,
he stalked down the hall to find out what it was. Quieting his steps as he
neared the door to the study, he leaned close to the door and sniffed. As he
swung the door open, an easy smile broke out over his lips.

The succubus spun around with a
gasp, a quick blush creeping over her cheeks. Her eyes were big and round. She peeked
behind him as if searching for someone else.

“Don’t worry, the Commander isn’t
here. You’re lucky I caught you and not him. He doesn’t allow anyone in his
study unless he’s in here and usually then it’s under orders.”

“Yes, well, I was just bored and
wanted to take a look around the place.”

“I thought the Commander showed
you around earlier today?” He cooled his smile into a flat line, though inside
he was laughing. Several emotions flitted over her face as if she was quickly
trying to come up with a lie.

“Yes, well, he did take me around,
but he didn’t really let me stop to enjoy anything. I couldn’t sleep and
thought I would explore the castle.”

Henry jerked his head to the
hallway. “Come on, out with you. If I leave you here knowingly, it’ll be my
arse on the line.”

She stumbled out quickly and he
shut the door behind her.
She was a pretty one,
he thought looking at
her. Her hair was brown with just a hint of copper in it, and her gray eyes
sparkled from excitement.

“Okay, I’ll just be going to
bed.”

“Be sure you make it there.
You’re safe from the Commander and anyone else here, but…” he hesitated over
his words then said, “he isn’t the kindest of men.”

Chloe nodded quickly and started
away. She turned back. “Wait. Do you know when the next new moon is?”

His face pulled into a frown.
“Why?”

“It’s important. It’s a…succubus
thing.” She might as well have said it’s a feminine matter. He literally took a
step back.

“Two days.”

“How sure are you?”

He thought about it. “Very sure.”

“Okay, thanks a lot. What’s your
name?”

“Henry.” She poked out her hand
and he shook it.

“Chloe,” she said. “Well,
goodnight, Henry. Thanks for the info.”

“Stay out of trouble,” he warned
and a devilish grin broke out over her face.

Henry waited until the succubus
disappeared up the stairs before he went down into the training room. He
flicked the fluorescent overhead lights on; the buzz of the lights already
soothed an ounce of tension from him. Opting for the punching bag, he went to
the corner of the room to tape up his hands. Working out always soothed him. He
wrapped the tape carefully around his bare hands for the perfect fit. He flexed
his taped hands to make sure the binding was not too tight or loose.

He started slowly, with a one-two
rhythm. His muscles warmed in his arms and stomach and bent legs. He faked left
and right as he landed a rapid succession of blows to the bag. Soon he hit the bag
harder, cutting into it, pounding it with his fists with deeply satisfying strikes
that eased the thoughts on his mind while also setting them free.

Yesterday, he’d kissed Nanu. His
right hook caught the bag and sent it soaring high into the air before it swung
back down. Beautiful, golden Nanu. He shouldn’t have. Fuck if he didn’t know
that, but some selfish part of him had been desperate to know how she tasted.

Some part had even wondered that
maybe if he just got one taste, a sample, then he could move on from her. Stop
thinking about her every time he returned from a mission, every time he walked
the halls and wondered if he’d run into her, every time he lay his head against
his pillow at night.

It hadn’t worked. If anything, it
was worse. She was like a drug he’d tasted and now craved with every fiber of
his being. He’d thought she’d invaded his thoughts before, now she had moved
in, unpacked and was sleeping there. Nanu with her sharp mind, steady hands,
and husky voice. Nanu and the way she looked at him with innocence and desire.
Nanu, the golden goddess he couldn’t have.

He shoved all his anger and
energy into his punches, felt the distant slick of sweat beating down his face.
Each thud pounded, echoed in his ears until all thoughts of her were pushed
from his mind and all he saw was the red blur of the bag swinging with each of
his hits.

A soft touch at his back had him
spinning around with a growl, his arm pulled back ready to throw. He stopped,
shaking with the force to stay his arm from finishing the punch.

“What the hell are you doing
here?” he growled, his voice laden with hot anger.

Nanu trembled and looked from him
to his fist as he slowly lowered it. When she looked back at him, he saw fear
there and wanted to laugh. See, this was why. That look.

“I, I heard noise down here and
wanted to see who it was.”

Shaking his head, he sat heavily
on the bench and started pulling the tape off his hands. “Why?”

“I was just curious.” He didn’t
look at her, couldn’t. For all he knew, she had a fling going on with one of
the other warriors. It wouldn’t surprise him in the least. She was gorgeous,
smart, gentle. What kind of man could resist? He was on the verge of asking her
which warrior it was, but bit his tongue until pain lanced through him.

He finished pulling the tape off
and grabbed a towel to wipe up the sweat from his face. His shirt and shorts
were plastered to him but whatever. She’d seen him at worse times. And she was
fucking off limits.

“You know, you really shouldn’t
be exercising so soon. I gave you a four day reprieve from any training.” She
sounded concerned. She probably was. There was so much sweetness in her. Things
he didn’t know how to deal with.

“I know,” he said gruffly. He
snatched a bottle of water from the mini-fridge and downed the whole thing.

“Then why are you here, Henry?”
She sounded exasperated.

Well good, let her be pissed. She
shouldn’t have kissed him.
I shouldn’t have let her.
Gotta get out of
here. He made for the door, but she stepped in front of him. It was either brush
by her to get around her or push her away. He couldn’t make himself do either.

“I was working out, as you saw.
Move out of my way, Nanu.” Her lips were dark, the color of dark cherry.

“No,” she said with a lift to her
chin. “I want to talk about what happened.”

He sighed loudly and peered over
at the punching bag. He could probably work the bag for at least another couple
of hours. He started toward it, but a soft hand pulled on his arm. He looked
down, his eyes narrowing on the stark contract of her bronzed skin to his
lighter skin. It made his gut clench.

“There’s nothing to talk about,
Nanu.” He watched her jaw tighten. The same way it did when she was working
over a warrior, stitching him up. It was her look of pure, raw determination.
Her I-will-not-fail look, and it was aimed at him. He was screwed. “Fine, talk
fast. I need to get out of here.”

“Why have you been avoiding me? I
sent a note that you should check in with me today so I can rewrap the gauze
with a clean one.”

“You know why I didn’t come by.”
He looked at her, his eyes unflinching in their honesty. He watched her swallow
hard. Her cheeks darkened with color. Dammit. He needed to get out of here.

“Because of the kiss,” she said
softly. He took an unsteady breath, his tongue rubbing over his lips in
remembrance. Her taste no longer lingered, that he’d made sure of with half a
tube of toothpaste and a bottle of mouthwash. But none of that could wipe away
the memory of how her lips felt pressed softly against his. Like warm satin.

Her eyes softened, the golden
specs around her pupils sparkling up at him. “I liked kissing you, Henry.”

Whoosh.
All the air in his gut left him,
and his dick hardened in his shorts.

“Yeah, well it isn’t going to
happen again. In fact, this will be the last time we speak of it, ever.” Shit,
there was no hiding the thick arousal that filled his voice. He could only hope
she wouldn’t pick up on it.

“Why not? I think we both enjoyed
it. You did enjoy it, didn’t you?” She looked so unsure. How could this woman
ever doubt her ability to knock the socks off a man? She was stunning, and when
she kissed, it was like a dream. Maybe she was just playing him up, trying to
be coy. But no, that wasn’t her way. She was an upfront woman. She wanted to
know why he couldn’t be with her? Shit, he had two good reasons—at least.

“It doesn’t matter if I enjoyed
it, Nanu, because it isn’t happening again.”

She stepped up into him, pressing
her body lightly against him, cautious of his stomach injury. Her hands perched
like hummingbirds on his pecks.

“Why can’t it happen again? I
think about you, Henry. I dream about you.” Her voice was a bare whisper, a gentle
tickle over his ear. Her warmth permeated his body, making him want to pull her
closer, wrap himself around her. Bitterness crept in. He stepped back,
welcoming the chill over his sweaty skin.

“It doesn’t matter why.”

“Of course it does,” she said
with a shake of her head. Her dark hair whipped side to side, shining in the
light. He’d always wondered how it would feel if he touched it. Slightly
coarse, satin soft, or something altogether different. “Henry, please just tell
me why we can’t be together.”

Henry stilled and looked away
from her. She was so adamant. Frustration laced her voice. It hurt to know that
he was denying her. Fine, he’d tell her. He’d tell her, then never speak of it
again and avoid her at all costs. Even if that meant disobeying his commander,
because after she knew the truth, he wouldn’t be able to hide his bitterness or
anger.

Henry locked gazes with her and
marched up to her, cupping her face in his hands. She stretched toward him as
if she’d been waiting for this moment. Her eyes fluttered like they wanted to
close, her lips moved toward his. If he wasn’t as tall as he was, she might
have come close to reaching them too.

“Open your eyes. Look at me when
I tell you this, Nanu.” She did, the crinkles at the corner of her eyes pulling
tight with concern. “I won’t be with you because I can’t do what I do and come
back to someone like you. I take lives for a living, you save them. It doesn’t
mix. It won’t work. Blood is on my hands every single day, no matter how much I
wash. It’s always there. The faces of those I take are always with me. I kill
fathers, brothers, sons, people with families. I am a killer, Nanu, not a man
for you.”

She breathed unsteadily; her eyes
glinted on the verge of tears. He cursed and this time pushed her out of the
doorway and moved around her. He hit the first step when she spoke.

“Wait, wait. That’s it?”
Stiffening, he turned slowly to her. He looked at her as if this would be the
last time he did so.

“No. You, Nanu. You’re the other
reason.”

She called out after him to wait,
to explain what he meant, but he ignored her pleas and didn’t turn back around.

Chapter Nine

Chloe tossed the covers off her
fire-drenched body. Sweat beaded her forehead and neck, soaking the pillow
beneath her head. What was wrong with her?

She turned and rolled around on
the bed no longer finding any comfort in the soft cushion. Where had her damn
angel feathers gone?

Her arms latched onto her stomach
and she moaned deeply. Sharp, gut-wrenching stabs beat inside her like knives
trying to break out of her skin. Her breaths wheezed in and out and suddenly
the pain was gone as if it’d actually broken out of her body.

Panting, Chloe arched her back
off the bed as a blinding energy pulsed inside her. Pants turned into a long,
drawn-out moan, and liquid heat pooled between her legs, as her breasts pulled
tight and heavy.

She was drugged or had food
poisoning. Something was wrong. She moaned as her stomach jerked and another
wave of wet release pulsed through her core. What kind of food poisoning did
this?
No, no, impossible. It wasn’t time yet. She had another day.