Charmed by the Werewolf (7 page)

“No need to remind me.
” She glared then scrambled to her feet. “I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my own humanity.” Sophia barely gained the door when a flash of movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. The silver letter opener, buried halfway to the hilt in the dark wood of the doorframe, quivered directly above her head.

“You
’re the most trustworthy person I have on staff, Sophia, so if you did betray me I’d take it as a personal insult. I couldn’t be responsible for my actions of retaliation.” This time his smile was full of mockery. “I might be enticed to sell you to the trolls of the Demon Realm along with the pixie and perhaps Mona. You’d fetch a pretty sum, I’m sure—that is if you managed to keep your human form.”

“I won’t betray you.
” Panic bubbled within her until she thought she’d gag on it. “I must go.”

“Have a nice day Miss Raines.
”

*****

Sophia made it as far as the galaxy-corridor before one of the cloying memories of her past caught up to her.

She’d met Sterling at her father’s funeral. Her parent died during her early twenties from a heart attack brought on by the stress of being a Gatekeeper. They’d no sooner lowered the casket into the ground before Sterling had approached, clad meticulously in a black suit, shirt and shoes, the epitome of dark fashion.

Other family members drew her mother away, leaving Sophia alone with the black-hearted being.

“Who are you?
” Never before had she met any of her father’s business acquaintances, probably because her dad wished to protect her as long as he could.

“Sterling Abbignon. Your father worked for me until he so ungratefully decided to die in order to cut his contract short.
” He bowed from the waist, but the old-fashioned gesture didn’t soften the aura of evil emanating from the man.

It wasn’t the words that made her mad, it was the way he said them, as if her father had inconvenienced him. “People die. Get over it.
” Tears sprang to her eyes and fought with the anger seething in her chest. She couldn’t believe this man would sully the already sad day.

“Ah, I wish I could, except your father’s demise has left a hole in my personnel file.
” His black eyes bore into hers. “Since he mentioned at one time that you were also a Gargoyle, I find it wonderfully fateful you’ll take his place.”

She stared at him as if he’d grown another head. “I won’t. I may have his genes. That
doesn’t mean I’ll work for you.” Yes, she remembered her father saying she would succeed him, but she believed in free will and refused to do anything she didn’t want to do.

“Oh, I think it does.
” Sterling sauntered so close she smelled the slightly sulphur tinge on his skin. “There’s a two-fold reason. One, I’ll bet you’ve recently come upon a rather interesting problem. Been turning into a statue when you’re under high stress?”

Heat crawled over Sophia’s skin. How could he possibly know that? Even now, the familiar tightening in her chest signaled a shift wasn’t far off.

Mentally, she counted to ten then repeated the action, calming herself. “It’s nothing.”

“Really? Not annoying in social situations? It doesn’t confine you to your house from embarrassment?
” He rubbed a hand along his jaw. “If you come work for me as a Gatekeeper—part-time, of course for a while—I can give you a tincture that’ll put those genes in stasis. Imagine living as normal a life as you can and for what? A simple job.”

Sophia snorted. “No. My father hated working for you. Why should I do the same thing just because you say so?
” She risked a glance around the quiet cemetery, but none of the mourners had stuck around once Sterling showed up.

He gave an elegant shrug. His face had darkened with a scowl that put her in mind of every evil thing she’d ever dreamed of. “Ah, you drive a hard bargain, so let me up the ante.
” Sterling studied the immediate area and his gaze settled on a lone worker standing idly by waiting for access to the gravesite. “Let me give you the proper motivation and the second reason you’ll come to work for me.”

Before Sophia could form a reply, Sterling pointed a finger at the man. Jagged streaks of red lightning left his fingertip and slammed into the worker. With an agonized cry of pain and surprise, the man burst into flames. All ash and leftover body parts vanished into a red puff of smoke
. A small scorch spot appeared on the grass where he’d stood.

“Oh my God! You murdered him!
” Sickening fear swept over her as she stared at Sterling. “What kind of person does that?” No wonder her dad never talked about work if he could help it.

Sterling’s grin held no mirth. “First mistake, my dear. I
’m not a person and I have no sappy sentimental feelings for any other being in any realm. Remember that.” He edged closer, his eyes glowing red. “If you don’t become the replacement Gatekeeper as your heritage demands, I’ll systematically kill one random person each hour of each day until you consent to my demands.”

“You can’t do that.
” She gagged as the smell of incinerated human flesh wafted to her nose.

“Would you like another demonstration?
” He laid a hand on her shoulder.

Sophia sprang away at the burning heat the contact generated.

“Whether you believe it or not, I know you, Sophia. You’re soft and riddled with guilt, which makes you weak and easy to manipulate. Now, do you really want all those potential deaths on your conscience? I’d imagine it’ll be hard to sleep knowing with each tick of the clock, another random person will die because of your selfishness.”

Shock, coupled with grief and the anger she’d carried around since childhood roiled through her stomach. Was this what her father meant by falling into the darker side of herself? Did he try to warn her about this moment or something even direr down the line?

She stared at Sterling as he buffed his fingernails on his suit jacket then bowed her head. God, she needed to grow a backbone, but what was the point? She had no choice, probably never would again. In that one clarifying moment, she finally understood her dad. He did what he did to protect his family and most likely people around him.

So much for free will.

She looked up and her gaze connected with Sterling’s. Already, his eyes danced with victory and she hated him from that moment. A deep down, burning hatred that would never go away until he was obliterated from the earth. With an unwavering certainness, she would despise every moment of her life from this point onward. “Fine. What will I need to do?”

*****

Xavier paced the tiny amount of floor space between the queen bed and a pine dresser. Anxiety clawed through his being. He shouldn’t have let Sophia go alone. He should have ignored her protests and accompanied her anyway since it was on his behalf she went to Elias Realm. He cast another glance at the closet door—still firmly closed.

“I’m going after her.
” He transferred his gaze to Mona. “You’d do the same thing, right?”

“Sure, but every time I try to help her, she gets mad and chews me out.
” Mona shrugged from her spot on the bed. “Sophia doesn’t like to accept help, especially if it puts the people she cares for in danger.”

“So I gathered.
” As much as he admired a strong-willed woman, was she harming herself in the process? “I have to do something.” A low growl accompanied the statement.

Further speculation broke off when the closet door flew open. Sophia stumbled into the room, gasping for breath. Xavier halted her forward momentum and wrapped his arms around her. “Sophia?
”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she attempted to draw air into her lungs. Her body shook with the force of her distress. “I—
”

“I’m so sorry.
” He mentally berated himself for allowing her to go to Elias Realm without him. He should have called on his inner alpha-wolf and followed her.

Damn it, she was his woman, and he needed to start acting like it. She had an unexplainable grip on him and yet because of him, she
suffered emotional trauma. He let her wiggle free of his hold, watched with a level of helplessness as she dropped to her knees. “I can’t help you unless you’re calm and relaxed.” He brushed a lock of sweat-dampened hair out of her face. “I suspect that’s not the correct thing to say right now.”

“Need…Mona…
” Her eyes closed as she concentrated on drawing a full breath.

Xavier looked at the petite accident attractor. “What’s wrong with her?
” Sophia’s gasping breaths compelled him to protect her, but he felt ineffectual not knowing what she suffered from.

“She sometimes has panic attacks.
” Mona knelt beside her, stroking her arms.

The air shimmered near the dresser then Frieda made an appearance. “Why don’t you just die and be done with it?
” she asked as she settled on a small, carved box. “So much drama for one human.”

“Shut up.
” A wheeze punctuated Sophia’s command.

“If you won’t behave yourself I’m afraid I
’ll be forced to escort you from the room.” Xavier glared at the small menace. “Do you understand me, pixie?”

“You can escort me anywhere, handsome.
” Frieda batted her eyelashes and walked with exaggerated hip swaying across the top of the dresser.

“You wouldn’t be able to keep up.
” He kept his annoyance in check by sheer willpower.

“Knock it off you two.
” Sophia batted Mona’s hands away from her forehead. “I think I’ll live, much to the disappointment of some of you.”

“I constantly implore the girl to seek help in overcoming her problem
, but she vexes me at every turn.” A ghost in full Cavalier garb made his presence known.

“Who the hell are you?
” Xavier narrowed his eyes. Of course. This interloper must be the ghost Sophia couldn’t get rid of. His blood pressure rose at the constant interruptions. “You know what, it doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, but it most certainly does, my good man.
” Calvin bobbed closer. “Sophia is
my
lady fair. I have spent countless hours trying to convince her to end her human existence of pain here and follow me into the Afterlife.”

Xavier stood. “And how’s that working for you?
”

The ghost assumed an annoyed expression. “She is proving very resistant, especially now you are here and vying for her heart.
” He narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps you should do the decent thing and bow out. My stake in this matter is much stronger.”

“Uh, no, and unless you can challenge me to a duel with swords or pistols and I can actually
kill
you, this rivalry ends now.”

Calvin began a protest.

Screw it. I’m done with this circus.
Xavier let loose a primal snarl that turned into a low-pitched howl. The sound reverberated off the walls, shaking the pictures and disturbing knick-knacks from the dresser top. All eyes turned toward him. A grin stretched his lips—his predatory smile. “All of you listen up. Whether you believe it or not,
I
, not Calvin, am Sophia’s mate. Period. As of this moment, either you can work with me or you can leave. Your choice.”

Mona waved the hand containing the washcloth. “But—
”

“No exceptions.
” He crossed his arms over his chest as the urge to shift into the beast washed over him. “Do not anger me further, Mona. You’ll not want to meet me in wolf form.” He growled again for emphasis, pleased when she immediately lowered her gaze. “Now, everyone except Sophia leave this room.”

Sophia shook her head. “That’s not necessary, and it
’s still my house.”

Something inside
him snapped. “Get. Out. Now!” This time, the roar brought a mirror crashing to the floor near the closet. “You have mere seconds.” His grin widened when the miscellaneous beings scattered for parts unknown. “Much better.”

The silence that followed nearly deafened him. Sophia blinked, her eyes big and round with fear. Xavier wondered if he crossed an invisible line with her then just as quickly realized he didn’t care. Sooner or later, she
’d realize she belonged to him, which would make both their lives much easier.

“Do you feel better?
” She threw him an annoyed glance. “Has anyone ever told you how scary you are when you do that wolf-growl thing?”

“Yes, many times.
” He helped her off the floor, holding her in a loose embrace. “I’m told it’s a turn on.” He caressed his hands over her ribcage then encircled her waist. “Would you like to see me shift?” Her floral scent danced about him in a teasing whirlwind, built his libido until he wanted to throw her on the bed and mark her as his own.

“You know I can’t allow that.
” Regret tinged her words and clouded her eyes. “Xavier, you need to get out of this house. I don’t know if my lies to Sterling were convincing enough, but suffice it to say, he’ll be monitoring me closely.”