Fated Desire: A Paranormal Romance Novel (The Twisted Destiny Saga Book 1) (5 page)

CHAPTER 8

Ryan finished the last of the seven ribs he’d devoured and tossed the bone onto the plate in front of him. He let out a satisfied moan.

“Where is he?” Cora’s voice suddenly sounded, cutting through the last two hours of silence that had enveloped the library since Luca had left the room.

“Taking a nap. It’s daytime,” he answered as he watched her walk over to the table that was now covered with a lavish feast.

“Aren’t you tired?” she asked him.

“I’m not a vampire.”

She smiled. “Obviously. I meant…you didn’t sleep last night, because of me.”

“I can go a few nights without sleep, darlin’. Don’t worry about me. But
you
should get some rest soon.”

She eased herself onto the edge of the table beside him and shook her head. “I don’t think I can sleep right now. Not after everything that’s happened. What I just read.”

“It’s a lot to take.”

“He thinks I am King Vazra’s daughter, the princess of the White Realm.”

He nodded.

“The White Realm king’s first born was offered to him, the Vampire Prince, as part of a treaty—a peace offering to prevent war.”

“That’s how the story goes.”

“It’s not just a story, is it?”

Ryan didn’t answer. He kept his gaze on anything but her.

“Ryan, please look at me.”

He forced himself to meet her intense gaze. “No, if it’s in those books, it’s fact. And if you truly are the princess of the White Realm, then you
are
betrothed to Luca.”

Fuck, even saying those words is getting under my skin.
The look on her face wasn’t helping matters either—sympathy, or some shit. He looked away and rose to his feet, moving away from her.

“Ryan—”

He cut her off as he said, “The treaty states that you must be wed to him by your 30
th
birthday, or it will become null and void. The realms will go to war.”

“So he is my mate then?”

He shook his head. “The connection is magical. It was
created
.”

“You mean it’s not natural?”

Ryan spun back to her. “No.”

“The connection is why he can…affect me?”

“You mean why you want to fuck him?” As soon as he’d said the words, he wished he hadn’t. The hurt on her face was awful to witness. “I’m sorry.”

She stepped back and shook her head. “It’s okay. Wolves are known for being blunt.”

“It’s not just that…it’s close to the full moon. The wolf is strong right now. It’s difficult to hold back when something
upsets
me.”

She took his hand and told him, “Forget it. Let’s get out of here.”

“What? What about the betrothal thing?”

“I don’t give a damn.”

“But, you will,” a voice boomed from the doorway.

They both spun around to see Luca standing there, his eyes fierce pools of black as he looked upon them.

Ryan noticed a chain around his neck. A rectangular pendant hung from it. It looked like a blood diamond of some sort and it was actually glowing red.

“What the hell is that?”

“A gift from my father. It allows me to channel a
fraction
of the magic that he possesses in the Dark Realm in this…human realm. That fraction is extremely powerful here.”

“Why is it glowing? What have you done?”

“What needs to be done,
brother
.” He stepped further into the room and snarled at him as he said, “I need time to explain things to her. A few books are not enough. And I can’t do that with you around her.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I promised her I’d stay with her.”

Luca’s eyes narrowed at Cora. “You want him here? You are afraid to be alone with me?”

“Yes. I want him here.”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot allow it, my princess.”

“You’re gonna have to set your entire vamp army on me to stop me. And with the full moon so close, that might not even be enough,” Ryan growled.

Luca laughed. “No need, wolf.”

Fiery red energy emanated all around him. And then he raised his hand towards Ryan. “Your invitation has been rescinded.”

Ryan grunted and stumbled back as a white-hot sensation suddenly assaulted his body. He recognized it immediately. “No, Luca. Don’t fucking do this! I’m warning you! Don’t cross me!”

“Let her go. She is
mine.
Forget her.”

“No! Stop, Luca!”

Cora reached for Ryan. As soon as her hand made contact with his, she drew back, screaming in pain. The white-hot energy coursing through him had burned her skin.

Ryan stepped back and held up his hand. “Don’t touch me again,” he warned her.

“What are you doing, Luca? Stop it!” she yelled. “Now!”

“I am merely sending him back home to his pack.”

“No!” she screamed.

She raised her palm. But as she conjured her silver glow of power, Ryan felt his surroundings already quickly fading away.

“Stop it!” she demanded, threatening Luca with her palm.

Luca smiled. “Go ahead, hit me with it.”

She did, lobbing her magic at him. It disintegrated before it even touched him. He had some sort of shield up, protecting him.

He rushed her suddenly and, in a burst of vampire speed, he had her pinned against one of the stacks, his hands gripping her arms tightly. “Your magic is too weak right now. You can’t best me. You are still learning, princess.”

Ryan struggled to break the spell enveloping him, to go to her aid. But brute strength couldn’t combat powerful magic.
Fuck!

“I am leaving here,” Cora told Luca.

“Not yet.” As if to demonstrate how serious he was, he told her, “Look up.”

She followed his line of sight and Ryan watched her eyes go wide as she saw a shimmering red film covering the room.

“That is a barrier that one as inexperienced as you cannot hope to breach. I have put it in place around the entire property. You’re not leaving here until I decide.”

She struggled against him. “Release me!”

His gaze snapped to the door and he called, “Thomas, come!”

In a flash, another vampire stood beside Luca, gazing at the struggling princess in Luca’s arms.

“Compel her. She needs to sleep now.”

“Luca! No!” Ryan roared.

Luca turned his head and smirked maliciously, triumph flashing in his eyes.

The vampire named Thomas drew Cora’s gaze to his.

“Aren’t you tired now, princess? You need to sleep,” he spoke softly, his voice reassuring and hypnotizing.

Ryan snarled and growled as he watched her eyes glaze over as Thomas continued to speak to her. He resumed his struggles against Luca’s magic, but it was no use.

In seconds, her eyes closed and her legs buckled as she drifted off to sleep. Luca caught her before she fell and scooped her up in his arms.

“Good work, Thomas.”

“Is there anything else you need, your majesty?”

“No, I will take it from here.” He gazed down at Cora in his arms and told her, “Sweet dreams, my princess.”

“Fuck! Luca!”

The last thing he saw was Luca glaring at him.

And then the spell took him away from the mansion against his will. There was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it.

CHAPTER 9

Ryan roared as he ripped both stools from the breakfast bar and flung them across his apartment in a fit of rage. The power behind it had them ripping through a good chunk of the drywall in the living room.

“Ry!” Josh yelled from the door.

“Not a good time,” Ryan replied, seething, his chest rising and falling rapidly as adrenaline and fury coursed through his body.

“You’ve been at it for a good couple of hours now. We can all hear you from the bar downstairs. Come and have a drink to take the edge off.”

Ryan took his words in and glanced around at his apartment. It was a mess. It looked like it had been ransacked by mad men. He struggled to find a piece of furniture that wasn’t destroyed or ripped to shreds.
Damn, I lost control of my temper big time.

He drew in a calming breath and met Josh’s concerned gaze. “It’s all right. Come in.”

“What happened?” Josh asked as he shut the door behind him and cautiously stepped into the apartment. “Is this about that Seeker from earlier? What happened, you try to fuck her? Their kind doesn’t tend to screw around with supes like us, Ry. You know that.”

“She didn’t say
“no”
to me,” Ryan snarled.

“What?” Josh asked, shocked.

“She’s the
one
.”

“Excuse me?”

“She’s my mate.”

Josh scoffed. “Dude, come on. How good a fuck was she for you to be spouting this shit?”

Ryan stormed into the kitchen and said over his shoulder, “I didn’t fuck her.”

He pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses from a cupboard and set them down heavily on the kitchen island.

“What? The full moon is close. You had her alone in your apartment. Impossible,” Josh said as he joined him by the bar as he poured the whiskey into the two glasses.

Ryan handed him a glass and then snatched up his and downed it quickly. “We were interrupted by Luca.”

Josh almost choked on his drink. “He was here?”

“Yep.” He knocked back another glass.

“Why? What the hell did that traitor want?”

“He wanted her. She’s Vazra’s daughter.”

Josh’s eyes went wide with shock. “You’re sure? His bride-to-be?”

“All the signs were there.”

“Then she’s
his
, not yours.”

Ryan shook his head. “Her eyes were glowing.
Mine
were, too.”

“Oh shit. She’s the one…your one.”

“That’s what I told you. You think
I
would make a mistake like that?”

“Sorry. It’s just…we thought she was a Seeker, Ry. You know that would make it impossible for her to be your mate.”

“As Vazra’s daughter, she is so much more.”

“She’s not wolf, Ry.”

“I’m well aware.”

Ryan knew exactly what Josh was getting at. For Ryan to take her as his mate it would cause issues with the pack. As Alpha, he was supposed to mate with a wolf to keep the bloodlines pure. But, clearly, the fates had other ideas. There was no denying it. Cora was his mate.

“She touched the wolf, Josh.”

“What? You shifted in front of her?”

“We were attacked by Michael and his misguided followers. I wolfed out and she…liked it.”

Josh smiled. “Really?”

Ryan couldn’t help cracking a smile, too. “Yeah, she…stroked me.”

“And what did
you
do?”

Ryan looked away quickly as he murmured, “Nothing.”

“Come on. Don’t hold out on me.”

“I didn’t attack her.”

“I get that and that’s not even the most incredible part, is it? You purred at her, didn’t you?”

“Wolves don’t purr! We are not fucking cats. A slight resemblance to dogs, maybe. Slight.”

Josh laughed heartily. “Oh shit, Ry, you’re in trouble. This woman has affected the man
and
the wolf. Despite the weirdness of the situation, she’s clearly your mate. The pack
will
accept her once you explain things to them.”

“If I can get her back.”

“Where is she?”

“He has her. He’s keeping her at his mansion. He kicked me out.”

“Kicked
you
out? How?”

“With his father’s magic.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“What do you mean? What the hell can I do against that shit? It’s Dark Realm magic, Josh.”

“How about that witch that you fooled around with a couple of years back?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “I doubt that one of my exes will want to help me get my future wife back.”

Josh shook his head with disappointment. “Damn, this woman has really done a number on you. Where’s the Alpha that never takes no for an answer, who challenges anyone who disagrees with him, who never lets anyone stand in his way? We’ll
make
her help.”

Ryan took his words in. “He’ll try to bond with her, Josh. He can be very persuasive.”

“But she’s not
his
mate, Ry.”

“She’s betrothed to the guy.”

“A forced pairing. Between you and her it’s
instinctual.
And nothing can override that, not even his bloodsucker mind games. He might fuck her, but she still won’t be his.”

Ryan slammed his fist down on the countertop. “She’s a virgin!” he bellowed.

“Oh, wow,” Josh said, understanding Ryan’s reaction immediately. “I see.”

“Yeah,” Ryan said, scrubbing his hand over his face. He couldn’t bear the idea of someone else getting there first, not with his future wife.

“Okay, then,” Josh said. “Let’s mobilize the pack and track down that witch.”

Ryan shook his head with regret. “No. The full moon rises tomorrow night. It’s too dangerous for any of us to be around any supes right now. We must wait.” He chugged another glass full of whiskey and then told Josh in a commanding tone, “Tonight we head to the base. I’ve already incurred Luca’s wrath. We won’t be safe here at the bar. We must settle there tonight before the moon rises.”

Josh nodded. “As you wish.”