Vaewolf: Damn the Darkness: The Prophecy's Promise (Hearts of Darkness Book 3) (15 page)

Heat radiated through her, but an uncomfortable chill ran down her spine.

She began to tremble, then impulsively gripped the necklace for comfort. Something was about to happen. The sense of foreboding was clear—the anticipation both frightening and exciting. Touching it soothed her, but the power of the necklace increased her intuition, and what she sensed was trouble.

It’s just nerves. Shake it off and get on with this.

Chapter Nineteen

The Wolf

Jackson Xenos braked Dylan’s silver Lamborghini Murcielago behind a stretch limo inconveniently blocking the driveway. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he waited. The effect of the waning moon still called to him.

He’d made it through another full moon cycle, this time without allowing the wolf to break free—a first for him—and considering he hadn’t been laid in close to three months, a major accomplishment. Although abstinence tested his limits, and it was dangerous to let the wolf lie dormant for too long, Jackson wanted to determine how far the animal within him could be pushed before he lost all sense of himself to the beast. Being horny added another challenge to maintaining control, making it even more difficult for an inexperienced shifter.

The bright moon shined directly on him, and building irritation grew with the wait. His vision narrowed, turning blood red, darkening the surroundings for a split second. Finally Jackson blinked repeatedly and took several deep breaths until his vision and the lights returned to normal. Then he forced his fingers to relax the tight grip he had on the leather steering wheel before he did some permanent damage. He shook out his fingers, cracked his neck first one way then the other, and patiently waited his turn.

His skin still tingled with the after effects of the full moon. That had to be why his skin felt too tight. Determined to prove how far he’d come, how he’d managed to gather control over the Lycan aspect of his background, he exhaled slowly and practiced the breathing techniques Dylan taught him.

He shoved a strand of slightly damp hair, out of his face and sniffed the air inside the car. A heavy, sexual scent filled the air around him.
Hell, is that coming off me?
After running through swamps and woods all week, he’d scrubbed extra hard to remove the rank swamp smell and wild wolf from his body. This was different. Everyone within twenty feet of him would know he needed sex, and tonight wasn’t the time to be getting all horn-doggy with the females, not if he was going to make a good impression on Dylan’s life mate.

Unfortunately, no shower would take care of what Jackson needed, not unless it came with a female or two. Residual wolf,
eau de lupine
, insisted on breaking through his Dolce & Gabbana cologne. To his advantage, it attracted the ladies, but it also made alpha males more aggressive. After training for weeks on end, all work and no play had made Jackson hungry for a ripe female.

He’d tested himself enough recently, and what his control needed was a good long fuck. Later tonight, some sweet bitch would be getting a whole lotta hip action, but for now he needed to stoke down his desire a notch or two because in a few minutes he’d be facing the council for the first time since he’d completed training with the inter-pack wolves.

He opened the car door, unfolded himself, stood up straight, and stretched. Jackson combed his fingers through his hair, impatient to share his good news with Dylan. He’d be as relieved as Jackson was when Garr told him he was ready to lead the local pack. Jackson realized it would take more than managing control through a few full moon cycles to prove he was mastering control over the beast inside him. Even if the council wanted more proof, Dylan would see it for what it was, another step closer toward Jackson reaching his majority—and taking some of the pressure off.

The doors to the ballroom opened wide and the music carried outside, along with the laughter and chatter. The party was in full swing, crowded, noisy, and upbeat. Good. He was happy for his brother, happier still that everyone seemed to be accepting the whole situation with Dylan’s new mate.

“Jackson, toss the keys. I’ll park it for you.” The young wolf valet was the younger brother of one of his closest pack mates.

“Take care, real good care of it, Josh, or Dylan will have my hide.” Jackson couldn’t help smiling at the kid’s enthusiasm. He remembered when he’d been the one drooling over his brother’s cars—now he was driving them. He tossed the keys, pointed a finger at the kid, and said, “Keep it on the grounds, okay?”

“Don’t you worry. I’ll take real good care of this baby. I’ll park it far away from the rest.”

Jackson cocked his hand at the kid like a gun. “Not too far, understand.”

“Sure. Got it.” Josh sniffed, gave Jackson the once over, and with a nod, grinned. “The ladies are going to be all over you tonight, dude. Guaranteed. You’ll be getting lucky before the first toast.” The kid winked. “From the scent in the air? More than once.”

Josh ran around the car, jumped in, and gunned it, leaving Jackson wondering about the scent. It had his inner wolf stirring.

The ride out to the estate may have put a few creases in Jackson’s pants, but they evened out quickly when his cock swelled behind his zipper. He chuckled and adjusted himself. The kid better be right. He ran his hand over his shirt to smooth out the wrinkles in his black silk shirt, brushed off his tux, and buttoned his jacket as he approached the open double doors.

A foreign scent in the air hit Jackson’s senses like a sledgehammer. Every muscle in his body hardened. As if he needed any more stimulus.

What the hell?

The scent...enthralled his mind. Amazingly sensual. Totally intoxicating.

Then he saw her. Stunning. Heart stopping. Radiant. A kaleidoscope of color. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Classy.

One sexy loose curl fell at the base and seemed to tease him.

Sexy as hell. All that class and one wild curl.

His reaction grew stronger as the woman came toward him. The smile on her pale pink lips was for him. Then she licked those lush, pillowed lips, and pressure built in his groin.

He stopped breathing to focus, allowing his gaze to travel lower, wandering over her cleavage—a stone stopped him for a split second—then he resumed the tour, down her flat stomach to her hips, and then back up. Slowly, until their eyes met.

Hell, she was lush all over.

Perfect.

He sniffed and staggered back. Who the hell was this
belle tenatrice
? She definitely was setting off the bonding scent in him. Though he didn’t think she was Lycan, her teeth showed a little fang pressing into her plump, lower lip. Definitely vampire. Yet so very different—some delicious, exotic concoction. But what? Who?

What? How about the sexiest woman he’d ever seen—the first his wolf responded to with the bonding scent, and damn, he was in trouble if she wasn’t of the blood. Because the impact she had on every one of his senses, every nerve in his body, was like ice water sizzling on a hot skillet. She couldn’t be from the area. He would have remembered this one.

Jackson’s focus narrowed as she approached. Her own scent floating in the air, intensified and surrounded him like an aphrodisiac. All he could see was her. All he could smell was her appealing scent. All he could think about was
claiming
her.

Hot. Wild. Sex.

The wolf within him began clawing his way to the surface, while Jackson did his best to fight him off. A
claiming
would ruin the party.

The control he’d been so proud of minutes before, eluded him. He was losing the battle with the wolf over this woman. The attraction, almost impossible to resist, made him wild.

Hell, no! Not now.

He couldn’t take his eyes from hers, or shake the strange feeling of dread he felt deep in his bones. The stone she wore reflected the moonlight and called to him—mesmerizing him. What the hell was it?

The low seductive rumble began in his chest. What was happening?

The woman paused mid-step, for a moment waiting. Did she want him to take the last step, the step that would bring them together?

Her eyes glazed over and evaluated him with a knowing sexual appraisal. Her lashes lowered, the effect a contrast, both shy and seductive. And then the air filled with another unfamiliar scent. A unique mixture.

Jackson sniffed and recognized the mate
bonding
scent. Theirs. Her essence and his. Strange erotic, yet irresistible. Unable to hold back, he inhaled deeply. His chest expanded, taking it all in. His blood flow increased, readying him for the shift, and every muscle tensed. His cock hardened—painfully ready to take this woman and stake his claim. And with a puzzled expression on her face, she held out her hand, as if silently asking him to take the final step. He’d be able to touch her, then. But, did he dare?

His arms weighed a ton as he held himself in check. It took every ounce of control he had to keep from grabbing her. How could he resist?

Eventually his feet moved forward, and his hand lifted of its own accord, slowly reaching out to her. And she took it. Their fingers linked, and the blaze of heat whipped through him on contact. He couldn’t have released her if he’d wanted, and although the contact felt as if he’d been branded, he didn’t let her go.

Psychic.
The knowledge of what she was whispered through his mind, and then a frown suddenly replaced her smile. Thoughts like confetti swirled in his head.

Desire and confusion. Questions and concern. Hers. His. Dylan’s—

Dylan’s thoughts whipped through his mind, and he suddenly murmured aloud, “Caitlin, lass...?”

His brother’s deep, familiar voice almost didn’t register with Jackson through the miasma of lust. But eventually the woman’s name reverberated in his mind, and the greatest pang of regret imaginable pierced his soul.

Oh no, not Caitlin!

Chapter Twenty

Wolf’s Mate

The one thing Caitlin recalled vividly about the
event
was how she’d turned toward the door and stepped into the hall entryway, drawn by an unfamiliar, irresistible scent. Eye contact with the huge alpha male standing outside, made everything around her fade to nothing. Intoxicating her like the champagne hadn’t, his scent drew her to him. One look from him turned her insides into hot smoldering flames.

For a second, she’d experienced
déjà vu
. This wasn’t the first time she’d encountered this kind of attraction, but for some reason she couldn’t sort through her memories. Mesmerized by her connection to the man, especially when she heard him begin chanting, she tested their mind connection and opened to him.

As his stare drilled into hers, she heard every word in her head. Their thoughts merged, and emotions heightened between them when the man spoke his vow. In an ancient tongue she couldn’t decipher, she sensed the meaning through their mental connection long before she recognized the one French statement mixed in with all the foreign sounding words, “
Vouse ėtes...
mine.”

As the singular word, left his lips, his essence reached inside her, weaving threads of desire through her and linking her heart to his. He’d claimed her. Immediately, a part of his soul merged with hers, and the man’s eyes sparkled. As her emotions responded to his, she felt his sense of joy deep within her...at least until another presence, familiar and loving, touched her heart.

“Dylan?”

Her mind reached out to his, seeking an explanation. And when he approached her, even though he’d closed off his mind to hers, there was no mistaking the anger and disappointment rolling-off him. Actually, off both men.

Suddenly they exuded all sorts of violent emotions.

The former pleased look on the unidentified male’s face faded slowly and turned into one of surprise, then aggression. His thoughts called out to her, demanding she join him. Part of her heart ached for him, and she didn’t know why. But she needed...something more.

Dylan stood melded against her back, with his hands wrapped possessively around her arms while the other man’s eyes shifted from hers to where Dylan’s hands touched her. The stark white fangs extended well beyond the stranger’s full, wide lips, and his stark dark eyes glowed like liquid silver, the same way the bayou wolves’ eyes did before they changed.

Caitlin attempted to take a step forward, but behind her, Dylan sniffed the air and snarled as she tugged to pull free. The other man released the bonding scent, and Dylan unleashed a long, low hiss. Gripping her arms tighter, he held her back. She’d whimpered and tugged, before Dylan wrenched her against his chest.

Then with a voice born in hell, he roared, “Nooo!”

The pain in the one word defined the serious nature of the situation. Anyone around could hear the hopeless agony in Dylan’s voice. The sound, a soulful, pained cry tore at her heart but didn’t shatter her resolve. She tugged again and again, unable to prevent herself from being drawn toward the scent.