QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD: Earthbound series Lucien and Scarlett (Book 2)
QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD: Chapter 12

You could have heard a pin drop as we stood there. Eyes watched and waited for our reaction.

I felt Lucien’s eyes burning into me. His black-eyed gaze burned my flesh, and it shattered the hard shell I had built up so carefully. I tried to hide my inner misery from his probing stare. I straightened my shoulders, raising my chin as I did so, and silently dared him to say something.

His face contorted with rage, a muscle flickered angrily in his jaw. Whatever I had just seen in his eyes vanished as if it had never been there. Instead, in its place was an anger that was unfamiliar to me. His eyes became darker as they burned with fury as he stood, his anger an eye-opening experience.

I drew in a shaky breath; he had no right. I wasn’t the one who had lied and cheated the entire time; we had been together. I watched with bated breath as his eyes narrowed and his back became ramrod straight.

The voice inside my head told me to listen to my gut, that he knew about our child, and he would do everything in his power to make sure that his son would be here by nightfall. I would do everything in my power to stop that from happening. Lucien wouldn’t hurt our son, but I didn’t trust the woman sitting beside him. The minute she found out, she would do everything in her power to hurt my son as well as myself, and though I couldn’t see Lucien letting anyone harm our child, I wasn’t willing to see if my gut feeling was correct or not. I would kill them first.

Hearing Lucien’s voice dragged me from my thoughts.

“Ladies, it seems you’re late for the meeting,” Lucien said as he took in our appearances. Pointing at the empty seats, “Please sit down at the table so we can get on.”

His statement left me dumbfounded. We hadn’t been expecting this kind of welcome. We strolled to the table, trying to look as if we had just arrived late as he had hinted at. As we all pulled out a chair each, Malcolm’s voice stopped us.

“Are you really going to try to convince us, Lucien, that they are only late?” Malcolm retorted with bitter sarcasm; his eyebrows slanted into a frown, his voice held a challenge. Hatred blazed in his eyes as he looked over at my family and me.

Boiling with untold fury, Lucien ground his teeth, his hands tightened into fists. “If you can prove differently, then please do so, but don’t waste mine or anyone else’s time. Ladies, please sit.”

As if they had never spoken, Pamela plated herself into the chair. We followed suit, “Sorry for the tardiness, but we ran into an old friend of yours, Lucien, on the way here.”

“Friend?”

“He told us to make sure that we mention him to you. That it was important.”

“What was his name?”

“Callum.”

Their shock silenced them. Catching us off guard. What the hell’s wrong?

One heavy brow rode up onto his forehead. “Are you certain that was the name he gave you?” boomed Reid.

Jerking her head around to stare at him. “Of course,” Pamela replied.

I looked around at the astonishment on their faces before I turned my gaze towards Lucien. “Lucien, who is he?” I asked. I couldn’t stop myself; I had to know who this man was

Coal-black eyes shifted toward me. “Can you give a description of this person you spoke to?”

With one slow nod I replied. “Dark hair, tanned skin, big built, and he had a Scottish accent.”

Intense astonishment crossed their faces. Who was this man we had spoken to? Who was he to these men sitting around this table?

“Well, who is he?” I demanded.

“Callum was the Code name for Ezra,” Lucien told us.

Laying her hand on Lucien’s arm. “Lucien, I don’t think you should tell them anything.” Aria protested.

Ignoring her remark, I asked. “Wasn’t he the wizard who destroyed your old enemy, Enzo?”

“Yes,” Lucien replied completely ignoring Aria’s protest as he removed her hand from his arm. If I hadn’t been paying close attention, I would have missed the scolding look she gave Lucien, as her cheeks heated in embarrassment and turned a crimson red. A lethal calmness came into her eyes. “Did he say anything else?”

“No, he just scared us. We couldn’t get away from him fast enough,” I admitted, “He appeared out of nowhere. Oh, he said he was a co-owner,” Lucien grunted in reply, as if it was water off a duck’s back.

As he looked accusingly at everyone in the room. “Where the fuck has he been?” Gil-Galad said. The question was, had any of the others known where he had been hiding out?

As he met Gil-Galad’s gaze. “That’s a question we all want to know,” Lucien replied.

“He told us to call him if we needed him,” Mia stated out of the blue. Oh hell, why did she have to tell them that? Now everyone would think we were hiding something.

As he turned his head to look at me. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell us this in the first place?” Lucien demanded.

My stomach knotted. I couldn’t help stiffening under Lucien’s withering glare. The effect on me shattered my soul. “We didn’t intentionally keep it from you, and anyway, you know now,” I replied.

Cold eyes sniped at her, his voice cold and lashing, “Call him,” Lucien ordered.

Voice taut with anger, “Lucien, I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Aria protested, “It might not even be him. Why hasn’t he just appeared? Why is he acting all mysterious? It just doesn’t add up. How do we even know that what they are telling us is true?”

Nodding his head like one of those old nodding dogs. It was like he was begging for her approval. “I agree with Aria. There isn’t any proof; how do we know this person is Ezra if he even exists? We only have their word,” Malcolm said. Aadya turned her head and whispered something into his ear. Whatever she had said to him had him violently shaking his head in disapproval. His face screwed up in anger. I could see his mouth move, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying to each other. Aadya’s expression showed her contempt for the man sitting next to her, whatever his reply had been.

Is he for real? What a complete and utter idiot. I have had enough of him and the disgusting looks he sent our way since we walked through the doors. Before Lucien could even get a word out, I turned my attention to Malcolm.

Anger and alarm rippled along my spine. “Are you for real? How on Earth would we know that the wizard Erza used Callum as a code word? Are you foolish?” I raged at him.

His angry gaze swung over to her. “Who the hell do you think you’re speaking to, you dirty witch?” he replied, shrugging the hand Aadya had placed on his arm. He ignored her as she ordered him to shut up. Spit came flying out of his mouth as he raged back at me. Swinging his head towards Lucien, “Lucien, rein these witches in; otherwise, I will take control of them.”

My breath came raggedly in impotent anger; I leaned forward with a curled lip. “It’s never going to happen. That I can assure you of.”

As he leered across from me. “How do you intend to stop me from taking you? Lucien can’t protect you forever!” he taunted back.

What an imbecile! I couldn’t reveal the truth and announce that we had already left and returned of our own accord. “You’re a complete idiot,” I sneered back. “We stay on our own accord, and if we left, there wouldn’t be anything anyone could do.”

“ENOUGH!” Lucien roared, his fist hitting hard down onto the table, causing the glasses to move as his eyes flashed red; turning his head, he met Aadya’s gaze. “Aadya, get him under control before I do something I won’t regret.” He swung his head towards me; black eyes blazed as they met mine. “Scarlett shut the hell up.”

Who the fuck does he think he’s talking to? He has no right to tell me what to say. ‘Scarlett, I hate to agree with him. He’s right. Just rein it in, for heaven’s sake,’ Melissa said. I longed to reply. Instead, I gritted my teeth and sat there as I tried to get my raging temper under control.

Aadya gave a slight nod before she turned her attention to Malcolm. Whatever she said to him, he didn’t take it well. His face grew hot with humiliation, his eyes glittered with repudiation.

With a raised eyebrow and a look of boredom on his face, Gil-Galad said with quiet emphasis as his voice carried a unique force, “If this man they spoke to was Erza, then we need him here now and replace out why he has approached none of us directly. We can question him about that when he is standing in front of us. There are a lot of questions we all want answering. He was the only one who defeated Enzo, and with everything that is happening, it looks like we are going to need his help again.”

Running his hand through his light brown hair and sinking back in the chair. “Gil-Galad’s right. This bickering isn’t getting any of us anywhere. It needs to stop; otherwise, we are going to be fucked,” Jacob agreed; a muttering of agreement went around the room. Everybody settles into an uneasy understanding.

As I looked around the room I said, “If he isn’t Ezra, it could be a bad outcome for us all,” I just hoped they understood this could go wrong.

Lucien turned his head with an arched eyebrow. “Mia and Abigail, is it possible that you could put a shield around him the minute he appears in this room?” It’s not a complete shock that he’s asking them to do this; we knew what they are capable of doing.

The two turned, looked at each other, then turned back to Lucien nodding her head Mia said, “It’s risky, but not impossible.”

“I’m all for a shield.” Gil-Galad said, as he nodded towards Mia and Abigail. “But are these two slips of a girl strong enough to keep Ezra entrapped? He was the most powerful wizard to walk this Earth,” Gil-Galad asked with a raised eyebrow. It didn’t go unnoticed that his gaze lingered on Mia a little too long.

Gil-Galad hadn’t witnessed the power they held in their hands. He and the others around the table would one day know just how powerful they both were going to be.

“They are more than capable of putting up a shield and holding Ezra captive until we know he isn’t a risk,” Lucien told Gil-Galad, “And he is who he is claiming to be.”

“I trust your judgment,” Gil-Galad said, before he turned his head, and stared at the twins, “for now.”

MIA

How he had connected to me, I did not know. I had kept the secret to myself, not revealing that the king of the elves had somehow been talking to me through a mind link. It had become sexual between us quickly and was messing with my mind. I had repeatedly tried to break our tie. It hadn’t worked. Scarlett and I were in the same position. I felt those mesmerizing eyes skim over my body as if daring me to say something. I couldn’t resist that challenge, and I boldly met the gaze that revealed his desire. How dare he look at me like that when his women were standing behind him, shooting daggers my way. Fate had been correct.

I would never accept sharing him with other women, no matter how my body burned for him. No matter what he told me. His people would never accept me. They would want an elf, not a witch, standing by his side. It would not matter that I was part omega. I would never be good enough. I turned my head away. I couldn’t meet his gaze anymore; it was tearing me apart. No matter how much it hurt, I had to distance myself from him and my feelings. I would never change who I was. He would have to accept me for who I am. The main thing is that I had somehow kept this from Abigail, and being my twin means that it isn’t usually something I would be able to do.

Scarlett’s “Are we going to do this now?” dragged me out of my thoughts.

“Lucien, I don’t think this is a good idea,” once again Aria protested, “we cannot put our trust and lives in these witch’s hands.” It was getting tiresome the way she kept saying the same thing repeatedly.

In a harsh, raw voice, “I’d rather my life be in their hands than yours,” Damien told her as he turned his head to face her. His face was a marble effigy of contentment.

At the sound of his voice, she swung her head violently towards him, “How dare you,” Aria raged as she met his gaze, “you seem to forget who you are talking to.”

Voice hardened. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I haven’t forgotten,” Damien replied, lip curled up, “but you seem to have forgotten who you are talking to.”

She took a quick sharp breath as a look of fear swept across Aria’s face. It isn’t something I have ever seen before. Who the hell was Damien that she would be that scared of him? Could it be possible he was just as powerful as Lucien?

Fucking hell, this is all I fucking need. Giving her a layered black look, Lucien said sharply, “Aria, none of us in this room have the capability of keeping this person who is claiming to be Ezra under control. The only ones in this room who might be able to do so are Mia and Abigail, and as long as no one has any objections, we will go ahead with this plan.”

The silence said it all.

“Call him,” Lucien ordered.

“Get the shield ready,” Scarlett told us. Small balls of bright white light appeared in our hands. We continued chanting.

“CALLUM, CALLUM.”

The vibration started below our feet and graduated up into our bodies. A sharp, high-pitched sound is so deafening it’s like a shrill that pierce’s our eardrums. The odor of pine and damp Earth hit our nostrils as the ground rumbled beneath our feet. A cloud of darkness swooped down and whirled around like a hurricane. It felt as if they had a tug of war with the fierce wind and their clothing. A blast of cold air whipped around them.

He appeared like a whirling carousel. Larger than life and twice as big.

Lucien’s stoic expression gave me no hint of what he was thinking. The other leader’s stony expressions revealed nothing of their thoughts.

The man they believed was the wizard Ezra stood there, staring at the humans and naturals surrounding him.

Was this the man the one they had called a friend? Is he the one who destroyed their old enemy?

THREE NIGHTS LATER.

SCARLETT

Long before his hands even touched the door handle, I felt him approaching. I hated how my body responded to his; my heart jolted as my pulse picked up a beat. I could feel the sexual magnetism that made him so self-confident. Every time our gazes met, my heart turned over in response. Every time I saw him, the pull towards him regained strength. I hated how he could still make me feel. I suspected why he had demanded to meet me. It would be about our child. How had he found out? The only people who knew about him were my family and me.

I heard the door open. Lucien stood there. To say he was larger than life was an understatement. I watched with bated breath as he stepped into the room. The door shut with an almighty bang; the sound was so unexpected it caused me to jump. Anger burned in his eyes, mouth tight.

I stood and lifted my chin and met his icy gaze straight on.

“Well? Have you nothing to say?” he ripped out the words impatiently.

I bit hard on my lower lip; what could I say? Play stupid and hope for the best or tell him the truth. I decided to play stupid and wait to see what else he had to say.

“I don’t know what you mean.” I met his accusing eyes without flinching.

A shadow of annoyance crossed his face, his mouth clenched tighter. “Don’t take me for a fool,” he warned, walking toward me like a predator who had seen their first meal for weeks.

I stood my ground as he came closer. “If I knew what you were talking about, that would help.” I would not show any weakness. That would be my undoing. I raised my head in defiance; it was about time he found out I wasn’t afraid of him. He could promise me the moon, and I wouldn’t believe it.

“You know what I’m fucking talking about,” he yelled; his black eyes seemed to darken as he held my gaze; our faces were now close enough that if I leaned forward, our noses would have touched. “Don’t take me for a fool. My demon had no trouble in telling me about your secret. Now I wanna hear it from your own mouth. WHERE.IS.MY.CHILD?”

I would not deny it. What is the point? I took a step back.

The tension between us increased with frightening intensity. My stomach clenched tight as my heart jumped in my chest. “Your child?” I spat out. “Don’t you mean mine?”

“NO. It is my child, just as it is yours! Where is it?”

“It’s not it. And he is being looked after by somebody I trust,” I replied. To get some distance between us, I walked over to the enormous stone fireplace. My chest felt like it would burst open and leave my heart bare for him to see. It’s like he has some sort of control over me. I had been hoping that how I felt about him had faded. I was wrong. I turned to face him again.

“How can I call my child anything else when you don’t have the decency to tell me you were even pregnant? You just left.” His distrust chilled his eyes with reserve, his expression darkened with an unreadable emotion. “Were you ever going to tell me I have a son?”

Fucking hell, since I have let the cat out of the bag, there is no going back. He won’t stop until I tell him the truth. “I would have told you at some point.”

Watching me out of those coal-black eyes. “I want to see the boy; bring him here.”

If he thinks I’m going to obey his every whim, he has another thing coming. He will not step foot in this building until Aria is as dead as a dodo. “There is no way he is coming here while that bitch is alive.”

His expression clouded in anger as curses fell from his mouth. “He will be safer here.”

I took a deep breath and tried my hardest to relax. “How can you tell me that? You know, once she replaces out, his life will be in danger, and she will do everything in her power to get to him. And I will not take that chance.”

“You will not deny me, my child.!” His accusing voice stabbed in the air.

“I’m not denying you your child,” I screamed, as my breath came raggedly in impotent anger, “you know as well as I do that if she replaces out, she will do everything in her power to harm him. Once Aria is out of the picture, you will see our son. Until then, I will not take that chance.”

Shoulders hunched forward, he sighed heavily, his voice filled with some sort of emotion I couldn’t name. “At least tell me where he is.” He pleaded.

This wasn’t the man everyone else saw; no, this was a father hurting. I felt instant guilt and selfishness. The effect on me was shattering. I knew I was hurting him, but I had no choice but to protect our child. I cannot put Astrid in danger. When he found out Astrid was looking after our child, I was unsure how he’d react. He had a profound dislike of witches, and Astrid was nearly a full-blood. She would protect our child with her life. I knew that if she felt her witch was becoming a problem, she would inform Melissa or me, and if that happened, I would have no choice but to bring him into the pits of hell. I would fight Aria to the death to protect my child. If he could guarantee his safety, I would not have a problem with him being here. I am not a heartless person. A father and son should know each other. I can tell from his expression how much it is hurting him; he can’t see or hold his own son. I had to make a choice, one I hope I didn’t regret.

“Can you guarantee you can protect him? Because unless you can give me that guarantee, there is no way I will let him come here.”

“I can promise you I will do everything in my power to keep him safe,” he said with staid calmness.

That wasn’t a guarantee that our child wouldn’t be hurt. I would not take the chance, no matter what he said. “I have no doubt that you would do your utmost to protect our son. Until you can guarantee that he will not be hurt, he will not step a foot inside this building.”

His voice carried a unique force, “So you are prepared to leave our child in the hands of somebody else. Somebody that I don’t know. Tell me who this person is!”

“I am not telling you who she is. He is safe.” I knew it bugged Lucien that I didn’t believe he would be capable of protecting our son just as much as I wouldn’t reveal who Astrid was just because he demanded it. How could I make him understand Joshua was safer where he was? No matter what I told him, he wouldn’t believe me. We were in a status quo. It didn’t look like there would be a compromise between us. “How many times do I have to repeat myself? I will bring our child here when Aria is no longer a threat. Until that happens, he is safer where he is.”

Surely, he understood where I was coming from. He knew how dangerous Aria was and should see my point of view. How could I convince him that Josuha was safer with Astrid than here with us? I realized Lucien was talking to me.

“… I dislike the fact that you’re keeping my child from me, but I can also see your point of view. I will temporarily let this woman look after him,” Lucien replied, “but Scarlett, I will not always be so patient.”

I heard the warning in his voice.

Fucking hell.

I knew it was only a matter of time until he would demand that our child be brought here. I could be just as stubborn as him. There was only one way I would give in to his demands.

Aria had to die.

LUCIEN

Our heated conversation showed that Scarlett didn’t believe I could protect our son. I hated to admit it even to myself that it fucking hurt; how dare she keep my child from me? As my anger grew, I felt a burning inside of me. I will replace out who this woman is. It would be only a matter of time before my men came to tell me everything they knew about her and where my son was. For now, I will let her think she has won.

My demon raged inside of me; he thought of our child as his own and would do everything in his power to protect him. Did she think she could really keep me from my son? Who the hell did she think she was? Yes, she might be the mother of my child, but he was my son, and I wanted him here. I understood why she felt Aria was going to be a problem. I was more than capable of stopping Aria from ever harming a hair on his head.

Then there was Malcolm, the fucking bastard; who is he to question me? A nobody. He was like an irritating bug. If he didn’t watch himself, he would be at the bottom of an endless pit. He had gained some courage since Aria had supported him. Did he think she would save him? She wouldn’t think twice about throwing him off the nearest cliff.

The sound of Damien’s voice drew my attention away from my thoughts. “Have you found anything?”

“No,” I replied, leaning back into the leather chair. It squeaked as I leaned back with a groan. “The men I put on her have had nothing to report back. If she’s planned to kill me, I don’t have a clue how she’s going to do it.”

“Killing you would be hard,” Damien remarked with a raised eyebrow, “You’re one of the most powerful demons alive, so how does she even think it will work?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, I’m all out of guesses. My men hadn’t found or seen her acting out of character. It was baffling. I hated feeling so restless. It drove me crazy, not knowing what she was planning or how she planned to kill me. The only thing I was sure about was that she wouldn’t just harm me; she would have to kill me. If she didn’t, there would be no stopping me from retaliating and killing her.

I stood and walked over to the table; I pulled one glass and decanter towards me and turned my head silently towards Damien. He shook his head. I poured myself a considerable amount of whiskey. I raised the glass up to my nose and took a deep breath in; the notes of a rich smokey, malty whiskey hit my nose. ‘Mmmm’. One of my favorites. I raised the glass to my mouth.

Before I could even take a sip, it was smacked clean out of my hand, falling onto the floor with a clang, the liquid spilling everywhere. What the fuck?

Damien was on his feet in mere seconds; hearing the voice, I swiftly turned on the balls of my feet to face whoever had just knocked the glass from my hand. Standing before me, in all his glory, is Chamuel.

“What the fuck are you doing, you idiot? That’s one of my best whiskeys,” I yelled, “and where the hell have you been?”

“I would highly suggest you drink nothing out of that decanter. It’s been poisoned!” Chamuel replied before turning his attention briefly to Damien before turning back and meeting my gaze.

I don’t question him. If he’s telling me it’s been poisoned, then it has been. I need to replace out how she managed to get it in there.

****

It’s killing me inside. I couldn’t resist her any longer. My body calls to hers. I should stay away, but she’s a temptation I couldn’t deny myself. I know I should be angrier with her; she brought me to my knees and disappeared. She took my unborn child, but I’m not. My demon was doing his best to keep my emotions at bay. This isn’t me. I’m not the type of person to forgive or forget. I have killed for much less. My demon has been restless, harder to control. He needs her as much as I do.

How I ended up outside her door, I don’t know. I stood there like a lovesick fool staring at the door. I can’t wait any longer.

SCARLETT

The rapid tap, tap, tap drew my attention.

What the hell? Who is knocking at this time of night? For heaven’s sake.

“Who is it?” with a raised voice, “Hello?”

“Scarlett, open the door.” I knew that velvet-edged voice. Lucien. Oh, heaven help me, I know what he wants. I’m not opening that door. He can stay on the other side for all I care.

“I know you’re in there. Open the door, Scarlett. We must talk.”

Shit, I had thought whatever he had to say to me was over and done with. I had said my peace, and while Aria was still walking around without a care, I would not take any sort of chance on bringing our child here.

Laying my forehead on the wooden door. “What do you want, Lucien?”

“You know damn well what I want, and I will not discuss our business where anyone could hear. So, open the damn door before I kick the fucking thing down!”

Damn, he’s right. Anyone could overhear our conversation. “Fine, I’ll let you in; just wait a few minutes.” Frantically, I looked around for something to cover myself up; a heavy cotton flannel dressing-gown is lying across the chair. It won’t give me complete protection over my naked body, but it is thicker than silk and satin. I quickly grabbed it, pulled it on, and tied the belt around my waist before rushing back to the door. There was no doubt in my mind that he would do what he had threatened.

Grabbing the door handle, I turned and pulled it open. Standing before me was a very agitated man. What on Earth did I do to deserve this?

“I suppose you had better come in.” I drew in a shaky breath as I stepped to one side and held open the door.

He stood to the right of me when he walked over the threshold. I turned, so I was facing him. As I kept a wary eye on him, I pushed the door behind me, listening as it closed with a click.

Unable to hold my nervousness back, I lashed out at him. “What do you want?”

I could tell my angry barb was like a slap against his cheek. “What do you think I want, Scarlett?”

I could see the hurt on his face. It left me speechless. This wasn’t the cold, hard-hearted man I knew before me. It was as if he was a completely different person.

“Your son.” His black coal eyes shimmered in the light above our heads. I can’t miss the flash of red. His demon is close to the surface. We had already gone through this, and I couldn’t see the point of doing it all again. No matter what he said, he couldn’t promise that the cunt wouldn’t be able to get her dirty hands on our child.

His voice deepened, became sensual; it sent a ripple of awareness through her. “I do not deny I want my son. But there is something I want just as much,” he replied with a gleam in his eyes. No, that will not happen. It can’t. I blatantly ignored the look that I read in his eyes. I can’t let him know how he affected me.

“Are you honestly trying to tell me he would be 100 percent safe here? Because I know the minute she replaces out, she will do everything in her power to harm him, and that isn’t something I will allow to happen,” I replied over a frantically beating heart.

With a calm, steady voice, “I won’t tell you I wasn’t angry that you had kept my son from me, and some part of me is still burning with that anger, but I understand why you did it. I would have done the same,” he admitted as his eyes burned into mine.

Am I imagining things? Had my ears deceived me?

I’m sure I looked like a fish out of the water as my mouth opened and shut. Did I hear right? The great badass Lucien Sinclair just admitted I’m right. What was he playing at? Should I trust him? Could I trust him?

“I’m glad you now realize I did it for a good reason.”

“I do.” He stepped closer, “Scarlett, I want us to start again.” He said the words with the certainty of a man who could never be satisfied with only a dream.

I stood there, surprised and more uncertain than ever. Is this real, or is he playing me again? How can he expect us to be together when Aria is still on the scene? I want to believe him, but that trust went out of the window long ago.

Eyebrows rose in amazement. “How can you say that? You’re mated; you have the mark for all to see.”

“It’s there because I and my demon allow it to be there. Aria isn’t my true mate. The woman standing in front of me is.”

I don’t know what to say. Is this one of my crazy dreams? I resist the urge to hit myself.

“That woman has been appearing to me in my sleep for months. Her face is hidden, there is a mark on her middle thigh. Scarlett, you have that mark, and I know it’s you.” He took a step towards her. Lifting his arm, he cupped her face and held it in the palm of his large hand. Her eyes flew up to meet his own, her lips parted in surprise. The tenderness in his expression amazed her.

Should I confess my own dreams? That they come true, whether it’s days, months, or even years from now. Telling him would reveal more than I have already done, and the mark he’s referring to? It’s on my inner thigh. I stopped myself from looking down. It’s hard to see unless you’re intimate with someone or you’re on your back with your legs wide apart.

“What does this mean for us?”

“You’re mine, Scarlett, and once we’re fully mated, it will be for the rest of our lives. These hands will never touch another. Our souls will cry out to be with each other. Even my demon thinks you belong to him.”

My heart hammered foolishly; his closeness was so male, so bracing it sent shivers of delight through me, my blood coursed through my veins like an awakened river. The brush of another person’s mind was what I felt, and I knew it was him. I must take that giant step and trust him, not only for me but also for our son. Some might call me stupid, and if I was in their shoes, I’d be saying the same, but this is about my son and me. He reached for my hand. It felt small in his. He wrapped his hand around my own as I sucked in a small breath. I felt a shiver travel down my spine as my heart beat a little faster. I sneaked a peek at his face. He sent a quiver through me as he ran his hands over my skin. Why do I still think that he’s hiding something from me? For us to be together, he has to be truthful.

“You’re saying all the right words, but how can I trust you? You say we are meant to be together and that you will never touch another. I want to believe you, but I have so many questions…”

“Then ask them, and I will answer all with as much honesty as I’m able.”

They say your eyes are the window to your soul, and I wanted to see every single hidden emotion in his.

I start with the simplest one.

LUCIEN

Scarlett had tried to ignore the burning heat that continued to grow between us. There was only one way that Scarlett would let me back into her life and our child’s life, and that was getting rid of the woman before me. That’s why after much thought, I decided our child should stay in the care of the other woman.

The bitch sat there as if nothing was wrong. Obviously, she didn’t realize I knew about her plan of getting rid of me. She would soon learn differently. If Chamuel hadn’t arrived when he had, then I knew I wouldn’t have been sitting here. He still hadn’t told me where the hell he had been. Now wasn’t the time. How he had known that she had been about to kill me was less confusing, being who Chamuel was. I wanted to know how she had found the rare plant.

I will give her two options: one to leave winningly, never setting foot on any of my regions again, including the one I let her rule over. The second one is death. I had allowed her to make a fool of me for far too long. That was about to stop. Did she think I was foolish? I haven’t gotten this far by being frightened by the likes of her. As always, she had forgotten who and what I was. It seemed she needed to be reminded.

“Lucien,” Aria purred, her gaze burned as it ran over my face and chest, “is something wrong?”

“Wrong? The only thing that is wrong is that I haven’t held you in my arms for so long.” I stood up from my chair and pushed it back. I heard it slide across the floor behind me. I walked to where Aria sat and pulled her up from the chair. My touch was gentle as I ran my knuckles over the skin of her throat.

I grabbed her by her throat; her feet dragged on the ground as I pulled her roughly, almost violently, toward me. She struggled to try her hardest to get out of my grasp; I locked my hand around her throat, head tilted to one side, watching as if I was a falcon getting ready to pluck her eyes out as Aria twisted one way, then the other.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t replace out?” I whispered through gritted teeth, “That I wouldn’t be told what you have planned. Let me assure you nothing gets by me. You should know that by now!”

My demon was close to the surface. I could set him free and tear Aria limb from limb, but that would be too easy. She needed to be punished, and I knew of the way to do that.

“Lucien, what are you talking about?” she asked, panic in her eyes as tears welled up in her eyes. Her fake tears didn’t fool me or touch my icy heart.

I heard the squeak come from her mouth; her eyes flashed in defiance. I tightened my hand; further, my thumb dug into her throat as I slowly squeezed off the supply of air. If she wasn’t scared, she would soon be. As if her body weighed nothing, her feet left the ground as I raised her above my head. Her body swung in midair. I shook her like a rag doll, her shoes dropped off her feet to land together on the ground below her.

“You tried to poison me.”

“No, you’re wrong,” she cried out, gripping my wrist in her hands as she tried to pull my hand away. Her face turned red as my fingers tightened.

“Do not take me for a fool; did you think I wouldn’t replace out?” I leave out the bit about Scarlett sending me a warning. I have someone else who will scare the shit out of her.

“Whoever told you is lying!” she choked.

I laughed a crazy sound that echoed around the room, “So, Chamuel is lying. Shall I call him, and you can accuse him of telling me lies?”

Her eyes widened as her face paled; panic lit up her eyes. “Chamuel? He’s back?” she croaked.

His mouth pulled into an unpleasant twist. “Yes. I’m sure he would love to see you.”

Hastily shaking her head, “No, that’s fine,” she croaked out.

“I thought not!” Chucking her away from me in disgust, I watched as she seemed to fly through the air before falling onto the ground beneath her. “You have two choices. Leave or death. Which are you going to take?”

Hatred briefly flared in her eyes, “Leave.”

I walked over to where she was sprawled on the floor. I looked down at her. “I should kill you.”

Snot dripping down from her nostrils, “Lucien, please forgive me,” she sobbed, “I love you. I did it for your own good.”

What the fuck. Who was she trying to kid? “Aria, you love only yourself. You always have. Get up. You have till the end of today to get out of my region and the region you run for me.”

I watched as she hastily pushed herself up. Steadied herself as she got to her feet. She stood there brushing herself down as she raised her head proudly, an expression of hatred on her face. “I hate you.”

One minute she declares she loves me, the next hate. “The feeling is mutual.”

“You’re going to her, aren’t you?” she spat out.

I ignored her question. Whether I was going to Scarlett had nothing to do with her. I have had enough of her antics. “I won’t tell you again. Leave before I change my mind.” I turned my back and walked until I’m stood behind my desk facing her once again.

“She will never be as good as me,” she baited me, “and you seem to have forgotten one thing. Our mating marks.” She yanked her sleeve backward, revealing the markings. Hers had joined.

“You seem to forget one thing. To be truly mated, both have to be joined. Mine hasn’t.” I pulled my shirt sleeve back. I turned my arm over and held it up.

Chest heaving as her eyes burned with anger. “What did you do, you bastard?” she yelled.

“Do? I did nothing. How can we be mated when you have never been my mate or I yours? I won’t tell you again. Leave before I change my mind.”

She rushed from the room, the door slamming with an almighty bang behind her.

“That was stupid,” said the voice behind me. “You should have killed her.”

“Maybe,” I agreed, turned my head, meeting the gaze of the man standing just behind me, “But I will be prepared if she ever goes after me or any of the people I care about or love.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game.”

I acknowledged his remark with a nod of my head. He was right. I couldn’t deny that. “Are you staying?”

As he walked around and stood in front of the desk. “If I can,” he replied. Pulling his trouser legs up, he sat with grace only someone like him could carry. “As you know, my job can be … demanding.”

“Are you trying to tell me you were gone so long because of your job? Because I don’t believe it. Fate turned up, causing mischief. I tried to get hold of you because of what’s happening around here, and nothing. Where were you, Chamuel? And don’t tell me it had to do with work!”

Chamuel shrugged his shoulders, “Lucien, I am not lying. It was partly to do with work,” he paused as if thinking about something. I could see the wheels turning around in that head of his.

“Chamuel, something’s going on with you. I can feel it. If you need my help, you know I’m here for you.”

“I have a daughter.”

What the hell?

How can that even be possible?

Shit was going to hit the fan.

ARIA

ARIA’S REGION

Shrieking echoed around the stone building. If it got any louder, it would shatter the glass windows. Naturals stopped and listened as the shrieking continued. Next came the banging and crashing of the furniture thrown around the room, hitting off the stone walls. No one went to see what was wrong; They knew the consequences if they did.

He wants me to give everything up? Turn my region over to him? He’s mad. He will regret this, pushing me to one side as if I’m a piece of meat. How dare he break our bond? How did he stop it from joining? Was it his demon? Could it have been some sort of spell? It couldn’t be because we weren’t mates. What did he think I would do, just sit there why he played with his witch? Not letting me join in, just having her for himself. He must be mad if he thought I would even accept that. He had to be taught a lesson.

‘How did he replace out?’ the voice whispered. ‘If he knows about that, could he know about everything else?’

“Shut up. He doesn’t know. It’s impossible. He couldn’t have known. It had taken me so long to set everything up.”

‘Of course, you had to have this stupid idea. You intended to kill him! Someone must have told him. You weren’t that careful. It must have been one of your so-called supporters.’

“Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP.”

“I won’t forget this, Lucien. Mark my words, you haven’t seen the last of me; you should have killed me when you had the chance.”