Lustre of Twilight Page 2

  No other cars were parked in front when I pulled up, so I was able to snag a spot near the door. In the short time it had taken me to get here, the snow had already started to fall. I raced inside as fast as I could, hoping to stay dry and relatively warm.

  I had expected the store to be empty except for a clerk, but several men were inside. As the door shut behind me, I came to an abrupt stop, second-guessing my decision to pop in and grab supplies. I didn’t like how their conversation had ended the moment I’d stepped into the store. Or how they were looking at me. My imagination must’ve been going haywire because I would almost swear their eyes had a red glow to them. They were staring at my neck, and I had an odd urge to cover my birthmark. The two little circles on my neck were yet another thing my mother looked at a blemish.

  Deciding that I’d rather starve in the middle of a blizzard than get any closer to them, I swiftly turned to throw the door open again, but I crashed into a hard, male chest instead. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “What? How?” I didn’t understand how he’d slipped behind me when the bell on the door hadn’t jingled like it had when I’d opened it. But then my fight or flight instinct kicked in when he wrapped his hands around my upper arms and started to push me deeper into the store. The self-defense training my dad had insisted I get when I moved out of their home took over, and I kneed the guy in the balls before ripping myself from his grip. Only I didn’t get far. There were too many of them for me to make my escape.

  I quickly found myself hauled off my feet and carried to a dimly lit back room. “Help! Somebody help me!” I screamed.

  The man closest to me chuckled darkly. “Nobody is going to come and save you, consort. Our master will be very pleased with us for capturing you.”

  Consort? Master? What in the heck did that even mean? Were these guys on drugs or something?

  I was dropped onto a chair, my arms and legs zip-tied into place. The man who’d carried me trailed his cold fingers down my cheek to my neck and brushed lightly over my birthmark. When I tried to jerk away, someone else shoved my head back, and I opened my mouth to scream again, but they stuffed a piece of cloth inside.

  Then in a move that freaked me out even more—which was saying a lot, considering the current situation—they all turned in unison to look toward the front of the store. Their eyes did that glowing red thing again, and one of them rasped, “Mmm, more fresh blood.”

  A man I hadn’t seen before stuck his head into the room and grinned, showing off abnormally sharp teeth. “The fates are finally showing us their favor. Two consorts in one night. The master will be very pleased.” He looked at me and licked his lips, sending a shiver of icy dread through my body. “Perhaps he will reward us with a taste of their blood.”

  In the blink of an eye, the men surrounding me were gone. Poof. Just like that.

  I was left wondering what in the literal hell had I stumbled into. Taste my blood?? And then my freak-out meter climbed even higher when they carried another woman, kicking and screaming, into the room and tossed her on the floor next to me. One of the men muttered something about getting another chair, and after he walked out, all hell broke loose. The woman pulled a bottle of something out of her purse and started to flick droplets of whatever was inside at the men. They hissed in pain and backed away from her.

  I would’ve gasped in surprise when she pulled a knife out of her purse, except for the gag in my mouth. But that was quickly removed after she cut the restraints away from my arms and legs. I didn’t have any time to ask questions, though. I was too busy making my escape to care.

  I still had no idea what was going on, but one thing was clear...this was seriously the worst Christmas ever.

  2

  Jareth

  That was a hell of a fight, I thought with a grin. It had been a while since I’d faced more than one nightwalker at a time in pursuit of a consort. Easy kills just weren’t as much fun. And it had been ages since my cousin Stephan and my three brothers, Liam, Braedan, and Ren, had brawled together. Fisticuffs and carousing had been so much more acceptable a century ago. Sometimes progress leaves behind great traditions.

  As the adrenaline ebbed, my worry over my brother’s new consort returned to the forefront of my mind. She was huddled between two dumpsters where she’d been protecting herself and another woman by flicking holy water at the vampires. Ren had glimpsed a birthmark on her neck as Amaia pulled her into their little crevice, so we knew she was a consort. I knew Liam’s first thought would be for Amaia, as it should be, but someone needed to take care of the other consort.

  While Stephan, Braedan, and Rex walked into a huddle to talk, Liam and I approached the terrified women. He immediately dropped to his knees in front of Amaia and embraced her.

  My attention lasered in on the pretty brunette who hugged herself close as her eyes bounced around wildly. “Wha-a-a-...um...what the heck just happened?” she stammered in a shocked and horrified voice.

  Liam stood and pulled Amaia away so I could handle the frightened consort. Now that I had an unobstructed view of her, I was struck by how absolutely gorgeous she was. Long, wavy brown hair was pulled back from her delicate face and cascaded down around her shoulders. Even with the way she was huddled, I could tell she had a slender build. The bodice of her baby blue dress hugged her high round breasts, the long gossamer sleeves showed off toned arms, and the skirt made of many layers of chiffon, nipped in at her waist.

  Her face was made for an artist’s canvas. Chocolate brown eyes fringed with full lashes, high cheekbones, a slender nose, and pink lips that would make any man, who had the ability, hard as a rock from the thought of them wrapped around their cock. Mine didn’t so much as twitch. My reaction to her was purely mental, like an appreciation of fine art. Except I’d never seen so fine a masterpiece as this gorgeous consort. There was just something special about her.

  She watched me warily as I slowly closed the small distance between us and crouched down to be at her eye level. “What is your name?” I asked gently.

  “Why would I tell you?” she snapped suspiciously.

  I almost grinned widely at her show of fire, but I didn’t want her to mistake me for a predator, so I carefully kept my expression and voice kind when I responded, “Because we’re here to help”—I smiled, but softly—“and I don’t want to call you ‘miss.’ So, let’s start again. I’m Jareth, and you are?”

  She didn’t answer right away, still appearing skittish, but eventually, she said, “Narkissa.”

  Narkissa. It was a beautiful name, befitting of its owner. “It’s nice to meet you, Narkissa. In answer to your first question, those were nightwalkers, evil vampires intent on destroying you,” I explained.

  Narkissa recoiled and gaped at me as if I’d grown two heads. “What? Are you crazy? Vampires don’t exist! And why would they want me? I’m nobody!”

  My eyes dropped to her neck before I shook my head. “You are everything to someone.” I gave her a very brief overview of her destiny as a consort, and by the time I finished, Narkissa’s chocolate eyes had gone wide and round as saucers, but they were plagued with disbelief.

  “Even if vampires are real, that’s insane. Fate can’t just...just...pick someone for me!” She sounded more outraged than anything, which might have been amusing if I wasn’t the one who had to convince her that this was real and let me take her to meet with the council for protection.

  The consorts we saved had all kinds of different reactions to the truth, but the most frustrating were the ones who wouldn’t accept it. A lot of times, they refused the council’s help, went off on their own, and ended up dead as a result. Although, it was usually more about accepting the reality of the supernatural, whereas Narkissa seemed to be royally pissed at the idea of an omnipotent matchmaker.

  In any other circumstance, I would have enjoyed her uniqueness and bold personality, but I had a job to do, and her protection came before anything. “There’s a place we can go—”
br />   Narkissa snorted adorably and began to struggle to her feet in the small, confined space. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re obviously insane, and your hotness doesn’t quite beat out the crazy meter.”

  I rolled my eyes, then tossed a warning glare at my brother who was stifling his laughter. Jackass.

  Narkissa had nothing to grip, so her hands slipped on the grimy walls of the dumpsters, and she landed on her ass again. I growled in frustration and leaned in, grabbing her arms and hauling her to her feet.

  Holy fucking shit. The warmth of her skin radiated through the transparent fabric and apparently—going by the steel shaft that had just spring to life in my slacks—thin enough for our bond to snap into place.

  Mine.

  Visions of tearing off all her layers and everything I would do to her naked body flooded my mind. It was hard as fuck to rein it in and remember where we were and that Narkissa would be falling right into my arms and begging me to fuck her.

  Narkissa’s mouth opened, and she stared at me, clearly experiencing the same overwhelming flood of arousal. Perhaps that was the only convincing she would need. Keeping our eyes locked, I bent my head and leaned in for a kiss. Before our lips touched, my head snapped to the side when Narkissa delivered an impressive right hook to my jaw.

  Motherfucker! I almost cried out, but the slightest movement of my jaw sent pain ripping through me.

  Ouch, Liam said in my head.

  Shut it, I responded as I bent over holding my jaw and trying to catch my breath. Damn, I think she broke it.

  It took several minutes for my accelerated healing to mend the bone, but when it felt solid and pain no longer radiated from the cracked bone, I stood and moved my jaw around to test it. Good as new.

  Returning my gaze to Narkissa—I scowled when I saw that the spot where she’d been standing was now empty.

  “Looking for your consort?” Liam drawled with a sly grin. “She went that way.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the alley. Since there had been only one car in the parking lot, I assumed Narkissa had taken off in her vehicle.

  “Fucking hell,” I sighed. Liam grinned, and I threw him a glare that promised I’d get even before I jogged around the building to try to find a clue as to where my mate had gone.

  As I suspected, one of the cars had disappeared, quite quickly if the tire marks on the pavement were any indication.

  Closing my eyes, I thought back to when I’d arrived and what the other car in the lot had looked like. A silver Audi.

  She’s turning onto Haven Drive from Grand Street, Braeden said telepathically.

  You see her? If my brother knew where she was, I would send him my entire collection of the whiskey Liam had concocted for me. All right, not all of it…Liam owned a bar and brewery. He was brilliant, and his brand was in high demand. For my birthday last year, he’d created a new recipe that was mine alone and made me several cases. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted. Until now…I had no doubt Narkissa would far surpass it.

  With the punch she delivered—kudos to your consort, by the way—I figured you’d be a few minutes, so I followed her. Been running after her car from several feet away so she doesn’t spot the blur in her rearview mirror.

  I owe you.

  Not to worry, big brother. I’ll collect.

  Rolling my eyes again, I teleported to the next intersection she would come to on Haven. My timing wasn’t the best, though, because she was only a few feet away. When Narkissa saw me, she screamed and swerved. I didn’t want her to get caught on a patch of ice hidden under all the snow, so I put my hand on the hood and stopped the Audi in its tracks.

  3

  Narkissa

  I shook my head, unable to make sense of what had just happened. My brain couldn’t wrap around everything I had seen and heard over the past thirty or so minutes. I couldn’t help but wonder if Minerva had spiked the eggnog I’d drunk while we opened gifts before dinner. Or if the housekeeper had mixed up the chamomile tea with a hallucinogenic by mistake. Being drugged was the only reasonable explanation that I could come up with for the wild things that had happened.

  “I don’t care what I saw. Vampires aren’t real,” I muttered to myself as I jammed my index finger against the button to undo my seat belt. Only it didn’t release, no matter how many times I pressed the darn thing. My heart already felt as though it was about to pound through my chest—which was no surprise since the hot, crazy guy I was running from had just appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the road and somehow stopped my freaking car with one hand! My pulse skyrocketed further when the driver’s side door of my car swung open, and Jareth crouched in the opening.

  My reaction had nothing to do with my unexpected attraction to the ridiculously handsome man. Or at least that was what I told myself. There was no way in heck I was willing to admit that the thudding over my heart was because Jareth was the first guy I’d ever physically responded to. Sure, he was beyond gorgeous with his dark hair, bright blue eyes, and tall, muscular body. And he looked debonair in his black dress slacks and wool coat, especially while fighting. But he also had to be out of his mind if he believed all that crap he’d told me about vampires and the women who were destined to spend the rest of their very long lives with them. After all these years of wondering if something was wrong with me, I’d been betrayed by my own body.

  “Are you okay?” Jareth asked as he leaned inside to fiddle with the buckle on my seat belt. His woodsy scent filled my nostrils, and I tried to jerk away from him. I was wedged between his hard body and the driver’s seat of my Audi, so I didn’t get far. “Don’t move, sweetheart. I need to check if you’re hurt first.”

  “I guess it’s only fair for you to make sure I’m okay since any injuries I may have would be all your fault,” I grumbled. “How in the heck did you stop my car? I mean, I wasn’t going that fast because of the snow, and I hit the brakes as soon as I saw you. But you still shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

  He jerked his thumb toward his broad chest with a sexy grin. “Vampire, remember?”

  I pressed the back of my head against the seat’s headrest and squeezed my eyes shut. “Did you seriously chase me down by some miracle I don’t understand just to try to sell me on the garbage you were spewing back at the convenience store?”

  “The only miracle around here is you.” His shoulder brushed against my nipples as he worked to free me from the seat belt, making them pebble. It was the barest of touches but still sent a zing of sensation directly to my core. “And every single thing I told you was true. You’ll never get any lies from me.”

  “Uh-huh. Sure, I won’t,” I drawled, pushing against his chest when the buckle finally released.

  He backed up, and I heaved a deep sigh of relief. I wouldn’t have been able to move him on my own, judging by the wall of muscle my palms had encountered. If he’d stayed close, I might’ve done something ridiculous like drag him all the way into the car with me so I could attack him...and not in the fending off a scary guy kind of way. Even with the space limitations in my Audi, I would’ve been all over him until I finally learned what the big deal was about kissing. And sex. Plus, orgasms if I was super lucky.

  I scrambled out of the car, hoping the cold air would shock the outlandish thoughts out of my brain. Something was very wrong with me. I’d somehow gone from being a virgin with a libido that had never switched on to a woman who couldn’t stop thinking about sex. Maybe I was suffering from a disorder where a kidnap victim falls for their rescuer. Kind of like Stockholm syndrome but with one of the good guys instead.

  When I rounded my car, my eyes widened when I saw a hand-shaped dent in the hood. Whirling around to gape at Jareth, I asked, “Psychedelic tea is a real thing, right?”

  “Shit,” Jareth bit out, his bright blue eyes searching my face before scanning down my body. “Did you hit your head when I stopped the car?”

  “No.” I batted his hands away when he pushed my hair off my forehead
. “I don’t have a concussion or anything like that. I’m asking a perfectly reasonable question, considering the circumstances. Nothing that’s happened to me since I left my parents’ house makes any sense. I went into a convenience store and was carried into a back room, tied up, and my captors were talking about asking their master if they could taste my blood. Then they took another woman who got them to back off by flicking water at them, as if that makes any sense. When they chased us into the alley, you guys showed up out of nowhere, fought them, and the bad guys literally burst into flames and turned to ash. And to top that all off, you appeared out of thin air in the middle of the road and stopped my car by putting your hand on the hood. I have to either be dreaming because I’m still asleep on my parents’ couch, or I’m hallucinating because someone drugged me.”

  “Master?” he echoed.

  “That’s seriously what you took away from everything I just said?” I rolled my eyes when his only response was to nod and quirk a brow. “Yeah, they also spouted some mumbo-jumbo about him being happy that they captured two consorts in one night.”

  “Capture, not kill. How odd,” he murmured.

  “Gee, try not to be so happy I’m still alive,” I huffed, balling my hands into fists and planting them on my hips.

  His gaze dropped to my hands, and his lips curved into a grin. “You have no idea how thrilled I am that they didn’t kill you, sweetheart. Even if it meant getting my jaw broken.”

  I squinted at him through the snow, which was starting to get heavier. I felt a little guilty for punching him, but I wasn’t going to apologize for doing what was necessary to get away from him and all his crazy talk about my destiny as a vampire’s consort. I hadn’t bowed to my mother’s pressure to find some wealthy guy to marry like my sister had when she’d accepted Charles’s proposal. I’d been holding out for love, but if Jareth was right, then the choice was going to be taken away from me. I’d be stuck with whatever vampire fate had paired me with. “It doesn’t look broken.”