Page 7
Story: Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire (The Rossi Legacies #1)
Azura
“ A holiday?” Dad asks, concerned.
It is the following day, and we are over at Liam’s. Katara is playing on the floor, her blonde hair pulled into two pigtails whilst her cerulean blue eyes watch me curiously. She may be seven, but she is quite small for her age. Despite her strength and determination, she is a minuscule-sized princess.
“I don’t think you should be going alone,” Jayce adds. I frown, planting my hands on my hips.
“Says who?” I ask.
“Says logic and the situation,” he shoots back.
Moody little git. I wonder what he’d say if he knew I’m pregnant, but I am not going to listen to a thirteen-year-old, who is meant to be my subordinate, telling me what I should and shouldn’t be doing.
“He ain’t wrong,” Theo adds with a cocky grin. “Besides, you just get in trouble every damn time.”
“Boys, go outside. Now,” Raven orders, frowning at her sons.
“We are only saying it because we care for her,” Carter adds, making me sigh.
“I am going somewhere so I can just have a break from everything… I need this,” I persist, looking at Mama and Dad.
“She’s right,” Mama replies to my relief. “But I’m not sure I want you going alone. Maybe Dante could - “
“I am not taking Dante. I don’t need my nephew babysitting me,” I reply, rather offended. That pup is a day younger than me!
“He’s stronger than you,” Theo adds, oh so very helpfully.
“Oi! I helped change your diapers, show some respect!” I growl, grabbing a cushion and hitting him over the head with it. He just catches it, smirking as Ares shakes his head, and Liam sighs, running a hand down his face.
“Be careful, Theo!” Raven warns. I know she’s worried for my baby. My baby… it still feels weird to say that… Leo’s baby…
It hadn’t really hit what this would mean… my dreams… my plans…
Well, they were all kind of gone the moment Judah fucked me over anyway.
“I just need a break, just a few months to be alone and away from everything,” I promise, dropping onto the sofa next to Theo.
My family knows I had a boyfriend back when I was at the academy… but they don’t know much about Judah, and I really don’t want them to find out either.
“Where will you go?” Dad asks.
Somewhere beautiful and peaceful.
“Sweden.”
Night has fallen , and I have packed. Dad wanted to book my ticket, but I told him I already had. I had booked two to make sure that they think I’m on the first flight, but I intend to get on the second. Liam wants to drop me at the airport, but I tell them I’m meeting up with some friends first, and I’ll let them know when I’m on the flight.
The flight I plan to take is tomorrow morning, which is fine. It will give me enough time to meet him and get this crap over with. It takes me over an hour to reach the location he picked, a place not too far from Midnight Academy, one of the four Academies for supernatural species.
I get out of the car I have rented for the drive, making sure that the weapon I have brought is tucked into my jacket pocket. I am wearing an oversized jumper with jeans and a knee-length puffer jacket on top. I have several weapons on me, just in case. I don’t trust Judah at all.
I walk through the woods to the cavern where we often met, stopping several feet away from it.
“I’m here,” I call, the smell of cocaine reaching my nose. I clench my jaw. There was a time he wore the perfect mask. Sure, he was a bad boy… but his twisted dark side had only become clear once I was far too deep into it all.
“Ah, my little pet…” His voice, which I now hate, comes, and he steps out of the cavern, smoking a joint. His gaze travels over me, making my skin crawl. Funny how that works; someone whose touch you once desired now makes you sick.
“What do you want, Judah?” I ask icily.
The urge to rip him apart is pretty strong, but killing without reason would mean we’d be trialled at the supernatural court of Selene, a court which would bring everything to light, including everything he has on me. Maybe I have reason to pull the trigger or rip his heart out, but I don’t want to kill anyone else…
“You. You promised to be mine, but you let another mark you. How about I carve that thing out of your neck?” His voice holds barely controlled rage as he steps closer.
“Stay back. We are through. It’s been a year, Judah, and what you did, I won’t ever forgive. You’re a sick bastard, and I don’t want you in my life.” I don’t bother hiding the resentment in my tone.
“The thing is, Babe, you don’t get to decide.”
I shake my head as I laugh, “You’re fucking stupid if you think I’m going to actually bend or fear a bastard like you. You may have forgotten who I am, but allow me to remind you. Piss me off, and not only will I rip your dick off, soak it in vinegar and spice, and then force-feed it to you, but I won’t hesitate to go to the King himself. I’m sure he won’t mind dealing with you.” He comes closer, and I am ready to reach for my gun if I need to.
“No, I haven’t forgotten. I have forgotten nothing. If you go to him, yeah, he will manage to kill me. Of course. But will he be able to stop me from spreading the images I have of you and your precious little friends? Ah, shit, the twins, they’re his girls, right? Damn, imagine nude images of his precious little princesses plastered all over the net? And the blonde, damn, she has curves to fucking die for.”
Anger flares through me. I lunge at him, punching him across the face. The joint he is smoking falls to the floor, and the smell of blood tells me I had hit him hard. Good.
“Don’t you ever fucking try to blackmail me with them! Your issue is with me, right? Then fucking focus on me!” I spit as he grabs me by my neck.
I twist out of his hold, about to punch him, when he shoves me back, pulling out a gun just as I grab mine. My chest is heaving as I glare at him with pure hatred.
Not Kataleya. Skyla and Song would probably be able to deal with it, but not our Angel. No fucking way. Fear for her envelopes me, just imagining something like that happening to Kataleya. She and Skyla are the twin daughters of Kiara and Alejandro. Kataleya suffered far too much as a child. She still never got over what happened to her back then…
“They are seventeen, how sick are you?” He cocks his gun, aiming it at my stomach.
“Want me to show you?”
“What the fuck do you want, Judah? You can’t have me back, I’m never going to be yours. Do you want money? Anything. Tell me how much, and then just let’s end this. Please.” I am tired of this. He sneers at me, wiping the blood from his mouth.
“I want you… but I guess if you do me a few favours, I can let you go.”
“And the videos and images you have of us will be returned to me,” I clarify. I can’t trust him, but I don’t really have a choice. This is just too risky, but I need to buy some time.
“Hmm, that can work, but I expect you to obey me, Azura. I’ll be watching.”
I will look for a way to get everything he has on us back, I just… I need to figure something out. I have tried. The only problem is I don’t even have anything belonging to him to see if I can have a witch do a locator spell. I’m so screwed.
“Now how about the first favour?” He smirks, and I frown at him.
“If you think I’ll get with you then - “
A menacing growl reaches my ears, and I spin around just as a huge wolf launches itself at me.
“Oh, I’ll sleep with you if I want… but right now, I want to see you getting rid of one rabid wolf. Shit, I hope the pup doesn’t die so soon.” His voice is getting fainter, and I hear him snicker.
I stare at the beast that launches itself at me, saliva dripping from his mouth as he tries to attack me. I realise what Judah’s aim is, his words ringing in my mind. I feel sick. He is risking my baby’s life. Bastard…
Do I shift? Can I shift?
I pull the trigger, aiming for the wolf’s leg. I don’t know who this is or what has happened to them. I just need to injure it enough for me to get away. The wolf growls as it claws me across my back. The pain is accompanied by intense burning, and I flinch, spinning around and kicking him off me, throwing him to the floor violently.
“Judah! What the fuck is this?”
“Entertainment, my beautiful freak,” his sick voice answers. I have never hated anyone more… “Oh, and I’d be careful of his claws… they’re poisoned.”
I can feel it spreading through my back, the pain heightening. I need to end this now. I cock my gun, shooting several rounds at his legs. The wolf howls and falls to his knees, shifting back into a rather weak-looking boy who writhes in pain. Guilt instantly fills me just as I hear footsteps approaching. I run to the young man. He is about my age or a bit younger.
“Who is he?” I shout, looking up at Judah and the two men who have just come out of the cavern.
“Just some entertainment,” Judah sneers, raising his gun and shooting the writhing boy. To my horror, the boy’s heart stops beating. I freeze as I look at the boy, whose eyes are still wide in shock. He had died instantly.
“What did you use?” I ask, staring at his gun.
“Some new bullets,” he smirks before tensing. I hear it, too, the sound of a car approaching. “I’ll be in touch. Don’t try to leave the country, Azura, because I’m watching you.”
He seems to hesitate, pointing the gun at me before he turns and leaves swiftly, leaving me with the lifeless boy next to me. Fuck, I messed up. Again.
I try to get to my feet, but the poison is too much. I stumble, falling to the ground again as several scents fill my nose, and my heart begins thumping. Is that Leo? My stomach flutters as his scent becomes stronger.
I look at the blinding light I can see through the trees as my vision begins to darken, and all I see are the boots of the man approaching. He crouches down, and two tattooed fingers tilt my head up. I find myself staring into icy-blue eyes that hold no emotions.
“What happened?”
I try to speak, but I can’t, the poison in my back numbing my senses, and then everything goes black.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7 (Reading here)
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67