Page 76 of Shifting Hearts
TEN
Alejandro
W e spend the rest of the morning sparring in the gym downstairs. I teach her some basic moves, but most importantly, we figure out how to fixate her gift on others too.
She informs me that the waiter is scared shitless of me.
The doorman who brings me my mail has great respect for me.
And she giggles a little when she tells me the chef is disgruntled that I demanded he bring us breakfast himself.
She does glare at the waitress behind the chef, who is making eyes at me, but I get that. The uncontrollable surge of jealousy is real when I see the subtle glances from other men in her direction.
I am sure jealousy fills her as well as we are linked now.
After the rigorous workout and breakfast, we get dressed and go out. I want to take her to the shooting range, but we are sideswiped when we bump into my aunt just outside the building’s door.
She gets out of the car, which has stopped at the curb, as we step into the sunlight. “Ah, here you are, Alejandro. I was just on my way to make the acquaintance of the lovely young lady your uncle told me about.”
I can recognize she is lying through her teeth. I am sure my uncle told her the truth about Maddy, and she is here to suss out if this woman is a danger to me.
Maddy doesn’t wait for an introduction. She steps forward with her hand already stretched out. “Hi there, I am Maddy. It's nice to meet you. Thank your husband for being so kind to me yesterday. It isn’t every day a stripper gets treated with decency.”
Is there no fucking filter on this woman?
I rub my forehead when I hear a soft bubbling laugh turn louder. “Oh, I like her, Alejandro. She is exactly what we need. New blood that isn’t afraid of anybody. My dear, why don’t you join us for dinner tonight? You can even bring Alejandro if you can’t shake him.”
She winks at Maddy, who eagerly accepts the invitation as she walks my aunt back to her car.
They talk quietly for a few moments more before she gets in and the car drives off.
“She is a delight, isn’t she?”
Maddy is back at my side, and I just shake my head at the phenomenon I just witnessed. “She doesn’t like any other women, so try not to get on her bad side.”
She looks at me pensively before she hooks her arm through mine and starts walking in the opposite direction of where we were heading. “Where are you going?”
Stopping, she poignantly looks down at her shorts and my T-shirt, which I lent her this morning. “Surely, you don’t expect me to go to dinner looking like this. And I could do with some new underwear too. These shorts are starting to chafe.”
I take her in properly for the first time and realize that I haven’t once thought about my reputation while being with her.
It is as if all the constraints of my terrible trade have filtered into the background.
But she is right. I still have a duty, and one of those duties is not to embarrass the family.
Taking her hand in mine and marveling at how right it feels, I walk her toward the shopping district.
It takes all the control I have to keep my hands to myself on the way to my uncle’s house.
He and my aunt live on a vast estate, but they have built each of my three cousins a house on the land. They live just far enough not to be a nuisance but still close enough to share family occasions, which they always include me in.
But not even the thought of family can distract me from the beautiful woman beside me. I took her to three boutiques and told them to give her whatever she wanted, plus a few extras, before I took her to one of my aunt’s salons to get herself spoiled.
The ladies sent me home and instructed me to return a few hours later, as per my aunt's instructions. And when I stepped into the salon, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
She was dressed in a blood-red silk halter-neck dress that draped over her body like sweet sin. The slit on the side reveals a little more than I would have liked, considering my ornery cousins, but pride fills my chest when I think about how this woman will be on my arm tonight.
Her dress and dark hair are a stark reminder of her fair complexion, and I grind my teeth to keep them from sinking into her delectable shoulder.
She sees me and lifts the seam of the dress a bit to show off the pair of sneakers she's wearing. “Don’t want to trip again like last time, do we?”
I snicker at her crude joke and can’t keep my eyes off the way she fills out the top of the dress. The second I get her alone, I am going to tear this piece of fabric from her.
Holding out my arm for her, I guide her to the car after thanking the ladies and waving back to them at the door.
Once inside the car, the slip falls open and I catch a glimpse of something that makes my blood boil.
“Where is your fucking underwear?”
Innocently, she shrugs. “This dress called for more evasive maneuvers than the lacy things we bought today. Don’t worry about it. I find that I make friends more easily the less clothes I wear.”
She really has no clue.
I lean closer and growl in her ear. “Every eye will be on you tonight, and I won’t hesitate to pluck them from their sockets if they dare to lust after you. I will feed them to the crows personally.”
My hand has been creeping up her silky thigh, and I feel the shiver run through her whole body. She might act callous, but she feels it too.
Her breathy whisper betrays her words. “I told you before, you don’t own me. This alliance is purely for our missions’ sake.”
“Whatever you say, little viper, but tell me. If I should run my finger down your slit, will I find it soaked?”
I move back into my seat abruptly, but my following words assure her that I won’t be trifled with.
“I’ll let it slide for the moment. You must still be tender after the pounding you took this morning.
But make no mistake, you better behave tonight or there will be consequences.
I’ll not tolerate anyone else touching you. And you don’t want to test me on that.”
My tone is forceful, but I have no idea why. I need to remind myself that this is just a business transaction.
And yet I have been adamant and quite vocal about how she belongs to me.
In silence, we drive up the expansive driveway, and the car stops in front of the imposing doors. She gets out of the car before I can make my way around, and I take in the comical look of awe on her face. She gathers her dress and inhales deeply.
I could say it must be because of her humble beginnings, but the home is impressive even to me. Every time I come for a visit, I make note of some ridiculous luxury I didn’t notice before.
I take her hand to help her up the step, and we are about halfway when the door is yanked open and Gabby, my cousin, races down the steps to meet us.
“This is so exciting. You’re the first one he has ever brought home, and I couldn’t wait to meet you. Hi, I’m Gabriella, but you can call me Gabby.”
She has grabbed Maddy by the shoulders and is hugging her tightly. “Gabby, calm down. You’re making me sound like a social pariah.”
Gabby pulls away and sticks her tongue out to me before she says, “Nope, just grumpy without cause. But now that Maddy’s here, that all might change.” She turns and practically drags Maddy up the stairs.
I am left behind with the guard, trying his best not to laugh at the incredulous look on my face. I shake my head and follow the commotion inside until I find my family circling her like vultures.
Antonio is reaching for her arm, and my growl echoes against the vaulted ceilings. I walk closer and pull Maddy to my side, out of their reach.
“Calm down, cousin. We’re just meeting your new lady. From what I hear, she doesn’t mind sharing.”
I step closer to Benito, but her hand on my chest stops me. She subtly shakes her head before she calmly states. “Didn’t you hear Benito? That was all a terrible rumor. Once I found the man worthy of me, I became addicted to what he had to offer. No other man can compare.”
She is laying it on thick, but still, it soothes the raging beast inside me. That was until Benito opened his mouth again. “Maybe that’s because you haven’t tried me yet.”
“Benito! Stop that immediately.”
My uncle’s voice roars from the direction of the stairs, and I turn to see him beckoning me to his study.
He turns and walks away without waiting for me to follow, and I sigh.
His need to talk couldn’t come at a worse time, and for a split second, I consider bringing Maddy along.
But she pats my chest and says, “I will be fine. Go. It looks important. And remember, I’ve dealt with men like him for a long time.
I can handle it.” She gestures in Benito’s direction, and I have no other choice but to let her go and walk toward the study.
Once inside, I close the door and take a seat before the broad wooden desk.
“Do you want to tell me why Benito got under your skin just now? That’s not like you. You feel different, somehow changed.”
Looking up, I began to tell him something I never would have admitted out loud before. “She is different.”
He folds his hands together on the desk and waits patiently for me to continue.
“I’ve been with a few of our kind, and the power exchange was always expected, but this time it feels different.
I don’t know how to explain it other than I feel like a chafed open nerve, sensitive to her every need.
It feels like I’m driving myself crazy trying to figure her out and deal with all these new sensations raging inside me. ”
I am close to the edge of losing it, being so vulnerable before him when I know it is expected of me to always be strong. An enforcer for the cartel isn’t weak and confused.
“Have I ever told you about my first love?”
I unclench my fist and lean back in my chair, faking nonchalance while shaking my head in denial.
“Her name was Maria, Maria Santiago. And she was my true mate in every way. When I was with her, I was stronger than ever before, and the power made me arrogant. She was sweet and kind and could never understand why I needed to be a part of this world. She wanted me to be loyal to her and run away together. She always said that together we can be an unbeatable force. She even convinced her brother to give me her hand in marriage.”
He gets a faraway look in his eyes, and I probe, “What happened?”
Sadness beams from his eyes when he looks back at me and says, “She took her own life. I was promised to marry your aunt, and the family expected me to keep my promise to strengthen our position in the cartel. When I told her, she warned me that I would never be the same again. Little did I know, she meant I would lose my power and someday I would be completely normal. Sure, the Basilisk gene is dormant, and I might’ve given it to one of my children, but I don’t know that for sure, and none of them have shown any signs. ”
“But I’ve slept with others before, and I’ve always retained my power. After bonding with them, I had an infusion of power, but it always faded back to normal.”
“That was before you bonded with your true mate.”
This can’t be.
There is no such thing.
“Let me guess, she was a virgin. And you lost control over your transformation. Not to mention, you feel different somehow. Like you have a fire controlling your every action. You are completely infatuated with her, and seeing her unhappy or sad or anything less than deliriously happy puts your body on high alert, and you want to burn down the world for her? Am I getting close? What about a special power that just wasn’t heightened but undiscovered before she bonded with you? ”
“How did you know?” I said in awe.
“That is what happened to me. If I can give you any advice, you must make her stay, no matter what she wants. That’s if you want to keep this power.
And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, her being your true mate means that you will be able to learn to love each other deeper and truer than with any other person. ”
“That’s not possible. She’s already in love with someone else. It’s the whole reason she agreed to sleep with me in the first place. I promised her the bond would make her powerful enough to save her boyfriend.”
The words tasted bitter on my lips.
“When did she mention this? Because she said nothing yesterday in the car.”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that my power is enhanced right now, and we are going to need it if we are going to go after the rats in our family and that useless piece of shit.”
He sighs, and I can see the disappointment in his frown.
I stand and smooth the wrinkles from my pants before I simply state, “So if anything, we need to force Alvarez’s hand and speed up the timeline for our plan.
Before Maddy decides to leave with her boyfriend.
It isn’t like I need her anyway. And if it means that I lose my powers completely, then so be it.
Maybe then the cartel will release me, and I can have a real life. ”
“I never realized you were so unhappy, Alejandro. You should have come to me earlier. I could have made another plan.”
“I’m not unhappy. I just wish there was something more in my life.
Uncle Angelo stands and walks to me. “If that is your wish, why would you even consider letting your true mate go? You are a handsome man and can be quite convincing when you want to be. Why not try and make her fall in love with you?”
“This is not up for discussion. Talk to the ones you still trust. I will come back tomorrow, and we can plan our next move. Now, if you will excuse me, we have a dinner to attend, and I need to escape this house without stabbing my cousin with a fucking fork.”
He chuckles as he puts a hand on my shoulder. “Better prepare yourself. You have no idea what a wild ride you’re in for. Finding your fated mate should not be taken lightly. But I have an idea you’re going to learn that the hard way.”
Then he walks past me and rejoins the living outside.