Page 51

AEGIS'S P.O.V

It's Official. I've become a thief.

The palace room is too quiet at night. I hate it. But more than that I hate that the ring no longer smells like him. I look over at the little tidbits I stole from him on my bed and sighed in resignation. There's no sleep for me tonight.

I reach for my vial of Woodshaven with a disappointed sigh. It's dangerous but I need the sleep it offers. My pulse stutters. I need it to sleep. But I can’t find a syringe anywhere.

“Damn it,” I whisper.

I rise and head out—past silken curtains and marble floors—out into the conference room where maybe I can scrounge one.

---

I found one quite easily. The palace is a really weird place...who keeps a syringe in the kitchen? I stick it in the vial, blissfully taking in the smell. This is gonna be good.

The kitchen door creaks. I turn around and find nothing. I turn back to my vial.

The King is standing in front of me, shirtless, still damp from a bath. His eyes sweep over me without a word.

I freeze. Shit.

He comes closer.

I murmur, “Personal space.”

He steps forward again.

He didn’t acknowledge my words. He just held me with a very intense look, and I watched as his dark obsidian eyes turned from granite to an even darker color. Oh, Goddess, I'd recognize that hot, masculine look of appreciation anywhere, and it had nothing to

do with liking me or my personality and everything to do with liking the way i fill out the shirt I'm wearing.

What am i supposed to do with that thought, how am I supposed to process it?

The smart reaction would be to walk away, to turn my back on him and hightail it out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

I want to be smart, i really do. But more than that, I want to taste him, to press my breasts into his bare chest, to feel that hard, sweaty skin under my hands.

I want to inhale him, devour him, climb inside him. ..

An unintelligible curse erupted from King Damian's mouth, and his hand shot out to grab my wrist. With a hard yank, he pulled me into him, and my hips

slammed against his erection...ooh, nice...

And,

He takes the vial from my hand. I blink. He’s gone.

So he’s not speaking to me now.

I mutter a curse.

---

Jaxon appears out of the shadows and startles me.

“You’re fathering an addiction now?”

My head snaps. “Beta Jaxon, I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

He laughs softly. “He’s not speaking to you, is he?”

I cross my arms. “So what?”

He shrugs. “Try accepting the situation you caused, not pretending it isn’t one.”

"I didn't ask him to stop speaking to me and he's being very childish right now." I said crossing my arms over my now very cold body.

"No he's being a King. I've known him all his life and I've never seen him even look at a female twice. You show up and suddenly he's all over you. He laid out all his cards for you and you threw it back in his face. I'd say you deserve him not talking to you."

I bristle. “When did you become his punch-line of truth?”

He smirks. “When you started turning into a brat. Look, if you don’t want him, then…learn to live without the man. He is after all Your King and Superior.”

He walks away and leaves me in silence.

A pale hand brushes my hair. My breath stops. I swing around with a pinch but a force of energy keeps me in the same spot and position.

The Goddess.

“I loved this hair,” she teases, voice soft.

“ I don't think I ever told you that. You needed something to hide you when you were coming back and that was easy enough to do.

But the hair was the hard part. We need something that'll enable you to hide.

I needed you to look like your old self but different at the same time. The answer was simple really."

She continues. "White. I gave you white hair. You were supposed to love it. But no, you're as ungrateful as ever.”

I jerk away. “You could’ve appeared sooner. I called you this morning.”

She smirks. “I appear when I choose.”

My hands tremble. “So now you mock me.”

She laughs, a tinkling sound. “Everyone has a crush on him. Even you.”

My chest tightens. “Is that what this is to you—a show?”

She sighs. “Your life is more fun than my eternal boredom.”

I ask about the killings and she deflects. “You’re on the right path.”

I hiss, “Is the witch behind this?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

I growl. “Then we have nothing more to talk about.”

She hovers. “You stole his necklace again.”

My jaw clenches. “Maybe.”

She smiles. “Go to sleep Aegis.”

She fades.

---

I climb the stairs, ready for the dark.

"Aegis? You won't believe this. I’ve cracked it.”

Noah’s voice shot out in the dark. I whirl around. He stands in the hallway, grinning with bright eyes.

“You all annoy me.”

He holds the flash drive. My heart pounds.

“What did you find?”

He steps closer. “ A lot. They list every dealings and crime in this. But the most important is that drive lists four packs: Elijah’s, an Alpha’s who died same night, two others— together with their sons slaughtered. Exactly in the same way. It can't be a coincidence Alpha” He touches my arm.

His warmth brings me back to perspective.

“The same scent of rogues were picked at each site,” he whispers.

I calm myself. “We can't handle this over to the king. Make a duplicate drive. I'll mindlink you which information to submit."

He speaks again. "The drive also mentions you Aegis."

My breath stills again. "What does it say?"

"So it explains how they destroyed Elijah's Pack. It lists everyone that died that night except you. It lists you as missing."

"So correct it, I am dead."

He nods.

I hand him the drive. “You’re doing well.”

Something shifts in his gaze.

He smiles, nervous. “Thank you… Aegis.”

He stands staring at me with a forlorn smile on his face. He reached out to caress my cheek.

“ Well don't just stand there.

Get moving,” I say softly.

He leaves.

In the dim hallway, I lean against the wall and exhale.

Clutching his necklace in my hand, I made my way to the bed. I'll deal with him not speaking to me tomorrow.

But for now… I've got a job to do.