Beauty Awakened aotd-2 Read online

  A groan bubbled from her. Once again, Koldo was responsible for something wonderful in her life. And really, for a little while during the kiss, she’d made him feel this same sense of awe. She’d made him feel special. She knew it, would never forget the way he’d trembled.

  Maybe...maybe she wasn’t such a bad choice for him, after all. Yes, she’d passed out during their second intimate moment together. And yes, she could pass out next time, too. But cutting him from her life rather than facing the infirmity and the embarrassment that followed? How silly could she get?

  She might be weak—but she was stronger than that, she thought, anchoring her hair in a ponytail while the strands were still wet. It was her mother’s hair, and she’d almost cut it a thousand times. But every time she’d grabbed the scissors, she’d remembered the way her mother used to brush and braid it, the way her father used to call her Mini Kerry, after her mom, and the way her brother used to tug on the ends.

  Her brother. Her beautiful Robby.

  We’re sorry, Miss Lane, but your brother was thrown—

  Nope, not going there. Thinking about him opened wounds that had never really healed. So, she always removed him from her thoughts before they had time to form.

  Raising her chin, she marched out of her room and decided to check on her sister first. But Laila’s bedroom was empty, the bed unmade and clothes strewn across the floor.

  She moved through the living room—still no sign of her sister—and into the kitchen. Nicola breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Laila at the table, her head resting in her upraised palm. A cup of tea steamed in front of her.

  “Don’t talk,” her sister croaked. “Just...don’t.”

  “Hangover?”

  Laila groaned. “Co Co! Please.”

  “Sorry,” she whispered. Nicola fixed a cup of tea for herself, and sipped at the hot, sweetened liquid.

  “You should eat the fruit,” a male voice said, and Laila issued another groan.

  Nicola’s heart sped into a faster beat as she twisted to face Koldo. He wore the same flowing white shirt and pants he’d worn at the hospital. There were lines of tension branching from his eyes. A tension that matched what she’d heard in his voice last night.

  He paused to look her up and down, and his jaw dropped. He began a more leisurely perusal of her, his pupils expanding. “You...you...”

  “Yes?” she asked hopefully. Are beautiful? Stunning? Worth trying to kiss again?

  “Are wearing the clothing I picked for you.” A croak.

  “Yes.” She waited. He said nothing more.

  Seriously? That’s all she got? The obvious? “I’ll eat if you eat,” she grumbled.

  He thought for a moment, nodded stiffly and sat at the table. Nicola eased into the chair beside him. There was a plate piled high with oranges, strawberries, bananas and melon. She selected a strawberry and bit into the center, the juice running down her throat and making her moan.

  “Oh, that’s good.” Almost enough to make her forget Koldo’s lack of appreciation for her makeover. Almost.

  He reached out and swiped a droplet that had dribbled onto her chin. Her eyes widened as he brought the finger to his mouth, and tasted. “It is,” he agreed, a husky note to his voice.

  Her skin tingled where he’d touched her, burning in the most delectable way. And when his gaze lowered to where his finger had been, a gleam of satisfaction glowed in his eyes.

  Okay, so she finally forgot.

  “You’re in better spirits today,” he said.

  She liked that he was so attuned to her. “I am.”

  “Why?”

  Her unease with yesterday’s kiss was private, something between them, not something to be shared even with her beloved twin. “So,” she said, changing the subject. “Who decorated your house?”

  There was a pause before he shrugged, and said, “I did,” surprising her. What, no pushing for an answer? No deep concern for what had bothered her?

  You’re a mess. “Just so I’m clear, you decorated every room?”

  “Yes, every room.”

  “But...there’s so much pink in mine.”

  “And I can’t like pink?”

  Her eyes widened. “The room is yours?”

  “No. But when I was younger and foolish, I hoped my moth—” He pressed his lips together. “Never mind.”

  Hoped his...mother would stay with him? What had made him think such a hope was foolish?

  “Sorry, guys, but I’m in desperate need of a thousand profees.” Laila stood, pushing back her chair. “And maybe a total body massage, a nap, an hour-long shower and a TV marathon of How I Met Your Mother.”

  “Profees?” Koldo asked.

  “Ibuprofen,” Nicola explained.

  “Once they kick in, I plan to get ready for my date. By the way, I’m sorry I busted into your room last night. It won’t happen again. Probably.” Laila shambled out of the kitchen.

  Koldo held Nicola’s gaze. “Why the change?” he asked, pouncing the moment they were alone.

  He’d known why she’d avoided the question. He’d cared. Melting... “I was embarrassed that I’d passed out.”

  A breath gushed from him, and she thought she caught threads of relief. “I never want you to be embarrassed with me, Nicola.”

  “Good, because I’m over it,” she said. Mostly.

  “So, you didn’t regret what we had done? Didn’t think I was too rough?”

  “Not at all. You were amazing.”

  “Then why did you dress this way for your date?” he asked softly. “As if you crave another man’s desire.”

  She gulped, then answered honestly, “I—I didn’t.” I did it for you.

  A pause. Then, in a strained voice, “I don’t want you to go. I...need you here. With me.”

  Nicola’s stomach performed a series of flip-flops. The way he’d said the word need—he did care. And he’d issued a request this time, rather than a demand. Her own relief was palpable, her elation hard to tamp down. But... “I wish I could cancel. I really do.” Just then, more than anything. “But you heard Laila. She’s excited, and she won’t go without me. And she’s been so upset, and I’ve been so worried about the toxin inside her. I need her calm, peaceful and joyous.”

  “You can control your emotions, not hers.”

  “I know, but I have to try something.” Please understand.

  His hands were on the edge of the table, and his knuckles began to bleach of color. Finally, the side of the table snapped off, wood chips raining on the floor. Koldo jumped to his feet and stomped from the room.

  Leaving her alone.

  So heartbreakingly alone.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THANE LANDED IN THE CENTER of Teaze, a salon and dance club on earth that catered to immortals. Eleven women of varying species bustled around the small building, each prettier and more scantily clad than the last. The only male on the premises was William of the Dark, aka the Ever Randy, aka the warrior who refused to reveal his origins, and he was currently sitting in a swivel chair with sheets of foil in his hair.

  “I know you’re here,” William said, sipping at a glass of what looked to be ambrosia-laced red wine.

  Tensing, Thane stepped into the natural realm to fully reveal himself to the warrior. Immediately he smelled the sweet scent of the wine, the sharp odor of hair products, the pungent aroma of nail polish and the familiar fragrance of sex. Lots and lots of sex.

  William must have bedded every single one of the stylists.

  “How did you know?” No one could sense him when he had no wish to be sensed.

  “He’s been saying that every two minutes for the last hour,” said the girl stepping up to William to remove the foil.

  Electric-blue eyes glittered as William handed his glass to a female strolling past him—electric-blue eyes that reminded Thane of Axel. But then, there was a reason for that. “Did you have to ruin it, Lakeysha?”

  The gorgeous black girl grin
ned widely. “Well, yeah. You ruined me for other men, so I thought I’d return the favor somehow.”

  Thane studied the building, halfway expecting their easy banter to be a trick, for an enemy to be waiting in the shadows, ready to attack him. He saw bricks and mortar, open indoor spaces with fifteen beauty chairs, or whatever they were called, and a row of round hair dryers and sinks. No menacing shadows. No swish of a weapon.

  In the back was a big red door. If he were to walk through it, he knew he would enter the club, where there were small cages hanging from the ceiling, and poles stretching from individual tiers. A thump, thump of rock music shook the very foundation of the building.

  “I should be offended,” William said, having noticed Thane’s darting gaze. “I’ve done nothing to earn your distrust.”

  “You live. You breathe. That’s enough.”

  William had shacked up with the Lords of the Underworld—immortal warriors fighting to free themselves from the dark urges of the demons that oppressed them. He had spent centuries locked inside the prison Tartarus, both for his philandering ways and his savage temper. He would kill anyone at any time for any reason.

  Without a doubt, he wasn’t the most trustworthy of males. But intel was intel, and Thane wanted to know what he knew.

  Thane had asked some of his shadier connections at the Downfall what they knew about the six demons responsible for the travesty in the skies, and while he had learned several interesting things, he hadn’t learned anything of value.

  “Clearly I got your message,” William said. “You wanted to meet, so here we are. What do you want?”

  Many things. They would start with information. “You are Lucifer’s brother.”

  For a moment, the affable mask William sometimes wore fell away, revealing the vicious warrior at his core. “He’s my adopted brother. Adopted. We’re not blood.”

  “You were both fostered by Hades, the keeper of Sheol.”

  A pop of his jaw. “Yeah. So?”

  So they both thought the same way. Surely. “Where are his minions? The six demons responsible for my king’s death?”

  “How should I know?”

  An evasion. One that wouldn’t be tolerated. “The demons are now living among the humans. You are now living among humans. They are evil. You are evil. They came from hell. You spent many centuries in hell. You should know where they went.”

  Far from offended by the description, William puffed up. “They could be anywhere. Everywhere. You’ll have to draw them out.”

  “How?”

  “Do I really need to do your job for you?” William shrugged wide shoulders. “Fine. I will. There might be a whole pack of you guys on their tails, but that doesn’t mean you’ll find them. So, put a bounty on their heads. Even their mothers would turn them in—if they had mothers, of course.”

  Every warrior instinct he possessed rebelled. “And take the kill out of my own hands?”

  “But the job will be done, so I don’t really see the problem.”

  Of course William saw no problem. He thought only of the goal, not the collateral damage. “The job may be done—but it may not. I wouldn’t know for sure, since I had no part of it. And demons lie. They are never to be trusted.”

  The girl finished with the foil, and William waved her away.

  “If I fail to destroy their forces,” Thane added, “someone else will step into their role. Their plans must be stopped at the root.”

  William snickered like a teenage boy. “You said root.”

  This is one of the many reasons I kill demons. This right here. No, William wasn’t actually a demon. He’d even fought and escaped hell, allowing light to shine in the darkness of his soul. But he’d since begun to race down the road that led back into the darkness. So, he qualified.

  “Look. I have a feeling you’ll be a little too busy shopping for bras to set a trap for the demons you want killed,” William said. “You’re a what? Forty-two C? Lakeysha over there will give you hers, I bet, freeing up your time and allowing you to do as I suggested.”

  Thane had to admire his courage. “As I said, demons lie. Demons cheat. I will never trust them to do the job for me. I or someone I trust will make the kill. What can you do to aid me?”

  “Nothing.”

  Perhaps the warrior would reconsider. “I know you have always desired to know who your real parents are.”

  William stilled, and for a moment, he appeared to stop breathing.

  “I can help you with that,” Thane said. “Aid for aid.”

  A sharp inhalation of breath, proving the action hadn’t malfunctioned permanently. “Fine. I’ll set a meeting with Maleah. You’ve heard of her, I’m guessing?”

  Maleah. Who hadn’t heard of her?

  Once a Sent One, she had been the most decorated soldier in their realm of the skies. She had been so decorated, in fact, that scheduling a meeting with her had been harder than scheduling a meeting with the king. Then, one day, she was gone, fallen, and no one had known why or what had happened.

  “Set the meeting,” Thane said. “As for the information I owe, check with the Sent One named Axel. I think you’ll discover something very interesting during your first conversation.”

  * * *

  THANE, BJORN AND XERXES armed themselves for war.

  The meeting with Maleah was scheduled to happen in half an hour. William had worked fast—and the childish male would have snickered had he heard Thane’s thoughts on the matter.

  Thane had returned home with just enough time to bed a new female in an effort to clear his mind and ease the growing pressure to succeed. Afterward, he had alerted his boys. At least Kendra wouldn’t be bothering him again. Yesterday, he’d done the unthinkable.

  He’d given her to her people.

  The number of Phoenix had severely declined over the centuries, since very few of their women were able to conceive. That was why the males continually hunted the females. If one was ever found, she was immediately whisked to a Phoenix camp—and kept there forevermore.

  By now, Kendra had been wedded to a warrior. By now, she was once again a slave.

  Thane should feel guilty.

  He didn’t feel guilty.

  He probably never would.

  “I’ve felt the tension in this realm of the heavens, as well as the earth, and knew it was a prelude to the coming war,” Bjorn said. “I knew an enemy was planning some kind of attack, but I assumed that enemy would spring from the Titans trying to overtake and rule the world.”

  “Titans...demons...what’s the difference?” Xerxes said.

  Not much. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they’re working together.”

  Thane finished snapping the metal on his arms, each etched with number after number to represent the Most High’s promise for strength, then tugged on his gloves and smacked his friends on the shoulder. He preferred this armor over that formed by his robe. “No one comes to our territory and hurts our people. The demons wanted a war, and so we will give them a war.”

  “To the king,” Bjorn said.

  “He hadn’t yet finished his course,” Xerxes said, “but he’s now at peace, his spirit in the Most High’s realm of the heavens. A far better place.”

  They shared a moment of silence, each remembering the good the king had done them over the years.

  Together, they stalked out of their suite and to the roof of the club. Thane flared his wings. A darkened sky stretched all around him, stars glittering prettily.

  “And now we will finish our course.” Thane dived into the night, heading down, down, down, and angling west. Air whipped against his skin, tangled his hair, becoming warmer the closer he got to the ground, even when the snowcapped Sierra Nevada came into view. There was a wealth of pine trees, and a lake as clear as crystal. Human ski huts. Humans trudging through the snow.

  And there was Maleah’s place. A cabin comprised of stone and ice, hidden in a cliff. Sent Ones liked to dwell in the elements, and the falle
n female must have clung to the habit.

  Thane misted through the walls and found himself inside a room lacking any sort of comfort. There were computers, TV screens, radios and all kinds of other equipment, but no couches, cushions or blankets. No photos.

  A female he’d heard about but never seen manned everything with a sharp eye and a constant tapping on a keyboard. She looked like a Goth princess, with her white skin, long white hair, multiple tattoos and piercings. A thick sweep of bangs hid her forehead and framed her big blue eyes.

  Bjorn and Xerxes landed beside him.

  “Pretty,” Bjorn said, looking her over. “I hadn’t heard that fact.”

  If she cooperated, perhaps he would take her to the Downfall for a few days of fun. If not...

  He couldn’t kill her. That would be against the rules. But he could do other unpleasant things.

  “I expected you sooner,” she said suddenly. Her chair swiveled around, and she pinged Thane with an unwavering stare.

  She shouldn’t have been able to sense him. Just then, she was human.

  And pretty failed to do her justice, he realized. Her features were bold, sensual. She had a thick fan of white lashes, and heavy-lidded eyes. A strong nose, with a piercing curling from both nostrils. Well-defined cheekbones. Lush lips, with two barbells beneath the lower. A stubborn chin.

  He stepped into the natural realm. “Impossible,” he said. “You knew exactly when I would come.”

  “I knew when you were scheduled to come. I thought you’d be in a bit more of a hurry.” Her gaze swept over him, taking him in. Whether or not she liked what she saw, he couldn’t be sure. Her hardened expression never changed. “William said you were a cocky one.”

  She hadn’t heard of him while she’d lived in the skies. He was somewhat offended. “Are you his lover?”

  She chuckled with genuine amusement—but she never confirmed or denied.

  Bjorn and Xerxes joined him in the natural, and she gave the warriors the same once-over. Again, her expression remained blank, unreadable.

  “Armed for war, I see,” she said. “Against me?” There was no fear in her tone. Only acceptance.

  “Why did you fall?” Thane asked.