“I’ll see you there, little lamb. Careful not to taunt the wolves, they share territory and pussy.”
His lips brushed across my shoulder, and I shivered, hating that my body responded to his. It was basic logic, I told myself. He was a man; I was a woman. Shit tended to get twisted, and panties ended up in a bunch on the floor. I just had to fight it. I’d spent three months hiding inside of my house to do just that. I’d been mixing potions to sell, purifying crystals, and endlessly working only to fall into bed exhausted, no longer haunted by the oceanic eyes that had controlled my dreams. No more, he could kiss my ass.
“Maybe I’d like it since I’m such a slut,” I offered, moving away from him to let him mull it over.
His chest rattled, and I closed my eyes, ignoring the need to answer him. My body arched, and my spine curved for him. My hands held onto the wood, and I screamed before it split, sending an entire shelf of herbs crashing onto the floor. I turned, glaring at him as a cocky smile crossed his lips.
“The alphas wouldn’t be enough to satisfy you, Aria.”
He turned, walking out of the shop as Valeria moved closer, staring at me. I shook my head, unable to open my mouth as my gums ached, and my spine shifted.
“That can’t be good,” she uttered, bending down to pick up the herbs. “You hurt yourself, didn’t you? You were trying to ignore the noise he made, and oh my God, Aria, he makes the same sound as you do.”
“It’s not good, it’s really not good,” I whispered through the pain in my mouth. “Something isn’t right.”
“Yeah, you got a dental problem. Aurora said it was best not to tell you because you thought you were going insane, but Aria, you’ve got a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. I saw them when Sabine touched you while Knox held you with his; they matched. It was intense and scary as shit, Aria. You also had a little pyro problem.”
“Why didn’t anyone say anything?”
“Duh, you weren’t handling it very well. You were shutting down, and telling you wouldn’t make it better. In fact, I’m not even sure why I am telling you now!” she cried, staring down at the vial of potion that had shattered when it hit the floor. “Damn, truth potion.” She sat back and looked up at me sadly. “You are my sister, and I don’t care if you’re…whatever you are. We all have some major issues, y’know? You’re just more like us now, not different.”
“I love you, too. I know you guys are trying to protect me, but you can’t protect me from something that is literally inside of me.”
“Yeah, I mentioned that to them. Not everyone agreed to hide it from you. When I turned into a teenager, my other half was already a part of me. Aine and Luna, they transformed at sixteen. You’re twenty-five and just now starting your transformation. The rest of us have lived our entire lives knowing what we would become. We’ve had time to adjust, to realize that changing was normal. You’ve never known, and you have no idea what to expect. It is a part of you, but it’s more.”
“I thought I might have been a cat shifter.”
“You made fire, so unless you’re like some mythical cat, I doubt it.”
“Yeah, and fangs,” I groaned.
“I’m not so sure I’d qualify those as fangs. You have an entire row of razor-sharp teeth on the top, and I wasn’t getting close enough to give you an exam. I’m the fun one, not the crazy one. Ask Reign to do that, she’s the crazy one.”
“Great. I’m a monster.”
Chapter 40
I entered the alpha mansion in a crimson red dress with slits that stopped just below my hips. It was vivid, exposing the curve of my hips and accentuating my cleavage by showing off the rounded tops of my breasts with a small V-line, without revealing too much. The entire back of the dress was decorated in thin, crisscrossed laces to keep it secured. My hair was up, exposing the curve of my throat, forcing me to add concealer to the light scar from Knox’s teeth adorning my shoulder, which still hadn’t healed enough to vanish. I’d forgone any other makeup, settling on just a touch of lipstick to match the dress, and mascara to make my eyes pop.
“Well, ladies, shall we move?” Valeria clapped her hands together, smiling at the men who turned as we entered. “I’m getting laid, how about you?” she chuckled, staring down the stairs.
My eyes searched the crowd, not entirely happy with the amount of attention we’d drawn with our entrance. Our names were called, and, one by one, someone came to escort us down the stairs to the ballroom floor. I started down the stairs slowly, since I was wearing higher heels than I was used to. They were a perfect match to the dress, tied around my calves into delicate bows, adding to the sex appeal.
I reached the landing in the middle of the stairs and lifted my gaze, finding Lore studying me as he walked forward, extending his elbow to escort me down the stairs with a naughty grin on his full lips.
“Red suits you, Aria. A primal color for a primal beauty, my lady,” he said, bowing at the waist before he rose, offering me his hand.
“Thank you, Lore.” I smiled at his attempt at humor, or what I assumed was him jesting at my expense. Slipping my arm through his, he walked me to the bottom of the stairs, and then leaned closer, kissing my cheek.
“Be careful tonight. Don’t wake the beast, little one,” he offered cryptically before starting through the crowd.
I frowned, uncertain what to do with myself once I stood alone. I was already awkward enough, but alone I felt even more so. My sisters were already on the dancefloor, dancing. My gaze slowly slid through the crowd, finally finding and settling on the male I’d searched for. He watched me with his arm around a small, petite Asian woman’s waist. I rolled my eyes, starting toward the bar to grab a drink. I should have stayed home and played sick tonight.
At the bar, I leaned over and smiled at the bartender, who whistled beneath his breath as he approached me. “Scotch, neat.” I turned around with my elbows leaning back against the bar, watching the people decked out in their finery.
It was insane how many immortals had come to the gathering, but then, like us, most had been ordered to attend. The crowd was filled with happy couples dancing to the slow beats of Motown jazz that soothed my soul and made me wish I had someone with which to dance. Not that I felt left out, but sometimes I did wish I had one person who would hold me and dance with me like I meant something to them.
The bartender returned with my drink. Accepting it politely, I brought it close to my nose, staring over the rim as I watched Knox lean against his date, whispering into her ear, which caused her to throw her head back and laugh like an idiot.
“Dick,” I muttered before taking a sip and dismissing him.
“Aria Hecate, is that you, trouble?”
I turned to the voice, narrowing my eyes on the man with dark hair bound behind his head. A pair of striking alpha blue eyes studied me, never dipping below my face, which was refreshing. I sucked my lip between my teeth and tilted my head, trying to remember who he was, and then smiled wide as it hit me.
“Dimitri?” I asked cautiously, watching as his lips curved into a smile. “Oh my word, it is you!” I stood, hugging him as he let his hands settle on my hips, inhaling my scent before I pulled away. “Look at you, you grew up from that puny little kid into…oh, wow, you’re buff.” My hand tested his arms, smiling wider as he chuckled at my response.