Burdened by Desire Read online

  Table of Contents

  Burdened by Desire

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  A word about the author...

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  Burdened

  by

  Desire

  by

  J. L. Sheppard

  Elemental Sisters, Book Two

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Burdened by Desire

  COPYRIGHT © 2013 by J. L. Sheppard

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Angela Anderson

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Black Rose Edition, 2013

  Print ISBN 978-1-62830-017-8

  Digital ISBN 978-1-62830-018-5

  Elemental Sisters Series, Book Two

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To my mother, Mariela Lopez,

  for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself.

  Acknowledgments

  I’ve wanted to write my whole life, but the difference between wanting and doing is vast. I would have never accomplished it had I not had the support, encouragement, and advice of several individuals for whom I am grateful.

  First, my husband, Brett Sheppard, whose love inspires me every day. To John Sheppard, grandfather and fellow author, who motivated me to follow my lifelong dream. To my family and extended family for all their continued encouragement.

  Last but surely not least, a big thank you to my editor, Lill Farrell, and the Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  Prologue

  It had been a long month without his female, the woman destined for him. But fate was cruel or had been cruel to him. He was destined for a female not of his kind but of a new breed of immortals.

  Which breed didn’t matter, what mattered was she could never be what he needed. She could never bear him wolves, alphas like himself, which would irrevocably lead to the extinction of his kind. It was an abomination, inconceivable. And so, they could never be.

  But the knowledge didn’t deter his mind from wandering and wondering. He spent every waking hour of every day dreaming of his fated female, her long golden brown hair, her shapely figure, and her piercing brown eyes that bore into his soul.

  What they could have been had she been a wolf. He pictured his life with her time and time again. He imagined her sprawled on his bed, wearing a white dress, pregnant with life he helped create.

  Never was he granted a reprieve. At night in slumber, she’d infiltrated his dreams. He dreamed and dreamed, and more and more it was all he wanted to do…dream. Of her with him.

  He would never forget her. The distance he forced had done nothing to soothe his aching soul. It had done nothing to diminish that she was his. He tried to deny it at first, thinking it nothing more than a cosmic mistake, but after a month without a glimpse of her, there was no question.

  She belonged to him.

  Chapter 1

  Two Months Later…

  The music was louder than it had ever been before; it drummed and thumped. Jocelyn felt the beats of techno in her chest as the multicolored lights blinded her. Her superior and more acute than ever hearing was leaving little to enjoy in the New York City nightclub.

  She pushed her way through the crowd of people searching for her posse of new friends she had met barely a month ago at New York University after transferring from California. It was well past midnight; they’d agreed to meet here but were nowhere in sight, not yet at least.

  She felt a burning sensation in the back of her neck as if a pair of immortal eyes were making their presence known; she quickly spun assuming it was one of Lucas’s Guardians.

  Lucas was her over protective brother-in-law and the demon king who refused to allow her to go anywhere without being accompanied. She fussed time and time again, but as her sister, Jenna, had said, there was no way he would take no for an answer. He’d send guards with or without her consent whether she liked it or not.

  She’d only recently met Lucas and reunited with her sister, Jenna. They were separated after their mother’s death when she was only a year old. Jenna had discovered she along with their three other sisters were part of a new breed of immortals prophesied to evolve after the turn of the century.

  Jocelyn incessantly searched the crowd but didn’t see a familiar face. None of Lucas’s brothers-in-arms acknowledged their presence, which was unusual. They usually allowed her a glimpse of them because they found her relentless fussing to the demon king amusing. A lean hand clasped her shoulder and spun her around.

  “Joce,” Katelyn, one of her new friends, exclaimed.

  “Hey,” she replied, ecstatic she no longer had to search the large club.

  “You’ll never guess who’s here?” she asked without waiting for Jocelyn’s response, she blurted, “Michael! He came to see you, of course.” She flung her long blonde hair backwards.

  Her psychic instincts never lied. She feared this would happen, her new friends trying to set her up with someone. It was the last thing she needed. There were things about herself she couldn’t reveal, not even with her new friends.

  “Um...I don’t know if…”

  “Hush, before I make you. It’s not like it’s a date,” Katelyn said jokingly. “Just dance a little, have him buy you a drink. It’s not a marriage proposal. Loosen up, doll.”

  Jocelyn nodded as Katelyn grabbed her hand and pulled her through the mass of people dancing and laughing with drinks in their hands. She stopped at the bar where three others awaited them.

  She waved to two of her other friends, Grace and Joshua, while Katelyn introduced her to the handsome Michael, tall and lean with dark hair and intense hazel eyes.

  “Let me get you a drink,” he said as his eyes trailed up and down her body. “What would you like?”

  “A rum and coke, please,” she replied once again feeling the burning sensation running along her back. She winced and turned but again saw no one she knew.

  “Jocelyn,” Michael called distracting her from the icky sense someone was watching her. “Here you go,” he said, handing her the drink.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “You look gorgeous,” he complimented her as his eyes bore into hers.

  Jocelyn flushed. She took a drink of her cocktail, eager f
or some liquid courage. “Thanks.”

  “Katelyn told me you are new to NYU.”

  “Yes, I just transferred. Moved from California to be closer to my sister.”

  “How do you like it so far?”

  She pondered how to answer his question without insulting the new city everyone raved about then settled for, “It’s different.”

  He laughed, slightly amusing her. “You know, I’m a psychology major.”

  Well, well wasn’t that all she needed. Could he read right through her or just her last comment? “I guess you can tell from what I said that I’m not exactly thrilled to be in New York then.” He nodded. “It’s just not what I’m used to. It takes time, I guess.”

  As her friends headed to the dance floor, he asked her to join him. She agreed, and they danced for about half an hour before the burning awareness prickled its way up her spine. Aggravated, she excused herself and headed to the bathroom.

  She entered a stall and closed the door behind her as she pulled her phone from her clutch bag and dialed her sister, Jenna. She answered on the first ring, “Hello.”

  “Hey,” she whispered.

  “Something wrong?” Jenna asked, feeling her sister’s worry. They possessed the ability to sense each other’s emotions. While Jenna was already an Elemental, with abilities to control the four classical elements, earth, fire, wind, and water, Jocelyn had yet to meet her mate, and as a result her powers hadn’t developed.

  “Who’s watching me tonight?” she asked.

  “Clyde and Cain. Why?”

  An angel and a demon were watching her. Well great, she thought. “Oh, I just…” She trailed off.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I feel like someone’s watching me…but…never mind…”

  “It’s probably just them.”

  Jocelyn contemplated Jenna’s response. It probably was them, but then why did she have the strong sense that it wasn’t? She couldn’t really explain it. “You’re right. Don’t worry. I gotta go, but I’ll be home early tonight.”

  “You mean before four then?” Jenna asked.

  “Ha-ha, very funny, but yes before four,” she replied then quickly hung up. She left the stall and walked over to a long mirror at the end of the bathroom to freshen up her make-up.

  As she left the bathroom, Michael headed toward her just as she spotted Cain grabbing a drink at the bar.

  “I’ll be right back,” she told him half sprinting in her six inch heels to reach Cain, her bodyguard and friend.

  He noticed her and smiled right away, his perfectly handsome chiseled features always disarmed her. “What’s up?” he said nonchalantly. “I hope you didn’t run all the way over here to ream me while leaving your date baffled. You know I have to follow orders,” he said the latter more seriously.

  “Actually, I came to ask you which one of you is watching me so closely you are burning holes in the back of my neck.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” he laughed. At her no-nonsense expression, he handed her his drink, quickly walking away as he fished his phone out of his pocket, pulling it toward his ear.

  “Ugh,” she sighed under her breath.

  She walked over to Michael drink in hand. “Who was that?” he asked, surely feeling a tad insecure after watching the towering blond-haired, blue-eyed demon.

  “A friend.”

  “And he brought you a drink?”

  “No, this was his, but apparently he has something better to do than drink, so he handed it over to me. Want some?” She took a drink, wincing when she realized it was whisky.

  “Oh,” he replied. “Want to dance some more?”

  She nodded and followed him toward the hopping dance floor. They danced close together as the whisky she continued to gulp down heated her with courage. Annoyed with her protective personal bodyguards, she allowed her mind to roam far away from immortals, abnormal abilities, and her own fear of being captured again.

  Jocelyn fought to control her fear, battled to forget, but she only fooled herself. She didn’t truly believe she’d be able to overlook the weeks she’d been held prisoner by Lucas’s twin brother and leader of the Malum Inmortalis, the evil immortals that fought to rule mortals and immortals alike. Lucas, along with the League of Guardians, fought to destroy them. Her experience had resulted in lasting damage, and even worse she couldn’t protect herself until she found her mate and her powers developed.

  It was her sad little story, and the only people she could confide in were nothing like her, except for Jenna, but even her sister couldn’t completely understand how she felt. No one had abducted her, and she had Lucas, her mate. Jenna’s powers evolved as quickly as she’d been thrust into the immortal world; she could fight and protect herself. So Jocelyn tried to live as if she was just a regular human. She went to school, attempting to finish the degree she would have completed if she hadn’t been abducted, and she made new friends. She cooked and cleaned even though Lucas had maids. She did everything she could to feel normal when in fact, she wasn’t.

  Hopelessness was a new feeling, but now it consumed her. She was hopeless in her make-believe human life and in her very-real immortal life. Stuck in the middle of two worlds that were millenniums apart.

  Lost in an alcohol-created fantasy, she was just like the rest of her new friends. She laughed and danced with them as she finished her whisky, compliments of Cain.

  Michael grabbed her hand and spun her as she trod carefully, wary she would fall on her face. She grew weary and drunk, not a good combination. Excusing herself, she headed to the bathroom. A hand grasped her elbow and pulled her backwards.

  It was Jenna’s guardian angel, Clyde. “I think it’s time we take you home,” he said sternly as he pulled his dark hair away from his face. “You’ve had too much to drink.”

  “So…” she retorted just as sternly, then laughed loudly. “Okay. I’ve probably had too much to drink. Let me say bye to my friends.”

  Jocelyn bid her farewell and promised to call Katelyn in the morning. She hugged Michael goodbye and noticed his stare directed in Clyde’s direction. Great, she thought. Jealous again. It would definitely never work out with him. Insanely attractive men always surrounded her. She hadn’t met a single immortal who wasn’t good looking.

  She walked out of the club with Clyde by her side. “Where’s Cain?” she asked as she steadied her step by placing her hand on his arm.

  “Probably back home,” he replied. “This way, come,” he said leading her through an alley.

  Back home? Cain never left without her before. He took his job and responsibility very seriously, often crossing the line of bodyguard to friend.

  “Why are we taking this route?” she asked genuinely concerned as he pulled her harder. Her chest grew heavy, and her heart began to thump wildly.

  “Let’s go, princess,” he said as he faced her. His black-brown locks turned deep red and long, and his blue eyes became green. Clyde or who she thought was Clyde turned into someone else. Recognition lit her face. She gasped. It was the queen of fairies, Aleta Leventis, who’d allied with the Malums.

  Jocelyn turned to run in her six-inch heels and berated herself for getting drunk. Aleta appeared before her, her green eyes permeating evil.

  “You think to get away from me?”

  Jocelyn stood shocked and afraid. It was only a matter of time before she was taken prisoner again. “I have no powers. I’m useless to you.”

  “That’s what you think,” Aleta replied as she blasted her with magic.

  Jocelyn cried out. Before the magic hit her, she instinctively extended her arm, winds burst through her hand, flinging the queen backwards. It did nothing to deter the queen’s spell. The magic struck her, and she fell. She tried to move, but couldn’t. She grew anxious, and sweat beaded on her brow. Paralyzed by the spell, there was nothing she could do.

  Oh! Gods no! Not again, she thought. Frozen in time and unable to move, Jocelyn prayed for any of her bodyguards.
br />   Cain appeared and lunged at the queen as Clyde flew from atop the building; his glorious white wings embedded with silver specks glowed in the dark. Cain launched himself toward Aleta, striking her in the face before she vanished before their eyes.

  “Damn it!” Cain yelled as he rushed toward Jocelyn and carried her. “I’m so sorry, Joce. I really am. This is my fault. Your sister and Lucas are gonna have my ass for this,” he confided in her.

  Still paralyzed by the spell and terrified, she couldn’t console him, her friend. A single tear slid from her eyes.

  “Don’t cry, Joce. It’s gonna be okay,” Cain soothed her as he dematerialized, taking her with him.

  Chapter 2

  “What happened?” Jocelyn heard and felt her sister’s distress as Cain placed her on the large beige couch in Lucas’s Manhattan apartment.

  “It was Aleta. She managed to get her alone. I don’t know how it happened. I swear. I was watching her closely. She went into the bathroom then…gone,” Cain said clearly distraught and disappointed in himself. “I’m so sorry, my queen. Please forgive me,” he said and kneeled before Jenna.

  “Cain, please get up! You know I hate it when you do that,” she said as she walked over to Jocelyn and placed a hand on her forehead.

  Calm, a towering Lucas stepped forward. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “It’s magic,” Clyde chimed in. “From the smell of the stuff, it’s purely evil.”

  Lucas pulled out his phone and dialed. “Benjamin, get Kellen, now. Jocelyn’s been attacked.” He hung up and placed his arm around Jenna steadying her.

  Jocelyn tried to steady her nerves, being unable to talk terrified her more than the attack had. How long would she be unable to move? An hour, a day, forever? How long before she could tell them that she’d used her power over the wind? How had she done so? She hadn’t met her mate yet, so her abilities shouldn’t be evolving.

  Kellen’s voice resonated a second later. The king of elves was also a Guardian and battled with his warriors against Malums.

  Kellen drew toward Jocelyn and breathed heavily, taking in the scent that permeated her immobilized skin. “Its black magic.”