Burdened by Desire Read online

  “And…” Jenna replied impatiently.

  “I can’t say for sure how long it will last. I can create a spell to counteract it. It would drive the black magic toward me.”

  “Is it safe for you both?” Lucas asked.

  “Yes, elves have natural defenses against magic, especially black magic. I’ll need to return home and get some herbs.”

  Lucas nodded toward Benjamin, silently ordering him to assist Kellen.

  Jocelyn lay immobile observing Jenna’s beauty now overshadowed by concern. She could feel her sister’s distress and grief making her grow more panicked at her inability to reassure Jenna that she was as okay as she could be.

  “Jenna, my heart, maybe you should go into the other room,” Lucas advised.

  “Lucas, please don’t. This is my sister.”

  He slowly reached over to her and placed his arm on her shoulder. “I know, but your nerves are affecting her.”

  Jenna’s watery eyes reached his. “But I can’t leave her.”

  Lucas embraced his mate soothing her. “Kellen will help us. Don’t worry.”

  Just as Kellen returned, Jenna and Jocelyn’s nerves were partially subsiding. He placed a series of herbs on the coffee table near Jocelyn and ignited them. He turned toward her and recited a counteracting spell:

  Böse Magie Unterlassungserklärung

  Lassen Sie die Kontrolle

  Komm in mir

  Wo wirst du sterben einen süßen endlose Tod

  Evil magic desist

  Release your control

  Come into me

  Where you'll die a sweet endless death

  Kellen’s cheeks flushed; his pointed ears extended as the black magic that had befallen Jocelyn pierced him. He winced and fell backwards as the magic battled to consume him. Benjamin materialized behind him and caught him before he hit the floor, placing him on the opposite couch.

  “Can you move?” Jenna asked her.

  Jocelyn sat up with her sister’s help. “Yes.”

  “I’m fine,” Kellen announced to the others as he stood up. “It’s worse than I thought,” he addressed Lucas directly. “The spell had the power to keep her paralyzed for months. It would have led to her death. It’s forbidden for elves and fairies to practice black magic. I don’t see how she is still queen unless the council is unaware.”

  “I thought she was Clyde,” Jocelyn rasped. Everyone turned to face her. “I don’t know how but...I was headed to the bathroom when she grabbed me. I thought it was Clyde…it looked just like him, his mannerisms and everything.”

  “Cain, you said you saw her go into the bathroom?” Lucas asked.

  Cain nodded.

  “So she created a spell to disguise herself; she created another to create an illusion Jocelyn had in fact entered the restroom, and then created another to paralyze her?” Kellen asked visibly disturbed at the thought.

  “What?” Jenna prodded impatiently.

  “It’s not good. The only way someone can use that much spell-casting power is by stealing it from others. Each of those spells requires a lot of power, and even the most powerful can only cast them one at a time. She does not possess such abilities, and she used all of them to cause harm to another. She has disregarded her breed’s laws; it’s punishable by death.”

  “How could she steal another fairy’s power?” Benjamin asked.

  “By killing them,” Clyde answered for Kellen.

  Lucas marched toward Kellen, took his hand, and shook it firmly. “I cannot fully express my gratitude,” he said just as Jenna walked over to the towering elf and embraced him.

  “Thank you so much,” Jenna said.

  Lucas pulled his mate away as Jocelyn walked over to Kellen. “Thank you,” she said.

  “It has been my pleasure. I’ll let you all rest. We can discuss this further tomorrow at the Guardian meeting.”

  ****

  After everyone settled down, it was nearly three a.m., and Jocelyn was physically and mentally drained, not to mention she had a class at ten a.m. the following morning. Jenna walked her to her room and was about to turn away, when Jocelyn called out to her.

  “Yes,” she replied spinning around seemingly still distraught from the night’s ordeal.

  The dark circles under Jenna’s eyes made her feel guilty knowing she had put her through so much in just one night.

  “Tonight, umm…when Aleta…I used my power over the wind.”

  Jenna expression shifted, a smile tugged at her lips and her eyes widened. She walked toward Jocelyn. “That means you must have met your mate.”

  Jocelyn nodded.

  “This is great news!” Jenna beamed.

  Huh? Great news? Jocelyn thought. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about it. On one hand, it meant her abilities would now evolve. She’d be able to defend herself, but it also meant she was expected to be with one man for the rest of her eternal life. She didn’t even know who he was. What if it was one of Lucas’s warriors? No, it can’t be, she thought. She would’ve known the second their eyes met hers because she witnessed the longing and love in Lucas’s eyes when he gazed at Jenna. No one looked at her like that.

  “Why aren’t you more excited? Isn’t this what you wanted? To be able to protect yourself without getting sweaty as you put it?”

  Jocelyn nodded weakly. It was what she wanted, but she never thought about the mate part. Up until today, she only focused on having the ability to protect herself.

  “Listen, shower and get to bed. We will talk about this tomorrow. Okay?” Jenna said as she kissed her sister on the forehead.

  “Okay,” she replied.

  ****

  Friday dragged on and on. By the time Jocelyn’s two classes were over, she needed a nice long nap. She was headed out of her last class when she dropped her notebook and bent over to reach for it. She straightened to find Michael staring at her.

  “Hi,” he greeted.

  “Hi,” she replied.

  “I was hoping to bump into you today. I thought maybe we could go for a cup of coffee sometime.”

  “I…um…”

  “You’re not interested?” he inquired.

  “It’s not that…” she said as she wondered how she was supposed to explain that nothing could ever happen between them because she was destined for someone else. There was no way to phrase that without sounding like a psychopath.

  “I get it,” he said, sounding disappointed.

  Jocelyn’s heart ached for him. She knew from experience rejection was hard. Jocelyn had dated a boy in high school for two years. Graduation day, he’d broken things off insisting they needed to experience life without each other. Jocelyn had been heartbroken. She’d assumed they would marry. The experience had soured her toward relationships and the opposite sex. Since then she promised herself it would never happen again. It hadn’t. Although she dated often, it had never gone farther than a few dates.

  “It’s not that. It’s the reason I didn’t want anyone to set me up. I’m not relationship material. Trust me, and the last thing I want to do is lead you on. That would make me no better than the scum who made me this way.”

  “I understand and appreciate your honesty. Let’s be friends then.”

  She nodded and watched him as he walked away.

  After speaking to Michael, she walked New York’s streets briskly heading back to Lucas’s lavish Manhattan apartment, which she called home, hoping she didn’t bump into any of her friends. She knew Cain was watching her from a distance. He always was. She was sure he hadn’t made his presence known because he could read her emotions and knew she wasn’t in the mood for company. He always gave her space when she needed it. It was one of the reasons she appreciated his friendship. He didn’t hover.

  She was nearly two blocks away when a man walked right into her path, and she stumbled falling forward. The man wrapped his muscled arm around her waist and caught her before she hit the ground. She turned, ready to confront the idiot making h
er fall, when her eyes settled on his crystalline blue ones. His brown hair was styled in a military-style crew cut, and he wore a short-sleeved polo shirt revealing the tribal tattoo that covered the length of his right arm.

  The sight of him made her heart shudder. He wasn’t a stranger. He was the man who’d found her in the Malum compound hiding in the closet. And he was more than just a man, he was a werewolf.

  Chapter 3

  “Landon,” she whispered under her breath.

  “Jocelyn,” he greeted as he smirked. “It’s been a while.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked him clearly annoyed.

  “Who was that guy?” he asked as his smile faded, replaced by a scowl.

  “What guy?”

  “The one you were talking to,” he said sternly.

  The fury he felt from watching her with the mortal stirred inside him again. He wanted to whisk her away then, but his temper had been ferocious. Once he discovered Aleta had attacked her, he’d destroyed his office. Ransacking everything in his path in a fit of rage. No one had been able to stop him. He didn’t want her to see him in such a state, so he waited, let his temper subside. Only later, his temper reached a new high after watching that mortal attempt to seduce her. She was his. She wasn’t supposed to be enticed by any other man.

  Jocelyn’s face grew bright red with anger. “Are you stalking me now? I don’t have to tell you anything.”

  “Well, I heard what you were talking about anyway. Remember, I have better senses than most men, so it doesn’t really matter. All I wanted to know is how you know him and to let you know he’s not good enough for you.”

  “What do you know about what’s good enough for me or what I need in a man? I can’t believe you. You are so infuriating! It’s none of your business!”

  “Yes, it is…” he blurted but stopped himself before his words betrayed him, and he confessed she was his female.

  “I think I’ll date him just to piss you off,” she said smirking.

  He took several deep breaths attempting to calm the wolf seething inside him. It wouldn’t help his case if he turned wolf for all of Manhattan to see.

  “I heard about last night,” he said nonchalantly changing the subject.

  “And?”

  “And I thought we could have a talk,” he said. “There’s a coffee shop around the corner.”

  “Please, Landon. I think I’ve had enough of you for today. I don’t need your berating,” she retorted.

  He stared at her for several moments admiring the irritated expression on her face. It was so much better than just dreaming of her.

  “Well, you are going to hear it whether you like it or not.”

  “Really? How do you plan to do that?”

  His eyes glimmered briefly as sparks of yellow weaved into the blue. “I will carry you kicking and screaming like a child, then spank you. We can do this my way or yours.”

  “Ugh! Fine, I’ll listen to your scolding, but you have five minutes,” she said as she held up her hand to signal five.

  They walked to a nearby coffee shop where Landon ordered them a couple of cappuccinos then he instructed her to have a seat at the far end of the shop. He sat directly in front of her, his steel blue eyes settled on hers, and she looked away.

  “What were you thinking?” he asked. “You shouldn’t have been out at all. You know they’re looking for you. What would possess you to do such a thing?”

  Jocelyn’s jaw fell open. “I don’t understand how this is any of your business.”

  “It’s Guardian business; therefore, it’s my business,” his voice low and menacing.

  “Whatever. I have Lucas on my ass twenty-four-seven, not to mention my sister, so I don’t need you to worry about me. Got it, wolf,” she said snidely.

  Being so close to her affected him dearly, all he wanted to do was carry her back to his home and make her his. Her spiteful comments made his hot temper spike and did nothing to diminish his desire to claim her.

  “Unless you want me to be your personal bodyguard, I will advise you to stay home.”

  “Are you crazy? I already have two of Lucas’s warriors guarding me at all times. I don’t need another,” she said. Her cheeks flushed with anger.

  “Well, they are doing a shitty job, so I’ll take over.”

  “Oh, you are crazy! I swear, Landon, if you start following me I will be very…” She paused as if searching for the right word. “…angry.”

  He chuckled then leaned in toward her, his intense gaze locked with hers. He heard her heart beat quicken. He smiled enjoying her reaction to his proximity.

  “Do you think that will keep me away? Your fickle anger?”

  “I’m done with your crap and your five minutes are up,” she said as she stood and walked away.

  ****

  Landon stomped toward Lucas’s home, livid with his stubborn female. Why couldn’t she understand that he was just trying to keep her safe, trying to protect her?

  It had been three months since he’d last seen her, and she looked gorgeous. She had infuriated him beyond belief. Nonetheless, she was irresistible. Last time he’d seen her, she’d been thin and frail. She’d just spent several weeks in the hands of the leader of the Malums, Lucas’s twin brother David, who’d abducted her and had planned to force her to mate with him. Landon along with the Guardians had freed her. Now, she was a vision of perfection, more so than before. Her waist was still small, but she’d gained some weight making her breasts plump at least a cup larger.

  That night, all he wanted to do was forget her. She was his female, but she wasn’t a wolf and would never be accepted by his pack. He was alpha, and his duty was to protect them, breed alphas, but his female could never give him that. He was damned, so he stayed away from her despite his deepest cravings. After just one week without seeing her, she’d infiltrated his dreams. Burdening him with not only the knowledge that she was just within reach but showing him everything he was missing by choosing to forsake her.

  He didn’t know how he’d managed to stay away for so long. He wrestled with his unfathomable yearning, battled his desire that burned deeper and deeper as his days drifted by. He had to forget her. There was no other way. His loyalty and honor resided with his pack. He couldn’t leave them without an alpha. It was them or her, and he had chosen the least selfish choice, his pack, even if it killed him.

  Landon finally reached the fifteen-story apartment building where Lucas resided with his mate, his warriors, and Jocelyn. He hadn’t seen her head this way. He couldn’t scent her either, which only meant he had frustrated her enough she wouldn’t interrupt his conversation with the demon king.

  Landon took a deep cleansing breath and stepped inside, sensing he was watched. Benjamin, one of Lucas’s warriors, appeared before his eyes.

  “Landon, what gives us the pleasure?” Benjamin asked nonchalantly.

  “I’ve come to speak to Lucas,” he said hoping he sounded calm even as his temperature spiked along with his anger.

  “What’s so important it couldn’t have waited until tonight’s meeting?”

  “That’s for me to know and for Lucas to find out,” he snapped.

  “I see you haven’t learned any manners,” Benjamin replied coolly disappearing and reappearing seconds later. “He’ll see you.”

  I would have barged in either way, he thought.

  Landon entered the elevator and rode up to the tenth floor following Benjamin through an impeccably decorated large living area, up two flights of stairs and finally into Lucas’s office.

  Wood bookshelves lined most of the interior of the large room. A burgundy chair and sofa sat at one end, and Lucas’s carved mahogany desk stood in the middle where he sat with his mate by his side. Lucas stood and walked over to the front of his desk.

  “Welcome, would you like to sit?” the six-and-a-half foot demon asked.

  “No, thanks,” he replied. “I was hoping we could speak in private.”

&
nbsp; “Whatever you say to me can be said in front of my mate,” Lucas retorted, insulted.

  “Fine,” Landon replied just as harshly as he shifted his weight. “I’ve come to ask you how you could have managed to put Jocelyn in danger.”

  Lucas’s eyes simmered in red rage as his mate, Jenna, stepped forward ready to strike. Lucas placed his arm in front of her signaling he’d handle the matter.

  “Jocelyn is my sister too now. We take many steps to ensure her safety. She never leaves her home without being accompanied.”

  “Yet, Aleta still managed to get her filthy hands on her!” Landon countered as his rage prickled.

  “She is using black magic now, which I was going to explain to the Guardians tonight, but you couldn’t wait. Aleta managed to create an illusion to make my men believe Jocelyn was still inside the club. She also managed to disguise herself as Clyde, luring her out of my men’s reach. Even so, they managed to find her, and they brought her back safely.”

  “Since when are you so fond of Clyde? Is he one of your men now?” Landon chided hoping to incense Lucas.

  Only it failed; he only succeeded in angering the Elemental, Jenna, her eyes now fully engulfed in red. Landon acknowledged if she reacted, fire would spew from her. There would be nothing left of him but ash.

  “Let’s get this straight, wolf. You do not come into our home to lecture me on how to care for my sister,” she seethed. “I found her after years of searching for her at the hands of the enemy. She is here and safe.”

  “I saved her! You shouldn’t let her leave this house,” Landon shouted as he took a step toward them.

  “And what? We saved her from one prison to take her to another? That makes sense to you, wolf?” she asked.

  “You can’t keep her safe. I’ll watch over her from now on!”

  “You ass…” Jenna began but Lucas softly touched her shoulder, calming her.

  “How long have you known?” Lucas asked serenely.

  “Known what, demon?” Landon asked avoiding the question.

  “Don’t play games, wolf. You’ve already insulted me, my mate, my warriors in my own home. There is only one reason why I haven’t ripped you to shreds, and that’s because you are apparently mated to my mate’s sister. Isn’t that true?”