Mated to War (5 page)

“No, they won’t. Thank them for
me and let them know I’ll assign Charli and Emily their own set of guards as of
tomorrow.”

“Will do,” Devil replied,
grinning. “Good luck with your mate. I thought Gabby was unpredictable, but
damn, she’s nothing like Charli.”

Judge watched his brother walk
away whistling. His mate’s actions may have raised more questions than provided
answers, but it would seem they had eased Devil’s suspicions somewhat. Now to
discover a little more about his mate.

Chapter Seven

Charli sat beside her sister’s
bed, her heart a lot lighter than it had been earlier. It was always the way.
Whenever Emily was admitted to the hospital, Charli felt the urge to gamble. It
would become too overwhelming that no matter how hard she tried to fight it she
always found herself on a casino floor, winning money. It was money she had no
need for, nor desire for. Fortunately she had found someone who did need it in Sister
Mary. Each time she handed over her winnings to the orphanage, the bindings
around her heart eased. If only the feeling would last longer than a day or so.

Another sensation hit her. One
she knew all too well. Tingles spread throughout her head, warning her of what
was to come. Her sight grew cloudier as the images in her vision became
clearer.

She
found herself in an unfamiliar bedroom. A man stalked toward her.

“Judge,”
she gasped as she took in his impressive body. He took her breath away.

His
chest was dusted with hair, calling to her. Below the crisp strands lay a solid
mass of muscle. Reaching up, she tangled her fingers through the hair as she
kneaded the flesh beneath. A long, soft hiss whispered past her ears, telling
her Judge liked what she was doing.

Since
her experience with naked men was lacking, she let her instincts lead her.
Leaning forward slightly, she was eager to explore his chest with more than
just her hands. Her lips found one of his nipples. It was his turn to gasp. The
sound urged her on as she sucked his nipple deeper into her mouth. A hand came
up, holding her head to his chest, encouraging her to continue. Like she had
the ability to stop. This man tasted magnificent, welcoming her home from the
long journey she had no knowledge of being on.

Every
sound he made and each touch of his free hand had her excitement soaring. It
was reaching for the skies and the heavens beyond, promising the kind of
euphoria only this man could offer. The very thought of it had her climbing higher.

A
thick finger found her clitoris, flicking it. The sensation sent electricity
throughout her whole being, awakening every nerve ending within her body. Her
mouth came away from his nipple, dislodged by the gasps and moans escaping past
her lips. The noises she made seemed to carry her closer to the unknown. Light
blinded her as her body shook, sending her catapulting over the edge. A silent
scream stuck in her throat as she came.

She was pulled unceremoniously
from her vision by a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry to disturb your daydreaming,
Charli. But there’s a guy asking to come in and see both you and Emily,” the
nurse explained. “He says he’s your boyfriend.”

“Um
…
” Charli mumbled, attempting to
shake off the residual effects of the vision. “Did he give you his name?”

“Judge Martin,” came the nurse’s
response before a blush covered her face. “Is he really a judge? Because if he
is I might have to consider taking up a life of crime.”

Laughing, Charli shook her head.
“No, he owns a hotel and casino.”

This sent the nurse out of the
room, the woman’s excitement at Judge’s appearance obvious for all to see.
Charli could understand her reaction to him. She was having the same trouble
fighting the effect he had on her. The very thought of him had her pussy leaking.

A hiss sounded behind her. “I
can smell your flowing juices, kitten.” Judge’s voice sounded by her ear before
a kiss landed on her cheek. “They’d better be for me, mate!”

“W-what
…
” she stuttered in an attempt to
avoid his question. Of course turning to face him didn’t help her arousal.
“What are you doing here?”

“Where else would I be? I’m sure
I told you I would be back either tonight or tomorrow.” It was true. He had
messaged or called her every day to share his plans and ask after Emily. “Don’t
think that changing the subject will get you out of answering my question. Who
is your pussy wet for?”

Embarrassment swamped her. Did
he really expect her to answer such a question? Never before had anyone spoken
to her so openly about sex. She had no way of knowing how to respond, except
with the truth.

“You,” she said, sighing.

“Thank you, kitten.” Again he
kissed her cheek. “But why are you so embarrassed by your reaction to me? We
are mates!”

How could she make this
beautiful man, who no doubt had women falling at his feet, understand that she
lacked the experience to fulfill him in the bedroom? Was she even contemplating
a relationship with him, especially with the danger that lurked in every shadow
she cast?

In reality, she knew somewhere
in her heart she craved the sort of relationship Judge was offering. It was the
reason the fates had just shared that vision with her. She had to have accepted
it on some level otherwise the vision couldn’t exist.

Knowledge of the future was only
gifted to psychics once it was set in concrete and decisions were made. It told
Charli that no matter how often her brain screamed at her to run in order to
protect Judge, she had somewhere along the line accepted what he was to her and
in turn, accepted him as her mate. Otherwise that vision that had left her hot
and bothered could only be put down to her imagination. And she didn’t have a
very good one, just ask her high school English teachers.

A vibrating sounded behind her,
pulling her from her ponderings. Judge was looking down at his phone, smiling.
When he raised his gaze to her his eyes were full of laughter.

“It would seem that the girls
have harassed poor Viper into inviting you to a girls’ lunch tomorrow at the
hotel. It will be the first outing Nikki has been on since her attack, and she
wanted you and Gabby to be with her,” Judge explained. “Are you free tomorrow
or do you have clients to meet?”

“I rearranged everything as soon
as Emily was admitted. I’m free, but what about Viper, won’t he want to be with
her?”

“He’s been banned and so has
Devil. They have both been accused of hovering over Nikki too much.”

“Viper I can understand, but why
Devil. Isn’t he Gabby’s mate?”

“Yes,” Judge said as he sat in
the other chair in the room. “But remember, his vampire blood now runs through
Nikki’s body too. He knows what untrained vampires are capable of, and he won’t
allow anyone in his family to experience the aftereffects. It’s not a pretty
thing to go through.”

“Oh,” she replied, still unsure
about Devil. He scared her. “Well if it’s just going to be the three of us,
that I can handle. I would love to see how Nikki’s doing.”

“Just a warning, it might not
just be the three of you. Our little sister is due back from her holiday any
day now. If she’s back, she’ll be invited too.” Judge smiled. “You’ll love
Jewel. Though I do fear what trouble the four of you could get into.”

“Well don’t expect me to tell
you if we do,” Charli teased. For something she rarely did, it felt natural
with Judge.

“Oh you will be telling me,
mate. Tomorrow night over an early dinner before we check on Emily.”

“Since when are we having
dinner?”

“What, you didn’t foresee that?”
Judge joked. “Actually I have a proposal that will definitely offer you
protection as well as provide Emily with a little bit of normalcy in her life.”

“Really? Now I’m intrigued.”

“Then you’ll have dinner with me
tomorrow?” Judge asked. If she was reading him correctly, he was slightly
nervous about her response. This strong, beautiful man, who could have any
woman he wanted, was worried about being rejected by her.

It was now or never. Was she
going to continue lying to herself about where her future lay or was she going
to trust in not only her own visions but Emily’s as well? Her little sister had
confirmed that Judge was the man she had seen in her visions. The man whose
future intertwined with Charli’s. She could almost renounce fate, but the one
thing she had yet to find the strength to do was deny Emily any glimmer of
happiness.

“I’ll have dinner with you,
Judge. And not just because I’m interested in this proposal of yours.”

She felt surprise at how much
she truly meant her words. Excitement raced through her as her mind flicked
through her wardrobe choices, trying to find a suitable outfit for her date. To
her dismay she couldn’t find anything that would have her holding her head up
proudly as she walked beside this man.

Her clothing had always been
worn to serve a purpose. To help her blend in with her surroundings. None of
the colors of the rainbow were represented in her wardrobe. Instead the book
Fifty
Shades of Grey
came to mind. She needed to do some shopping and fast if she
was going to be suitably dressed for lunch with Nikki and Gabby, plus maybe
Judge’s little sister. Then dinner with the magnificent man who was currently
entertaining the now-awake Emily with the exploits of the children in his
pride.

The truth was, she had no idea
of even where to begin shopping in Las Vegas. She decided a call to Nikki
tomorrow morning was on the books. Surely she would be able to point Charli in
the right direction. With a plan in place, she turned her attention to her
little sister just in time to hear the sweet giggle erupting from her mouth.

Chapter Eight

Smoothing down her dress, Charli
took one last look at her reflection in the large glass paneling at the
entrance of the hotel. She was running late for lunch with Nikki and Gabby and
had no excuse except for the fact that she had somewhere along the line
forgotten what it was like to be a young lady.

She’d visited the shopping complex
that Nikki had suggested and completely got lost in the labyrinth of female
clothing outlets. Colors she wouldn’t normally consider wearing called to her,
asking her to lash out and take them home. She did exactly that, spending more
than she’d anticipated and offering a splash of color to her otherwise dull
wardrobe.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said,
rushing to the table that Nikki and Gabby currently occupied. “I lost all track
of time this morning.”

“Don’t apologize.” Nikki got up
to hug Charli. Once she was seated, she added, “Gabby and I both know what it’s
like to lose ourselves in those shops. Next time we’ll have to make it a girls’
day out. Maybe when Jewel gets back from her holiday. She’s going to be upset
that her plane got delayed.”

“Yes, and you can show me where
you got that dress from,” Gabby added before rubbing her stomach. “I could
probably still pull it off for at least another month. And this woman needs
some ravishing from her mate rather than constant protection.”

“Aww, is poor Gabby not getting
any?” Nikki teased.

“Oh I’m getting it, just not the
dirty stuff I want. Lately Devil has been so gentle with me it’s beyond
frustrating,” Gabby whined. “What the hell happened to my aggressive mate?”

“Oh he’s still there,” Charli
muttered quietly, remembering her first interaction with the man. He still
scared the crap out of her.

Gabby reached over the table and
patted Charli’s hand. “Don’t worry too much about Devil, Charli. I’m not going
to say his bark is worse than his bite because that’s simply not true. But he
would never harm anyone he considers family.”

“But I’m not a member of his
family, Gabby. I’m just a thief in his eyes.”

“No, you’re Judge’s mate.”

“Yeah, about that. How did you
two deal with being mates to Devil and Viper?” Charli asked. “I’ve heard the
term
mating bond
before but know very
little about it. And I never would have dreamt I had a mate out there. Hell,
I’ve never been on a date, let alone become serious about someone. I feel like
I’ve been thrown to the lions, quite literally!”

“If you’re judging your reaction
against ours, then that’s normal,” Nikki replied, grabbing Charli’s free hand.
“Gabby and I felt the same way when our fellas proclaimed us as their mates.
Baptism by fire is the way I like to think about it.”

“By hellfire, in my case,” Gabby
added dreamily.

“Sorry, Charli, this pregnancy
is playing havoc with her emotions,” Nikki apologized. “But in a sense Gabby’s
story is closer to yours than mine is, if what I’m hearing from you is correct.
Devil took Gabby’s virginity, though he didn’t know at the time that she was
inexperienced and his mate.”

“It was still hot as hell,”
Gabby chimed in. “Until he kicked me out of the hotel room with a bunch of
money.”

“What?” Charli shouted, insulted
for her new friend. Realizing she had gained some of the other patrons’
attention, she lowered her voice. “And you are still with him?”

“I will be the first to admit
that my mate is a hard person to like. Even Nikki still has trouble sometimes,
don’t you?” Gabby asked her friend. After receiving a nod, she continued, “He’d
been lied to about me when we first met. He thought I was a call girl. Anyway,
long story short, when he discovered the truth behind the lie he sought me out
only to discover I was his mate. He claimed me for that reason alone at first
and then pushed me away. It wasn’t until I realized that I was his weakness and
that was unacceptable to him that I found it in my heart to forgive him.”

“Of course it took us being
kidnapped for him to come to his senses,” Nikki added.

“Wait, kidnapped, by who?”
Charli asked, sitting forward. With a quick scan of the crowded restaurant she
ensured their conversation wasn’t being overheard before turning her attention
back to her new friends.

“By one of the local crime
bosses. He wanted something he thought I had. I didn’t, but that didn’t stop
him,” Gabby explained, shrugging. “Anyway, I had a rocky start to my
relationship with my mate. But it all worked out.”

“What about you, Nikki? If you
don’t mind me asking?”

“Of course not. You know some of
it anyway,” Nikki replied, squeezing the hand she still held. “I met Viper when
he saved me from the crime boss. He knew a little of my past, which is why he
didn’t tell me about our bond for several weeks. Instead he wooed me, as he
likes to call it. He visited me every night after work, slowly building up my
trust in him. Then the nightmare of Paul returned. Viper told me who I was to
him, but still he didn’t rush me. Soon enough I fell in love with him. But only
once I had realized that he was nothing like Paul. And the rest I think you
know.”

“Wow, and here I was worried
about bringing danger into Judge’s life. It would seem that it’s already
there,” Charli said, laughing uneasily. “I’m almost afraid I won’t be able to
live up to that excitement. Talk about dull.”

“Please, what are you talking
about?” Gabby asked. “You rushed in and saved Nikki’s life. You even went
toe-to-toe with the big alpha mountain lion. Then you stole his car and
disappeared for a week. When he finally caught up with you, your sister is
rushed to the hospital. I haven’t known Judge for long, but I haven’t seen him
so unhinged.”

Nikki nodded. “It’s true,
Charli. Even Viper has been worried about him.”

“He’s had a lot going on with
his pride,” Charli offered, ducking her head, trying to hide her embarrassment.
And thanking the waitress’s good timing.

When they were alone once more,
Nikki leaned forward and said, “True, but that’s nothing new to him. He’s been
alpha of the pride for more years than any of us have been alive. And he’s seen
much worse than a child going missing. He can handle situations like that with
his eyes closed. You, on the other hand, he has no experience with. The guys
only have one mate in this lifetime, and this is all new to him too.”

“It’s true, Charli,” Gabby
added. “Judge, both here in the casino and hotel, plus in his pride, is the
lawmaker. It’s what’s expected and generally what people do. What he says goes.
Except with you, his mate.”

Before she could respond a
shadow fell over her. “Well, well, well. And here I thought you were a figment
of Delgado’s imagination. Yet here you sit, Clarissa.”

It was a name she hadn’t heard
in two years. One she no longer answered to. It may be on her birth
certificate, but for safety’s sake she’d had to bury it in her past along with
everything her mother had bestowed upon her. Now her past had caught up to her.

“And who the hell are you?”
Gabby demanded as Nikki tried to pull Charli further into the booth. But she
couldn’t allow this man any room to sit with them.

“Oh sorry, where are my
manners?” The man stared down at them. With his hand on his chest, he
introduced himself. “My name is Jonah Biesterman.”

“Did you say Biesterman?” Nikki
stuttered.

“I see you have heard of my
family. I’m here to take over my uncle’s interests,” the man replied. “You may
not have heard, he died last month.”

“And what are you doing here, in
the hotel?” Gabby demanded again.

“I came to see one of the owners
of this joint. A Devil Torments. But imagine my surprise when I walked in and
saw Clarissa sitting here. Luck is shining down on me today,” Jonah said,
reaching a hand toward Charli. She flinched away. “There’s a price on her head,
but now seeing her, I’m not sure I’ll hand her over to Delgado. I can make a
million in a day, but I don’t come across women like this every day.”

Though the words were coming
from the man’s mouth, Charli
knew
they didn’t suit him. Something was off with this scenario, and she couldn’t
quite put her finger on what it was. As if eager to prove her right, her
ability gave her a little more information. An image came to her, one of this
man. It spoke of his true nature, and it depicted a man very different from the
one who stood before her now.

Don’t
say a word. Otherwise you’re sentencing him to death,
came the feminine voice in her
head. It was one she didn’t recognize.

****

“So you really think this plan
of yours will work?” Viper asked.

“It has to,” Judge proclaimed.
“I can offer Charli what she needs, in terms of protection for herself and
Emily, as well as a home and no more hospital stays for Emily.”

“What happened to
my mate will do as she’s told
,” Devil
asked, smirking as he threw Judge’s words back in his face. Words spoken before
he knew he had a mate.

“From what little I know of her
past, I very much doubt she will go for that. Her father and his boss
controlled her and her gift for most of her teen years through abuse. I won’t
ask her to hand over that sort of control again. I don’t need to be a psychic
to know that it’s a surefire way of losing her.”

“You might have no choice but to
let her go,” Devil stated before a grin appeared on his face. “Chaos seems to
have taken a liking to her. He even calls her
sweetpea
.”

He knew his brother was trying
to get a rise out of him, but it wasn’t going to work. Apart from the fact that
Chaos had a mate out there somewhere, the honor he carried within just his
little finger far outweighed what an average man held within his whole body. It
just wasn’t in Chaos to move in on anyone’s mate. Judge knew that without a
shadow of a doubt.

Out of them all, he was the
closest to Chaos, and he knew the sort of affection that the endearment
“sweetpea” carried. It was that of brotherly affection. Judge had the privilege
of witnessing a similar relationship between Chaos and a witch who was on the
run from her family. It was a few years before he had discovered his mate’s
existence, which meant he was free to initiate a romantic liaison. Instead he
helped her find a safe community where she would be protected. No, he wasn’t falling
for Devil’s jibes.

“I have no problem with him
calling her whatever name he wishes, as long as it’s respectful,” Judge
replied, reminding his vampire brother that he expected the same from him too.
“Chaos is no threat.”

“No, but someone else is,” Viper
interjected as he moved toward the office door. “The girls have an unwelcome
visitor. Saul Biesterman’s nephew is downstairs claiming that your mate has a
price on her head. Though what I’m getting from Nikki is that he’s looking to
keep her for himself.”

“Like hell he is!” Judge
growled, heading toward the lift and his mate’s side. As he did so, he phoned
his security team, ensuring his mate would be protected while he dealt with
this little weasel.

Saul Biesterman had been the man
who’d kidnapped Gabby and Nikki and nearly killed them both. Judge and Chaos
had taken great pleasure wiping the earth of his existence. But it seemed they
were yet to be free of the crime boss. Apparently, Saul’s nephew was taking up
where his uncle had left off, only this time it was his mate rather than Devil
and Viper’s that was being threatened. Judge’s ire grew the closer the lift
carried them to the ground floor. By the time he reached the restaurant he was
ready to rip the man’s head off and to hell with the witnesses.