Walk on the Striped Side (29 page)

Aric would need a mate.
Bone-crushing sadness enveloped her. She wanted to go hit something. Maybe
shoot something. Dryness took over her throat. “So they’re going to get mates
during this ceremony as well?”

Ellie nodded, her lips pursing. “If
my mom has her way, yes. She’s invited a bevy of females for Aric, Mason,
Nathan, and Jake to choose from.”

Her stomach knotted at the thought
of Aric choosing another woman while she watched. Distress twisted massive
knots in her stomach. It was definitely best for her to watch from a distance.
If she caught some woman sniffing Aric, she might forget her composure and let
her well-known temper loose.

“Are you sure you still want to do
this?” Ellie’s gaze held a note of sympathy.

She nodded, folded her arms over
her chest, and bit her lip. “If I want to write an accurate account about your
kind in the book, then yes, I do.”

Where the hell were Karla, Emma and
Nicole? This was ladies night. Okay, more like “let’s get drunk, man bash, and
eat a lot night” but still. Her friends had never been late for wine and food.

She was about to open her mouth when
the doorbell rang. The three consecutive rings indicated at least Emma and
Karla had arrived. Emma always rang the bell three times in a row. It was like
a nervous tick or something.

Jordan stood to open the door and
her legs tried to fold under her. Shit, how many glasses had she had? She
slowly made her way to the front door to let her friends inside.

Another round of rings met her at
the door.

“I’m here, cool your heels.”

She jerked the door open and found
the three missing amigas.

Emma’s gaze roamed her face. “Damn,
Jordan, how long have you been drinking?”

She licked her lips, tasting the
residual wine on them. “Not long. Why do you ask?”

Karla tickled her side as she
sashayed past her. “You’re all red in the face. You only get flushed like that
when we talk sex or you’ve had like a ton of wine. We all know that.”

Jordan was probably flushed from
all the thoughts of Aric. Damn man made her get all flustered without even
being in the vicinity. “Get inside and stop whining or you won’t get any food.”

Emma shoved her aside and made a
beeline for the kitchen behind Karla and Nicole. “Thank God. I’m starving.”

Jordan snorted. Her friends would
never change. “Yeah, okay. I didn’t cook this time. Sorry.”

Emma turned to her with wide eyes.
“You mean you didn’t make the flan or the empanadas?”

She shook her head. Her friends
loved the chicken and shrimp filled dough. “Sorry. It was my night off.”

“Since when? You and Ellie are the
cooks. Nicole and Karla are the bakers. And I’m the eater.”

Jordan laughed. “We’re all eaters.
I don’t see a single skinny person here. Now go. We have take-out in the oven.
We’ll eat now that you’re all here.”

She followed the others into the
dining room. For as long as she could remember the five of them being friends,
Ellie had always been the worrywart in the group. Though the others had met the
Wolfe’s back in college, she and Ellie had been friends the longest. It worried
Jordan to see Ellie so quiet. Somehow, she knew that the scenting ceremony was
not as simple for Ellie as she made it sound. While her family may not be
putting pressure on her to mate, it was probably not the case with the others
in the pack.

“Alright! Pizza!” Nicole cheered.

“Thank God. I swear I could eat a
horse.” Emma rubbed her stomach dramatically.

Jordan lifted a brow. “Um, didn’t
you already eat horse when you did that stint in China during your semester
abroad?”

“Hell no. I did take a stab at the
fried bugs, but I just couldn’t go past a single bite.” She wrinkled her nose.

Nicole grimaced. “Damn woman, I
couldn’t even take the one bite. You got bigger balls than me.”

“It has been established that Emma
has bigger balls than most men.” Jordan ran her fingers through her hair.

“Will you all get in here already?
You know I can hear you, and I’d like to participate in how big Emma’s balls
are,” Ellie yelled.

They brought the warm pizza boxes
into the living room. Jordan opened a new bottle of wine and maneuvered it with
the extra glasses onto the coffee table.

“Alright. Now that we are all here,
I need to inform you that Ellie has agreed to let us watch the scenting
ceremony.”

Everyone spoke at the same time.

Emma lifted her wineglass. “That’s
awesome!”

“Finally,” Nicole said between
pizza bites.

Karla laughed. “Leave it to Jordan
to wear the poor woman down.”

“Hey, I resent that. I will have
you know. I did not wear her down. I may have offered my first born, ninety
percent of my paycheck for a year, and a possible front seat to some Broadway
show, but that’s it.” Jordan leaned back on her easy chair, the single item in
her house she’d bought not caring about how it went with the décor. The fluffy
chair was like being snuggled by a giant pair of warm hands. It had an
automatic heater and massager. Hell, not that she’d tell her friends, but one
of the reasons she’d bought it was because the damn thing started vibrating
under her ass at the store. She’d gotten embarrassed and excited at the time.
Oh, the possibilities.

“So,” Emma, the other bossy one in
the group other than Jordan started, “what’s the plan?”

Jordan laughed, holding the glass
of wine by her lips. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Taunting
Destiny

By

Amelia Hutchins

CHAPTER
ONE

I turned away from the window, and
ran like my life depended upon it. Because, right then, I thought it did.
Instinctively, I knew I wasn’t supposed to see what I had. Ryder had been
torturing Guild Warlocks along with some other men that I think were Fae, but I
wasn’t sure what they were—they could just as easily have been human. I knew
better than to try and be some kind of army of one just so I could figure it
out. I sped up, narrowly avoiding the manicured shrubbery on his extensive
lawn, dodging trees as I refused to look back. I wasn’t dumb enough to turn
around and peek over my shoulder. I was the type who yelled at the girls in
scary movies who did so.

I didn’t stop running; even when I
heard the hounds let loose a series of horrible sounding howls. They were far
enough away that if I made it to the highway, I might live long enough to get
away from them. As far as I could tell, none of the Fae inside the house had
sifted out, and I was still unable to sift myself.

A horn blared as I hit the
pavement, and I barely avoided becoming a pancake as I jumped backwards to
avoid an eighteen wheeler loaded down with logs. An old green Buick behind it
screeched on its brakes and came to a stop about a quarter mile up the road.

I exhaled a deep, shaky breath and
looked down the highway. No cars were around, besides the one that had stopped.
I looked back up as reverse lights came on and the car started backing up. I
turned and looked back at the mansion. I could just make out its lights in the
distance.

I caught a glimpse of green glowing
eyes from the bushes that were surrounding the fence that encompassed the
property. A sharp snuffling noise was all the additional incentive I needed to
book it toward the car that was still backing up. When I reached the pale green
Buick, I slowed. The older female driver reached over and rolled down the
window. She had graying hair and thick glasses perched on her nose. Her misting
gray eyes were sharp, though.

“Are you crazy!?” she shouted as
she bobbed her head to get a better look at me.

I was dressed in jeans, wearing
flip-flops, and hanging on to my purse for dear life. I tried to speak, but my words
were jumbled up in my head after what I had seen.

“You look half-scared to death, get
in. What are you doing out here?” she asked as I quickly opened the car door,
and took my seat beside her.

“I need to go to the Spokane Guild.
I need to get there as fast as this old car can go, lady,” I said, already
grabbing the seatbelt and clicking it.

“Are you one of those Fae?” she
queried, eyeing me carefully.

“No, I’m an Enforcer for the Guild,
and this is an emergency!” I shouted and felt bad for all of a second. I had
slightly lied. I wasn’t technically an enforcer, anymore, and I hadn’t fully
transitioned to Fae yet—see, only a little white lie, really. She hit the gas,
and the car’s ass-end fishtailed back onto the highway.

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” she
raised her voice to be heard over the old engine.

We pulled up to the Guild about
twenty minutes later. I thanked her for the ride and ran up the steps. I was
met and surrounded by the Guild’s guards. Ten built Enforcers stood around me,
forming a circle to keep me contained.  I was getting dirty looks, and
most of these guards had been in my class. “Micah, this is serious!” I said to
the squad leader. Micah smiled coldly, his hazel eyes showing excitement that
made a chill sweep down my spine. “Either tell Alden to get down here, or let
me go up!” I shouted, not caring that they had weapons trained on me. I was not
the enemy, and I was a hell of a lot faster than they were. I tapped my foot
and glared at them.

“Your kind is not welcome here,
Synthia,” he smiled coldly.

“My kind!? You mean the kind that
saved your stupid ass on countless trial assignments? My kind that saved you
from being kicked out? That kind, Micah?” I seethed. My kind my ass!

“You’re not even one of us! The
only reason no one has placed a fucking mark on your pretty little head, is
because your ‘uncle’ is refusing to issue—”

“Enough! Micah, go inside. Now,”
Alden said coming down the concrete stairs swiftly. His eyes scanned me
briefly, before he nodded to Tate who gave me an apologetic look before patting
me down.

“She’s clean,” he said after
stepping back.

“I’d like to speak to you alone,
Alden,” I growled narrowing my eyes.

“That won’t happen ever again,
Synthia. The Guild does not associate with the Fae. Not unless you have a job that
you needed us to take.”

Does not associate with the Fae?

“You might change your mind when
you hear what I tell you,” I snapped.

“Go home,” Alden replied.

“No! I won’t go home. You need to
hear what I have to say. I just—”

“I said go home,” Alden snarled and
glared at me.

The Enforcers behind him snickered
and laughed at me. I fought the urge to give them a solid jolt of my magic,
but, with my luck, I’d end up in chains for it. That is, if I could still tap
into it. I hadn’t been able to tap my magic since Larissa had died. “Alden,” I
replied coldly. “I need to talk to you.”

“Go home, Synthia, I’ll call you
later.”

 Something in his eyes made me
hesitate; something was off here. I could feel the hostility from the
Enforcers, but I could also feel the urgency in Alden’s voice, and something
else I couldn’t place yet. “Fine, but you need to hear what I have to tell
you.”

“The Guild is no longer helping the
Fae. If it pertains to that, you can forget it. You are no longer welcome here
Synthia, nor is Adam. You have been warned,” Alden said as something passed in
his eyes. He turned, and left me standing there gawking at his retreating back.

I turned the other way, and started
down the stairs as the Enforcers closed in and escorted me from the building.
I’d come here to report to Alden that people were being hurt—Guild members were
being hurt! What the hell had happened in the week that I’d taken off to mourn
my best friend? Had the entire world gone crazy?

I had expected to get the cold
shoulder from the Guild, but not from Alden. Something was up, and it seemed
like he just wanted me away from the Guild. Mix that with what had been going
down with Ryder and his men, and you had a shit soup being stirred. It wouldn’t
be served cold, either.

I’d walked home, oblivious to
anything around me. I was so lost in thought that I almost missed my house. I
shook off the dark images of what I’d witnessed at Ryder’s hands, and walked up
the sidewalk that made a path over the dead grass in my yard.

I'd gotten my key into the lock and
was pushing the door open when I felt his presence. That tingly electrical
feeling like there was a downed power line nearby. I pushed the door all the
way open, and stepped over the threshold, hoping the wards would prevent him
from entering. “Ryder,” I whispered as the memory of him worshiping my body
flashed through my mind.

“You ran from me again, Pet,” he
growled as he stepped from around a large rose bush. He was still wearing his
cloak. His eyes flashed golden fire as they raked down the length of my body.

“Yeah, I saw what you were doing
and wasn’t sure if I’d be next. The Guild gets a bit upset when their own are
abused, so, unless you want to tell me why you were torturing a room full of
Guild Warlocks and those other guys, go away.” Sometimes I really needed a
filter for my mouth.

“What I was doing inside my
property isn’t any of your concern. You’ve been through enough lately.”

“Give me one good reason why I
shouldn’t call the Guild and report this hmm?” I bluffed, crossing my arms and
meeting him head on without showing a lick of fear. He strode forward and
stopped inches from the door frame. I backed up, far enough that I was pretty
sure he couldn’t touch me, or force me from the house.  I smiled and
cocked my head at him.

“I could make you come outside,” he
grinned, and tilted his head to mimic mine, which caused his inky black hair to
fall gently over his face. He was distracting me, and I wanted to know what
he’d been doing in his mansion.

“Try,” I growled.

“I think you like it when I force
your decisions.”

“Think again,” I snapped and
narrowed my eyes on him.

“How does it feel to have my brand
on you, Pet?” I was going to get whiplash one day from his topic changes. His
smile was cold, but somehow, still managed to be beautiful. He gave me a smug
little look as he folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned his shoulder
against the door frame. “I know that’s why you came to the mansion. I could
feel it as it was etching itself into your beautiful flesh.”

“I told you I couldn’t be owned.
You had no right to put it on me in the first place,” I replied coldly.

“You are mine, Syn. Make no mistake
of thinking otherwise. I own you until after your Transition.” His lips kicked
up into a wicked grin and his eyes slid down my body slowly. His voice was
soft, tempting, and beguiling.

“I agreed to it, yes, but not a
single moment after it.”

He snorted, and shook his head.
“Who says I want more?”

Ouch. I actually flinched at his words.
“Is there an actual reason you’re here, Ryder? Or, did you just come to gloat,
because you branded your fucking pet?”

“I came to tell you that you have
two days. I want you close to me when your time comes. I want to be the one
that sees you through Transition. You didn't argue it in the contract you
signed. I'm holding up my end and taking care of Adam while he Transitions.
Yours is coming very soon, Syn. I can smell it on you. Soon, every fucking Fae
in Spokane will as well. Hence, the reason for the brand. It was designed to
show at the first hint of your Transition. I won't share you with them. Two
days, Pet, and then I plan to bury my cock inside of you. Repeatedly.”

“Contract or no, you have no right
to order me around, and I plan on getting this damn thing taken off. Do I need
to spell it out for you?” I shouted, and retreated as he moved forward.

His lips pulled up in the corners
as his eyes flashed with anger. “It can't be removed by anyone but me, Pet.”
His eyes scanned the walls and his smile grew darker. “You can't hide inside
this house forever.”

I smiled back at him. “What's the
matter, Ryder; afraid to get knocked on your ass again?”

He shook his head. “You never
learn, do you? There is nowhere in this fucking world, where you can hide from
me now. Anywhere you go, I'll find you. I'm faster, smarter, and you are mine.”

“But you can't come inside my
house.” I smiled in victory. It was childish, but it felt good.

“You think I wouldn’t come inside
to get you?” he challenged.

I swallowed and shook my head. The
wards my parents had placed on the walls inside the house had already taken
Ryder down once; it was the only time I’d ever seen anything affect him. “No,
actually—” Before I could finish my sentence, I was yanked from the house by
invisible hands and pressed against the exterior of the house by Ryder’s
massive body.

“Like I said, you can't hide from
me. Ever.” His eyes heated with liquid gold. Heat seared between us, instantly.
“If you try to hide from me, Pet, I will tie you to my bed, and fuck you until
you not only acknowledge my ownership, you will beg me for it.”

I licked my lips to reply to his
taunt, but his mouth lowered and claimed mine. His kiss was more than just a
kiss, though—he was claiming ownership. I brought my hands up against his chest
to push him away, but the moment they landed on him, I forgot everything else
but Ryder. Once again my mind was his, instantly becoming a tool of my own
seduction and caving to his need. It was as if he took control of my mind and
my body, with the slightest effort. I moaned against him, feeling his erection
press against my stomach as his hands landed against the clapboard siding of
the house, trapping me between them.

My body flamed with need. Liquid
fire began to race through my veins. He deepened the kiss, and groaned as his
hands went down to pick me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist as my arms
went around his neck. My hands fisted his hair, holding him against my
mouth.  When he finally managed to pull away from me, I was shaking with
need. I hated that I still responded to him, even after seeing what he had
done. My body wept for his touch, demanded it, even.

He chuckled, his eyes searching my
face as I leaned back against the house. “You're closer than I thought you
were.” His lips drifted down my neck, and stopped on my carotid, his tongue
flicking out to taste my heartbeat. “You smell good, Pet, so fucking sweet.
You’re already wet for me.”

“Tell me why you were hurting those
Warlocks,” I whispered as I ground my body against the massive erection that I
could feel through his cloak. Something about Ryder left me helpless to refuse
him. It left me confused and upset, which was an unstable combination.

“It's none of your concern,
Syn
,” he growled.

I shook my head with that wake-up
call and pushed him away, dropping back to the ground, and righting myself on
my feet.  “Not my concern? I was part of that Guild until last week.”

“You're not anymore, remember?
Right now, you need to keep out of this, because you won’t like what you find.”
His voice turned hard and intense, as he drove the meaning home.

“Go away, Ryder, now.”

His lips pulled up into a dangerous
smile. One I'd seen many times before. I quickly stepped backwards as he
stepped towards me. I glared at him. “Soon, very fucking soon,
Syn
,” he said softly.