Aveoth Read online

  Bitterness tightened his chest but he refrained from uttering sharp words that would wound her. His plight wasn’t her fault. That responsibility rested squarely on his mother’s shoulders. He didn’t hold it against her, but he resented the consequences of the choices she’d made long ago.

  He was the one who had to deal with the fallout if the truth was ever discovered.

  “Do you know why I chose Lane to take as a lover?”

  She refused to look at him, but she shook her head enough to be seen. “No. She was beautiful…”

  “I barely noticed. She had fallen in love with a man who had lost his true mate. He became lonely enough to want another. That meant he had to decide who to spend the rest of his life with, rather than rely on instincts. He picked another woman instead of Lane. I was her solace. She thought it might make him regret his decision, when he’d heard I’d chosen her.” His blood seemed to freeze throughout his body. “Being my companion was her version of revenge against him.”

  A shiver vibrated Winalin’s frame slightly. “I don’t understand.”

  “She wanted him to believe he must have misjudged her, if I’d picked her as my lover. Ironic, isn’t it? I accepted her because he caused her so much pain. I figured I couldn’t hurt her any more than he already had.” He shook his head. “You don’t wish to be here. Go home.”

  “Elco wants me to be with you.”

  “You’re no longer a child.” His voice deepened with anger. “Tell Elco to earn his own way into my good graces. He’d find no favor from me regardless if I took you into my home or not. Tell him to feel grateful for my refusal, or I might decide to cause him harm for using you in this manner. I’m very protective of any woman sharing my bed. I’d feel the need to kill him for such an offense.”

  “He’s honoring you by offering me.”

  “He’s attempting to make you his whore—but I won’t stand for it. You shouldn’t either.”

  She lifted her gaze then, her violet eyes showing a spark of emotion.

  He smiled. “Ah. You do have some spirit inside you.”

  “Elco is all I have. Please don’t harm him.”

  His amusement died as quickly as it had risen. “My mistake. I believed you had grown some backbone, but that’s fear in your eyes.”

  “You’re cruel,” she whispered.

  “Yes.” He didn’t bother to deny it. “Yet here you are, offering to strip out of your gown and allow me to do anything I want to your body. I’m trying to decide if you’re very brave or sadly foolish. Which one is it?”

  “I obey the head of my household and wish to serve our lord.” The purple in her irises darkened. “Did you kill Lane?”

  “Is that what they think? That I murdered her in a fit of rage?”

  Her silence answered him. He turned, faced the balcony again, and stared out at the partial moon peeking from behind the clouds. Winter approached in a matter of months, and with it would come the oppressive cold.

  “Did you?”

  “Would you flee for safety if I said yes?”

  “No. I’ve come to serve you.”

  He chuckled, the bitterness winning out. “That makes it all the more tragic. I didn’t kill Lane. She did that to herself. A home is as warm as the person you share it with. Only ice remains here. Go home, Winalin. Do not return. I shall never welcome you into my bed, and that is something the both of us should be grateful for.”

  “You’re lonely.”

  His shoulders tensed, and he turned once more to stare at her. “I’m dead inside. I no longer feel much of anything. I breathe and exist. Everything I touch seems to die. Run along now, Winalin. This is the last warning I’ll give. Never enter my home again.” His lips parted and his fangs extended. “Run!”

  She gasped and was gone in a dark blur of movement. He listened to her hasty retreat as her shoes struck the rock steps until his door slammed from below.

  The silence once more settled around him as he faced the balcony. The moon mocked him as he stared at its beauty. It was so far out of his reach, so unobtainable, like everything else.

  He dressed in his outside clothing minutes later, strapped on his weapons and grabbed his cloak. He had hours before the dawn would come, and hopefully with it, he’d find some peace. Sleep seldom came anymore but he knew at some point, his body would weaken.

  He strode to the back staircase, toward the spare living space below his home, where he kept an office. His cell phone rang. He paused, dug his hand inside his pocket, and withdrew it. The number wasn’t one he recognized.

  “What do you want?” He knew his voice came out harsh as he answered but figured it would probably be Elco. The bastard was getting on his last nerve.

  “A truce.”

  The male’s voice was familiar—and much hated.

  “Decker.” He growled low. “Where are you hiding? I’ll find you, and when I do, you’ll know my wrath. I told you to leave the other clans alone, yet you disobeyed me.”

  “I have something you need.”

  “Your death at my hands will be more than enough. I’m leaving now to come for you.”

  “Her name is Jillian. She’s my granddaughter, and she’s only hours away. She carries the bloodline. You may have her if you give your word the hunt ends. I need your given oath of honor that I won’t be killed, by you or by someone you send after me.”

  Temptation taunted Aveoth. His resolve to kill Decker weakened slightly at the thought of being given the granddaughter.

  He’d never take a Gargoyle as a lover. They were too cold and he needed some warmth in his life. No GarLycan females interested him, and he’d made certain to meet them all. A VampLycan, though, tempted him. They were known for being passionate. She might melt some of the ice that had taken hold of him.

  Of course, that would mean Decker would have to kidnap her. That didn’t sit well with him. He’d refuse the offer, but at least warn the woman of her grandfather’s intentions.

  “What clan is she with? I may have met her already and hold no attraction to her, bloodline or not.”

  Decker hesitated. “My son Decon spent a few years in the human world in college, learning how to manage money for me. He played with a human for a while and got her pregnant. The mother raised her. I only recently became aware of her existence. She’s fully grown and healthy. She knows she’s to be given to you. I’ve been told she doesn’t resemble your beloved Margola, who you were once promised, but Cole swears she’s very attractive. Do we have a deal?”

  His heart beat faster at the idea of this human-raised woman. The fact that she had agreed to come to him was almost too tempting to refuse. But price was too high. Decker couldn’t be allowed to hold the power he’d once wielded over VampLycans.

  It wouldn’t hurt, though, to test the bastard regarding what his price would be for the woman.

  “I take it the Vampire Council has finally gotten tired of you.”

  Decker sucked in a sharp breath but said nothing.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t know who has been helping you?”

  Decker growled. “None of that matters. I’m offering you my granddaughter. She’s half human. That’s her only flaw, but it will make it easier for you to control her if she’s headstrong.” Decker rushed on, “Some women are at times. I was told she can’t shift, so there won’t be claws to deal with.”

  He flashed to the memory of Decker’s other two mostly human granddaughters he’d met. Dustina and Batina had both found mates, and were happy with the VampLycans. He envied Drantos and Kraven.

  He longed to say yes…but he had others people to consider. “What do you want in exchange?”

  The hesitation on the other end of the phone made Aveoth snarl. “I won’t give you anything more than your life. I know you wanted to use your own descendants to persuade me to kill your enemies. That will never happen. Peace amongst the clans will remain. I won’t allow anything less. You can keep this granddaughter if that’s the price. I have to go. I k