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  He smirked wickedly. “If that were only true, my little one, you might be able to rest easier at night.” He traced my collarbone. “How about I let you in on a little secret?” He crowded me with his big body, making me want to run, but I stayed put. “The only thing keeping you from becoming mine is a single, insignificant battle. You see. We have to clear out the bureaucratic tape before I take my place as lord of fire, but don’t you worry. It will happen soon enough.” He straightened, his eyes blazing with indignant light. “Besides, I haven’t been the only one testing your abilities.” His expression softened again, and he smiled wistfully. “As I said before, you are hard to resist.”

  I looked directly into his eyes, purposely ignoring what he had just revealed to me. “Try.”

  He nodded, releasing my wrists before he offered me his elbow. I accepted it just when we entered the great hall. Trumpets announced our arrival. I jumped slightly at the sound.

  Heath covered my hand and laughed. It was alarmingly pleasant. “Relax. We’re supposed to have fun tonight.”

  As if that was going to happen, especially now that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to avoid this man forever. I took a deep breath and kept my head held high as we weaved through the crowd toward the open dance floor. Heath guided me to the center of the circle and whirled me out in front of him.

  The chandeliers radiated a soft golden glow that fell on the crowd like glitter. Drum beats started, low and guttural followed by horns whispering a magical melody. Before I knew it, I was being swept across the floor, whirled, and twirled. I fought to stay focused on what was happening, but at some point I relaxed into Heath and let him lead me. He was a fantastic dancer. I felt dizzy and giddy and downright jubilant by the time we stopped. I kept my smile to myself, but placed a hand at my heart trying to compose myself again. The music faded to a soft drumming then silence.

  My breath was a bit staggered from exertion but more from relief. A tiny part of me had half expected I wouldn’t be able to stop dancing like the old fairytale claimed. Had that really happened to someone, or was it a rumor spread by the Order to make the fae seem more dangerous than they really were?

  Heath’s expression tightened and he pinned me down with that stare of his. He kept his stance as if waiting for the next song. I scanned the sea of unfamiliar faces just to avoid looking at him when my gaze landed on someone I never wanted to see again.

  Jett leaned against the wall, terrifying as ever, clearly watching me. How had I missed his signal? Even now, I didn’t feel him. Was it because I was being held by Heath? Or was it that his potency was dampened in the fire realm? His braids were pulled back at his neck. I couldn’t decide if he was supposed to be a waiter or a bridegroom, but I blanched at the sight of him. His costume was understated compared to everyone else around us. Even with his attempt at being inconspicuous, he still seemed out of place here. I realized then that every man standing around him had a visible tension in the set of their shoulders, as though they were ready to pounce on him at any given notice.

  What was he doing here? I set my chin higher and smiled warmly at Heath. A confused expression creased his eyes, but soon we were dancing again. I was so caught up in the moment that the whole world could have fallen away for all I knew. When I was dancing with him, I didn’t care about anything else. I stopped even trying to anticipate his next move and just enjoyed the sensation of floating in his arms. To my utmost disappointment, we came to a stop too soon. The grin I gave him was real this time.

  He looked down on me, a slight smile curving his mouth. “I should have saved our last dance for later, but alas, I was too overcome.”

  I knew the feeling, but what was he jabbering about? Wasn’t he my date? His only response to my questioning look was a slight nod directed behind him. I glanced around his shoulder and my jaw went slack. A line was forming. Jett waited patiently toward the end.

  I gave Heath a panicked expression. He caressed my cheek. “Not to worry. I will be watching over you. Perhaps we can have our own little soiree later?”

  I shook my head at him and rolled my eyes. “You never give up, do you?”

  He leaned down, his breath tickling my forehead. “Not with such a prize within my sights.” His lips brushed my cheek before he stepped away. Refusing to release the sensation of his soft kiss, my skin tingled.

  Levi was the first to step in. He didn’t even say a word, but I felt him pushing at my mind throughout the entire song. He looked openly disappointed when he left me to the next underlord. Most of them were very gracious and didn’t speak much or at all. None of them other than Levi tried subversive compulsion, including Heath. I was grateful for that. I wondered why so many of them wanted to dance with me. Was it out of duty, or did they think to find a way to claim me? I smiled at the radiant face of the man who stood in front of Jett. He was a fair dancer, but I couldn’t keep my mind from focusing on my next companion.

  At the end of the song, I asked him where I could find a drink, hoping I could casually follow him out of the hall. He just shook his head at me before he walked away. I supposed he wasn’t up for that sort of battle.

  Jett came forward. I stiffened with every footstep he made toward me. How was I going to get out of this? Could I simply refuse him? He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away.

  “You will have to excuse me, Jett. I am horribly thirsty,” I said, turning toward the exit.

  He caught my arm. “Not this time, Rayla. You will dance with me.” He smiled brilliantly. “And then we will find refreshment.”

  Crap. And quadruple crap. I started an inward pep-talk, reminding myself that it would be impossible for him to take me in front of so many people. Besides, even if he could manage to bypass the wards, I had been told that Zach was the only lord capable of transporting another person. I just needed to ride this wave out; then I could get rid of him. Hopefully for good this time.

  The lights seemed to dim when we entered the circle. A seductive rhythm started. I gasped when he pressed my body tightly against his solid frame. No one had held me this close, not even Heath and that was saying a lot. I could feel my skin molding to each hard line of his body. His gaze trapped mine without much effort. His obsidian eyes were every bit as fathomless as they had been a little over a week ago.

  Had it really only been that long? So much, yet nothing, had happened since then.

  He moved steadily with the beat of the music. I didn’t recognize the steps, but I didn’t really have to. I might as well have been standing on his feet like a five-year-old. Where Heath had led me and made me feel weightless, Jett merely controlled every step I took.

  Even though he repelled me, his scent was intoxicating and impossible for me to ignore. He smelled of fresh rain and sundrenched leaves. My body responded to him as though he was the only man alive. I had forgotten how much he affected me, and I didn’t like the feelings that surfaced whenever he was near.

  I couldn’t keep myself from staring at his mouth. With all the will I owned, I fought the urge to let my fingers dance across the taut band of muscles along his back.

  He didn’t say anything at all for a really long time, igniting my curiosity of what was on his mind. As if it were a window to my soul, he kept his gaze locked onto my face. I looked away but immediately got dizzy as he twirled me around. Without realizing it until it was too late, I leaned even closer to him.

  A small smile tilted the corners of his mouth. “Are you enjoying your stay in Ignis?”

  I rubbed my lips together. They felt absolutely too dry. “It’s all right, I guess.”

  He cocked his head to the side, his mouth falling into a stern line. “Are they not treating you as you deserve?”

  I shook my head not wanting him to misunderstand. “I have been well cared for. These are wonderful people…”

  “But…”

  “I don’t belong here,” I whispered, glancing around to make sure I hadn’t offended someone.

  A new lightness glittered
in his dark eyes. “It is good to see you understand that. You are welcome in my home anytime you like. In fact, I could bring you with me—”

  “No!” I nearly shouted, stiffening in his arms. It took quite a lot of effort, but I forced my muscles to relax. “What I mean is…thank you for your kind offer, but I can’t leave yet.”

  Jett sighed. “I am sorry for the way I have treated you, Rayla.”

  My mouth dropped open slightly. Was that a real attempt at an apology? I almost said it was okay out of nothing more than habit, but I stopped myself because it wasn’t okay. I didn’t trust him, and he still terrified the heck out of me. I decided to just nod in reply.

  “I find that I am much too accustomed to ruling than dating. I hope you will at least give me a chance to explain to you why I did what I did.”

  “I’m listening,” I said.

  The song was ending, and feeling the oppressive burden of having him this near to me I wanted more than anything at the moment to just fall into a soft chair somewhere. If only it could be without him. The last lord that had tried this approach with me had found a way into my heart.

  It was over crowded as it was. I had no desire to let Jett in there, even if it was just a little bit. I found it so easy to see him as this evil overlord, but people were rarely entirely good or evil, and I was starting to think that included this particular fae.

  He led me to the edge of the crowd, bypassing the line of men waiting to dance with me. We got plenty of glowers, but not one of them bothered to say anything. He moved expertly through the throng, and we finally emerged onto an overcrowded terrace. All the seats were taken.

  An enormous sigh escaped me before I turned back toward the Great Hall, but he pulled me sharply back into the crisp, wintery air. All he had to do was look at the people for them to scurry away. Within seconds we were alone. I looked behind me and was actually relieved to see Heath hovering by the doorway. He had his back to us, but his body was angled slightly as if he were trying to eavesdrop. Jett either didn’t care or didn’t notice.

  I decided to get this over with. I had no desire to talk to Jett, but I knew he wouldn’t leave me alone until I heard him out. I walked over by the railing, letting my thoughts wander with my feet. The world was blanketed in white even though the sun had already set. Twilight was rolling in, shrouding the air in haze. A pale-blue glow radiated from the icy cliffs in the distance lending a regal quality to the evening air.

  The land held a savage, breathtaking beauty that captivated me much like the man that had been assigned to protect me tonight.

  Chapter Five

  My skin prickled in goose-bumps but it wasn’t from the cold. Jett had followed me. I could feel him behind me. Standing near him was like being next to a high-powered generator. He placed a hand on my shoulder. The heat from his skin should have been welcome, but it only made my attempts at resisting him harder. I glanced briefly over my shoulder to gauge how I should react to him.

  He was staring off into the distance. “Eldrea is much more temperate than this winter-land.” His voice was soft, but it still had the ability to send tremors through me. “Do you not wish to see your mother?”

  I stepped away from him, hiding my shocked expression. He stiffened but relaxed once I was seated. Facing me, he leaned against the railing. His eyes seemed sad, and I couldn’t keep myself from feeling that perhaps he had gotten a bad deal out of this whole thing. I was blaming him for losing my mom, but I really had no idea what had happened between the two of them.

  I kept my tone solid even though I was shaking inside. “My mother is dead.”

  “So you insist on denying it? You insist on making this harder than it has to be? You have been promised to me through a binding contract. Even humans have DNA tests. Ours are much simpler.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “You would want me even knowing I hate you?” Hate was too strong a word for what I felt for him, but he wasn’t helping his cause much by trying to bully me.

  He didn’t react to my question. His face was blankly serene. When he spoke his voice was level. “Hate works as well as love in bonding.” I stiffened, readying myself to end this before it got out of control, but his next words kept me where I was. “Should I tell you how you came to be promised to me?” All I could do was nod.

  “I had been waiting for the squadron of lords to return from the human realm. They had been gone longer than they should have been, and I was eager for the tournament that was scheduled for a few days hence.” His eyes grew colder than the night. “I should have been the one out on that hunt! I fought your mother’s bondmate in the previous tournament of lords, but it was close enough that the counsel required a vote to determine the winner. When the ruling came back in Theran’s favor, I was stunned. There was nothing to be done except prepare for the next tournament. But when I saw your mother for the first time, I hated myself for not fighting the decision. At first glance all thought of other women left me. She called to me like no other ever had. I couldn’t resist her pull even though she belonged to another man. We became fast friends, and I tried to help her adjust to her new life. All she did was cry for the first ten years. Her bond to Theran was weak, and it showed in the way her eye would wander. I caught her looking longingly at me too many times for me to ignore; it was all I could do to not take her myself.”

  I sat up straighter. “How could you take someone else’s bondmate?”

  He gave me a glib expression. “When the bond is not strong, another can override the first. There was a time when we fought each other for every Elemental that entered our realm. The practice is now forbidden.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure it is. Just like bonding in the human realm.”

  His smirk deepened. “So you begin to see?”

  “What I see is a group of people that will not follow their own blasted rules.”

  He chuckled. “That is why Tabitha started the tournament of lords and the wild hunt. She meant to appease those of us that do not wish to have an Elemental handed to us. She is a very wise woman.”

  I nodded. “So why didn’t you just take my—that woman you claim is my mother from Theran then?”

  He didn’t comment on my near admission, but his eyes glistened with mischief. “I was going to, but she became even more withdrawn. That was how I knew something was deeply wrong with her. She would disappear for days and eventually had to have a royal guard assigned to keep track of her. I didn’t see her much after that until the day she came to me and begged me to get her out of the fae realms.”

  “Why?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Because she was pregnant with you.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “She tried to deny it from the beginning, giving me an excuse that she missed her family and wanted to visit for a time, but I knew something was off. I have always had a deep connection with Alithea. I became increasingly suspicious when she disappeared right after I took her to see her sister.”

  “You see?” I interrupted. I found myself shivering, so I wrapped my arms around my chest. “It can’t be the same person. My mom’s name was Sharon Tate. I already told you. She’s dead.”

  Jett came a few steps nearer but stopped when I stiffened. “Call her what you want. She is the same woman.” His eyes became wistful. “A woman I once loved.”

  I kept my gaze locked to his even though it was rather uncomfortable. “If that’s true, why aren’t you bound to her? You could have done it. Why did you let her go back to Theran? Why don’t you just take her now?”

  He shook his head mournfully. “That’s complicated.”

  “Stories about love usually are,” I said flippantly.

  He laughed. The sound was bitter cold. “She was the first Elemental I allowed myself to want.”

  “So this is about your pride?” I accused.

  He shrugged lightly. “Stories about love usually are.”

  Maybe in his messed up life, but not in reality. Well, if I was being fair,
that wasn’t really true. A romance could easily turn into a tragedy when pride was involved. “I won’t let you have me, Jett.”

  He stared at me, his eyes void of emotion. “It appears you may not have the convenient option others of your kind enjoy.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” I spat.

  He scoffed lightly. “Neither do you. You demonize me when you know nothing about me. Would it surprise you to learn I actually want to give you a choice?”

  What was his angle? He had to have one. He was too conniving of a person not to. “It might.”

  “I do not care to spend a small eternity with you knowing you hate me, Rayla.”

  The sound of my name sent a ripple of fear through my body. Even though I didn’t like the custom, I hadn’t heard my name much lately. I waited for the compulsion but none came.

  Jett sat next to me and took my hand in his. The edges of our knees touched, but I couldn’t angle myself any farther away from him.

  I searched his face. “What do you hope to accomplish with me that you couldn’t with any other Elemental.”

  He laughed. The sound echoed off the stone of the castle making it ten times more menacing. “I realize you have led a sheltered life, little one, but really, you could not be so naïve.”

  I gritted my teeth. I knew it. “So it really is all about power for you?”

  He ran a distracting finger slowly over my wrist. “I may be the only one of my brothers who would admit this to you freely, but yes.” His gaze shifted to mine. “You needn’t worry, though. We are compatible. You could be happy with me if you gave it a chance.”

  “I’m in love with someone else,” I said forcefully. Two someone else’s to be precise.

  He shook his head. “So am I, but I am willing to court you. I am convinced I could win you. Just because Zach was the first to find you, does not mean you are truly in love with him.”