ZEDKIEL.
Itâs the following day and Iâm going to try to talk to her. Sheâs wearing a very appealing black lace b.ra and thong as she admires her body in the mirror. Or should I say Evangelineâs body? Either way, I canât deny that sheâs a dangerous temptation.
âDo you want to have some fun? You enjoyed it the last time.â She says as she turns and advances on me. She runs her tongue along her l!ps before she bites down on her lower one.
Her h!ps sway sensually and her scent fills my nose. Still, Evangelineâs but itâs a little different⦠I canât explain itâ¦
She is in her body, after all.
âNot like this.â I say. The plan is not to anger her. âHow about we take it slow?â
âYou didnât seem to want slow last time.â
She counters.
âI didnât know it was you⦠now that I doâ¦
letâs not forget youâre you and deserve to be treated equally.â I say huskily.
She frowns, watching me suspiciously before she climbs into my lap, running her hands up my arms.
It feels like a betrayal to Evangeline and although it may be her body, itâs not her, but I have to keep Evelyn calm.
âAnd I thought you wanted to help her.â
Zerachiel scoffs.
âHelping someone and wanting to f**k them is two entirely different things. Youâre acting like a woman, jumping to conclusions.â I snarl back.
âThen what do you have in mind?â Evelyn says, running a finger along my l!ps.
I take hold of her wrists, pulling her hands down to my chest.
âBreak this curse on all of us.â I say quietly, caressing her hands.
Play smartâ¦
Her eyes soften and she nods.
âOk.â She says. Sheâs about to get off when she suddenly presses her l!ps against mine.
I stiffen, moving back sharply and her eyes flash black as she glares at me suspiciously.
âAs I said, letâs take things slow.â I say, k!ssing her hands softly.
Donât hate me, Evangelineâ¦
âYes, keep k!ssing her and sheâll expect more.
âZerachiel sneers.
âI know what Iâm doing. I need to keep her in control. The bottom line is she holds.
Evangelineâs power, that of the moon goddess. Use your brains. Have you ever considered that perhaps youâre doing more harm than good?â I shoot back. Iâm f*****g struggling not to unleash my irritation on him. âIâm trying to hold on to the path Evangeline has set out. Work with me.â
He goes silent and I look at the woman on my lap. Cupping her face, I k!ss her forehead gently. âCome on, we need to discuss this with the king.â
âDiscuss what?â She asks, pulling away. I can sense her anger as she watches me, but the truth is no matter how much she doesnât trust me, she has feelings for me- or at least for Zerachiel and as much as I hate to admit it, I will use that against her.
âA plan to break the curse, just as Evangeline wanted. Sheâs not here, but I still want to do as she wished.â I reply, standing Her heartâs thundering and she frowns.
âYou just want to lock me away! Remember, I am the most powerful now!â Her eyes flash, her aura growing, and I cross my arms, not letting her get to me.
âNo, Iâm not locking you away.â I growl.
Not yet anyway.
She doesnât trust me, and I donât blame her.
âIâm not a fool. Everyone always tries to trick me!â She says, edging away from me, her hands glowing as she looks at me with such hatred that it makes me uneasy.
Her words shouldnât have bothered me, but they do. I feel Evangeline was onto something.
âIâm not going to, Iâm going to be completely honest with you. I know youâre dangerous and I know what youâre capable of, but I swear on Evangeline, that I am going to do what she wanted me to. We are going to find a solution. The reason I have asked Dad for a meeting is because there are things we need to figure out. This isnât about you. You have already threatened to oust me and, of course, as the rightful heir, that can happen.â I explain calmly as I advance on her, satisfied when her heart skips a beat.
âAnyway⦠you will be there beside me for the meeting.â I say quietly, coming to a stop before her and running my fingers through her hair⦠Evangelineâs hair⦠âSo go get dressed.â
Her eyes widen before she nods slightly, and a small devious smile crosses her l!ps.
âOk. Just make sure you donât mention that I am in control of Evangelineâs body⦠or things will go downhill fast.â She hums.
I donât trust her, but at the same time, Iâm keeping her close.
âI donât intend to.â I reply coldly.
She smiles, her eyes glinting. âPerfect.â
âAre you actually going to allow her to attend the meeting?â Zerachiel sounds. hesitant.
âI just said that, didnât I?â
I donât bother explaining myself further.
He isnât ready to listen and even if I wonât share everything with her; I need to keep an eye on her.
Itâs a while later and thereâs a few of us in Dadâs office, the tension is f*****g thick thanks to Dad having his Beta, Jason, here when I brought Kash, thereâs Chasyn, as well as one of Kashâs half brotherâs Adonis and on my request Isa, Alistair and Lucia. With the last two looking nervous to be in the room.
Iâm f*****g regretting having them all together as the atmosphere is f*****g draining.
Evelyn is sitting on the centre seat opposite Dad, legs crossed, clearly enjoying the tension that taints the room.
Dad keeps looking at her and I have a feeling he can sense the change in her. Thereâs at glimmer of concern in his eyes, one that he isnât addressing, but I plan to mind link him tonight and fill him in on everything just in case things go wrongâ¦
I have just finished filling in the gaps on what they didnât know and on what we have learned with Lucia, Isa, Kash and Alistair, giving their input as well. Leaving out that Evelyn is now in control of Evangelineâs body. She added a few comments, but she was far quieter than Evangeline would be.
Chasyn keeps glancing at Lucia, and I can see he seems conflicted. Iâm not sure if itâs because he didnât expect her to know so much or something else.
âThatâs⦠a lot to take in.â Dad sighs heavily.
I hadnât told them every little detail, but I have covered the vital points, and stressed the importance of this plan and having hope that the vampires may have certain answers we need, without telling them exactly what those were. I finish off by telling them what Kash had been commanded.
â⦠and bottom line, they want me. If I go, thereâs a chance this war can be avoidedâ I say, making Dadâs eyes flash.
âNo. That is a bad idea, Zed.â He says quietly.
âAlpha, I do think that them going to the vampires, to at least try to stop this war, might work. Zedkiel is, after all, one of them, too.â Jason says quietly.
âPerhaps it will help us, but he isnât one of them he is one of us, Beta Jason.â Chasyn says firmly.
I see Kash frown, but he doesnât add anything to his dadâs remark. He had made it clear to me not to mention his bite to anyone.
I know he doesnât want them to know, but I also hope that it doesnât f*****g come to bite me in the a.ss. Either way, weâre going to find an answer to heal him.
From every angle, we are running out of time and Iâm not wasting anymore.
âWeâll take the way through the countryside.
If we keep to the mountains, we will get closer to their last place of camp without being detected.
âThen we need a team.â Dad says uneasily. â
Iâm still not happy with thisâ¦â
âWhy not? Donât be so uncertain. I mean, you slept with a vampire and youâre not keen on us going and trying to stop this war?â
I see Kash try to hide his smirk along with his brother Adonis, who ducks his head.
They are f*****g similar, even if Kash refuses to admit that.
âThis is the only lead we have.â Isa says quietly. Jason glances over at his daughter, who has not once looked towards him: she doesnât even spare him a glance.
He made his bed, and now he can f*****g lie in itâ¦
Dad frowns as he looks at me. âYou should be glad I did. You were the fruit of that.â He grumbles and Chasyn smiles.
âFather, how did you get Zedkiel when he was a baby, anyway? I mean, were you in contact with a Vampire-female?â He asks.
âAnd not only any vampire but Zeina Aton, a royal⦠Correct?â I say quietly.
His eyes flash with surprise before he stares down at his desk as all eyes turn to me.
âThat⦠how is that possible?â Chasyn asks, shocked.
âNone of your concern, she was⦠thatâs not important.â He says curtly, his voice holding a tone that meant that it was the end of the discussion, but not for me. I plan to ask him later. If heâs withholding something, I need to know what it is.
âIt is, because it comes down to why they want me now?â I say through the link, but I donât wait for a reply, glancing around at the others.
âTime is running out. The stars align in roughly five weeksâ time. We need to defeat the curse before then.â I say seriously as I walk over to Dadâs desk and look down at the map that Kash had presented us with, outlining a trail leading us to the vampires.
âThen letâs put a team together. If you are doing this, you need the very best by your side.â Dad says quietly, watching me as if trying to read me.
As much as Iâd rather travel with the bare minimum if we are attacked or if Evelyn loses control⦠I do need a team.
âI wouldnât recommend this becoming general knowledge, especially with the fact that there is an enemy in our midst.â Chasyn says. âYou need to choose a team carefully.â
âI agree.â I frown picking up one of Dadâs daggers that stood on a stand on his desk and playing with it.
âIâm in.â Kash says, âYou donât have a choice.â
âIâm glad you are.â I reply with a small smirk before I stare down at the map as the others begin discussing, but my attention is on the path I plan to take⦠Crossing close to the pack of Godric Astorathâ¦
A team that isnât big enough to be caught⦠yet one that is powerful enoughâ¦
âEvangeline wonât be going, will she?â Dad asks, concerned. âPerhaps I should go instead.â
âYeah, I donât f*****g think so, especially when you were planning to go to war. This pack and the alliance still need you, especially until this curse is broken. Iâm going. Not you.â I growl.
âI agree with Zedkiel, and I must go.â Evelyn replies, smiling, but Dad just looks at me sharply.
âZed, you are being foolish. She canât go.â
âShe will be.â
âZed⦠she needs to be safe.â I know heâs more worried about the future and securing the future ruler, but the thing is there wonât be a future if things continue down this path.
âAnd I will keep her safe.â I say with a frown. My eyes flash and I know he gets the signal to end the conversation.
I can sense the unease in the room, but no one dares to defy me.
âThis is not up for debate; Iâll have my team ready by tomorrow afternoon and we set out at dawn the following day.â I say quietly, playing with the dagger in my hand, I flip it, letting go of it and it spins in the air before it pierces through the middle of the map, and slices right through Dadâs desk, embedding deep into the solid wood.
I turn away and glance out at the clouded sky.
Evangelineâ¦
Iâm going to do this your way⦠combined with my way.
Iâm going to save you, just⦠hold on.