Beauty Awakened

CHAPTER TWENTY

NICOLA WANTED TO BE anywhere other than a fancy steak house with two men she barely knew. But she was determined to have a good time for her sister’s sake. And so far, everyone at the table believed she was.

“—and so, about two years in, I realized she’d been cheating on me with my brother for most of our relationship. And you know what? That wasn’t even the worst thing she did!” Blaine, Laila’s date, told another story about the woman who’d broken his heart, ruined his life and left him tangled in all kinds of emotional wreckage, only stopping long enough to gulp the rest of his fifth beer.

Laila placed her hand over her heart, her eyes watery as she listened raptly and tried to offer comfort.

Dex rubbed the back of his neck.

Nicola forced a smile and shifted in her seat. She’d ditched the comfortable, pretty clothes Koldo had given her in favor of the black dress she’d worn to the triple funeral for her mom, her dad and her brother. It had seemed like a good idea when she’d pulled it out of the closet. After all, it was probably better to look outdated than to wear what one man had bought her while spending the evening with another. But she’d put on a little weight, and the material was constricting, making it difficult to breathe.

Koldo had taken one look at her and scowled. “That’s how you want the human to see you?”

How could she have responded to that?

After that, he’d lectured her about safety, ending with, “Do you have your phone? You had better have your phone. Call me if he does anything you don’t like. Or if he doesn’t like something you do. And don’t forget you have the tattoos on your arm. And don’t forget you can call upon the Most High.”

“I won’t. Daddy.”

His scowl had darkened before he’d flashed her and Laila to her house. Then, he’d commanded her to stand still while he ran his burning-hot hands all over her face, her arms, even her legs—smearing every inch of exposed skin with some kind of glittery lotion. Then, without an explanation, he’d vanished. She hadn’t seen him since. But at least he hadn’t taken his warmth with him. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t wearing a sweater, wasn’t pressed up against the living furnace known as Koldo, yet her body temperature was properly regulated. She wasn’t shivering.

Dex and Blaine had arrived soon after that, and here they were, at Kodiak. They sat at a small table illuminated by candlelight, the thrum of a harp playing softly in the background.

Laila looked gorgeous in a red satin sheath dress Koldo had purchased, with her pale hair tumbling down her shoulders. Blaine wore a dark suit and tie, both of which were askew. Dex also wore a dark suit and tie, the perfect complement to his lean build. He’d been nothing but solicitous, eager to please, and had hung on her every word. Every woman needed to date a man like him at least once. But, despite all that...she still wanted Koldo. Only Koldo.

“So,” Dex said, tracing her knuckles to pull her into a private conversation probably meant to tune out Blaine.

There was no heat in their touch, no tingles. “So,” she said.

He frowned, even paled, and drew back his hand. He looked down, studying his fingers in the light.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No. No. I just... I thought I felt a terrible... Uh, never mind.” He forced a laugh. “So you got tattoos, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I never would have guessed.”

Her, either.

“Why numbers?” he asked.

“Why not?” she said, because she had no other believable response.

He shrugged, saying, “Fair enough. So did I tell you that I haven’t been on a date in months?”

“But why?” The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake and blushed. “I’m so sorry. That was such a rude question. And I have no room to judge. I haven’t been on a date in years.”

He sipped at his wine, studying her over the rim of the glass. “That’s impossible. Every man at the office is halfway in love with you. And if you had ever shown the slightest bit of interest, they would have been fully in love with you.”

In love with her? There was just no way. “Why would they want...” Another rude question, and one she wouldn’t finish.

“Why would they want you?” Dex asked, completing the sentence for her. He gave another laugh, this one relaxed. “You’re so composed, so quiet, and you’ve been so sad lately. It’s become a compulsion to make you smile. You’re more beautiful every time I look at you, yet you have no idea. And I could go on and on.”

“Thank you,” she replied softly. If she didn’t change the subject she would burst into flames. “So...have you spent any time with Jamila and Sirena?”

He’d been in the process of swallowing another sip of wine and choked. He coughed, beat at his chest.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine, fine,” he wheezed. “Uh, what makes you ask about those two?”

“I was just wondering how they seem to be doing to the rest of the office.”

“Oh, uh, great I think. I...haven’t really cared to find out about them.”

The waiter arrived with the food, set the plates on the table, and Dex released a relieved breath. The sharp scent of the spices hit her, and her stomach twisted with hunger, a voracious appetite demanding attention. Just then, she wished she’d ordered a juicy rib eye rather than a bowl of fettuccine.

“Tell me more about your recovery process,” Laila said—and Blaine did just that.

“They’re sure getting along,” Dex said, again reaching out to pat Nicola’s hand.

The table never shook, and yet his wineglass suddenly tipped over, the dark red liquid quickly spilling over his jacket and pants. Yelping, he jumped up.

“Excuse me,” he gritted out before hurrying to the men’s room.

“YOU’RE ACTING like a child,” Axel said.

“That’s funny, coming from you,” Koldo replied through clenched teeth.

“You threw alcohol at a puny human male.”

“He’s lucky to still be alive. I could have thrown daggers.”

“Wait. Did you think I was complaining? I was actually cheering.”

They’d stood beside the foursome’s table for the past twenty minutes, watching the couples interact.

Koldo had arrived in a bad mood, and that mood had only grown worse. He’d tracked his father, and it’d been easy to do. Every flash left an imprint in the air that was vacated, and Nox had done a lot of flashing. But the trail had led to Nicola’s house and grown cold, a fact that had enraged Koldo. A rage he wouldn’t allow himself to express. He had a woman under his care now. No longer could he give his temper free rein. What if he scared Nicola? Or inadvertently hurt her?

Axel, who could find anyone, anywhere, had had no luck with the Nefas. So, they’d given up for the time being and come here.

Koldo had nearly dialed her number a thousand times. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked—so beautiful he hadn’t wanted the other male to see her. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry for snapping at her.

He wanted to tell her that her date was a liar and a sex fiend.

Dex was the one Koldo had seen having sex with Sirena right on top of Nicola’s desk, that time he’d visited her office. And now the male was pretending not to know the girl.

With every second that passed, one fact had become stunningly clear. Koldo should have gathered Nicola in his arms and staked a real claim. Another kiss. Only longer. Deeper.

She belongs to me.

And it was time he proved it.

A moment passed. He nodded. Yes, it was indeed time he proved it. Poor Nicola.

He was half-Nefas. He was dangerous. He was disgusting. He was evil. Already his past had risen up to threaten her. He had no wings. He’d never been with a woman, wasn’t sure how to please her in that way and wasn’t sure how he would feel afterward.

She’d had so little joy in her too-short life. Everything she’d ever loved had been stolen from her. If Koldo kept her, romantically speaking, she would be no better off. His time would be divided between her, his mother, his father and ultimately his duties. And what would happen to Nicola if ever he fell from the skies?

Still, that hadn’t stopped him from spreading his essentia all over her little body today, marking her and warning all other males away.

Now there was a radiant, golden sheen to her skin.

Koldo could see it, and he knew Axel could see it. But not Dex. And yet, the human had felt the heat of it when he’d dared to reach out and touch what belonged to Koldo. An action that had nearly gotten him killed. Koldo had snarled and launched forward, determined to remove the human’s head from his body—and would have, if Axel hadn’t tackled him to the ground.

She deserved better than Dex. Better than Koldo. But...she wasn’t going to get it, and that was that. She was getting Koldo. All the other details could be worked out later.

Blood might stain his hands, but he would only ever treat her with tenderness. And she wasn’t like Cornelia and Nox; he’d already realized that. She would never treat him with hatred and cruelty.

She’d made him laugh while he was at his worst. He loved having her in his arms. He loved having her in his lap. He loved talking to her, teaching her, listening to her wit and her observations, simply breathing her in. He loved tasting her, and now wanted all of her.

Why try to find another woman, an imitation, when he had the real thing already? Nicola was the most beautiful creature he’d ever beheld, and he wanted...everything from her. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to see her with her hair flowing down her back. He wanted to hear more stories about her childhood. He wanted to avenge the wrongs done to her.

He just...wanted.

And he would have those things—and more.

One day you’ll want a woman, Nox had said in one of his “teaching” moments. You’ll do anything to have her.

At the time, he’d scoffed. Now? He realized the truth of those words.

But once you have her, you’ll be done with her. Your curiosity will be assuaged, the obsession will fade, and you can turn your eye to the next conquest.

Is that what happened with my mother? Koldo had asked. You wanted, you had, and you no longer desired.

Nox had belted out a deep, rumbling chuckle. Exactly. But oh, I did enjoy her in the meantime.

Maybe Koldo would lose interest in Nicola, too, but maybe he wouldn’t. His father’s word wasn’t exactly trustworthy, though Koldo had seen evidence to support his claim. Thane, Bjorn and Xerxes certainly seemed to think females were disposable.

But that didn’t matter. Koldo would fight the attraction no longer. He wouldn’t worry about what could go wrong, what Nicola might want or what might happen in the future. He’d told her not to fret about her illness or anything else, that it would only harm her, and now he was going to take his own advice.

He just had to figure out how to proceed.

“You look like you’re ready to have the redhead for dinner,” Axel said, as though reading his thoughts. “Just reveal yourself, flash her home and do your business. That way we can get back to tracking the Nefas.”

“And if she fights me in public?”

“There’s only a 49 percent chance she’ll actually win, so you should be safe.”

“Can you not be serious?”

“When it comes to math, I’m always serious. Just do something or leave,” Axel said, buffing his nails. “I’m bored. Bad things happen when I’m bored.”

“The Nefas trail went cold,” he reminded the warrior. “All we can do is ask around, and try to find their nest. And if that fails, all we can do is wait for their next attack. You have nothing better to do.”

He looked at Nicola, who was now picking at her food, watching her sister. Before Dex had raced away, she’d peered at the pasta with a hunger Koldo had wanted directed at him.

He looked at Laila, who had pushed her food away without taking a single bite and propped her elbows on the table. While Blaine shoveled in his pork chop and told her another story about his former lover, she dabbed at her watery eyes, sympathetic to his pain.

Dex came around the far corner, his jacket hanging over his arm. His plain white shirt bore a few splatters of red, and there was a damp spot on the left side of his pants. He was sullen as he reclaimed his seat.

“We can leave,” Nicola offered.

“That’s all right,” Dex replied stiffly. “My vanity took a hard knock, that’s all.”

“Well, maybe there’s something I can do to help.” Nibbling on her lower lip, Nicola grabbed her water glass, drew in a deep breath and poured half the contents into her lap.

Dex’s jaw dropped as she gasped and grinned—and Koldo hated that another male was seeing her so relaxed, so happy, and that she was striving so diligently to entertain, to please.

“Now we both look like we peed our pants,” she said.

A bark of laughter boomed from the male.

Laughter that should have been Koldo’s.

“Okay, I might have to fight you for her,” Axel said. “That was seriously cool.”

Koldo flashed to outside the restaurant, mentally commanded his robe to become a black shirt and black pants, and marched back inside, this time in the natural realm, where everyone could see him.

The hostesses spied him, and could only gape. Several groups were waiting for a table, and they gave him a wide berth. Gasps sounded. Murmurs arose. He didn’t bother speaking to any of the humans, and marched straight to Nicola’s table. Conversations ceased. He could imagine Axel laughing, but thankfully couldn’t see or hear him.

Dex spotted him, and his fork paused midair. His eyes widened. “You!”

Blaine caught sight of him and straightened in his seat with a snap.

“What—” Laila began, only to look up and groan. “Oh, no.”

Nicola glanced up, and performed a double take. “Koldo. What are you doing here?”

“You know him?” Dex asked with a wheeze.

Koldo peered down at the table’s occupants. He should have thought this through a little more, he realized. He had no idea what to say. “Nicola,” he began.

“Yes?” She tossed her napkin on the table and stood. The bottom half of her dress was soaked, water droplets trickling down her bare legs.

He towered over her, and that should have dissuaded him. He could hurt her without ever realizing it, and could damage her badly enough to kill her. But their eyes met, and his blood heated, and he knew he couldn’t go another night without having her in his arms.

“Your sister has had her fun, yes?”

“Uh, not really,” Nicola said, looking at Laila’s tear-streaked face. “If anything, she’s sadder than ever. Sorry, Blaine, but it’s true.”

“That can be fixed.” To Axel, who he still couldn’t see, he commanded, “Take care of the sister. Make her happy.” He took Nicola’s hand and tugged her toward the exit.

“Koldo,” she gasped, though she offered no resistance. “Seriously. What’s going on? Has something happened?”

In the background, he thought he heard someone ask if she wanted the police notified.

He tossed her a glance over his shoulder. “You’re mine. And I’m keeping you.”