Arlen

 

 

Arlen’s time wasn’t up yet. Brokk was the honorable sort and he’d stay true to his word by giving Arlen the two days he’d agreed to. Lorik, however, had no honor. Arlen wouldn’t be surprised if the maggot had sent enforcers to collect him. If they found Angela, they’d kill her. Human’s weren’t supposed to know about the Fae or the rest of the paranormal community. Each race had their own governing bodies, but no supreme overseers. So, it was explicitly understood amongst all races that those who challenged the rules would be exterminated.

Some made exceptions for extenuating circumstances typically with the understanding that the human in question was never to rejoin human society. The Fae who sat on the throne wouldn’t be as kind. Lorik would make an example of her just to hurt Arlen.

Steady on the balls of his feet, he clutched the kyrie in his hand. The weapon had gotten him out of more tough situations than he could count. His free hand closed around the door knob and turned it, pushing the door open wide.

Just as the door opened, a startled, feminine gasp sounded. “Oh!”

He recognized the voice and the tattooed hand outstretched as if it were about to knock again.

“Caressia?” He poked his head out into the hall to see if she was alone. 

He was bewildered by her sudden appearance back in his life.

“Hi.” Caressia’s eyes softened as she soaked up his presence.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” His voice sounded cold, even by his standards, but he brushed it off. She knew exactly how he was and wouldn’t think much about it. Arlen wasn’t the type to play games or beat around the bush.

“Nice to see you too, lover,” she purred as she stepped into his home. “I thought I’d stop by to give you a head’s up that Lorik has put a pretty lofty sum on your head. He’s promising titles to anyone who can bring you in alive.”

Figures. That’s exactly the sort of thing a snake like him would do, Arlen thought. If Lorik was putting a bounty on his head, then Brokk hadn’t reported him yet. It seemed his friend wasn’t as blind to the sort of man Lorik was as he’d thought before. However, none of it explained Caressia’s appearance.

“That doesn’t answer my question. How did you find me?”

Anger flared in his chest. Too many slip ups. He clenched his teeth and balled his fists at his own failure. A part of him wondered if the woman was there to bring him in herself. If it was him, he knew he wouldn’t hesitate.

“Let’s just say I have friends in high places. When I need to know the whereabouts of a person, I get it,” she explained with a raised eyebrow.

Arlen crossed his arms over his chest and leaned casually against the wall. He wasn’t letting his guard down, not when Angie’s life depended on him, but it would put his unexpected guest at ease. If she relaxed, she could be more forthcoming with vital information.

She’d meant something to him once, long before Angie had ever come into the picture. Those sentiments were long behind him though. All but forgotten, just like the rest of his life.

“Well, thanks for the warning. Was that it?”

Caressia stepped into him and pushed her chest out slightly. Arlen’s gaze dipped to the proffered goods. Her breasts were pert and on the verge of spilling out of the leather halter she was wearing.

“I thought maybe we could catch up. Haven’t you missed me?”

“No,” he replied and stepped out of her reach. “Now, back to the business at hand. How many has Lorik commissioned?”

Caressia’s playful demeanor turned serious. “He’s not taking chances this time, Arlen. He means to have you dead. He said the King’s death was at your hand and you must be brought to justice for it. The people demand it.”

“The King’s death was his own fault.” He didn’t say more about it. He had killed the King, but there was so much more to it than that.

Caressia stepped into his space again with a seductive pout poised on her lips. This was her signature move, the one she always used to get her way with men. What she didn’t know was that, with the arrival of his true mate, he was no longer capable of succumbing to her enchantments like he once was.

There was a time, he would have done just about anything for her. She had been, after all, his betrothed before the King’s mind had gone rabid and turned him into something unrecognizable.

The Fae’s hands snaked up his chest. Arlen could tell she thought her charms were working.

“Tell me the rumors aren’t true, lover. I’ll believe you. We can set the record straight and go back to the way things used to be.”

The floorboards creaked on the other side of the room. Arlen’s vigilant gaze swung around and met those of a very angry Angela. He froze, shocked by her sudden appearance and then it grew into a slow burning fury. Angie hadn’t listened to him and stayed put. She’d come out of hiding in front of one of the worst possible people. Caressia would report Angela to Lorik before she even left the building. There was no telling how long it’d be before the guards were tearing his door down and dragging her away. Arlen couldn’t say anything to her in that moment and give his guest any more ammunition than she had. He had to make a choice and he had to do it fast. He took in Angela’s pointed glare and her pursed lips. In that moment, it dawned on him how the situation must look to her. A strange woman was pressed against him after Angie and he had spent the night together. He’d shoved her in a closet and now there was Caressia. Seeing his mate’s reaction steeled his resolve. Arlen wasn’t running anymore and neither would she. Arlen would trade his life for hers and pray it saw her to safety.

Instead of removing herself from him, Caressia simply faced Angela. She kept her back pressed flush against Arlen’s back as she sized up Angie as a threat. Arlen cleared his throat and sidestepped his handsy, former lover. In a few, sure steps, he was beside Angela and he knew he must rectify the situation before things got out of hand.

Caressia had been a lover even back when he was considerably younger and much less concerned with the consequences of his actions. What he had since learned was that Caressia had her sights set on the throne. Like a good warrior, she let nothing come between her and her end goal. Though, that didn’t explain why she was there and not barking up Lorik’s black, twisted tree.

“Caressia, I’d like you to meet my Angela. Angela this is Caressia. She’s an old friend.” He placed a hand on Angie’s lower back and towed her closer to him.

He hoped by staking an obvious claim that Caressia would take the hint and give up her pursuit.

“A human? Really, Ar? You can’t be serious.”

“Emphasis on the old,” Angie huffed under her breath while she peeked up at Arlen.

The anger he’d felt was slowly receding. His mate was stronger than he’d given her credit for. He was trying really hard to not laugh at her jibe. However, Caressia did not seem amused in the least. In fact, her scowl was almost deadly.

“Do you think its appropriate to flaunt your playthings in front of the woman you’re marrying?” Caressia said with an air of vengeful satisfaction.

Angie stiffened beside him and made to step away from him, but his hand kept her in her rightful place at his side.

“That was a lifetime ago and not my choice, or have you forgotten that? That arrangement was dead in the water even before the king passed on and you know it.”

Arlen noticed Angie glancing back and forth between him and his former lover, appearing uncomfortable and unsure by the awkward triangle she had unwittingly found herself in. Until that moment, he’d never been ashamed of his past. Since meeting Angela, he was beginning to understand just how much she changed his perspective.

“It was never officially dissolved. So, technically, you’re still bound to me,” Caressia sneered. She turned her sights on his chosen and gave her a venomous grin.

“She is my true mate. My chosen and she is bound to me. As far as you and I are concerned, there never was an us and there never will be.” There was an edge to his voice that made it clear he was not to be trifled with. He wasn’t giving her up for any archaic rules and he’d kill any who came for her life.

He was not going to tolerate anyone trying to intimidate Angela, nor make her feel as though she didn’t belong with him. Not when she was perfectly created to be his other half.

“Did you have anything else you needed to tell me?” he asked curtly.

“What are you going to do? They’re hunting you. The human will slow you down.” Caressia spat the word human as if it were the most disgusting thing she’d tasted.

“I have never run from a battle and I don’t intend to start now. I’m not going anywhere. You, however, can see yourself out.”

Caressia stood there as if she couldn’t comprehend the words that had been uttered. Her eyes shot back and forth between Arlen and Angie before settling on the latter with a look of pure hatred.

She turned with more grace than should be possible in such an outfit and sauntered to the door. She opened it and stepped through, pausing to say one last thing.

“You’ll regret all of this one day.” She stepped through and closed the door behind her.

He was sure she was right. Arlen decided that he wouldn’t change what he had planned. He’d just add it to the long list of things he’d already fucked up in his life.