The Fire Within The Night (Night Aberrations - Book Two) Read online

  CHAPTER TEN

  It didn’t take long to find the perfect chestnut brown for Chase. If Nils didn’t notice her now, I would hit him with something a little harder than a clue by four. She was stunning, the epitome of a bombshell pinup girl.

  “Are you sure I don’t look ridiculous?” Chase asked, fidgeting in my pencil skirt and crimson red blouse.

  Emelie and I gave each other commiserating looks. She’d asked us that a hundred times since we started playing makeover. “Yes, for the millionth time, you’re gorgeous. You make us normal females look like homely spinsters. Geez Chase, you’re aware that you’re in desperate need of a healthy dose of self-esteem, aren’t you?”

  “Shut it, Erin. I’m not used to all this girly stuff.”

  Emelie clapped her hands together after she finished arranging the last of Chase’s long curls and grinned like a fool. “Okay, let’s go show her to the guys. Nothing is as sure to get Nils’s attention as competition.”

  Chase’s eyes widened with fear. “Are you sure that this a good idea? What if they all laugh at me?”

  “They won’t,” I assured her. “They’ll be busy trying to hide their hard-ons.”

  “Erin!” Emelie screeched, laughing at my boldness.

  “What? You know I’m right. All these single males, waiting thousands of years for their mate to just breeze in and save them from a life of loneliness. You couldn’t ask for a group of males more appreciative of the female form than these guys are.”

  “That’s true,” Emelie said. “Stay away from my mate, Chase.”

  She slipped on the heels I’d loaned her, wobbling a little. “Not a problem. Moving in on a Norn’s mate would be the ultimate in stupidity. Let me know if it ever happens though. I want to see what you do.”

  “I will,” she promised, giggling. Then, she turned to face me, hands on hips. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten that you still haven’t told me what happened here last night, Erin. Soren hasn’t stopped threatening Jakob’s life all day. I’d like to know why I’m restraining my mate from kicking his best friend’s ass.”

  “I was going to tell you, Em, I was. But …” I motioned to Chase.

  “I know. I’m kidding, though I am dying to know.” She made a noise of excited glee. “This is so much fun! I can’t tell you how glad I am to have females to hang out with again. Living with males is so boring. All they do is talk about war and argue about who has the biggest dick … metaphorically speaking, of course. Well, most of the time.”

  “That’s all males, Emelie,” Chase agreed, shaking her head in repugnance. “Try being a soldier with all of that ego in your face. It’s a friggin’ nightmare.”

  “Hey!” I cried. “Don’t mess up your hair! It’s perfect.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You couldn’t put a dent in this hair, Erin. Emelie put so much magic into the curls, I’m not sure they’ll ever wash out.

  Emelie scoffed. “I’ll have you know that I put just the right amount of magic in there. Now, quit stalling and go put the charm on your future mate.”

  “This is going to scar me for life, isn’t it?”

  I grinned as the dinner bell pealed and put my arm around her. “Chase, it’s pretty much guaranteed. Now get in there.”

  The males took to their feet when we entered the dining room, a low whistle escaping from Viggo. “Damn, Chase. You clean up well.”

  “Thanks. I spilled a bit of wine on my jeans.” Her face was hot with embarrassment. “I am fortunate that Erin and I are close to the same size.”

  Nils smirked and motioned to her head. “Did you spill something in your hair, too?”

  I gave Nils a withering look, trying to help cover Chase’s little white lie. “Pink doesn’t go with this color, Nils.”

  Jakob realized what we were up to right away. With a wink at me, he pulled out Chase’s chair with a flourish. “I am sure that Nils did not mean anything by his comment, Princess. It must have been an unexpected shock to him to see you with the beautiful shade you have chosen, as it was to all of us. We have only known you to have pink hair in the past.” He glanced at our resident asshole. “Is that not right, Nils?" His voice held a stern ‘you better not fuck this up’ note.

  “Yes,” he answered, returning Jakob’s glare with a bewildered expression. “That is it—if we were in some kind of alternate universe. What the hell are you on about, Jakob?”

  Chase rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s just drop it, guys.” To me, she added, “I told you he wouldn’t notice me.”

  “He noticed your hair wasn’t pink anymore,” I reminded her. “That means he was checking you out. Flirt a little. See what happens.”

  Muttering, she said, “Okay, I’ll try … and fail.”

  After twenty minutes, I regretted ever pushing Chase into trying to lure Nils into a relationship. I watched as she fruitlessly tried to engross him into a conversation during dinner. She was even brave enough to bare her substantial cleavage to him while passing the mashed potatoes to get his attention. All of it was in vain. He ignored her, his indifference made clear to everyone at the table. To Nils, she was just one of the guys.

  Staring at the dumb-shit wolf, I frowned. He was going to give me premature wrinkles, if he didn’t snap to it. “What gives, Em?”

  With an almost imperceptible shake of her head, she answered. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve never seen him reject anyone of the opposite sex.” Grimacing, she added, “Mated or not.”

  I glanced up at the future mates again. Chase was staring at Nils with desperation in her eyes, like she’d never see him again. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  All too soon, I watched the males excuse themselves from the table and leave. Nils was one of the first to go.

  “I’m sorry, Chase.”

  She shrugged in cool detachment, but I could see the hurt in her eyes. “I told you guys. This was pointless.”

  “It’s not pointless. It is complete bullshit, and I’m getting to the bottom of it!” Emelie said, eyeing the direction Nils went with suspicion.

  Chase sighed and stood. “Don’t bother with it, Emelie. I need to go make a report to my mother, anyway. Are you going to be all right here for a day or so, Erin?”

  I got up and put my arms around Chase. Emelie followed suit. “Of course, I will. Go do what you need to do.”

  “You’ll call to me if you need me.” It wasn’t a question; it was a command.

  “I will,” I promised.

  “Good. See you two soon.”

  When she blinked out of the room, Emelie and I locked eyes. “We have to do something, Erin.” Her voice carried an edge of unsettling worry. “She’s hurting.”

  “I know.” Before our arrival on Svartálfaheim, I would have wagered that Chase wasn’t afraid of anything. Now, I knew better. She was terrified of the enemy that I’d never counted on—rejection. Wringing my hands, I started to pace the length of the table. “Can’t you just work your magic on him? That’s what you do, right?”

  “I could, though it would be unethical if they weren’t meant to be. That’s not the case here. With true-mates, their fates are made to intertwine together. The magic is already there!” Emelie fumed, pacing in the opposite direction. “Nils has to feel the pull. He’s just hiding it for some stupid, inexplicable, ridiculous reason.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”

  When we didn’t come to the parlor for after-dinner coffee and ambrosia, Jakob came in to check on us. “What are you two doing?” He was astonished by our angry, silent pacing.

  “Nothing,” we said in unison.

  “Nothing it is,” he conceded, smirking as he settled into a chair to observe our silent scheming. “But, before you do something to make the situation worse, shall I find out why Nils is not interested in taking Chase as his mate? I know you will both not rest until you know.”

  I stopped pacing to appraise my mate. This wasn�
�t the kind of thing that he would do—ever. Nonetheless, he did look serious enough about what he’d said … and really, really sexy. I cocked my head to the side as a mixture of confusion, wonder, and desire filtered through me. Had Jakob ever looked like this to me before? His short, onyx hair almost appeared shinier, more alluring, above burning, electric-green eyes that matched his caramel skin to perfection. Even his usual no-nonsense, all-black stance on his attire seemed … well, perfect. He was resplendent, magnificent—a male from a dream.

  “You’ll ask him that for us?” I purred, making my way around the table toward him. I just couldn’t resist touching him in some way, especially since Soren wasn’t in the immediate vicinity to berate me for it.

  He answered with a knowing quirk of his lips aimed at me. “Ladies, I would do anything for the both of you. Chase deserves every happiness, and though it may not appear so at times, Nils does, as well.”

  “How kind of you,” I replied, distracted by the paragon of masculine superiority sitting in front of me. I was almost to the point that I was considering asking Emelie to leave the room, so that I could beg Jakob to forgive me for leaving him. In addition, the thought of fucking him right there on the chair was just too tempting not to do, and I doubted she’d want to stick around for that.

  With an outraged huff, Emelie reached across the flower arrangement in the center of the table and smacked Jakob on his arm. “Stop influencing her!”

  I tore my gaze away from his unnatural perfection (with difficulty) to look over to Emelie’s appalled face. My body felt sluggish and slow, like I was on the verge of being drunk. “Is that what this is? Why you seem so … mouthwatering?”

  His timid smile was answer enough for me.

  “Mouthwatering?” Emelie shook her head in horror. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Ignoring her distaste, I sat in his lap and whispered, “I like it. Don’t stop.”

  Emelie, looking a delicate shade of green, flung herself over the table to get out of the room. “You guys are freaking twisted. I am so out of here.”

  Even in my intoxicated state, it was pretty comical to see her half-sliding, half-tripping her way out with one hand shading us from her vision until the door slammed behind her. “You don’t think she’ll tell Soren, do you?”

  “No, love. But, I do believe I will have to explain myself later. She will not let me go without being reprimanded.”

  “I get the feeling that she’s bossier than she looks.”

  Jakob chuckled. “Your assumption is correct.”

  I nuzzled into him, placing delicate kisses onto his neck and the exposed vee of his chest. “Where were we?”

  “We were about to see how well you can defend yourself against my influence,” he said, kissing my pouting lips. “Do not sulk, Erin. It is a necessary skill.”

  “I’m not sulking.” I glowered. “I’m horny. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather find one of the thousand isolated spots in the castle to make love instead?”

  “I am not, by any means. However, you need to learn this skill.” There was a gleam in his emerald eyes as he grinned. “If you can.”

  “What do you mean, if I can?” I scoffed, offended at his lack of confidence. “Of course, I can. I’m the daughter of Odin, which should be enough of a threat to get you naked and on top of me, but sadly, isn’t.”

  “Erin, I can promise you that once the temple is defeated, I will be happy to make love to you whenever you wish, but right now, you need to concentrate on withstanding my power.”

  Smiling, I trailed my fingers from his shoulder to his belt. “I don’t want to resist. I want to be naughty.”

  “You must,” he said, stilling my wandering hands.

  I gave up with a heavy sigh. “Fine, but you’ll be making this up to me tomorrow morning. A lot.”

  His face fell. “My love, you know I cannot.”

  “But, you promised that you would tell Soren to fuck himself,” I whined, lifting myself up to stand.

  “I am sure I never used those words,” he teased.

  I took the liberty of smacking him on the shoulder for that one. “You know what I mean!”

  “Yes, I am becoming quite accustomed to the subtle way you and Emelie get your thoughts across,” he said, rubbing his arm.

  “Do I need to hit you again?” I raised a threatening hand.

  “No.” He laughed and trapped my arms behind me. “You win, but might I remind you that it has been less than a day since Soren found out about us. I think it is wise to give him time to come to terms with the situation … and for Emelie to work a little magic. She is good at calming him down when he is angry.”

  “Must be nice. I wish I had someone to do that for me.”

  He cupped my face, peppering it with soft kisses. “You are so adorable when you are cross.”

  I kissed him back, much more thoroughly, until we were both out of breath. “Do you think so?”

  “Yes. I also think you are a natural at offensive magic, as well as defensive. You haven’t felt my influence for several minutes have you?”

  Huh. He was right. I hadn’t even noticed. That intoxicated, sensual feeling was gone as soon as I got mad. “No, I haven—”

  “Incoming!” Emelie screamed in my head.

  “Soren’s coming!” I hissed.

  He moved toward the door to leave. “Shift. I’ll find you later.”

  “I love you.”

  “I lov—” His reply was cut off by my disappearance. I really needed to learn to time the shifting thing better.

  Much to my disappointment, Jakob didn’t return to the castle for the rest of the night. To their credit, Nils, Viggo, and Emelie tried to keep me from noticing his conspicuous absence, even managing to persuade me to play Monopoly and Scrabble with them, but at four in the morning, when Nils suggested Hide and Seek, I gave up on the hope that I would see him and excused myself to walk the long trek back to the room Axel had shown me earlier. My room, of course, was in the wing opposite of the wing Jakob’s chamber was in. No doubt, my brother had a hand in that. I would bet money that Soren and Emelie’s room would be right next to mine, so he could keep an eye on me.

  After a quick shower, I climbed into bed alone, wide awake, and going over everything that had happened in the past couple of days. So much had changed, I hardly recognized the sad existence that I was once used to. I had everything I’d longed to have in my human life. Well, almost everything. I didn’t have my mate.

  I woke the moment someone tore the thin sheet off of my body and put a hand over my mouth. Screaming for Jakob in my mind, I struggled against the strong arm, kicking and punching out as the huge male settled between my legs, his heavy erection pressed tight against my most intimate flesh. “Submit to me!” the male growled.

  There was no mistaking the scent and the intoxicating influence he was using. Whimpering in desperation, I reached for his belt, unbuckling it as he ripped my panties off and pushed two fingers into me. Crying out behind his hand, I enclosed my mate’s wide girth in my palms and stroked his length, moaning as his fingers moved in rhythm with my hands.

  “Shhhh, älskling. Soren’s room is across the hall.”

  I nodded, not giving a shit where he was at the moment, and rose my hips in silent invitation. He guided himself into me, groaning out his relief. “I tried to keep busy tonight,” he whispered. “To keep myself from thinking about you—the sight of you on your hands and knees, screaming for more of my cock, your swollen bottom lip clenched between your teeth as you came … it’s impossible. I crave you—your body, your blood, everything. I want all of you.” His every word was punctuated with intense pulses of the same sensual influence he was using earlier. I closed my eyes and let myself drift away in pleasure, intoxicated by his magic, until barreling back to reality in the throes of orgasm. Eager to join me, he set a frenzied pace, driving himself harder and deeper, before growling out his release through clenched teeth, then collapsing in exhaustion on top of m
e.

  “Wowww,” I breathed, when I could speak.

  “Have I impressed you?” he panted, lifting himself onto his elbows to look into my eyes.

  Devious smile intact, I shook my head. “Uh, no. I was going to ask you if you call that lame attempt, ‘sex’. Because it felt like you kind of phoned it in to me.”

  He dropped his head onto my shoulder and chuckled into my hair. “Do I bore you, Erin?”

  I grinned at the ceiling. “Exceedingly.”

  “Enlighten me as to how I shall entertain you to your satisfaction, my hard to please älskling.”

  “Oh, Jakob. It’s so cute how you think you can.”

  “I see,” he said, pushing himself up. “Then I will be on my way. To be frank, I do not have the time to devote to one of you insatiable type females as it is. There are only so many hours in the night.” The springs in the mattress creaked as he stood. “I bid you good day.”

  “All right then. Thanks for the…uh, experience.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Jakob?”

  Nothing. I slid off the bed and fumbled along the wall for the light switch.

  Hands grabbed my arms and held them to my side. “Looking for someone?” His breath tickled my ear.

  “Maybe,” I admitted.

  “Do you know what I think?”

  “No.” But I knew what I thought. I wanted him. He knew how to make me desperate for his touch.

  He slid an arm across my stomach to pull me closer. “Hold on. I am taking you somewhere where we can be alone.”

  In a blink, we materialized into the middle of a candlelit corridor somewhere in the castle I’d never been before. I didn’t recognize the deep blue of the tapestry against the brilliant gold of … everything else. “Where are we?”

  “This was my father’s wing—our wing, now that we rule in Kristian’s absence.” His fingers skimmed the edge of the t-shirt I wore. “But never mind that for now. I think we should play a game.”