Lord King (The King)

I reached into my oversized leather purse and dug out my pack of travel tissues to blot my face. The elevator doors chimed and slid open.

“Good morning, Jeni.” A pair of haunting pale gray eyes stared from inside the elevator.

“King!” I jumped in my sloshy heels, my heart going crazy. Half due to shock, half because King was a mysterious man who exuded a deadly vibe, all wrapped up in the timeless masculine beauty of an old-world god.

Of course, if you passed him on the street, all you’d see was a wealthy modern businessman dressed in a fine Italian suit. You’d notice his stunningly handsome face, too—the elegant cheekbones, the lips and regal nose. But if you looked closely, deep into his eyes, you’d sense he wasn’t entirely of this world. And you’d be right.

In truth, he was once Draco Minos, an ancient Minoan king with powers I would never begin to understand. He was also my lifeline in this dangerous world I’d recently discovered I belonged to.

“Run into a waterfall on your way here?” He cocked a black brow that matched the inky stubble on his exquisite jawline.

Why does he have to be so beautiful?

A sly smile crept across his lips. “You know I can hear your thoughts, Jeni.”

And I can hear yours, too. I folded my bare arms across my chest to hide my nipples, which were surely poking out from being wet and cold.

“I am aware.” He dipped his head. “Though, I should inform you I have been around for over three thousand years, and you are not the first woman I’ve met with such a talent.”

“And?”

“And…” He stepped from the elevator, pressing his body flush with mine.

Too close for comfort to a man I didn’t trust, I stepped back, landing right in the puddle I’d just left from my dripping clothes. My heel slid out from under me on the slick tile. “Oh crap!”

“Careful now.” In a blink, King had me in his arms, his body bowed over mine as if he were dipping me on a dance floor during tango night.

My eyes locked on his, my heart thumping even louder in response to the darkness inside him. Was he a man, ghost, monster? Something in between? My body didn’t seem to fucking care because the slideshow of memories began: our sweat-slicked naked bodies writhing, the exquisite muscles of his chest and arms as he glided over me, thrusting relentlessly, and the sound of his heavy breaths filling my ears as he came.

It had only been a few weeks since he’d fucked me so hard that he’d left an indelible mark on my soul, but things couldn’t be more different now.

Now, he remembered who he was, and the stranger I’d first met, who washed ashore in a metal box, was long gone. Now, he was King, the man who defied all laws—natural, moral, or otherwise.

As for me, things were different, too. For starters, discovering I was a Seer—the only one alive, thanks to King, who’d killed them off after a major falling-out. Two, realizing I was in love with an ancient king who would never love me back. Three, learning that if I cared about King, I had to help him find redemption for three thousand years of twisted behavior that had left behind a deep and terrible footprint on the world. And, finally, being told by the “dead” Seers they’d bound his soul to me. I was what anchored him to a world he so badly wanted to vacate. To die, he needed that bond broken. And to do that, he had to make things right with the Seers. The irony was that I didn’t want to lose him.

Fucking fate. You’re a stone-cold bitch.

“My, my, such foul language, Jeni.” King slowly released me from his grip, pulling me upright. “But let us get one thing straight: I am evil. Evil as I am powerful.”

I already knew that. I also knew there was a part of him that loved his wife so deeply he’d managed to cheat death just to have more time with her. A man who loved so profoundly couldn’t be all bad.

“Your point?” I said.

He leaned closer, speaking with a menacing tone. “Just because I loved my wife or am seeking redemption doesn’t change what I am. I would slit your throat, Jeni. I would trade you away to the vilest of men. I would betray you in a heartbeat if it meant getting what I want. Never forget that.”

I furrowed my brows, wondering how I could love such a dark creature.

“A valid question,” he said, responding to my thoughts. “You should also ask yourself why you put on such a seductive dress this morning. Perhaps you think a part of me wanted you once, and it will do so again. But the man I was when we met wasn’t real, and you know that.”