Lord King (The King)

Like I said, King was a puzzle—pushing me away while ensuring I wouldn’t be a victim to this fucked-up world I knew nothing about. He wanted to give me a chance to survive, even if he hated Seers. All but Ariadna.

I flipped on the light switch next to the door, and the place lit up like a showroom.

Wow. Modern white furniture, gleaming white marble floors, and just beyond the living room, an enclosed patio with a private pool all lit up for a nighttime swim.

Okay. Maybe I could accept King’s charity. At least for a few days.

This was a beautiful, safe place, and I had a lot to unpack. Victor was dead. I was pregnant. King had left me to fend for myself.

I walked over to the phone on the end table by the couch and hit the button for reception. “Hi. I’d like a really big pepperoni pizza.” I placed my hand on my stomach. “And a giant spinach salad. Thank you.”

Tonight I would eat and rest. Tomorrow I’d have to make a plan.

“Jeni, my little treasure, come outside. Let’s not waste this time together,” hummed a deep, velvety voice in my ear. “There are secrets to share and sunrises to be seen.”

My eyes snapped open, and I was greeted by an unfamiliar room. Desk. Balcony. King-size bed. I slammed my eyes shut and reopened them.

I’m in Miami. But that didn’t explain what woke me up.

I propped myself on my elbows, wondering if the rich, masculine voice I’d just heard had been a dream. “Hello? Anyone there?”

“Come and join me on the balcony.”

I knew that voice. It belonged to the man who showed up in Victor’s limo.

“No need to fear me, Jeni. I saved you. Remember?”

“What do you want?”

“What if I begin with the things I don’t want? I don’t wish to hurt you. I don’t wish to scare you.”

Rule number one: When someone said they didn’t want to hurt you, they usually did. “So why are you asking me to leave the safety of my room in the middle of the night?” Also, the guy was on my balcony. Second floor. Not exactly a good sign.

“If you feel safer in there,” he said, “I am fine with that, but the sun will rise soon, and I don’t have much time.”

“You’re a fucking vampire?”

A hearty, deep chuckle erupted outside. “I suppose. Except I don’t drink blood, I love the sun, and I can’t make anyone become like me by giving them my blood.”

“Sounds nothing like a vampire.”

“It takes a lot to kill me, so there’s that.”

“Cool. Good for you. But I have no interest in talking.”

“I saved your life tonight. Doesn’t that deserve a few moments of your time, Jeni?”

Unsure if I’d left the sliding glass door unlocked before bed, I got up and tiptoed over to the door.

What the fuck? It was locked. And shut. How did his voice sound like it was right here in the room?

“Jeni? May I get on with this, or are you going to continue rummaging around inside there?”

“What do you want?” I backed away from the glass. I didn’t know what he was capable of.

“A fair trade. Nothing more.”

I highly doubted it. This guy had sketchy written all over him. He’d killed a powerful Ten Club member—one whom King himself had doubts about confronting. “If you’re looking for a trade, I can recommend plenty of websites. Ever heard of Craig’s List?”

“What I’m after can’t be found that easily.”

“Thus the reason I just asked what you want, asshole.”

He chuckled. I guessed my crassness amused him. “I want you, Jeni.”

Me? For what? Actually, I didn’t care. I wanted him to leave. “Thank you. Not interested. You can go now.”

“What if I said King is in danger?”

I swallowed hard. “Then I’d ask you to elaborate.”

“Let’s speak face-to-face.”

“Why?” He had to know I was protected in here. Otherwise, he would have entered.

“Because you will not believe me unless you look me in the eyes.”

I reached for the curtain and pulled it back. There stood a man dressed in black, looking surreally beautiful under the moonlit night with his high cheekbones and full lips. Yep, it was him—the same guy who saved my ass in Victor’s limo.

“Who are you?” I asked.

He dipped his head of shiny dark hair. “The name is Ansin.”

Red flag right there. Any man with the word sin in his name was trouble. “And what are you?”

“That’s a very complicated question. What if I just say I come from a very old, very powerful family, and I am the last.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” But why was this my problem?

“Don’t be sorry. I accepted my fate long ago.”

“And what do you want with me?”

“Another complicated question, but clearly you want to cut to the chase. In short, my mother was not so dissimilar to you. She saw things. Sometimes it was the future. Sometimes she saw alternate fates play out.”