The Willing Read online

  The Willing

  By Aila Cline

  Copyright 2013 Aila Cline

  SMASHWORDS EDITION

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

  This work contains adult graphic content. Please read responsibly.

  ***ENJOY THE STORY***

  Emily

  Luka’s eyes glowered with that frozen blue I once knew so well as he approached my warm little corner at the bar. The growl came deep within his throat as an array of emotions played across his face. I could not identify all of them since they were so varied, but I saw the anger, the hurt—and the hunger.

  “Good evening, Emily,” he said in a flat tone.

  I knew it had been a good idea to meet him in public. I’m sure my letter had surprised him, but without a return address, he could not hunt me. My sudden disappearance without a goodbye to him over a year ago would have tipped him off that something was amiss. He would immediately have gone to Will’s house to see if something had happened to me. Instead of finding me, he would have found Will, bled to death from numerous cuts and bites to his person.

  The air seemed to warm uncomfortably around me as his gaze held me. I had fucked Luka on the ground like an animal that last night, then ran for my life, knowing he would come for me. Luka would not spare my life in place of the revenge for his best friend’s.

  “Hello Luka,” I said with an inviting smile. I could not help but remember that night of passion with him fondly.

  His eyes hardened. Obviously he could not forget it either, though I knew honor-bound Luka would want more than anything to wipe clean the disparity of his actions. I, however, had no such qualms. I hoped his wife had found out. I hope she seethed with rage and cried the tears of the betrayed.

  Luka’s delicious accent wrapped around me, bringing back memories so powerful that I felt as if I’d been teleported. “What is it that you want here, Emily?”

  I know now that his native tongue is Portuguese. When I met him a year prior, I had merely thought him exotic with his dark skin and his dramatic eyes. But no, Luka hails from the Venezuelan-Brazilian border, home of the southernmost Lycanthrope clan.

  I shook my head violently to clear it. I could not afford to let my mind wander. I had a deal to make.

  “I want my life,” I stated simply. The bar may have been loud, but we sat face to face in the lounge and our hearing was better than any human there. No one would eavesdrop on our conversation unless they were a Changeling like me, or a pure blood like Luka. I had not scented any of our kind coming in, so we were practically alone in the world.

  “Your life?” Luka asked. His words were bitter and twisted with disbelief. “Your forfeited that when you killed Will.”

  I knew those would be his words, but I had come prepared.

  “And tell me, Luka,” I said sweetly. “What does a Lycanthrope male forfeit if he betrays the one to whom he is Bonded?”

  A dangerous look plastered itself onto his face. “You wouldn’t dare. It is your fault that I faltered in my faith to Brooke.”

  “I do not recall you being too unwilling to perform,” I said viciously. “And as for Brooke, what I told you that night still holds true; she stole your chance of happiness all those years ago.”

  He slapped the counter in rage and stuck his finger in my face accusingly. “Fuck you, Emily. She is a good mother to our son and a loyal mate—the second trait is much more than I can say for you, you murderous bitch.”

  His raised voice brought the bartender over. The man hadn’t been able to hear any of our words clearly, but he did not like Luka’s tone.

  “Sir, if you raise your voice again, you will be asked to leave.”

  Luka’s eyes cut hard towards the intervention, but he replied loud enough for the man to hear, “Sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “See that it doesn’t.” The man turned to me. “You let me know if he begins to bother you, miss.”

  I nodded my thanks and he walked to the other end of the bar where several patrons were annoyed by his absence. Luka visibly composed himself by rolling his shoulders and breathing deeply for a moment. Yes, a public meeting had definitely been necessary to stretch these painfully tight words between Luka and me.

  His glare found me suddenly amused as I thought back to why I was here.

  “What reason can you have to be happy?” Luka snapped. “The Council has called for your death. Maria will have your blood, and my father says he will hunt you himself if I do not.”

  I replied calmly, “I am not the least bit concerned about Will’s mother or Raníer.”

  “Where does this confidence come from, Emily?” he sneered. “You are the hunted now. What’s to keep me from killing you as soon as we leave the public’s eye?”

  “I have something your people will want—that you will want.”

  “You can have nothing the Clan would want, save your life, and even that is worthless to us.”

  He had scored. He had finally admitted that I truly did not matter to him anymore. That hurt me, for I still cared for him. Time could not ease away my feelings for him. I fought to hide my wounds and keep my voice level.

  “Brooke is not the only one who is a good mother.”

  His eyes widened considerably at that statement and he digested the reality of those words.

  “Emily, no—”

  “Luka, yes.”

  “Is it…” his question trailed off, fearfully or hopefully I’m not sure.

  “I don’t know whose it is,” I replied carefully.

  The pain in his eyes made me want to take back my admission. I came here to bargain, not to hurt him. The last thing I had ever wanted was to hurt him or Will. I had slain Will accidentally, unable to control my bloodlust, and now, though I sat in control of my emotions, I was scraping Luka’s emotions raw.

  He closed his eyes slowly. A long moment passed before they reopened. I sat in silence. Regardless of how I felt, he would have to make the first offer.

  “What color are the baby’s eyes?”

  “Brown.”

  He sighed. “Not surprising since you and Will had brown eyes before the Change, as did I before the gene manifested at puberty.”

  His earnest, tender gaze caught me by surprise. “A boy or a girl?”

  I smiled like any proud new mother would. “A boy.” I added hastily, “but I won’t tell you his name, not yet, not until I know you’ll protect me.”

  “I cannot save you, Emily,” Luka said softly. “Even if I refuse to slay you, the Clan will come for you.” His eyes were full of regret. This was hard for him, too. “They will take the baby after they kill you.”

  “No one will take my son from me,” I said instantly, hotly. “I will kill anyone who tries to.”

  He reached forward to my folded arms and pulled my hands toward him. I was surprised by his reactions, but the tension in his hands took me back to that night, how desperate he had been to touch me, to have me. The air crackled with the electricity between us.

  He stroked my fingers, watching his own actions. “I loved you, Emily.”

  Tear pricked the back of my eyes, but I would not let them fall here. “I still love you, Luka.”

  He yanked his hands away as if burned and would not meet my gaze. I watched as a slight tremble went through his arms. “You should not say such things. We need to leave. I can’t speak to you like this in public. Som
eone who knows Brooke may see us.”

  “I won’t be alone with you.” I paused, considering my next words carefully but finding no other way to defend myself. “I’m scared of you.”

  That admission was too much for him to ignore. His sapphire eyes found my emerald ones and he swallowed heavily.

  “I will not hurt you, Emily.”

  “Though you are ordered to?” I asked warily.

  “Though I am ordered to. I swear—on Will’s grave and my son’s life.”

  That was the promise I had wanted. Luka may be deadly, but he has always been a man of his word and noble in that sense, at least to those he considered a friend. By his reaction to my touch, I was not an enemy. I doubt he even knew what role I played at that moment.

  I smoothed the material of my long-sleeved shirt as I stood. I felt like a manipulative bitch, but lately it was the only way I could survive. Still, I felt he deserved something for his effort to give me another chance.

  “Are you on your Ducati?” I asked, knowing full well that he never went to any human establishment without his motorcycle.

  He smiled and gestured at his worn leather riding jacket. “Of course. It’s the only way I travel these days.”

  I knew he lied, as during the full moon he would be out in the moonlight running as a beautiful night-dark wolf, just as I would be robed in my own tawny coat at the next Change in a few days. Still, his playful smile reminded me of the old Luka, and I desperately wanted to believe that something of him remained.

  “Then follow me, motorcycle man.”

  He chuckled as he stood, and I suddenly felt as if we had never been apart.

  Luka grabbed my arm as we approached the door.

  “You have a human watching your child?” he hissed.

  “She’s different. She knows about us. Don’t worry,” I said soothingly. If he knew how different Rachel was from other humans, he would never set foot in the apartment.

  “What do you mean, ‘don’t worry?’ Why would you ever tell a human about you? About us?”

  “Because I was human once,” I snapped. “And we’re not as stupid and treacherous as all of you Lycanthrope think we are.”

  He looked abashed, as well he might since that had been exactly what he had been implying.

  He released my arm. “It is dangerous knowledge for her.”

  I nodded. “She can take care of herself. I promise you that. She’s also very discreet. She is a friend of the only friend I have in this world at the moment.”

  “Is your friend who pays for this apartment, too?” Luka asked with disdain.

  “Yes. Rachel lives here, too and pays half.”

  “Who is your other friend?”

  “That’s none of your business. She’s a good listener, and I trust Rachel with my life.” I paused then looked into his eyes. “And Micah loves her completely.”

  “Micah.”

  “Yes. Micah. My son.”

  He would not say it aloud, but I knew he was thinking that Micah was possibly our son.

  “Does she know what I am, too?” he asked warily.

  “She might figure it out, but I don’t think it will bother her too much.”

  He grunted. I do not know if that was a positive or negative sign, but it seemed like the only response I would get for the moment.

  I unlocked the door, knowing that Luka would detect my hesitancy to let him into the little world I had created for Micah and me.

  Rachel’s dark brown eyes flashed as she stood with Micah in arms from her seated position on the couch. They immediately darted to Luka as she handed Micah to me, but she knew better than to ask questions. She had come to expect random people popping in and out of our apartment at odd hours. I had never brought a man home, but I knew she would keep her mouth shut.

  She paid no mind to Luka, and equally, Luka paid none to her. It was as if no one existed in the room but the baby and me. Tension lined her face. It was hard not to react to the presence of two werewolves. Humans feel us even if they don’t know what we are—imagine how Rachel felt. She had a better education than most and her own reasons for respecting the strange creatures of the night. Finally, I gingerly asked her, “Do you think you could leave us for awhile?” And just like that, she was gone, Luka’s eyes following her out. I knew she wouldn’t be offended. I always left when she was eating; she wouldn’t begrudge me time alone with Luka and Micah.

  Luka watched the gurgling baby in my hands carefully. Micah threw his hands up in the air to reach for my face. I couldn’t help it. I loved him so much that right there in front of Luka, I spoke in the silly high tones reserved for children under two and small animals.

  “Hello Micah. Did you miss me? Of course you did, you precious thing.”

  Yes, similar sentiments followed. It’s hard not to love someone who is so happy to see you every single time you reappear.

  I hugged the baby close and turned to Luka. “This is Micah.”

  Luka’s gaze softened. I had once asked Luka what he wanted more than anything else in the world, and he had responded “to be a father.” He knew that the odds that Micah was his child were very good. He reached for Micah and I relinquished my hold on him. I felt the overwhelming need to protect my son, but Luka would not hurt a child. He might be a Slayer, but he only kills those who offend the Lycanti—like myself, not my innocent child.

  Seeing Micah in Luka’s arms made my mind return to the present issues at hand instead of daydreaming in mommy-land.

  “Are you willing to get a paternity test?”

  Luka’s sharp gaze cut into me. “Are you a fool? Do you know what would happen if our DNA got out into public?”

  I frowned. “They took blood from Micah in the hospital; there’s nothing wrong with him.”

  “There’s a difference between blood test and DNA tests. A DNA test uses phosphorescent lights to distinguish between different stands. The Lycanthrope gene stands out like a bad Monet painting.”

  “Oh.” We sat in silence a moment, the only sound Micah’s baby-soft breathing as he studied Luka’s face with an intensity that was almost funny.

  “So you would rather just not know?” I asked.

  Luka sighed and hugged Micah close. “It makes no difference. Even if he were Will’s child, I would take care of him like he was my own. Brooke would not have to know that you are his mother.”

  The hot words rushed out before I could stop them. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

  “About what?”

  “You honestly think I’m going to let you take my child home to that psychotic whore?”

  Micah obviously did not like my tone, because he added to the stress of the situation by starting to bawl.

  “Give me my son,” I said roughly over the crying, but reaching gently to take Micah.

  I found that Luka would not let him go.

  “Luka, don’t do this.”

  “He needs to go with me to the Clan, Emily. He’ll be safe there. Far safer than you can keep him.”

  My heart dropped what seemed like ten feet. I had known that would be the course of action all along, but I had not wanted to accept it. The hope that Luka would support my decision to keep Micah here had buoyed me, allowing me to hang onto the fragility of life here in Southern California. After all, my parents are here. And although they think me to be dead, I’m sure they would like to see their grandchild and know that their daughter is alive. But Luka voiced my own fears.

  “The Clan will hunt you now that you have reappeared. He is not safe.”

  “Then I’ll take him away,” I said sadly, looking at my baby as if he could disappear right before my eyes. The little sparks of hope died.

  He leaned in and I could smell that spicy aroma that was distinctly Luka.

  “Let me keep him safe, Emily,” he cooed. “Even if it means allowing another Clan member to raise him. He will grow up loved, rest assured.”

  My mind started to fall into that luxurious softness I ha
d felt with Will most of the time, phantom fingers stroking the core of me. And then I got angry about it.

  “You’re trying to dope me!”

  He drew back. “I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

  But he did. I knew he did. A Lycanthrope or Lycanti male can choose when to release sex pheromones to subdue or attract a mate. Luka knew, much better than I did at any rate.

  “Give me my baby,” I demanded. “Now.”

  He looked at Micah again, and I could tell he was thinking about just leaving with my son. Thankfully, he handed the child over to me. Micah calmed in my arms, grabbing for my necklace and my hair.

  “There are other alternatives to keep him safe,” I said resolutely. I had planned this conversation out a hundred times in my head for the last year, but the words still stuck to the roof of my mouth.

  “Like what? Moving to a different country? Where do you expect to get the money for that? Your friend may rent you an apartment, but I doubt she’ll pay for you to live in a different country. And you can’t hold a job. Gods know when you would Change.” He paused and looked sour. “Do you realize what kind of life that would be for your son? He could never be around other normal children, not because of himself, but because of you. He won’t start to Change until sometime after puberty, not that you know anything about how we develop.”

  Once again, I felt emotional about his contempt for my humanity. He had never treated me like this before Will’s death, before the baby, before I was Lycanti. When I had been human, he had not hated me so much. Now that I am Lycanti, he likes to remind me how very human I am.

  “I want you to leave, Luka,” I said, choking on the sob that threatened to escape. I never thought I would say those words to him.

  “And I want sons who know who their father is,” he snapped.

  Our gazes clinched together; I struggled with the quick uprising of shame that came with that statement. He followed me to the next room as I laid Micah down for the night.

  “I want more than that for my boy, Luka,” I said evenly as we returned to the den. “I want my son to be human.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You have no right to make that choice.”