Chapter 5

Before I could even scream, he was on me. A blur of movement, and then cold metal pressed into my throat, sharp and merciless. My back slammed against the wall, the impact rattling through my bones.

This was it. I was going to die here, in a filthy alleyway. The only thought flashing through my mind was of Jinx, poor Jinx. Who would feed her now?

I shut my eyes, bracing for the final blow… but nothing came.

When I opened them, my breath caught. Another man stood before me, his back broad and unyielding, his skin faintly aglow. His shoulder-length black hair fell in a silken curtain, and in one hand, he held my attacker by the throat, lifting him as though he weighed nothing.

“You dare touch my mate?” His voice thundered through the alley, every word vibrating along my senses, leaving my skin tingling. “You should not have touched what is mine.”

Mate? Wait. Did he just say mate?

“My King....I did not know...she is your… your mate!” the attacker stammered, his voice breaking with terror.

The air itself seemed to warp with fear, though it was not mine this time. The man who held him radiated a power so immense it was suffocating. His aura blazed around him like a living storm, colors colliding and fracturing, lavender, rose, silver, all shifting like a kaleidoscope of pastel light. It was breathtaking, terrible, overwhelming.

And something inside me responded to it. My body quivered, every nerve straining toward him as though he were a magnet and I the helpless metal drawn in.

“For this, you will die.” His voice was ice and flame in one. A black blade shimmered into existence in his hand, its edge drinking the light. He raised it high, ready to plunge.

But another voice broke through the charged air.

“Axe, wait.”

I jolted. A man I had not noticed stepped from the shadows, calm but firm. “We need to know why he tried to kill her. Bring him to the dungeons first. If you kill him now, we will never have answers.”

The one called Axe held still for a long, tense moment. Then, with a growl that made my blood run cold, he lowered the blade.

“Fine. We will drag the truth from his soul first.” His words were a promise of torment.

“I will take him back to the castle,” the other man said, gripping the prisoner’s arm. “See to your mate. She looks as though she is about to faint.”

And then Axe turned toward me.

Lavender eyes, glowing faintly, impossibly beautiful caught mine. The force of that gaze hit me like a blow. His face… gods, his face was sculpted as if by divine hands, so impossibly perfect it hurt to look at him. My knees gave out, the strength draining from my body.

Before I hit the ground, he was there, sweeping me into his arms as though I weighed nothing. His warmth sank into my skin, his scent wrapping around me like cedar smoke and rain.

“My apologies for frightening you,” he murmured into my ear, his voice a deep rumble that sent goosebumps racing across my arms.

I shivered. I had no idea how to feel, terrified, exhilarated, confused beyond reason. “You must have questions,” he added gently.

“A thousand,” I whispered, trying for humor though my voice trembled. “But I am not sure I want to ask them in the middle of an alleyway at night.”

His lips curved faintly. “Direct me to your dwelling. I will see to your comfort.”

Too stunned to argue, I lifted a weak hand and pointed down the alley. He carried me easily, each stride certain and graceful.

Maybe this was a dream. Maybe I had lost my mind completely. Because none of this made sense.

At my door, I squirmed in his hold until he finally let me slide down his body, every hard line of him grazing mine on the way down. My breath caught again. I quickly turned away, fumbling with my keys.

Should I let him in? Was I really this reckless? He had saved me, but he had also claimed me, in front of everyone, as his.

I opened the door. He was so close behind me I could feel the heat radiating off him.

“Jinx?” My voice cracked with relief as my little black cat bounded toward me, tail high. She skidded to a halt, startled by the sight of our guest.

But then, shockingly, she purred and twined herself around his leg as though greeting an old friend.

My jaw nearly dropped.

He crouched, brushing his fingers behind her ear with unexpected gentleness. Jinx all but melted beneath his touch.

“That is, uh, my cat. Jinx.” My words tumbled out awkwardly, trying to fill the silence. He, of course, looked perfectly composed.

I hurried to the living room. “We can talk in here.” I busied myself clearing a space on the couch, then plopped down on one end, leaving as much distance as possible. I pointed to the other end. “You can sit there.”

He lowered himself onto the cushion with regal grace, his glowing presence making the room feel suddenly too small.

At last, he spoke. His voice was softer now, but no less powerful. “What is your name? I should have asked sooner.”

“Velvet,” I said, still clutching Jinx to ground myself.

“Velvet.” He spoke it as though it were sacred, as though the word itself was a vow. Then his gaze locked to mine. “I am King Axe of the Fae realm. And you are the other half of my soul, my fated mate.”