2. Lia
Chapter two
Lia
Aurelia Raines aged 21
The music is so loud I can’t focus on the words in the book. Every couple of minutes, there’s a loud roar of masculine laughter. I’m not prepared to admit I’m jealous. The laughter and music continue until I can’t take it a second longer. I sit up suddenly and throw the book on the couch. I pace to the window and shift the curtain. This is ridiculous. How can they do this three times a week and not get bored? What is going on over there?
“No matter how many times you glare over at that mansion, you won’t be able to telepathically shut them up,” Ryn says with an amused smirk.
I cast a glare at Auryn with a very uncharitable wish that she was not here, that I instantly regret. In fact, all the cousins are here tonight, which is unusual, except, of course, Kelly and Bethany. But no one has seen Kelly in three years. He’s the oldest of us and took off one day to become something of a surfing superstar, and Bethany took off one day and vanished too. I miss them something fierce.
Kelly’s younger brother Raider is lurking around the mansion, but he’s got no interest in talking to us. Raider is four years older and much more world wise. He is, after all, a badass hockey player.
Locke is hiding out from the press. He’s the lead singer of the new band Derision that exploded onto the charts. But with fame came sacrifice, and his mother Cara dumped him the moment he signed with Alpha Labels. Her dreams of him being a pop star shattered in an instant when he chose a rock band.
So, he’s here in my mansion of forgotten children. We all are. I envy them, though; they get to go out and see the world. I’m not allowed to leave. I’ve tried. Mama made sure the driver refuses to take me anywhere. When I tried to get a job, I found I was locked in the house, and my employer fired me. She’s still keeping me here, a prisoner with no access to the rest of the world.
“Lia.”
I turn and grin at Ryn. Auryn Raines is everything we aren’t. She’s dark to our gold. Her skin is milky white instead of an exotic golden. But we all have the same eyes. Blue green Raines eyes.
“I can see that you’re about to do something stupid,” Ryn says in resignation, putting her notepad down.
I shrug. “I’ve never been to a party before.”
Locke sits up, his feet hit the carpet hard. “Yessss,” he hisses. He stands up and grabs his jacket, looking casually cool.
“Wait!” Ryn shouts and grabs his arm.
Ryn is our voice of reason. Locke and I are guided by our impulses. Of course, she’s going to try to stop us, but she won’t win, and she’ll come with us to keep us safe.
I drown my mother’s voice in my head as quickly as I can. There’s no stopping me, I’m doing this. I’ve never been to a party, and I’ve been listening to them for the last six months. It’s torture.
“We can’t just go over there-”
“It’s a party, of course, we can,” Locke says. “Trust me, no one will even notice us.”
I grab my jacket and slip my shoes on. Ryn hesitates, but then she grabs her jacket and rushes to follow us. I’m all a-flutter with excitement. Not just to leave the house but to do something this daring, I can barely think past the need to rush outside shouting my happiness.
My heart’s pounding, and I let out a giggle. Locke glances my way and winks. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so excited.
The three of us cross the grounds. As we get closer, I get a good look at the building. But the closer we get, the more Ryn complains, and the more determined I get. What would it be like to ride on one of their Harley's? Does it feel like flying?
Their mansion is huge and darker than mine. The Raines mansion is white, kept pristine. This is wild, dark wood, hidden by bushes and towering trees. It’s beautiful and mysterious. My heart jumps, and I grip Ryn’s hand and practically drag her towards it .
Our first view of the porch has me giggling. There’s a man sprawled unconscious leaning up against the outside of the mansion. He’s just lying there, snoring with a bottle of beer in one hand. He’s got a short beard and tattoos all over his arms and neck.
I let out a tiny squeal and bounce forward towards the light of the house, aiming for the golden window of light that is beckoning me towards it.
Locke’s eyes shine bright as he leads the way, but Ryn looks terrified.
“Relax, Ryn,” I whisper. “We’re just going to have a look, and then we’re going to go. Nothing is going to happen.” But I hope something does. Anything. Maybe I’ll make a friend.
She nods her head in a sharp jerk.
Stepping into the doorway, into the light, feels like I’ve entered another world. I forget about Locke and Ryn. Women are grinding on men in the dining room, on the dining table. Everywhere. I’ve never seen anything so obviously sexy. I widen my eyes in shock and twist to take it all in. It’s erotic, sexy, and carnal. It’s another world.
But the men are familiar. I’ve seen men like that before. They are big, with big shoulders, big muscles, big beards. Tattoos cover their skin, and most of them are wearing chunky rings on their fingers. They look rough. Raw. Unreal.
They all look like Andy.
Ryn pulls me to a stop and shakes me free, taking after Locke, who has slipped into another room. I take my chance to look around. There’s an enormous staircase in front of me and the top is in darkness.
I bite my lip, staring up at it. The hairs on my neck lift, and I get this feeling I can’t shake that someone is watching me. I chew my cheek and linger, wanting to go up, wishing I was brave enough to climb those stairs. That darkness calls to me.
In the end, I turn away. I wander through the people gyrating. When someone grabs my hips and sways against me, I pause and laugh, dancing with them, before I move on. My exploration leads me into the kitchen, where a group of guys are cheering as they arm wrestle. Everyone is really drunk, but then it’s almost two in the morning.
I blink when I realise the guy who just won is Raider.
Like Ryn, he’s got the dark hair, but he’s got the golden skin. He laughs, picks up a shot, and downs it. He fits in here with this crowd, I think with an envious pang.
I side-step the group, not wanting him to stop my fun, and duck out of the kitchen, hoping to find someone who will talk to me. I just want to see more. Maybe I can grab a drink here, dance more?
I end up back at those stairs, but now I feel braver, and the urge to climb them isn’t something I can ignore. I slowly advance up, feeling at every step that someone is going to stop me .
It feels like destiny. Like some great fate is awaiting me.
I get up on the landing and move to the rail, staring down at everyone. They laugh and whisper, dance and put arms around each other. Everyone is happy. So many people are having fun. I don’t think I’ve been around this many people, but I love it.
You’re sick.
I push my mother’s voice aside and whip around when I hear a door creak. It’s followed by the groan of floorboards as a man steps out of a room. The guy has his back to me, but his black top is stretched tight over very broad shoulders. I have this urge to walk up and run my hands across the expanse.
It’s so ridiculous that I let out a tiny squeak of pure surprise.
I’m frozen, pinned to the spot by this hunger inside me, these strange new feelings. The sensation that I’ve been sleeping my whole life and I’ve just woken up is strange and new. I reach up and tidy my hair and lick my lips. I’m unable to move as he turns and stills. He’s seen me, but it hasn’t quenched the feeling. Instead, the air feels like it could catch fire.
He’s gorgeous. I can tell, even in the dark.
And then he smiles. I can just see his teeth. My heart thunks against my ribs, and I reach out to grab the landing rail to hold myself up.
“Hello, baby.”
I shiver at the endearment. No one’s ever called me baby before. I love it. But I can’t find my tongue. I can’t find anything. Is this love? Lust? What is wrong with me?
He moves closer, and when his huge hands slide onto my hips and tow me towards him; I suck in air desperately but don’t resist. I feel so small, so breakable. And his hands feel so nice. It’s a touch I feel like I’ve been aching and missing all my life and only just realised what it was. His hands belong on my hips.
“I haven’t seen you before.” His voice is so pretty, so full of personality. I resist the urge to sigh and lean into him.
His lips brush against mine. It’s sudden and unexpected, and I’m suddenly flying. His kiss gives me the wings I’ve longed for. I let out a moan when he moves away and clutch at his shoulders, not letting him go. He’s all hot and hard muscles. I want to stroke him everywhere.
“What’s your name?”
My brain explodes into action. “Lia.”
“Lee-ah,” he drawls and presses his lips against mine.
I’m frozen, unsure of what to do. This is my first kiss. My first anything. Hot hands slide up under my jacket and top, up my rib cage. I’m going to drown in him. It’s too much. As his thumbs graze my under boob, I panic, and I tear myself free. I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s too fast. Tearing away from him is crashing face first into the Earth. I have that same feeling that something is broken again.
I’m breathing like I’ve run miles. My eyes feel too wide, but my lips tingle. I lick the taste of him off, savouring the indescribable flavour.
He reaches for me again, but I’m snatched out of his reach by a new pair of hands. Firmer, harder, but again, the sense of hands that I recognise, that are familiar. But they’ve never touched me before.
“No, Ranger.”
I glance up into the face of one of the most dangerous men I’ve ever seen. Where the light is hiding the man who kissed me, a slither hits the one holding me and illuminates his angelic features. He exudes authority and control. He didn’t even raise his voice, but Ranger is frozen.
“Come with me,” he says to me softly.
It holds more menace than anything I’ve ever felt. Even so, I know that for the rest of my life, if he asks me to go with him, I will blindly follow.
His hand bracelets my wrist, and I’m given no choice but to follow him into the darkness. He pushes open a door, revealing dull light. We pass through another door, and I find a room lowly lit with several men all talking in low, intense voices.
“Out!” my captor snaps.
Everyone stands, and seven men leave the room at once, but three stay.
My stomach kicks as I try to take them in. One is dark-haired, dark-eyed, and looks a little crazy. He’s got tattoos on every patch of exposed skin, including the sides of his face just near the hairline and cheekbones. Another one is leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest, looking completely disinterested. His skin is a tawny colour, and his eyes are dark, fathomless wells. But the third sees me, and his eyes travel up and down my person like I’m a lollipop he wants to devour. His arms have the most colourful tattoos that I want to study intently.
My captor frees me, and I step away from him, turning so that I can look at him, but the guy who kissed me has followed us into the room, too.
There’s so much to take in.
“Who are you!” I bark out. Be strong, Lia, you are a Raines.
My kisser smirks at me and moves further into the room, sitting on the edge of the desk. He’s got auburn hair and laughing eyes. I can just see tattoos poking out from under his sleeves and on his hands. I’ve never seen anyone with hair that colour. My fingers itch to touch it.
“The question is, who are you, Lia?”
I wish I hadn’t told him my name .
“Lia?” the commanding guy asks. He’s tall with dark brown hair and green eyes. He even has stubble making him look dangerous.
I think I’m struck instantly in lust with them.
“Do you have a tattoo as well?” I ask before I can rethink it.
The air in the room lightens.
“You want to see my tattoo?” the guy asks.
“Show her Zaden.” The guy who kissed me says. I glance at my captor. His name is Zaden? It’s pretty. “Let's see if the little mouse can handle you.”
Zaden slowly pulls his top off and throws it away. He turns slowly, revealing the most beautiful skull I’ve ever seen. It’s hidden in roses, and where it opens its mouth, you can see a road stretching into forever. It takes up his entire back.
I stroke my fingers over a black rose and his left shoulder blade.
“So beautiful,” I murmur.
The guy in front of me tenses. I can feel how intent he is on me, but I’m not scared. I know I should be. He steps away before I can move my fingers and turns back to face me.
“Lia?” he says, and the way he says my name has me unconsciously stepping towards him.
“Hmm, she said her name was Lia,” the guy who kissed me says. His eyes are blue and smile just as wicked as his lips.
“Where did she come from? Is she a cop?”
I glance back at the dark-haired and dark-eyed guy and add suspicious to the list of things I know about him.
“What’s your name?” I challenge.
He storms into my space, moving so fast I barely have time to back up. He ducks his head so we’re face to face.
“My name, little girl, is Valen, and you’d best remember it.”
His eyes are the most intense brown, like bitter chocolate. But this guys’ eyes are full of life, anger, interest, intrigue. He fascinates me. I want to see if the tattoos are everywhere.
“Why would I be a cop?” I ask with a frown, and he inhales. I shiver as I realise he just took my air into his lungs. Why is that such a turn on?
“She’s not a cop, Valen.” My captor, Zaden, murmurs. “She’s someone else.”
I frown, confused.
“Who are you?” The guy on the wall asks. His voice is low and husky, and there is an innate threat that exists wrapped around his person, making me shiver.
Still, I must be stupid because I’ve unconsciously taken three steps towards him, blindly ignoring the others. Compelled by the darkness in him.
“Lia,” I whisper. “Who are you? ”
His eyes search over my face, and then his lips tip up. “Ianto.”
I suddenly realise that all five guys are alphas. Wow, I haven’t been around so many before. It must be why I’m so tongue-tied. Sure, blame it on that.
The final alpha is studying me in silence.
“Do you like to eat cakes, Lia?”
“Mills!” Zaden snaps.
We ignore Zaden, locked in our own world.
“Yes, I like cakes.”
Mills grins, and it’s like the sun shining through storm clouds. He’s got the most amazing hazel eyes and a kindness that makes me want to curl up against him.
“This is a nice space,” I say in distraction. I take in the room. The desk, the heavy curtains, the wall of books. I rush past them and scan the titles. “Oh, wow, I haven’t seen a copy of this in print before.”
“Is she mentally ill?” someone asks
I don’t know why that question hurts the way it does, but it rips through me. I don’t know them, it shouldn’t matter. Yet, it does.
I turn and force a smile. “Why would I be ill?”
My captor advances on me, and I end up backed up against his precious books as he looms over me. My heart bangs against my ribs, and all I can do is stare at him.
“Because you are here, and you aren’t scared. Ianto,” he tilts his head at the wall, “could snap you like a leaf. And Mills, well, he’d make you scream.” My eyes find Mills, who asked me about the cake. Would he make me scream? What kind of scream? Mills grins at me. He doesn’t look like he’d want to hurt me. He looks friendly.
I return my dubious glare to the alpha looming over me.
“Why would I be scared?” I ask in confusion.
“Hence the question about your faculties,” he whispers, and he can whisper to me all day long. It is doing delicious things to all these parts of me that haven’t awoken before.
He still hasn’t got a shirt on, and I’m having trouble thinking with all the skin and muscles exposed. It’s not like I’ve ever seen it in person before. I lift my hand and lay it on his pec, feeling the muscle tighten under my palm. My heart is so loud I can’t hear anything, but I can smell him- that delicious eucalyptus that dazzles me.
The door crashes open, and Ryn, Raider, and Locke burst in, glaring at us, more of those giant muscle men behind them. Zaden steps back and glares at the intruders.
“What’s going on here?” Ryn snarls.
Everyone ignores her.
“Found us some gatecrashes, Prez.” The guy who talks is older, with a long beard and twinkling eyes, like he finds this whole situation hilarious .
My captor looks from them to me and frowns.
“Hi, I’m Aurelia Raines, your neighbour. I wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood.” I lie very well and then ruin it all by clearing my throat twice.
“Aurelia Raines,” he whispers, and I swear his eyes close as if they are in pain.
“Yes.”
“You were just crashing our party?”
“I’ve never been to one before.” I say honestly. “You all sound like you have so much fun. I’ve been sitting over there listening for months and thinking, wow, those guys have fun, I should go say hello.”
“Sweet mother of all alphas,” he says under his breath. “Get your fucking cousins out of my house, Raider, and don’t bring them back.”
He mutters something about innocent and sick in the head omegas.
I pull myself free of Raider’s grip and shove the alpha hard. He barely moves.
“Don’t call me sick, and I’m not an omega. I’m a beta.”
His eyes widen. “Do you know who I am, girl?”
“Don’t call me a girl like you’re an old man. What are you, thirty?”
“I’m twenty-five,” he growls out. “Go home to your mansion and your perfect life, little princess, and stay far away from my pack.”
I snarl. He snarls back louder.
I don’t know why I’m so upset, but everything he says smarts. It rips open old scars; it leaves me ice cold in a barren desert of pain.
“You don’t know anything,” I snarl.
“Says the little princess who walked into the wolf's den,” he growls.
“Mirakill,” Raider says in warning. He recalls himself and tries again. “Zaden?”
I glance at my cousin, and then back at the man in front of me. There is only one Mirakill pack in this city. They are the Mirakill MC. This is President Zaden Mirakill? Locke and Ryn bring me the best gossip, so even I’ve heard of the Mirakill MC and Zaden Mirakill and his savage pack.
My eyes widen. I’m shocked because I thought they’d be older and with scars and guns and cigars and lots of money. But they’re really fucking hot.
“Now you understand,” he says softly. “Run away, little princess.”
“I thought you’d be older,” I say in awe and then frown. “Stop calling me that!”
“Lia, stop arguing with him,” Ryn hisses.
I think I’m supposed to be scared, but I’m not. I’m frustrated and hurting, and I’m not sick.
“Get her the fuck out of my sight,” Zaden snarls as if he can’t bear the sight of me.
“Sure, Zaden. I’ve got her,” Raider says in a low voice .
I’m pulled back into Raider’s arms, but I glare first at my captor and then the guy who kissed me.
“What’s your name?” I snap.
His eyebrows go up, and he smirks. “Ranger. My name is Ranger.”
I’m dragged backwards out of the room, still staring at the man who stole my first kiss. He’s beautiful, and his smile is stunning. Maybe it’s the kiss that makes me crazy, maybe it’s how hot he is. Either way, I have no ability to stop what comes out of my mouth next. All I know is that I just got a taste of what flying was like, and I’m not willing to give it up.
“I owe you a kiss!” I shout at him.
He bursts into laughter, and the sting of my removal eases. Raider mutters something unsavoury and drags me away.
I want that man to steal another kiss.
I realise in that moment that I feel alive for the first time in so long; I feel something that isn’t just the crumbs my mother left me.