Chapter 11 #2
“And one night, she gave in to temptation. The goddess rode her winged horse down to the forest, and it was love at first sight for the couple. Night after night, they spent time together until her brother, the god of the sun Apollo, discovered the pair.”
One of the guests said, “Brothers are the worst—”
Another person shushed him.
“Apollo was bitter and was hurting because he couldn’t get the human girl he loved. He had given up on her, so he wondered why his sister got to be happy with this human hunter. So, Apollo sent his best archer to kill the human man.”
The hot waves from earlier turned to chills creeping down my spine. I stopped my pacing and crossed my arms. The cut on my skin under the bandage stretched painfully, reminding me of last night’s events.
All I wanted to do was finish my story and return to my office, preferably avoiding hidden supernaturals in the hall.
“What happened next?” one of the women asked.
“The hunter and the archer fought, but eventually, the archer sent a silver arrow into the hunter’s heart.”
The audible gasps mostly came from the two women while the men watched me with amused eyes.
“When the goddess Artemis showed up, the human man was dying. She had no choice but to curse him to shift into a wolf so he would heal faster. The curse would make this man transform into an animal every full moon from then on, but over the years, werewolves have evolved, and now they control their own transformation.” I swallowed.
“The curse was not to punish the human but rather to help a dying man.”
Mr. Sterling materialized in front of me with a smirk. “You talk about the werewolves as if they exist.”
“Whether they do or not, it’s up to each of us to decide.”
“What happened next?” the woman in the blue dress asked, waving off Mr. Sterling and giving him an annoyed look.
I wanted to laugh but held it in. “The two gods, Apollo and Artemis, hated each other since then, and so their creations, the vampires and werewolves, also hated each other and became natural enemies. At least that’s one way to explain why they’re rivals.”
Mr. Sterling cleared his throat to get my attention, and when I looked at him, he said, “So the brother god didn’t go back to finish the job? The hunter, although a werewolf, still had a human side.”
I nodded and smiled at the first good question he’d asked. “Apollo didn’t go after the hunter again. He could have, but he didn’t because he knew that his sister would suffer greatly when the hunter would die of old age while the goddess was immortal.”
A loud sigh came from the small crowd gathered around the display case.
“But Artemis could have given immortality to her lover, too,” an elderly man said. “Just like Apollo gave immortality to the vampires when he created them.”
“Good observation.” I couldn’t contain my widening smile, now feeling in my element. “She could have, but she didn’t because she had the memories of his love with her forever. Love is only worthy when you pay a price for it with the sorrow and grief you feel upon losing a loved one.”
The man ran his hand through his greyish hair, and the woman next to him rubbed her cheek. The rest of my audience watched me with bright eyes.
Feeling sympathy and compassion for one another was the human thing to do, and the thought made my body warm up again.
“The goddess understood that love doesn’t die with death. She went on to create packs of werewolves until the two sibling gods agreed not to interfere in the affairs of humans in the human realm.”
A collective “awww” echoed in the hall. And after that some guests went back to looking at the book, and a couple of them stared into the distance behind me, lost in thought.
I placed my injured arm over my heart and felt it pounding faster and faster. I couldn’t understand if it was because I’d told a story that resonated with my audience or because the supernatural presence hadn’t left yet.
I lifted my gaze and locked eyes with sharp amber ones with such intensity inside them that they startled me.
I froze.
Torin stepped out of the shadows around a tall white column.
He casually leaned his thick arm on the structure, radiating an air of playfully dangerous nonchalance.
His hair, black as sin, hung in a low ponytail.
The silver suit with a matching tie hugged tightly to his muscular body.
Underneath that tailored suit jacket lay nothing but raw manliness and forbidden passion that I should stay away from.
I’d rather face the master vampire from the club again.
Someone coughed next to me, and when I turned, Mr. Sterling smiled at me.
“I have a different theory,” he said, and a groan sounded around us.
“Let’s hear it,” I said, but only because I was doing my job.
“During ancient times and the Middle Ages, people were not as knowledgeable as we are right now. Back then, what people thought they saw to be werewolves were human hunters who used the skin of wild wolves on their heads and backs, tied to their bodies with a rope—”
“That’s sickening,” the woman with the dark blue dress said and frowned at Mr. Sterling.
Another man opened his mouth, but I beat him to it. My desire to flee took over my body.
“There’s little evidence of werewolfism from the ancient world.
But there was an upsurge in werewolf lore in medieval literature, Anglo-French, French, and Norse literature.
But Mr. Sterling is onto something because it’s true that in those ages, humans couldn’t explain many phenomena we can explain today with science, so humans would accuse other people, some who they disliked or who were different from them, of being witches, werewolves, or vampires. ”
Out of the corner of my eye, I detected Torin moving toward us, so I clapped my hands, and the loud, sudden echo startled my guests.
“Regardless of what the truth is, I’ll leave you with this last thought. The werewolf embodies and represents the opposition between a civilized human on the one hand and the wild beast on the other hand. Two sides that can’t be reconciled but have to live together in one body.”
My body heat rose, and the reason for it was walking my way.
Torin took confident strides, but I wished he’d go anywhere else.
He was feared throughout the werewolf kingdom because of his greater powers. As a half vampire, half werewolf, the first one of his kind, he combined the powers of two different creatures, making him the strongest, fastest, and deadliest.
The werewolf King allowed Torin to walk on werewolf territory like he owned it, although he possessed vampire compulsion power.
Only vampires who attacked the kingdom would step on our land, and they were quickly dealt with by our werewolf warriors.
Some pack members didn’t like the idea of having an Alpha like that among them.
Many disliked Torin. Others, like my father, respected him but had reservations about him because of his vampire side. The King had sent him on special missions with his lethally trained werewolf warriors.
I wished I knew what had transpired between my father and Torin years ago.
“Enjoy more drinks and appetizers in the lobby,” I said, and the guests expressed their gratitude one by one and walked away, except Mr. Sterling.
My stomach churned uncomfortably as my mind tried to come up with a getaway story, but he stepped into my personal space.
Oh, c’mon.
“Ms. Allen, I wanted to ask what happened to your arm.” He glanced at the medical tape around my forearm and raised his eyebrows.
“I’d like to know the same, Princess,” Torin said.
I wanted to tell him to get lost, but I loved my job too much to make a scene.
Mr. Sterling gave Torin a once-over and frowned. Torin looked like a mafia dude with half of his pack marking showing under his dress shirt collar. A few short strands of hair draped over his narrowed eyes.
“My neighbor got a new cat, and she sneaked into my apartment, but she was so scared when I picked her up that she scratched me hard,” I said, placing my hand over the tape as if I could hide it.
Torin shook his head slightly. Lifting his gaze, he faced Mr. Sterling, who glared at him.
“Get lost. Now,” Torin said in an authoritative voice, and my mouth fell open.
The older man’s eyes blanked for a moment, his gaze turning dull. He looked dazed, just like Tammy had last night. Without a word, Mr. Sterling walked away.
My blood boiled, scorching my veins and rushing to my head.
I hadn’t felt this level of anger in a while, but it was easy to be emotional with Torin around.
I got into his personal space, tilting my head back to accommodate his immense height and compensate for my short build, and poked him in the chest with my index finger. “Who the hell do you think you are coming in here and compelling my guests?”
It wasn’t a question, and I used the most threatening tone in my arsenal.
Torin scoffed.
My dangerous encounter with this man in my dream realm now became a thing of the past as more adrenaline rushed through my veins.
His mesmerizing eyes sparkled with a predatory allure that was irresistible. The slight upturn of his lips suggested an enticing promise of pleasure. There was no mistaking the raw, sexual energy radiating off of him—a magnet pulling any woman who came close to him.
He took a step back, putting distance between us.
Good.
He reached for my round glasses and took them off my face. His gloved fingers brushed against my cheek in the process, and heat spread across my cheeks.
My eyes widened. What was happening?
“You don’t need fake glasses to hide behind, Princess.” He put my fake glasses in his pants pocket and left his hand in there.
I glared at his other gloved hand. I almost thought I had some rare, contagious disease he didn’t want to contract. He always stayed at a distance and wore those damn gloves, rarely making any contact with me.
His amber eyes darkened, and his gaze swept over me, but not in the disgusting way Mr. Sterling had. Torin’s heated glances and ogling have never creeped me out.
“I knew this dress would be perfect for you. You look lovely, Anna,” he said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and blew out a hot breath. I didn’t know where to begin with him. He’d only been in front of me for a moment, but my nerves were shot, and my legs screamed to take me far away.
He can’t be my fated mate.
If he didn’t kill me first, I would punch him at the first chance.
“First of all, only Mom and Dad call me Anna. We’re not that close, so you can stick with Princess Breanna,” I said and cursed myself for sounding snobbish and mean. “And second, how did you get inside my apartment? No…how did you know where I live?”
“I know everything I need to know,” he said in a melodic, deep voice that lured his prey.
At this point, I didn’t even care how he’d learned my address. A simple lock sure wouldn’t stop this force of nature.
I only needed to take shelter from the inevitable storm.
Because Torin only brought bad weather with him, leaving only destruction behind.
The air grew colder as his full lips curled into a sinister smile, and a dark shadow descended upon him.
My stomach tightening, I took a few steps back, looked him straight in his eyes, and lifted my chin.
“What are you here for?” I demanded, trying to hide the tremble in my voice.
I thought I wanted an honest response, but nothing could have prepared me for his answer.