Air of Seduction (Elemental Enforcers #3)

Epilogue

Markus

I stare at the closed door while my chest aches with longing and regret. Four millennia and I’ve never felt like this about another woman. But Lynette isn’t like other women. She’s more, so much more.

But what would she want with someone like me? I’m nothing but a stubborn idiot incapable of paying attention to anyone but myself and excelling at pushing people away with my thoughtless behavior.

My shoulders slump. What I need to do is to stay away from her and let her find a man who deserves her.

“Fuck!” My hand is on the door handle before I realize what I’m doing, but I stop myself in time. The thought of someone else touching my little vixen has me seeing red. Rage is boiling inside me, and I feel just about ready to explode.

I’ve just pulled my hand away from the door when it suddenly opens, and my eyes lock with the woman I crave.

“Markus.” She doesn’t look surprised as she crosses her arms under her breasts.

My eyes stray to the soft globes, making me realize she’s only wearing a large T-shirt. I can even see the outline of her nipples poking at the soft fabric, indicating she isn’t wearing a bra.

My cock takes notice and starts thickening, and I finally manage to drag my gaze back up to hers. “I’m sorry.” My voice cracks, and I have to swallow before I can continue. “I came here to say I’m sorry.”

Her expression is stony, but I think I can detect a hint of warmth in her eyes. “For what exactly?”

“For almost kissing you last night. It was never my intention. You’re a part of the team, and I don’t want to violate the trust between us.”

It was the wrong thing to say, and I want to take it back when her eyes turn a frosty green.

“That’s okay.” She takes a step back, her arms dropping to her sides. “I won’t be a part of the team for much longer.”

“What?” My eyes widen as my blood turns to icy slush in my veins.

“I’ll be leaving as soon as we’ve caught and killed my maker.” Her hand goes to the door, clearly preparing to close it in my face.

“Wait. Please.” Unable to take my eyes from her, I put my hand flat against the door to stop her from shutting it between us. “Let’s talk about this. I need you. I mean…” Words elude me, and I open and close my mouth several times without anything coming out.

“Good night, Markus.” She starts swinging the door shut, and I let her.

The snap as it closes an inch from my nose makes me flinch like someone just punched me in the gut. And that’s what it feels like too. Pain spreads from the ball of ice that’s formed in my stomach to every part of my body.

I’ve lost her. I’ve lost Lynette.

I turn around and walk away, not knowing what to do or where to go, but it doesn’t really matter anymore. The world has suddenly lost all its colors. And I hate it.

***

Lyn

I listen as Markus walks away, my whole body shaking like a leaf. I want to run after him, but at the same time, I don’t.

Does he care about me as anything more than a team member? That’s the real question. And I can’t decide based on what just happened.

He told me he needs me, but he also told me that I’m a part of the team, and he doesn’t want to violate the trust between us. What does that mean?

I turn and walk to my bedroom. But as soon as I see the bed, I know there’s no point trying to sleep. My thoughts won’t let me.

I don’t want to be here right now, knowing Markus is in the same building. If I leave these rooms, I will bump into him upstairs. And that’s the last thing I want to do.

But the sun is up, shining its deadly rays down on the streets outside. And that makes leaving this house difficult.

My gaze lands on my phone, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I know what to do, and who can help me do it.

The call connects after ringing just once. “Goddess of night, are you in London?”

I laugh, and some of the tension in my shoulders eases. “I am, Psycho. And I’m in desperate need of some distraction.”

“Say no more. Where are you?” The smugness in his voice almost makes me groan out loud.

“Not that kind of distraction.” Psycho and I had a short fling about a century ago, something I allowed for two reasons. One, he’s tall, dark, and handsome like a certain other man I know, and two, there were never any expectations beyond sex.

He chuckles. “A shame. I could use some distraction as well. But we can find something else to do, I suppose. Where can I pick you up?”

“I’ll send you the address and where to find the entrance to the parking garage in a minute. I’ll just have to clear it with the owner of the property first.”

“Okay. I’ll be there.” He disconnects the call before I can say thanks or goodbye, reminding me of someone I don’t want to think about.

Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all, but it’s all I’ve got at this time of day. And I know I can trust Psycho, despite his nickname.

I find Aidan in my contact list and place the call. It takes a while before he answers. “Lyn.” His voice is sleepy.

“I’m sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but can you please give a friend of mine access to the parking garage so he can pick me up.”

“Now?” He sounds more alert. “The sun is up.”

I smile, knowing he’s only trying to protect me. “Yes, I know. My friend’s car has got UV protection glass, so I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll send you the code in a minute. But be aware that it will stop working at midnight. If you need another one after that, you’ll have to call me.” I can practically hear the frown in his voice, most likely because I referred to my friend as he.

“Thank you, Aidan. I’ll be back by sundown to help search for my maker.”

“Take care, Lyn.” I can hear the silent question what’s going on that he doesn’t pose, but I have no intention of explaining myself.

“I will. See you tonight.”

“Yes. Later.”

After disconnecting the call, I head to my wardrobe and pick out some clothes to wear.

My phone pings with a text, and I pick it up to see the code from Aidan. I copy it and paste it into a text to Psycho before hitting send .

My friend responds within seconds. I’ll be there in 10.

I put on the short green dress I picked out and undo my braid to let my long red hair flow down my back. Looking in the mirror, I smile at my reflection. It’s a sexier look than I usually go for, but I need the confidence it brings me to know I look good.

After carefully cracking open the door to the hallway outside my basement suite, I scan it for any activity. It’s empty like I expected. But just to be on the safe side, I close the door silently behind me before hurrying over to the door to the parking garage. The garage is on the same level as my room, which is blessedly convenient right now.

I’ve just walked through the door when the sleek black limo drives into the garage. It stops right in front of me, and the driver steps out and hurries around the vehicle to open the back door.

I slide into the soft leather seat and smile at the single male occupant seated next to me in the luxurious back area of the vehicle. The windows are nearly black and provide total UV protection, allowing me to travel during the day without any discomfort or fear.

“It’s been too long.” Psycho takes my hand and brushes his lips over my knuckles while his eyes are on mine. His short black hair is perfectly coiffed, and his black suit is immaculate. But then I wouldn’t expect anything less from one of the billionaire owners of Demon Lair, the hottest nightclub in London.

“It has.” I lean back in my seat as the car starts moving. “Now what have you got planned for me?”

He gives me a wicked grin. “You’ll see.”

∞∞∞

Noah

The sun is shining, bathing London in light. I usually love sunny days, but these past few days since I found Olivia, I can’t seem to find joy in anything. I mean, how can I when I found my true mate and she doesn’t want anything to do with me? And all because I want to protect her and take care of her.

If only I knew what she went through at the hands of that vampire. I know I scared her, and I shouldn’t have, but the reason she was frightened and reacted so badly was because of what he put her through.

I’d happily kill him ten times or a hundred for what he did to her, but it wouldn’t repair what’s already damaged inside my mate. She’s broken, and I don’t know what I can do to help her. My instincts tell me she would heal faster if we mated, but she clearly doesn’t feel the same.

I get up from the couch where I’ve been trying to relax for the last hour, but I can’t rest when all I can think about is her, my beautiful water nymph. If only she would agree to talk to me, but she doesn’t even want to be in the same room as me.

There’s a dull throbbing pain in my chest, a constant ache that doesn’t go away. And every time Olivia pulls away from me, it seems to increase. It doesn’t take a genius to realize it will keep increasing until we either mate or die. But since I can’t ask her, I don’t know if she’s experiencing the same.

If it didn’t go against all my instincts, I would leave London and go somewhere else. If these are our last days, it might be better for both her and me if we spent them where we couldn’t accidentally bump into each other. But I know I wouldn’t be able to leave even if I tried, because despite her repeated rejection, I’m still clinging to the hope that my mate will accept me before it’s too late.

I can’t stay cooped up in my suite any longer, though. I need to do something to distract myself from the pain and longing, before I give in to the urge to break down her door and force her to talk to me.

I’m just three feet away from the door to the hallway when there’s a knock, and I let out a sigh of frustration. I don’t want to talk to any of my brothers right now. They all mean well, but I can’t take more of their poorly concealed pity.

But I know better than to ignore them. If I don’t answer, they will just keep coming back, pestering me until I let them in. I might as well do what they want now and avoid the nagging, but that doesn’t prevent me from letting my irritation be heard.

“What? Can’t you just leave me alone?” I yell as I yank the door open. Then I freeze.

Olivia is standing in front of me with her hand raised to knock again. Her eyes are glistening with unshed tears, but her features are tight with frustration. “Make it stop!”

I blink at her, completely at a loss. “What are you talking about?”

But then it hits me. She’s feeling the pain as well, just like I am. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything about it. It’s the bond, the mating bond.”

“No.” Her voice breaks, and she buries her face in her hands. A sob is torn from her as she squirms, squeezing her thighs together like she has to pee or…

“No.” I groan as the scent of her arousal hits me, making my whole body catch fire with a need so strong it hurts. Every fiber of my being is urging me to seal the bond between us, but I force myself to take a couple of steps back instead, to prevent myself from reaching for her out of pure desperation.

She lowers her hands, and the despair in her eyes hits me like a hard punch in the ribs, making my heart clench. “So, you can’t make it go away?”

I shake my head. “No, I have no more control over the bond or what you’re feeling than you do. I wish I could do something to stop your suffering, but I can’t do anything short of…” Averting my gaze, I take another step back.

***

Olivia

I swallow hard, knowing exactly what he didn’t say. The thought of him fucking me should scare me, but right now, with desire urging me to throw myself at him, it doesn’t. I’m more frightened of what will happen if I keep resisting. Will I lose control and jump him, or will I spontaneously combust from this intense heat inside me?

Noah is a beautiful man, and under any other circumstances I would have happily agreed to go on a date with him. Although, I’m not convinced we would have hit it off. I think we’re too different for that, even though he’s not as bad as my first impression led me to believe.

He scared me when we first met, and for a while any mention of him reminded me of Barry and what he forced me to do. However, when I calmed down enough to think rationally, I recognized Noah’s actions as protective and caring. And he was the one who killed Barry without hesitation.

I take a step toward him. “Thank you. Thank you for saving me and killing Barry.”

His glowing eyes snap back to mine. “I’ll always protect you, Olivia.”

I look away. “Thank you, but I hope that won’t be necessary. You seem like a nice man, but I can’t be your true mate. There must be some mistake.”

“No mistake.” His voice is strained. “The mating bond doesn’t make mistakes.”

Shaking my head, I meet his gaze. “It clearly does. We don’t know each other, and even if we spent some time talking, I’m not sure we have enough in common to want to build a future together.”

His jaw clenches, and I almost expect him to yell at me, but then his shoulders slump, and he lets out a deep sigh. “I don’t want to scare you or put pressure on you, but the mating bond doesn’t care what you say you want. There’s only two ways out of this, Olivia. We either mate or we die. And I’m not going to make that choice for you. I’ll leave that to you.”

Without waiting for a response, he walks into another room and closes the door behind him. And all I can do is stare at the door while desire, fear, and anger threaten to strangle me.

∞∞∞

Thank you for reading my book. I hope you liked Ronan and Payton’s story. If you did, please leave a review so other people can find it.

The next book in the series is available for preorder: Noah and Olivia’s story, Enchanted by Water .

If you would like to find out what happened in Scotland, you should try the Highland Shifters series.