Set In Flames (Morningstars Book 1) Read online

  Both races came from the same origins. Once they had been a united population in Southern America. Then a drought came over the land and the little water that was left had been poisoned. In their desperation people turned to drinking blood. Only the first born in the families had survived on it. Everyone else, brothers and sisters, had turned crazy, not being able to control their need for blood.

  Ever since the two groups split, laws had been put into place to ensure their secrecy, but of course not everyone stuck to them. In the Middle Ages a group of Hellraise had caused a mild panic, leaving too many victims in their wake. A warrior group had been founded that Kaden and Jaden now both were a part of.

  “You’re done staring at me, dude?” Kaden wanted to know, loosening the towel to dry his hair.

  “You sleep at the base today,” Jaden ordered, not bothering with any greetings.

  Kaden’s hand instantly stilled on his head and he listened, a lazy grin spreading on his lips. Jaden wanted to growl, but kept himself in check.

  “You know, it’s more fun when they are awake,” Kaden teased, but Jaden didn’t even manage a smile.

  “Get dressed and get out. Don’t come back until tomorrow night,” he said dryly and Kaden’s playful grin vanished.

  “She’s not a lay, right?”

  Jaden ran his hand through his hair, walking out of the hall and into the living room. He knew just too well how good their guest’s hearing was. Kaden followed only a short while later, being dressed now.

  “She ran into me. Or better, she should have run me over, but her reflexes are paranormal. If she and I have skin-to-skin contact, her hands glow. I mean, wherever we touch the skin glows. Oh, and she has super hearing.”

  Kaden leaned against the stairs, cocking an eyebrow.

  “She’s human. Maybe your sex-starved mind is imagining things,” Kaden remarked and Jaden looked up. That actually made sense.

  “Yeah, that… I mean… You still get…”

  “I know, I still get out,” Kaden announced, “Whatever that female is to you, I’m sure as hell gonna stay away from her.” His twin grabbed his jacket and his daggers, leaving the house without another word.

  Jaden went back to his bedroom, changing as quietly as possible, walking over to the bed then. He couldn’t resist brushing his knuckles over her pale cheek, noticing again the faint glow upon contact, only this time it was accompanied by a slight burning on his back, making him rush out of the room instead of lingering. Kaden maybe had a point concerning him and his hungers. He left the house, planning to get to a bar, have some nice little action with a woman or two, getting all the need out that might have piled up in the last months and then he’d go back, checking if Cupcake still looked as edible as she had before. Jaden surely hoped his perception would be altered by then.

  Four hours and three women later Jaden entered his bedroom, looking at the sleeping girl on his bed. Nothing had changed. For some strange reason he still wondered if she’d taste as good as she smelled.

  Maya opened her eyes the next morning, feeling more rested than she had in months. She couldn’t remember when she had last slept in a bed that she considered safe. Usually she didn’t sleep at a stranger’s place, either, but he had felt trustworthy, and that was something she appreciated after being alone and on the run for so long. She knew she was suspicious of everyone now, but with the guy from last night her impulse had been to trust him. And she had, but now, with her need for sleep out of the way, she could afford the luxury of being suspicious of her new surroundings. There was no sun, just the faint light of a candle in the far corner of the room.

  “Rise and shine, sweetheart!”

  The voice startled her, making her look closer into the shadows. Her ‘savior’ sat in another corner, watching her.

  “Not creepy at all, watching me sleep,” she snapped, feeling defensive. She heard his dark chuckle as loud as if he was sitting right next to her. Something was very wrong with her ears in the last months. And not just that. She could see him clear as day even though there was barely any light. His dark blond hair had the out-of-bed-look she usually loved on a guy, especially combined with the chocolate colored eyes. And those kissable lips, that now formed a sneer. To her total dismay, even that was kind of handsome on him. He was such a nice pack to look at, even though she didn’t have the time to stay and enjoy it. She needed to get out of there and back on the run.

  “I was worried you feigned a coma to get out of your end of the bargain,” he said, rising to his feet while fear all but choked Maya. She never had intended to fulfill that end of the bargain. She had hoped to slip out while he was asleep, catching a bus somewhere. She really had wanted to be away before he would have been able to hold her back. Or make her fulfill her promise. The whole six feet one inch of awesomeness came towards the bed now and she went to her knees, deciding to not let her panic show. He was handsome as sin; surely she could get herself to do the deed and then be up and running in no time.

  “I never had any intention of getting out of it,” she whispered, forcing herself to sound husky. She probably sounded as afraid as she felt though.

  “Tell me your name,” he demanded, his voice deep with need. It was obvious in his eyes, too, giving him a dangerous, yet sexy appearance. Against her better knowledge she suddenly wanted him, knowing that maybe she wouldn’t mind that end of the bargain after all. Additionally though it made her decide to never sink that low anymore. Offering up her body for a safe place just wasn’t like her at all.

  He had changed his jeans, but besides that he still wore no shirt under that stupid sexy leather jacket.

  He was close enough so she could reach out to him, but as his smell hit her, she pulled back her hand. A wave of terribly inappropriate jealousy hit her and she wanted to growl at him. She almost shuddered at the intensity of it.

  “You reek of cheap booze and even cheaper women. I don’t think you need me in tonight’s collection and I have no intention of joining it, either,” she said, sounding more controlled than she actually felt. She wanted to hurt him and scratch his chest because he was supposed to be hers, but the impulse was ridiculous and stupid, so she didn’t give into it. He was nothing to her and it was very clear she was even less to him.

  With a cold, calculated stare she got off the bed and collected the few belongings he had seemingly taken off her while she had been dead to the world. He hovered behind her, a blond-haired, brown-eyed shadow. She felt him watching her and she had the strange urge to run. Neither his arms nor the fangs of the people hunting her were viable options though.

  “I asked for your name,” he repeated, his voice somewhere between seductively husky and angrily deep. He was all raw power and it should have scared Maya, but the truth was that she felt safer with him than she had ever felt with anyone else.

  She steeled herself, turning back to give him a glare.

  “And I didn’t tell you,” she gave back. He held her eyes, slowly taking off his leather jacket.

  Maya’s heart skipped a beat. Or two. Or three.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, sounding incredulous.

  His hand went to his jeans and opened the button. It took Maya a moment to realize that she was staring at the delicious skin showing where he pushed the pants over his hips while his eyes had stayed on her face. Which she only realized the moment her glance snapped back to his face.

  “I’m living here. And obviously you won’t stick to the deal until I’ve got that smell off me, so that’s what I am planning on doing now. And it’s pretty obvious you’ll happily get down to business,” he concluded by the way she kept staring at him. With one fluid motion he had freed his gorgeous body all the way and Maya blushed the darkest shade of red.

  She met his eyes, telling herself to not care and, more importantly, to not want him.

  He leaned in ever so slowly, checking her reaction carefully. There was no telling if he worried she’d run or if he more feared she’d hurt him if he’d
drop his guard.

  She knew what was coming and yet she held her breath in anticipation. Underneath that cheap perfume was the smell she had already noticed before: He smelled like her favorite chai tea, all spices and sugar. She needed to know if he tasted the same way.

  His lips brushed hers, providing just the barest hint of a touch. She told herself not to reach for him, but when he framed her face, making her feel small and breakable while intensifying the kiss, her hands suddenly went around his neck. A burning on her back made her jump back though in sheer panic.

  “Shit! What are you… Stay away from me! Don’t touch me,” she said, not being able to keep her hysterics in. She was gasping for air while his eyes were darkened with desire.

  Right now her vision decided to be extra sharp, making her see all the strong lines of his angelic face, burning them into her memory. Wherever she’d go, she’d never be able to forget him again.

  “I’m never gonna be just another one for anyone. Especially not for some naked, admittedly handsome guy that picked me off the street. You can do what you want. I lied. You will never get any piece of me,” she said slowly, making sure he understood her.

  “We’ll see, Cupcake,” he grinned, sounding cocky. He vanished through a door on her left and just seconds later water was running in a shower.

  Maya didn’t hesitate long, rushing out of a door to her right, being glad that between the two remaining doors she had intuitively decided for the correct one. The other one most likely was a walk-in closet.

  Standing in a hallway she looked around, finding stairs at the end. They split, giving the room underneath an almost majestic grandeur. There was wood everywhere. The walls were dark oak and so was the rest of the house, making it appear more like a hunter’s lodge than the mansion the size inside suggested.

  She could even see a fireplace, wondering how many women the guy in the shower had seduced there.

  She shook her head, clearing those thoughts from her mind before hurrying down one side of the stairs. She reached the door, almost touching the handle when his voice behind her let her freeze.

  “Where are you going, Cupcake?”

  She knew she just needed to open that door and he wouldn’t be able to follow her. Once she did though she all but collapsed right there at the doorstep. It was night outside. She wouldn’t be able to outrun him.

  “How… How long did I sleep?” She sounded weak, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Eighteen hours, maybe a little more,” he replied and her hopes sank. She couldn’t be outside at night, but she certainly couldn’t be inside with him, either.

  Not turning back she inhaled the cold night air streaming in, feeling how he came closer. His unique smell surrounded her before he reached out and brushed her hair away from her shoulder.

  “You do not want to bite me, vampire,” she whispered, still closing her eyes in surrender, knowing that some part of her would love to feel his lips on her neck anyways.

  He paused, with his mind closing the door before turning her to look at him.

  His hair was still wet from the shower and she could see drops running down his bare chest, vanishing at the hem of his sweat pants. With him being half dressed she would be able to think. A little at least.

  “You know? Have you known all this time?” His voice was gentle, almost pitying her. It made her defensive.

  “Look,” she started, then she realized she didn’t even know his name. It bothered her. She wanted to know it; wanted to know him.

  Why she cared she couldn’t say. It was as if two thoughts were fighting inside of her: One wanted to throw herself at him and convince him to stay with her until they both died while the second one wanted to run as far from him as possible because she knew better than to trust anyone. People one trusted, one started to care for; and all people she had once cared for had deceived her one way or another.

  “Jaden. My name is Jaden,” he replied, leading her over to the cream-colored sofa.

  “Cupcake, you should start talking, because it sure as hell appears as if you have an amazing story to tell.” She could hear the curiosity in his voice, but when she looked at him, she didn’t see curiosity. She saw lust and she could tell because that mirrored her own feelings. She went hot and cold at his stare, wondering if he’d be the one to make it all better again.

  Jaden knew the moment Cupcake made a decision and it surely wasn’t telling the truth. Her eyes went dark, the violet changing to storm clouds rolling in. It was trouble calling his name, and still, in that single moment he lived for it. She moved in, pulling herself closer to him while moving onto his lap. Jaden couldn’t push her away.

  For the love of the creator, he just couldn’t resist her.

  Her lips were on his and there was not the slightest trace of fear in her even though she must have felt his fangs brushing against her tongue.

  It had been over three decades ago that he last hadn’t been able to contain them, but with the raw need pouring into him now he had to fight to keep himself from taking a sip of her blood.

  He forgot everything around him when her little body wriggled closer, her chest pressed against his while her hands framed his face and then went around his neck to vanish in his hair. Wherever skin connected with skin the glow appeared, being brighter than before as if the heat of the moment intensified it.

  By the way she touched him, he could tell that every movement of her hands was pre-calculated. Wherever he was ready to drown in passion, she was fully in control of the moment. Her right hand went between them, grazing the erection straining against his pants. Like a teen he suddenly worried he’d just come right then and there. He stopped her touch, angry at himself for letting her distract him this easily.

  They needed to stop, because too many things about her just weren’t as they first appeared to be. Plus, he still tried to tell himself that he wasn’t attracted to her at all.

  “Look, I…” He didn’t come much further than that since the door flew open and Kaden entered, freezing as he saw the couple on the sofa.

  “Hello there, Cupcake,” he grinned and Jaden moved her off his lap, getting up to stand between the girl and his brother.

  “Why is everyone calling me that?” she snapped, coming to stand next to him. She gaped at his twin, not even bothering to hide it.

  “I always have been the more handsome one. And we call you that because you smell like one,” he explained. “What’s your name?”

  “She won’t tell,” Jaden growled.

  “Maya,” she said at the same time.

  Jaden hated the way Kaden looked at her and he hated even more that Maya had trusted Kaden with that information while he had been asking her about it ever since they met. She didn’t even know Kaden.

  “Get the fuck out, Kaden,” he snarled, trying to hide the fact that he was shaking in anger. The things he felt for Maya were irrational and freakily intense. He didn’t even know where they came from, but she was his and Kaden did better in staying far away from her.

  “Colbin wants to see you,” Kaden explained, his eyes finally leaving their female guest.

  “Can’t, got something else to do,” Jaden replied.

  “More likely someone else,” Kaden said, his eyes going back to Maya, who blushed a deep shade of scarlet. “Don’t mess with Colbin anymore, Jaden, he’s mad enough already. Besides, you need to bring her.”

  “Bring me where?”

  “Stay out of it, Cupcake,” Jaden said, catching himself using a gentle tone with her. Without warning he felt her hand on his back, doing things to him he hadn’t anticipated. He wanted to purr like a fucking house cat; to shelter her and to never let her go. Crazy, irrational notions.

  “I can take care of myself, vampire,” she hissed, her cold voice a stark contrast to her sweet touch. “Fine, big boy, bring me to this Colbin,” she then said towards Kaden, her voice strong and her shoulders straight.

  “You… told her? Colbin feared something like that, bu
t you told her?” Kaden’s voice rose in disbelief. Colbin was their leader and seldom wrong.

  “He didn’t tell me. I can tell who’s vamp and who’s not from a mile away,” she fussed and something in the way Kaden looked at Maya made Jaden’s stomach drop. He didn’t want to leave those two alone, but he needed to get dressed if he was taking Maya back to the compound.

  Kaden looked at her as if he had already planned to make room for her in his heart.

  “I’m gonna get dressed,” Jaden announced, wanting to warn his twin to stay away from her, but he really had no right to. Maya was nothing to him. He made it no further than to the stairs before he could hear Maya chuckle. He pressed his lips together in annoyance.

  Kaden always had been more charming with the women, but Jaden somehow had hoped that Maya would be an exception to the rule. He wanted her to be … not important to him at all, but he had a feeling as if she was there to stay one way or the other.

  “And she totally didn’t know how to handle that, so Jaden dropped his pants and…”

  “Are we done with the tea party?" He hadn't even taken a minute before being back with the two. "Colbin’s waiting and I’d rather have her out there … be out there before the morning comes.” He didn’t mind sleeping at the base; he just minded seeing the all-consuming love between their leader and his mate whenever he went there.

  “You have the beginning of a tattoo, brother. A pair of flames,” Kaden said, his voice accusing.

  “Tat?” Jaden couldn’t help but ask.

  “It’s purple and chocolate brown and…” she started, but his twin didn’t let her finish

  “Been with a woman last night?” Kaden pressed, his eyes going to Maya, filled with a mix of emotions.

  “Oh, don’t look at me like that. He wanted to, but I don’t sleep with every handsome man who begs me to,” she bit out, crossing her arms in front of her pretty body.

  Jaden didn’t feel like answering that question, especially not in front of Maya, but Kaden wouldn’t move anywhere until he had his answer.