Page 6 of Lycan and Lark
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “What do you want?”
“Nothing big, just…a stripper. A hot, hunky male stripper! And no, hiring one of your friends to pretend doesn’t count.” She gave him a hard look and Lucas barked out a laugh.
“A stripper? How the hell am I supposed to arrange that?” Aaron softly growled in frustration.
“Yeah… I don’t think Gideon will be too happy if we bring a stripper to your party,” Lucas added with an amused smirk.
“I’m sure you two will figure something out. See you tonight!” She blew them a kiss before jogging toward Gideon’s office.
Her false enthusiasm swiftly faded. She felt a tinge of sadness at the way she had changed since she met Lark and by the moon she wanted to find him so badly. Until then, she would power through, proving to everyone that the old Aria was still in there somewhere. Her party would be the perfect occasion.
Thinking about the last-minute stripper request, Aria grinned.Tonight is going to be a hell of a party.
ChapterFour
Lark leaned against the wall of a coffee shop across the street from the Ulric complex. He spent nearly every day here watching the entrance to the building. Aria rarely left and the wards around the complex prevented him from entering without making a scene. The old witch who set the wards was more powerful than he had initially assumed. She kept close tabs on the intricate spell and altered it regularly. It was incredibly frustrating.
A young mom pushed a stroller past, giving him a courteous nod as she went. She walked by at the same time every day but she would never remember seeing him. Lark wrapped himself in an aura of unimportance and altered his features on any psychic imprint he left behind. Any person who saw him would remember him as a completely different-looking stranger. The glamour changed day by day but none of the personas involved a man with white hair, color-changing eyes, or a large scar. The woman who had just passed saw a short man in his early twenties with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and suntanned skin.
He glanced up at the camera above him. Mountain’s End had installed a plethora of cameras after the initial Collector attack. They didn’t worry Lark. He simply sent a wave of electrical energy outward, causing static any time he was near any cameras. This kept him hidden from prying eyes that may be searching for his location. They were looking for him. He could feel it.
The sun began to set and he took another sip of coffee. The last of the beverage was cold and hours old by this point. He tossed it in the trash and headed back inside. The cafe was nearly empty at this time of day. Lark leaned over the counter, catching the waitress in a warm smile.
“What can I get you?” She blushed and smiled back at him. He often had this effect on women. The magic that poured off of him was alluring and seemed to draw each person in without them ever knowing why.
“You were getting me a fresh coffee and a sandwich. I already paid for them.” He pushed slightly, letting his compulsion gently plant itself inside her mind.
She looked at him blankly for a moment, then smiled again. “Of course, sir. I’ll get those right out.”
He didn’t feel great about using compulsion but with his looks and track record it’s not like he could get a job and pay rent. It was too risky. He teleported in and out of banks when he needed to, but he didn’t like to steal from people unless he absolutely had to. Plus the compulsion usually only worked on the weak-willed. He had to size up the person before attempting it. Luckily his instincts were usually correct.
He finished up his food and stared at the complex as the sky darkened to a deep twilight blue. She would be leaving the complex tonight. He’d intercepted a floral deliveryman that morning with a bouquet for Aria. It turned out it was her birthday, and he knew enough about her now to know she wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to celebrate.
The hours ticked by and he watched from the street as the cafe locked its doors. A limo pulled up to the entrance and Lark stood to attention. He moved like a shadow through the street and to the driver’s side door. He rapped his knuckles on the window and it slowly slid down.
“Who are you here to pick up?” Lark asked the unsuspecting driver.
“Look, buddy. I can’t tell you anything. Now get out of—”
“It’s okay. You can tell me who you’re picking up. You were hoping I would ask.”
The driver’s eyes glazed and he nodded. “I was hoping you would ask. It’s the Alpha’s sister and her friends.”
“And where are you taking them?”
The man hesitated and Lark pushed a new wave of power over him. “Luna + Lupine.”
Lark figured as much. It was the only decent club in town. He headed back to the shadows and waited for her to come out.
Aria finally emerged and his jaw nearly fell open. The dress she was wearing barely passed as decent. It was strapless and bright blue. It was low enough that her chest pushed up above it and short enough that the world would probably see every part of her if she bent over. Massive blue stilettos clopped down the steps and she took a swig straight from a bottle of champagne. Her long dark hair hung down past her shoulders. The soft curls seemed to frame her generous chest which bounced with each step she took. A light-up crown sat atop her head. Lark strained to read it. “Kiss me it’s my birthday!”A dark feeling wrapped around his heart. No one would be kissing his girl tonight. He may not be able to have her, but he would make sure no one else did either.
The rest of her companions bounded down around her. A large lycan wearing a ridiculous cowboy hat said something and Aria nearly toppled over with laughter. The jealous feeling that ate at Lark’s heart was raw and new. He didn’t like it. He wanted to be close to her so badly that it was killing him inside. When the cowboy lycan brushed a hand over her shoulder, Lark made a rash split-second decision. He needed to be close to her, to touch her soft skin. Now.
He called upon the familiar powers, allowing a sharp tingling to pull at every cell in his body. It pressed down around him and he swallowed hard as the air began to thicken until it seemed nearly unbearable. Time slowed down and he quickly crossed the street. Aria was looking at the other man. Their bodies were barely moving beneath his power. He stepped between them, staring down into Aria’s blue eyes. She was so beautiful it hurt. Her soft lips were parted and he ached to know how they felt and tasted. But he wouldn’t take that from her now. It didn’t feel right. Instead he brushed his fingers ever so slightly across her cheek. Her skin was soft and warm beneath his rough fingertips. His wolf rumbled at the contact. Whether it was happy or vexed, he couldn’t tell. He and his wolf never got along. He took another moment, memorizing her perfect features. Temporarily satiated, he dipped away and back to the shadows.
When he was certain he was out of sight, time started up again. The rest of the crowd poured into the limo, but Aria stopped. She lifted a hand to her face and brushed it along the trail Lark’s fingertips had just made. Lark’s heart seized up.She felt my presence.His longing for her intensified. Someone called her name and she snapped her attention back to the group, looking around once more before slipping into the limousine.
Temporarily altering time was hit or miss. Sometimes it barely affected him. Other times it was extremely draining and required rest before his powers were restored. He wasn’t sure why it happened that way. The Chosen that gave him this power was dead, along with all the others. They didn’t leave behind any sort of manual on how to use their abilities. He’d had to learn everything on his own through trial and error. His muscles ached and burned and he reminded himself of why he rarely used that gift. It was too unpredictable. When he was drained of power it became dangerous for everyone. It made it harder for him to keep his wolf locked away. The beast growled within him, voicing its vexations. The animal clawed its way forward, pressing against him with fury and rage. He couldn’t control it, and until he could, the wolf would have to stay locked away inside him.
