AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I know but…”
“No buts, Nova. Go back to sleep.” She made her voice firm and had already turned back to the door when her sister snorted.
“That’s the thing, neither of us is going back to sleep. Not tonight.”
She spun around, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Nova shrugged. Maya opened her mouth to ask her sister what sort of game she was playing but before she could utter a single syllable a loud banging noise broke through the silence. Maya jumped a little and Nova tried to hide a smirk. The noise came again and this time, Maya recognized it for what it was.
“Who’s knocking on our door at this hour, Nova?”
“You told me not to tell you.” Her sister grinned this time and Maya had to take a deep, calming breath when the knocking came again, harder this time.
“Nova, tell me what’s waiting for me on the other side of that door.”
Her sister smiled, slow and soft, her eyes twinkling when she gave another shrug, “Your fate.”
“Nova.” She growled a warning but her sister held her hands up innocently.
“You asked so I told you the truth. Your fate is waiting for you on the other side of that door. Go and open it, Maya. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.”
She narrowed her eyes at her sister and then, when the knocking continued, she cursed under her breath and went to see for herself who was banging on the door like their life depended on it this late at night. Her fate? Yeah, right. It was most likely one of their siblings looking for a babysitter or one of Maya’s friends too drunk from a night out to find their way home and hoping to crash on the couch. No matter who it was, she was going to tell them to piss off because she was in no mood for visitors and Nova’s words had made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“I’m coming!” She growled as the banging continued but when she threw the door open, all the air rushed out of her lungs.
It wasn’t one of her siblings. It wasn’t one of her friends. It was a stranger… but he was so much more than that.
Her gut clenched and her heart galloped in a way that it never had before. She thought her mouth might have fallen open but couldn’t seem to think enough to pull it back shut. She stared in awe at the man standing on the other side of the door, the one that Nova had called her fate, and she silently cursed herself for opening the door even as she breathed in his intoxicating scent.
He was like no one she’d ever seen before. Tall and broad shouldered with biceps that looked like they were testing the structural integrity of the simple gray t-shirt he wore. There was ink there, colorful lines and markings that circled his pale skin and twisted down to his wrists. It was beautiful. He was beautiful.
“I’m sorry.” He spoke first, dragging her out of her reverie and his voice was smooth like honey, “I was looking for someone but… I uh… I think maybe I have the wrong place.”
Maya forced her eyes back to his face. Bright, emerald green eyes met hers and were filled with the kind of heat that was already beginning to spread like wildfire through her veins. Thick lashes that would make a woman jealous flitted over them, hiding his thoughts from her and he cleared his throat, pushing a big hand through the short hair with hints of auburn red. He had matching reddish stubble on his strong, square jaw that framed lips that looked pillow soft. When he licked them nervously, she very nearly moaned.
No. Just no, no, no.
Maya shook away the rush of need that had threatened to drown her and forced herself to use her own voice, “Who were you looking for?”
“Zoey. I uh… I’m looking for Zoey Leery or, well… I guess her last name isn’t Leery anymore. It’s… Kent I think though, hell, it’s been so long, maybe she’s married and it’s something else.”
The mention of Zoey made Maya narrow her eyes suspiciously. This was Zoey’s apartment. This man had the right address. He was just a few years too late. Zoey had mated Michael’s brother Rafe and moved out to the cabin at the lake years ago. She went by Zoey Hudson now but Maya didn’t dare reveal that information to this stranger.
She put her hands on her hips, “How do you know Zoey?”
The handsome man scratched his stubble covered jaw, his intense green eyes darting over her from top to bottom before he gave a slight shake of his head as if he needed to focus. Maya understood. The pull between them was magnetic. She could feel it in her every muscle, every nerve, every cell of her being yearned to be closer to this stranger. But she fought it and considering he appeared to be human, she thought he was doing a damn good job ignoring it himself.
“I uh…” Those green eyes darted down the hallway and then, finally, they came back to Maya’s and stayed on her face, “My name is Zander Leery. I’m Zoey’s brother.”
Maya opened her mouth, ready to tell him that she knew Zoey well enough to know that she didn’t have a brother, but she stopped herself short and looked at him again. Pale skin, just like Zoey’s despite the Louisiana summer. Zoey’s hair was more copper than auburn but it was the eyes that really sealed the resemblance. A green that was so vivid it looked almost supernatural despite the fact that before Rafe had mated and bitten Zoey she’d been completely human… just like this man.
Maya closed her mouth again as her mind whirled with the possibilities. Zoey was adopted. She knew that much. Was it possible Zoey had a biological brother? Did she know about him? And if she did, wouldn’t she have mentioned him at some point in the past five years when they’d all been having family dinners and celebrations? Maya stared at him, uncertain what she should do or say and luckily her sister saved her from her trance.
“Hi, I’m Nova DeLuca. That’s my sister Maya. We rent this apartment from Zoey.”
“Oh…” The man’s brows knit together as he glanced over Maya’s shoulder at where Nova must have walked up, and then back to Maya. “I would have sworn she was here.”
Maya bit the inside of her cheek when those green eyes traced her face again. It was the bond, she realized. He had been compelled to come here, despite the late hour, because human or not he had caught her scent and the connection had already started to form. He’d thought the strange sensation he was feeling was pulling him towards Zoey but it wasn’t. It was drawing him towards her but she had no way to explain that, not right now at least.
