CHAPTER 105: BEAUTIFUL

~ODETTE’S POV~

Seeing that man threaten Emalea, the blood trickle down his blade, nipping at her skin. A rage blasted threw me, an internal force stirred, and that was it, for the first time ever I didn’t fight it, I didn’t try to push it down. I let the feeling consume me. The soul crushing power wrapped around me like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. Acting like a protective layer to the wall around my heart.

I felt Ambrose’s presence the minute he entered the building.

A smile crept up my lips.

He came to save me.

But I didn’t need saving.

More men stepped into the fight; I could feel their guns aimed on me. As if their silver bullets could do anything to me.

"You thought you could just take two girls and get away with it? Scum, and there’s nothing I hate more than a man who takes advantage of women." I yelled. "You came prepared for shifters, but not for me. Not the princess of vampires. And now all of you will pay for this stupidity."

I felt the power radiating off my skin. I felt the power, not controlling me, but flowing with me, like an extension of me.

It was raw.

It was beautiful.

I let the threads of my power reach.

It was freeing.

This man thought he could hurt someone I love, they will find out exactly the cost of her blood.

One by one the men fell, until there were two left, and these sad weak little men begged for their lives.

I wasn’t feeling merciful, but I wanted to leave behind witnesses. I wanted whoever put them up to this to see the price for a small amount of shifter blood.

I don’t know when I decided to really be a part of this pack. But right now, I would solidify it.

"You tell your masters, the BloodMoon Pack is protected by the Princess of Darkness, a vampire that walks in daylight." I turned leaving the shattered bloody mess of corpses in my wake.

Looking around the room my eyes finding their target instantly.

Emalea was okay, and already healing, the outline of the cut was still there, but the blood had since dried and the cut had since closed.

Ambrose stood in his wolf form, strong and proud.

Onyx... A memory stirred in me, a flash came before my eyes.

...

"You better run faster than that if you want those strawberry tarts after training." Onyx said to me.

"Then you better pick up your pace, don’t make catching you so easy for me." I joked, picking up my speed.

I was chasing my best friend, through a grassy valley, the flowers opening up to the early morning light, drinking in the misty dew drops left on their petals.

The wind blew through my hair; it wildly whipped behind me. My laughter carried in it, the happiness I felt in the moment.

...

The moment pushed into my mind, and felt like it was my own memory, seeing him standing there so tall and proud. It triggered that memory. A soft, gentle, smile crept up my cheeks and a warmth filled my chest.

My connection with Onyx must run much deeper than I thought. The pull toward him was strengthening daily. Was this what the mate bond felt like? Or was this something different, like reconnecting with a past I didn’t know I had.

I walked over to them. Surprisingly I felt no exhaustion, no hunger to replenish the energy I used during the fight.

"That was terrifying and yet, incredible. Guess there’s perks to having a vampire princess as my friend." Emalea smiled at me with ease.

She saw me destroy those men, and she wasn’t afraid of me. She didn’t look at me any different.

Maybe I really could be myself with them. Vampires value strength, but not the unpredictable kind. They were threatened by things they couldn’t anticipate, and I was the very definition of defiance and chaos. I couldn’t be controlled, and that scared the vampires. My father was unpredictable, but my mother kept him in check. She was predictable, that made them feel safer when my gramps stepped down.

But me. I was different, I got my abilities late, and when they came, they came in faster than others. The power I had, even my parents feared it, feared me.

But Em and Ambrose looked at me like I was a world they worshipped, like everything they saw just now only made them care about me more. Made them appreciate me more.

Ambrose, even in his wolf form, was stunning. His thick black fur glistening with flakes of gold. He looked strong and regal.

The gold in his eyes flickered from glowing yellow, to a soft sunset. And then the shift started. His bones crunched and muscles rippled across him, changing shape and switching positions. The fur pulled back beneath his skin and now standing before me was a butt naked alpha king in all his wonder and glory. My eyes widened and my gaze lingered a little too long on his member. I could feel his eyes burning into me and I could feel his stupid little fucking smirk. I quickly turned away, cheeks burning hot with embarrassment.

Em covered her eyes and turned to the side. Her cheeks tinted slightly pink.

Modesty even among shifters. I shook my head at her sweetness. At least it’s not just me.

"So now, the BloodMoon Pack is now under the protection of the Princess of Darkness? Aren’t we the most blessed pack ever?" He teased me with a light chuckle.

I looked up my nose scrunched only to see his nakedness again and quickly turn away and yell "Can’t you at least put on some clothes, there are other people here you are blinding with your big dick."

"You think my dick is big?" He pulled that one thing from what I said, seriously?

"You’re insufferable, you know that? Can’t you just put on some pants?" I rolled my eyes annoyed, my cheeks still burning hot.

"I don’t have any, how about you share yours?" He winked at me.

I threw my hands up in frustration. And he just shrugged his shoulders and strutted around in his birthday like he owned the store and all the air in it to breathe.

Em just giggled, still covering her eyes.

Ambrose walked out of the damaged store into another one and returned wearing a simple pair of black jeans.

The waist sat just below his hips, giving a clear view of his V shape. His sculpted abs glistened with sweat, catching the light of the slowly fading sun. I unconsciously licked my lips, wetting their dryness only to find my mouth was just as dry.

Wow, am I that thirsty?

I wanted to punch myself in the face for my stupidity.

"Like what you see? For you it’s free to touch." He was seductive with his words and winked at me again."

"No." I said sharply and way too quickly. Giving myself away.

He just laughed and shook his head, "Sure thing, princess."

He was teasing me.

What an asshat.

"Screw off." And then it occurred to me, this was a shopping trip that turned into a battle ground.

"What happened, why were we even attacked?"

"I thought I was here to meet with someone who could be our mole in the rogue pack, but it turns out this whole town was bought by the rogues. So, no mole for us, did you get the things you’d need?" He asked.

"Some, we were interrupted with our shopping." I answered.

"Get whatever else you need and let’s go. We still have a long drive ahead of us and we won’t be back at the packs borders until later tonight."

"Okay, we’ll be quick." I answered.

I looked at Em, checking her again.

She looked fine, but her light trembling and paled, ashen skin, told me a different story.

This had scared the ever living shit out of her.

I would buy her something nice, when she wasn’t looking.

Finishing up the things we needed to purchase, I snuck off and found a beautiful matching bracelet set. It had a star and moon charm. Best friend bracelets. I’ve never bought one of these things, Delilah always thought they were kind of cheesy. But Em was the kind of cheese ball that loved cheesy stuff, or at least that’s the kind of person I think she is.

I realized I didn’t know as much about her as I liked, and decided right then and there, I would change that, and I’d learn everything there is to know about my best friend.

I wonder if I can talk Ambrose into a promotion for her.

I grabbed the bracelets and stuffed them quickly into my bags before she saw them.

I would ask Ambrose later. A princess should lift her friends, not keep them beneath her.

We finished packing up. The town was eerily silent now, like over the course of an hour it had turned into a ghost town; everyone had disappeared. No one even took our money for the things we bought; they had stayed hidden after the fight. Probably scared out of their minds.

Can’t blame them really.

We drove away; the weight of the silence followed us into the car.

I wanted to talk about what happened. But Em still seemed on edge. I’d gotten hungry. I remembered the wound on my arm and looked down. The wound was healed but the hole in my clothes remained, and the blood still darkened the material around the wound.

Ambrose noticed me checking my arm and asked "How is it? I should have checked sooner. I was just distracted by your strength and cuteness when you saw me naked."

"Shut up, I’m fine, it was just a scratch. How about you?" I hadn’t had a chance to ask how exactly the meeting went down.

"I’m fine, same as you are, just some scratches." He answered, his voice was low, I could hear the lie, but in front of Em I knew he wouldn’t be honest, so I let it go. I’d check him when we got back. Silver took a long time to heal from, if you survived.