Chapter 9 — Awakened

Mathias:

I don’t know where I’m going, but my mind is mixed up. That painting was incredible. It was obvious who it was. She showed me her heart, and now I don’t know what to do about it.

“Mathias!” I hear Mikhail call out to me. Turning around, I hold my palm up to stop the incoming deluge of recriminations. “Look, Mikhail, I just want to be alone right now.”

Mikhail waves away my words. “No, Mathias, you need to listen to me. When I met Nevaeh, I was scared. I was scared of what I felt for her and what might happen to her if she entered my world. Since we’ve gotten here, you’ve experienced a variety of things that have shaken your world. But I have to tell you, you’re being an idiot.”

My head snaps forward at his comment. Not a lot of people dare speak to me in such a tone. I’m Mathias Black, head of the Council. A centuries-old archangel who has killed legions. Giving Mikhail my most withering scowl, I manage to grit out, “I think you need to walk away, Mikhail.”

Unintimidated, Mikhail crosses his arms with a smirk and takes a step closer. “I’m getting to you, aren’t I, Mathias? In the end, it’s your decision, but I want you to consider this. Is this what Marael would want for you? It seems to me that you do have feelings for Cassia. Maybe deeper feelings than you ever felt for Marael, and it scares you. Keep this in mind, though. Eventually, you’ll get your head out of your ass, and she’ll be with someone else, and that purity that she saved for you will be given to someone else.”

Before I can respond, Mikhail places his hand in his pockets and walks away.

I stand there for a while, lost in thought. Taking a breath, I course my fingers through my hair and wince when my cell phone rings. It’s Mikhail. I look toward the building with a puzzled frown. “Mikhail, wh─”

He interrupts my question. “Mathias, get over here! Now!” Stiffening at the urgency in his tone, I rush into the building and am greeted by chaos. There are people crowding a room, their voices buzzing with panic, and their expressions grim. Striding purposely forward, I push through the crowd and find Mikhail holding Nevaeh. Horrified, I glance around and growl with fury when Cassia’s prone body a few feet away. Rushing forward, I kneel beside Cassia and pull her into my arms. Mikhail lifts Nevaeh in his arms and says something, but I can’t hear him through the ringing in my ears.

It’s only when Cassia moves and the world comes back into focus. Mikhail’s looks at the confused crowd. “Nothing to see here, ladies and gentlemen. It looks like these ladies were frightened when that sculpture fell.” He points to a corner where there is a broken sculpture.

The crowd looks at the sculpture appraisingly before they disperse. The woman that spoke to us about the painting approaches us, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Cassia! Oh, my goodness! Let’s get these girls to a quiet room and attend to them.”

The man who was speaking to Cassia earlier also approaches and reaches for her. Drawing Cassia close, I give him a heated glare. At first, I think he might argue, but he quickly walks away.

I lift Cassia in my arms and follow the woman to the next room, Mikhail following behind me.

Cassia stirs at that moment and stiffens in my arms as soon as she notices me.

To my surprise, she groggily blurts out. “Lukan was here. He was here. Oh, my God.”

The woman points to a small couch. “You can set the ladies down there.”

Mikhail and I sit the girls down on the couch and gaze back at the hovering woman. “Cassia, are you alright? What’s this about, Lukan? Draco, go and find that bastard.”

Cassia rubs her head and looks at the couple. “I’m okay, Aunt Arabella. You don’t need to go anywhere, Uncle Draco. I’m fine” I move back, surprised to know that the man is not her lover but her uncle, then look at Nevaeh as she begins to stir.

Groaning, she rubs her head and glances around the room with a confused frown. “What happened?”

Cassia answers. “Lukan was hiding behind a sculpture. I tried to warn you, but he hit you and hit me when I tried to help. He must have run after he heard me scream for help.”

Reaching for my cell phone, I dial my enforcer, Isaiah. “Isaiah, we have confirmation that Lukan Garron is not dead. He just tried to attack his daughter, Cassia, and my daughter, Nevaeh. I need you to get a team together and search the Cal State campus right away.”

I disconnect the call and gesture for Mikhail to join me. “We need to get them out of here right now. If he’s still around, we don’t want him anywhere near the girls.”

Nevaeh gets up quickly and follows Mikhail, but Cassia does not move. “I’ll stay with my aunt and uncle.”

I shake my head. “That’s not going to happen. Lukan is out there, and we need to protect you.” Cassia shakes her head vehemently. “I’ll be fine.” She gets up shakily and makes to walk towards her aunt, but I lift her into my arms and walk out the door.

Her eyes widen with outrage. “Put me down this instant, Mathias.” I turn towards her aunt and uncle, ignoring the angry blond in my arms. “I’m taking her somewhere safe. I suggest you do the same.” They nod their heads without a protest, their expressions one of amusement. If only Cassia was as pliant.

Marael was not like Cassia. She would have followed me quietly and without protest. Cassia, on the other hand, starts pushing at my chest. “Put me down, Mathias. I’m not going anywhere with you.” I continue on as if she weighs nothing. When we get to my truck, I throw my keys at Mikhail. “You drive.” Mikhail nods his head.

I open the back seat and sit with Cassia in my lap, but the wildcat refuses to desist her struggles, and we end up falling into the seat in an uncomfortable tangle of limbs. “Damn it, Cassia, stay still!” This sets her off further.

Mikhail’s amused chuckle rings from the front seat. I’m glad someone is amused because I’m not. Eventually, I get a good grip on her arms and hold her still in my lap. My shaft swells to a nearly unbearable height of arousal beneath her wriggling form. I try to distract myself from our position, trying to maintain a professional air. “I don’t want to hurt you, Cassia, but you need to stop struggling,” I mumble through clenched teeth.

Cassia must notice my arousal because she quickly settles down. I guess my hard cock is hard to miss considering she’s sitting on my lap. “Fine then, let me sit in my own seat. I’m not stupid enough to jump out of a moving car.” She replies sharply. Inhaling deeply, I release her arm and let her go. Is it idiotic that I feel empty as soon as she moves off my lap? Damn, this is not what I want.

Thankfully, the drive to the council headquarters is silent. Isaiah calls me minutes later and updates me on their search while we attend to the women. They were able to catch some footage from the fine arts building of Lukan flying away, which affirms that Lukan is still alive and gives us something to go by.

Unfortunately, Mikhail isn’t enthusiastic about the news. Everyone flinches when he slams his hand on the steering wheel with a loud curse. Nevaeh tries to calm him, while Cassia remains sitting quietly. I want to talk to her and reassure her, but by the look on her face, I can tell that she’s not interested in talking to me.