An Immortal Introduction
All the excited buzzing in the room came to a standstill as they made their way towards Lord McKenna’s table. Lori was so mad she wasn’t even registering anything except putting one foot in front of the other. She was still fuming from the sting of Desmond’s words, made worse because what he’d said about Michael was true.
Her older brother hadn’t been afraid of anything or anybody. Even when their parents had left them, Michael had stepped up and taken care of her without once breaking down. He was a rock. He’d been strong enough for the both of them; getting a job, packing her lunch, sending her to school and picking her up all while still finishing up his last year of high school and getting into college. He’d stubbornly refused to put her in the system, but worked and studied at all hours, barely sleeping just so they’d be together.
And now, here she was, scared over meeting a stupid immortal king in a different reality from her own. Sure, it sounded terrible when she said it to herself, but Michael would’ve laughed and called him just one more self-inflated, egotistical meat-head. He never would have let himself be intimidated - not even here. She was the pathetic one, the weak link in their small family chain. She crushed the onslaught of disappointment that threatened to overtake her – now was not the time for it.
Lori never saw the looks the men and women gathered around the large hall gave them. It was probably for the best seeing as how so many people staring would’ve made her toss her cookies right then and there. She wasn’t so disconnected that she missed the way all the women in the hall held their breath at the sight of Desmond. He was every bit as gorgeous as the rumors about him claimed – news had travelled fast among the people in the keep. What Lori missed was how the men, every one a warrior of the McKenna clan, were equally silenced by her untamed beauty. Most had never seen a human up close, and no one had expected the pair to arrive at the castle to be quite so stunning. They did not have the lean, angular look of Weres, or the large sturdiness of Immortals, or even the tall, delicacy of the Fae. They held a beauty that was all their own.
It took some time for Lori and Desmond to make their way through the crowd to the main table. When they did, Desmond stepped forward in front of Lori blocking her view as they approached. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, she’d dropped her eyes the second the table had come into view. She did not want to see anyone up there, though she knew it was only be a matter of time before she had to.
Next to her she felt Desmond bow ever so slightly as he spoke, “Lord McKenna, ruler and champion of castle Wolfgard and the McKenna clan, my sister and I thank you for welcoming us so graciously into your home. We are honored to be your guests for however long you wish to grant us your favor. Our services though humble and of purely artistic quality, are yours for the asking.”
"The honor tonight belongs to clan McKenna and all of Wolfgard,” Eric replied graciously.
At the sound of his voice Lori shivered slightly. The sound was deep and husky, and seemed to stroke something inside her like the most luxurious velvet. She didn’t really want to meet the owner of such a voice even as she knew it was inevitable.
“Please, allow me to present my sister, Lori.” Stepping aside, Desmond made room for Lori to step forward and face her true love.
When she didn’t move, he turned around and whispered quickly under his breath. They argued in furious whispers for a few seconds until he lost his patience and nudged her in front of him causing her to stumble. She barely caught herself from falling as a strong arm grasped her elbow and helped her stand. Lori straightened and looked into eyes the color of perfect purple heather.
As Eric McKenna stood in front of her, Lori’s mind struggled to process his overall hotness. He had long brown hair that fell past his shoulders, almost to his waist, gathered in a single loose braid. His eyes, a perfect purple flecked with bits of gold, were unlike anything she’d ever seen. They were set off with light brown eyebrows and long dark lashes that were almost shameful. When he smiled he showed two deep dimples on either side of his face, and the corners of his eyes crinkled just a bit.
Lori felt her lungs shrivel up in her chest and her stomach drop to her knees. If she thought Desmond had been the best looking man she’d ever seen she’d been sorely mistaken. Where Desmond was all refined and elegant beauty, Eric McKenna was rugged, warrior manliness. The man was mind-numbingly gorgeous; ten times hotter than Desmond on his best day. It was so ridiculously unfair she wanted to pound Desmond, with his sick and twisted game, right into the ground! There was no way a guy like that could possibly be her true love.
Damn all these hot men she thought acidly. She couldn’t help running her gaze over Eric McKenna’s fine form and felt her mouth go dry as she took in every stupidly perfect detail. He had to be at least six five, with broad shoulders and a chest as wide as the hood of a car. His crisp white shirt was open from neck to mid-chest and small golden curls beckoned over mounds of tempting, heavily-muscled bronze skin. He wore brown leather pants that showed off bulging thighs, and though she couldn’t see his butt, she bet it was the stuff of Calvin Klein fantasies. There were no words to describe the raw, sexual heat that ebbed and flowed off the man in front of her. If Desmond was a walking sex scene then Eric McKenna was a full-length feature film.
As her eyes passed over his body and back to his face she was once again captured by those perfect heather-colored depths. With one look he’d sucked her right in. There was no doubting that whatever Eric McKenna was, he was not your average, everyday type of guy. He commanded power like others ordered take-out. It felt like every nerve in her body suddenly (and unwillingly!) came to life. The initial concern Desmond had posed back in the museum when she’d first met him was nothing compared to the total danger Eric McKenna presented in front of her now.
This could be very bad for her she thought.
Lori reached for that cold, dull anger still burning in her chest from Desmond’s callous remarks. Quicker than she could say ‘there’s no place like home’ she was able to shake off most of her initial shock and get on with it.
She jerked her arm out of his grip and curtsied ever so slightly the way Desmond had taught her. When she spoke, it was in a voice that was polite but forcefully disinterested, “As my brother already stated Lord McKenna, we are honored and privileged to be your humble guests at Wolfgard.”
As she bowed her head she took the brief moment to pull herself together. It wasn’t easy but she hadn’t spent the last few years of her life working nightmare jobs without learning how to shut down parts of herself when needed. She wouldn’t give Desmond the satisfaction of watching her drool (well anymore than she just had anyway) or seeing the effect Eric had on her.
When she raised her head and looked back up her face was closed and revealed nothing.
* * *
For the first time in his life Eric McKenna, born ruler and leader of his clan, was speechless. The woman who stood before him was the most stunning creature he’d ever laid eyes on. It felt like he’d been struck by a thunderbolt. In some remote part of his mind he wondered if Aiden’s toast could’ve possibly reached the realm of the gods.
Lori was a raven-haired beauty with skin the color of the golden dawn. She was taller than any woman he’d ever met, her head reaching his chin, which was quite impressive given most females only reached his stomach. She had a full bounty of lush breasts barely held within the bodice of her dress and the narrow waist and full hips he adored on a woman. He could only imagine the long shapely legs beneath the gown she wore. She was perfection.
Lori. He rolled the name around in his mind enjoying the smooth sound of it. It was a strange name and yet oddly suited for her beauty. His nostrils flared slightly and he breathed her in. The scent of her almost brought him to his knees.
Mate.
The word blasted through the furnace of his body, even as his mind reeled from her very existence. The warrior’s soul inside him recognized her immediately. She was his mate. This human stranger was the other half of his soul. The warrior inside him reared up to claim, to possess, but the man within struggled to pull him back. His brain tried to reason with his body, even as he struggled with his own soul. She wasn’t even an immortal. This could not be possible.
But he knew it to be true the second he'd touched her. The brief contact had set his skin aflame - it was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. All he wanted was to touch her again, more this time and all over.
All the while Lori stood in front of him, tall and proud; her dark eyes regarding him coolly, almost daring him to speak. But he couldn’t. Not yet. His body tensed with hard arousal at her very presence, starting a blaze within him, a fire only her body could sate. When her eyes had roamed across his body he smelled her arousal instantly. The aroma stroked his warrior’s soul, almost jerking him right off his feet. She’d wanted him.
But then she opened her lovely mouth and spoke, her words cold and holding nothing but an icy disregard for him. The contrast had been shocking enough for him to regain some semblance of control. He looked into her eyes but they were guarded and mysterious, betraying nothing. Even her scent had turned cold. Frigid.
He was instantly lost.
Feeling the weight of many eyes upon him, Eric cleared his throat and nodded in return. “It is our honor to welcome such highly esteemed guests to Wolfgard manor. May you find peace and hospitality within our walls.” He gestured to the two open seats to his right held for honored guests. “Sit and be welcome at my table.”
As Lori stepped past him to take her seat, he caught another whiff of her enticing aroma and groaned inwardly. There was no doubt that her intoxicating scent would drive him mad all evening.
This was sure to be the longest night of his life.