Into His Arms Ch. 04

"Let's move to my study so that we can have some privacy for our... meeting." At his words her eyes shot to his face, his pale eyes catching her off guard for the umpteenth time that night as they sparkled in the firelight. He'd been staring at her like that since she'd first laid eyes on him in the foyer. The firelight shadows danced off the hard planes of his face, making him seem sterner and even sinister in the muted lighting. The harsh jagged line of his scar enhanced his smoldering eyes, heightening their intensity and causing her to feel like there were birds trapped inside of her stomach.

His eyes always seemed to compel her to obey him, and despite everything she'd been taught, she'd tried her best to resist making eye contact with him the entire night for that reason. Even now, she found herself nodding her head in agreement before she could break her gaze away from his. A movement out the corner of her eye brought her back to reality. Seeing Victor still standing in front of them she sent a pleading glance towards him to stay or make some excuse for her.

"Don't forget to email me with the paperwork and all the offset adjustments tomorrow. The signed papers should be on my desk at the office. Fax them here once you get there, I will be looking for them in the morning." Alik said ending the conversation with him by steering her out the door without a backwards glance and shattering her hopes of getting his help. She heard a sigh from Victor as they were exiting the room, followed by a low grunt and an inaudible mutter from the man at her side.

She'd tried to ignore his presence the whole night, doing all she could to disregard the dominating aura that seemed to pour off of him, even while he just breathed. But no matter how tantalizing the topic of conversation was at dinner or how engrossed she tried to pretend she was with her meal or her other dining companions, she could not ignore the raw masculinity emanating from the man beside her. She had nearly tripped in her stiletto's when she'd first seen him in the foyer. His figure stood out amongst all the guests, not only because he was the tallest man in the room or that his frame was so massive, but it was his commanding presence that brought every eye, willing or not, to his form.

Victor had told her that her womanly wiles wouldn't work on the Alpha, but she'd thought that with the right outfit she'd be 'armed for battle'. She'd found her old prom dress in the back of her closet still in its garment bag. She'd bought it from a small boutique in town with her mother that had customized it for her frame, but had never worn it because she'd never gone to the dance. It had been a tight fit in the chest area, but she'd put her best bra on to fit the girls into it, and due to the loose material of the body she was able to camouflage the rest. While she'd felt embarrassed looking into the mirror before she'd left at the amount of skin she was showing, she'd also stood straighter and had renewed confidence in her abilities to get what she wanted and needed from him. But she hadn't expected his appearance to have such an effect on her. He was dressed to the nines, with his tailor made deep navy blue suit and crisp white dress shirt accentuating the lines of his frame and bring out his ghostly eye color.

His shoulders had seemed impossibly broad as she'd stood before him in his parlor door. His body had blocked half the doorway from her view. She'd thought her four inch heels would've made her feel a little less intimidated by his stature, but instead made her more conscious of his sturdy frame as she tottered next to him as they'd walked into the dining hall. She'd been glad when he had offered his arm to assist her into the room, but she'd never admit that to him. His arms had felt like sun baked rocks underneath his suit jacket, sending tingles up her arm where they'd touch. She had almost fainted when he had brought her body up against the hard planes of his form. She'd been so focused on her manipulation of him that she'd forgotten that the dress she had chosen was on the thin side, and that she'd felt every line and crevice of his physique when their bodies came into contact.

Her careless up-do, with her trusty banana clip, had also given him unfettered access to her ears. He'd taken advantage of her exposure to constantly whisper into her ear and she'd caught him staring intensely at the juncture between her bare neck and shoulders many times during the dinner.

Hearing a muffled click she snapped back to the present becoming aware of her surroundings and taking in the dimly lit office. She recalled walking up some stairs, but had been too focused on her inner musings that she didn't recall the rest of their walk here.

She glanced around at the very masculine study and found it lightly decorated in deep shades of blue, black and white. She stood halfway inside the room a few feet behind two dark blue leather armchairs with black wood trim facing a large black wooden desk. Behind the desk sat a wide high backed dark blue leather desk chair that matched the smaller ones, in front of another beautiful, but lit, marble fireplace with a stunning mountain landscape adorning the wall above it.

The sides of the room were lined with bookshelves and interspersed with maps and other landscape paintings. Looking around, she breathed in deeply loving the smell of the old book bindings and the slight smell of his cologne that hung in the air showing.

'He spent a lot of time here.' She thought to herself.

The only natural lighting came from the two heavily draped floor length windows that sat on either side of the fireplace. She was impressed at the way the room was decorated and would have enjoyed this room for herself, being a self-proclaimed library mouse.

They stood in silence, with her studying her surroundings and him etching two holes into her back with his gaze. Her nerves put her body into motion, moving her to escape his inspection, she walked over to the desk and sat abruptly in one of the chairs.

"Since you insisted on doing this tonight let's get this over with so that I can go home and get some sleep." She said, refusing to turn around and look at him, instead she studied the art on the walls.

"Well, if you'd make yourself available when your Alpha calls for you, we wouldn't have to have these last minute business 'meetings', and we'd BOTH already be in OUR bed," Not hearing him move from the door, she jumped as he leaned and murmured the last part into her ear.

Chuckling he moved to stand before her eyeing as a tiger would his prey. As he moved in front of her, she noticed he had already removed his jacket, as she watched him unbuttoning the top buttons on his shirt and rolling up his sleeves to the elbow revealing his muscular forearms. The shirt stretched taunt against his solid figure, the new opening revealing smooth skin to her gaze. She felt her temperature rise several degrees as she imagined the next button popping loose, followed by the next until the shirt fell away exposing the rest his muscular frame for her viewing pleasure.

Catching her thoughts wandering she looked up to meet his knowing look. She flushed, but couldn't look away her gaze caught in his intense one. He held it with his heated one, as he leaned against the desk, giving her no room to stand up unless she wanted her body to be flush with him. His burning gaze brought their conversation back to her, his words sending a fire across her face and neck at his loose choice of wording.

Refusing to break her neck to look up at the giant man or move to a new position, she leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms under her chest to conceal her shaking hands and turned to study the artwork on the opposite wall.

To hide her nervousness, she bit out sarcastically, "I'm not one of your art pieces that you can stare at all night."

"My paintings do not compare to your beauty sweets. I would need to study you for a century before I would be able to capture a tenth of your exquisite form."

Her mouth dropped open as her eyes shot back to his face before shooting back to the art on the wall then back once again to his eyes in disbelief, "Your paintings?! You painted all of these?!"

A ghost of a smile hinted at his lips as he nodded his head causing some of his long hair to move forward to caress his scarred cheek.

She gaped at the mountain of masculinity before her that looked so out of place in this scholar's sanctuary, like a cat in a swimming pool. She raked her eyes over him again trying to imagine this huge alpha having the patience to capture a landscape. Even now she believed he was the type who'd been a first rate solider, that now in modern times, spent his time in the gym working out or climbing mountains in his spare time.

"Ahem... Well you have an amazing talent," clearing her throat again she continued, "But that is not why we are here now, so if you would please explain the purpose of our meeting."

Lifting off the desk, he went around the side of it pulling out a clear card from his pocket before inserting the card into the top of the desk. She saw a panel slide open on the surface and he placed his hand onto it, a click sounded after a moment and she sat up straighter to see what he was doing. She heard the sound of a keypad code being entered in and heard the click of another lock being opened. Seeing his hand hovering over a hidden compartment, she looked up at his face as he paused and saw him staring back at her intensely.

"The day your parents were killed in the accident, the bank where your father kept many of his important materials was broken into. For all intents and purposes, it was made to seem like a heist, but only the room containing your father's security box was 'robbed'. While there were other boxes broken into in this room, I believe the target was your father's box as the robbers did not go after the rooms containing security boxes of the bank's wealthier clients. The contents of this particular box was known only by my father the previous alpha, your father and me. It only contained some pieces of paper with non-descript numbers and words only we would be able to decipher and a few keys. The day before his death, Burim had emptied that box and brought the contents to me for relocation. I believe he knew someone was searching for something hidden in a place that requires one of those keys."

Curious, she leaned forward asking, "How do you know that box was their target? I mean, if it was empty and the robbers stole everything from the other safes, I'm sure it would have blended in with the rest."

"Yes, you would think it would blend in... but the odd thing was the door was melted off of the hinges of Burim's particular box. It literally looked like it had been dipped in molten lava. The other peculiar detail was that there was no forced entry, and the only anomaly was two dark soot rings burnt into the floor; one just inside the doorway of the room and one right in front of Burim's box."

Her eyebrows raised at this new information, "Demons?"

"That's what you would think until you saw the patterns and symbols etched into the burnt markings. They resemble runes or the ancient witches old tongue. I am not entirely sure myself, but I don't want to believe this is tied into Burim and Wynnie's deaths, especially considering Wynnie had close ties to the white witches in our and our neighbors' territories. I do not want to blame a whole colony of powerful witches for the deaths of their good friends, nor do I want to accuse them of aiding those who might have. What I would like for you to do is use this," he pulled out of the hidden drawer a large dark leather book with a large pearl embedded in the center, "to see if Luna has destined for Antola the High White Witch and I to meet over this matter," he finished by moving to stand before her once again.

She looked from the book back into his face suddenly petrified, it was not even a few hours into her new role and already he wanted her to prove herself adequate for the position.

"I... I've never been allowed to touch the book before; this is actually the first time I've seen it... I don't-"

He cut her off, "Only Keepers and the Alpha are allowed to touch and know the whereabouts of the 'Adiv-i-Otreum'. I am sorry your father cannot guide you through your first use, but I am capable of helping you with the basics. I have seen him use it many times."

She swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes stung with tears at not being able to experience this moment with the man who had taught her everything she was supposed to know about it. The culmination of the event was bittersweet, but she did not want to dwell on it too long.

Reaching for the book, she nodded blinking back her tears and said the words she'd said to her father in practice many times before, "You are my shield and sword in my time of vulnerability, I entrust you as my sentry as Luna shows me the destined path."

Once she finished her declaration she grabbed the book from his hands. As soon as she touched the book she saw a flash of white light that seemed to engulf her in its fiery radiance. It blinded her and she started to panic at her loss of sight, letting out a small scream as fire lit into her brain.

She felt someone grab her upper thighs and moved to stand up, almost dropping the book.

"Shhh-shhh... It's okay I'm here with you. I've got you. You're okay, just breathe." She dimly heard this mantra repeating over and over at first. The deep voice bringing her from the brink of hysteria, she soon realized that the voice was Alik's and latched onto the soft timber, breathing in time with his words. As she calmed, her anxiety dissipated and she was able to feel the thrum of intense energy shooting up her arms from the book in her lap.

"S-Sorry I was not expecting that," she blew out a shaky laugh, "My dad never said I would go blind."

"Every Keeper is different, but it is expected the Keeper will be incapacitated when they are utilizing the 'Adiv-i-Otreum'. That is why the Alpha must be present to protect them as 'Keepers' were often killed by enemies who were jealous of the clans who had them. I don't blame him for not telling you. Many who find out often don't complete their training for fear of being at the mercy of another while reading a small book."

She snorted in response, "Can you blame THEM for quitting too?"

"Life and death should not be taken lightly, but this is a rare ability and what Luna has gifted should not be so easily discarded because of one's fear of the unavoidable. It takes a special person to become a great Keeper."

"The same could be said to you Alpha. Strength and size can be given to anyone who would want to force their will onto those weaker than them, but the ability to listen and take into account the feelings of those in a more vulnerable position makes for the best Alpha's." Her insinuation hung in the air between them, with her shivering as she stared blankly into the white light engulfing her wondering what his facial expression looked like after her statement.

She felt him lean forward and tensed when she felt his cheek slide against hers and his lips graze her earlobe. His voiced hummed deeply into her ear, sending shivers racing down her spine, "What Luna has destined you cannot run from, she might have the patience to wait for you to accept her will but I don't." She sucked in a breath at his boldness about to retort, but was cut short as he pulled away saying, "Now I believe you have calmed down enough to try reading the book. Think only on the question I asked you earlier. Hold on to it loosely in your mind. Do not attach or fixate on it too strongly, it will only give you a false sense of what you want to see. Let it correct you if necessary. As you are shown the visions I want you to tell them to me as they happen. If it pushes the idea out of your mind and shows you another let it, Luna sometimes places these side notes in urgent situations."

"Yes, yes... Okay, I remember this part from the training..."

When she moved to open the book she felt him remove his hands and move to stand up. "AHHH! Wait! Don't go! PLEASE!"

"Shhh-shhh... It's okay I'm here with you. I'm not leaving I just was getting a pen and paper."

"I just need you to... just don't let me go... please I don't like that feeling of disconnect this is making me feel." She panted as she felt him grasp her legs again, squeezing slightly, she felt his body heat return as he moved in front of her.

"Okay, okay I'm not moving. I'll just use my cellphone to record, okay? I'm going to remove one hand to take it out my pocket now." She nodded and felt one hand leave her and heard him fumbling into his pocket. After a moment his hand returned to her thigh, before he asked, "Ready?"

She nodded hesitantly before slowly opening the book. She knew from what her father had told her that the books' pages were completely blank with no blemish on any of the pages anyone who didn't recognize the cover or didn't have the gift from Luna to read it would have thought it a richly decorated and unused journal.

Taking a deep breath, she tried focusing to delicately hold onto his question in her consciousness, before gently placing one of her hands on the pages. As soon as her fingertips touched the paper, the blinding light seemed to grow brighter and then began pulsing with unseen power. Specs glimmered into the white light, faint at first, almost like a wisp of a cloud passing by her subconscious. It flickered in and out for a few moments like tinder trying to catch then suddenly she was bombarded with bright colors and blurry images flying by her mind's eye. It felt like she was having a daydream in fast-forward.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried slowing her breathing and bringing Alik's question to the forefront of her mind. The images began to slow from their intense rapid flow to a steady stream through her mind. The colors became whispering words and the images slowed, becoming discernable shapes. One particular shape stood out to her, but the more she tried to recall what it reminded her of the blurrier the figure became.

"Do not fixate on one particular thing, let Luna's power flow through your mind and guide you to what she wants to show you." He said in a calming tone.

She released her mind's hold on the familiar image, focusing instead on breathing deeply. The image suddenly came rushing back and suddenly hit her with its familiarity. It was a form she'd seen since before she could remember. She started crying at the thought that she hadn't been able to recall what who it was before.

"You cannot stay connected much longer, tell me what you see." He whispered softly.

Her mother's figure floated before her for a moment longer before disappearing.

"I saw my mother but she- wait, she is reappearing with two women, one of them is encased in a green shroud, but the other... she's a tall broad shouldered woman with dark black hair..." she gasped in shock. "Her eyes are completely black! She has no whites to her eyes!" She gasped when the woman looked straight at her with those void eyes, as if she could feel her staring at them. "She's staring at me... I... Jesus, she just... just smiled at me! Can she hear me?" She muttered as she shook her head in disbelief. "The image is fading- wait, I see... a wolf, but... it's blurry, something is off about it, there's white patches around its eyes... The image is fading again, I see you and an older, dignified looking gentleman with pale silver hair and red eyes..."

"Be more descriptive, are there any stand out characteristics about him?"

"He's fading I don't- wait... TATTOO! He has a tattoo on his left hand, I can't tell wha- OH, HIS RING! It's a silver dragon with ruby eyes!" She blurted out in triumph as the image faded away