Fighting Darius
Follow My Lead
PENNY
He’s gorgeous—and lethal. Obviously, he’s a lycan.
He has thick blond hair, so pale it’s almost white. It’s slicked back and suits him perfectly. His sharp features look like they’re molded from granite.
The outline of his tall, glorious body cannot be fully concealed by his fine suit. He’s dressed similarly to Lazarus, except his jacket is black. His vest is royal blue.
His red lips contrast beautifully with his fair, flawless complexion. His perfect top lip is firm, yet his bottom lip is full and sexy, at odds with his tough exterior.
But the most fascinating thing about his appearance is his eyes.
They’re icy blue and slightly hidden underneath the shadow of his top hat, but I can feel them on me, blazing even from across the room.
His gaze sets all my inner alarm bells ringing.
But it also sends Juno galloping around my insides, burning with excitement and attraction. Somehow, I know this isn’t just a regular lycan.
Hanging on to his arm is a tall, dark-haired woman in a royal blue to match his vest. She’s flawlessly beautiful—a lycan just like him. The way she stares up at him leaves no doubt that she harbors deep feelings for him.
She looks as if she can hardly believe she’s here with him right now. She wears her heart on her sleeve and worships the ground he walks on. That woman shits rainbows and butterflies and unicorns out of her ass. I can tell.
They do not look like they belong together.
For some reason, my heart squeezes in intense jealousy.
I have no right to be jealous. He’s not mine. But nonetheless, I want to go and rip off the arms that are holding him close by the socket.
“Penny. Penny!” Serena yanks on my hand.
“Huh—what?” I tear my eyes from the mystery lycan and am surprised to see Genesis has joined us. She’s smirking knowingly.
“Girl, I know that look. Who were you just gawking at?”
“Um…” I glance quickly back at the smoking-hot, icy-blue-eyed lycan.
Genesis hums approvingly. “Darius. He’s a commander of the Royal Intelligence Force. I think he looks like Draco Malfoy…only buffer, hotter, bigger, sexier.”
I can’t concentrate on anything else around me. People are talking, yet I’m only aware of his every movement and of his eyes on me.
Why is he watching me? Why can’t I stop watching him?
I feel a buzzing energy every time those icy-blue eyes land on me, which is a lot. My ears zone in on his deep, sexy voice as he talks to someone—and that Russian accent. I melt.
“Persephone, did you hear a word I was saying?” asks Genesis.
“Who is he with?” I ask, ignoring whatever it was she said.
“Polina Vitsin,” answers Serena. “She’s the daughter of Robert Vitsin, a very influential man in lycan society. She’s been pining for Darius for years, but I don’t think they’re mated.”
“Oh.”
I try to look away, but I can’t seem to. Nor do I want to, because he’s left Polina behind as she chats with the queen, and he’s approaching us now.
I don’t miss the way his icy-blue eyes rake my form from head to toe. I don’t miss the look of want and hunger in his eyes or the sizzle of energy between us either.
He stops in front of us. Up close, he’s even more stunning, like something out of a dream or a nightmare.
He inclines his head in a formal gesture. “I am Darius Ivanovic Rykov. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
When my dumb brain doesn’t prompt me to respond, Serena steps in. “Mr. Rykov, allow me to introduce Persephone Aspen Ruiz, our guest.”
He offers her a curt nod, but his gaze remains locked with mine, as if the two stunning women with me are merely feathered decor.
He extends a hand. “Would you honor me with a dance?”
I’m taken aback. I glance at Serena and Genesis. Serena’s expression is calm, but Genesis is grinning like a cat that just caught a canary.
“Er, sure,” I manage.
My hand shakes a little as he takes it, more from the energy vibrating between us than nerves. He leads me to the dance floor, weaving through the crowd. The room is brighter and louder over here, but somehow all I can focus on is him.
The music swells, and I realize everyone around us is already moving in perfect, synchronized steps.
Oh Goddess. I don’t know this dance!
Darius must notice the way I hesitate, because he says, “Follow my lead.”
His other hand rests gently on my waist. Slowly, he steps back, and I try to mirror his movements. His eyes stay on mine, and the world around us blurs.
His steps are smooth and confident, and I find myself falling into rhythm with him. Our feet move together like we’ve done this a hundred times before.
When he turns me in a graceful spin, his hand at the small of my back, I almost laugh—half in disbelief, half in thrill.
His eyes stay on me, cool and curious, like he’s studying me, trying to figure me out. It should make me nervous, but it doesn’t. In fact, I feel calmer and more at home than I have all night.
There’s a buzzing warmth in my chest. I don’t know what it means, but right now, I don’t care.
The music slows, drawing to a close, and Darius gently guides me into a final turn. When we stop, he steps back and bows smoothly with the other men.
His eyes find mine again, and he looks between them for a moment before nodding to himself. Then, before I can even process what just happened, he turns and walks away, disappearing back into the crowd.
I’m left standing there, breathless, my heart fluttering like a little bird and my skin buzzing with leftover…something. The world slowly comes back into focus, but none of it feels as clear as it did when it was just us.
I find my way back to Serena and Genesis.
Genesis’s eyes are bright with excitement. “Well? How do you feel?”
I open my mouth, but I’m not even sure what to say. “I…I feel weird. Like…like I’m vibrating inside or something.”
Her grin widens, and she claps her hands together. “I knew it! You’re Darius’s erasthai.”
I blink and glance at Serena for some clarity.
Serena sighs, giving Genesis a quick, exasperated look before turning to me.
“Lycans don’t have mates chosen for them by the Moon Goddess like werewolves. But, even so, each lycan still has someone who is ‘the one’ for them—their ultimate match. This person is called their erasthai.”
“Yeah,” Genesis cuts in eagerly. “The erasthai is supposed to be the person best suited for that lycan in every way. Physically, emotionally—everything. The stronger the attraction, the stronger the bond will be if they decide to mate.”
“Wait,” I said. “You and Constantine…”
She nods.
Genesis is definitely Constantine’s erasthai. The level of love and understanding between them is incomparable.
My stomach flips as I think back to Darius’s eyes on me, the way his gaze made my skin tingle. “So…you think I’m his?”
Genesis smirks. “I don’t think—I know. Did you see the way he was looking at you? And you felt it, didn’t you? That buzzing can’t-think-straight feeling? And I bet you felt completely at home with him too. That’s exactly how I felt when I met Constantine.”
I swallow hard.
Yeah, I felt it. I’m still feeling it.
“But he’s with another woman,” I say. That jealousy flares again, and I try my hardest not to look for her.
Serena leans in, her expression serious. “Lycans don’t just give up on their erasthai, Penny. Even if they’re already mated to someone else. If you’re his erasthai, that’s it. It’s not something he can control.”
I’m so confused. Sure, I was waiting for my mate, but I wasn’t expecting to be an erasthai to any lycans.
I always wondered what it would be like to meet my mate.
As I watch Darius rejoin Polina across the ballroom, I finally know how it feels.
***
I watch Darius covertly from afar for the next couple of hours.
He looks like he’s in his early twenties…twenty-two at the most. He looks so tough yet sophisticated. Rugged yet so beautiful. So worldly and cultured.
I’d guess he is all that, since really, he’s older than twenty-two. Genesis’s mate, Constantine, looks like he’s only eighteen, but he’s actually over three hundred years old.
I imagine Darius must be a bit older than that.
Compared to humans, us werewolves age slower, but lycans age a lot slower than werewolves. That means they live a lot longer.
All through the night, my eyes keep drifting to him. Like a magnet, I’m hopelessly drawn to him. Like he’s pulling the string to my kite.
He can’t seem to keep his eyes off me too, because every time I look at him, he’s already looking at me. Our gazes would meet and lock from across the room, then he would drag his eyes away before they would inevitably and reluctantly drift back to me again.
It’s as if he can’t help himself.
I talk, and I smile. Fake smile. I laugh too, and I can hear how fake my laughter is. I dance again, mainly with Lazarus or Constantine. I suspect they’re forced to do so by their mates who take pity on me.
I step on Constantine’s feet several times and almost send us tumbling into another couple because I’m so focused on Darius dancing nearby with Polina.
He has a gorgeous woman hanging on to his arm, yet his eyes are constantly following my every movement too. Jealousy is eating at me, and I hate how my body is responding to his heated gaze.
After a while, it gets to be too much. I escape outside to one of the balconies. I need to breathe. I need fresh air. I need answers.
Banehallow Palace is on top of a hill. The lights from distant houses dotting the landscape below look like stars in a clear night sky. The cool breeze touches my exposed arms and shoulders.
I’m aware of his presence behind me without even hearing his footsteps.
Continue to the next chapter of Fighting Darius