THE ALPHA’S ADDICTION

In the large oak tree across the yard from her window, a bird flapped its wings, drawing her attention. She had just gotten off from the phone with the Freda girl, but not without telling the her to inform her sister about her call.

The bird had a round facial disk with a very pronounced ruff. It wasn’t an owl but it was large. Very large. The unusual bird could easily weigh at least twenty pounds. She stared at it, and it stared right back. She could see its eyes, round and shiny black. She had never seen a one like this. If she didn’t know better, she would think it was a harpy eagle. Emma leaned all the way out of the window sill, concentrating on the bird.

She watched it closely as she tuned her mind to the path of the raptor. The beak was wicked looking, curved and sharp, the talons enormous where they curled around the thick branch of the tree. It had a keen intelligence shining in its eyes. Emma’s breath caught in her throat, her heart beating in sudden excitement. Happy eagles lived in the Amazon rain forest, flying gracefully, agilely through the trees. They were unquestionably the world’s most formidable bird, capable of taking monkeys, snakes, even sloth as prey. It couldn’t possibly be, yet the more she studied it, the more she was certain. What in the world was an endangered eagle from South America doing in the Southern England, in Europe?

She continued to stare at the creature, keeping eye contact, whispering softly, more in her mind than with her voice. She called to the bird, out of humor and sheer playfulness, shocked at its size. It was really quite beautiful. Wild. Untamed. Powerful. She was afraid it must have been injured in some way to travel so far from its native territory.

Deep within the body of the bird, Aiden smiled. Emma had taken the bait. She was calling the bird to her, using a mental path unfamiliar to him, but the trail of power led straight back to her mind and gave him the opening he needed. The key to unlock her memories, to take control. Once invited inside, he would have even more control of Emma.

In the body of the large eagle, he spread his enormous wings and stepped off the branch of the tree. He saw her face, startled by his sudden movement, drinking in the beauty of the harpy eagle in flight. Circling high, he spiraled down in a lazy show and landed on her windowsill, talons digging deep into the wood. Slowly, majestically, the eagle folded his wings.

Emma looked beautiful in the moonlight. In the faint silvery light she looked like a young pagan goddess offering up a sacrifice, a homage to the high peaks. Her skin was soft looking, gleaming at him with an invitation to touch. Inside the body of the bird, his gut clenched hotly. His need was a fever in his blood. Dark and out of control when he needed restraint the most. Her innocence shook him, yet it drew him. She was his. Made for him. Exclusively for him. Only Emma Drackson could rid him of the dark shadows in his soul.

Emma stared at the bird, entranced. It was a little frightening to have the raptor so close to her. She wasn’t altogether certain she was safe. Very carefully she took two steps backward, the sound of her heart loud in her ears. She didn’t like animals ordinarily, but the bird was just too beautiful and big. It was an amazing bird, huge and very intimidating. She forced her mind to be calm as she examined it. It didn’t appear to be injured in any way. She didn’t get the impression that it was hungry or hurt. It was just staring at her as intently as she was staring at it.

Aiden watched as Emma’s tongue moistened her full lower lip. The action tightened his body even more and turned his bloodstream to a molten heat. He could not control his reaction to her. He was very much aware it made him more dangerous than he had ever been. He needed to be in control at all times. He didn’t want to risk harming her. She was temptation itself, standing there with her bare feet, looking young and beautiful and slightly afraid, her red hair cascading down her waist, as red as fresh blood. He felt his heart turn over, his every protective instinct welling up. He hadn’t known he had protective instincts. She was doing things to him so fast he couldn’t adjust.

Aiden was determined to have her under his command. He wanted her to himself, away from others, including her alpha boyfriend, where he could slowly and carefully work out what he wanted to do with her. He would have her. He would imprison her, he decided; it was the only way she would be his, under his care, under his dominion, not wanting her to run away out of fear when she knows what he is. There was a fierce need in him, hungry and growing each moment, to chain her to his side. But he had to be patient, at least, until Derek casts her aside.

Emma could feel her heart pounding hard, but it was more out of excitement than fear. She should be afraid, the bird was a true raptor, but it was magnificent. It had black eyes! Round, shiny, very intelligent black eyes. She stared at it for fully two minutes. That wasn’t normal, she was certain. Very slowly, so she wouldn’t startle the creature, she backed across the room to the small bookshelf in the room. Still looking at the bird, she slid her fingers over the animal books she had gotten acquainted with yesterday until she found the one she wanted. It slipped off the shelf into her waiting hand, the pages already turning to the very entry her mind was seeking.

Strangely, the bird was observing her just as intently, an intelligence in its gaze as it watched the pages of the book open without her hand. She brought the book in front of her and glanced down to look at the photograph of the harpy eagle. The eyes were round and shining with intelligence, but they were not black. The eyes in the picture were a bright amber with a black pupil. She let out her breath slowly. Something was wrong with her bird.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.