CULLEN- The Secretary and the Soldier (Project Zeus-Olympia Book 2)

CHAPTER 1

Cullen Nightshade wrenched up in bed, the sound of childish laughter echoing in his ears. He had dreamed of her again, of all of them really, but mostly of her. He couldn’t remember her name, but somehow he felt that he should. He felt that he knew her as well as he knew himself. He felt as if she were the missing half of him, as if the girl with the emerald green eyes and dusky golden skin was a part of his soul. Why should he be having dreams of children he’d never met? With a frown of confusion,

Cullen kicked fluffy, soft covers of deep and brooding blue, from around his legs, as he

climbed from the comfort of his bed. He padded naked pass a long, floor-to-ceiling mirror, edged in gold and trimmed in diamonds, ignoring the perfection of his reflection. He ignored the perfect physique, the strong, gorgeous, model face that drew women at every age, and headed towards his bathroom, his mind already focusing on the day he had ahead of him. The black and white towels of his bathroom floor heated the moment he stepped onto them, offering warmth and comfort so he wouldn’t have to step onto a cold floor. The black and white scheme picked up in the tiles that bordered the bottom half of the wall, while the rest glistened, pristine white in the sunshine. He leaned in, cutting his shower on, adjusting the temperature to a perfect, eighty degrees before stepping through the opaque glass doors and under the cascading water, tumbling around him from all sides. Cullen lived in luxury, and had for a very long time, so he ignored the opulence of

his bathroom. His multi-faceted body jets pumped full and strong, pummeling the last of the dream from his mind. With a sigh, he finished his shower and reached for a towel

from the warming wrack, wrapping it around his waist as he stepped out. He ran his hands over his short crop of dark hair as he ignored the dampness and stared into a pair of cold, blue-green eyes. The eyes that starred back at him had seen too much death, too much despair, and he knew that today, he would see more. He lived his life as a mercenary, deadly and solitary. No one knew the real Cullen Nightshade. No one but Kiara Kristiana Kane, his best friend. She was the first person that he’d ever let his guards down long enough to trust, to love. She had been with him from the beginning, from the very start of his company, Nightshade Security. Once, his company was used as a front so that he could perform his duties as a mercenary, but his shell company had become quite popular. Nightshade Security had become the one to trust in safety and

protection, and Cullen found himself enjoying creating security for celebrities, diplomats,

and the like. After he dressed, he made a call to Kiara.

“Nightshade Security.” The feminine voice on the other end was direct and efficient, concealing the knowledge that the voice belonged to an eighteen-year old

young woman. Cullen couldn’t think of her as a child, because her life had made her grow up faster than most.

“Kee-Kee is my passport for today’s itinerary prepared?” He asked in way of greeting, using the nickname he had given her when he first met her. The nickname really didn’t fit her personality at all, and he’d only saddled her with it to piss her off. Now, he used the name out of habit.

“Yes, your passport is prepared, and you’re all set. You also have a meeting with a government diplomat at nine and your flight to Guam is scheduled to depart at noon. Am I still driving you to the airport?” Kiara asked, reminding him of the arrangements he made a week prior with her, as she ran through his schedule. Only Kiara knew about the jobs he did for the government and she made sure that all of his paperwork was in order before he left the country. He’d come to depend on her efficiency and organization.

“Yeah.” He responded, simply. “I’ll see you at eight.” With that, he hung up the phone and finished preparing for his trip.

Kiara blew out a breath as she listened to the dial tone in her ear. That was just so Cullen. He never bothered with the pleasantries. No hellos, no goodbyes, no how are you. He was always concise and to the point. She pushed long, reddish-brown hair absently out of her clear gray eyes as she leaned over to go through the files on her desk, pondering the reasons why she loved him so much. Cullen had been her rock for as long as she could remember, and he had been her heart, for longer than that. Many people would argue that she was confusing love with gratitude, but they would be wrong. Of

course she was grateful to him for taking her in and giving her a purpose in her life, but it had nothing to do with her love for him, and it was because of her love for him, that she knew he was troubled. As she stacked and organized, she wondered what was bothering him. There was something in his voice, in his tone, that was telling her that he wasn’t alright. Just as she was finishing up her morning chores, she heard the chime of the alarm, letting her know Cullen had arrived. She poured him a steaming cup of coffee, grabbed his itinerary, and headed to his office. Ignoring the floor to ceiling glass walls,

surrounding them on three sides, with an impressive view of the arch, Kiara watched

Cullen cautiously. She could see the tension in him as she briefed him on his day. And she could tell that he was distracted as his eyes wondered restlessly around the room, even as his mind processed her words. As she concluded her update, she watched as he

sipped his coffee absently and lost himself in thought. Usually after her updates, he was

moving on to the next thing and briefing her about what to expect for the week. She took

a step towards him and watched his eyes rise slowly to meet hers.

“What’s bothering you, Cullen?” Watching him flinch at her words confirmed her initial assessment.

“I’ve been having the dreams again.” He confessed softly, making sympathy pour

through her. Cullen had told her long ago about the dreams he sometimes had, about places he’d never been. Countries he’d never seen. People he never met.

“I can’t block them out and I can’t hold on to them.” He continued on, frustration in his voice. Kiara walked easily around his desk and then wrapped him in a hug. His arms came around her waist and she felt his sigh stir her hair.

“Maybe they’re memories. Maybe you do have brothers and sisters out there.” She suggested, pulling away and perching on the edge of his desk. She watched as tormented eyes look up at her.

“I’m an orphan. There is no one else.” His voice was cold, final. There was something else that he wasn’t saying, something else that was eating at him.

“Cullen-”

“I’m sorry, Kee-Kee, this isn’t your problem.” His tone was curt as he cut her off. He offered her a warm smile, trying to take some of the sting out of his words as he sipped from the mug of coffee she’d brought to him.

“Thanks for this.” He gestured with his cup as he stood up once more to dismiss her from his office. Kiara sighed in defeat and left with a heavy heart. Cullen had done so much for her, was there anything she could do for him? With worry for him still wrinkling her brow, she made her way out of his office and to her own. She’d just focus on her job and wait until Cullen came to her. Eventually it would happen and she would be ready to assist him. Kiara quickly made changes to Cullen’s schedule and then

checked through the rest of the business schedule for the day. Cullen would meet with a

government dignitary and then he would be in Guam for the next few days. She gave a little shudder as she thought of his trip to Guam. Though she knew what he did, she tried not to think about it. If she focused too much on it, she’d worry about him, constantly. She loved him so much and she didn’t want to see him get hurt, but she kept her concerns to herself, because Cullen could take care of himself.

Cullen went through his calendar for the week, checked emails, and made adjustments to a few jobs. He took his nine o’clock appointment and scheduled a consultation for the following day. With a grin, he headed back towards Kiara’s office, paperwork in hand. Another government dignitary wanted to use his security program,

which meant he had to give all the information to Kiara, so that she could do her thing. Her job was to access weak points of entry to properties and then create a security plan.

Kiara was one of the best thieves he knew. Her burglary skills amazed even him, sometimes. When he had taken her in at twelve, he made sure that she would never have to steal again, but he learned that she found it enjoyable, which was also one of the reasons why he created his security company. He figured that he could keep her out of trouble and still let her have her fun. Cullen gave an indulgent smile as he walked

towards her office and pushed into her outer sanctum.

“Good morning, Sir. Ms. Kane is on the telephone right now.” Cullen turned his head at the low murmur and saw a young girl, only a few years older than Kiara, with deep chocolate brown eyes and almond butter skin. Her hair was worn natural, and cut short so it curled softly against her head. Cullen knew that Kiara had hired a few people to help out with the day to day running of the business, but he never really bothered to learn their names.

“Thank you, Ms…” Cullen drew out the words, waiting for her to fill in the gap.

“Harris. Jessica Harris.” She stammered, quickly looking down at her desk.

“Well, thank you, Ms. Harris. Can you just tell Kee-Kee that I’m out here, when she’s available?” With that, Cullen went towards the waiting area, sitting down in the comfortable chair as he glanced around at what Kiara had created. She really fashioned a space of luxury, where clients would feel at ease. The colors were soft, welcoming, and trust inspiring, and the entire area reminded him of a comfortable living room, rather than a waiting area. There were magazines on a multitude of subjects there for the choosing, and if the client didn’t wish to read, there was a television off to the corner offering a plethora of channels. The entire waiting area was designed to make you want to sink in and stay.

“Ms. Kane. Mr. Nightshade is here to see you.” He could hear the awe in her voice, as she informed Kiara of his presence, and it made him smile. Kiara had teased him about his almost celebrity status at his office, because of his infrequent visits. Then he had brushed it off as foolish, but now he was starting to see that she was correct in her assumptions.

Kiara’s door swung open, scattering his thoughts, as she stepped out of her office

and everything slowed down for him. Was that what she had on this morning, he asked himself, as he felt his tongue nearly hanging out of his mouth as he stared? He must have been really distracted to not realize how beautiful and fresh she looked. She wore a suit the color of ripe peaches, the pants trim and hugging her every curve. The top underneath was a creamy ecru, made of silk that just caressed her body. Her feet were encased in pumps of the same creamy shade as her top and she had tiny pearls in her ears. Her long hair was pulled up and secured with chopsticks, exposing her slender neck to perfection. Cullen swallowed hard as he could almost see himself undressing her, caressing her, burying himself deep inside of her. He felt lust squeeze tight in his loins as he continued

to stare at her, speechless. As the lust stirred, he could feel his grip on his sanity slip slightly. He would have to take his medication soon, or he knew that rage would consume him, and then it would be more than Kiara’s body that he would lust for. He would begin to lust for blood, pain, and death. The doctors had told him, when he was seven, that he had a chemical imbalance in his brain and that he would need to take medication for the rest of his life. They told him that without it, he would become little more than an animal. They had been so callous and cruel in their assessment of him, that he had questioned their humanity, but it still hadn’t stopped Cullen from wondering if it was the reason why he had never been adopted.

“Thanks, Jessie.” Kiara’s words cut through his thoughts as she turned to fully face him, with a smile on her face.

“Cullen, come on in.” She walked towards him, hips swaying enticingly, as she offered her innocent invitation. She couldn’t know what she was stirring inside of him. As she approached, he could smell the scent of her skin. No perfume, no fruity fragrances, just her skin, fresh and pure, with the hint of soap, and it turned him on like nothing else. He knew that he couldn’t go into the office with her, not while he could feel the rage building inside of his body, not while he could feel his manhood aching for her.

“No, I can’t.” He responded, tersely. “I just needed to drop this paperwork off with you. We have a new client and you’re going to need to do a security analysis at his place.” Cullen passed the paperwork to her, careful not to touch her, as he tried his best to just focus on the business at hand. When she frowned at him in confusion, he only shook his head slightly and began to back away. He knew that she wanted him to explain why he was acting so crazy, but it was taking everything inside of him to not reach for her.

“Cullen, are you ok?” The concern in her voice made him ache as she moved closer, bringing her enticing scent with her, whipping his hunger into a frenzy.

“No!” He nearly growled as he stepped back, his pupils expanding. He saw her eyes widen in shock.

“Stay back.”

“Ok.” She responded softly, stepping back. He could hear the understanding in her voice now, and he blew out a breath of relief. He had told her about the imbalance, years ago, when they first started out together. He didn’t have a choice, as he had attacked her, nearly killing her. She had only been fifteen years old, a helpless child. It was the first time that he could ever remember crying, as he held her broken and battered body in his arms, terrified that she was going to die, terrified that he had killed her. After she healed, he apologized profusely, and then explained his medical condition to her, as best as he could, before giving her the option to stay or leave. She had hugged him to her, kissed his cheek, and promised to never abandon him. She understood what it felt like not to be wanted, and she assured him in everyway possible that he was wanted and needed. Cullen had lost his heart to her that day.Cullen pulled out of the memories and glanced at the young girl sitting behind them, trying to pretend not to be interested in their conversation, even though terror widened her eyes. He groaned inwardly, as the young girl’s fear pulled at him, enticing

him, making him want to strike out.

“I’ll meet you at the car later.” He muttered before turning to walk away.