“Anahita, why don’t you help her change into something more appropriate while I find out why these kids are here.”
That brought scowls on everyone’s faces. Meredith and Nate didn't like being called "kids," especially when they wanted to be seen as equals within the supernatural community. And Anahita and I had no desire to be in each other’s company.
Anahita turned around, not bothering to tell me to follow, which I did anyway. I followed her into a bedroom which was down the hall from the gym. It was very bachelor-like. The walls were a dark grey, the king-sized bed with black satin sheets which were disheveled as if they were well used. I felt uncomfortable as I was invading someone else’s privacy. Their personal space. Zane and Anahita’s personal space. Then, suddenly, I was ready to throw up.
Anahita rounded into another room, which I thought was probably the closet and turned on a light. I figured she would find me something and then bring it out. But when I heard her sigh, I had assumed wrong.
“Are you coming?” She sounded annoyed, so I tried my best to be as quiet as possible as I entered.
Upon entering, my jaw dropped. The closet was significantly bigger than my bedroom. Clothes lined the walls all the way around. Hundreds of shoes underneath the clothes lined the walls and in the middle of the room was a dresser type of island with more drawers holding who knows what. The more I looked at the clothing and shoes, the more I noticed that they were women's. It appeared that Zane had a small front corner, all devoted to black. But the rest were hers; unless Zane had a cross-dressing fetish that would have everyone fooled.
“So, it looks like you might be staying a while, huh?” I murmured.
“Hmmm,” she ruffled through the clothing, looking for something and scrutinizing me out of the corner of her eyes at the same time. “I’m afraid you are a little too short and still holding onto that baby fat for much of what I have.” She shrugged indifferently, but I knew better.
She was trying to make me feel insecure, and it wouldn’t have been difficult to do with her flawless skin and thin model body. Yeah, I was a little short, but I didn’t think I was pudgy; I wasn’t a stick either. She flipped through a couple more outfits until she pulled out one that was like lingerie. A green, slinky, silky, mid-thigh thing. It could not have been a dress. There wasn’t much in the front as the v-neck fell all the way to the belly button and there wasn’t much in the back as it scooped all the way down to the lower back area. I eyed the fabric suspiciously.
“I am not wearing that.” I started to back out of the closet.
Her face still had not changed. She was trying to make me feel uncomfortable, and it was working.
“It’s not that bad,” she sighed dramatically, putting the dress back.
“And how am I supposed to fight in that? And am I supposed to be bait or the predator?”
She rolled those perfect, almond, green eyes. “How are you going to fight in your jeans? This is to give you movement. And sometimes in order to get your prey, you have to be bait.”
“Or a whore?”
She glared dangerously at me, and I remembered that I was talking to a vampire who had previously sided with evil. She watched me like a cat about to go after her prey as she opened the middle dresser in the room and handed me a pair of grey leggings.
"You should be able to fight in these and feel a little more comfortable. The leggings might be a little long, but you can roll them up in your boots."
I held the soft fabric in my hands as she still eyeballed me.
“Are you going to put them on?”
“While you in here with me? I don’t think so,” I whispered.
“Oh, please. I’m not going to look.” She turned around searching through her clothes some more.
I untied the boots and slipped out of my jeans as quietly as possible so as not to give Anahita a reason to watch me. I put on the leggings before I addressed her.
“So how long have you and Zane been a couple?”
She laughed dryly, still with her back to me. I examined myself in a mirror behind the door. I wasn’t exactly pleased. The tights basically showed everything. Buttocks, muscle, . . . everything. And I did have to roll them up a little as I put my boots back on with the socks I had on previously to keep the leather from creating blisters.
“Jealous?”
I was going to sock her because she was right. I was. But I held my tongue and allowed her to continue, even though I was ready to knock her out.
She sighed, “Zane isn’t the commitment type. He is my master.”
She turned around giving me another dress that was a little more appropriate. It was made from some polyester material, but it wasn't as slinky. It was a deep purple with a scoop neck in the front and hugged my curves as it fell to a little above the knee, which probably was an accident, looking at Anahita's tall body. On her, it was perhaps more like mid-thigh. The straps were a little thicker, so I wasn't worried about my bra strap peeking through. I glanced at myself again in the mirror, which surprised me. It had been a very long time since I had worn a dress. I always felt goofy in them because I was so short, but seeing my reflection, I actually looked nice. Perhaps even a little attractive. And Anahita was right, the fabric was breathable, and I could move with ease and still be comfortable. It suddenly occurred to me what she said.
“Master?’
“Through vampire law, I am his, and as his, I provide him with whatever he needs whenever he needs it.”
“So, Zane doesn’t do the couple thing?”
Anahita shook her head. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I didn’t want to like Zane, but on some level, my body betrayed the logic in my head. So I didn’t want to care, but I still felt saddened.
“A Scelestus vampire rarely has a mate. They are usually selfish and looking for what can put them in a position of power. Relationships require them to feel something beyond the desire for power and negative emotions. They would have to find it in their hearts to care and put someone else’s needs before theirs. That doesn’t happen on the Scelesti side.” Anahita’s voice was a little strained. She sounded so sad.
I shrugged. "But Zane's no longer a Scelestus vampire.”
“His intentions and side might have changed, but it takes time to change your personality. Having everything you wanted with the snap of your fingers or threat in your voice to earning your way with positive intentions can be frustrating and takes a lot of learning. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
I wasn’t sure if she was trying to ward me off or if it was true. Since she seemed so sad, I put it in both columns.
What did I care what Zane did? I questioned, trying to convince myself.
I put on my jean jacket and realized it didn’t really go with the outfit. So did Anahita. She tsked me and went through her closet again, pulling out a thin, black, fashionable, leather jacket. It was made to look pretty, not for functionality. And pretty it did look as I put it on. Very chic and functional for me. It would hide the holster well. But there was no buttoning it in front. I grinned to myself. In fact, I was a little bustier than Anahita. The girl didn't have it all apparently.
Anahita turned out the light and headed back through the bedroom to the gym still in that blue, dress shirt with nothing else and me following.
“So do you know the plan for this evening? Why the dress up?” I inquired, wanting to know how much Zane confided in her but also to really know what was going on.
“You’ll be picking your prey in the clubs. It’s usually where most Scelesti pick up their meals. Stop them from picking out their victim, before they know who you are. It will be the ultimate game for them and you as well.” Her voice was sultry as if she was imagining the chase and it excited her.
“We’re going to Mick’s,” Zane relayed from down the hallway. "And you're coming, Anahita. Get ready."
Anahita turned around so abruptly that I thought she was going to knock me down. She hurried back to her closet, shouting, “Why Mick�
��s?”
I was still in the shadows, where I leaned against the wall, suddenly worried about how I would look in front of the guys and Meredith. It wasn't something I would ever wear, and I suddenly felt it was too revealing.
“Mick’s has the VIP room, which we are going to need. Caden’s entourage has come up with an idea that I like.”
I groaned and walked into the room. “Not you too.”
All eyes were on me in that instant. Meredith’s in approval. The guys’ in astonishment. Nate's jaw was open, and Meredith pushed it up with her hand. Zane had a similar look. One of complete enthrallment. I blushed, not quite sure how to respond. I had never been ogled before.
“You look beautiful,” Nathan whispered almost dreamily, which made me blush harder.
I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach and my skin was covered in goosebumps. The minute our eyes connected, Nate’s face pinched in pain again. Meredith and I ran to his side to help him. He didn't bother to look at us, but gave Zane a murderous glare and started speaking to him hostilely in the Old Language. Zane spat back, and Meredith questioned Nate as if she was trying to clear up something in the same language.
“Mere, seriously? You too?”
Meredith blushed guiltily.
I glowered at the group. “I swear that I am going to learn the Old Language behind your backs and eavesdrop on your conversations. Just be warned.”
When the room remained silent and uncomfortable, I sighed. “Can someone explain the plan for tonight?” I wasn’t thrilled to let go of whatever was going on between everyone, but I might have a better chance of getting it out of them on an individual basis.
Zane walked back toward the bedroom, I had assumed to change. He was in another pair of black sweats and a grey muscle shirt. Anahita was emerging as he was going in. She was in that low-cut, green dress that she had offered to me previously. She may have smiled smugly to me, but Zane didn’t even seem to notice her. So I grinned internally, grabbing some inner confidence.
Unfortunately, Nate did notice her. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and he blushed as he checked her out, which of course made me extremely jealous. It was like Nate was undressing her, whatever there was left to undress, with his eyes. And then, knowing he could feel my jealousy, I tried to mask it. Whether it worked or not, Nate did not react.
“We are going through with your little friends’ suggestion,” Zane shouted out from the bedroom.
“Why? I don’t want you guys all in my head,” I shouted back.
“It’s a good idea. We can all keep track of you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, yeah. Just what I want,” I spat sarcastically.
“If you had been training for years, I wouldn’t agree with this, but you haven’t.”
Yeah, it was now three against one. I would not be getting my way.
“And why is Anahita coming with us?”
She pierced me again with her cold illuminated eyes.
"Well . . ." He paused, and I knew.
I knew why she was coming. She would be part of this mission. She was going into my head.
“No way, Zane! No fucking way!” I shouted, ready to go after him when he emerged from the bedroom looking very yummy.
He was wearing a pair of black, low-rider jeans and a navy, blue t-shirt that was snug and hung on every muscle. He stopped in front of me, ready to grab his jacket. We were both still sizing each other up in what seemed like interest. It was for me. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him, his body, his face.
He seemed the same. There was a chemistry that seemed to build and bind. The scent in the room changed to that delightful evergreen spice, luring me toward him. The room faded away until it was just us. And then a throat cleared and someone grabbed my shoulder.
“You’re supposed to pissed with him, remember?” Nate whispered in my ear, breaking the spell that held me in place and Zane too.
Zane grabbed his leather jacket and strolled predatorily over to us dismissing anything that might have happened between us by his gait. I shook my head, clearing it of any effect Zane might have had on me.
“Right. Angry,” I whispered convincing myself. I glared angrily at Zane’s face. “I’m not having her in my head.”
Zane's face fell, and his muscles tightened with frustration. "I have no idea what I would be looking for. She is female. You are female."
I sighed in exasperation and frustration.
“Why don’t you leave me with her then?” I whined, causing him to roll his eyes.
“Because I feel safer when I’m in control.” His eyes, which were staring me down, glinted with conviction, causing a shiver up my spine.
“Someone has control issues,” Meredith whispered under her breath, leaning over toward me.
“Whatever. Let’s just get on with this,” I groaned.
Chapter Twenty-Five
As we walked upstairs, I looked for Sera. She had texted me when she had gotten there and told me that Finn had pulled her away to learn more about ways she could help me. I was grateful for the subterfuge, even if he didn’t know it was all to distract her from knowing what we were up to. I didn’t see her, but most of Underhill was still a mystery to me.
I thought about texting her that we were going out hunting, but I didn’t want her to worry. So, I texted Finn, since he had put his number in my phone before giving the phones to Sera. I told him that we were going hunting and to find some way to break it to Sera without her worrying.
It was difficult to tell emotion from a text, but when he texted back, "when you get back, we are going to have a little talk," I got the sense that he didn't like being put in the middle.
The garage was attached to the house, and we got there through a long hallway on the one side of the house, to the right after going up the stairs from the basement. It was opposite the sitting room and through a long mudroom that had a couple of washers, dryers, sinks, benches, and what appeared to be a row of about ten wooden lockers big enough to stuff two people in with cubbies at the top and bottom.
“I can’t get over the fact that when I look on this house from the outside, it just looks like a mini-mansion, but on the inside, it’s the size of a palace,” I marveled.
“It’s part of a Fae realm,” Nate responded, shrugging his shoulders as if to say "what do you expect."
“Not quite a realm,” Zane clarified. “The house is in a rift. Not completely in the Fae realm, not completely in the human realm. Nothing can be tracked within its walls. It uses human magic on the outside, and Fae on the inside.”
“But this is real, right?” I asked, touching the lockers.
“It’s all real,” Zane asserted, as he opened the door to a garage big enough to be a parking lot.
About a dozen and a half luxury cars were lined up against the one wall, ranging from colors of silver, black, and grey. Another row had modern sedans, same colors. A third row had similar colored SUVs. And the row against the wall with the door had all sorts of different brands of motorcycles, all black.
“I’m in love,” Nate breathed.
“What’s with the boring colors?” I remarked. “No blues, reds, or greens?”
Zane eyed me from the side. “Monochrome colors blend in. Less chance of us being flashy and recognized.
He led us to the third row of SUVs, to a black envoy. Meredith, Nate, and I climbed into the lavish back seat, while Zane took the driver’s seat and Anahita in the passenger, front seat. The vehicle was beautiful. Spacious, with black, leather interior. Even with the three of us in the back, there was leg room. I could understand Nate's love of vehicles, after getting into the Envoy.
“So, then,” Nate began, petting the comfy seat, “is this your car, Zane?” His eyes were roaming around the interior, taking in all the gadgets, while Zane had started it up.
It barely made a sound, as he pushed a button on the visor that opened up the garage, and only the whisper of a hum as he put it into drive. The car was really the definition
of luxury to someone like me.
“It’s Finn’s,” Zane replied, pulling out of the designated parking space in the garage.
It didn’t actually surprise me. What I was learning about the Fae from Finn’s attitude and Underhill, was that they liked extravagance and comfort.
“Which one of those is yours then?” Nate asked, looking around the parking garage full of various vehicles through my side window.
I looked around myself and tried to analyze Zane from what I knew. He was once Scelestus, so that would mean that he liked power. I spotted a crew cab, black GMC truck with a long bed and giant wheels. That had to be his, I thought, as we left the garage.
“One of the motorcycles,” Zane responded, most of his attention focused on the road.
I wasn’t sure if I was surprised or not by his response. I guess I was more surprised that I was wrong of my analyzation. Internally, I shrugged my shoulders. Eh, so it’s probably a Harley, Yamaha, or Ducati. Something that I would recognize the brand.
“One of the Ducati’s?” Nate asked again, verbally agreeing with my assessment.
Zane shrugged a shoulder. “No.”
“The Ducati Panigale is mine,” Anahita stated proudly and dreamily.
Yeah, that didn’t surprise me. I wasn’t sure which one back in the garage was a “Panigale," but I could bet that it would be the newest, sleekest, and probably most powerful motorcycle in the there.
“So, which one was yours?” Nate prodded again.
I saw Zane’s eyes in the rearview mirror glance at Nate for a second. I think he was debating on telling him. And when he looked back at the road, I knew he had made his decision.
“It doesn’t matter. You’re not going to get to ride it.”
Nate sulked in his seat, and looked down at the floor, like a sad puppy.
I felt a flare of anger wash over me. “What the hell is your problem, Zane? He was just asking harmless, friendly questions.”
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