Harlequin's Deception (The Naked Truth Series Book 1)

by Candi Fox

  “If I know the answers, of course.”

  “Do you know how badly I was injured?”

  “I do in fact. You had wounds to both arms, one nearly torn off. It took hours of surgery for them to sew it all back in place. You also had throat wounds and a concussion.”

  “That’s a lot more injuries than I remember.”

  “Apparently, the beast got you a few more times before the firing squad arrived.”

  “The Nandi Bear is dead?”

  “Yes, but it wasn’t a Nandi Bear, not a real one anyway.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It was a shapeshifted witch. One of the witches that killed the Nandi Bear several years ago took the hide. She has been working on it since then.

  “She was hired to ruin the dealership. Hired by the competition to put the dealer out of business. It’s why the creature was only damaging cars.

  “They found extensive notes at the witch’s home.”

  “That makes more sense than a carnivore from Africa suddenly developing a taste for American metal.”

  “It does indeed. I also have other information for you. ”

  “What information is that?”

  “I know who the vampires are that have been doing the mass murders. I also know why.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  He smiled. “Americans say the funniest things.”

  “We are a kaleidoscope of world culture.”

  “True.”

  “Who are the vampires?”

  “Let me first tell you why they are being killed and who has sent them.”

  “I think I know why. Well, at least part of the reason why. They each had an ancestor that went to the Oxford University in the 1800s.”

  “Very good. You have done your homework well.”

  “I do what I can.”

  “A group of five college students attended Oxford University in the 1800s. This is true. They were all in the same archeology class.

  “Their names were Bloodworth, Chamberlain, Davis, Nye and Perovsky. While on a student dig, they found an ancient disk. The disk just happened to be in five pieces.

  The disc is reported to be a relic from the God Deimos. He is the son of Aphrodite and Ares. He is the god of terror, dread, and defeat on the battlefield.

  “Perovsky who was already a vampire agreed to embrace them and turn them into vampires. Only none of them wanted to look that young forever. They decided they would wait a few years.”

  “Once they had all been turned they would unite the pieces and reawaken the disc thugs, giving them control of terror, and dread.”

  “They were going to use it to take over the vampires of the world. They could cow the humans and make sure they always had food, without the need to hunt.”

  “With the disc, they could rule the world. They would have food, riches, power and could live forever as vampires.

  “The problem was, Perovsky had other ideas. He disappeared allowing the others to live and die of natural causes. Now, he has decided it’s time to find the pieces of the disc and hold its power.”

  “He is killing off their ancestors to get the pieces? Do they still have them after all of these years?”

  “If they don’t have them, then one of the ancestors would know where they were. A magical pact was made. Which means they would be compelled to keep the piece to themselves or at least in the family.”

  “Why now? It’s been over 150 years.”

  “That I do not know for certain. No one knows why he has waited all this time. It would have been easier to wait until the others were old men and simply take the pieces from them.”

  “There has to be something that has triggered him. I guess we can figure that part out later. Now what we need are the names of the vampires and a way to tie them to Perovsky.”

  “I can give you their names. I cannot turn over evidence to you. That would betray other vampires. I have faith that you can get evidence. You will also have to find evidence to tie the vampires to Perovsky.

  “Their being a part of his brood will not be enough.”

  He handed Harley a list of names. “This is the information you need. I must go before the light comes.”

  Luc bowed low over her hand, kissing it, before leaving through the window.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  It was close to 11 a.m. before they released Harley. She threatened to walk out of her own accord if they didn’t hurry. She hated hospitals. They gave her the creeps. She couldn’t wait to leave.

  Mr. Reyes, Mrs. Reyes, and Cash were all there when she left. They went out to eat before heading home. Cash had ridden up with the Reyes’, so Cash offered to drive her SUV home.

  It would give them time to visit. She knew they needed to talk. Sensed that Cash had something on his mind. There were hugs all around, even though they were all driving home together.

  Harley had spoken to both of her parents this morning assuring them that she was fine. Imploring them to finish enjoying their vacation, and not end it early. She had also spoken with Lieutenant Meyers letting him know that she had some information on the murders.

  The first several minutes of the drive were silent. Harley wanted to give him a chance to say what was on his mind. He was silent, almost sullen.

  “What’s wrong Cash?”

  “You drank vampire blood, didn’t you?” She could hear disdain dripping from his voice.

  “I did, yes. Is that a problem?”

  “You know damn well it is.”

  Harley was beginning to get pissed off. “I know no such thing.”

  “You will be tied to him now Harley. You will be at his beck and call. How could you give yourself to a vampire like that? How could you give up control to him and not me?”

  Harley looked at him. She was completely flabbergasted. He was pissed off because he thought she had given control to someone, and it wasn’t him. What the fuck.

  “First, how do you know it’s a him? Second, I cannot believe you are pissed because you think I have given someone control over me. Not because you are worried about me, but because you really just want to be my Dom.”

  “I didn’t know you swung both ways. Why the hell wouldn’t I be pissed? I have been trying to be your Dom for two years now.”

  Harley was momentarily at a loss for words. She went from pissed to white hot anger. She thought that Cash liked her, he wanted to date her, now it seemed he just wanted to own her.

  “I’m not a true submissive Cash. You know that. I enjoy the occasional bedroom play. For two years, we have seen each other and I thought our friends with benefits relationship, was just that, “friends” being the key word.

  “I was so thrilled when you asked to start actually dating. I didn’t even know I was ready for a possible real relationship until you asked.

  “Now it seems, you only want to dominate me. If you need a submissive that badly, please, by all means, find one. I am not your girl.”

  “Only because you have trust issues.”

  “Yes, I do have trust issues. I have no problem admitting that. Not letting you be my Dom has nothing to do with that. I don’t know that much about the lifestyle, but what I do know doesn’t appeal to me.

  “As I stated earlier, I enjoy the play in the bedroom. Play being the keyword. I thought you understood that. I thought we were on the same page.”

  “We were on the same page until you allowed some bloodsucker to do what I have been asking you to do.”

  “The vampire who offered up their blood gave me a thorough rundown of what to expect before I accepted the offer. I understood that I would be bound to him in certain ways, but not like that.

  “It is a him!”

  “Are you jealous? I thought you were poly?”

  “It’s not about jealousy as far as you being with another male. It’s about you having a male master. I could have, maybe, handled a female master.”

  “No one is my master. I am my only master. I will be my only ma
ster for the rest of my life. My vampire friend healed me. I’m sure he has his reasons. One thing I have learned is men always do.

  “As far as him being male and not female – that’s just who I happened to befriend. I’m pansexual. I’m attracted to the people I’m attracted too.

  “I’m just so happy that I am seeing this side of you now, and not months or years down the road. I hope your truck is at my place because I’d like you to leave as soon as we get home.

  “Delete my number and forget my name. I will mail you your damn key.” She was beyond furious at this point. Too bad witches didn’t really turn people into frogs. If they did there would be a furry frog in the pond next full moon.

  The rest of the ride was silent. Harley was angry, but she was also hurt. She really liked Cash. He was her cowboy. He was her safe place. Now, that was all gone.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Harley headed straight to her bedroom, locking the door behind her. Her legs felt like lead as she made her way to the bed. She fell upon it and released the sorrow in huge wracking sobs.

  She was crying so hard she almost missed the phone call. Harley answered the phone without looking to see who was calling.

  “Hello.”

  “Harley, are you ok?” It was Aiden’s voice.

  “Yea. I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Her voice caught in the middle making it sound more like no thing.

  “Harley. I’m almost to your house. I was coming to check on you. Just hang on.”

  Harley didn’t say anything. Surprisingly, he didn’t hang up the phone, neither did she. They simply let the silence be what it was.

  She didn’t know how long it was before she heard a knock on her door. “Let me in Harley.”

  He didn’t yell it. His voice was quiet. She’d never heard him raise his voice. Harley got up from the bed and unlocked the door. She didn’t open it for him, she just quietly said: “it’s unlocked.”

  Harley stood right where she was. When Aiden came through the door in a hurry, he nearly ran into her and He used that moment to wrap his arms around her. She buried her head in his shoulders and cried.

  “Shh. It will be ok. It will all be ok.”

  Aiden maneuvered her to the bed, sitting her on the edge and continuing to comfort her. He stroked her hair and continued to murmur soothing words.

  Her eyes were red and swollen by the time she lifted her head off his shoulder. “What’s wrong sweetheart?”

  “It’s just been a rough couple of days.”

  “It has been. I agree. I can’t help but think something is up, though. Tell me when you are ready.”

  “Why did you come?”

  “I wanted to check on you, and Luc wants me to be with you when you confront the vampires. He thought I could be of some use.”

  “Would you have come on your own?”

  “What?”

  “Would you have come here on your own if Luc hadn’t of told you to?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yes. Right now, it matters very much.”

  “Yes. I wanted to come and make sure you were alright. I know that Luc gave you his blood and healed you. He’s an alright guy, I just want to make sure you didn’t have any odd side effects.”

  “Why?”

  “I like you, Harley. You are one of the few real people I know. The time I spent here, I never saw you judge anyone. It’s like one big family here. I saw you treat everyone the same. Paranormal or otherwise, it didn’t matter to you.

  “No one has treated me like a normal person since the shift. I’ve either scared them, or they wanted to use me in some way.”

  Harley looked at him, a haunted look in her eyes. “It’s hard to find people who accept you for who you really are. People have an idea of who they think you should be, and that’s what they want out of you.”

  “What did he do to you, Harley?”

  “Who?”

  “Whoever hurt you so badly?”

  “That would be a long line of people Aiden. A very long line.”

  Aiden leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. She was surprised, yet she didn’t pull back. His kiss was tentative at first. Like butterfly wings against her lips.

  He slowly increased the pressure between their lips. Keeping the kiss chaste. Just lip on lip. Harley slid her arms around his neck and leaned even closer to him.

  Aiden pulled her onto his lap without breaking the kiss. One of his large hands went to her waist, while the other sought her long hair.

  His hand stroked upwards to her scalp before using his fingers to massage the back of her neck. Slowly, almost tentatively he opened his mouth to hers.

  The heat between them increased as she opened her mouth to him. She opened a chance to him as they kissed. She was inexplicably drawn to Aiden. He wasn’t the normal type of guy she went for, yet she was drawn to him.

  Maybe it just felt good to be kissed. To be appreciated in some way. Her tongue sought his out. She gently licked his lips before sliding her tongue into his mouth.

  Aiden pulled her closer using the hand around her waist. He raised the back of her shirt up enough to let his fingers play across the bare skin right about her waistband.

  His tongue was now dancing along her mouth, meeting his tongue with hers. He tasted her mouth with pleasure as you would savor your favorite dessert.

  This kiss was passionate, yet almost reverent. He seemed to be holding back. She wasn’t sure why. She also wasn’t sure that she cared.

  Mostly, Harley just wanted to enjoy the kiss. She ran her fingers through his thick green hair. It still struck her as odd. She’d never played with green hair before.

  His hair was soft, almost like silk. She loved the texture. The kiss continued with both tentatively feeling the other out.

  Aiden’s hand slid up her back. Not to her bra strap, it was just below her strap, strumming across her bare skin. A thrum of energy played along her skin as he touched her.

  She drew back, slowly, trying to catch her breath. He was an impressive kisser. His eyes were bright with desire and Harley wanted to lose herself in his touch.

  She just knew she couldn’t do it right now. Not tonight. Tonight, the pain was still too fresh from Cash, and she didn’t want to drown her pain in someone else’s pleasure.

  His lips pressed against her forehead, and whispered, “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I just... It’s been a couple of bad days. I don’t want to start something I may not be comfortable with finishing tonight.”

  “We don’t have to have sex, Harley. We can just kiss and cuddle. Unless you don’t want too.”

  “I don’t want to be a tease Aiden. I enjoyed touching you.”

  A wicked grin crossed his face. “You can touch me anytime you want.”

  Harley laughed, “You are not helping.”

  Aiden started nibbling on her ear. “I’m not trying to help.”

  She shivered. “Umm, Aiden.” She implored breathily. He’d found one of her spots.

  “Yes, Harley?” He nearly purred.

  “Please stop that.”

  “Please?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Alright, for now.”

  Aiden leaned back on the bed pulling her with him. He snuggled her in his arms tucking her head under his chin. She loved it when guys did that. Something about the act, just made her feel secure.

  Harley was so confused. Not about liking Aiden. She did a lot of studying on polyamory after Cash mentioned it. It made a lot of sense to her and helped her to understand why books with poly couples in them turned her on so much.

  She had trusted Cash, more than she trusted anyone in a long time. At least as far as romantic connections were concerned. She always knew that Cash wanted to be her Dom. He had never kept that a secret.

  What she really didn’t understand was why he thought she would let someone else dominate her. She had no plan of ever
being a submissive. Not, that she found anything wrong with being a submissive. It just wasn’t in her makeup to be one.

  He threw away two years because she chose to drink vampire blood. Harley admitted she didn’t know everything about the effects it would have on her. She remembered reading a few articles about it years ago in Witch Weekly.

  It’s risky at best, she knew that. She shouldn’t really trust Luc, she knew that. Yet instinctively she did. Maybe he used some vampire power on her, and she just didn’t realize it. Time would tell.

  She relaxed against Aiden. She barely knew this man. He was much younger than she was. What the hell was she thinking? Perhaps that none of her other relationships had worked. Every other man she dated, was older than she was.

  “Aiden, why in the hell do you want to date an older woman?”

  She heard him chuckle. “I only date older women. Girls my age have zero sex appeal as far as I’m concerned. Older women are surer of themselves. They are less likely to be catty, and they are sexy as fuck.”

  “What about the curves? Zoe was what, a size 0?”

  “I prefer girls with curves. Zoe was just a thing.”

  “A thing, huh?”

  “Yup. We all have that one relationship where we look back and think what the fuck.”

  “True. Very true.”

  “Go to sleep, Harley. We have a big day tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  When Harley woke up Aiden was still curled around her. She almost didn’t want to move. It would be easier to just stay there. Maybe hide all day in bed with someone warm wrapped around her.

  The phone rang, dashing any dreams of that happening.

  “Harley.”

  “Yes, Lieutenant Meyers.”

  “I looked into your research. The remaining family, the Chamberlain’s, live on the outskirts of Oklahoma City. I sent a team over to protect them. Here’s the address. I need you to lay some spell work down so we can set a trap for these sons a bitches.”

  “I will be there as soon as I can.”

  “Time to go.”

  Aiden rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “Okay. Do we have time to shower?”