Immortal Unveiled

by Tina Folsom

  “And you can’t recognize theirs?”

  “They have none.”

  “That’s convenient,” Kim said dryly.

  “Yep, it sucks,” Manus confirmed and shrugged. “That’s why we borrowed a couple of vampires from our friends in San Francisco to help us detect demons.”

  Kim leaned forward and cleared her throat. “Yeah, about those vampires…”

  “What about them?”

  “Aren’t you afraid that they’ll turn on you and suck you dry? I mean, they seemed pretty bloodthirsty when I met them. No offense.”

  “Offense taken.”

  Manus whirled his head in the direction of the male voice, which he recognized as Grayson’s. Grayson and Ryder marched into the room. Despite the harsh words, Grayson had a charming grin on his face.

  “I’m not bloodthirsty,” he said and approached the couch, but Manus rose and blocked him from getting too close to Kim.

  “What do you want?”

  “I just want to prove to our guest that I’m not bloodthirsty,” Grayson said and peered past Manus. “Well, unless she likes it that way.”

  Before Grayson could push past him, Manus had him by the collar of his shirt. He couldn’t tolerate the eternal womanizer making a pass at Kim. It was disrespectful. Besides, he would never allow some young buck to invade his territory and lay claim to something that had already been claimed.

  “Hands off her,” Manus hissed so low he knew only the two vampires in the room could hear him.

  “You had your chance,” Grayson replied just as quietly. “And we all know how that worked out. She didn’t fall for your charm the first time. Now’s my turn.”

  The young hybrid really thought he knew everything. Maybe it was time to update him on recent developments. “Shame you’re about twenty-four hours too late.” With a grin Manus released Grayson and added just as low, “I’m surprised you can’t smell her on me.”

  Grayson’s chin dropped in disbelief. Behind him, Ryder had difficulty suppressing his laugh.

  Finally, Manus turned back to Kim and smiled at her. “It’s all cleared up. Grayson was just joking. Weren’t you?”

  “Sure,” Grayson pressed out through clenched teeth before turning toward the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?”

  As he walked to join Hamish and Tessa, Kim leaned over the coffee table and said in a low voice, “I thought vampires don’t eat.”

  “Hybrids do, in addition to drinking blood. But let’s get back to more important things,” Manus replied. “Namely the reason why your mother was killed by the demons.”

  23

  “Well, isn’t that obvious now?” Kim asked, staring at Manus, who was still standing. “They killed her because she worked for you.” And although she didn’t mean to assign blame, she knew she sounded accusatory.

  “No, she didn’t,” Manus said. “Being an emissarius doesn’t automatically make a person a target for the demons. We’re very careful, and so are the humans who work for us. It’s rare that an emissarius dies in the line of duty.”

  “I didn’t mean to accuse you or anything,” Kim said in a gentler tone. “But what other reason would the demons have had?”

  “The police were right when they suspected a burglar, only it wasn’t a human burglar,” Manus said. “The fact that the storage unit was broken into right after you and I visited it is a pretty strong indication of it. My colleague Enya searched the unit after we left.”

  “So, she rifled through my mother’s stuff?”

  Manus shook his head. “She looked through everything to see if your mother kept anything the demons could want. But she put everything back in its place.”

  Kim furrowed her forehead. She wasn’t sure what that proved. “So?”

  “If it was a demon who broke in afterwards, he was searching for something.”

  “But how would you know if it was a demon? The employee at the facility told me that the security cameras there are just for show. They don’t work.”

  “We don’t need security cameras. We just need to send somebody back to see if the overhead lights in the unit burned out. If they did, it means a demon was there. The gases in fluorescent lighting react to the presence of a demon by combusting.” He glanced at Aiden. “Fancy going there and having a look, so we can be sure?”

  “Not necessary,” Kim interrupted. “I was already there earlier today, and I noticed that the lights had burned out.”

  “Then we have our answer.”

  Kim’s heart sank. Had she known about the storage unit earlier, maybe she could have found whatever the demons had been after. “Then the demons now have what they were looking for.”

  “They don’t.”

  “How would you know that?”

  “Because Enya found nothing that could possibly have any value for the demons. And believe me, she’s thorough and able to recognize artifacts that relate to our origin or have special meaning.”

  “Wow, Manus is handing out compliments. What a rare treat,” a female voice came from the kitchen.

  Kim turned her head. A beautiful petite blonde leaned casually against the kitchen island. She was dressed in leather gear, and it looked good on her. Sexy, provocative, powerful.

  “Enya,” Manus greeted her. “How long have you been listening?”

  Enya shrugged. “Long enough.” Then she tipped her head up in Kim’s direction, her gaze frosty, before addressing Manus again. “I see we’re now admitting humans willy-nilly. Funny, I didn’t get the memo that the Council relaxed its rules on humans in the compound. Maybe you want to clue me in on why you decided to break Council rules again by bringing Kim Britton here and risking the Council coming down hard on us this time?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Considering you’re making us accessories after the fact, and I’m sick of paying for your infractions, I think I’m due an explanation.”

  “Enya!” Manus ground out.

  “You’re saying no humans are allowed here?” Kim interjected. “But the mayor is here. She’s human.” At least that’s what she believed, but then, she could be wrong about that too.

  Enya motioned to where the mayor and her husband did their best not to get dragged into the conversation and continued cooking. “She’s also bonded to Hamish. Which makes her one of us.”

  Realizing that Manus was in trouble because of her, Kim said quickly, “It wasn’t his fault. I followed him and jumped into the portal after him. He had no choice.”

  “She also shot him,” Pearce piped up.

  “He nearly died,” Aiden added. “So, cut him some slack, will you?”

  Enya raised an eyebrow, then uncrossed her arms. “I like you, Kim. You’ve got pluck.”

  Kim smiled involuntarily. “Thanks, I guess?”

  “And for what it’s worth, I agree with Manus,” Enya added. “There was nothing in the storage unit the demons could possibly want. So, whatever they’re after, they haven’t found it.”

  “Yet,” Manus said, nodding. “But it’s still out there. So, we have to find it first.”

  “But we don’t even know what it is,” Kim said. “How are we supposed to find something when we don’t even know what we’re looking for?”

  “Don’t worry, I have some ideas. But in the meantime, we have to make sure you’re protected. They’ll be watching you,” Manus claimed.

  “She can’t stay here,” Aiden said, rising just as the door opened and Leila entered with two small children in tow.

  Surprised, Kim looked at Leila and the children. She hadn’t expected to encounter children in this place. Aiden swept both of them up in his arms and kissed them. They giggled and talked over each other.

  “Aiden is right,” Pearce now said, tossing her a regretful look. “I’m sorry, but the Council will give us shit if they find out. And they will. They always do.”

  “The Council?” Kim asked, turning to Manus.

  “Our ruling body, our government. They make the rules. We’re supposed to follow th
em.” Then he addressed Pearce. “I wasn’t planning on keeping her here anyway. The demons can’t know that we’re onto them. Kim has to be out in the open, acting normal as if nothing has happened. We don’t want to tip our hand and make them suspicious. I’ll be protecting her on the outside.”

  Kim shook her head. “But then they’ll see you. Won’t that make them suspicious? I mean, they can tell you’re a Stealth Guardian. Won’t that tip them off?”

  Manus exchanged a grin with Pearce and Enya.

  “Not if I’m invisible,” Manus said.

  Kim widened her eyes. “What?” Was he trying to tell her that he could make himself invisible?

  He winked at her. “You’ll see.”

  Enya chuckled unexpectedly. “Actually, you won’t.”

  24

  Kim let the door of her condo snap in behind her and flipped the light switch. “Are you still here?” she asked in a low voice.

  “You don’t have to whisper just because I’m invisible,” Manus said.

  She whirled in the direction of his voice, not having expected that he’d entered the apartment ahead of her.

  “Let’s close the curtains,” he suggested, “so no demon can look in.”

  Quickly, Kim followed his suggestion, closing the drapes in all rooms. She’d had dinner with the Stealth Guardians and their wives and children at the compound before Manus had led her back to the portal. This time, they hadn’t exited at the strip club but in an old abandoned warehouse. Once there, Manus had indeed made himself invisible while they’d walked to the nearest bus stop and taken a bus to her place. During the entire time, he’d held her hand to assure her that he was still there.

  She’d never felt anything more unreal than feeling his hand in hers but seeing nothing.

  “I still can’t get over the fact that you can make yourself invisible,” Kim now said, wandering back into the living room.

  “It’s a pretty handy skill,” Manus said from behind her, sending a shudder down her spine.

  She turned to him and watched him appear before her eyes.

  “For tonight,” he added, “I wanted to make sure that should the demons watch you, they’d see you return home without a Stealth Guardian in tow.”

  “Do you think they’re watching me?” That thought made her shiver involuntarily.

  “We have to assume it. They probably suspect that your mother told you about whatever was in her possession, which means they’ll expect you to retrieve it at some point. They must have had you under surveillance when we went to the storage unit. Unfortunately, the demons are good. I didn’t notice anyone following us.”

  “I don’t blame you. Your priority was to stop me from exposing you and your people.” And she hadn’t exactly made it easy for him to fulfill his task. Instead, she’d caused him plenty of grief.

  She sighed and stretched out her hand to touch his bicep. The bandage was gone now, but he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, preventing her from seeing how well the wound had healed.

  “Does it still hurt?”

  He shook his head. “It’s already healed. Vampire blood is the best medicine.”

  “I’ll remember for next time.”

  Manus smirked. “Oh yeah? Planning on shooting me again?”

  Kim felt her face flush from shame. “I’m so sorry for doing that. I should have trusted you.”

  “You had no reason to trust me. I’m a stranger to you.”

  She moved closer, reducing the distance between them to a mere foot. “Not a complete stranger.” She hoped he understood that she was alluding to the intimacy they’d shared.

  Manus cleared his throat, his eyes now pinning her. “Sex doesn’t necessarily make somebody trust you.”

  She placed her hand on his chest and moved it downward. “No, but intimacy does.”

  He inhaled sharply and put his hand over hers, stopping her from reaching his waistband. “What are you doing?”

  “Making up for shooting you, for nearly killing you.” Though it wasn’t her primary motivation. What she wanted was to feel what she’d felt the night before. To be close to Manus, to feel connected to him.

  “I’m not asking you to make it up to me,” he said though his eyes said something different. There was desire in them and a hunger that turned her insides molten.

  “But I want to.” She pulled her hand free of his grip and slid it farther down, onto his pants, where she laid it over his zipper. A firm bulge greeted her. Big and hard, just like the night before. Oh, how she loved a man who responded so quickly.

  “Kim…”

  “No complaints, please.”

  “I wasn’t complaining.”

  “Then what did you want to say?”

  She saw his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed hard. His lips parted to speak, but she already knew what he wanted, and what she was more than willing to give him.

  “Let me do this,” she murmured. “Let me make amends.”

  With both hands, she opened his pants and pushed them down to his ankles. Then she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs and slowly shoved them down too. His cock sprang free, and she reached for it, wrapping her hand around his hard root.

  “Fuck!” Manus hissed.

  “Shhh,” she whispered. “I’ll never hurt you again.” She dropped to her knees in front of him, bringing her head level with his hard-on. Nearly purple in color, pumped full with blood, his cock pointed right at her, the bulbous head glistening with pre-cum. She inched closer, bringing her mouth to within millimeters of his hard flesh. She could smell his heady scent now and inhaled the aroma. Heat suffused her and made her pulse race in anticipation. With her next breath, Kim wrapped her lips around the tip of his cock and slid down on him, taking him deep into her mouth.

  Manus shuddered out a breath, and she reveled in the knowledge that this powerful warrior, this immortal guardian, was now at her mercy.

  ~ ~ ~

  Manus had to brace himself at the wall with one hand, fearing his knees would buckle for the second time today. This time, the reason wasn’t blood loss from a gunshot wound but Kim’s luscious mouth. He felt as if ascending into heaven. Everything around him faded away into oblivion; only the two of them existed.

  When he’d brought Kim back to her place, he hadn’t expected this to happen at all. He realized that she had lots of things to come to terms with now, lots of information to mull over. After all, it didn’t happen every day that a human found out about the existence of immortals, vampires, and demons. Yet Kim had been a real trooper, not acting hysterically like many others would have.

  He’d counted on spending the night on the couch, guarding her from there. Apparently, the couch would remain unoccupied tonight. Kim was making it abundantly clear where she wanted him to spend the night: between the sheets with her, making love even more intimately than they’d done the night before. And though he knew he should stop her, not take her up on the offer for so many good reasons, he couldn’t recall a single one right now. Because her sucking him as if the world would end tomorrow had erased every sane thought from his brain.

  Blow jobs were rare for him because most women shied away from it with a one-night stand. And one-night stands were all he ever did. No repeats, and certainly no relationships. But things with Kim were different.

  He looked down to her kneeling in front of him, fully clothed while he was bare from the waist down. Everything about this situation screamed forbidden, yet he’d never found himself in a more tantalizing situation than he was in now. Kim’s eyes were closed while she moved her mouth up and down on him, her tongue licking the underside of his shaft, caressing him with more tenderness than he deserved. Her head bobbed up and down, back and forth, and with it, her hair bounced against his skin, catching on the hair surrounding his cock and that covering his thighs. The contact was electric.

  Manus reached for her, putting his hands to cup her face. Only gently, not to force her to suck him harder but to guide her. She
opened her eyes and looked up at him. The look in her eyes nearly undid him. Unbridled lust shone back at him, making his heart pound like a jackhammer and his hard-on jerk forward involuntarily, seeking her heat.

  “I’ve never felt anything this good,” he said and meant it. “Oh, baby, don’t stop.”

  He threw his head back, letting out a groan. He’d never had a woman taking such care of him, showing him such affection. He knew how ugly his scarred chest was; he wasn’t blind. Many women shied away from him once he was undressed, but Kim had seen him in all his ugliness. Still, she sucked him as if to worship him, as if she really wanted him.

  He rocked his hips back and forth now, adding to the friction Kim was providing. But he made sure not to ram his cock into her mouth, even though he was tempted to. She didn’t deserve this, not when she was making him feel something so incredible: utter bliss. For the first time in decades, he felt free from the pain of his past. Free to allow himself to feel something again. To open his heart to another person. To love.

  That thought sent a wave of heat from his chest down to his balls.

  “Fuck!”

  If he didn’t stop now, he’d come and shoot his seed into her mouth. And he couldn’t expect her to accept that.

  “Stop, Kim, I’m gonna come.”

  But Kim didn’t stop. Instead, she put one hand to his balls, kneading them, while her hand on the base of his cock gripped him tighter, her mouth sucking harder and faster.

  “Damn it, Kim! I can’t stop it…”

  She didn’t heed his warning. With his last ounce of willpower, he pulled his cock from her mouth just as he orgasmed. His seed shot against Kim’s chest, staining her shirt, but at least he’d avoided her face at the last second.

  Breathing hard, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up to him. He slipped one hand onto her nape. Without a word, he took her mouth and kissed her deep and long, pouring his adoration and appreciation into the kiss to tell her what he couldn’t put into words: that he was done with one-night stands and needed something more.