The older woman’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “You’ll see.”
She led them through a door, another hall, to another door. “Take your time. You’ve certainly paid for it.” She opened the door. “Welcome to our butterfly habitat.”
He hung back and let his love go first.
To see the wonder in Kimber’s face was worth every cent paid.
The steps she took were deliberate, careful, as if afraid to disturb the butterflies or break something. Such elegance his woman had, in this form or the other. One would imagine shifters with only predatory grace, but they were quite majestic when curious, and never more so than when satisfying that curiosity.
The open back of her dress showed her strong shoulders and the lovely line between them. A butterfly pranced behind her while Kimber looked around, and it landed undetected on her nape. By the gods, if he could only take a picture.
But some moments just had to go uncaptured.
With long tables of plants down the middle, she went right and he went left, intending to give her privacy and space, to enjoy the splendor without him. Other than in hotel rooms, they were rarely together without a measure of trepidation that a shifter or vampire would see them, and so he would savor this.
There’d been virtually nowhere to go in Atlanta.
Though he tried not to think about what he’d done, what he put his family through, how much his life had rocketed into scary, unknown territory all for love, it remained a constant in the back of his mind.
He traced his fingertips along the table, the scent of flowers and fragrant plants needing pollination, and listening to the bubbling fountain in the corner.
His allies had ripped their money from the shared accounts, removed him from property titles, fashionable memberships, access to their networks…everything. Around six-hundred-thousand out of a few hundred million in his main account was all he fled Atlanta with. Quite a hit.
The majority of what he had went into purchasing the land, building and furnishing the cabin. A place where they could remain until he could devise a new plan to rebuild his wealth. He’d done it before, he could do it again. Without allies. More important than money was protecting Kimber, their love, their future.
“Shain?”
The sound of her voice brought him out of his thoughts. “I’m over here.”
She came around, one butterfly standing on her fingertip like a pet, one atop her head. “Some believe butterflies are spirits,” she spoke softly, gazing at the Monarch on her finger. “Spirits of those you knew who’ve passed on, coming to say hello.” She puckered her lips as though to kiss it.
He smiled, in awe of her. “That’s a beautiful notion.”
“I love this place.”
“We can stay as long you want.” The daily entry fee was three bucks a person. He’d paid Ms. Christy a grand for the two of them for however long Kimber desired.
The monarch lifted from her finger and fluttered away. She grinned, then met his gaze, and softly gasped. “Oh, my love.”
“What is it?” he asked.
She covered her mouth with a giggle. “Don’t move. You have a fan club.”
It was then he realized he was bedecked in butterflies. On his arms, his shoulders, maybe even his hair too.
She went to him, tenderly removed his sunglasses. “How are your eyes?”
“They can see you. That’s all they need to do.”
She slightly shook her head. “Is there anything you don’t attract?”
“I didn’t even notice they were there.”
“Well, they’re definitely drawn to you.”
“You would think beings of light would know better,” he said dryly.
“There’s nothing dark about you, Shain.”
He arched a brow. “Maybe they’re underworld neutral? Or maybe they like resting on expensive wool? The scent of my Axe hair pomade?”
She laughed. “Maybe, just like me, they long to be close to you.”
One by one the butterflies left his coat as he drew Kimber into his arms. “Good song.”
“Can you play it on your phone? I’m sure the butterflies appreciate romantic music.”
“I’ll do one better.” He went to find Ms. Christy and asked if she would be so kind as to put a certain playlist on the speakers. The woman was more than happy to oblige.
While the Carpenters song played quietly in the habitat, and the fairy lights around the trees came on, Shain pulled Kimber into a dance.
“This is a dream,” she said, massaging the back of his neck with her hand.
“This is us. You and me. In our world. The way it should be.”
A table had been set for them with candlelight, two bottles of wine, and the rarest steak prepared from the nearest five-star restaurant. The assistant who lifted the cloches also lifted a brow at the size of Kimber’s Kobe beef compared to Shain’s.
He loved watching her slice every little portion, no more than an inch a piece, and the veiled look of ecstasy with every bloodied bite.
“You haven’t told me much about our new place,” she said.
“There isn’t much to say,” he told her honestly, since the shack in the woods was only an interlude until the cabin was complete. “It’s unremarkable. Just a cottage, near a seaside town in Maine. We’ll only be there two weeks, three max.”
“A cottage near the sea? Really?”
“Not next to the sea. It’s tucked-in enough.” He sipped some wine. “I know you love the smell of the ocean. Plus, when was the last time you shifted or hunted?”
She continued to frown, gazing at her bloody steak. “Too long.”
“There’s also a farmer’s market the tourists rave about. Fresh fruit and seafood. Canned jellies, handmade jewelry and soap for sale. Things like that.” He moved his head down to try and catch her gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“The fact we have to keep running is wrong.”
“One day we won’t have to.” So much sooner than she knew.
It took over an hour to finish the four-course meal.
After the dishes were cleared, she asked if they could have a special dessert couriered over, which took almost an hour to arrive. He had a suspicion she stalled so that night would fall before they left the sanctuary, which was fine with him, being cared for and fussed over. That was a shifter trait, the need to nurture and protect no matter the argument. Although family and traditions were just as important to a vampire, it was a solitary existence at times, everyone looking out for themselves, covenant or no covenant.
“Thank you for everything, Ms. Christy,” Kimber expressed as they departed the sanctuary. She looked up and smiled at Shain. “Best day ever.”
Night had fallen, along with the temperature, exactly what a vampire looked forward to every day of his existence. They got in the car and headed back to the hotel. Traffic glutted the way, and the driver, Sonny, suggested they take side streets.
Kimber groaned. “We’ve been in the car for an hour. I need to stretch my legs. Can we stop here?” she asked as the car eased to a stop at a red light.
Sonny looked up to the rearview mirror. “Here, ma’am?”
Shain leaned over to see what she was talking about. The neon lights of brand name domestic beer flickered back at him. “A dive bar?”
“We’ve never been to one here.”
“For good reason.”
“Please? Just for one beer.”
Going to a place without advance research flirted with risk. It could be chock full of shifters. Or could be a full-blown demon bar. “We don’t know anything about it, Kimber.”
“Just a human hangout, sir,” said Sonny. “Used to be a biker place, but they’ve more or less cleaned it up. You’d be fine for a beer or two. Mostly factory workers in there.”
He didn’t know Sonny had been underworld aware, only that he was human, since hiring a vampire or shifter had been out of the question. “Are you sure it’s safe? If not, it’ll be your neck. Li
terally.”
“Shain…” she chided.
The man turned his head to meet Shain’s eyes direct. “I’m sure. You and your woman are safe. You have my word.”
“See?” She tugged his hand. “We’ll be fine.”
They pulled into the uneven parking lot beside the brick building.
When they entered, no one acknowledged them, but Kimber did receive a couple of double-takes, naturally. They ordered beers and took over a booth by the window.
Shain grinned, watching his lover’s couture dress drag on the peanut shell riddled floor while she took on a bearded vet over darts.
She won. Of course. Had he let her? Maybe.
They sang to Billy Joel and danced to a blues song, then Shain insisted they leave. It was fun, but the place was starting to fill up, and she drew enough attention as it was.
“Where to from here?” Sonny inquired as they got in.
“The hotel,” Shain uttered, looking forward to putting their penthouse bedroom to good use before their departure.
While they waited for the elevator, his craving for Kimber building to an unstoppable degree, he tugged her to a pillar and pushed her against it. Her sensual growl vibrated on his chest.
He dipped his head and kissed her, running a palm through the slit and up her thigh. He loved that she didn’t mind PDA, and that she would let him go pretty far before stopping him, likely to make him want her more.
“You promised you’d take me dancing,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He stepped back, playfully linked his fingers behind his head and started thrusting his hips in an exaggerated move. “We can dance right here.”
She laughed. “Best day ever continues. Ah, ah, ah, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.” She rotated her wrists and struck a pose from the famous movie.
More than several pairs of eyes looked their way.
He yanked her to him and kissed the tip of her nose. “Or would you prefer to tango, my love?”
Her leg hiked up his hip and she leaned in. “You know what they say. If he can’t dance, then he can’t f—”
“You get a sailor mouth when you drink.”
“You like it when I’m cursey.”
“No,” he smiled. “I love it.” He swept her off her feet and she yelped. “To the bedchamber!”
“To a dance club,” she complained.
“You know how dangerous that is,” he warned, carrying her through the lobby to the back elevators exclusively for penthouse guests.
“Every breath we take together is dangerous.”
“And I’m not taking that risk. Not tonight.”
She dropped her head back in dramatic fashion. “I wanna dance with somebody!”
“And I want to feel the heat with somebody.”
In unison, they sang the next two lines, paying no heed to the queer looks they were receiving.
They passed the ballroom with the closed doors. Kimber gasped. “Wait. Stop.”
He set her down on her feet. “Since when do you tell me to stop?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s a wedding.”
The easel held a stylish white sign with gold lettering:
Welcome to the Best Day Ever with Lindsey and Josh
They locked eyes.
“Best day ever?” He arched a brow.
“This is a sign.”
“Literally.”
A giggle escaped as she looked around. “Should we? Could we?”
“Crash a wedding? You did say you wanted to go dancing…”
Just then, the door swung open and out came a young man in a tuxedo, obviously intoxicated. “Hey! Here, I’ll hold the door!”
Shain and Kimber exchanged glances. Shain grinned. “Thanks.”
“No problem, man. You just missed cutting the cake, though.”
Holding hands and pretending they belonged, they dropped off their jackets on empty chairs, and headed straight to the packed dance floor. There were easily four hundred people in the room. Good thing they were formally dressed for the affair.
They were promptly handed flutes of champagne by inebriated humans who seemed to assume that, while they didn’t recognize or know the couple, someone somewhere must’ve.
“Omigod, you guys are so adorbs!” shouted a twenty-something over the music, spilling her cocktail. “I love men who dance!”
Kimber laughed as Shain spun her in a move. “You know what they say! If he can’t dance, then he can’t—”
“Babe,” he spun her back and covered her mouth. “Keep it clean with the mortals.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners.
The song I’ve Had The Time of My Life came on, and unsurprisingly, every woman under the age of ninety squealed.
“Can we do it?” Kimber begged.
He shook his head. “We’ll just attract more attention.”
“The good kind! Please? I love doing the lift.”
Another woman gasped, overhearing their conversation. “He can do the lift?!”
“Yes!” Kimber confirmed. “Watch this.”
Having no choice, Shain reluctantly went to one end of the dance floor while Kimber scuttled to the other. The woman made people get out of the way, exclaiming they were about to perform the move.
Kimber always got her way, and truthfully, her way was always more fun.
He removed his suit jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair, rubbing his hands together as though to warm up.
She reached the corner of the dance floor, shimmying her hips, waiting for the right moment. He wriggled his finger and bit his bottom lip, mocking Swayze, and she threw back her head with laughter. Guests cheered them on.
By the gods, she made him happy. It took some willpower not to allow his eyes to glow with passion and love.
The verse came and she ran toward him. The second he grabbed her waist and lifted her in the air, the room roared with delighted cheers. He turned her around once and brought her down, hugging her tight.
People surrounded them, clapping and praising them.
“Excuse me,” the groom, Josh said, cutting through the crowd.
“Uh-oh, so busted,” Kimber muttered under her breath.
“Be cool,” Shain joked as the groom approached. “Yes?”
“Can you teach us how to do that?” he asked instead.
No one questioned who the beautiful couple in black were the whole night. They were even asked to join the wedding party in their suite for an “after party”, which Kimber declined, knowing Shain had waited long enough.
Once they were in their room, Shain kicking the door closed with his foot, they were against the wall, undressing each other, buzzed on French champagne and visceral lust.
The moment his shirt was off, and she was naked, she jumped on him, squeezing her strong thighs around him. He had to feel his way to the bedroom, not daring to break away to see where he was going.
He set her down on the bed to finish undressing, her body arching for him in the moonlight.
She growled, her eyes alight like fire. “How long will you love me?”
It was something she asked almost every time they made love, their little inside phrase. He stripped off the rest of his clothes and crawled between her thighs, finding paradise inside her body, in her eyes.
“Not long enough,” he whispered, coming down to her lips.
Forbidden is as forbidden is deemed, someone once said to him.
If the gods truly forbade their love, then he was damned.
Then, now, forever.
Shain turned over in bed with a curse, head throbbing.
Little more than a week after that “best day ever,” she’d run from him, literally, getting into a pickup truck with a man, leaving Shain shattered and shocked.
What now?
She gave him her apologies, her reasons, her regret, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to give in. Sure, he could go downstairs right now, say all was forgiven, and put the past behind them.
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However, the past was not far enough behind. It was right there, hovering at their backs.
Could he trust her not to put him through hell again?
After all, there was a reason she’d stayed away.
Had he been in her shoes—regardless of what he had to say or do to save her life—nothing and no one would’ve stopped him from going to her in the end. As long as she drew breath, he would’ve found her. Yet, she’d remained with the Glaciers for a year and nearly married. Had Shain not showed up, she would belong to someone else.
Was she here because she really wanted him or because he was the more tolerable choice?
No. It wouldn’t be fair to Kimber or him to say all was forgiven and not mean it wholeheartedly. She’d know if he wasn’t sincere. All she’d have to do was look into his eyes.
What did he know for sure? She loved him, had never stopped. There was no mate, never was. A letter on her behalf to another man in another state brought her back in his life.
Time and again, they were tested, torn apart, making sacrifices to find their way to each other. Unlike others, they’d had no other agenda, no designs of a rebellion or encouraging anyone to follow their example.
All they’d wanted to do was make a life and live it.
Was it possible or had they been chasing the impossible dream and living the inevitable nightmare?
Questions chasing questions. It was enough to drive him crazy.
His cell phone rang, an unknown number on the display. Reluctantly, he answered. Very few had this phone number so he assumed it was someone he trusted. Hopefully, it wasn’t his brother. He didn’t feel like hearing Aleck lecture him.
He hit the answer button. “Yeah?”
“It’s your favorite dynamic duo,” drawled Zander Kane.
“You do know what that’s referring to, don’t you?” Marex could be heard in the background.
Shain sat up with a sigh, relieved they were still alive, though they didn’t need to know he was happy to hear their voices. “You made it out.”
He put Shain on speakerphone. “Of course we did. We’ve been on the road since the morning after you two bailed. Do you mind if we stop for a night? Actually, I know you mind, but feel free to mate while we’re there. I can sleep through a hurricane.”
Shain: Immortal Forsaken Series #6 (Paranormal Romance Novella) Page 7
