When Lightning Strikes

by Sedona Venez

  My jaw dropped. “What? No!”

  Reason laughed. “The guy is crazy about you. And despite your little act, you’re crazy about him.”

  I glared at her.

  “Oh, what? Was it supposed to be some big secret?” Reason smiled quickly. “So if you didn’t fuck him, what’s really going on between you and Ryker?”

  I tried to give Reason an innocent look but failed. “Something happened. Something changed. It’s been weird between us lately.”

  “Lately?” She paused. “Light, it’s been weird since your whole X-rated foreplay scene in my office.”

  I stared at her, confused. “No, this is different. He’s different. After he gave me his ultimatum…” I gulped. “He wants me as his mate. That’s crazy.”

  “And you said no.”

  I looked at her angrily. “Of course I did. Look at me; I’m a fucking unstable mess. And now that I know I’m the evil spawn of the Shadows, shit is bound to go downhill fast.”

  “But your empath symptoms are not as bad since meeting Ryker. I can tell.”

  I froze. How in the hell did she know that? “That’s not the point. I can’t give him what he wants.” I looked at her incredulously. “Can you picture me as his mate? It’s just not me.”

  “You can’t, or you won’t? There’s a big fucking difference.”

  “Don’t psychoanalyze me, hybrid,” I hissed. “The whole point I’m trying to make is that when I said no, he pulled away.” My teeth clenched. “He had his finger in my vagina and he walked away like nothing happened.” I arched a brow. “Who the hell does that shit?”

  Reason snickered. “God, that was genius.”

  I jabbed her in the side.

  Reason grinned. “What? It was.” She paused. “Put it this way; can you blame him? He offered you his heart and you say, ‘No, thank you, I’ll take your cock instead.’” Reason laughed. “Now who does that shit?” She scoffed. “Lightning Credence, that’s who.”

  I started at the observation but tried to play it off. “I’ve seen what offering your heart can do. Tear you apart when it’s abused.”

  Reason banged on the steering wheel. “Oh my fucking God! You got your heart broken years ago. Get the fuck over it. Everyone knew Nolan was a fucking prick. But you know what pisses me the fuck off the most? You’re such a damn hypocrite. You’re so ready to give me and Storm relationship advice, but you can’t take it from either of us.” She pointed at me. “I don’t give a shit if you don’t talk to me ever again for saying this, but it has to be said. When you get back to Ryker’s penthouse, you put on your ‘fuck ‘em’ dress with a pair of ‘fuck me please’ heels. Then I want you to prance around like the sex kitten you are and tell him you’re willing to give it a chance.”

  I stared at Reason. I had never seen her so mad. She was right, but I’d be damned if I’d admit it right now. I was never going to be perfect. Ryker knew this and fucking accepted it. “Anything else?” I asked dryly.

  “I wasn’t done, empath,” she said, pursing her lips. “Then get on your damn knees and submit. And don’t forget to deep throat his damn big cock like the champion I know you are. That’s all. I’m done with this conversation.”

  I was still silent but allowed myself a small smile at Reason’s statement. Reason gave me another pointed look. I bit my lip but didn’t respond. “Yeah, but Reason—”

  “I know. You’re dealing with stuff. But you cannot ask him to wait forever.”

  I didn’t respond.

  Reason continued. “Unless, of course, you’re okay with him pulling away.”

  “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “It will.”

  I thought for a second, quiet as I considered Reason’s advice. Reason pulled her SUV up to Celina’s apartment building and watched as I got out of the car, giving me one last pointed look.

  “Don’t think you were saved by the bell, Lightning Credence. As your friend, I’m not going to let this drop. When we get done with this, we’re going to have a long talk.”

  “I thought we just did,” I mumbled under my breath.

  We walked up to the door, stepping into the palatial lobby. The concierge smiled at us. Human. I felt his lust slithering all over me.

  Reason glided up to him, trailing her fingers over his wrist. “Hello, Frank.”

  He smiled. “Apartment number twenty-three.” He slid a set of keys discreetly across the counter. “When can I see you again?” he asked with desperation written all over his face.

  She ran her fingers over his hand before accepting the keys. “I’ll call you.” She winked at him before pushing me toward the elevator.

  I waited until the door slid closed and asked, “What was that?”

  She smiled prettily, displaying her canines. “The power of vampire persuasion.”

  I arched a brow as we slipped out of the elevator, walking over to Celina’s door.

  “I met him last night at the kink party. He had an itch; I scratched it.” She inserted the key in the door and opened it. We entered cautiously, looking around. The place was a mess. The leather couch was slashed. I stepped over broken glass.

  “Whoa. What’s going on here?” I whispered. Something caught my eye. I stopped. There was a bloodstain on the floor that looked wet. “Look, fresh blood.”

  Reason walked over and stared. “Exactly what type of shit was Celina into?”

  I pulled out my cell, turning slowly, taking photos of every angle of the room. Clicking, clicking, and clicking on the patch of blood on the living room floor. “How the hell do I know? She’s killed and then her place gets trashed? Not a coincidence.”

  Reason stared at the mess. “They were looking for something specific. You don’t rip through a couch unless you’ve run out of places to look. Maybe they didn’t find what they were looking for.”

  I surveyed the apartment. “Maybe it’s still here, but it’s too well hidden. Did you confirm how she died?”

  “Her body was found in her car… burned beyond recognition. Extra crispy.”

  “Ewww.” I scrolled through my phone, dialing Celina’s number. “C’mon. C’mon, answer.” There was a phone ringing from behind me. It sounded like it was coming from the couch. I searched the cushions and started to take the couch apart. There was blood under the cushions. The ringing got louder, and I found the cell. It was Celina’s phone with lots of missed calls. My heart stopped. One of the missed calls was from Ryker.

  Why was Ryker calling Celina?

  I scrolled through her call history. She made lots of calls. I recognized many of our client names and numbers and then I saw the number again, Ryker’s number.

  Was he fucking her? And most importantly, why didn’t he say he knew Celina?

  “What’s with the look on your face?” Reason stared at me. “What’s on the phone?”

  “Lots of calls from and to our clients,” I hedged.

  Reason shrugged. “So Celina fucked around a lot.”

  My fingers clenched. “She made several calls to Ryker.”

  “So…” Her mouth dropped open. “Oh… you think they were sleeping together?”

  I slipped the cell into my bag. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  I glared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Reason stepped back with a smile. “Nothing.”

  I walked away, heading toward the back of the apartment. “Not once did he mention he knew Celina. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

  Reason strolled behind me. “Celina knew a lot of powerful men. She wasn’t your top wolf-shifter escort for nothing.”

  I stepped into Celina’s bedroom, looking around with wild eyes. “Shit. I can’t believe I’m jealous of a fucking dead woman.” I banged my hand on the dressing table. “She fucked him. She actually fucked him.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Celina was a straight-up sex fiend. It’s what made her the most requested e
scort.”

  “Ryker’s not a Boy Scout, but he would have told you if he fucked her.”

  I scowled. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Let’s finish searching this damn apartment and get the hell out of here.”

  “Fine.” Reason walked into the closet.

  I searched through her drawers and found nothing. “Did you find anything?”

  Reason stepped out of the closet. “No. But I didn’t think anyone could have more stilettos than you.”

  The apartment door slammed open.

  “Someone’s coming,” I hissed.

  “Shit.” Reason picked up pair of stilettos, handing them to me.

  “What the hell am I supposed to do with these?” I whispered.

  “The damn heel, use it to stab whoever’s outside,” Reason whispered back while pulling out a taser from her bag.

  Wood creaked. I put a finger to my lips. Someone was coming. The footsteps got closer. We both froze, undecided to hide or stand our ground. We didn’t have time to decide. Jackal and Rip stormed into the bedroom with guns drawn.

  “Dammit! You two scared the shit out of us,” I snapped. “How did you find me?”

  They both holstered their guns.

  Jackal winked at me. “We put a tracker on your cell, sweetness.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Ryker ordered it?”

  “Of course, and if I were you, I’d prepare to bat those pretty little eyes when you go downstairs. He’s pissed,” Rip responded.

  “We’ll see about that.” I stomped past him, exiting the apartment.

  I was silent as we rode the elevator down.

  Jackal stared at Reason. “I can’t believe you broke into an apartment, lawyer.”

  Reason rolled her eyes. “It was necessary.”

  “It was criminal trespassing,” he snapped.

  She studied him coldly. “To-may-to, to-mah-to.” She paused. “And the next time you sneak up behind me, I’ll show you how my taser works, shifter.”

  Jackal stepped closer. “Promise?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Will you two get a damn room?” I stepped out of the elevator, leaving them behind. I smiled when Reason caught up with me. “Still working the Jackal situation?”

  “Yup.” She smiled. “He’s still not ready to admit he has a hard-on for a sexy vampire. But I’m working on it.” She winked.

  I laughed. “God, I love you.”

  She pulled me into a hug. “So, remember, no panties when you put on your ‘fuck ‘em’ dress.”

  I frowned.

  “You can do this.” Reason finished.

  I sighed heavily. “Okay. Okay. I just, I—I have to find the right time.”

  She pursed her lips. “Yeah, you do that.”

  We walked outside the building to see an angry Ryker leaning against his SUV. I turned to give Reason a pointed look.

  “On second thought, maybe you should wait a bit.” Reason angled toward her SUV. “I… gotta go.” She hightailed it away, leaving me watching Ryker.

  “This is going to be fun.” I sighed heavily, walking past Rip and Jackal with my head held high. Ryker held the door open without a word. I slid in, scooting to the farthest end of the back seat. Ryker got in and slammed the door. I drummed my fingers impatiently. He looked at me neutrally but didn’t utter a word. He didn’t have to… I could feel his anger seeping out of his pores. His anger mixed with disappointment.

  Wait… emotions?

  I’d never felt anyone’s emotions but humans. This thing… this connection between us was redefining everything about me and my powers. I looked out of the window, trying to sort out this mess, but the silence dragged on way too long and it was killing me.

  “Nothing to say?” I asked.

  He stared at me silently.

  I looked at him uncomfortably.

  “That was irresponsible and reckless,” he stated calmly. Yet his emotions were translating something completely different. Anger. Disappointment. Then a wall went up and I felt absolutely nothing. He shut me out intentionally.

  Hurt, I verbally attacked. “Why didn’t you tell me Celina hired Greco to break into our safe? Or about the Shadows’s connection?”

  “I told Lia and Ava. That was enough,” he commented curtly.

  “But you didn’t tell me. Why?”

  “Because I knew you would do some impulsive, irresponsible shit to get yourself in trouble.” He looked at me pointedly. “You have Shadows actively hunting for you and you’re traipsing around Manhattan like it doesn’t mean shit.”

  My lips tightened. “I can handle myself.”

  He scoffed. “That’s not the damn point.” He glared. “The point is you knew what could happen if the Shadows got their hands on you. And it didn’t occur to you to come to me and ask for help.” His mouth tightened. “Or worse, it did occur to you. And you chose not to. Now what does that say about us? Not much, if you ask me.”

  “I’m not stupid. And I can defend myself.” I paused. “You know what? I’m tired of this shit. You tell me you want something real with me. In essence, you want me to trust you. But guess what? Getting my trust starts with telling me the truth.”

  “I’ve always told you the truth.”

  I jabbed him in the chest with a finger. “Really? So did you fuck her?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Can you be more specific? There’s been a lot of ‘hers.’”

  I was appalled and confused at his behavior and cool tone. I wanted to smack the arrogance off his face. “Celina Rouse,” I gritted out.

  “Don’t know her,” he responded matter-of-factly.

  I saw red. He was a liar. All men were fucking liars. Flashes of every time Nolan lied about the numbers on his cell zipped through my head. I dug into my bag and threw Celina’s cell at his head. He caught it mid-air.

  “Your number is on her cell. Remember now?” I sneered.

  Rip pulled into the underground garage. He and Jackal sat there waiting. Ryker calmly placed the cell on the seat between us.

  “I’ll see you two upstairs,” Ryker snapped, waiting as they exited. “First, I’m not a liar. And I damn sure would never lie to you. Secondly, I didn’t know Celina.”

  I arched a brow. I was trying to tread carefully, but it wasn’t working.

  “Let me finish before you start spinning a fucked-up story in your head.” He paused. “When I became Alpha, she called me, offering her services to me as some kind of freebie fuck. I declined. But that didn’t stop her from calling. She’d even show up uninvited at events I attended. But nothing happened. She was way too pushy and not my type.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Why would she call you? Our escorts have an exclusive contract with us. And they work the clients we present.”

  “That’s what I thought, but she said she free-lanced from time to time.”

  My mind reeled. Did Celina steal our client list to set up shop for herself? “How did she get your number?”

  “She said a business colleague.”

  “The first time you executed your contract, you specifically requested Celina for Knox.”

  He frowned. “When I was thinking about getting an escort for Knox as a birthday gift, she came highly recommended by Noah. I didn’t care. I wanted Knox’s first introduction to sex with a female shifter to be memorable. That’s it.”

  “The same Noah you saw on the video footage having a secret meeting?” I didn’t have a good feeling about this. “This still doesn’t explain why there’s an incoming call from you.” I handed him her cell.

  “What?” He scowled before scrolling through her incoming calls. “I never called her.”

  “That’s your number.”

  “So now I’m like every man who fucked you over? You want to shove me away?”

  I was momentarily speechless. My heart was racing, fighting the fear and the tears. He knew too much; his words cut too deep. “Don’t make this about us.”

  He glared. “I’m sorry, tell me how this isn’t abou
t us?” He growled, opening the door. “I can’t be here right now.” He exited the car.

  I sighed, refusing to try to stop him. Sliding out, I leaned against the car, waiting for him to walk away… again.

  His face tightened like he knew exactly what I was thinking. “I never called her. I never fucked her. You either believe me or you don’t.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “I think you should know what kind of person you’re dealing with.”

  One part of me wanted him to fight… for me, for us. The other part of me was afraid he actually would. “This conversation is over.” I turned on my heels, walking away.

  “Light. Stop.” He grabbed my arm.

  I swung around. “First. Don’t touch me.” I raised a trembling finger. My emotions were raw, scattered. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted anymore. And like a coward, I was too afraid to figure it out. “Second. Don’t touch me.”

  “They will try to kidnap you again. And if you don’t care about that, at least think about how that’s going to affect the people who love you. Do you really want to put your mother and aunt through that? And what about Storm?”

  My heart raced. “And what about you, Ryker?”

  He shrugged his wide shoulders. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m your protector and your friend,” he grunted.

  It’s definitely not what I was expecting. My jaw dropped. “Is that what we are? Friends?”

  Friends? That was like the kiss of fucking death. He might as well say he was no longer interested in being with someone like me.

  “I don’t know what we are. We kiss and then we never talk about it. I stick my finger in your pussy, but we never talk about it. We almost fuck, but we never talk about it. So I’ve got no clue what we are.” His jaw tightened. “But I know I don’t want to see you walk away from me!”

  I shoved him. “Yeah, well, watch me.” I stormed past him, but he wasn’t done.

  “This is about you needing a place to hide.”

  It took me a second to respond. His words hurt more than I thought. I stopped, turning back to him. “You don’t know me, Ryker. You think you do, but you don’t.”

  “I know enough to know you hide in these nowhere relationships with men you don’t love. You could be happy, Light. You deserve to be happy. But you’re afraid.”