by J. L. McCoy
“Alright,” I said with an unhappy huff. “I’m packed.”
“Good,” Archer said as he moved to the back door. I watched as he opened it and let out a low whistle. Styvi Nix ran up to the door in response, but gave him a wide berth as she trotted inside. I guess she still hadn’t forgiven him for flashing around in the house last week and scaring her half to death. She quickly ran up to me with an anxious whimper and I scooped her up and into my arms. She was trembling as she furiously licked my face and neck. Styvi Nix must have had a tough time in the backyard this morning and I felt horrible. It wasn’t fair to her to have to be dealing with all of this craziness. She was used to our home life being mellow and the only visitors being close, familiar friends. I silently promised her and myself that when this was over, we’d veg out for a solid weekend and do nothing but lie around, watch movies, cuddle, eat bacon, and play in the backyard.
“I had Quinn arrange the animal’s stay with your neighbor,” Archer said as he shut the back door and walked back into the living room.
“Nikki?” I asked.
“Of course,” Jameson answered with a smile.
“What did you tell her?” I asked as I hugged Styvi Nix to my chest.
“She was told that you would be away on a business trip for a few weeks and that she had previously agreed to watch the animal,” Archer said crossing his muscular arms over his chest. “Quinn made sure to add that to the mesmerization process.”
“A few weeks?” I screeched, incredulous. “But…I don’t want to be away from Styvi for that long! Why can’t she come with me?”
“Miss St. James is being paid well over a thousand dollars for her cooperation, Skye, and I would appreciate yours too,” Archer said impatiently. “Besides, you think she’s going to be comfortable in a house full of vampires?”
I pursed my lips at him, but he did have a valid point.
“You can text Nikki and have her send you pictures of Styvi while you’re away,” Jameson said encouragingly.
I sighed and shook my head, knowing that Archer and Jameson would never understand. Styvi Nix wasn’t just an animal to me, she was my friend, my constant companion, and just about the only thing in my life that had never hurt me. We were so close, her and I, and I worried about how she would take the separation; how I would take the separation. But, I knew that if I had to choose anyone for her to stay with, it would have been Nikki. She absolutely adored Nikki, and Nikki adored her. It was much better than being boarded at some strange vet clinic for a few weeks. I took a deep breath in and resigned myself to the inevitable. Styvi and I would be apart, but at least she would be well taken care of.
I shook my head in frustration and glared at Archer. I had so much anger toward him right now that it felt like it would come shooting out of my ears in the form of flames. “Well, let’s do this shit, then,” I growled and walked to the front door clutching Styvi to my chest. When I got outside, I noticed that both mine and Jameson’s cars were gone and the driveway was spotless.
I turned around and glared at Archer as he strolled out. “Just how long was I passed out for?” I asked annoyed.
“Over an hour,” he said tightly as he passed me, never looking my direction. I watched as he walked over to the black pickup truck that was parked behind his silver Audi R8 GT. Quinn and Hunter were leaning up against the side, their posture identical. They looked like they were casually talking, but I knew by the way their bodies were angled that they were alert and ready to pounce into action at any second.
“I’m going to go load these into the truck, love,” Jameson said behind me. I jumped, startled, and turned around. He was directly behind me in the driveway and I never even heard him coming. I looked down and saw that he had my messenger bag in one hand and my two suitcases in the other. “I’ll meet you down there, okay?”
I nodded my head and turned to walk the few yards to Nikki’s door. I nuzzled Styvi Nix one last time before I rang her doorbell.
Nikki answered with a bright smile and a cold Pearl beer in her hand. “Hey, cupcake!” she greeted happily. “What’s the word?”
A relieved sigh escaped my lips and I quickly covered it with a cough. “Hey, hon,” I said smiling tightly. “How are you?”
“I’m fan-freakin’-tastic, girlfriend,” she said with a grin. “Lyric is coming over tonight. He’s making me dinner.” I studied her eyes and she looked perfectly fine. There were no ill effects from Quinn mesmerizing her, at least as far as I could see. She acted like nothing out of the ordinary had happened this morning. It was business as usual in ‘Nikkiville’.
I smiled and shook my head. “Uh-oh. He’s a Jain vegan, babe. I’m scared to ask, but what does dinner even entail?”
Nikki laughed and shook her head. “I know! I hope he isn’t going to try and feed me lawn clippings or something. Yuck!” We both laughed and she stepped closer to greet Styvi Nix. “Hey, sunshine!” she said as she scratched behind her ears. Styvi barked a happy greeting and wagged her docked tail.
“Thanks for watching her, girl,” I said seriously. “It really means a lot to me.”
“My pleasure, cupcake,” she said with a carefree smile. “I’m glad Mr. Rich and Gorgeous is giving me a thousand dollars to do it, although I would have watched her for free. You know how much I love her.”
I nodded my head and set Styvi Nix down on the ground. She looked up at me one last time before she trotted into Nikki’s house. “Will you text me every now and again and tell me how she is doing?” I asked, trying to hide the sadness in my voice. I was really dreading being away from her for more than a few days. We had never been apart for longer than that before.
“Of course I will,” she said as she pulled me into a tight hug. “Have a safe flight and don’t work too hard.”
I had almost forgotten that the cover story was a business trip. I nearly slipped up and asked her what she was talking about. I gave her one last hug, called goodbye to Styvi Nix, and walked down the driveway to the awaiting cars.
I noticed the impending dilemma as I trudged down the long driveway. Quinn and Hunter were driving a single cab, three-passenger pickup and Archer was driving his two-seater sports car. I knew that either I would have to ride with Archer or Jameson would. I took a deep breath as I walked up to the handsome gathering.
“Well? Let’s get this show on the road,” I said grumpily, crossing my arms over my chest.
Quinn chuckled and shook his shaved head as he walked around the truck and got in the driver’s seat. Archer glared at me, walked over to his car, opened the passenger door, and motioned quickly with his head for me to get in.
I pursed my lips, narrowed my eyes, and promptly turned my back on him to walk over to Quinn’s truck. Hunter was surprised, but held the door open for me and I got in, scooting myself to the middle of the bench. A few seconds later, Hunter got in beside me and closed the door.
I watched through the windshield as Archer glared at me, walked around to his driver’s side door and got in his car, roughly slamming the door behind him. Jameson looked at me briefly before he got in the open passenger door of Archer’s Audi and closed it. I could see that Jameson wanted me to be nice to Archer, but I just didn’t feel like it right now. I was still really upset with him.
Archer pulled off the curb with an angry screech of his tires and Quinn pulled out behind him.
The twenty minute drive out to the lake was a quiet one. Hunter and Quinn pretty much kept to themselves. You could tell that they were thinking heavily about Callum and Jesse’s murder. My heart instantly sank at the sudden memory and I pushed it away. I couldn’t think about that again right now. I was about to step into a house where Aoife and the rest of Archer’s vampire family temporarily called home. Everyone else I could handle, it was Aoife I was worried about.
Before long, we had turned onto a small, one lane paved road that was surrounded by woods and drove for another five minutes. This road was full of twists, turns and hills. Finally, the tree
s stopped and I saw beautiful Lake Travis 100 yards in the distance. I took a deep breath and smiled. It was absolutely gorgeous out here on the lake.
The road made a final turn to the right and dead-ended at an enormous house. I felt my jaw drop in shock. I had never seen a house this big in person before, only on television. Archer’s house was as big as a Hollywood mansion and just as nice. There were several cars parked out in front of the six car garage.
Quinn pulled his black pickup into an empty space in the driveway and killed the engine. “Are you ready for this?” he asked suddenly, seriously.
I looked over at him questioningly. Does he know something I don’t? I took a deep breath in and blew it out, shrugging one shoulder. “Like I have a choice in the matter, Quinn? Archer made it pretty clear that I don’t.”
He nodded his head and agreed, almost sympathetically. “Aye. Well, Hunter and I are here if you need us.”
I looked over at Hunter and he nodded his head. “Thanks, guys,” I said with a small smile. “I appreciate it.”
“Well, come on then,” Quinn said getting out of the truck and shutting the door. He walked around to the bed of the truck as Hunter got out and gave me a hand. Quinn handed me my messenger bag and he and Hunter carried my two suitcases.
As soon as Hunter opened the front door, I was fully accosted by someone.
“Oh, you poor dear!” Trey said as he wrapped his arms tightly around my neck. “I heard what happened. It’s just so horrible! Are you okay?”
I relaxed when I realized it was him, wrapped my arms his slim waist and hugged him back. “I’m doing better now, hon. It was a little touch and go for me earlier, but I’m much better.”
He leaned back and held me at arm’s length, his hands on my shoulders. He looked deeply into my eyes for a moment, searching, and then nodded his head. “I’m so sorry you had to see that again, darlin’. No one should have to see it once, let alone twice. But, I’m glad you’re doing better. I feel that you are okay and that makes me happy. I was so worried about you when I heard. I wanted to come…but…” he said as his face fell and tears filled his hazel eyes.
“I know you couldn’t come, honey. It would have been too overwhelming for you. But, I appreciate the thought…really,” I said as I gently cupped his cheek and gave him a small smile. “I’m glad you’re here now.”
He sniffed and hugged my neck again. “Me too.”
I had found a true kindred spirit in Nathaniel Herschel Thomas Hatfield, III. He and Jameson would make my stay in this house worth all the trouble I knew would inevitably find me.
“Alright you two break it up,” Quinn said behind me and I turned to realize I was still standing in the door blocking his way.
Trey grabbed my hand and pulled me into the massive interior of the house. My jaw dropped as I looked around the impressive foyer. The floors were dark wood, the furniture expensive, and the grand chandelier breathtaking. There was a huge, beautiful double staircase a few feet away and I found myself gravitating toward it. The hand railing was polished black marble held up by twisty, black wrought iron balusters.
Trey came up to me and laughed as he put his slight arm around my shoulders and read my emotions. “If you think that’s something, wait until you see the rest of the house.”
“We’ll leave your bags at the bottom of the stairs until you’re assigned a room,” Hunter said as he and Quinn dropped my bags by the right staircase.
“Thank you so much for your help today, guys,” I said and they nodded their heads before walking through an archway between the stairs and into the rest of the house.
“Shall we take the grand tour?” Trey asked with a wag of his delicately arched eyebrows.
I smiled brightly. “Leave nothing out,” I said with a twinge of excitement. I had never seen a home as nice as this before; well except maybe on MTV Cribs. This was completely new territory for me and I wanted to see and experience everything this place had to offer.
We slowly wound our way up the stairs and through the second floor. This was where seven of the nine bedrooms were and five of the bathrooms. There was also a huge media room up here, a separate game room that housed a veritable wet dream of pinball machines, arcade games, and video game consoles, and a snack area that had a refrigerator and a fully stocked wet bar. Most of the rooms had a large window that overlooked the massive lake and all were ridiculously spacious.
After oohing and aahing at the exquisite second floor, we moved to the first floor. Trey led me through the archway between the stairs and into the formal sitting room. It was beautiful, open and furnished with class. The colors were stunningly rich, warm, and very inviting.
I ran my hand over the back of the couch as I looked around. “It’s so nice! Have you ever seen such a gorgeous house before?”
He chuckled at my amazement. “Well yes honey. I’ve been around a long time. Our Archer likes the finer things in life. Stick around for thirteen hundred years and you will, too.”
I stopped mid-step and looked over at Trey with wide eyes. “Thirteen hundred years? Are you 1,300 years old?”
Trey put one hand on his cheek and quickly waved the other one in my direction, dismissing my question. “Oh now, never mind that. Let’s go into the kitchen, shall we?” He turned on his heel and disappeared through another archway without a word.
But...who’s thirteen hundred years old? And, why doesn’t he want to tell me? I shook my head and followed him into the kitchen. It was massive, to say the least. There were two refrigerators, a large island, and black marble covered countertops. The cabinets were the same dark colored wood that was on the floors and everything was polished to a high shine.
Trey opened the fridge and took out a bag of blood. “Would you like a bottle of water, dear? Or, I could make you something stronger, if you’d like?”
I shook my head. “No thank you, hon,” I said as I watched him pop the bag of blood in the microwave and hit start.
Thirty seconds later, he took it out and we resumed the tour. He showed me the formal dining room and the wine cellar before taking me into the family room. Quinn, Hunter, Seamus, and Lochlan were playing a game of Texas Hold’em at a small poker table in the corner. You could immediately tell that these guys didn’t mess around when it came to their poker. Everyone had on their ‘poker face’ and there was a huge stack of cash in the middle of the table. Hunter saw us as we crossed the room and gave us a polite, but quick nod of his head. Seamus and Lochlan briefly said hello to me before returning to the game as well.
I looked around and the family room was as impressive as the rest of the house. The ceilings were high, the sectional couch was long and cushy, and the flat screen television was at least 72 inches. I stared at the wide screen and grinned. This would make one hell of a place to watch the Saturday night UFC matches. I pictured myself sitting on the couch, beer in hand, watching Anderson Silva easily hand some dude his ass and I smiled widely. Oh yeah. I’m definitely making that happen! I don’t care who I have to bribe…
Trey grabbed my hand and pulled me through the right side of the family room and down a long hall. The first door we came to was an empty guest bedroom.
“You’ll most likely be rooming here, sweetness,” Trey said as he opened the door. “All of the other rooms are ocupado at the moment.”
I peered inside the guest room and immediately fell in love. The bed was a massive, king-size canopy with romantic sheer white curtains around it and was covered in white silk sheets and tons of large, fluffy pillows. I immediately wanted to run, fling myself on the bed and roll around in it.
Trey chuckled and I looked over at him. “I can tell someone likes this room very much,” he said with a grin. “You are radiating some serious excitement over there.”
I blushed and bit my lip. “I can’t help it. I LOVE silk sheets and big, fluffy pillows,” I said as I looked around the rest of the room. There was a beautiful vanity against the left wall, a dark wood armoire in the left corne
r, tall French doors that led to a flower garden against the far back wall, a white microfiber chaise lounge in the right corner by the bed, and it had its own massive bathroom.
I turned to Trey again and smiled. “I am SO rooming here.”
He laughed as he walked us out of the room and further down the hall. The next room we came to had the door shut. “This is Archer’s room here, so we won’t go in,” he said as we started to pass it.
I stopped and stared at the door. He’s going to be sleeping less than fifty feet from me? I really didn’t know how I felt about that. After all, Archer was far from my favorite person right now. Mr. High-handed himself. I was still angry about being forced out of my home. I understood his reasons, and maybe even agreed a tiny bit with them, but I didn’t have to like it, did I?
I groaned under my breath and followed Trey to the last door. Trey brought his hand up and knocked a couple of times. After a few seconds, he handed me the bag of blood and told me to go in. “Give this to our Archer, will you?” he asked quickly before turning and flashing back down the hall. What the hell is he in such a hurry for? Throwing me to the wolves is what he’s doing, dammit. I wasn’t ready to have a conversation with Archer yet, but it didn’t look like I had much of a choice. I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and opened the door.
Chapter 7
I peeked into the room and I instantly felt my jaw drop in surprise. This was Archer’s office, but it was obviously so much more than that. There were glass cases on the walls that were filled with swords, knives, shields, medieval maces, battle axes, armor, and every gun under the sun. I took a deep breath and sighed in awe. My proverbial penis had just gotten a serious chubby. I saw Archer and Jameson staring at me and I shook my head and walked in, shutting the door behind me.
“Who ordered the blood?” I asked as I pursed my lips and put my ‘mad mask’ back on.
