by Grey, T. A.
“Okay, let’s get back to that night,” Lyonis said. “Steph, after we couldn’t find you we sent out a larger search party. You weren’t here. Your scent disappeared, except on a tree where we found a piece of your t-shirt with a drop of blood.”
Stephanie jerked, startled. “My shirt?” She reached and rubbed along her right arm. Lyonis straightened in his chair.
“Show us your arm.” Stephanie hesitated for a moment, then pulled up her sleeve. A small cut was on her arm. It was deeper than it was long as if she’d been poked with something.
“Where did you get that, sweetie?” her mother said. Stephanie looked as shocked as everyone else.
“I don’t know. I don’t even remember getting it.”
“Then why did you touch that arm when I mentioned the shirt?” Lyonis said. There was no suspicion in his voice, only curiosity, but Stephanie stiffened.
“Look, I don’t know! I told you everything that I remember!”
“Okay, I think we’ve had enough,” her mother said. “We’ll finish this another time. Obviously she isn’t ready.” Willow wanted to stop them, they needed to talk to Stephanie, but Lyonis nodded grimly at them and let them go.
After the door closed, Willow turned on him. “Why did you let them go?”
“Because I respect her mother’s wishes.” Willow frowned. “Alright so what’s going on?” Lyonis said to his lieutenants.
Thane spun his chair side to side. “I think the demon that’s after your mate did this.”
“You don’t have to talk about to me like I’m not here,” Willow mumbled. No one listened to her.
“If Draven’s suspicions are right—” began Lyonis.
“And they are,” Draven replied.
“Then it took Stephanie. The question now is why and what for? Any suggestions, Draven?”
Draven looked thoughtful for a moment. “Mind control to spy on us, to get closer to Willow, or an assassination attempt.” He finally shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Lyonis sighed heavily. “Fine, I want a guard on Stephanie at all times. Don’t make it obvious, I don’t want the family scared. Just keep an eye on her until we figure this thing out.”
“No problem,” said Jackie. Lyonis dismissed them and the room cleared.
Willow was suddenly aware that she was alone with him...and her hand was still on his thigh. As discreetly as she could, she pulled it away. Her palm chilled without the added heat from him, but she hid her disappointment behind a false smile.
“So what now?”
Lyonis spun his chair towards her and had a grin so sexy Willow leaned away from him.
“What?” she said hesitantly.
“Tonight, we’re going out.”
“Out?” she replied dumbly.
“Out. Go home and get dressed. You have a present waiting for you. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”
Willow started to protest but then he swooped down and kissed her. The kiss was gentle and coaxing, teasingly soft. Her heart sped up nonetheless. He teased her bottom lip with his tongue before slowly pulling away.
“One hour,” he promised and left.
Chapter 21
Willow paced nervously at the front door. What the heck was she thinking going through with this? After the meeting, she went back to the cabin and found a thin, long box on the bed.
It was wrapped in shiny red paper with a white bow crisscrossing it. Next to that was a box the size of a shoebox, and she was right. Inside the gift was a pair of decadent black high heel shoes. They were classy looking with a pointed toe and a heel that didn’t remind her of something a stripper would wear.
But inside the first box was a beautiful white dress. The material under her hands felt light and soft. Willow stopped pacing and looked at herself in the small oval mirror on the living room wall. It didn’t allow her to see her entire image but enough to get an idea of how she looked. Her stomach fluttered with nerves and her heart wouldn’t quit racing.
She hadn’t been on a date in years. Since David, actually. The dress must be made out of some expensive material, though she didn’t know what it was, and for some reason she didn’t want to look at the tag. As if knowing would ruin part of the surprise. The dress cupped her shoulders baring most of her neck and a portion of her chest and back, which made her feel sexy but not too exposed. The waist cinched with a red band of the same material as the gift that acted as a belt and magically seemed to make her smaller breasts look bigger, her waist thinner.
Falling just past her knees, the dress billowed around her, teasing her bare legs with its soft touch, which felt like a caress all on its own. Willow took a shaky breath and let it out. She checked the clock for the twentieth time. Any minute now he’d be here. How was it she felt more nervous about this than when they had sex?
The black heels, simple yet classy, somehow looked incredibly sexy against the chic white dress. It made her feel sophisticated like she could take on the world. And here she thought her casual style made her feel good. This could make her power hungry.
She laughed at herself and checked her hair one last time. She’d never been any good at doing anything to her hair. That was all Lily’s territory with her dark, wavy locks. With a couple cans of hair product, she could transform her hair into masterwork in under an hour. Willow...not so much.
She’d gone simple and scrunched her hair as much as she could to give it volume. There were no curlers, mouse, or hairspray in Lyonis’ home, so she’d done the best she could. After that she’d let her hair dry in waves around her shoulders. She never kept her hair down. It always made her feel more vulnerable, a little unsafe. She laughed at how stupid she was being. It was just hair after all. Tonight she looked like a whole new Willow, and she was excited to go out with him.
The knock at the door surprised her so badly she yelped. Her heart pounded a crescendo in her chest. Taking a few steadying breaths, she calmly walked to the door and opened it. Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. However good she thought she looked, Lyonis stole the show. Together they stared as if seeing each other for the first time.
Tonight he wore a suit the color of sand on the beach. A white suit shirt lay underneath with the top collar button undone exposing the warm skin at his throat. Willow could tell a tie would easily fit with the ensemble, but he didn’t wear one. It gave the look an even sexier appearance. The pants slid straight down his strong legs to a shiny pair of black loafers that reflected the living room light.
“You look even more beautiful than I imagined.” His voice sounded tight and a little hoarse. Willow’s nerves got the better of her again and she pressed her hand to her stomach to try to settle it.
“You look great, too,” she said. Mentally she winced at her crudeness. He didn’t look great, that was such an understatement she should go to hell for telling lies. No, he looked delectable, kissable, and so incredibly sexy that she wanted to slowly peel off his jacket, unbutton his shirt, and kiss every inch of his chest. Her eyes caught a flash of light from his silver belt buckle and her body coiled even tighter with sexual energy. She wanted to kneel before him and pull the belt open, unzip those pants, and take his cock into her mouth.
Willow’s eyes rounded. Oh my God, that was the same thing he told her she’d be doing to him and liking it. He was...right. More than anything, the thought did not send her mind into a scurry of anger at the submissiveness of the act. Instead it pleaded with her to do it now; that he’d let her suckle him if only she dropped to her knees and pulled him out.
Willow saw him move but her eyes were slower to lift to his. He curled one hand around her neck, the other her waist, and tucked her tightly against him. His arousal was like a steel pipe between them.
In a low voice he said, “You need to stop looking at me like that or I might just make good on it.”
Willow struggled to form words but they never came. Instead she fisted the fresh clean locks of his hair and brought his mouth down to hers. His taste, his scent floode
d her senses. He was so warm he bordered on hot. His taste teased her tongue with its masculine musk. He tasted like mint mixed with his own unique flavor. He smelled clean like he’d just gotten out of the shower and Willow had never smelled anything so good in all her life.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled as she pulled away from him. His hands clenched against her waist before releasing her and he stepped a good two feet away.
“We need to go now or we’ll never leave.” Willow’s sex pulsed as she heard the implication, the warning, in his words. Because I’ll take you right here. She wanted that—badly, but then he laughed hoarsely rolled his head in a circle as if easing bunched muscles.
“God, I never thought I’d say this, but not now. I have something special planned. You have no idea how hard you’re making this. Come on.” He held out his hand but looked as far away from her as he could.
Willow smiled, a sexy curling of the lips and took his hand. Her previous thoughts almost seemed ludicrous now that she’d spent time with him. He was right about what he said in the gym, she thought as he led her not to his truck but a sleek black BMW parked next to it. She did have the power.
The car was clean and buffed to the shine, even the silver rims glinted in the moonlight. Willow couldn’t help but think this was how Cinderella felt getting into that carriage.
He opened the door for her and allowed her to get inside before he quietly closed the door. Willow took the time to watch him come around. It was amazing how graceful he was wearing a fitted suit. His legs were long and she knew just how strong and muscular they were first hand. Yet the suit hid the strength of his muscles behind a wall of soft fabric, and the jacket and shirt underneath teasingly hid the hard packs of muscle he had along his stomach and chest. Willow was practically panting as he got into the seat next to her and pulled away from the cabin and out of town.
Again, her previous question floated through her mind. How had she ever suspected he’d be the power in the relationship? Her logic had been spot on—he was an Alpha, he was dominant. But Rachel was right. With enough pushing back, the scales didn’t tip one way or the other but settled perfectly in the middle allowing both sides to be equal.
Her heart beating in a fast rhythm, Willow reached the realization that she could do this. If she chose to, she could be with him and be happy. The thought scared her on a deep level but at the same time, filled her with a serene cool as if she’d finally put the last piece of the puzzle together.
“Where are we going?”
His hand reached until he found hers and curled their fingers together. “It’s a surprise.” Willow laughed something that sounded like a giggle and quickly squelched it.
“Normally I’d take you to dinner, and had planned on it too, until I remembered you don’t eat food anymore.” The way he said it made it sound naughty as if he was thinking about how she “fed” herself.
Fighting a blush, Willow said, “Yes, well, I am a succubus.” She looked out the window at the mass of dark trees and sky that whipped past the window. Her eyes almost bugged out and she silently, viciously cursed her stupidity. Was this the most charming conversation she could weave? Well it was his fault for making her so nervous, she decided smartly.
He laughed softly. “Yes you are. My succubus.”
With that warming her body, they drove for some thirty minutes before arriving at a large, modern building with a slanted sign on the front that read Indigo Park in tall block letters. He parked the car in a parking lot off the side of the building where signs warned that it was for VIP parking only.
“You’re a VIP here? What is this place?”
“It’s a surprise.” He parked the car and Willow reached for her door handle. He touched her shoulder, freezing her in place. “Ah, ah,” he tsked. “I’ll get that.” There was silken promise in his voice, a playful glint in his blue eyes. His eyes fell to her lips for a moment too long before he stole out of the car and opened her door.
She took his hand and followed him inside. The building was quiet on the outside, only bright white lights lighting the entrance, giving no signal as to what this place was. But inside, the place was booming with energy. Smells and sounds greeted her senses like static shock. Several bars lined the walls with dinner tables in the middle. Conversations and laughter filled the room to the chink of glasses being toasted.
“I thought you weren’t taking me to eat?”
“I’m not,” he said with a sly smile. He led her up a black wooden staircase and to the second floor of the building. Two doors stood at the top with two employees wearing black and white suits.
“Good evening, Mr. Keelan,” one of the guards said.
“Hello, Pete.”
“Go right in.”
Confused, Willow trailed behind Lyonis into a separate room and dread filled her at what she saw. A large room without any tables but a large bar fit against the left wall. The floor was made of a light colored wood that was buffed to a shine. Dozens of couples danced in loose and tight embraces to a live band on a stage to the right.
“Oh, no.”
Lyonis turned to her with that same sly smile. “Oh, yes. Come on.” He pulled her into the crowded room and swept her into his arms. Willow had no time to protest before he was swaying with her to the soft music of the band. They played a slower song filled with acoustic guitars, a soft drumbeat, and vocals so lovely she almost melted.
“I can’t dance.”
“Yet you’re in my arms dancing. Strange.” Willow sent him a glare that had his lips twitching.
“Oops, I almost forgot something.” Pulling back, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. Willow’s breath froze in her lungs. Time didn’t slow, though she wished it would so her mind had more time to react to this.
He opened the box and showed her the contents. Relief swept through her at the sight of earrings. No man proposed by giving a girl earrings, right? She hoped not.
“What is this?” The earrings were lovely. They were silver and long so they’d dangle and move from her ears when she moved. The long stem was black and at the bottom was an intricate woven design that reminded her of veining plant where inside sat a sparkling diamond. She hoped it was an imitation. “Tell me it’s not real.”
“Okay, it’s not real.” Her heart and stomach sunk through the floor. It was real. Diamonds. He’d bought her diamond earrings, and they were the prettiest things she’d ever seen.
“Why?” she said softly, unable to tear her eyes away from the gift.
“Because I’ve wanted to shower you with gifts since you got here. But with everything that’s been going on, my plans have moved much slower than expected. But now that Stephanie’s back, I can finally break these out.”
Willow didn’t have to ask. She knew he handpicked these just for her; it was his way. She wanted to reach for them and put them on, but her fingers shook. When he finally asked if he could have the honors she nodded. He parted the hair around one ear and gentle inserted the earring and attached the back.
A strange feeling came over her. Somewhere between happiness and sadness. She’d never been one to care for jewelry before. She had her ears pierced but that was mostly for her cheap plastic and fake earrings she usually forgot to wear.
He put in the second earring then tucked her hair back to look at his work. “You look beautiful all the time, but with your hair down you take my breath away.”
“Ditto.”
He tossed back his head and laughed so hard her face turned red with embarrassment. God, she was an idiot! What was wrong with her? Was she so surprised by this that she couldn’t handle basic conversation anymore? Apparently.
He swept her back into his arms and led her in small circles around the dance floor.
“I never thought I could make you speechless, my Willow. I couldn’t be happier.”
Surprisingly, Willow couldn’t remember a time she’d been so happy either.
For the rest of the night
they danced in each other’s arms, bodies fitted perfectly together, moving in unison to the soft beat of the music. Willow was in some other world. Some romantic world where she was the princess dancing with the prince. She drank sweet, bubbly champagne then was swept back into his warm embrace time and again.
As the night wore on, she wanted more and more not to leave this place. All of the messages the pack had been giving her seemed to make perfect sense for the first time. She was his, and he was meant for her. Somehow during the fiasco with her new moon, she’d never once thought of it that way. That some part of this would be for her. She’d let her tainted past eschew her present life. He would be all hers, not Amy’s, or some other woman who could never challenge him or make him happy like she could. Lyonis was hers.
With her newfound discovery, Willow pulled back to tell him that she was ready to accept him. But as she looked around the room, she realized the dance floor was completely empty except for them, and the band had packed up and gone home. Even the bar was closed.
“Oh, I didn’t realize we’d been here so long.” She might have blushed but her cheeks were already flushed from the romance and excitement of the evening. Lyonis never stopped swaying her side to side as he looked down at her. He looked so relaxed and happy, like that first time she’d met him in Spain.
“It’s no problem. I know the owners, but if you’d like we can go.”
Willow bit her lip as she thought about it, but finally nodded. She didn’t want to leave and break the spell that surrounded them. But she had to wake up sometime from her dream.
* * *
Lyonis drove them home. The ride was comfortably quiet, the sky deep with night. Their hands once again held each other as lovers might. With a small smile, she thought it fitting since they were lovers. He pulled up to the cabin and opened her door for her. The world spun around her and she giggled feeling light and carefree for the first time in a long time.
