by Dannika Dark
THIRTY MINUTES EARLIER…
* * *
CHRISTIAN FOLLOWED Blue to the dining room. She didn’t usually wear her medieval-looking gown this early in the evening, but Viktor had announced that he and Blue would be introducing their animals to Hunter. Everyone stirred with excitement as if they were about to see a play. Gem wondered aloud if Hunter had ever seen an animal of any kind up close and how he might react. While they were all certain Blue wouldn’t be a problem since she could remember her entire shift, Viktor’s wolf was a wild card.
“Let’s get this fecking show on the road,” Christian announced.
Shepherd stood behind Hunter with his hands on his shoulders. He looked like a lion protecting his cub.
Niko, Claude, and Gem were sitting in the booths for a front-row viewing.
Gem wrapped her hair in two small knots on top of her head, her eyes locked on Blue. “Are you going first?”
Blue removed one feather earring at a time. “It’s probably a good idea.”
Viktor muttered something in Russian, evidently not enjoying all the speculation that he might maul a child.
Blue knelt in front of the boy. “I’m a Shifter, and to us, the body is a natural thing. We’re not embarrassed by it, but I won’t mind if you giggle or blush.”
She stood up and looked at Shepherd. “Sorry, there’s no shielding him from nudity when I shift back. Are you ready?”
His jaw set.
Blue handed her earrings to Gem and circled back to the center of the room.
Christian pulled a small toffee candy from his pants pocket and leaned against the wall by the open doorway. Just as he popped the candy into his mouth, Wyatt emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in his hand. He sat on the end of the dining table with his feet in the chair and watched on.
Christian jerked his head toward Wyatt. “Careful, Blue. That one just bought tickets for the peep show.”
In a fluid and graceful motion, Blue morphed from woman to falcon.
Hunter gasped and backed up against Shepherd as if he were trying to disappear.
Blue’s falcon flapped her wings, and she dive-bombed Wyatt before perching on Viktor’s arm. He grimaced when her talons anchored around his forearm to steady her balance.
Viktor carefully went down on one knee. “Do not be afraid. This is Blue’s animal. She’s in there, and she can see you too. Come say hello.”
Hunter blanched as his round little eyes took it all in. It was undoubtedly the first time he’d ever seen a Shifter change form. He looked around at everyone else, gauging their reaction.
Claude grinned. “Magic’s real, kid.”
Once over the initial shock, Hunter shuffled toward the falcon.
She stayed remarkably still, not making any sudden movements or looking directly at him. Birds of prey had a piercing gaze that made you feel like a tiny mouse in a field.
“You can pet her,” Viktor said. “But be very gentle.”
Hunter was a sheltered boy but a brave one. He reached out and stroked her breast, which conjured a smile to his otherwise stunned expression. It was an auspicious moment.
Blue shifted her legs but let him pet her to his heart’s content.
Viktor finally climbed to his feet and faced Wyatt, his arm extended. “Take her.”
“I’m all booked up on crazy.”
“Take her. I cannot shift with her on my arm.”
“When’s the last time she had her nails filed?”
Blue jumped onto the back of the chair and flapped her wings in Wyatt’s face before steadying herself. Wyatt slid off the table and walked around her as if she were a viper.
He eased up next to Christian with his bowl of popcorn and crunched on another handful. “This should be interesting.”
“You think he’ll attack the lad?” Christian asked quietly.
“No, my bet’s on Shepherd.”
Viktor’s phone vibrated, and he stopped to read a message. “Everyone stay here. I’ll be right back.”
After he left the room, all eyes fell on Hunter as he approached the falcon again and touched her yellow feet.
“I’m not feelin’ this,” Shepherd huffed, running a hand over his buzz cut. “Remember when Viktor’s wolf bit my arm?”
Wyatt snorted. “The first time I met his wolf, he tried to bite off my balls.”
Viktor reappeared at Christian’s side and spoke quietly in his ear. “Can you escort our guest into my study?”
Christian furrowed his brow and left the room, wondering who would be stopping by at this hour. He hadn’t been paying attention, and whoever had stopped by had done so quietly. Viktor likely didn’t want to postpone this ceremonial introduction, but it was out of character for him to leave their guest to wait alone.
When Christian entered the grand foyer, his eyes fell upon Lenore. Though she was turned away, he recognized her mannerisms and heartbeat. Her blond hair was pulled up in a sexy bun with strands hanging loose. When she widened her stance, admiring the winged statue, her red coat swished around her ankles.
“Hope I’m not disturbing the party. Viktor said you would attend to me.”
He put his hands on his hips. “And to what do I owe the pleasure?”
She turned, her lips painted as red as her coat. “Should I stand by the door all night, or are you going to escort me to a private room?”
He breezed past her. “This way.”
When they entered the study, he stood by the door while she removed her coat and draped it over a chair.
“Does Viktor always put his guests in the dark?”
Christian lifted matches from the table and began lighting the candles on the table and lanterns on the wall. The light cast a mellow glow in the room. Humans called it romantic and Vampires called it tolerable.
“He said you’d make me a drink. What in the world are they doing?”
There was so much barking, shouting, and squealing coming from the dining room that Christian had to tune it all out. His mind was already racing with speculations of why Lenore would be visiting the mansion for a second time, especially to see Viktor. He wanted to hear what she had to say without outside distractions, so he muted all sound beyond the threshold of the door.
Christian crossed the room to the table where Viktor kept his alcohol and selected a bottle of red. While unscrewing the cork, he listened to Lenore’s dress rustling as she moved about the room. Her heart had a more lackadaisical rhythm, as if it was just tolerating life.
Christian pivoted on his heel, a wineglass in his hand. He still couldn’t get over Lenore’s return. It was as if a ghost had wandered back into his life. Maybe he was still in that coffin and all this was just a hallucination.
Her white silk dress looked more like a slip that a woman would wear to bed. The V-neck reached her navel, and when she moved, her leg peeked out from a slit down the side of the long gown.
She floated toward him and collected the wineglass. “I haven’t seen that look in a long time.”
“I thought you wanted nothing more to do with me, but here you are, traipsing around like a cat in heat.”
“Your soft eyes belie your sharp words. Have you given any thought to what we last talked about?”
“You mean your delusions of grandeur?”
“I’m a powerful influence in this city now, and since Viktor and I are becoming fast friends, it’s incumbent upon you to follow his lead for the sake of Keystone. If you think I came all the way back here just to ruffle your feathers, you must truly think me a woman with nothing better to do.”
“You show up in that dress, flashing your knockers and wiggling your arse, and have the gall to tell me that this is all about a strategic friendship?”
She took a conservative sip of the wine and studied him with those entrancing black eyes. “I don’t like enemies. You know that. There’s no reason we should throw away years of friendship. What can I possibly do to make amends?”
He clasped his han
ds behind his back and lowered his head. “Tell me why you did it.”
Lenore erased the distance between them and searched his eyes. “No answer I give will satisfy you. Haven’t you figured that out by now?” She tilted her head ever so slightly and moved closer. “Please forgive me. Leave the past behind.”
The glass between them suddenly shattered, wine spilling all over her dress. She stared down for a frozen moment, arm still raised. “I suppose that’s what I get for wearing white.”
With a quick stroke of her hand, she moved the straps of her dress away from her shoulders until the fabric dropped to the floor.
Lenore’s skin was suffused with candlelight, deep gold hues painted across her breasts and down the length of her legs.
“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, Chrissy.”
He clenched his teeth. “Not intimately.”
She looked up at him like she’d never looked at him before. There was a longing in her eyes—desire. Her nipples hardened, and the sound of her heart quickened.
“Give me your shirt and you can launder my dress.”
He turned away. “I’ll be back.”
“Or you can leave me standing here completely naked while you piddle around upstairs in that godforsaken dungeon you call a bedchamber. What do you think would happen if Viktor walked in? He’d be horrified you left me in this condition and didn’t at least give me the shirt off your back. Come now. Be a gentleman.”
“For feck’s sake,” he complained while peeling off his shirt.
Lenore reached behind her head, and with a flick of her hand, her hair cascaded down her back. She stepped away from the broken glass, and when he handed her his shirt, she quickly snapped it around the back of his neck and yanked him against her.
“You’ve wanted this for a long time,” she said in honeyed words. Lenore didn’t look at him impassively but with a kindled desire he’d never seen. Her body pressed against his, her bare breasts rubbing against his chest as she leaned up to his ear. “I can hear your desire pounding against my eardrums. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” She brushed her lips down to his neck and stroked the spot over his artery with her tongue. “Taste me.”
Those two words called to his memories, reminding him of the addictive blood he’d once indulged in to the point where she had ultimate influence and control. But aside from those evocative memories, he felt no burning desire to hold her, to touch her, or even to enjoy her sinful body without restrictions.
He lowered his head, his nose against her neck, and drew in a breath. The flowery scent of her blood filled his nose, the sweetest of memories lingering like a decayed rose pressed between the pages of a book.
But it wasn’t Raven’s smell. It wasn’t her heart beating against his or her hands on his body. Christian snapped his eyes open and tried to back away, but Lenore was incredibly strong, and he couldn’t break her hold.
“Let me go,” he growled. “I don’t want this.”
“We both know that’s a lie. Give in, Christian. Don’t deny your Vampire instincts. Can you hear my blood calling to you?”
Lenore’s grip was iron, and the more he struggled to free himself, the more he felt like an insect caught in a Venus flytrap.
A knock sounded at the door, and after it opened, Lenore let go of the shirt. He reeled back and looked up in horror as Raven stared into the room. She was holding her breath, and the capillaries on her face were brightening. Her heart ratcheted in her chest, and the look she shot him was one of absolute devastation.
He waited to see if she might actually flash into the room and stake them both. Raven was unpredictable and not the type who would go flouncing off with tears in her eyes.
But what left him completely dumbstruck was Lenore handing her a wad of cash. What kind of arrangement did they have? Why would Raven need money? He tried to speak, but a lump formed in his throat when she looked at him once more. He’d never seen her look so broken, not even when he’d found her in Fletcher’s basement.
When she turned away, he caught up with her and took hold of her arm. “Raven, it’s not what you think.”
But there he was, shirtless with a naked woman standing a few feet away. What else could it have looked like in her eyes with his nose dipped in Lenore’s neck and her breasts mashed against him? The truth didn’t sound any better, because he had experienced a fleeting moment of temptation. Explaining it wouldn’t fix the damage already done, especially since Lenore had evidently planned it from the start. It was the way she had slowly turned her head to look at Raven at the door, the way she flaunted her nude body as she strutted across the room in her heels. She wouldn’t allow Raven to leave this house without thinking that anything less than sex had gone on.
Raven’s eyes locked on his neck, and she yanked her arm away. “I can’t even look at you. Get away from me. Don’t even speak to me.”
Before he could formulate an explanation, she walked out and left him alone in the foyer. He had managed to betray her twice, and this time he might have just sealed their fate.
Christian stormed back into the study. “You ruthless bitch!”
Lenore had already wrapped herself up in her long red coat and was fastening the top buttons.
Lenore’s silence infuriated him. He walked up and clutched the lapels of her coat. “Tell me what you’re scheming with her. What was the money for?”
“That’s none of your affair. Truly it’s not.” She pushed him away, and the force of it knocked him across the room. “I was willing to give myself to you.”
“Do you think I’m an eejit? You set this whole thing up.”
She chortled and straightened out her collar. “I came here specifically to speak to Raven. You can ask her or you can ask Viktor. You’re the one who escorted me in here and poured the wine. What do you think I was planning? It looks like you were already doing a good job sabotaging your own relationship. You hardly needed any help from me. Dear, oh dear. Where is my other earring?”
Christian was one second from breaking the table and staking her when Viktor walked in.
“Leaving so soon, Miss Parrish? I apologize if Raven has kept you waiting.”
“Nonsense,” she said blithely. “Raven just left, and we had a satisfactory exchange. Thank you so much for accommodating me, Viktor. You’ve been more than a gracious host. I’m afraid I’ll need my dress laundered. One of the glasses broke and spilled wine. Sometimes I forget my own strength with delicate things.”
Christian kept his back to Viktor because he was still staring daggers at Lenore.
She floated by him with her purse in hand and touched his shoulder. “I hope we can get together again soon, Christian. It’s always a delight catching up on old times.” She moved out of the room as Viktor escorted her to the door, and Christian could hear their conversation. “I really like that Raven. Though I wonder if her temperament and absence make her a good fit for your organization. The higher authority made a positive change by getting rid of some of the bad apples. Sometimes I think shaking the tree is the best idea, don’t you? I really look forward to seeing where we can take this city.”
Their voices faded to white noise as Christian stood in the empty room with fresh memories lingering behind like ghosts.
And for the first time, he wished he were back in that coffin.
CHAPTER 18
After seeing Christian seducing Lenore, walking back to my truck wasn’t the hardest part. It was driving home without killing anyone in the process. My hands gripped the large steering wheel as I jerked it left and right to pass cars, profanities spilling from my lips as I replayed the scene in my head repeatedly.
I shed no tears. I was too damn mad to cry. Mad at Christian, mad at myself, but mostly I was mad at that bitch on heels. Had it been a stranger, I wouldn’t have had such a visceral reaction. But the fact it was Lenore made it feel like a deliberate stab in the back. She had bent over backwards to be kind to me and even help me out of a difficult situation
. Didn’t she know the code between women? Hell, I didn’t know if there was a code, only that there should be.
And now I was indebted to her.
My headlights illuminated the flames painted on the side of Crush’s mailbox as I steered into the driveway. I noticed Switch’s bike tipped over in front of the garage. Probably teenagers stirring up trouble. In the city, bike tipping was the equivalent of cow tipping.
Except if caught, you’d get your ass kicked.
When I got out and shut the door, something felt amiss. I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I circled the truck and scanned the property. It was especially dark because all the inside lights were off.
Why would Switch be sitting in the dark?
I headed to the porch steps on the right, and when my foot settled on the first step, I saw a body draped over the porch. Cautiously stepping over the legs, I sharpened my Vampire vision to get a better look.
The long hair tipped me off. I grabbed his shoulders and rolled him over. Blood covered Switch’s face, but more frightening was the fact he wasn’t conscious.
“Switch! Switch, wake up.”
At least he was breathing.
I opened the trailer door and tossed the money on the table. After flipping on the kitchen light, I hooked my arms beneath his shoulders and pulled. As soon as we crossed the threshold, I tripped and fell on my back, striking my head on the divider wall between the kitchen and living room.
Undeterred, I got back up and dragged him the rest of the way in. My heart was in my throat as I shut the door and then jogged to the bedroom.
“Daddy!”
I flipped on the light and stared at his unmoving body. With haste, I shook him violently. “Daddy!” Then I pressed my two fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse.
He turned his head. The bottle of painkillers on the bedside table was open with half a glass of water beside it.
“Who was here?” I asked him. “What happened?”
He moaned groggily and struggled to open his eyes. Once I knew he was okay, I hurried off to help Switch.
