Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  “Of course that’s what I’m saying, because I’m the master at minimizing your feelings,” he snapped.

  She shrugged and zipped her suitcase closed. “Whatever.”

  Staring down at the bag, she flicked the zipper pull and tried to come up with some argument that would counteract his logic.

  “Damn it, Pepper. Don’t shut me out.”

  She glared at him. “I don’t want to live in a house that requires an army of servants to run it! You can’t possibly understand that, considering you’ve had people at your beck and call all your life. I want to feel like I’m contributing, not just moving into my rich boyfriend’s mega house.”

  Connall sucked air in between his teeth. “Boyfriend?” he bellowed.

  “Mate. Whatever!”

  “We’re married, Pepper. Whether you choose to recognize that fact or not.”

  “Like anyone would know… I can’t even buy you a stupid ring!”

  He took a deep breath. “We can go shopping anytime you like.”

  “I am not buying your wedding ring with your money.”

  “It’s your bloody money as well, Pepper.” He gripped the iron footboard. “And we are not having this argument again. Even if you had the ability to leave me, I’d give you everything I own on your way out the door, so there’s no point in pretending you can escape it.”

  “I don’t know how to do this.”

  “You sure as hell won’t if you don’t at least try!”

  “I don’t even know how to try, Con,” she admitted forcing the tears away.

  “I know, baby.” He released his death grip on the bed. “Will you let me help you?”

  She shrugged.

  He sighed. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you? Admit it.”

  “What? And be forced to inherit all your money? Highly doubtful.”

  He held his arm out. “Come here.”

  She made her way to him, dropped her head onto his chest, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry. I really don’t want to seem ungrateful.”

  “I know.” He lifted her chin. “What do you think about spending a few days in town?”

  “Why?”

  “Since Jonesy can’t be ridden until next week, I thought I could show you Edinburgh and take care of some of the paperwork while we’re there.”

  “Paperwork?”

  “Adding you to accounts, updating your passport with your new name and such.”

  She frowned. “You expect me to change my name too?”

  “You don’t want to change your name?” he asked quietly.

  She snorted and tried not to grin.

  “Just kill me now,” he complained. “Make it quick. This slow torture isn’t fair.”

  “I’ll wait until after the ink’s dried,” Pepper joked. “I need to ensure my inheritance. You might not believe me, but I can’t wait to be Persephone Ester Gunnach.”

  “I’m looking forward to it too,” he said. “We’ve been invited to the castle for dinner, so we can drive into town with Kade and Sam tomorrow, if you like, and we can start at the consulate.”

  She nodded. “Are we staying at Sam’s old apartment?”

  “Yes, unless, you want to stay at a hotel.”

  “No. But can we do some things together? Just the four of us?”

  Connall grinned. “Seriously? Do you and Sam share a brain?”

  Pepper shrugged. “Not sure… she hasn’t done research on that yet.”

  “Yes, we can do things together. Kade’s already organized his calendar.” He laughed and then kissed her. “I’m sorry if I made you feel stupid, sweetheart.”

  “I might have overreacted. It was kind of silly to think I might be a dragon.”

  “But adorable,” he said. “Come on, let’s finish getting you packed up and we’ll head on over to the castle.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  PEPPER’S EMOTIONS SEEMED to calm in stages as they spent some time with Jonesy and then showered and packed for their impromptu trip to Edinburgh. By the time they climbed into the car to head to the castle, she felt ridiculous for overreacting to Connall’s wish to move back to his home, and relieved that her hair was back to blonde.

  “Ready?” Connall asked.

  “Definitely.”

  As they continued deeper into Gunnach land, Connall drove up a slight hill and a large stone wall appeared with water surrounding it. Pepper could see a tower peeking above the wall, but not much else. Connall dialed his phone and a deep voice came on the line. “Eymundur.”

  “Eymundur, it’s Con. Lower the bridge, please.”

  “Aye sir.”

  “Shut up,” Pepper exclaimed as the drawbridge lowered. She clapped her hands and grinned. “I bet Sam lost her mind when she saw this.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “She has a minor fascination with castles. She tried to convince her mother to dye her hair blonde when we were eight so she could pretend to be Rapunzel.” Pepper grinned. “She had to settle for a really bad wig.”

  Connall chuckled and guided the car over the bridge.

  Pulling into a large courtyard, he turned off the engine and made his way to her side of the car, opening her door and holding his hand out to her. She climbed out and glanced down at her jeans and T-shirt. “Should we have dressed a little better?”

  “Nah, it’s just family.”

  Connall knocked on the door and an elderly gentleman answered and bowed. “Your highness, sir, welcome.”

  “Mr. Winston, it’s wonderful to see you. How was your holiday?” Connall asked.

  “It was lovely, sir. Thank you for asking.”

  “May I present my mate,” Connall said as he pulled Pepper in front of him.

  “Your highness.” The butler bowed again and Pepper wanted the floor to swallow her.

  “Please call me Pepper,” she said, and reached out her hand.

  He gave her a nervous smile, but shook her hand and then closed the door. “The family is in the hall. If you’ll follow me.”

  He’s not going to call me Pepper, is he?

  Connall’s chuckle sounded in her mind. Probably not.

  Pepper followed Mr. Winston through the foyer and into what he’d referred to as the hall. She did her best not to exclaim her awe out loud. The room was three stories high with balconies peering down from the top floors, and the ceiling came to a large arch with a wooden beam running the length of the room, holding six chandeliers.

  “Hey guys. Welcome,” Sam said, and rose from her chair near the fireplace.

  Kade stood as well, along with the rest of the family and a man Pepper recognized from pictures as Cole Drake. Cole was ruggedly handsome with his dark hair cropped short and light skin. He wore dark jeans and a black button-up shirt rolled up to his elbows, a leather cuff on his right wrist, and a chunky watch on his left. Sam had once described him as dressing more like a rock star than an FBI agent, and Pepper had to agree.

  “Pepper, this is Cole,” Sam said as she hugged Pepper.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Pepper shook his hand and then hugged Fiona and Payton. She was excited to see Payton, who’d been absent for a few days. Pepper took in the rest of the space as Sam led her to the sitting area in front of the fire.

  The fireplace was at least six feet tall and wide enough to fit a small army. It was lit, but it barely made a dent in the warmth of the room, which was set up in sections. A large table was off to the left, set for a dinner party and surrounded by tall chairs.

  The sitting area consisted of three sofas and two overstuffed chairs surrounding a modern coffee table that looked rather out of place in the historical home. The third section housed a piano, with folding chairs propped against the wall.

  Connall pulled Pepper down next to him on one of the sofas.

  “I have something for you,” Payton said, and handed Pepper a cell phone.

  “What’s this?” Pepper glanced at the iPhone.

  “It’s you
r new phone. You can use it anywhere in the world, and it’s linked to Con’s account.”

  “Thanks for doing that, Pay,” Connall said, grinning.

  “Why do I need a new phone?” Pepper asked.

  Sam snorted. “Maybe because yours was made when dinosaurs ruled the earth… or was it dragons?”

  “Oh, you’re funny.”

  Connall started to choke with laughter, but Pepper cut him off by squeezing his knee as hard as she could.

  Sam laughed. “Admit it, that was golden… and your phone’s a piece of crap.”

  “Hey, no point in replacing something that works perfectly fine,” Pepper retorted.

  Managing to compose himself, Connall slid his arm behind her. “The new one works everywhere, love. I have a feeling if you tried to make a phone call with yours, it’d cost you a ridiculous amount, if it even worked.”

  Pepper sighed. “You’re probably right.”

  He raised an eyebrow. No arguments?

  Pepper giggled. Hey, when you’re right, you’re right.

  I’m always right.

  Ha! Go with that, buddy.

  Connall grinned as Pepper leaned against him. The rest of the evening was spent in animated conversation, eating delicious food, and drinking even better wine. Pepper couldn’t remember a better night and fell into bed energized and unable to fall asleep.

  Lucky for her, Connall was feeling the same way and provided a much-needed distraction from her sleeplessness.

  * * *

  The next day they woke early in order to catch their flight into the city. Pepper had to admit that taking Kade’s private jet to Edinburgh beat driving the four or five hours it would have taken by car. She was excited to explore the city, especially because she got to do it with her two favorite people.

  “It’s a good thing I never got overly attached to the apartment,” Sam said as they disembarked and waited for the men to take care of the luggage. “It was easy to move everything to Kade’s place, because I never fully unpacked.”

  “I can’t wait to see everything,” Pepper said. “I feel like all this is a new start, you know?”

  Sam nodded. “I know what you mean.”

  “Bags are in the car, ladies,” Connall said as he and Kade joined them. “Ready?”

  Pepper grinned. “Absolutely.”

  The foursome climbed into the car and Alasdair headed out of the airport and toward their destination.

  As they drove through Edinburgh, Pepper grew more and more excited to explore. The historic buildings made the area feel alive with possibilities. Arriving at a tall building, somewhat out of place in the historic city, Alasdair pulled the car into a private garage and turned off the engine. He opened the door, waiting for them to climb out. Kade and Connall grabbed their bags and led them to the elevator.

  “Do you guys want to get settled and then we’ll meet up for dinner?” Sam asked.

  “That would be great,” Pepper said. “Will we get some shopping in before you have to go back to work?”

  Sam nodded. “Definitely. And if we want a break from the boys, Fi and Payton might be persuaded to join us as well.”

  Pepper grinned. “Perfect.”

  Once at their floor, Kade and Sam stopped at the door on the right, while Connall led Pepper farther down the hall and unlocked the door on the left. He stepped back to let her precede him inside.

  Pepper walked in and let out a quiet whistle. Old met new in the large room. Floor-to-ceiling windows faced Edinburgh University, which currently had a fog cover and made Pepper feel they were actually floating in clouds. The apartment was tastefully furnished with slim-lined and classic furniture, new, but not modern.

  She found two large bedrooms and two equally large bathrooms, along with a well-appointed kitchen and a laundry room.

  “Is it safe to assume you’d like to sleep in the room with the en suite?” Connall asked as he wheeled their bags to the back of the apartment.

  “If that means master bedroom, then yes, please,” she said, and followed him into the room.

  He set the bags on the bed and grinned. “I haven’t been here in a while.”

  “Really? How come?”

  “Brodie and I usually stay here when we’re in town for meetings, but Kade pulled rank last visit. Apparently, he decided his mate should have it.”

  Pepper giggled. “How selfish of him.”

  “I know. Positively kingly.”

  “Are there servants here?”

  “Technically, there aren’t servants at our home, Pepper.”

  She sighed. “Fine. Let me rephrase. Are we alone? Like alone, alone. No staff.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yay!” She clapped. “Oooh, are you hungry? Would you like me to make you something to eat? Provided there’s food to cook.”

  “I’m starving. Kade always keeps the kitchen stocked with something edible, so why don’t you cook while I unpack?”

  She beamed up at him. “I like this arrangement even better.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “We’re acting like a real married couple. I think I’m going to pretend you’re just some lowly country vet who still has thousands in school loans you’re attempting to pay back. I’ll be me… because I’m fabulous… and we’re on our honeymoon. Sound good?”

  He laughed. “I’d rather you be a naughty veterinarian nurse, but whatever floats your boat, love.”

  She kissed him quickly and headed into the kitchen.

  * * *

  Connall was still grinning when his cell phone pealed in the quiet of the room. He paused in his unpacking and frowned when he saw Dalton’s name pop up on the screen. “Hey, Dalton. Everything okay?”

  “Hey, Connall. Uh. No. We had to cut Beau Anders loose.”

  “What? Why?” he snapped.

  “Because he’s not actually the guy.”

  “What the hell?” Connall pressed. “He wrote those notes.”

  “Technically, he wrote three of them. The others are in different handwriting. Beau also wasn’t the one who came after her at my store.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I shot that guy. Beau doesn’t have a scratch on him, and when we compared the blood from the Mercedes store to Beau’s, it doesn’t match. His DNA’s nowhere.”

  “Shite! What the hell was with the letters, then?”

  “He admits to trying to intimidate Pepper to sell Jonesy, but he denies threatening her life or anyone else’s. He also swears he’s never heard of Jethro, and we haven’t found a connection between the two of them yet. We also checked his phone and there’s no record of him calling Pepper. So we can’t get him on the stalking, but we can get him on the threatening letters, which we’re moving forward on.”

  Connall rubbed his forehead. “Damn it.”

  “Look, we’re not giving up. At least she’s safe with you, and we’re still watching my parents and Mario and his family. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I figured it was better you knew. You can decide if you want to tell Pepper, but it might cause her undue worry.”

  “Okay. Keep me posted.”

  “I will,” Dalton promised. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Connall hung up and rubbed his forehead. He didn’t know what to tell Pepper. She was starting to relax and he didn’t want to worry her, but he also didn’t want to keep anything from her… didn’t even know if he could. It was she who was able to block him, not the other way around. He started with a phone call to Alasdair and then made his way to the kitchen.

  Pepper grinned as she dropped pasta into a pot of boiling water. “I’m making chicken alfredo. Okay?”

  “Sounds delicious.”

  “Before I forget,” Pepper said, “can we exchange some money tonight? I only have American on me.”

  “How much do you need?” he asked, and opened his wallet. “Will five hundred work?”

  She raised her hand. “Too much. Having that much money in my purse will make me want to sta
ple it to my body. Someone could steal it.”

  He rolled his eyes. “At least take three.”

  “One?” she asked.

  “Whatever you need.” He held out the bills.

  “Thanks.” She took the money and shoved it in her purse. “I’ll pay you back tomorrow.”

  “You’ll pay me back with your money, eh?”

  She nodded. “Right. My money.”

  He kissed the back of her neck and patted her hips. “I’ll get us something to drink. What would you like?”

  “I’d like wine, but I’ll take water.”

  “Maybe we should look into buying a winery.”

  “I don’t think we need to perpetuate my one and only weakness.”

  “Only one?” he asked as he pulled down glasses.

  “Okay, two,” she admitted. “One of them is red wine… you can guess what the other one is.”

  “Jonesy?”

  “Ooh, three.”

  “Puppies?”

  She sighed. “Crap, four.”

  He laughed. “I think I could name several other animals that would fall into your weakness category.”

  “You’re probably right, although none of them come before my favorite animal,” Pepper said as she added the chicken to the sauce.

  He cocked his head. “Would that be me?”

  She raised her head for a kiss. “Most definitely.”

  He leaned down and covered her mouth with his, kissing her until neither of them could think straight. The beeping of the timer brought them back to their surroundings.

  “Let’s just turn everything off,” he suggested. “We can eat later.”

  Pepper’s stomach rumbled in protest. “Or we can take the next ten minutes to carb-load and spend the next two hours naked and in bed… or the shower… or the floor… whatever.”

  He released her and rushed to grab plates. “Let’s make it eight minutes, and you got yourself a deal.”

  * * *

  The next morning, Pepper was reluctant to get out of bed. Connall grinned as he kissed the spot on her neck that usually made her giggle. “Wake up, beautiful.”

  “No,” she grumbled, and tried to roll away from him.

  He followed her. “We have a meeting at the bank in one hour. I can wake you in time for you to pull on some clothes and go, if you really want to go back to sleep.”