Well, he supposed since they were now trapped at Kaleidoscope Folly until the vampire threat was dealt with, he’d have plenty of opportunities to uncover all her secrets.
He was smiling as he made his way downstairs to check on his other house guest. It took him a few seconds to work out why. If Cyd really hadn’t been thinking about the kiss… then why else had she still been out on that damn rock after midnight staring up at his place?
Chapter Ten
Charisse stomped into the kitchen just after eight o’clock the next morning. Even though according to her normal routine she’d overslept, she was still tired. She glared at Nate’s back as he stood at the kitchen counter chopping up fruit with a ridiculously large knife. “I need clothes.”
Nate turned, his eyes shut. “Please be naked. Please be naked.” He opened his eyes and blinked. Okay, how could her wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxer shorts that all but swam on her much tinier frame be sexier than seeing her naked? He was so in a world of trouble when it came to this girl. “I’ve already done a clothes and supply run for you.” He waved the knife he was holding over to the left.
Charisse blinked, a little disconcerted to find a familiar silver suitcase sitting there, next to it was her spare paintbox, an easel and several canvases. “You went to my house? You went through my things?”
“Yes and yes.” Nate turned his attention back to the chopping board, dividing up the last of the mango between two bowls.
“You have some nerve, you know that right?” At least he was almost wearing a shirt this morning, even if he’d failed to do up a single button.
“Cyd…” He turned, carrying two bowls over to a rather rickety small oval table.
“Don’t you Cyd me.” She folded her arms continuing to glare at him. “Why would you think it okay to break into my house, go through my things… invade my privacy? Go on, tell me what could have possessed you?”
Nate laid cutlery at each place setting before grabbing a jug of fruit juice and two glasses. “I’m sensing you’re a little angry… but honestly, there was a very good reason for why I went to get your things by myself this morning.” He gestured to the empty seat across from him.
Stomping over, Charisse sat down. “Okay, lay whatever half-assed excuse you’ve come up with for sneaking into my home and pawing through my belongings on me.”
“Juice?” Nate held up the jug.
“Nate.” She growled his name.
“Fine, you want to know what I was thinking? I was thinking I was protecting you. Destiny and her crew had a lot of moonlit hours left to burn last night after our little encounter. Plenty of time in which to discover your identity and place of residence.”
“Oh…” Charisse hadn’t thought of that. “And did you find anything?”
“How attached were you to your car?”
“My car? What did that bitch do to my car?”
“I believe they decided to test whether it was sea-worthy or not… Not, being the answer by the way.”
“Oh Goddess.”
“Don’t worry; I’ve already put a call into the Sanctuary enforcement team. They’ll organise getting your car towed and speak to the insurance company. They’re a little strapped on manpower at the moment but they’ve promised to swing by your place and check up on it occasionally.”
“Oh Goddess.” Absently she accepted the glass of juice from Nate and drained half its contents. “Thanks… what about my house?”
“It looked secure… nice place… small, but nice. I’d forgotten I’d been there before, a few weeks ago when Nell and Drum got married.”
“I’m glad it met with your approval.” She couldn’t help but comment dryly.
“Eat, you look pale.” Nate encouraged, digging into his own large bowl of fruit salad.
“Vampires know where I live and have trashed my car. I’m allowed to be pale.”
“True, but you’re not living there right now. You’re safe… here with me.”
“The same me, who not five minutes ago said, and I quote, ‘please be naked, please be naked’?”
“Ah Cyd, you take everything way too seriously, you need to lighten up.”
“Lighten up he says. A vampire bitch Queen is now out for my blood. My car, according to you, is a write off and I’m stuck here in this disaster zone.” She gave the small table a slight nudge and it wobbled precariously. “How can this be considered house arrest when the house is a construction crews’ nightmare and a demolition crews’ wet dream?”
“Maat, you’re grumpy in the morning. I thought with you being the artistic type you’d be able to envisage all the possibilities this place has. Like you did in your painting.”
“I’m allowed to be grumpy, I didn’t sleep very well.”
“Nightmares?”
“No, there are huge gaps around the window frames, the wind kept me up most of the night. Which just further proves my point, from a distance I was naïve enough to think this place had potential, but up close… there probably isn’t a nail in this place that doesn’t need to be replaced. What possessed you to buy it?”
“Well first and foremost I needed a threshold to call my very own. They tend to come in pretty handy when vamps are stalking you.”
“I get that. But there must have been other properties in the area with a lot less work required to make them habitable… let alone wind and rain proof.”
Nate shrugged. “Yeah, there were a few. But I’d go stir crazy if I had nothing to do but water some plants and sand back a door that sticks occasionally.”
“Okay, but the sheer size of this project… you’ve been here over a week already and barely made a dent. And I’m assuming that you don’t intend for the vampire threat to drag on much longer… where does that leave the Folly when you resume your normal life?”
Nate chewed on a large square of ripe pineapple. Absently he looked around the kitchen, not seeing the out-dated dusty room and ancient appliances but the light filled, modern kitchen he intended to install. Knock out a couple of walls, large double doors opening out to a covered veranda, install all the high tech mod-cons and add a solid family table. This place was going to be great, he just knew it. “What can I say? I saw a photo of this place and it just felt… right.”
“I hope you’re still saying that in two years’ time when you’re still slogging away at it nights and weekends.”
“Speaking of which, nothing is getting achieved me just sitting around like this.” He carried his empty bowl and glass over to the sink. Once he’d done that, he slipped off his unbuttoned shirt.
Charisse swallowed hard, why was the man undressing in the kitchen? No not undressing she realised, getting ready to work, as he pulled out a dark red bandanna from the back pocket of his jeans and proceeded to tie it over his nose and mouth, scooping up some heavy duty gloves, he headed out of the room.
“Hey wait, what am I supposed to do all day?”
He didn’t even pause, kept right on walking away from her. “Paint, read, do your nails… think of it as a holiday.”
Charisse glared at the now empty doorway… a holiday? Thanks to her bond with Bettina she’d never been able to indulge in a holiday before. Oh she’d travelled. She’d shopped in Florence, lunched in New York and partied in Brazil. But they were usually brief jaunts via the family transport portals. The longest she’d ever managed to be away from Bettina was four years ago when she’d had the flu. Even then the constant pull on the bond had forced her to rise from her sick bed on the third day and paddle out to the rock just to get the bitch off her aching back.
In Bettina’s current weakened condition she wondered just how much time she’d have before she’d be doubled over in pain. Well, there was no use borrowing trouble. So what did one do when one was forced to have a holiday effectively at a bomb site? She had no idea. First things first, she needed to get dressed for the day. She eyed her suitcase dubiously. Just what did an elite warrior know about packing a woman’s suit
case? Well there was no time like the present to find out.
* * *
“You will not beat me.” Charisse muttered through clenched teeth as she brushed away a stray bit of hair from her eyes with the back of her hand. “I...” She took a deep breath and heaved. “…Will emerge victorious… over you.” She heaved upwards again, putting her shoulder behind it and pushing from her knees. “And when I do… I will dance… a happy dance… there will be cheering.” She strained upwards again. “Maybe a parade… at the very least a twenty-one gun salute.”
“You okay there Cyd?”
Charisse whirled, flattening herself against the wall, hand clenched to her chest in surprise. “Goddess, will you quit sneaking up on me like that!”
“Whatcha doing?” He eyed the section of wall she’d been attacking.
Charisse rolled her eyes. “What does it look like I’m doing?” She waved the metal scraper at him before turning to survey her achievements.
Nate found himself eyeing her pert bottom instead of the wall. How could he not, the woman was still wearing his t-shirt and boxer shorts, the only change she’d made in her appearance since he’d seen her at breakfast was to pull her hair back into a pony-tail with the aid of what looked like one of his bootlaces.
“Well you’re either removing wallpaper or you’re papering yourself… it’s a little hard to tell.” He reached over and plucked off a large torn piece of paper that had settled on the top of her head.
Charisse grimaced as she glanced down at the flecks of paper and splotches of old dried glue clinging to her clothes and bare skin. “What can I say? It’s been a long and dirty battle.” She eyed the last remaining strip of wallpaper with a determined look. “I’m almost done.”
“I think maybe you need a rest Cyd. How long have you been at this?” He surveyed the bedroom, the bed had been made and her suitcase sat on top of it, not yet opened.
“No idea, I came up here after breakfast to shower and change and there was a piece of wallpaper flapping that was really annoying me. So I pulled on it… and well.” She waved a hand at the end result.
“That was almost eleven hours ago.”
“Really, no wonder I feel like I’ve gone ten rounds.”
“I’m surprised you’re not painting.”
Charisse was still frowning at the last section of wallpaper that remained… taunting her. “Did you want something?” She was eager to get back up the ladder she’d appropriated much earlier in her battle.
“Sunset is forty minutes away. I just wanted to let you know to stay away from the windows.”
“Okay.” She re-positioned the ladder to where she needed it.
“Cyd, you don’t have to do this you know.”
“I refuse to let this crappy flowery nightmare, masquerading as wallpaper, win.”
“Okay…” Nate took a cautious step back from the woman waving around the sharp edged tool. “Well, when you’re done, come downstairs, I’ll fix us something to eat.”
“Sure.” She was already half way up the ladder and squaring her shoulders for the last battle round.
Nate took one last lingering look at her tempting rear end, now at eye level, before exiting fast. How could a woman, covered with dust, dirt and globs of dried glue, be about the Maat-damned sexiest thing he’d ever seen? Perhaps spending all that time under the hot sun was finally starting to fry his brain. Maat, he needed a drink.
Chapter Eleven
“Sorry, no parade or twenty-one gun salute, but I can offer a celebratory wine.”
Charisse blinked in wonder, taking the glass from Nate absently as she looked around the room and then upwards. “Goddess, what is this place?”
After emerging victorious from her battle with the wallpaper she’d indulged in a long hot shower to ease her aching muscles and remove the dust and dried glue she’d accumulated in her labours. Dressed in a flimsy strappy orange dress and flat gold sandals she’d headed downstairs to find the kitchen empty. Following the sounds of soft music she’d eventually stumbled upon Nate in the most amazing cavernous room, located in the very centre of the house.
“I think it was the central well of the Folly, maybe a sitting room or dining room.” Nate commented staring upwards also. “I uncovered the stained glass dome a few days ago and cleaned it up. That was when I realised this was the very centre of the house and all those walls going up to the ceiling didn’t make any sense.”
Charisse frowned at the two sections Nate had already ripped out, one on the first floor and one on the second. “They’re balconies. Why would anyone board them up?” She looked at the other sections yet to be torn down, when they were, this room… the whole space would be amazing and all that light would completely change the dynamic of the upper floors.
Nate shook his head. “No idea.” He contemplated the green and blue stained glass dome as the setting sun cast muted multi-coloured light down through the centre of the house. “Do you think there is someone still in the area who might know?”
“Auntie Kath might be able to help.” Charisse remarked as Nate switched on four battery operated lanterns. Placing one of them on the fold out table he’d set up in the middle of the room. “We’re not eating in the kitchen?” She surveyed the table set up for two and the radio over in the corner playing a golden oldie.
“I don’t want the vamps to know what we’re up too.”
Charisse took a seat at the table, sipping her wine. “Are you going out to face them tonight?”
Nate shrugged; uncovering the two dishes he’d had waiting on the table for her arrival. “Destiny still has three minions in play… if I can pick them off, then maybe. When I face off with Destiny, I don’t want there to be any distractions.”
Charisse’s stomach rumbled as the delicious scents of ginger, lime and chilli filled the room. “What is this?”
Nate smiled. “Thai chicken and mango salad. Dig in. You missed lunch, you must be starving.” Nate took a seat across from her, enjoying more than he should the sight of her sitting there, sharing a meal with him.
Charisse took several bites, the salad tasted more scrumptious than it smelt. Five bites later she looked over at Nate. “Why?”
“Why what?” He contemplated her across the table.
“Why are you facing them alone? I get that the whole vamp thing is a warrior elite issue, but shouldn’t you have back-up to face zany Destiny and her wacky bunch of blood vamps?”
“We’re stretched a little thin ourselves these days. Tracking Sek and Mot, trying to trace Apep’s descendants, not to mention the normal everyday mayhem and chaos out there initiated by the bad guys being… well, bad.”
“So how did you draw the short straw?”
Nate shifted uncomfortably for a moment. “Destiny has taken a… liking to me.”
“A liking?” Charisse enquired dubiously. “That’s what you call it when a woman, barely wearing a leather catsuit, chains you up, rips your clothes off and proceeds to nibble on you like a chew toy?”
“I think you’ve already guessed Destiny’s not exactly sane. I kind of, deliberately, called her attention my way, and now I suppose you could say I’m reaping the so-called benefits of that action.”
“How does one go about deliberately cultivating a psycho vampire Queen’s… attention?”
Nate shrugged. “Well in my case, you stake one of her minions through the heart.”
Charisse grimaced. “That doesn’t sound particularly unique.”
“It was considering he’d been decapitated at the time and I staked him via the neck. It was more for show than convenience.”
“Urgh.” Charisse contemplated pushing her plate away but she was too hungry. “New topic. What did you achieve today?”
“Removed the last of the old guttering. Patched up a few holes in the roof in case it rains and just generally pottered around up there. By the way, I’m expecting a delivery first thing tomorrow, some more timber and a second load of roof shingles.”
> “Okay.”
“They’re kind of a surly, gruff bunch of guys, they generally just dump the equipment and high tail it back to Brisbane. Your best bet is to stay out of their way.”
“Will do.” She nodded dutifully, reaching for her wine. “I suppose I should thank you for the clothes and accessories. You did a surprisingly good job of it… for a man, though I think eight bikinis might be a little on the excessive side.”
“Or the hopeful.” He shot her a grin.
Charisse chuffed a laugh. “If you expect me to parade around this bomb site in a bikini, you’re deficient.”
“Maybe Maat will smile down upon me and I’ll discover a long forgotten indoor pool tomorrow.” Nate grinned with a devilish sparkle in his whiskey eyes.
“Does Maat generally do you favours like that? Hadleigh says she’s kind of a hands-off type of Goddess.”
“In our dreams she’s a hands-off Goddess. She’s constantly turning up to interfere, dabble and push – without seeming to push – us, in the right direction. All the while with a smirk on her lips and the words, free choice or free will, spilling somewhat ironically from her lips.”
“Oh, one of those.” Charisse nodded and smiled. “So how did you qualify to join her exclusive band of brothers?”
A frown passed for a split second across Nate’s features. “Sometimes I wish I knew.”
“You don’t know how you became an elite warrior of Maat?”
“I know the gist of it. I know that I was once mortal. That I died. That Maat was waiting for me at the river Styx to make me an offer. I could cross the river, be done, be at rest or I could join her guard in order to fight evil and chaos in her name.”
“So you took the golden ticket. Wow, so who were you… when you were mortal?”
Nate shrugged. “Sorry, the memories get wiped in the process.”
“But aren’t you wildly curious about who you were… what you did… your family?”
“Maat drops hints occasionally, but what good is a life that is long dead to me? A job, a home, family… whatever I had, or didn’t have, I must have valued the chance to continue fighting for balance… for justice more than holding on to those memories.”
To Seduce A Siren Page 10
