“What are you thinking?”
Nate looked down at her, a sensual smile on his face. “I was thinking that we have a few more daylight hours to burn and that I might need a little more proof.” He sat up abruptly, settling Charisse on his lap, facing him.
“Proof?” She laughed with breathless surprise.
“Hmmm, those enslavement powers of yours, I think I need to study them further.” He brushed her hair out of the way. “And a lot more thoroughly.” Leaning down he sucked her right nipple into his mouth.
Charisse arched her back. Biting her lip to keep from humming in pleasure… she really didn’t want to ruin the mood.
Chapter Sixteen
Decision time, what did one wear to face off against a mad vampire Queen and her dwindling minions? Charisse surveyed her wardrobe options. It was easy for Nate with his camouflage khaki trousers, matching t-shirt and skit kicker boots, but for some reason her wardrobe was lacking in suitable confrontational wear.
Glancing out the window at the setting sun she heaved a small sigh. Stop dithering Charisse, time is running out. She grabbed the first two items off the pile, navy shorts and a red and white striped t-shirt. It was no fancy leather catsuit, but at least it was practical as she added navy sneakers to the ensemble and brushed her hair up in a high pony-tail.
Walking down the stairs, she decided to attribute the weird feeling in her stomach to hunger and not nerves at facing Nate after the afternoon they’d shared together. Why should it be awkward between them now? So they’d indulged in an afternoon of hot, mind blowing sex, big deal, right? Everything was back to normal, Nate was out of her system, she was sure of it. Now her focus had to be on helping to eradicate the vamp threat so she could get back to the daily Siren grind.
Except, as she came to a halt in the doorway of the kitchen, watching as Nate at the kitchen counter cut up avocados, she felt her insides clench with sudden desire. Hmmm, maybe it would take a round or two more to get the Sheriff completely out of her system.
“Hey Cyd, just in time. You want mayonnaise on your sandwich?”
Damn him for being so casual. He was so hard to read; at least she knew where she stood with the mindless drooling worshippers. “Sure.” She nodded with a determined lightness. “I’ll grab some drinks. What would you like?”
Nate eyed Cyd, she looked happy and relaxed as she strode back and forth across the kitchen helping to set the table for their early dinner. His gut tightened, Maat he wanted her again. Right here. Right now. Pity the old kitchen benches weren’t sturdier. Maybe replacing them needed to be higher on his list of things to do.
Charisse sat across from him at the small wobbly kitchen table and took a huge bite of her chicken sandwich. Fighting the urge to keep her eyes down and just concentrate on her meal she forced a small smile as she popped the top of her soft drink can and took a swig. “So what’s the plan?”
Nate stared at her a moment, chewing slowly, pondering her question. The answer was pretty obvious to him. More sex. A lot more sex. Blow up that rock. Marriage. Kids. Spend the next century or so together. But how did you pin down a woman who spent her life dealing with lowlifes and an overly obsessive rock with an eating disorder?
“I mean for tonight and the vamps… what’s the plan?” Charisse elaborated.
“I think Destiny will be coming in hot, thanks to the storm last night keeping her lair bound, she’s had plenty of time to stew.”
“Meaning?”
“She’ll be acting rashly, more unpredictable than we’ve seen previously. We know she has two vamp henchmen left and at least one daytime minion at her beck and call. My preference is to take all the minions out of the equation first. With that in mind, I thought I’d set up on the second floor. I’ve opened all the windows up there and have weapons waiting for me in rooms that have the best view of the grounds, both front and back.”
“And where will I be during all this?” Charisse nibbled on the crust of her sandwich.
“Ideally, I’d like to stow you away in the cloak room under the stairs.”
“But?”
“Destiny is so fricking unpredictable that I wouldn’t put it past her to firebomb the house or ram it with a car. I think the best place for you is in the central well. You’ll be out of sight and in the best location in the house to react to any threat.” Nate gave her his best stern warrior face. “And when I say react, I mean run away.”
“Wow, don’t you just think highly of me and my skill set.” Charisse glared, pushing the plate with her half-eaten sandwich away.
“Destiny twigged long before I did that you were controlling her minions using your voice. You heard what she said about ripping out their eardrums. She wasn’t joking. More significant, you have no formal combat training.”
“Nate, you know I’m not helpless, you saw what I can do with a knife.”
“And they have teeth, claws, swords and maybe guns… A knife is great for protection, they haven’t seen you carry a weapon yet, you’d have surprise on your side. But to engage?” Nate shook his head. “To fight? You’d be more of a distraction than a help.”
“Hey, don’t sugar coat it Sheriff.” Charisse channelled Darcy for inspiration, amping her glare up to its highest setting. “I’ve handled myself pretty damn well against Destiny and her minion pals so far. Saving your sorry - chained to the floor – ass in the process I believe.”
Nate growled. Maat, when was the last time he’d ever growled at a woman? Never, that’s when. Cyd bought out all his protective instincts and he wasn’t handling it well, time… he looked out the warped tiny kitchen window at the last rays of the setting sun, was not on his side. If he wasn’t so scared of Charisse getting hurt, if he wasn’t in love with her, what would he normally do? Utilise the asset he realised.
“Fine.” He stood up from the table. “Fine, you can be on re-loading duty.” Maat, he hoped he wouldn’t regret this. “You do everything I say, when I say. You don’t stop to ask questions. If I say down, you hug the floor. No hesitating. No nothing… agreed?”
Charisse nodded her head. Anything was better than being trapped in a dark room, away from the action, knowing that Nate was in danger with nothing to do but torment herself with all the dreadful things that might be happening to him. Getting to her feet she rounded the table, inhaling sharply as Nate’s large warm hands came down to rest on her shoulders.
“I would really, really, hate it if something bad happened to you Cyd.”
She met his whiskey gaze, her hands of their own accord coming to rest on the sides of his waist. “Ditto Sheriff.” She opened her mouth to say… say what? She was still a bad bet. She still came as a package deal with Bettina. An afternoon of great sex hadn’t changed the harsh facts of her life.
Nate leant over, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “You think too much Cyd. Come on, let’s go kill some vamps.”
* * *
Nate was right about Destiny being keen for a confrontation. Twenty minutes after the sun had officially set, the vamp Queen arrived, seemingly out of thin air at the top of the path leading from the beach. Damn, she was well out of range of any of his weapons.
“What’s she doing?” Charisse whispered from her position in the doorway of the second floor room that had a long time ago been a cosy sitting room, now it was just a bare and dirty room.
“Pacing.” Nate lifted the scope to his eye. “Waiting.”
“For what?”
“Good question. Stay here.” Nate slipped from the room silently.
How he accomplished that in those boots, making no sound was beyond her.
Charisse clutched the door frame, curiosity was eating her alive. What was Destiny up too? She badly wanted to enter the small sitting room and get a better look out the window, but Nate’s instructions had been very clear. Hmmm, she compromised by staying where she was but going up on tip-toe, trying to get a better view of Destiny. Damn, she wasn’t tall enough and it was too dark. Where was Nate? What was
going on?
She peered down the almost pitch back corridor, nothing. Turning back into the room, she jumped in surprise at the minion leering at her through the open window. It clacked its shark like teeth together, lips pulled back so the moonlight glinted off those razor sharp points. With its all black clothing it was almost like it was just a head… floating there.
“Goddess.” Her racing heart leapt and then slowed. That thing couldn’t come in, but still, it was kind of freaking her out, remaining so still, its eyes fixated on her. Its pale skin and almost colourless, white blonde slicked back hair off putting enough, but it was the silver, almost clear eyes that wigged her out the most. How was it just staying there? Hovering? No, it had one hand hooked around a drain pipe or something. Where was Nate? What was she saying? She could handle one minion.
Humming a little Barry White under her breath she frowned. Why wasn’t the… oh, now she saw the streams of dried black blood down the sides of its throat, Destiny had lived up to her promise of tearing out her minions ear drums. No wonder the thing was glaring her way.
Well come on stupid, she berated herself, you have a room full of weapons in front of you. Use one of them. Her grip had barely left the door frame when she was tugged back hard, Nate’s fingers yanking at the waist band of her shorts, his other hand already swinging around to fire off a shot from his crossbow.
“Fuck.” He’d missed. “Stay away from the windows Cyd. They have ropes and grappling hooks.” Nate stepped in front of her using his body as a shield.
Charisse was about to ask how he’d come to know this information when the jagged wound on his left arm, just above the elbow, caught her eye. Seems Nate had first-hand experience. Thank Goddess she hadn’t gone any closer to the window.
Nate moved forward fast, firing off two more bolts. “He’s headed to the side of the house, here re-load this.” Nate gave her the crossbow, scooping up a belt of wooden stakes and a small hand held cross-bolt weapon. “I’ll be right back.”
It was strange for Charisse standing in the almost pitch black corridor, listening to the vamps scramble around the outside of the house using drainage pipes and window frames for leverage. Obviously they’d decided to stay clear of the roof, fearing more traps. All the while Nate moved around like a wraith, appearing out of the darkness in silence to check on her occasionally before moving off, trying to catch the minions off guard and get a clear shot.
“Knock, knock.”
Charisse practically jumped out of her skin, thank Goddess she’d bitten her lip otherwise she was pretty sure she would have screamed. Chancing a glance, she peeked back around the door frame.
Destiny lounged outside the upper floor window as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Ah, I thought I could smell you Cyd.”
Her back against the corridor wall Charisse took two deep breaths, looking left and then right for some sign of Nate. What should she do? Well not leave the corridor for a start and make a target of herself but she could keep Destiny busy until Nate got back at the very least. Plus, she looked down at the weapon in her hands, if she could distract Destiny enough… how hard was it to fire a crossbow, you just point and fire right? Okay, distraction time.
“You know with your skin tone you really should stay away from the all black look.”
“Really?” Destiny’s voice dripped with disdain, echoing around the small empty sitting room.
“And if you insist upon wearing a figure hugging catsuit, then you need to invest in underwear with a bit of padding, so your ass doesn’t look so flat.”
Destiny hissed, it was a uniquely unsettling sound that caused all the hairs on Charisse’s arms to stand on end.
“I’m just telling you this because I assume, since you’re Queen, no one else has the guts to.” Charisse advised conversationally.
“Well if they did, they wouldn’t be keeping those guts very long.” Destiny sniped back. “And since it’s just us girls here over-sharing, let me tell you a few home truths Cyd. Even from this distance I can smell the warrior’s scent clinging to you. Who’s been a naughty blood-bag and gone poaching in my territory?”
“Only in your mind is Nate your territory.” Charisse scoffed.
“He declared himself mine with his deeds… with a look. He spilt blood and he smiled. I knew in that moment his heart would be mine.”
Charisse shuddered; it was hard to tell if Destiny was speaking figuratively or literally. “If the attraction between you two is so darn powerful, then why did he invite me to stay? Why does his scent cling to me? Why isn’t he out there with you right now?” Her fingers tightened on the crossbow, she needed to be ready… any moment now, Destiny would fly off the handle and she’d get her chance.
Destiny’s voice was curiously controlled when it came. “Please Cyd. We both know sad… lonely little you, insinuated herself into his life like a serpent in the garden. Weaving your spells of enchantment. Stealing his willpower. Clouding his mind.”
“Nate’s immune to my power.” Charisse snapped back.
“Really? Are you sure? I say this only because… how did you put it, no one else has the guts to. Are you absolutely one hundred per cent sure that the warrior is immune? That you’re not influencing him in any way? That you haven’t dreamt of a big strong man who would come along some day and save you from your dreary little life and all your insignificantly mundane problems? That you haven’t made Nate over into the image of that man?”
Charisse took a deep breath and then another one to calm her nerves. “I don’t need anyone to save me.” She stepped left quickly into the open doorway, pivoted and fired the crossbow.
Destiny didn’t even flinch, laughing instead, looking down at the arrow stuck fast in the frame of the window, only inches from her face. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
Charisse was about to ask what Destiny meant when she felt the pressure of a gun barrel pressed to the back of her head. Softly she began to hum under her breath, letting a blanket of tranquillity settle over the room.
Destiny laughed again, shaking her head. “Don’t waste your breath Cyd. Kimberly can’t hear you.”
Charisse inhaled sharply, fine, no humming, but she could still scream for help. Except Kimberly, who she was guessing was Destiny’s human daytime minion, jabbed her even harder in the back of the skull… ouch.
“Put the weapon down.” The words were low and toneless, exactly like you’d expect from someone who couldn’t hear their own speech.
Complying, Charisse slowly pointed the crossbow down at the floor. She may not be able to tap into her Siren powers to resolve this situation but she was far from helpless. After a lifetime spent with sneaky cousins she still had a trick or two up her sleeve. Swinging her arm back, she blindly fired off the crossbow, pivoting in place even as Kimberly howled in pain, the arrow having penetrated her boot and into the floor beneath. Ducking, Charisse rolled away out of Kimberly’s reach, even as Nate raced into the room tackling the daytime minion to the ground.
“Go Cyd.” Nate had knocked Kimberly out and was in the process of securing her with some rope.
Charisse staggered to her feet. She promised Nate she’d follow his instructions to the letter. Still, it didn’t mean she couldn’t turn at the doorway and fire off her last arrow in the direction of the vamp Queen still clinging to the outside of the window frame.
It made it much easier to leave the room knowing she’d caught Queen D off her guard and Vamperella now had an arrow embedded just below her right breast.
Score one for team Siren.
Chapter Seventeen
“You okay Cyd?” Nate eased himself down onto the top step of the second floor staircase next to Charisse.
“I’m fine.” Truthfully her hands were shaking a little but that could be attributed to the adrenalin wearing off and the fact that Bettina was plucking at their bond like it was a violin. Bettina’s distress and worry vibrated through the tether… on her behalf? Strange, probably concerned some
thing might happen to her meal ticket. Still, not something she had the time or energy to investigate further right at this moment. “How about you?” Her eyes travelled over his frame quickly; except for the jagged wound on his arm he looked unhurt and unruffled.
“Fine.” He wrapped a warm muscular arm around her shoulders giving her a reassuring squeeze and satisfying his own soul-deep need to touch her. “Destiny has more depths than I gave her credit for. She played us. Used her last two minions to distract me and sent her daytime minion into the house to get to you.”
“What did you do to Kimberly?” She found herself leaning a little too eagerly into Nate; taking a deep breath she straightened her spine. “The daytime minion?”
“Oh her. She’s tied up. I’ll put a call into the enforcement team, let them come and collect her for rehabilitation or… storage. I took out one of the vamp minions so Destiny’s down to her last one.” Nate reluctantly forced himself to let her go and stand up. Maat, he could have sat there all night with Cyd snuggled under his arm. “I think it’s time vamp Queen and I had this out, once and for all.”
“Nate.” Charisse found herself standing, clutching at his arm. “She thinks the two of you are soul mates. That I’ve worked some sort of magic, that I have you under my spell. You can use that against her.”
He nodded slowly. “What else is bothering you Cyd?” Even in the dim light of a nearby lantern his whiskey eyes danced with flares of sunlight as he studied her.
“She said something.”
“Kimberly?” Nate clarified.
“No Destiny, she asked how I could be certain you were immune to my… powers. That maybe the reason you’re here and we… did what we did, earlier today, was because I lured you in.”
To Seduce A Siren Page 16
