by K. F. Breene
We passed a security truck, and the driver slammed on his brakes when we zoomed by.
“He’s a recluse,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “He lives in a shack in the woods. I only see him once every so often. He just randomly sends me spells to try out.”
“Maybe the next time you get some, you could let me know?” she asked hopefully.
“Yeah, sure. If I do. Who knows, he might be dead.”
A grin curled Darius’s lips as he pulled into the employee parking lot.
We said thanks and goodbye to Penny (and Callie and Dizzy promised they’d call her) before pulling away. She got into her car and pulled out behind us so quickly that one might’ve thought she was a vampire herself. Clearly she didn’t want to get caught by the security guard who was patrolling around, looking for us.
“Give me a moment,” Darius said as the security truck pulled across the road in front of us.
I watched in vague fascination as Darius exited the car, put on the jets, ripped the door of the security truck open, and bit the driver. That hot jab of emotion pierced my chest, and I looked away. This was getting out of hand.
When he entered the car a moment later, his eyes lingered on my face.
“What’s up?” I asked, not meeting his stare.
“I saw your expression just now. You are losing the battle, as I have. You are realizing that forever between us would be the unbreakable bond humans speak of, but could never fully understand.”
“No,” I said, and crossed my arms. Why did he turn me into a juvenile with my responses?
“I don’t like the sound of that, young lady.” Callie leaned toward us.
“I was only wondering why you bit him instead of just knocking him out,” I said, trying to dig myself out of this sudden hole I’d found myself in. Callie and Dizzy would find a way to kill Darius if they thought my mind was lost to him.
“This will be a positive experience he won’t quite believe,” Darius responded. “He will be less likely to share news of it.”
“We should get going before someone else comes,” Dizzy said, peering out his window. “I hope there aren’t any cameras. You didn’t kill him, did you, Darius?”
“I didn’t, no.” Darius’s gaze lingered on mine for a moment longer before he turned back to the wheel.
The ride back to the hotel was quiet as everyone decompressed. Darius parked out front and helped Dizzy and Callie out of the car before holding out his arm for me. He didn’t insist on carrying me, thankfully, even though I leaned heavily on him. When walking through the lobby, a dapper-looking man in a tailored suit glided up to us.
“Mr. Durant.” The man, who was surely a vampire, based on his flawless face, nodded at Darius. “It is a pleasure. I apologize that I haven’t been able to properly greet you until now.”
“Mr. Regent,” Darius said in greeting. “We have been busy. Thank you for accommodating us.”
“My pleasure, as always. I look forward to the critique.” His smile was a whopper—charming, disarming, boyish, and devilishly handsome all at once. He was a panty melter, for sure. “Please, can I interest you in a drink?”
“Not just now, I thank you,” Darius said, starting forward again. “We’ve had a long night. I do wish to speak with you regarding some matters in the area, but that can wait until tomorrow.”
“Of course, sir.” Mr. Regent flashed that mouth-watering smile again. “Can I send something to your room?”
“I’m hungry,” I mumbled with my hand on my stomach.
“Yes, darling. You are always hungry.” Darius nodded at Mr. Regent. “Surprise her. She’ll eat most anything.”
That was true enough.
“Of course. And you?” Mr. Regent glanced at Dizzy and Callie.
Dizzy turned up the wattage of his smile. If he’d hoped to compete with Mr. Regent, though, he had a long way to go. “We’ll place an order in a little while. Thanks so much.”
“Of course,” Mr. Regent bowed with a soft chuckle. “At your convenience.”
Back in my room, I heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed on the bed. The last trembles of fear worked their way out of my system. That had been a helluva fight, and most of the battle was against myself. I had so much to learn. I knew that now. There was a gaping hole in my knowledge about my power that I needed to close up. That I needed to fuse with what I did know. The demon had seemed so certain I was powerful, and being what it was, that it had been sent up to find me, it probably knew. I needed to look into that.
Tomorrow.
Or maybe the next day.
I was too tired to worry about it now. The threat was gone, and that was good enough for the moment.
My stomach rumbled. I heaved myself up off the bed and stripped. I needed a shower and food. Then I needed to really ponder if heading over to the vampire’s room was a good idea.
My stupid heart fluttered again. This time it wasn’t as welcomed. I was in great danger here, and not like I’d originally thought. I wouldn’t lose myself to Darius because of his species, but I might in the way a woman loses herself to a man.
The hot water falling over my skin felt good. The absence of the hollow, cold magic felt good. And when I got out, wrapping myself in a white, fluffy towel felt great.
I stood in the center of my room, looking at the white door leading to Darius. He wouldn’t come in to pressure me, I knew. He wouldn’t open the door and ask if I was coming. He would wait for my decision, and respect it, whatever it was.
I heaved a sigh, tried to resist, and walked to the door.
On the other side, I smiled at the fresh rose petals littering the ground and bed, then cocked my head in confusion at all the unlit candles.
“Afraid of a fire hazard?” I asked as I stepped into the room, officially making my decision.
He was dressed in a robe and had draped a big arm over the back of the chair.
“I thought you could light the candles,” he said. He stayed where he was, waiting for me to come to him.
“You’re not playing those hunter-and-prey games you said you liked, huh?” Heat infused my body. Concise balls of flame sprang to life around us, then drifted toward the candles.
“No.” Darius lifted a hand to stop me. “Light them with a thought, not with that method.”
I snuffed the little balls of flame. My fingers curled into fists as I concentrated, imagining all the different little wicks spread across the room. With a push, they lit as one.
Darius smiled. “Perfect. And I already told you, I hunt until my intended fully succumbs to our joined pleasure. As you did last night. When that happens, I fully succumb as well. We are past games, you and I. We are equals, and both of us are completely invested.”
“That’s heavy.” My instinct was to meander around the room, trying to get comfortable or work up the gumption to leave. I knew where I would end up, though. I knew that when I’d walked through the door.
So I just cut to the chase. And dropped my towel.
“When’s dinner coming? I’m starving,” I said, heading toward him as my body surged with need and my core tightened in desire. I’d fight it tomorrow. Tonight, I’d succumb, as he’d said.
“Soon,” he whispered, his eyes feasting on me. “But first, let me worship you.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
A hard knock sounded at my door.
I frowned, because I didn’t think J.M. was the type to pound, but I wasn’t expecting anyone else.
I sprayed a bit of hairspray on my newly styled hair and headed out of the bathroom.
It was Monday. We could’ve returned yesterday evening, but the whole crew had decided it was a great idea to take a day to recuperate, sightsee, and actually enjoy the town. Oscar had been shocked when I told him it was over. He’d began asking questions about the specifics, but just as quickly backed off and decided to investigate the remains of the site. Half of the information he got from me he wouldn’t be able to explain anyway.
Little did
we know the guild mages would be stalking us the whole time. Looking menacing for long periods was actually harder—and more exhausting—than I’d expected. It kept the idiots away until we could make it back to the Edgewater Hotel, though, a place the guild didn’t seem to want any part of, so I wasn’t too put out.
I’d asked Darius what was going on between the mages and the vampires in that area, and how he’d come to know Penny, but he hadn’t given me a thorough answer. What I could deduce was that he’d helped out Mr. Regent the month previous, but didn’t have any direct dealings in Seattle. From his vague answers, I figured that the vampires didn’t like anyone having jurisdiction over them. They had to tolerate the elves in the Realm, since no one could unseat the elves’ power, but the vampires had decided they would no longer tolerate the guild. Somehow, Penny and some other mysterious mage were the reason. Darius wouldn’t say how, or who this other rogue mage was, but I had a feeling it had to do with a massive amount of power.
I’d quickly decided that it wasn’t my problem. In the last couple of months, I’d had some pretty close calls. I needed to lie low for a while. I hated it, but Garret would stay the king of the NOLA MLE office for a while longer, the douche.
Tonight I would connect with J.M. to see if he’d made any progress on dealing with magical people, because I’d made a promise. Truth be told, I didn’t really care. I’d help the guy out if he needed it, sure, but after everything I’d dealt with recently, I would just as soon stay in with a bottle of wine.
I opened my door to the surly face of No Good Mikey.
“Hey,” I said, leaving the door open and heading to the kitchen. A glass of wine while I waited sounded like just the ticket. “Want a drink?”
“Am I supposed to come in, then?”
“What was your first clue, the opened door or the offer of a libation?”
“Her and her fancy words,” I heard him mutter. He appeared in the archway to the kitchen and promptly leaned against the side. “What do you got?”
“Wine, beer, whiskey, cognac, vodka, Baileys—”
“A beer, thanks. Any kind, doesn’t matter.”
“Good. Because I only have one kind.” I grabbed out a bottle, popped the top, and handed it over. “What’s up?”
“Where you been?”
“Seattle. For work.”
He grunted before taking a sip. “Smokey said it was quiet while you were gone. You know, for the stuff he watches. The normal crime in the area went up, though. Some thugs are trying to throw their weight around. Expand their territory.” Mikey huffed and took another sip. “I figured I’d let it roll until you got back. Let them try and mug you.”
“Mug me?” I poured myself a glass of red. What type specifically, I had no idea.
“Yeah. A pretty blond girl like you—when you have hair—walking all alone in the dead of night? They’ll think you’re easy prey.”
“That won’t be a nice surprise for them.”
“Like I said, I’ll wait until they try and mug you.”
I motioned for him to go back into the living room. He peeled off to the side to allow me out, then followed me. I plopped down on the couch. He hesitantly took the love seat, the first time he’d dared to get comfortable in my house.
“So what’s up?” I asked, because he always had a reason for coming around. I didn’t think he was the type to casually hang in someone else’s space.
“I’m not gonna lie—I’m still not easy about all that stuff I saw.” He threw an arm over the back of the couch. “That shit ain’t right.”
“Either you get used to it, or I kill you.”
His laugh said he’d like to see me try. “The other thing is that someone has been coming in here. I ain’t never seen him, or heard him, but Smokey said someone’s been going in through your back door when you aren’t home.”
“Did he see just one person?”
He squinted at me.
“There have been a few people coming in,” I said. “Or I think so, unless they sent reinforcements the other day when I was messing around with them. A friend of mine, who has more money than a single person should, has his minions stock my fridge and clean up and stuff.”
Mikey’s eyes widened. He glanced around and slowly nodded. “It is always clean. Does this guy pay for it?”
“Of course. There is no way I’d pay for someone to bust into my house when I wasn’t home. I don’t even need half the stuff they stock. But he’s hard of hearing when I tell him to get lost.”
“You don’t seem like the kind of girl to let someone get away with that.”
“Trust me, you don’t know what I’m up against.” The doorbell rang as I took a sip. “I have a work thing tonight. Kinda.” I pushed myself off the couch. “This guy is in the same position you are with the magical stuff, but he works for the police and has to deal with it professionally.”
“With the police?”
“Yeah. Detective. I met him at my old job.”
“I wondered why you was all done up. It is that swank lookin’ dude who always comes around?” Mikey followed me to the door.
“No, he’s the one who stocks the house. And does a whole lot of illegal stuff. Definitely not a cop.”
Mikey shook his head. “Why would you, of all people, try to wrangle with a cop? I’d stick with the illegal dude. That’s a more comfortable setup, if you don’t mind me saying.”
“Trust me, it isn’t more comfortable, and also, I’m not wrangling. Just being nice for a change. It’s annoying.”
“I’ll say. I don’t bother. It makes my life easier.”
I huffed out a laugh as I pulled open the door.
J.M. stood there in jeans and a blue button-up, attractive by human standards, but unfortunately plain compared to what I’d been looking at for the past week or so. It was hard to compare anyone to Darius, and no one could compare to Vlad.
“Hey,” I said, pushing the door wide.
J.M. was about to say hey back, but his smile dwindled as his gaze snagged on Mikey behind me.
“Oh, he’s my neighbor.” I got out of the way so Mikey could leave the house. “He just stopped by.”
“I got nothing to do with this, bro.” Mikey held up his hands, one still holding a mostly full beer, and scooted by J.M. “Take my advice, though. Don’t put a move on her unless you know she’s into it. She is not one to mess with.”
“Lovely, Mikey, thanks,” I said sarcastically. “See ya.”
Mikey saluted with his beer and started down the street.
“Didn’t you say he was your neighbor?” J.M. asked, watching Mikey.
“Yeah. That house.” I pointed at the house on my right, in the opposite direction Mikey had taken off. “He wanders around the neighborhood sometimes. It’s fine. It’s all very normal.”
J.M.’s confusion said he wasn’t sure about that. He turned back to me and his eyes took me in. “Wow,” he said as his gaze roamed my face then dipped to my body. “You’re…” He shook his head. “You’re beautiful, Reagan.”
I smoothed the red silk fabric over my legs. It was one of the many dresses Marie had bought for me, and the most casual of the bunch. I’d done a little makeup and tried mildly on my hair. All this because J.M. had texted that we’d go somewhere nice to eat, his treat.
Now, seeing him in a pale blue button-up with a pair of jeans, I realized my error. Nice in Darius language meant at least a four-star rating. It meant fancy, but to his tastes, still somewhat mediocre. I was in the real world now, where people weren’t made of money.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Sure, yeah. I think I’m dressed too casual.”
“Oh.” I hooked a thumb behind me. “Do I have time to change?”
“God no. No way. You’re gorgeous. Every guy in the place will be jealous. Come on.” He stepped aside so I could exit the house.
I stepped out and locked the door behind me. At least it would keep non-vampires out.
J.M.’s midnigh
t-blue Mustang waited at the curb. He clicked his key fob and the lights flashed. I stepped to the passenger door and waited as he walked around to the driver’s side.
“You okay?” he asked, opening the door.
I rolled my eyes at myself. I had to remember J.M. was from a different time than the people I traveled with lately. He wasn’t hung up on opening doors.
“Yup. Sorry, I just needed to check my phone really quickly.” I dove into my handbag, pushed my gun out of the way, and grabbed my cell. There was a message, thankfully, so I totally looked legit.
I opened the door and sat into the car before reading the message from Smokey. A human is watching your house. Nicely dressed. Slicked-back hair. Should I tell Mikey?
I looked around as J.M. pulled away from the curb but didn’t see anyone. Or Smokey.
Did Smokey even sleep? The guy seemed like he was up at all hours.
I texted back, No. Try to get a picture if you can. Even from a distance. I needed a new hobby, and messing with Darius’s people might need to be it.
10-4, came the return message from Smokey.
“So how was your trip?” J.M. asked as he turned the corner.
We talked about pleasantries during the car ride, any holes in the conversation quickly plugged with useless info. A while later he parked the car across from the brewery in the French Quarter. I’d caught a cab in almost this same location while I was working with Darius.
I blew out a breath as a pang hit my heart. It had been a little over twenty-four hours, and already I missed him. It wasn’t even the glorious nights wrapped in his body, or the witty dialogue we always shared, but the comfort of having him by my side. Content that he had my back, and I had his.
Man, I just wanted to see him again. It was really annoying. Especially since I wasn’t good at reining myself in.
“Reagan?”
“Hmm?” I blinked as J.M. held the door to the restaurant for me. “You okay?”
“Oh yeah. Sorry.” I laughed. “Head in the clouds. It’s been a long week.”
“I’ll say.” He followed me into the restaurant and then up the stairs as the hostess led us to our table. After we were seated, he said, “I heard the case was filed away, but you didn’t bring anyone in. So it was a dead end?”
