by Sharon Kay
“No.”
“Do you have any kids?”
“No.” He cleared his throat. “You?”
“No to both.” She nibbled her bottom lip, so damn sexy he nearly coughed again. “I just thought it would be good to know.”
“I agree,” he said. “Nothing like getting straight to the point. Anything else?”
“What’s your last name?”
He gave his standard answer. “Hunter.”
She tilted her head. “You said you were checking out the local coffee. Are you visiting the area?”
Shit. No going back. “Yeah. I have an interview with campus security.” The university was huge. He hoped she didn’t know anyone in that department. “I’m here a few days early. Thought I’d check out the party last night, since it was hosted by a student organization.”
“And I monopolized you,” she murmured.
He winked at her. “Hardly an inconvenience.”
Her phone chimed. She ignored it.
So polite. “Go ahead.” He nodded to her phone.
She picked it up and grinned. “It’s from Nicole. She and Brooke are Christmas shopping on Michigan Avenue. She sent a picture of the ubiquitous fur protest outside Neiman Marcus. Here.” She turned the phone around. He leaned forward and shook his head at the crowd of people, some waving signs and some dressed like animals.
“Interesting, as long as people aren’t tossing paint.”
“Usually not.” She wrinkled her nose. “My sisters go every year, fight the crowds and see the same fur protest. They can keep their routine. I’m not much of a shopper.” Gin turned her phone back to face her and scrolled, then turned it to him again. “Here’s a recent picture of them.”
Mathias nodded at their familiar faces. Damn, he was balancing on a dagger’s edge. “They both got creative with their hair.”
Gin rolled her eyes. “That’s a very diplomatic way to say it. Their hair is crazy. It’s for their boyfriends. The stripe of black in Nic’s hair matches Gunnar’s, and the stripe of blond in Brooke’s hair matches Kai’s.” She shook her head. “And the worst part is, the guys did the same thing. They each have a stripe to match their girl. It’s so weird.”
Had Nicole and Brooke explained the mate lock to Gin? Surely they had. When supernatural creatures mated, each one acquired a lock of hair in the color and texture of the other one.
“It looks trendy, I guess. Not that I know much about hair,” he said.
“Yeah, trendy.” Another eye roll. Gin looked like she thought it was ridiculous. “I’m going to the washroom. Be right back.”
Her ass was sweet and tight in those ripped-up jeans as she walked away from him. He pinched the bridge of his nose. What the hell was he doing? He blew out a breath and picked up the pink iPod she’d left on the table.
He grinned as he scrolled through her artists and playlists. If the Ramones T-shirt hadn’t clued him in, this sealed it. Gin was a die-hard eighties alternative rock fan. Depeche Mode, the Cure, U2’s Unforgettable Fire album. The list went on and on. There was also a playlist labeled “Ballroom” and the soundtracks to Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. Diverse. Just like the rest of her interests.
He set the iPod down and looked out the window, wondering what her plans were for the day. Hell, he needed a plan. He was winging it. That alone wasn’t new for him. But Gin was. His instincts were screaming about her. To tell her jokes, make her smile. Tuck her close against his side. Kiss those sweet lips. Memorize her curves.
Trumpets blared in a loud burst as U2’s “Angel of Harlem” echoed from the sound system. The light thud of her boots and a waft of cinnamon announced her approach. He turned to see her green eyes twinkling, a playful smirk dancing across her mouth as she carried two small white plates with muffins. She set them on the table and settled into her chair.
Mathias raised one eyebrow.
Her smirk bloomed into a smile. “Cranberry muffins are my favorite. They only have them at Christmastime.”
He tilted his head. “I’ve never had a cranberry muffin.” True. In his five hundred twenty years. You’re walking a whole new path here, Hunter.
“They’re sweet and tart. Taste it.” A familiar glimmer sparked in her eyes. He recognized the look she’d given him last night when she didn’t think he could dance.
How could he resist that smile? It reached her eyes, lighting her whole face. Sweet and tart. Is that how she tastes? He leaned forward and broke a crumbling piece off the top, making sure to get one red berry nestled in a bed of sugary pastry. With deliberate slowness he raised it to his lips, not breaking eye contact with her.
His acute hearing registered her breath coming a fraction faster. Her attention dropped to his mouth as he popped the bite of muffin in.
“Mm.” He grinned and winked at her. “Sweet and tart. I need another taste.”
She swallowed audibly, blinked several times, and took a gulp of coffee. “Um…I’m glad you like it.”
He winked at her and made quick work of the rest of the muffin. Gin was fun and she wanted to play. The primal demon inside him basked in her interest. Miss B didn’t know what she was getting into. “So what are your plans for today?”
“Hang out here for a bit longer.” She nibbled her muffin. “Then go wrap presents at Toys for Tots. After that, who knows?”
Bono crooned something about a Christmas tree and a smiling angel. Mathias blinked. Angel. The word stuck in his head. He reached for his cup and gulped more Brazilian rocket fuel.
“How about you?” she asked.
“Me?”
She smiled and quirked an eyebrow. “Um, yes, you. What’s on your agenda today?” Her phone trilled before he could answer.
Good, because he hadn’t come up with one yet.
“Hello? What’s wr—Oh no! Bummer. Well, get some rest.” Gin frowned and pressed a key, then dropped her hand into her lap. “I just lost my other elf.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Your elf?” She didn’t really mean elf…did she?
“That’s what we call each other. Me and my friend Cara. She was supposed to help me wrap gifts today but she has a fever and chills.” She blew out a breath. “Looks like wrapping is the only thing on my agenda now.”
“I can help.” The words popped out of his mouth before he could think twice. No thought required—he just wanted to spend more time with her. Never mind the small fact that he had never wrapped a present before. On Torth, gifts were given with ornate boxes, or sometimes basic concealment spells. Especially for children. They would have to try to undo the spell to find out what their gift was. But the human custom of using colorful paper, with ribbons and bows, always seemed like too much trouble.
“Really? That’d be great!” She beamed that thousand watt smile.
He loved her smile and loved that he’d put it on her face. She practically radiated light, sitting there with the sun in her hair. Bright green eyes and red lips, coffee and muffins, sweet and tart. A tingling pressure settled around his chest, filling him with the need to stay close to her. And not just to do his job.
Whatever the hell that means. But for now, he’d learn to wrap presents.
CHAPTER 8
A ZAP HIT XAVIER’S STERNUM. He paused mid-way through typing his latest falsified lab results. Warmth spread through his chest. The communication amulet.
He’d used the amulet the other day, with perfect results—one good thing to come out of the idiot troll brothers’ visit. The amulet, hanging from a silver chain under his clothing, flared with heat whenever Elegia wanted to speak to him.
Xavier strode to his closed office door and locked it. Pulling the small sphere from his shirt, he murmured the Demonish words inscribed on it. Energy crackled in the air of his meager workspace. A circle of light appeared in front of him, about a foot in diameter. It looked like a small portal.
A few seconds later Elegia’s form appeared in miniature, within the circle. “Xavier.” Her tone was typical: business-bordering-on-an
imosity. Her expression looked hard enough to add warts to a toad. And he counted himself lucky for that. She often looked pissed or disgusted. And when she was enraged, perversely, she looked insanely happy. Probably thinking up ways to torture the creature who’d dared to cross her.
He bowed, as he always did in her presence. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t physically in the same room. “My lady.” He straightened up to a standing position. “It’s a pleasure to hear from you.”
She flipped a lock of blond hair out of her eyes. “How’s your work progressing?”
“Since my proposal for a new experimental filtration process was accepted, I’ve been given permission to launch the system at several facilities in the region. I’ll start with my current location and then move to the others.”
“How long will this take?”
He shifted his weight. “Initial projection is three months, consider—”
“Three months?” Even in her current tiny image, Elegia’s eyes flashed with anger. “That’s too long. Make it one.”
Xavier swallowed. “I’m expected to stay a given length of time at each facility. These humans proceed slowly and methodically, with any scientif—”
“Make up a reason to shorten your visits. Or I’ll make up a way to kill you.” Her tone didn’t change. She managed to sound almost bored.
Xavier stiffened, forcing his expression to remain stoic. Elegia couldn’t be reasoned with. He’d decided years ago that for all her intelligence, she was simply crazy. He’d seen her end scores of lives for less than this. “Yes, my lady.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “Good. Start where you are, then in two days move to the next location.” She paced, the lighted circle moving with her. Lily plants filtered in and out near its periphery, telling him she was in her lab.
“Xavier, I also need you to keep your ears and eyes open.” She stopped in front of one plant and gently touched its dark petals. “There’s a nasty rumor going around the realm.”
He frowned. Elegia didn’t like surprises. Nor rumors, unless she’d started them. “A rumor?”
“Supposedly.” She widened her eyes and tilted her head, ridicule oozing from her voice and posture. “The Solsti have been seen on Torth.”
“The Solsti?” He couldn’t keep the surprise out of his own voice. “The mythical women? There must be some mistake. Are you hearing this from your captives? Perhaps delusion is a side effect of the extract.”
“That’s one plausible scenario. The problem is, my guards are hearing these stories before they deliver the creatures to me!” Her voice rose. “If I hear of any more captives saying ‘the Solsti will save us,’ I’ll rip their goddamn tongues out!”
“You’ve heard this from multiple unrelated sources?”
“From demons to nymphs, different species from all over Torth are talking about them.” She scowled and waved her hand in the air, making her voice a mocking sing-song. “The Solsti and their wonderful powers.” Her coal black eyes pulsed red for a second and a low growl rose in her throat. “If the rumors are true, and they had better not be, two of the women have been here. Usually in the company of Lash demons. And there’s a Lash group in your region.”
He nodded. Yes, he knew there was a group of Lash Watchers nearby, but the Soslti? Was Elegia finally succumbing to full blown insanity and actually believing this? Or was the lily’s potent scent, when concentrated, affecting her judgment? He forced neutrality into his tone. “You’d like me to watch for the Solsti?”
“Yes. If not Solsti, then these women somehow possess powers no one has seen in centuries. They have to be hiding somewhere. And they’re probably together, since legend has it that they’re blood relatives.” She clenched her fist. “What I wouldn’t give to have one of them in my ranks.”
She does believe it. Was she going to tell him to look out for unicorns next? Not that he could do anything but accept her orders. As her top lieutenant, he was well known among the rapidly-growing ranks of her army. Many would be happy to report a misstep, and the results wouldn’t be pretty.
“They may be looking to join with the Watchers,” she continued. “Be mindful of anything unusual. Any strange creatures you can’t identify, or anyone demonstrating a skill that’s out of character. And move forward with your assignment. Do you have enough extract?”
“Yes, thanks to the latest delivery.”
“Are your kin nearby, if needed?”
“Yes. Ready and waiting your command.”
“Good. Get started. Update me with the results.”
“Yes, my lady. Thank you for this opportunity.” Xavier bowed again and before he could raise his head, the crackle of magic ceased and the circle of light winked out. He blew out a breath. That conversation had gone about as well as possible. Elegia’s temper could be mercurial.
He paced to a table at the side of the room, eyeing the test tubes lined up in a rack. The liquid inside represented today’s samples, perfectly safe for human consumption. Each day, several times a day, tests were performed on stored water that would one day reach the public.
Tests that he would now oversee.
Ria glanced across the street at the cheery downtown storefront that the childrens’ charity was using as their temporary collection, wrap, and distribution center. Gin and Mathias had been inside for a couple of hours. Thanks to the magical listening device she’d installed on Gin’s phone, Ria heard everything. And not just Gin’s phone calls. The weightless device hovered like a rubber band around the phone and recorded every word spoken within the vicinity. As long as it was installed, it remained invisible, and only magic would take it off.
Pretty handy when she couldn’t accompany Gin into the upper level biology classes she taught. If Gin so much as breathed too hard, Ria would know about it. Would be there in a heartbeat.
Thank the gods she wasn’t inside the shop with them now. She’d collapsed in a fit of giggles at Gin’s politely covered shock upon learning that Mathias had never wrapped a gift. And again at his attempt to fold and tape the paper.
She didn’t know whether to gag or high five her brother. “Will you stop with the cheesy lines?” she muttered to herself. She shook her head and the tip of her nose brushed the edge of her scarf. Shifting in the seat of her parked silver Honda, she tapped her foot to an old eighties song called “Cruel Summer.” Ah, summer. Beaches and bikinis.
She sang along softly, some line about being too hot to handle, and rolled her eyes. Sounded like her brother and Gin were about to be too hot to handle.
Knowing that Gin was secure with Mathias, Ria had cased the area. She’d driven up and down every street, studied every soul walking about. This college town wasn’t a frequent stop for supernaturals. The bars had their share of fairies every weekend night, but all they wanted was hook ups. As if they don’t get enough on Torth. Ria hadn’t seen a single warrior or predatory species since she’d arrived here three months ago.
Satisfied, she’d returned to the storefront, chuckling at Gin’s beloved yellow Volkswagen bug parallel parked at the curb. Mathias had looked so funny unfolding his long legs from the tiny car.
A young man ambled by across the street, pausing to lean on Gin’s car. Ria raised her eyebrows. Bad attitude rolled off him as he glanced around then pulled out his phone. His backwards ball cap was emblazoned with three Greek letters, and he had a backpack slung over one shoulder of his North Face jacket. With model good looks and broad shoulders, he was eye-catching. Too much so, actually…she narrowed her eyes. A tingle of warning crawled down her spine.
She cracked her window, knowing that without the glass barrier, he would pick up her scent as easily as she was about to pick up his. But she had the advantage of being hidden in her car. And of making the first move.
She took a deep inhale.
All her senses screamed. Warrior.
A Deserati demon. The piney, metallic scent of elven-forged steel told her he was armed. Lethal. As if his hidden tail was
n’t dangerous enough.
In a flash of movement she jumped out of her car and slammed the door shut. He swerved to face her, masking surprise before he pasted on a smile.
She sauntered across the street, needing to get him away from the store. Away from Gin and her brother. The less Gin knew, the better. Ria’d been prepared for this for months. Now it was go time.
“You lost?” she purred.
He licked his lips. “Nope.”
The flare of his nostrils told her that he knew what she was, and probably discerned that she carried her own concealed weapons. “Let’s go somewhere a little more private.”
“You sure you can handle it, little girl?”
Pfft. He didn’t just say that. Then again, not all men expected to run into a female Watcher. She sauntered right up into his personal space, boots crunching on the salted street. She trailed a finger down his jacket zipper, pausing for a second to tug at the hem, her hand inches from his fly. “I bet I’ve handled bigger than you.” She stepped away, turning to glance at him, then rounded the building’s corner into a service alley.
With nimble fingers, she unbuttoned her coat to grab her dagger, keeping her hand under the soft fabric. His footfalls registered swift and light, his scent saturating the air around her. She had one second—
He was behind her in an instant, pressing her chest against the brick wall. “What’s a pretty demoness like you doing in this nowhere Earth town?”
“I was wondering the same of you.” Her knife hand flexed. There was a slim chance that he may have a legitimate reason for being here, but she was getting nothing-but-nasty vibes from him. No matter the pretty boy exterior. She’d learned to trust her gut long ago.
He ran his hands down her sides, past her waist and down to circle her hips. Not a caress. She knew he was checking for weapons. “I don’t feel like talking,” he said, his hands finding her open coat front.
“Mmm, good. Me neither.” She sagged against the brick, then spun in the blink of an eye. It was one of her tricks. Mathias got the super sniffer and the mind-scrub. She got the speedy spin.
