by Cat Devon
Seymour nodded.
Alex looked at a new text on his phone from Nick. “Then I’m gone.”
He made one stop on his way to Nick’s office in the back of the All Nighter Bar and Grill. He spoke into the hidden voice recognition security box. “To the Vamp Cave.”
The hidden entrance immediately opened. Nick, Damon, and Ronan were all waiting for him in the underground room that was the security center for Vamptown.
“Do you have it with you?” Nick asked.
Alex nodded.
“Follow me.”
Alex looked around. “Where’s Neville?” The computer nerd was usually seated in his chair in front of the various surveillance screens, his fingers flying over the keyboards of his high-tech computer.
“He doesn’t need to know about this,” Nick said. “No one else does.”
Alex eyed them warily. “You’re not planning on staking me again, are you?”
“No. That was a mistake,” Nick admitted. “I apologize for that error.”
“Apology accepted,” Alex said. “Where are we going?” he asked as Nick used an eye scanner to enter another area located below the underground room.
“To the safe room,” Nick replied.
It didn’t seem large enough to be called a room and it didn’t have a safe, it had the kind of vault you’d find in a Swiss bank.
“I didn’t know this was here,” Alex said.
“We’re the only ones who do,” Damon said. “The secret remains with us.”
Nick activated another eye scan, which opened the vault.
Alex reached under his shirt and pulled out The Executioner’s journal he’d retrieved.
“Shouldn’t we read it first?” Damon said.
“I read it before saving Keira,” Alex said. “That’s how I knew how to defeat Lynch.”
“There could be more useful information in there,” Damon said.
“And harmful information about vampires and our blood,” Alex said. “We can’t afford to let this get into the wrong hands. By the way, I just met with Seymour, and the Gold Coast vamps have voted to halt the auction of the überblood they created.”
“Wait, the Gold Coast vampires voted?” Nick said in amazement.
Alex nodded. “I know. Times are changing.”
“For the better, I hope.” Ronan spoke for the first time.
Alex set the journal inside. He’d stashed it on the boat, cloaking it, while he’d gone to rescue Keira.
Nick quickly closed the vault. “Don’t tell Daniella about this or she’ll want to stash her secret recipe for red velvet cupcakes in here.”
“And Zoe would want to put the secret recipe for her Revive citrus soap in there,” Damon said.
“Sierra would want to put the latest draft of her book in there,” Ronan said.
“What would Keira want to put in here?” Nick asked Alex.
“The journal,” Alex replied.
* * *
“What do you think the men are up to?” Daniella asked as she, Zoe, Sierra and Keira sat around the sofa and chairs in the loft.
“No good, most likely,” Sierra said.
“I don’t know. I think they’ve done a lot of good things,” Keira said.
“That’s because you’re an optimist,” Daniella said as she handed Keira a red velvet mini cupcake.
“I’m a realist,” Keira said.
“A realist who is going to live a long time,” Zoe said.
“I love Alex,” Keira quietly admitted.
“Of course you do,” Zoe said, patting her on the shoulder. “What’s not to love about him?”
“The fact that he’s a vampire,” Keira said.
“And you’re the granddaughter of a hunter destined to fall for him and no one else. It’s so romantic. Not as romantic as Damon and me,” Zoe added with a grin.
“Not as romantic as Ronan and me,” Sierra stated emphatically.
“Nick and I have you all beat,” Daniella said. “No contest.”
“It takes a special woman to love a vampire,” Sierra said.
“Or a special witch,” Zoe said.
“Right.” Sierra agreed. “Or a special witch.”
“Alex hasn’t said he loves me,” Keira admitted.
“He will. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He tells you with his eyes,” Zoe said. “Have you told him how you feel about him?”
“No, but I plan to as soon as he comes back.”
“I’m back,” Alex said as he suddenly appeared.
He wasn’t alone. Nick, Damon, and Ronan were with him.
“What’s wrong?” Keira immediately asked.
“We’ve been apart from the women we love for too long,” Nick said as he pulled Daniella into his arms and kissed the cream cheese frosting from her lips before zooming off with her.
“Ditto,” Damon said, tugging Zoe into his arms and taking off with her.
Ronan grinned and pulled Sierra to her feet before picking her up and disappearing with her.
“How do they not run into one another when they are all moving so fast?” Keira asked.
“I’ll ask the questions for now,” Alex said before taking her in his arms and peeling her clothes from her.
She blinked at him. “Talk about fast.”
“I intend to go slow from here on out.” Picking her up, he carried her to the huge bed in the other side of the loft … the bed she’d eyed from the moment he’d brought her here. Lowering her onto the black satin comforter, he hovered over her, propped up on one muscular arm, while using his free hand to caress her from shoulder to thigh.
“Is this good for you?” he murmured.
“Mmmm.”
He paused to rub his thumb over her left nipple. “Better?”
She arched her back as pleasure coursed through her. “Yes.”
He trailed his fingers lower to the juncture of her thighs. “Even better?”
“Oh yes, yes!”
Her orgasm seized hold as her entire being pulsated.
“Want more?”
“Yes!” she gasped, reaching for him.
He thrust into her with one smooth move that had her vagina clutching him. She hung on to his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his hips as she soared to new heights of ecstasy.
Alex came a short time later, stiffening in her arms before collapsing on top of her. A moment later he rolled so she was spread atop him.
“Good?” he murmured.
“I’m at a loss for words,” she whispered.
She felt his chuckle. “That’s a first,” he said.
Resting her cheek on his bare chest, she said the words she’d been feeling. “I love you.”
There was no reply. Keira didn’t need the words in that moment. She wanted them but she didn’t need them because Alex threaded his fingers through her hair with tender gentleness. “You’re The One for me.” His voice was husky. “The only one for me.”
Keira fell asleep knowing that she was with the only one for her.
One month later …
“Keira, you’re crying,” Alex said in alarm as he walked into the loft after work.
“It’s my birthday.”
“I know. Do you always cry on your birthday?”
“My mom got me a present,” she said unsteadily.
“What? How is that possible?”
“She arranged it ahead of time,” Keira said. “I just got the email about it today.”
Alex wiped the tears from her cheeks with the ball of his thumb. “You should have called me. I would have come home to be with you.”
“It’s the photographs. Here look.” She showed him her laptop screen.
“Is that you?”
Keira nodded. “It’s me eating my first chocolate cookie. I was just a toddler. These are the family photos I lost in the photo album in my apartment fire. My mom scanned them all before she was killed and had them stored in the cloud.” Her tears fell again as she showed Alex the email fro
m her mom that the cloud company had sent along with the link.
Surprise! I scanned these photos while you were out of town speaking at that conference up in Madison. I still prefer the real thing, but I think you’ll like these and be impressed with your mom’s tech savvy! Love you, honey.
Happy birthday,
Mom
Alex took Keira in his arms. “I’m so sorry Lynch took your mom from you. Her and your grandfather.”
“My grandfather sent me to you because he knew and finally accepted that we were meant to be together.”
Alex tightened his hold on her. “Meant to be together forever.”
“Do I have forever?”
“As you know, I asked Simon to do some research into that and he got back to me today. It appears that because of your blaster skills and our bonding that you will live as long as I do.”
Keira hugged him fiercely. “That’s all I want.”
“Really?” he teased her. “Because I had the feeling that you might also want some red velvet cupcakes from Heavenly Cupcakes.”
“Daniella is bringing a cake for the party later this evening.” Keira had protested that she didn’t need a party but everyone had been adamant—especially Bruce, who had put together a theme. He’d pushed for a circus theme but when that hadn’t flown he’d gone with typewriters and writing. Keira had already met Liz and Benji for lunch at Keira and Benji’s favorite hamburger place. He’d completely recovered and was doing great.
The party tonight comprised Vamptown residents, including Fiona, who’d moved into the vampire neighborhood.
“I know Daniella is bringing a cake,” Alex said. “But she grabbed me on my way in and asked me to give you this.” He released her and handed her a cardboard cupcake carrier box. Inside was a cupcake charm bracelet and a small card that said, Welcome to the family.
Beside that was a mini cupcake and a birthday cake candle. Make a special wish just for you, Daniella wrote. There will be more candles on the cake, but this is to get you started.
Keira stuck the pink birthday candle into the cupcake’s cheesecake frosting.
“Don’t use your blaster skills to light that,” Alex said. “Or it could end up scorched all over the wall.”
“Hah. Ye of little faith.” She waved her index finger over the candle and lit it without incident.
Alex was impressed. “You’ve been practicing.”
“I have,” she said.
He nodded toward the cupcake. “Make a wish.”
She did before blowing out the candle.
“I know better than to ask what you wished for,” Alex said.
“If I tell you, it might not come true,” Keira said.
“Is there some rule against showing me?”
“No rule against that,” she said with a grin.
He checked his watch. “We’ve got a good two hours before the party starts.”
“We’re going to have an awesome two hours,” she corrected him. “And the party starts now—just you and me.”
“Open your present from me first,” he said.
“Gladly.” She reached for the zipper on his pants.
His laugh was part sexy growl and part appreciative approval. “Hold on.”
“I’m trying to,” she said, stroking him through the material.
“And I’m trying to give you this.” He handed her a small box.
“What is it?”
“Open it and find out.”
She did and gasped. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s a pendant to match your evil eye ring.”
She removed it from the box. “Put it on me.”
Lifting her hair out of his way, he slid the necklace around her neck and clasped it. Then he added a specialty vamp stroke of his tongue on her nape. “I love you,” he murmured against her skin, saying the words for the first time.
Keira moaned her pleasure. This was what she’d wished for—an eternity of Alex’s love. She felt it in his touch and his caresses. She was enough of a realist to know that there could be challenging times ahead, but she was enough of a romantic to know that with Alex at her side she could do anything … and that she would.
Don’t miss the Entity novels by Cat Devon!
The Entity Within
Sleeping with the Entity
Love Your Entity
Available from St. Martin’s Paperbacks
About the Author
Cat Devon is a pseudonym for Cathie Linz, an award-winning author. You can sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY CAT DEVON
The Entity Within
Sleeping with the Entity
Love Your Entity
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
About the Author
Also by Cat Devon
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
TALL, DARK AND IMMORTAL
Copyright © 2015 by Cathie L. Baumgardner.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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eISBN: 978-1-4668-7122-9
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / September 2015
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
