Oh, shit. It was creepy-suit-guy … Erick had called him Darius. Where was Erick? I wanted him. He calmed me.
I dug my fingers into Garrett’s jacket and hung on, praying he’d spoken the truth about Djinn not being able to jump with more than one passenger.
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law, asshole.” Garrett snarled and pulled me into his lap. I didn’t object and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Darius charged and Garrett ducked to the floor with me stuck to his chest like a baby in a sling.
A loud snarl from the doorway preceded Erick’s voice. “Get out.”
The bus driver and all the other passengers fled, except one.
A female voice began chanting something in Latin and Darius screamed in pain before teleporting away. Erick left the bus again and Garrett moved me back to the seat, still keeping a heavy hand attached to my arm. He peered out the window and then over at the redheaded female near the front.
Erick reappeared at the door. “Thank you for your assistance, Meredith.” He bowed his head.
“I’m just glad I was here,” she said.
The bus driver climbed up and stopped next to Erick. “Is it safe to start again? I nearly lost it when I saw that man just standing in the middle of the highway. Then that witch started jabbering back there.”
“There was no man. You saw a deer cross the road and stopped the bus to avoid killing it. There was no witch, no fight. This run was as uneventful as your last.” Erick’s voice was low, but I could hear every word.
The driver had seen and heard everything—people screaming, growling, showing fangs. He couldn’t possibly think the man would just forget.
“Yeah, this is a problem area for deer crossing.” The driver nodded his head and returned to his seat, ready to continue the run.
“What the hell?” I whispered.
“Don’t ask,” Garrett answered.
“He influenced him somehow. How?” My mouth just kept moving of its own accord. “Why doesn’t anyone know they can do that?”
“Hush,” Garrett hissed.
I snapped my mouth shut, but my brain kept turning. Mind control?
The bus rumbled to life and Erick made his way down the aisle. “Thank you for protecting Bailey.”
“I am at your service. I’m visiting my brother, Travis, but if you need me for anything, I’ll be there. I hope we can look past my previous crudeness.”
“You are forgiven. No debt is owed.”
Garrett stood and moved past Erick, leaving the bench next to me empty.
Sitting next to Garrett had been like sitting in the center of an asphalt road at noon in the Vegas desert. He put off heat like a hot oven. In this Texas heat, Erick’s cool skin was a beautiful thing. I leaned against him as he settled on the seat next to me.
He’d protected me. Garrett had, too. I was safe with these men. At least for now. It was a strange feeling to be indebted to men, but almost anything was better than Kevin or a psychopathic Djinn bent on torture. The news media didn’t spare any gory details when it came to reporting about the most dangerous Other known to exist.
The mind control ability of Erick’s had me concerned, but he hadn’t given me any reason not to trust him. Garrett’s mind reading had me a little unnerved as well. Then there was the little, redheaded witch halfway up the aisle that’d somehow forced Darius to leave.
I was somewhat aware of the supernatural powers that Others possessed, but I’d never heard of vampires influencing memories or Lycans reading minds. This type of information, if known at all, was not public. The media that was reported talked about vampires and werewolves like they were animals. Sometimes they even mentioned cleaning out a coven of witches.
Cleaning? Like they were a dirty closet that needed to be gone through and the trash tossed out. Weren’t they just people? She sure looked like an average person I might’ve served at the Seafood Shack.
The young woman leaned out of the seat and glanced at me as if she knew I contemplated her existence. Her hazel eyes met my gaze and she smiled and leaned back. Darius had called Erick a Protector. I’d never heard that term used in school. Supernatural Studies had been a required class in high school since the riots. It gave a broad overview of all known species their weaknesses and their strengths.
Apparently not all the strengths were known. Probably not all their weaknesses, either. I sat with a vampire while the early rays of morning light caressed the bare skin of his arm. No smoldering skin. No burning. He even looked like he had a pretty good tan.
My brain jumped back to the mind control. Garrett told me to be quiet. And it would make sense that vampires would want to keep that sort of thing quiet. I couldn’t even imagine what the governments might try to force on them.
As of right now, they were lucky to be alive anywhere outside of the states of the Texas Republic. In a lot of places, it was legal to shoot a vampire on sight or any Other, for that matter. They weren’t even arrested. Just killed … like vermin.
Vampires weren’t singled out, though. In the other republics, it was legal to shoot and kill any supernatural being without cause or provocation. Old billboards along highways touted their slogans every few miles.
Humans have rights. Others don’t.
Some extremists took those words to heart, but the average person didn’t go around shooting anyone. The police, on the other hand, were a different matter. I’d seen more than one Other executed on sight by a police officer.
“Your mind is spinning, kjaere. What’s bothering you?”
“If you can influence a human the way you did the bus driver, why … why don’t you do that to more people to make it easier for you to live?”
He sighed and pulled me tighter to his chest. “Is it our place to tell everyone what to think? How to feel?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“There are vampires that misuse the ability, but the majority use it sparingly and always have. Thus, the general public and governments are unaware.”
I nodded. “I won’t say anything. But, did it hurt the bus driver?”
“If used numerous times on the same human, their brain can suffer. But a mental push now and then does no permanent damage.”
“Can a person be uninfluenced?”
“Yes.”
“Will Darius come after me again?”
“Yes.”
Damn. No hesitation in that answer.
“But, you said he couldn’t come to Sanctuary.”
“He probably will not,” Erick answered. “Not that he couldn’t.”
Okay, fear was creeping back in again. That Djinn had been pissed and Erick already said they had a history. I didn’t need more anguish in my life. Kevin brought me enough as it was.
“What am I supposed to do with that? I’ve already got one psycho ex. I don’t need a Djinn hunting me to the ends of the earth, too. How do we get rid of him?”
Crap. Crap. Crap. I hadn’t meant to mention Kevin. Way to go, Bailey. Pile on the baggage. Push away the only man who’s been genuinely nice to you in years.
Every friendship I’d ever tried to have in the past had been ruined by Kevin. History was doomed to repeat itself. Eventually he would find me. Even in a small, out-of-the-way town.
“You were running from a human? An ex?”
I swallowed a sob. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just need a place to take a shower and maybe eat a hot meal. I’ll be out of your hair ASAP. I promise.”
“You don’t have to talk about it, kjaere.”
Tears ran down my cheeks. His tenderness tore at the walls I’d built around my heart. Why did he care? No one had truly cared for me in years. Of course, I hadn’t slowed down long enough to let anyone get close, either.
“But, you should reconsider staying in Sanctuary a while. You will not be “in my hair” as you put it.” A gentle chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I will watch over you for as long as you need. Don’t worry about your ex or Darius. Both would
be fools to step a single foot into Sanctuary.”
“He’s right, you know,” the redhead called out from several rows up. “Darius might come to Sanctuary, but he’d be a fool to stay for more than a minute or two. The Sentinel would make sure of that.”
I shifted and looked up into Erick’s tranquil blue eyes. “What is the Sentinel?”
“Rose is the Sentinel.”
CHAPTER THREE
“I thought you said Rose owned the café.” Sentinel sounded like some kind of warrior or guard. Why was the owner of a small-town café the one who would make sure the Djinn wouldn’t stick around?
“She does.” He smiled down at me and squeezed my shoulder.
“Why did they call you a Protector? Like it’s an official title?”
“It is an official title. There are only four of us and we help protect the town.”
“From Djinn?”
“From anyone or anything that would threaten it.”
I lay my head on his shoulder and yawned, exhaustion and lack of sleep catching up to me. Erick moved his hand from my shoulder to the curve of my waist and pulled me even closer to his hard body. The touch was sensual and comforting, reassuring me it was okay to rest.
My mind wouldn’t slow down enough to let me slip away, though. Everything I’d seen today kept swirling around, prompting more questions, more fears, anxiety about Kevin, anxiety about Darius. Even a little anxiety about Erick’s expectations of me. What did he want from me? There weren’t many good Samaritans left in the world. At least not in the places I’d visited.
People these days were afraid if they held out a hand, it’d get bitten off. And most of the time, it did.
***
“Bailey.”
His voice was dark and velvety. The dream I was having put both of us in a giant bed with satin sheets and no worries in the world. The things he was doing to me would even put the slutty bartender at the Seafood Shack to shame. The last thing I wanted to do was come out of my euphoric dreamland.
“Bailey. We’re here.”
Here? Where?
I popped my eyes open and my cheeks burned. My head was in his lap. Holy shit! I pushed myself up, off his muscular thighs, and just sat for a moment, open-mouthed. Words wouldn’t form. I didn’t know what to say. No wonder I’d been having naughty dreams.
“I’m glad you finally got a little rest.”
I snapped my jaw shut. “Um, yeah. I …”
Rest? I’m not sure what I’d gotten could be called rest. My heart raced and my core clenched, suddenly very aware of his maleness. The handsome curve of his jaw. The way the tip of his tongue ran across the seam of his lips. The mischievous sparkle in his dreamy, blue eyes.
Wait! Lips. He’d licked his lips and now he smiled at me. He knew what I was thinking. Or feeling. Or something. Hadn’t he said he could smell human pheromones? Embarrassment darkened my cheeks further. They had to be beet red by now.
Could he sense my attraction to him? How could he not? My own body had turned against me. I didn’t need this—a third guy to juggle through this mess, even if he was hot and acting as my personal bodyguard.
A chuckle from halfway up the bus distracted me and I caught a smirk from Garrett before he turned and walked to the front. Damn it. The wolf could probably smell my traitorous pheromones, too. Wait. No. He could hear every single naughty thought. How could I live surrounded by these dangerous, intimidating men who could sense everything I thought and felt?
When I looked back at Erick, he’d narrowed his eyes and stared with an intensity that made me shiver. Jealousy? A whimper slipped from my throat without my permission and I covered my mouth—as if that would help cover the sound. He could probably hear things a half-block away. Vampires were supposed to have extraordinary hearing.
His demeanor softened again as he gestured toward the front of the bus. “Would you prefer to meet Rose now and get some breakfast, or get cleaned up first?”
I stood and walked down the aisle of the now empty bus. Everyone else had disembarked. “I’m starving, but I think it would be better for everyone if I took a shower first.” My stomach rumbled embarrassingly at the mention of food, but my desire not to smell like a sewer rat was stronger.
The sun still hung low in the Texas sky. But, I had no idea what time it was, maybe eight-ish. I stepped down from the bus onto a concrete sidewalk. I glanced across the street, taking in the small-town charm. Worn brick and battered, wooden signs gave an antique look to the town. Rose’s Café lay just a few buildings to my right. Flanking the café was the sheriff’s and fire marshal’s office. They appeared to share the small space. And I didn’t see a bay for a fire engine.
Strange.
I walked a few steps away from the bus and continued to examine my surroundings. It was quiet. A few people were making their way along the sidewalks toward the café, along with all the other passengers from the bus.
I didn’t see any other restaurants in the circle. There was a clothing boutique, a library, a hardware store, a pawn shop, and a farmers’ market.
Then I stopped and swallowed.
Directly across from the café was a castle—albeit a modernized version, but a castle nonetheless! Square with rounded towers on each of its four corners. Turrets, parapets, and archery slits abounded. The only things missing were a moat and drawbridge. I knew it was a castle because when I’d holed up in a barn in Tennessee, I’d found boxes of contraband books hidden in the cellar.
Who could have imagined there would be a castle in some little town in West Texas?
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Erick’s voice was closer than I expected.
“It’s a castle.” That came out sounding stupid, but he just nodded.
“Yes, the brothers insisted. They are a bit set in their ways. The Castle, shelters The House of Lamidae and is very private. Only guests willing to keep their secrets are allowed to remember ever seeing it.”
“So you influence memories, like you did on the bus driver?”
“When necessary.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me toward one of the many streets leading away from the circle. Warmth spread through my body from the point of his touch. “My apartment is this way.”
We walked past the café and I couldn’t help but peek inside the large glass windows. It looked like any other café—bright and busy. Nothing about it seemed supernatural.
I took one more look around before we turned the corner.
In the center of the town circle was a grassy field with a raised stone platform in the middle—like a stage of sorts. There were markings on the side of the stone, but nothing I could read.
Weird.
“So the House of Lamidae … or should I call it the Castle? What is it? If I can ask, that is. It sounds like a church or a cult.” Or both…
He chuckled. “It’s a fetish club.”
I coughed, stopped, and turned to meet his gaze. “Like, a sex club?” I squeaked. “Like for spanking and whips and stuff?”
“It depends on the partners, but yes.” He winked. “There are plenty of spankings, whips, and other stuff.”
I was terrified and curious at the same time. Was it just for Others or did they let humans in, too? Also, what had he meant by other stuff? My gut said there was a lot more to the House of Lamidae than he was letting on. Who would build a whole castle just to be a sex club? A castle was meant to protect something. At least that’s what those old history books had said.
“I had hoped you would stay with me, but the Blackmoor brothers have plenty of spare rooms. They don’t mind housing the occasional guest.” He pushed me into a slow walk again. “It’s your choice, kjaere.”
The tone of his voice sent delicious shivers down my spine. There was a first time for everything, but I was nowhere near ready to see the inside of a fetish club. Though, if he asked, I had a feeling I would follow him anywhere. I just hoped he’d give me time. A lot of time.
We turned another
corner and came to a stop in front of a stone and red brick townhome. A small stairway with eight steps led to the front door. To the left, a bay window jutted out, its curve reaching to the second floor. The architecture was beautiful and familiar—similar in style to the brownstone apartments I’d cleaned in New York. I was able to hide in that big city for almost a year before Kevin found me.
Erick climbed the stairs ahead of me and opened the door. I walked in and stopped in the middle of his foyer, fearful of tracking in the dirt and stench I knew clung to me.
His place was immaculate. White carpet, accented by black slate tile beneath my feet in the entry and again across the apartment in the kitchen. Black and white leather furniture was perfectly arranged through the living room. A few picture frames were placed on the mantle above the brick fireplace. A grand staircase with a beautifully ornate wooden handrail lay to my right, leading to the second floor.
He walked past me and turned on a lamp next to one of the large, white couches. “Come, the shower is in the bedroom upstairs.”
His bedroom? Didn’t he have a nice hall bathroom somewhere? I moved across the room toward him, but detoured into the kitchen. Spotless. Why wouldn’t it be? He was a vampire. No need to cook.
“Bailey.”
I jumped, startled from my thoughts.
He leaned against the doorway between the living room and the kitchen.
“I didn’t touch anything.” The words fell out of my mouth before I could think. He liked things clean and I was the furthest thing from that right now.
“I don’t mind your looking around.” His voice was calming, reassuring me he wasn’t angry over my little side-step into his kitchen.”
“You have a beautiful home,” I offered.
“Not nearly as beautiful as the woman standing in the center of it.”
Heat rose in my cheeks. He had an uncanny way of making that happen. And there he went complimenting me when I resembled a trampled, worn-out, dishrag. I might actually feel sexy and beautiful if he would just let me take a shower. Preferably not the shower in his bedroom. Of course all I had to change into was a bright, neon pink tank top and some yoga shorts. Yeah, that would make a great impression on the townspeople.
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