“You’re more important to this town than you know.” She shook her head. “And there’s a lot more to this town than you realize.”
Yeah. No kidding, but why was I important? As far as I could tell, I was the only human visitor outside of the Castle guests. I shifted on my feet and rubbed my sweaty hands on the sides of my jeans. A second later, Erick stood next to me. His big hands rubbed up and down my bare arms and his peppermint scent drifted into my nostrils as he nuzzled my neck. The tension in my muscles eased and I leaned into his caress.
“Are you okay, kjaere?”
“I’m fine, really. I just saw a brownie.”
Corinne chuckled from across the room.
“I wouldn’t have thought a brownie would upset you.”
“She didn’t.”
Questions swam in my mind and a newfound excitement tingled across my skin. The riots had brought with them a new world order based on fear, but I was being shown much more. It was a huge leap of faith for them to share their secrets with me.
But why me? I kept coming back to that.
He kissed my neck.
Rose stepped in front of us. Her gaze focused on me, but she spoke to Erick. “Arlea needs to meet her. It’s imperative.” Her tone had switched from friendly and casual to deadly serious, sending a chill down my spine. Who was Arlea? Why did she need to see me?
“She’s not ready.” Erick’s voice rumbled behind me.
“For what?” I asked, but neither answered me.
“We can’t afford to wait. If she’s the one, another point on the star can be filled. We need to know—for the Sisters’ protection and her own.” Rose’s eyes darkened, her honey-brown irises drifting toward a dark merlot color.
“I know,” Erick hissed. “But not today.”
I tried to step from between the two semi-snarling beings, but Erick’s hands latched onto my hips and held me against his body. The kitchen noise had quieted and all eyes were on the three of us. For several seconds, I don’t think anyone even breathed.
“Tomorrow morning,” Rose countered.
“Fine.” The mumble was barely audible. I felt it more than heard it. In seconds he’d swept me out of the kitchen and into the dining room. We took a seat at an empty booth and Erick slid in beside me instead of across the table. I pulled a menu from the stand at the end of the table and glanced over it. Eggs and bacon sounded pretty good to me right now. Maybe some fruit. Anything to distract me from the tension stiffening Erick’s body.
“I’m sorry if we frightened you.” His voice was soft again, the way I preferred. I had yet to see him truly angry, but if that little spat with Rose was any indication, I could wait.
“I don’t want to cause a problem. If I need to meet this woman, Arlea. I can.”
“It can wait, kjaere.” His gaze softened and he kissed me gently, his lips lulling me into a contented bliss. Whatever he wanted, I would do.
“What was Rose talking about? A point on a star —what does that mean? Why am I important to the town?”
It might not be urgent, but it certainly piqued my curiosity. Why would some powerful supernatural think I was supposed to complete a star point? I didn’t belong in their world. I’d just tumbled in haphazardly.
Erick sighed. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to tell me. Indecision was written in the furrowed lines on his forehead and his gaze stayed glued to the table. “Why don’t you order something for dinner? I’ll tell you about it later.
“Viking,” a deep, male voice boomed from across the room. Miles’ giant body slid into the seat across from us. “Bailey.” He nodded toward me and smiled. I squirmed just a little when his knee brushed mine. Damn, he was a big man. Erick was tall and muscular, but this guy was built like a brick house. “Have you eaten yet?”
I shook my head.
He raised his hand and the same pink-haired pixie sidled over to the table.
“Hey, Miles.” Her smile curved mischievously and a certain twinkle in her eye made it clear she had the hots for dragon-guy Miles. “Hi, Erick. Bailey, right?”
I nodded again, still unable to make sound come out of my mouth.
“Sweetheart, can you bring us out the house special for tonight? Bailey looks like she could use some protein.” Miles caught my darting gaze and winked.
A low rumble started in Erick’s chest. He rubbed his palm up and down my thigh and heat rushed to my sex and then ricocheted through my whole body. Flames licked at my skin. Food sounded good, but really all I could think about was getting back into bed with him. What was wrong with me?
“Do you like barbecue?” Erick asked.
The question jarred me from my naughty thoughts. “Yes,” I managed to squeak.
“Good,” he squeezed my thigh and slid his hand farther up.
Heat rose in my cheeks. If the blush wasn’t a tell-all, Miles’ and Erick’s flaring nostrils were a dead giveaway that my arousal was being broadcast to the entire room. I wanted to crawl under the table. Only that wouldn’t help either, because it was a maze of masculine legs! Why couldn’t I just have dinner without feeling like I was going to be the dessert? I wasn’t under the impression that Erick had any intention of sharing me. He’d said as much already. But the dragon’s obvious interest was difficult to ignore.
“So when are you bringing her over to the Castle? I bet she would look just scrumptious on one of our St. Andrew’s crosses. You’ve got to be itching for a good session. It’s been weeks since you dropped in.”
A cross? What?! No way. I’m not interested in kink. I like Erick’s big, fluffy bed, maybe his big shower, but that’s it. I don’t want to be strung out on anything. My mind raced in time with my heartbeat and my breathing sped up, too.
Both men’s gazes zeroed in on me. I could feel their questions without looking up from the spot on the table I was trying to set ablaze with my laser vision. The table was silent.
“Bailey, I apologize.” Miles’ comment seemed genuine. “I read into your arousal and went too far. Please don’t be frightened.”
“It’s okay, kjaere. Miles is notorious for teasing.”
Really? I wouldn’t have thought that at all from the dragon’s stoic, stony expression.
My racing heartbeat slowed just a hair and the arrival of our food helped break the uncomfortable tension. Several racks of ribs, fries, celery sticks, and ranch dressing. The barbecue smelled divine. I couldn’t wait to taste it.
The bell on the door rang and I caught a glimpse of Garrett. Crap. Like it wasn’t bad enough to have a vampire and a dragon sniffing at my pheromones, now there would be a wolf listening to my actual thoughts.
I starting saying the alphabet in my head. Maybe I could make my thoughts so annoying that he wouldn’t even try.
“Help yourself, darl’n. I won’t bite.” Miles chuckled and grabbed a celery stick. “Unlike the Viking sitting next to you staring longingly at your carotid artery.”
“He already —” I slapped my hand over my mouth. Heat rushed to my face again, turning it dark crimson for sure.
Erick and Miles laughed together and Erick leaned over and placed a reassuring kiss on the top of my head. “Don’t worry. He baited you on purpose to find out if I had fed from you.”
I took a deep breath and released another long sigh. If they were both laughing, I should be able to find a way to relax a little, too. They were friends. Maybe I could eventually count Miles as a friend, too. I wasn’t very good at socializing, mostly from lack of practice. Keeping to myself and hiding had become an art form for me.
Taking a rib from the plate, I bit into the sauce-slathered meat and moaned. I hadn’t eaten anything so good in years. “This is amazing.” I ditched the cleaned bone and grabbed another piece from the plate in the middle.
“She’s too skinny. You need to feed her more.” Miles tossed a couple more ribs onto my plate.
“She’s been on her own a long time. Give her a break,” Erick shot back, leaning back in the booth.
>
“Uh, sitting right here,” I said, waving my hand. I dropped another bone on my plate and went straight for more meat. I didn’t usually eat this much, but maybe Erick’s feeding had made a difference. He’d acted like it would.
“Miles,” I started, feeling a little more confident, “Why do you sound like a native Texan, but Erick still has a little bit of an accent?”
He tossed down a bone and wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “He does not care to hide his accent. I, however, do.” The style of his voice morphed instantly from a laid-back Texas drawl to a British accent. “I like everyone thinking I’m from around here. Simplifies life.”
I smiled. Blending in was definitely something I understood.
After finishing a couple more ribs, not willing to let the ones he’d tossed my direction go to waste, I cleaned my fingers with a little towelette from the container at the end of the table. I wanted to lick my fingers clean. The sweet, tangy bite of the barbecue sauce was so good, but I’d had enough teasing for one day. Licking my fingers at the table with two men staring at me was not an option.
I leaned back against the booth and Erick’s shoulder, listening to them talk about his sister’s wedding. Apparently, she wasn’t Erick’s real sister, but he’d saved her life several centuries ago and she’d called him brother ever since.
When Miles asked what had happened with the Djinn, I sat up. Erick glanced at me briefly before continuing, as if trying to decide if he should let me in on this conversation. “He was there to try and bother Cyn. The wedding was out in the open, so we knew he’d try something.”
“We’ve got to take care of that asshole,” Miles said. “He’s getting brazen and I don’t like it.”
Miles snapped up the last piece of celery and licked his lips before chomping it down in one bite. “Oh, by the way.” He looked straight at me, his brown eyes flickering with just a hint of honey accents. “Arlea told me to tell you hi, Bailey. She said she understands your hesitation to enter the Castle, but hopes you will visit soon.”
“Miles,” Erick growled.
“Hey, I’m just relaying a message from the Oracle. I don’t know about you, but if Arlea tells me to do something, I sure as hell do it. I don’t need any more bad karma. Me and Eli already have enough. Losing Diana pretty much kicked our collective asses.”
“We will find her, Miles. Even the Sisters say that she will return to you.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “That’s what they’ve been saying for centuries.” Moving from the booth, he stood slowly, his seven-foot frame looming over the table. “I have to go relieve my brother from dungeon duty, so I’ll see you two lovebirds later,” he said, a mischievous glint shining in his brown eyes. He nodded his head to me before heading out the front door.
I laughed and then slapped my hand over my mouth, staring down at the table in horror. Miles was already outside, but I couldn’t believe I’d felt comfortable enough to laugh at him. But, he’d just used the words dungeon and lovebirds in the same sentence. As if it were perfectly normal for someone to have something called dungeon duty. I guess when a castle, dragons, and kinky sex are involved, having a dungeon isn’t so far out of the realm of possibility.
Erick gave me a gentle smile. “It’s good to hear you laugh.”
“It feels strange.” I glanced around the café. Lots of people were laughing and carrying on. Some were quiet. There were even a few couples tucked into the back of the room. “I haven’t had friends since … well … even after the way they scared me at first, Miles seems like someone to trust. Actually, I feel pretty comfortable with everyone I’ve met in town so far.
“Even Garrett?”
“He may not be your biggest fan, but yes, I think I can trust him. He protected me on the bus. Even though he continues to invade my personal thoughts from time to time, he seems like an okay guy.”
“He is interested in you.”
I nearly choked on my tongue. Interested? The art of flirtation was not one of my talents. In fact, I’d made quite an art of avoiding all such advances over the last few years. How had I missed Garrett’s intentions?
“Ummm ...”
“Are you interested in him?”
“No! Not that way. I just …”
Erick stared at me, waiting patiently. No jealousy, just persistence. He wanted an answer. What was I supposed to say? That I found Garrett attractive, but had no interest in being with him?
“Find him attractive?” he ventured.
“I, maybe, but … I don’t have feelings for him.”
“I know.” He slipped an arm around my waist and squeezed. “You shouldn’t feel bad for being attracted to him or anyone in town. Appreciating someone’s appearance isn’t wrong.”
“Oh.”
“Humans are brainwashed that appreciation or admiration is tantamount to cheating on their significant other. Many supernaturals feel the same way, but I am not one of them. Nor are my friends.” He paused a moment and kissed the top of my head. “Garrett and his brother are not my friends,” he whispered.
“But you trust them?”
“To protect the town? Yes.” Erick’s eyes darkened, pulling me into their inky blue depths. “To try and woo you away from me? No.”
“But if he did … I wouldn’t ever … why would he think ... ?”
“Men do not always follow logic and reason where women are concerned.” He slid from his seat and stood, offering me his hand. His palm was cool and his grasp on my fingers was firm, but gentle.
No disgruntled Djinn, horny werewolf, or pissed-off ex would take me from Erick. I wanted this life. These friends.
Something about this town called to me.
It said I belonged.
CHAPTER NINE
A warm summer breeze ruffled a few pieces of my hair that’d come loose from my braid. The moon and star-soaked sky shone brightly on Sanctuary. The gas street lamps along the main circle added a warm glow to the evening’s natural light. The lamps complemented the style of the town—old, brick, with cobblestone streets. Only the sidewalks were made of smooth concrete, reminding me I hadn’t stepped into a contraband history book.
I touched one of the lampposts as we walked. The finish made it look like an old wooden post, but it was solid metal. Such detail and beauty in this hidden-away sanctuary. Little things made it special, like the hand-painted signs above the shops. It was a world away from the grind of the rest.
“Is the market still open?” I pointed toward the grocery store window. “It would be nice to have some eggs and juice in the morning.”
“I’m sure Bella will let us in. She’s usually there until all hours of the night.”
“Is she a pixie? Rose said pixies ran the market.”
“Yes. Sanctuary took in an entire grove of pixies when we first started building the town.” He answered, putting his hand around my waist as me walked along the winding sidewalk. “They came with the stream and oak forest that lie just west of the town border.”
“They came with it?” How could people come from a river? Or some old trees?
“Pixies, or fairies as some call them, are from nature. There isn’t an easy way to explain it, but they lived in the trees and in the water. When we arrived and started building, they would trash our camp every night trying to scare us off.”
“Didn’t that irritate you?”
“Of course it did. On the third night, we caught a few of them and they had a heart-to-heart with Rose. After that, the pixies mostly stayed with us. There are a few who still live outside the town in their natural form, but most joined us.”
I stopped at the window and looked in. The market looked like any other small grocery store I’d been in, except in the back. I could see lights and … bushes … trees. What was in there? I squinted.
“We could go in and ask Bella to give you a tour.” The amusement in his voice was not masked and I couldn’t help but smile. I nearly had my nose pressed to the glass, trying to get a c
loser look.
“That would probably be better.”
He chuckled. “I thought it might.”
Before he grabbed the handle, the door swung open and a petite woman with short, sky blue hair stood in the entrance. Her skin was ivory and as smooth as porcelain. But it was her eyes that really stood out. Green— greener than a freshly budded leaf in springtime. No glowing or sparkling, just color in its purest form. Spectacular, really.
“Bella, this is Bailey.” The rumble of his voice jarred me from my thoughts.
“Hi,” I answered, extending my hand.
She smiled and leaned forward to hug me instead. The quick squeeze was surprising, but not unpleasant. “Hi, sweetie. I knew you’d be by eventually. A girl likes to have at least a little food in the house, am I right?”
“Yes.” The pixie’s easygoing attitude put me completely at ease.
“Come on in then. You won’t get far trying to dematerialize and come through the window pane.” She giggled and led us into the store.
Heat flared in my cheeks. She’d seen me peering in the window.
“Do you want to see the plants in the back first? I think that’s what caught your eye, wasn’t it?” I caught sight of a smirk on her face before she trotted through the store and back to the area where I thought I’d seen shrubbery.
“How do you grow them inside?” I walked forward, grateful to feel Erick’s hand at the small of my back. It was exciting to see new things and not be afraid of talking to people. I could see myself staying and making friends with the people in Sanctuary. As long as they would tolerate me—a human.
“We have skylights.” She gestured to the ceiling and I looked up. Indeed, there were skylights. In fact, the entire roof was made of glass. Only the front of the store was covered. “Well, technically it’s more of a greenhouse.” She twirled and smiled. “I love seeing the reaction on people’s faces when they see it for the first time.” She waved her hands and iridescent water droplets rained from the glass ceiling onto the variety of plants. Some I recognized and others looked like miniatures of larger trees.
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