by Lexi Blake
“Here she comes,” I whispered out the side of my mouth as Jane Nichols walked off the dance floor in her mini skirt and tank top. She looked super cute and young. On the surface, she looked like the girl you went to college with and wished you still saw on a regular basis because she was so much fun. She didn’t look like a badass werewolf private detective.
“Oh, my god, Zoey Wharton!” She practically squealed my name. She jumped up and down and pulled me into the girliest hug ever. I glanced back and saw Zack was comfortable the Legally Blonde reject wasn’t a threat. Even in the werewolf world, a female like Jane is considered soft and sweet right up to the point when she takes your head off. Her blonde Barbie look is one of her greatest assets.
“Jane, it’s been so long,” I said with a sorority sister sincerity. It hadn’t been that long. I’d been talking to her almost daily on my cell.
Jane seated herself and we chatted lightly, as though we were catching up. When I was satisfied that Zack was paying attention to Lisa and nothing else, I looked at Jane and asked the question I’d been asking every single day for the last six months.
“So where is Neil?”
Chapter Two
I missed Neil Roberts every second we were apart. He was my best friend and official gay husband. He’d been my bodyguard and my playmate. Everything that had gone on in the last six months didn’t quite seem real because I had yet to share it with him. I might have been able to handle the separation if I knew he was off somewhere having a good time and enjoying his life, but he was in trouble.
Neil had been Daniel’s servant for several years. He was a crucial member of the crew I worked with. Before Daniel had come clean about his status as the Council’s Nex Apparatus—a really pretentious way of saying he was their assassin—we made our money the old-fashioned way. We stole things. We specialized in arcane objects no human thief would touch.
Neil was the muscle. Sarah was our witch. Daniel handled everything we needed a broody vampire for, and I held us all together and took care of anything that required a deft touch. Over the years, we’d become close.
That all changed six months ago when Daniel had forced his will on his servant.
Danny had been riding a high from feeding off some supercharged sexual energy and discovered his new power over his preferred animal, the wolf. Neil was angry because his lover had been the one chosen for sacrificial lamb duty. Back then I sided with Neil, causing a rift between myself and Danny that led to my untimely death and Daniel’s refusal to even hear Neil’s name spoken.
I didn’t blame Neil. Maybe he should have hung around and fought it out with Danny, but I understood the impulse to run. I also understood how stubbornness could put a person into a corner it was hard to get out of. I wanted to reach out to my friend to let him know I was still here for him. I just needed to find his ass first.
“He’s been really hard to track.” All the bimbo act had been erased from Jane’s demeanor. “I started in Vegas where Sarah saw him last.”
Sarah nodded and shared a look with Felix. “I wasn’t very helpful, I’m afraid. He hugged me. He told me to ask you to forgive him. Then he changed and he ran off.”
The minute Felix had picked up Neil, he’d come out from under Daniel’s influence and been able to act on his own again. He fled Las Vegas that night with nothing but the fur on his back. I made sure to put money in his bank account, but as far as I could tell, he hadn’t touched it. He was alone with no money, no cell phone, and no friends.
“I suspect he spent most of the winter in wolf form. I have reports of a white wolf wandering the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Colorado. Most of the wolves in the area are gray or brown, so he stands out,” Jane explained. “I tracked him for a while in my wolf form, and I spent a couple of days running with him, but I couldn’t get him to change into his human form.”
I took a long breath. At least he was alive. “How did he seem?”
Jane frowned. “He seemed weak. It’s surprising because staying in his animal form for that long should have made his wolf incredibly strong. It makes it harder when you’re in human form, but his wolf should be solid. Do you have any idea why he was weak? He was thin despite the fact there was ample game in those woods.”
I had a theory, but I suspected Jane wouldn’t like it. “Do you know who my husband is?”
Jane nodded, but her expression was blank as though she didn’t want to give away her real opinions on the subject. Daniel was a controversial figure even in the vampire world. Jane was a wolf, and wolves rarely trusted vampires. What I was about to tell her wouldn’t make that trust any easier. “I know who Daniel Donovan is. Everyone in our world is aware of him. Your faery made sure of that.”
The last bit was said with a hint of salacious question. Lots of people were interested in our living arrangements. I had learned to ignore it. “Neil was Daniel’s servant.”
Her eyes tensed slightly. “So it’s true. Donovan can call wolves.”
There was no point in lying about it. Daniel didn’t. “Yes, he can. Neil took a blood oath to serve my husband several years ago. When he made the oath, Daniel’s control of this particular power was nominal. Since then he’s grown and his power grew with him. When Neil attempted to break his oath, Daniel was able to control him physically.”
Jane shuddered. “I’ve heard of this power, but it’s been many generations since a vampire’s shown mastery of it. You have to understand how this will affect my people’s view of him. They’ll fear him.”
Making inroads with the werewolves had proven difficult despite the fact that he couldn’t control a wolf without the wolf making a blood oath to him. It almost would have been easier if his animal to call had been the panther or the tiger. For sheer numbers, the wolf reigned supreme. “That’s neither here nor there. Our problem is Neil. Neil was justifiably upset by the turn of events. He felt betrayed by Daniel. In my husband’s defense, we were going into an incredibly dangerous situation and Neil was our only backup.”
“I’m not judging anyone, Zoey,” Jane said. “I’m just trying to do my job, and I don’t see how any of this makes him weak.”
“Part of the oath is an exchange of blood. Neil took Daniel’s blood once a week. It made him unnaturally strong. Without the blood, he would become weak, possibly weaker than he was before.” I knew how addictive Daniel’s blood could be.
“None of us knew Neil before he made his arrangement with Daniel,” Sarah said quietly. “We don’t know what he was like before. All I know is how freaking strong he was with the blood. He could control the change down to a single finger, and he wouldn’t break a sweat.”
The blonde wolf tapped a finger against the table. “I can see where that kind of power would be tempting. It certainly seems to have tempted Zack over there. Tell me, Mrs. Donovan, does it make you stronger?”
I smiled wryly because I wasn’t about to let that phase me. I was married to a vampire. What did she expect? “It tends to make me heal, and after some of the damage I’ve taken, I appreciate that. Look, I understand you might not like my husband. Perhaps you don’t approve of my lifestyle. It doesn’t matter. I just want to find my friend. If you can’t do that for me, please let me know so I can find someone who can.”
The private investigator studied me carefully. “Do you really care for Neil?”
That was the easiest question she’d asked. “I love him very much.”
“So this isn’t about revenge,” Jane said as though she had suspected all the while it might be.
I laughed long and hard at that thought. “No. I don’t want revenge. I want to find my friend. I want to let him know I still love him with my whole heart. I want him to come home.”
Her brows met in a V over her eyes. “You’re not at all like I thought you would be. You’ll have to forgive my prejudices. Vampires are a little like bogeymen. We’re suspicious of your husband because vampire kind has tried to enslave us more than once, so when a king comes calling, we hav
e to wonder why. I would have thought his queen would be cruel. I wouldn’t have thought she could love a servant.”
“He isn’t my servant. He’s my friend.” I didn’t explain that I hated the title of queen. I loved Daniel, but there were many times I wished he was just a regular guy because the queen crap got in the way of my life all too often.
Jane nodded, her mind obviously made up. “I’ll go back out and try to talk to him again. If I can arrange a meeting, I will. If I can get him to come back with me, that would be best, but I think a meeting is more likely.”
Hope lit in me. It was the closest I’d gotten in six months. “I’ll take it.” Jane got up to leave but I held her back. “If he needs anything, please provide it for him. I’ll pay for whatever. Just put it on my bill.”
The detective nodded and promised to update me soon.
When she was gone, I sat back and Sarah reached out to squeeze my hand. “We’re going to find him.”
I gave her a watery smile, then cursed foully as I saw Lee Owens standing not two feet away, bulky arms crossed with an amused expression on his bearded face. I had managed to keep Zack out of it, but now I got to deal with Lee. He normally didn’t spend a lot of time with me, but he was loyal to his brother.
He looked from me to the bar where Zack had his tongue about halfway down Lisa’s throat. “Nice, Zoey.”
I shrugged and started coming up with roughly a thousand different excuses.
“So you’re looking for Donovan’s first wolf,” Lee surmised.
Lee wasn’t exactly a fool. I simply nodded.
“I don’t think he wants his first wolf back,” Lee pointed out. “But then this isn’t about Donovan, is it? This is about you.”
“Yes, it is and I…”
Lee held his hand up to stop me. “It can stay between us, Zoey. He’s my boss not my master.” Lee refused to make an oath to Daniel, preferring to simply be an employee. I often thought Lee had only taken the job to make sure Zack didn’t get himself killed. “I think it’s nice you want to find your friend. I also think I’ll deeply enjoy the creative ways you keep Zack’s nose out of your business. I have to say, Zoey, watching you make him crazy is the best part of this job.”
Relief flooded my system. I was just about to thank Lee when I noticed the door to Dev’s office open.
Dev walked out followed by Daniel. Dev was mouthwateringly sexy in black slacks, an olive dress shirt, and a sport coat. He made sure the door was locked behind him, and then his eyes searched the floor until he found me. He smiled and my heart fluttered. Daniel was already halfway down the stairs. He’d dressed for the occasion as well. The jeans were at least a dark wash and his shirt had a collar. I still sighed over his broad shoulders and those dimples he got when he grinned.
“Girl, you’re just a goner,” Sarah laughed. “I don’t know how you keep up with that.”
“It can be really tiring,” I admitted.
“Hey, Z.” Daniel greeted me for the first time that day. He’d been asleep when I left earlier. He pulled me off my stool and wrapped those strong arms around me. “Happy birthday, baby.”
His lips met mine and suddenly I didn’t care about anything but the fact that they were here with me. I let go of my frustrations with Zack and the situation with Neil for the time being. I wanted to enjoy my time with my guys. I let my arms wrap around Daniel’s neck as he held me tight.
He set me on my feet and while he greeted the Days, Dev leaned over and kissed me as well. “Good evening, Felix, Sarah. Lee, I appreciate the work. We’ll take it from here.”
My bodyguard bid us farewell and I turned to Daniel. “Hey, don’t you need to eat before we go?”
While this was my traditional birthday dinner with my dad, Daniel wouldn’t be enjoying whatever my father had catered in.
Daniel gave me a slightly sheepish look. “I kinda already did.”
Dev held up his left wrist which sported two neat fang marks. “We were in a Halo match and I was kicking his ass. He whined that he was hungry and couldn’t concentrate.”
“Well, I was,” Daniel replied. “You had a substantial advantage.”
“Yeah, the advantage is I’m way better than you,” Dev shot back with a laugh. “Stick to chess, egghead. Anyway, I had to find some way to shut him up.”
“Yeah and what happened after I had a little snack?”
Dev pointed. “Do you have any idea how much that hurts, asshole? Those aren’t girlie fangs you got there. My wrist still aches. This is my firing hand.”
“Oh, maybe mommy will kiss it better,” Daniel returned. “I killed him like forty-two times after I ate. I’ll give you your rematch tomorrow because I’ll enjoy killing you again.”
I punched Daniel in the arm. “You hurt him? You’re supposed to make that nice for him.”
Both boys backed off with hands held up.
“Not going to happen, Z,” Daniel said.
“I’m with Dan on this one,” Dev agreed. “It’s all fine and dandy if you’re there, but if you’re otherwise disposed, there’s going to be some manly pain involved. It’s okay. I punched him in the face after he was done.”
A grin lit Daniel’s normally somber face. “He did. It tickled.”
Sarah and I looked at each other and shook our heads. Boys. I would never completely understand the male friendship that was blossoming between Danny and Dev. It involved playing a lot of video games, calling each other all sorts of vulgar names, and trying to hurt each other on a regular basis. I’d caught Dev shooting Daniel in the leg just to see how long it took him to heal. They had a bet.
I glanced up at the clock. “We should get going. I don’t want to keep Dad waiting.”
Sarah and Felix took their own car. They were going clubbing after the party so Dev, Daniel, and I found ourselves happily alone in the limo as we drove through the Dallas night.
“So tell me, baby, how did you make poor Zack’s life hell today?” Daniel asked as the limo pulled away from the club. His eyes held an expectant gleam.
“I was perfectly well behaved today.” I lied because I wasn’t about to tell the truth.
“I seriously doubt that.” Dev pulled me into his lap. “I like the skirt, sweetheart.”
He didn’t really give a crap about the skirt, but he enjoyed having easy access to what he did like. He slid his hand up my leg, squeezing my thigh and making me lean against him as I tried to breathe. We had some time before we got to my dad’s and I had to deal with the intricate social situation we were in. Maybe if my guys were satisfied, they would be a wee bit more tolerant when they realized I hadn’t exactly done what they asked me to. I’d promised them I would have a conversation with my dad about our living arrangements. Yeah, I hadn’t exactly gotten around to that.
“I like what’s under the skirt,” Daniel said. He sat across from us, his body relaxed as he watched.
Dev started to pull my skirt up, revealing my legs. “I think the vampire wants a show, sweetheart. Spread those legs for him.”
I did as he asked, letting him arrange my legs so Daniel got a good view.
“That is a gorgeous sight, baby,” Daniel said. “It’s the perfect end to a damn fine day.”
Dev’s hand slid up my leg, and I could already feel his cock pressed against my back. I had to hope they had asked the driver not to stop until they told him to or my dad might find out some things he didn’t want to know about my love life.
“Why was it a perfect day?” My skin was already heating up.
Daniel’s lips quirked up slightly. “We got invited to the Gathering today.”
I sat up, a little shocked. Dev huffed and pulled me back, obviously peeved at the interruption.
“The wolves are going to let you come?” The Gathering had been this spring’s big project.
Once a year there was a gathering of wolves held in Colorado, where the strongest pack in the country resided. The alpha of the pack was a man named John McKenzie. The alpha had been
adamant in his refusal to meet with Daniel. Dev had spent the spring playing the king’s ambassador, attempting to find a way to convince the alpha it was in his best interest to hear us out. The Gathering was coming up in a few weeks, and they were beginning to believe their attempts would prove futile.
“Can’t we talk about this later?” Dev asked as his long fingers teased their way around my underwear. “I’m off the clock, Your Highness, and would seriously like to concentrate on fucking our queen.”
Daniel smiled ruefully. “Yes, I got that. I just thought you might want to tell her she’s the centerpiece of your successful proposal.”
“And I will,” Dev replied as my back arched when he gently pinched my clitoris, and I felt that slow build starting. I shuddered in anticipation of what I knew was going to be a nice couple of minutes. “After I make her come a couple of times.”
Dev was insistently trying to build me toward what he thought of as a starter orgasm. He used his thumb to apply sweet pressure and worked two fingers into my pussy.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he whispered against my ear. “I missed you all day. His Highness over there kept me in meeting after meeting while he slept the day away, but all I wanted to do was find you and fuck you.”
Daniel frowned. “Well, it wasn’t like I was really sleeping, Dev. We agreed I couldn’t let anyone know about the daywalking thing. That means you have to handle daytime meetings and I only get to listen in. Otherwise, we might not be having this discussion.”
It ran through my mind that they were really having a whole conversation I should probably be a part of, but I wasn’t listening. How could I when Dev was so expertly driving me toward pleasure? His thumb pressed on my clit while he and Daniel argued about something. I just tried to breathe. My vision went soft and fuzzy as Dev spread my legs further and worked a third finger in. He curled them inside, tickling some magic place he always found, and I let my head fall back against his chest as I sort of exploded in a daze of pleasure. No one can get you off as fast and well as a fertility god.
