The Willow

by Stacey Kennedy

  My stomach clenched. Yes, kiss me!

  “Nexi,” Haven shouted.

  I jerked my head toward the door to find her stomping her foot, completely irate.

  Kyden dropped my leg just as she barged forward, and grabbed my arm to storm out of the room.

  I glanced quickly over my shoulder, and it did nothing to settle my hormones. The way Kyden was looking at me just stepped up sexy a whole ‘nother notch.

  Haven tore down the hall—her rage oozing from her. This was so out of character for Haven. She was always such a ball of sunshine. I hadn’t seen her upset, even once.

  I forced her to stop. “What’s wrong, Haven?”

  “Well…” She hesitated and glanced to the floor. When she raised her head again, she was the same old loveable Haven. “Don’t worry about it. Everything’s fine.”

  “You sure?” She was hiding something. The bond we shared made it almost impossible to keep secrets.

  She smiled brilliantly. “Yup!” Then, wrapped her arm in mine and started down the hall again.

  Then, for the first time, I took a much better look at her. She was wearing a pink silk, baby doll dress that barely covered her ass. She was talking about something, but her words slid right past me. Due to the fact that I was too busy staring at her breasts bulging out of the top. She may have been tiny, but other parts of her certainly weren’t. I forced myself to look away. Those things were mesmerizing.

  Once at my residence, Haven threw open the door and headed straight for the bedroom.

  I followed in behind her and when I stepped through, I knew I didn’t leave my room looking like this. Clothes had been thrown everywhere. There wasn’t an empty space left, even the lamps had shirts draped over them. “What are you doing in here, Haven?”

  She peaked around the closet door. “Just checkin’ out your clothes.”

  “Yeah, I see that.” I laughed. “But I doubt they’re gonna fit you.” She had to be in the negatives…well…her bottom half away.

  “Don’t be silly, these are for you.” With a flick of her hand, she dismissed me. “Go shower, we have stuff to do.”

  I washed up quickly, more than curious what she was up to. When I came back out, she had pretty much pulled my entire closet apart putting outfits together. “Are you going to tell me what this is all about?”

  “Nope.” She pointed to a sub on the end table. “Eat. I’ll do your hair first.”

  I sat on the bed as she got to work. Using a blow dryer first, which made eating near impossible, but when she switched to a curling iron, I got a good chance to dig in.

  Just as I was taking my last bite, she ripped it from my hands. “Hey, I wanted that,” I blasted.

  She ignored me, moving onto my face.

  Within ten minutes, my skin felt completely plastered. Haven looked pleased with the outcome. I, on the other hand, was a little worried I’d fit in on Hollywood Boulevard.

  “Put this on,” she said, handing me a short black skirt, a chevron periwinkle blouse, and high leather boots, “and be quick.”

  Which wasn’t a problem—excitement coursed through me. What was this was all about? I went to the bathroom and changed quickly.

  The second I stepped out, Haven’s eyes went wide. “Gosh Nexi, you’re so beautiful.”

  I snorted a laugh. “Yeah, right.” Sure I’d been blessed with being naturally pretty, but beautiful, and wide-eyed beautiful at that—unlikely. More like plain Jane—that was me.

  “No really, Nexi, come look.” She pulled me in front of a full-length mirror and I hardly recognized myself.

  My long dirty blonde hair was perfectly straight except for the slight curl at the ends and the makeup took my breath away. It was brilliant. My hazel eyes were lined with a deep green color, my lids enhanced with a glittery purple shadow and my lashes long and thick. My cheek bones were defined with a rose blush and my lips glistened with a light pink gloss.

  The blouse was a perfect shade against my skin. I glanced toward my breasts in shock. I had a little to work with, but not as much as this bra made it appear. My skirt hung tight against my body, and even though it was short, it didn’t look slutty. Finishing off the look, were the leather boots that sat just below the knee. They hugged each leg perfectly and the three-inch heels were sexy as hell!

  “Wow,” I said, sounding as astonished as I felt.

  Haven nodded, slowly. “Wow, is right. You’re going to have the guys drooling over you tonight.”

  I met her gaze in the mirror, beginning to get annoyed. “Where are we going, Haven?”

  She giggled. “I’m not telling.”

  I hate surprises! I wasn’t one of those kids that could wait till Christmas to find out what they got, I always had to go searching—hunting for my gifts. I can’t stand suspense and definitely hate the unknown. So, this sucked big time!

  * * * *

  Kyden and Finn were waiting, along with two other guys, in the Council’s foyer. I didn’t recognize either of them personally, but I did know they were Guardians.

  “Nexi, this is Trefan,” Haven introduced.

  He had to be Finn’s brother. Their looks were almost identical, only he was younger, probably my age. He had short blond hair that met his round baby face and his light blue eyes spelled pure mischief. His slender, muscular body was dressed with a pair of dark-colored army pants and a plain white t-shirt.

  “Keir,” she said next.

  He had one blue eye and one green, which stood out against his short black hair. He had a body built for extremes—every ounce of him was rough and edged. His blue dress shirt, light blue jeans and cowboy boots suited him just fine.

  I waved. “Hi. I’m Nexi.”

  The moment became a tad bit awkward as their leering gazes ran over my body and repeated the move a couple times over.

  Suddenly, Kyden stepped forward and glared at them—daring them to continue their gawking. Neither did. Their gazes hit the floor in two seconds flat.

  Oh la la. This was the first time I’d seen Kyden without his Guardian gear, and he made normal clothes look good! He was scrumptiously delicious, wearing a pair of dark relaxed fit jeans and a black tank top, which did wonders for his arms. Every line, every curve—the big veins that ran along his thick arms stood out. I licked my lips before I could help it. What can I say, arms grease my chains.

  My gaze drew away as the others started off toward the large wooden door that always seemed a little out of place in this majestic foyer.

  “Sooo…what are we doing exactly?” I asked.

  Haven spun around. “Don’t tell her,” she squeaked. “It’s a surprise.”

  “What!” I said, annoyed. “Do you want me to just stand here?”

  “Of course not, we need to go through the portal.” She pointed toward the door. “It’s the cheapest way to travel.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” My voice showed just how much I believed her.

  She shook her head. “Nope, not kidding. It will take you anywhere in the Earthworld you wanna go.”

  This just keeps getting better. “What do we do?” I asked, and kept my gaze fixed on the door. This was going to be weird, that was a definite.

  Kyden answered, “Think of where you want to go and walk through.”

  I snapped my gaze to his. “Are you serious?” My tone was as bewildered as it was skeptical.

  His lips curved slightly. “For now, just keep your mind blank.” He grasped my hand tightly and stepped through.

  This was nothing like the gateway—it was a hell of a lot worse. There was a bright flash and my breath was sucked from my body as I became a dust mite in a vacuum. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling—poor little buggers.

  “Bah,” I gasped as my feet connected with pavement. I gave myself a good shake. Then, repeated the move a few times over.

  Soft chuckles came all around me.

  I ignored them, and scanned the city we were in try
ing to get a sense of where we were. There was a light post straight ahead that held a poster. I moved in closer and peered at the address.

  “We’re in New York City,” I exclaimed.

  Haven bounced up and down. “Surprise!”

  Definitely not an appropriate thing for her to do in the dress she was wearing. Finn’s eyes became the size of basketballs.

  I laughed, shaking my head at them.

  We started down the street, and it wasn’t long before bright lights began to fill the sky. Just as the street ended, Haven covered my eyes.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded.

  “Shhh,” she answered. “I want you to have the full effect.”

  Walking in three-inch heels is hard enough. This was impossible. I was stumbling with almost every step.

  “This is very annoying,” I grumbled.

  Kyden laughed beside me, which only irritated me more.

  “Don’t be such a grump.” Haven laughed then removed her hands.

  When my eyes opened, I was standing smack dap in Times Square. I spun around trying to take it all in.

  The entire City was lit up, and it was magnificent. I’d seen it in the movies a few times, but it definitely didn’t do it justice. The skyscrapers were taller than I imagined, and the billboards were so bright it almost hurt to look at them.

  Haven pulled me forward, and I was glad she kept my arm; it gave me a good chance to look around without worrying about walking into someone.

  Did no one sleep around here? It had to be three in the morning, and the streets were packed full. These people were bonkers!

  “Yippee,” Haven bounced. “We’re here.”

  I followed her gaze to see a bright neon sign, The Mink Lounge.

  “We’re going to a club?” I asked.

  “Drinking and dancing, just what you need right?”

  It was exactly what I needed. It’d been so long since I’d had a good night out, and after all the hard training I’d been doing, the idea of having some fun sounded great!

  As we approached the bouncer, shock hit me. He was a vampire. This was what I had to see for myself, and they weren’t lying—supes did live among humans. I hadn’t believed it for a moment. But now, how could I deny it, it was right in front of my face. If people only knew how connected vampires were to their world they’d throw a serious shit fits.

  We brushed past him and he gave me a sensual smile, which I adamantly ignored. Flirting with a vampire was just asking for trouble—heaps of it.

  The club was rich and luxurious. Two levels made up the structure with a black glass balcony that wrapped around the top. The walls, draped with dark red velvet and low lights, made it appear almost romantic.

  The dance floor was straight ahead and a large, gold cage hung from the ceiling that had two vampires dancing in it—if you can even call that dancing.

  More vampires. Why was I seeing a trend here?

  I grabbed Haven’s arm. “Where have you brought me?”

  “Club Fang.” She laughed. “Vamps sure know how to throw a party.”

  Kyden nudged the small of my back and guided me toward a table while Haven went off to the bar.

  I sat down and looked out at the dance floor. The more I looked, the more stunned I became. There were humans here too. When I glanced back, Kyden was watching me intently. I nodded toward a couple on the dance floor. “Does she know he’s a vampire?”

  Kyden followed my gaze. “Yes, she knows.” He grinned devilishly. “They enjoy vampires.”

  His alluring tone left nothing to the imagination; it was quite clear what they enjoyed doing with the vampires. I grimaced. “Gross. Seriously that’s sick!” Having sex with a dead guy while he drank my blood. Yuck!

  “It is that.” He laughed.

  Haven approached the table holding two of the best-looking chocolate martinis I’d ever seen. The martini glass was rimmed with chocolate flakes and a strawberry heart sat along the edge.

  “Is this okay?” she asked, and handed it to me.

  “Looks yummy!” I replied, and took a big sip.

  It tasted even better than it looked. The smooth alcohol slid down my throat easily, the flavor exploded into my mouth. I sighed out in pure and utter pleasure.

  Doing my best to nurse it was pointless. The thing tasted too darn good, and before I knew it, it was gone.

  I stood to get another just as Kyden set one down and gave me a quick wink before he took his seat again.

  “Thanks.” I smiled and looked back out to the crowd.

  Everyone appeared so normal. It was just so strange how they all mingled so well together. The humans didn’t seem out of place, which was just bizarre.

  “So, what’s the deal with the humans and vampires?” I asked Kyden.

  He leaned in. “The humans that are here tonight are either in love with their vampire, or are addicted to the high they get from them.”

  My brows rose. “The high?”

  “When a vampire feeds, it is intensely erotic. You can imagine how addictive something like that could be for a human.”

  I nodded. I actually knew a few people who’d be into something sick like that. I shuddered a little and continued. “They aren’t worried that they’ll tell everyone about them?”

  He shook his head. “Think of them as their pet. They are extremely loyal to them, but if that loyalty was ever lost they will erase their minds of their time spent together.”

  “So, that’s how they feed off unsuspecting people then? They can just wipe their minds?”

  He nodded. “That’s right.”

  I gave my head a shake, hoping it would clear the shock. It didn’t.

  Wasn’t long before I finished off the second Martini, then downed a third. My body was warm and happy—I was well on my way.

  After a quick trip to the bathroom, I sat back down and focused on Kyden.

  Right now, he looked sexier than ever. He wasn’t doing anything special just sitting there talking to Keir, but something about him made my thighs tighten and a rush of warmth hit.

  With alcohol-induced confidence, I slowly ran my foot up his calf. The second I touched him, his gaze snapped to mine and his jaw clenched tightly. With each stroke of my foot, the air between us grew thick, the tension of desire ran deep.

  Abruptly, Haven grabbed my arm. I gasped, exhaling the breath I’d been holding. “Let’s get jiggy with it!” she shouted.

  I met her gaze and burst out laughing. She was always pretty spirited, but drunk, she was downright zippy. She pulled me up, and the second I stood, I tried to sit back down. The martinis were beginning to set in.

  “Come on,” she persisted, dragging me out on the dance floor. “Let’s give them a show. It always gets the guys going,” she purred in my ear.

  She was definitely up to something—something naughty.

  Suddenly, she pulled my body tight against hers and began to move to the beat of the music.

  Being that Haven is practically my sister, and the fact that I was drunk, this didn’t seem all that weird. Besides, the mischievous glint in her eye told me she had a plan so I went with it.

  The loud funky techno music provided a perfect, sexy rhythm to dance to, and she used it to its full advantage. Who knew Haven had the ability to do this kind of dancing. She seemed so innocent.

  When she spun me around, I saw just what she meant. It did get the guys going.

  Kyden gripped the edge of the table with his hands, his gaze smoldering as he watched my moves intently. Keir and Trefan tried to look away, but failed miserably and Finn’s entire body was tense as his eyes burned.

  Seeing their reactions only increased our moves. Our sexiness went straight off the charts and soon it wasn’t only them watching but others too.

  Moments later, Finn appeared. His normal soft features were tight with intensity.

  Instantly, the light dawned. Haven had done this for Finn. Dir
ty dancing must be his thing because right now, he could hardly contain himself. Haven gave me a wink as he pulled her away from the crowd.

  I laughed to myself. I had her all wrong!

  Suddenly, a body came up tight with mine. I tensed immediately, but when a scent swirled around me, my worry instantly settled. It was a real woodsy musky aroma and I knew it well.