“You’re saying you stood there and magicked your mojo somehow and caused me to climax harder than I ever have in my life?” Aggie wanted him to deny it because the thought of it was both terrifying that he could do that without touching her and intriguing for the same reason. What would happen if they actually touched. Their eyes met and Aggie felt drawn to him just as before. Only this time she didn’t stop herself and when they were only inches apart he answered her.
“It is how I sustain the beast inside. I hope I didn’t offend you but you seemed to have needed some kind of release and given the fact that you threw us out you weren’t going to be letting any of us help you directly. My powers allow me a certain amount of leeway and since I was already here, I figured I should lend a hand in some way.” His hands came to rest on her arms just under her shoulders and locked her away from him, but that didn’t stop her. Since they were touching and she was clutching her towel tightly their skin was in direct contact. The buzzing feeling, she felt with Mathius was there with Kyrel too. Though with Kyrel it seemed more like a cat’s purr vibrating her. No pain, only something representing sheer relaxation. Not in a state to resist, Aggie raised up on her toes and leaned in. Kyrel didn’t need any instruction and lowered his head to meet hers. Their lips met and Aggie felt sparks. She wondered if they were physically shooting sparks since the feeling was so real.
His lips were plump and soft and moved across hers, like they had done this a thousand times. Her hands lifted of their own accord and wrapped around his neck to give herself more leverage. Fingers curling into his hair, Aggie dragged her nails across his scalp raking a moan out of him. She licked across his seam and he opened to her. Their tongues met and fought for dominance. Kyrel won and he deepened the kiss. His arms wrapped around her pulling her closer. Only then did she realize the fabric of his sweater was rough against her skin. Against her nipples, her very naked nipples. Gasping in his mouth, Aggie broke the kiss. Glancing down quickly she realized, that while lost in the moment, she had completely dropped her towel. Before she could hurriedly reach for it and hold it in front of her, she glanced up with flushed cheeks and swollen lips from Kyrel’s assault. Only to find Kyrel’s disheveled clothes and a very appreciative look in his eyes. “So much for modesty.” Aggie muttered under her breath. Brushing her damp hair over her shoulders and wrapping the towel more securely around her while keeping herself covered as best she could.
“You have nothing to hide, my dearest Aggie. I would be happy to continue this further and explore the rest of your body with my mouth. I’m hungry and ready to taste every inch of you.” Aggie didn’t know how to interpret his words since he said he was feeding off her energy before. The idea of literally being his meal was a bit off-putting.
“I think you’ve had enough tasting for one night. I think I’ll go drain the tub and turn off the jets. Then try and get some sleep before I have to face everyone tomorrow with my new-found knowledge.” Kyrel nodded and bowed his head, while backing toward the door.
“As you wish my dearest. I hope you have pleasant dreams and I shall see you in the morning. I know I’ll sleep better with your taste still on my lips.” Without another word he slipped out the door.
Aggie closed it behind him and leaned her back against it. She reached up to feel her kiss-swollen lips and sighed, “Why do they have to be so alluring? I couldn’t get a bunch of ugly, meat-headed guardians whose only saving grace was they were good at their jobs?” Chuckling at the thought, she got ready for bed.
Chapter 7
The next day, Aggie made her way down to breakfast. Luckily it was easy enough to find since no one bothered to give her a tour the day before. Walking in, she wasn’t surprised that all the guys had beat her there.
“Thanks for coming and getting me this morning. I’m just glad this place isn’t hard to navigate.” Sarcasm was her best defense and today she needed shields at full strength. She was already at a deficit because her sleeping habits weren’t what they should have been. Between her conversation with Mathius and her impromptu make-out session with Kyrel her REM cycle was definitely damaged.
“We weren’t sure when you were ready to see any of us and didn’t want to press you.” Mathius spoke up first and everyone else simply glanced up or nodded. Kyrel chose not to look up.
Deciding coffee was needed more than conversation, Aggie made her way to the breakfast bar. The amount of food set up was a dream. Anything she could have dreamed up and a few unidentified things were on display. It was as though she had died and gone to food heaven. The first to draw her attention was the pyramid of coffee cups and her hands wrapped around the top one before she could take another breath. Coffee was a lifestyle and part of her morning must-haves. That morning would be no different. Pulling the lever on the carafe, the liquid that came out was lighter than she expected. Turning to face the guys, a scowl marred her face as she sniffed the offending liquid. “WHAT. IS. THIS?” Each word was punctuated and the last letter practically spat at them.
“Tea.” Mitchell simply responded smirking slightly at her obvious distaste.
“Are you serious? Haven’t you guys heard of a little something called, coffee? If we are going to be spending time together, I’m going to need a cup of coffee. Is that going to be possible or am I going to have to make a quick jaunt through the gateway every morning to get what I need in order to function?”
“That stuff isn’t worth drinking, it is disgusting and I don’t know how you drink that drivel. Can’t you just drink what is provided or are you too much of a princess to be a gracious guest?” Mitchell was on a roll and wasn’t backing down, but little did he know was Aggie was more than capable in her current coffee-less state to keep up.
“I’ll have you know that coffee is considered a delicacy in many countries. If I can’t have a caffeine boost in the morning, my brain isn’t going to fire on all cylinders. I didn’t ask for any special treatment. Honestly the only thing I need in order to cope is coffee. Everything else is an afterthought, and while I’m very grateful for them, they’re just not necessary. Coffee is necessary!” Aggie was practically screaming by the time she finished her monologue.
“Calm down, woman!” Xavier stood and made his way toward her. “Even if they didn’t have coffee, which they do, Gryson can conjure anything we need on a whim. Mitchell is just being an ass because he could smell your personal activities last night. He’s likely just fighting a case of blue balls and is none too happy about it.” Xavier’s face looked bored but Mitchell’s face was red with anger. Aggie was pleased with the turn of events. While she should have been embarrassed by the comment about her activities, he flipped it back and made Mitchell the butt of the joke. Then she thought harder about the words he used.
“What do you mean smell?” She turned her attention to Kyrel, “I thought you were the only one who could sense such things.”
“I didn’t say he sensed you. I said he smelled you. I imagine given that you are our mate it was even harder for him to resist, but especially for the shifters who have an exceptional sense of smell, it was like you were upwind and teasing them.” Xavier sat ramrod straight and hardly moved as he spoke. He took a sip from his goblet and Aggie could only assume as to its contents.
“Isn’t it a little early for day drinking? We have a lot to do and given your word vomit now and the fact that I haven’t heard you speak much at all, I’d say you’ve had enough.” Reaching her hand to take the cup from him, Xavier smiled then without question, passed her the vessel. Aggie wrapped her fingers around the stem and cupped the bottom and tipped it toward her. The liquid didn’t move like alcohol. It was thicker than anything she had ever drunk before but was still too dark to make out the exact color. Raising the goblet to her nose, Aggie inhaled and instantly her nose curled at the metallic smell.
Sticking her finger in the mysterious drink, her finger emerged coated with a reddish substance. “What is this?” Holding her finger to Xavier’s face. To her surprise, h
e simply leaned forward and wrapped his lips around her finger, sucking the substance off. Her lips rose in disgust, “That doesn’t answer my question, but now I have so many more.”
“Are you sure you want to know?” Xavier’s rich voice caressed her skin and made her wish it was more than just his voice. The power of the timber, left her feeling in want and need of him.
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know. I tend to be very direct and to the point most days. I don’t like to beat around the bush for anything.” Aggie leaned back, but Xavier still held her hand in his grasp. She noticed that his touch was different to Mathius or Kyrel. His touch was cool as though he had been outside this morning without gloves. The buzzing that raged through her with Mathius was more of a flutter like thousands of bees buzzing around her heart with Xavier. Jerking her hand back, the sensations stopped instantly. It was getting hard to fathom all the changes that have been happening the past couple days. With her Gran’s passing and now the discovery of this new world, Aggie didn’t know how much stranger this could get.
Xavier’s eyes narrowed at her abrupt change and Aggie was sure his eyes took on a reddish glow. Now she wasn’t sure what to think as he licked his lips and inhaled the air around her as though he were tasting but appeared to be more like a snake smelling the air. Blinking quickly, he came back to the present. Xavier shook his head slightly as though clearing his thoughts. Aggie wondered where he had gone for that split second.
“O Negative, it is my preference for breakfast. It tends to blend well with anything that I might still have on my stomach from the night before. Lunchtime I go for something a little richer, perhaps an AB Negative. Then for dinner I prefer something more refined and rare, like an RH Null. I have a pristine palette and I don’t let much stop my cravings for the finer things in life.” Aggie felt her jaw fall open at his words, but had a hard time formulating a sensical sentence.
Glancing back and forth between the other guys at the table as she gathered her thoughts. Ren seemed to be holding back his laughter at their exchange but his brother Mitchell seemed to be more interested in consuming as many calories as humanly possible. How many calories does a shifter need to consume on a regular basis? Aggie’s passing thought was a minor distraction to the current brain dilemma. Xavier had really thrown her for a loop with his description of his dietary needs. The rest of the guys were distracted by this or that and only sparing her and Xavier a passing glance between bites.
“Are you telling me that you’re drinking blood right now?” Aggie finally found her words and dared ask what seemed like an insane question, but with everything she had recently experienced in the past day or so it was becoming easier to grasp. Xavier simply sipped from his chalice closing his eyes. His head bobbed in a subtle nod that Aggie would have missed had she not been completely locked on his actions. “What does that make you, some kind of vampire or something?” Her tone gave a hint to her scoffing that she only partially believed the words that she spoke. Surely vampires were still a myth even though she had been told that shifters, elves and demons existed. There was still minimal evidence that couldn’t be explained away if someone tried hard enough. Unfortunately, Aggie didn’t have the knowledge or wherewithal to explain things away with any sort of skill. That left her with the most obvious explanations and hoped against hope that she was wrong.
“What else would I be? Do you know of another being who survives on this particular elixir?” Xavier sounded like he was speaking down to her. Aggie was starting to get the impression that Xavier thought he was better than anyone else. So instead of answering him she ignored his question.
Turning her attention to Mathius, “Since I don’t know that I can grow accustomed to hot tea in lieu of coffee in one day, would it be possible to get a cup of coffee or would that be too much trouble?” Her eyes were pleading and she hoped he would take pity on her.
Although it wasn’t Mathius who responded. With a flick of his wrist Gryson caused a steaming cup of her favorite morning brew to appear in front of her. Hesitantly, she reached her hand out and gingerly touched the rim. As her fingers connected she jerked her hand back, startled by the connection with an actual glass. The heat of the steam wafted over her and Aggie caressed her fingers across each other. Tentatively, she lifted the cup in her hands and raised it to her lips. As the liquid sluiced down her throat she stifled a moan. “Thank you Gryson, this is perfect! It is the same coffee I have at home. How did you know that?
“I asked the brownies.” Gryson answered simply. Aggie looked over her shoulder. Running her eyes back and forth, Aggie searched for any desserts.
“Brownies? Why are you having conversations with the desserts? Also, if there are desserts, why didn’t I get chocolate added to my breakfast menu?” Aggie had no clue what he was talking about but now that he mentioned chocolate she really wished he had conjured up some of that as well.
“No, the brownies in your house that handle all the cleaning up. Who knows why but they actually enjoy it.” Ren thought he was actually clarifying but Aggie was pushed farther into a state of uncertainty that it didn’t help in the least.
To her surprise it was Eldon who took pity on her and clarified, “A brownie is a being similar to a sprite. They move very quickly and usually in between planes. This allows them to stay hidden from most, almost as one would stay in the shadows. They have a knack for helping but can cause their own chaos when they deem it necessary. They can help or hinder on a whim and you never want to upset one or your life could go from easy and blissful, to crazy and panicked in a matter of moments.” His voice lulled her into a state of complacency because of its lyrical story-like grace. Aggie knew she could listen to him speak of the most boring topic and she would be captivated.
Aggie was so caught up in his words she didn’t realize he had stopped and she sat there with a look of adoration plastered on her face. Ren, in usual form, snickered and that brought her back to the present. Quickly Aggie shook off her entranced spell from Eldon’s voice and attempted to save face, realizing that everyone was looking at her and waiting for her response. “So, you’re saying my Gran hasn’t kept house for as long as I’ve been there and the entire time I was growing up I didn’t have to actually keep my room clean?” Aggie was full of mixed emotions. First, she was still upset that her Gran was gone forever, but now a secondary emotion was brewing. She was livid that as a child she was grounded a time or two for not keeping her room clean when her own Gran didn’t actually clean any part of the rest of the house.
“I’m sure she was just trying to do her job. It was her responsibility to keep the Gateway hidden from the real world. It was also her job to keep it from you until the time came for you to fill your role. Unfortunately, she passed before she could tell you about it.” Gryson supplied only putting a small damper on the flames of her temper that they had stoked by sharing this information. She knew it wasn’t logical for her to be mad at her Gran, but there was so much she didn’t know and it would have been easier to take the news from someone she knew and trusted than eight strangers who just appeared in a magic room one day.
Latching on to this new information, Aggie’s thought drifted to a time many years ago when she was still just a whiny teenager with life challenges of another nature.
“Gran, I have to be there in fifteen minutes. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.” Aggie stomped her foot to emphasize her frustration.
“Then I guess you should have cleaned up that mess before it got this late. Now you are just going to have to settle for being late and clean it up quickly or be much later than necessary and risk missing the time with your friends.” Gran was always calm and never raised her voice to Aggie, but her tone left no room for argument. With a huff, Aggie turned toward the kitchen to clean up the dishes and clean up the mess from her baking earlier. If only she hadn’t promised her friends she would bring her famous chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies for movie night. She should have just waited for it
to be her turn to host. Stepping into the kitchen Aggie was startled to find that everything was back where it needed to be and there was even shine on the counters and the stove. Each of her cookies was placed in the Tupperware container neatly and sealed tight, ready to be transported. Her jaw went slack and she blinked in disbelief. She didn’t know why Gran had played it off that she would be late if Gran herself had already done the work. Instead of overthinking it, she ran to the sitting room and threw her arms around her precious Gran.
“Thank you so much!” Aggie squeezed her one last time and noticed Gran’s confused face, but she didn’t say a word. Aggie grabbed her cookies and ran out the back door.
Understanding dawned on Aggie’s face as she came back to the present. That mess, all those years ago, wasn’t cleaned up by Gran, but by these elusive Brownies. Taking another drink of her coffee Aggie allowed her mind to settle. She wasn’t actually angry with her Gran, but it was an easier emotion than questioning all the new things she was being introduced to recently.
“So, an elf, a demon, two shifters, a mage, an incubus demon and now a vampire. Does anyone else want to enlighten me as to their history of origin before we discuss my newest piece of information and how I’ve decided to handle it?” Aggie lifted an eyebrow in Eldon’s direction and her coffee to her lips and took a long sip and relished in the familiar flavor. For a moment she thought he was going to ignore her in favor of his silent reverie he has kept. Up until last night, Eldon hadn’t said much of anything. He and Xavier had kept their voices minimal and only speaking when things were of the utmost importance. Xavier’s conversation this morning while enlightening was the most words he had spoken since she was introduced to him. Then when she was about to give up hope that he would be forthcoming and willingly offer up the information Aggie had asked for, Eldon cleared his throat and spoke softly. His lyrical voice bounced through the room even with that minimal sound.
The Final Link Page 6
