by Sarah Piper
Hot.
“I know.”
“No, I mean…” Shit. Had I said that out loud? “Hot coffee! You didn’t let me finish. I really need some hot coffee.”
God, what was wrong with me? Darius was right—I was insatiable. Maybe I was part incubus, somewhere way back in the mysterious family bloodline, and all that magical energy I’d been burning through lately needed to be replenished with the very hot, very intense sex I kept craving…
Or maybe I just needed to up my caffeine intake.
Thankfully, a fresh pot of coffee sat on the countertop like a beautiful beacon in a storm. Helping myself to a mug full, I said, “Why the hell are you so chipper today, anyway?”
Asher laughed. “Three guesses, Cupcake. That’s all you get. One, two, three guesses.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Asher. Three guesses is the usual amount of guesses one gets.”
“Three,” he went on, “as in a triad of guesses.”
“Are you drinking already? It’s not even noon.”
“A ménage of guesses.”
“What are you even—”
Oh, God. No wonder he’s so damn happy.
Ronan, Darius, and I had generated more than a little sexual energy last night, and that was after Ronan and I had spent time getting reacquainted in the very carnal sense of the word.
Asher must’ve gotten a big fat dose of… everything.
Not to mention, he’d probably heard the sounds coming from behind Ronan’s bedroom door last night, most of which belonged to me.
“Are all incubuses total pervs,” I snapped, “or is that just another one of your special charms?”
“Sex isn’t perverted, Gray,” he teased. He poured the egg mixture into the frying pan with the veggies, bringing it all to sizzle. “When two people love each other very much… Wait, did I say two? I meant three. Or more. No judgments as long as everyone’s all in. All in! Ha! Pun intended.”
Asher continued to amuse himself at my expense, but after my night of total ecstasy, the annoying incubus couldn’t bring me down.
I offered him a sympathetic frown. “I’m sorry you’re hurting right now, Ash. Dry spells can be rough. But it’s not you. It’s them. Most likely.”
Asher bristled. “Dry spell? Speak for yourself.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I sipped my coffee, grinning behind my mug.
“I’m not in a dry spell,” he insisted. “I’m just… selective.”
“Of course you are.”
“You know, it’s not that easy to just—”
“Asher?” I joined him at the stove, placing my hand flat against his bare chest. His heart hammered beneath my touch. “I need to tell you something. It’s important.”
Fingers gripping the spatula, Asher swallowed hard, ignoring the pan of eggs sizzling behind us. “Yeah?”
I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his ear, and his heartbeat kicked up a notch.
“Whatever you do,” I whispered, enjoying the smattering of goosebumps that rose along the back of his neck. “Don’t. Burn. The bacon.”
The crunch of a car rolling up the long gravel driveway was a symphony to my ears, and I set down my mug and headed for the front door, leaving Asher gaping like a fish, his mind casting for a comeback that just wouldn’t come.
The guys were loaded down with grocery bags, so while Asher worked out his issues at the stove, I helped unload the car and put away the goods. Most of it was essentials—food and alcohol—but there was also a big bag overflowing with what I could only describe as girly gear.
“What is all this stuff?” I asked.
“It’s for you, querida,” Emilio said. “We didn’t know what you normally used and Ronan didn’t want to rifle through your bathroom drawers. We just got a little of everything.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. I found several bottles of shampoo and conditioners, hot oil treatments, a curly hair mask, moisturizers for day and night, peppermint foot lotion, a bunch of makeup for all different skin types, hair accessories, shower gel in every fruity combination, a shower poof, and a back scrubber thingy that looked like a bunch of shower poofs sewn together with a loop on each end.
I hadn’t even finished digging through the bag yet, and there was already a big fat lump in my throat. Maybe bath and beauty products were a silly thing to get excited about, but no one had ever done anything like that for me before. Until that moment, my entire beauty routine had been built around whatever was on sale and didn’t smell like someone’s grandma vomiting up rose petals.
This felt like a luxury, and it’d been a long time since I’d gotten one of those.
Catching the shine of emotion in my eyes, Emilio frowned. “We can get something different if that’s not—”
“No. It’s perfect.” I smiled. “All of it. I don’t… I don’t even know what to say.”
“De nada. We just want you to be comfortable here.” Emilio squeezed my shoulder, and the room fell silent. No one bothered to fill in the rest of that sentence, but I sensed we were all thinking it.
Because we don’t know if you’ll ever be able to go back home.
I thought of the cute little house I’d shared with Sophie, and a sliver of regret touched my heart. But despite how much I’d loved that place, deep down I knew home wasn’t a place at all. Places were easier to come by; I’d had lots of them during my time on the streets, often with strings attached.
But I’d also been blessed with homes. First with Calla. Then with Ronan. Then Sophie.
Now, I was making a new home all over again. Temporary or not, that’s what this place was to me.
“Thank you,” I said, stretching up to press a kiss to Emilio’s cheek. “For everything.”
He stroked his hand down my back, and when I finally pulled away and met his eyes, he quickly dodged my gaze.
The wolf shifter was actually blushing.
“Alright,” Asher said, clapping once. “I hope you guys are hungry, because I’m pretty sure I outdid myself here.”
“Wow,” I said, scoping out the spread he’d set up on the counter. “I didn’t know this was going to be such a formal affair. You actually put on a shirt?”
“Had to.” Asher flashed me his bad-boy smirk, reminding me that no matter how long we played this little game, he’d always come out ahead in the end. “You were drooling so bad, the bacon was getting jealous. Now let’s eat.”
Ten
GRAY
We served up heaping piles of food, buffet style, then took our places at the dining table—a massive oak slab with polished benches on either side, centered before a row of huge bay windows that overlooked the backyard.
The eggs were cooked perfectly, the bacon nice and crisp, the fruit salad sweet and fresh. But despite our happy family meal and the beautiful home we were now officially sharing, tension had crept in and settled over us like a cloud.
Every one of us at this table—as well as the vampire still sleeping downstairs—seemed to be holding a different piece of the puzzle. I was sure they thought they were protecting me, shielding me from some new danger or painful knowledge. But the only way we were going to solve this thing—to help the witches and erase the hunter from existence—was to work together.
No longer willing to sit silently and wait for someone else to take the lead, I said, “We need to talk about what you guys found at Norah’s place, and about what happens next. I’m supposed to start training with Liam today, but that could take weeks—and that’s just the magic stuff.”
The guys exchanged glances, but I didn’t give them a chance to contemplate.
“What are the chances the hunter will stay quiet much longer?” I asked. “We need to move on this, and we need to have a solid plan. That means no secrets, no matter how ugly the truth might get.”
“Gray’s right,” Emilio said, pushing his plate away and leaning back in his chair.
“For starters,” Ronan said, “just because he’s quiet doesn’t mean he’s easing
up. We have to assume he’ll try to take another witch, probably sooner rather than later.”
“Any witch in the Bay is a target,” I agreed. “Neighboring towns, too. If my hunch is correct, he’s keeping them on the coast, and probably commuting back and forth as needed.”
I filled in the guys about what I’d seen in the flames, and though it probably didn’t qualify as irrefutable evidence in the eyes of Blackmoon Bay’s finest, they all agreed it was worth investigating.
“If what you saw was real,” Emilio said, “and we’ve got no reason to doubt that, any witches west of the Bay need to be on high alert.”
“Agreed,” Ronan said. “But that doesn’t mean other communities won’t be hit, too. Gray’s vision suggests he’s keeping them near the ocean, but even if we narrow that down just to Washington state, we’re still talking about hundreds of miles of coastline.”
“It’s a start,” Emilio said. “We just need to move through this methodically, ruling things out and slowly narrowing our search.”
“Slowly isn’t an option,” I said. “Witches’ lives are at stake.”
I took a long pull from my coffee, trying not to let the impossible odds bring me down. Despite the obstacles, there was still hope—the witches I’d seen were definitely prisoners, hurt and scared, but alive. And as long as they were alive, there was still a chance we could help them.
Haley. Reva. The others. God, there’d been so many.
We have to find them…
“I’ll coordinate with state and local law enforcement as best I can,” Emilio said, “but we have to tread lightly.”
“No shit,” Ronan said. “Human cops will make this even more of a mess than it already is.”
Emilio nodded. “The good news is there are quite a few shifters working as cops in this state, especially on the outskirts. The bad news is the coastal communities in particular are territorial as hell. Working with them is a nightmare on the best of days.”
“Even with your… connections?” Ronan asked.
“Especially with them,” he said. He and Ronan exchanged an odd glance, but before I could ask about it, Ronan was speaking again.
“The other issue is we don’t know who else this jackoff is working with. He had Hollis and the other vamps in his pocket. He may be infiltrating police departments, too.”
“And we still don’t know their connection to the vamps who attacked Darius and Gray at the morgue,” Emilio said. “That’s another loose end, and I really don’t like loose ends.”
I took another sip of coffee, swallowing down the shame that rose in my throat at the mention of the morgue vamps. Darius kept on telling me that what I’d done—that the murder of the female vampire who’d attacked me— was self-defense, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept.
Eager to move on from that particular topic, I said, “So what did you guys turn up at Norah’s? Anything?”
“Not much,” Ronan said. “A few basic witchcraft supplies, some notes, but nothing that raised any red flags. If Norah had any computers or phones, she either took them with her, or the vamps cleaned her out before we got there.”
He got up from the table and headed into the kitchen, returning a minute later with the coffee. “Anyone need a warmup?”
“You really think she’d take everything with her?” I asked, holding up my mug. “How long was she planning to stay away? I got the impression it was a temporary thing.”
“No idea.” Ronan topped me off, then poured the rest into his mug, setting the empty carafe on the table. “Norah either cleaned up her tracks like a pro, or she’s innocent, and she really did leave town with every intention of keeping Reva safe, no matter how long that might’ve taken.”
“Doesn’t look like that plan worked out,” I said, remembering the fear I’d seen in Reva’s eyes last night. Poor kid. I really hoped Norah was innocent, if for no other reason than sparing Reva the crushing pain of learning the woman who’d given her a home was a traitor.
“Neighbors were starting to ask questions about the broken windows,” Emilio said, “so we cordoned off the house and told them there was a robbery. I’ve been trying to reach Norah to let her know about the property damage, but she hasn’t returned my calls.”
“What about the dead vampires?” I asked, recalling the pile of bodies they’d left, including the charred mess of one Clayton Hollis.
“Taken care of,” Ronan said, and I didn’t press for details.
“Alright, let’s assume Gray’s vision was accurate.” Asher, who’d been happily shoveling food into his maw, finally jumped into the conversation. “Our best lead is still the rogue vampire. Things may have gone south between him and the hunter, but he’s gotta know something about the dude’s plans or hideouts.”
“Yeah, but where is he?” I asked. “If Hollis was telling the truth, the hunter’s blood bank bailed on him. That vamp is probably in hiding now—the hunter likely wants him dead.”
“Not to mention the Grinaldi family,” Emilio said. “This rogue attempted to break their code. They won’t let a slight like that go unpunished.”
“Darius’s people are making progress with Grinaldi,” Ronan said. “He thinks he’ll be able to secure a face-to-face meeting soon. We’ll know more about that in the next day or so.”
“In the meantime,” Emilio said, reaching for Ronan’s coffee mug and stealing a sip, “I’m still working the case. We’re combing through security footage from all the street cams in the area between Haley’s place, where she and Asher were jumped, and Norah’s, where Asher was left to rot like a piece of bad meat.”
“Dude.” Asher, who’d returned to his fourth helping of eggs as if it’d been days since his last meal rather than minutes, dropped his fork. “I’m right here.”
“Thanks to Gray,” Ronan said, winking at me across the table. “She saved your ass.”
“Maybe not one of my better decisions,” I teased.
“Aww, you two are adorable.” Asher grinned, but the mischievous glint in his eye told me exactly where his comments were heading. “You know, Ronan, I just realized something about that night. Technically, I’ve been inside your girlfriend. Is that weird for you?”
Ronan plucked a grape from the fruit salad bowl and chucked it at Asher’s head. “Keep dreaming, cocksucker.”
“Every night and all day long, brother,” Asher said.
The demons looked at me, both laughing, waiting as if they were expecting me to hit Asher with a zinger of my own.
But I couldn’t.
What had happened between us the night I’d saved him—the night I’d taken his soul inside me—wasn’t something I could easily joke about. Not while the ghosts of Asher’s past still haunted me.
“Anyway,” I said, “we’ve got our work cut out for us. Until we find the rogue vamp or the hunter, we have to keep tracking down leads, training, planning for the inevitable. And I need to get a lot stronger with my magic.”
“You’re scrying now,” Asher said. “And you’ve got your book juiced up again. That’s a good thing, right?”
“It is, but you have to remember… I’m still new at this. I buried my magic for more than a decade, avoiding anything even remotely connected to witchcraft. I might as well be starting from scratch.”
“We’ve got your back, Gray,” Ronan said. “You just focus on your training and leave the rest to us. At least until we know more.”
“That’s the plan,” I said, looking down at my hands in my lap. They looked like regular hands, no glowing, no sparks, no blue flame. If I concentrated, I could feel the magic, a low and constant current humming through my blood, but I still couldn’t call it up at will. Not every time.
I needed to learn. To perfect. No matter what leads Emilio could uncover, no matter what Darius learned from Grinaldi, no matter what the demons had in store, deep down I knew this would all come down to one thing, just like it always had, for millennia.
Magic.
Witche
s had it, but most of us hid it. Mages had it, but lost it, and then they evolved into brutal hunters, desperate to get it back. Reclaiming what they believed was their birthright became their prime directive, the thing that drove them to every thought, every belief, every action.
It stood to reason that the stronger and more connected to my magic I became, the more desperate the hunter would become to possess it. To possess me. And desperation had always been the hunters’ downfall. It clouded their judgment, blinded them to their flaws, and led to mistakes.
We just had to be in the right place at the right time when he made his.
“And Mr. Surfing Philosopher?” Asher blurted out, his mouth full. For someone who needed sexual energy to survive, he had a damn hearty appetite for regular food. “Where does he fit into all this? Because if we’re taking a vote, mine—”
“Doesn’t count,” I said. “Liam’s involvement is non-negotiable. None of you can help me with my magic—not like he can.”
“Is that all he’s doing?” Asher asked. “You two seemed pretty chummy last night.”
“I don’t know what you mean by chummy, but Liam has been an ally from day one, and he’s given us no reason not to trust him.” I rose from my chair, gathering up the dirty dishes. “Not to mention the role he played in saving your life.”
Asher stayed quiet a full minute after that. But just when I thought the matter was settled, he said, “So where is your knight in shining highlights, anyway? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”
“He’s… You know.” I shrugged, making my voice sound breathy and mystical. “Everywhere, all at once, within and without.”
The guys laughed, but the truth was, I had no idea where Liam was. Even in human form, he couldn’t stay on the earthly plane for long periods of time, and it’s not like his presence in my magical realm was a given, either. He mostly just… arrived. And then departed.
He’d said he’d be here today to start my magical training, but I had no idea when, where, or in which form he might show up.
