Randall, on the other hand, fluttered around a mousy brown-haired woman who blushed profusely under his ministrations.
“No, no. I’m fine,” she reassured him while casting nervous glances in Samuel’s direction.
Samuel paid her no heed as he stared unwavering at Ella. She felt oddly as if she was the only thing that existed to him. Shaking off the feeling, she asked, “What is going on out here?”
Samuel was the first to answer. “Nothing.”
However, the woman confessed. “I walked into the door.”
Looking back and forth between Samuel’s emotionless expression, bare chest, and the woman’s red face, all the pieces fell together. She must’ve been busy staring at Samuel and walked into the door they’d propped open to air out the store. A surge of respect ran through Ella’s veins at the way Samuel was attempting to spare the woman’s pride by acting as if nothing happened.
Luckily, it seemed as if Randall had things under control since Ella couldn’t think of a thing to say. Her heart turned over in her chest. He was amazing. Why was he here? Ella knew from experience amazing things didn’t happen to her.
“See, black eye,” she pointed out again since she couldn’t think of anything else.
Samuel’s mouth lifted in one corner and a dimple peeked out at her.
“May I see you tonight?”
His offer sounded so formal and yet it was like ambrosia to Ella’s ears.
“I might have a black eye too,” the woman claimed loudly, making Ella feel not quite as sorry for her as she had earlier.
Without looking away from her, Samuel raised his palm in the woman’s direction. “Go away.”
At his command, she turned and walked from the store as if nothing had happened. Randall pushed his glasses up his nose with his middle finger, assessing Samuel with his most disapproving look, the one he normally reserved for Ella.
“What did you . . .” Ella began, but Randall interrupted her.
“I understand as an Angelus Tenebris you may do as you please, but in my shop, I maintain a ‘no shirt, no service’ policy.” With an offended sniff, Randall returned to the rear of the store, leaving them alone.
“What is a . . .” Ella began.
“Until tonight.” Samuel cut her off before disappearing.
“Huh,” she grunted, staring at the spot where he’d been. It looked as if she had a date. It would’ve been kind of nice if someone had allowed her to say whether she wanted a date, she thought bitterly as she tossed her paper towels in the trash and snatched up the nearby broom. The light shining through the open door sparkled off some broken glass she’d missed in the corner. A few black feathers ended up in the pile of tiny shards. She marveled over how quickly things blew inside with the door open as she attempted to focus on anything other than what might happen when she saw Samuel again. Who was she kidding? She’d be lucky if she didn’t jump on the man like a crazed monkey spotting a delicious banana.
“Where’s Freddie tonight?”
“Dr. Cruz gave him an experimental med earlier. He volunteered to take him home with him so he can keep a close eye out for nasty side effects. I needed the break, so I agreed.”
They walked to the corner to a café that was overly crowded, but the smells coming from inside were delicious. Taking one glance at the jam-packed bar, they chose a table on the balcony instead. Samuel knew nothing of mortal food and was caught off guard by the waitress.
“What can I get you, Mr. Hottie? You can have anything you desire, and for the record, just because you don’t see my name on the menu that doesn’t mean I’m not available.”
Ella looked like she was ready to punch her, but Samuel had things under control. Reaching out, he gently snagged the waitress by the wrist and brushed his thumb over her skin. Holding her gaze, he dropped his voice into its most seductive tone. “Would you truly like to fulfill my desires?” She sighed but Samuel didn’t give her time to answer. “I’d be pleased to the extreme if you would satisfy my woman’s every demand. She is, after all, the one person in possession of the key to my heart. Therefore, pleasing her is very agreeable to me.”
He knew he was laying it on thick, but he didn’t want Ella to be uncomfortable or have any doubts about this night. The woman pulled her hand away. She focused her smiles on Ella. He knew she would, considering the huge push he’d given her mind.
“How may I serve you tonight?”
Ella’s smile seemed a bit stiff. Nonetheless, she ordered a toffee-nut mocha without hesitation. Samuel asked for one too since he didn’t know what else to get.
With no server interrupting them and their drinks in hand, Ella seemed to relax further.
“I know very little of Freddie’s condition,” he admitted. “But zombies are immortal, as long as properly fed, are they not?”
“Oh yes,” Ella answered with a smile. “I take very good care of him. His body should fare well until I can find a cure.”
Playing devil’s advocate, and because he wanted to know everything about her, Samuel asked, “What if something happens to you? What will become of Freddie?”
Ella shrugged. “I’m not really concerned about such a thing happening. It’s not as if I’ll ever grow old. I’m damnably durable.“
Samuel’s brows drew together in confusion. He might spend a vast majority of his time in the heavens and therefore was woefully ignorant of mortals, but he did know they were fragile beings.
“Have you developed a potion to ensure long life then?” She laughed at his question. The musical sound pulled a smile from inside him, scattering his thoughts. Why did he care how she’d live for eternity? She would live. It was all that mattered.
“No. I’m not quite that accomplished.”
He’d lost the thread of their conversation. “What?”
“I’m not very good at being a witch,” she clarified.
He took a drink of his coffee to hide his reaction to her confession. Considering she’d spelled him right out of the most heavily guarded building in the Heavens, he thought she was a damn good witch.
Obviously, misunderstanding his silence, she began explaining herself. “This is not the life I wanted or expected. My mother is a Valkyrie and my father was one of the Mirror People.”
Samuel choked on his coffee. Thankfully, she didn’t pay him any heed. “I wanted to be an artist and then Freddie happened. I put my dream away, throwing everything into helping him.”
“How did you end up responsible for Freddie?”
At his question, Ella looked away. She busied herself opening a packet of sweetener for her coffee.
“Somebody had to do it,” she answered after a moment.
Hearing the reluctance in her voice, he decided not to push.
“A Valkyrie, huh?”
She snorted at this question.
“I sense a great story here,” he added, hoping to turn the conversation away from Freddie. It wasn’t as if he was jealous of their relationship.
It was more as if wanted her to himself for this night.
“Not really,” Ella answered with a shrug. “There are a great many warriors trapped inside the Mirrors. My mother was charged with bringing him to his death. The journey was a long one. They fell in love along the way.” She pointed to herself. “And now here I am,” she ended with a sweet smile.
“What happened with your parents? Did she still lead him to his end?”
“Is that not what Valkyries do?” she answered evasively.
Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest, assessing her closer. A Valkyrie and a Mirror man was a combination he’d never seen before.
Did the blood mixture explain her lovely eyes and the hold she had on him? She was a bit of a mystery he wanted to solve.
Twisting a lock of blonde hair around the tip of her finger nervously, she finally burst, “Why are you looking me like that?”
“You are very beautiful. It’s alluring.”
She ducked her
head. She wasn’t quick enough. He caught sight of the blush across her cheeks. A growl rose in his throat as the skin on his body began to feel too tight. It took him a moment to understand his emotions. He was aroused.
He hadn’t experienced a sexual attraction toward anyone in centuries. Eons as a sexual slave would do that to a guy. But now, here he was, sitting at this table, surrounded by people and loud music, while one tiny woman did nothing except blush. His skin itched to be closer to hers.
In his shock, he heard himself ask, “May I walk you home?”
She smiled but didn’t answer. He recognized he was about to be shut down.
“I promise it’s merely my concern for your safety prompting me to ask.”
At his words, she nodded her agreement. “Will you expect me to invite you in?”
“I expect nothing,” he answered honestly. “However, I do feel moved to inform you if you ever do decide to invite me... in, it will be an experience you’ll never forget.”
Oh dear. Ella wanted an experience she would never forget. She wanted this sexy, kilted and combat-boot-wearing man to show her things that would rewire brain.
“Monkeys love bananas,” she mumbled under her breath as they stood to leave.
“What?” The laughter in his voice made her wonder how much he heard. She shook her head in answer.
The night brought with it a chill on the wind. Ella was grateful she remembered to carry her sweater along with her. She struggled to get her arms in the sleeves with so many people surrounding them. Using his size against the crowd, he cleared a spot behind her, gently helping guide her arms inside. His hands smoothed over her shoulders as if checking the material was straight. The contact sent chills down the length of her body. Unfortunately, they ended at her core, leaving her unable to take a step. Linking their fingers, Samuel took control by making a path through the busy sidewalk while pulling her along in his wake.
Ella kept her eyes locked on his gorgeous back, mesmerized by the way his body moved. Each muscle did its job. They moved in time with the duty they were meant to perform. Never had Ella truly considered the beauty of a person’s muscular system before tonight. However, they hadn’t taught Samuel’s body in Science class or a lot more girls would’ve paid attention. She didn’t see anything except him until her house came into view, and even then, she only noticed it in a curious how-did-we-get-here sort of way. She excused her distraction this one time.
She wasn’t going to invite him in. Most likely, she’d never see him again after tonight. Therefore, just this one time she was going to soak up the memory of him, and hold onto it forever.
“Home and safe as promised,” Samuel announced as soon as their feet hit her front porch. He didn’t drop her hand. She made no move to pull away. They simply stared at each other. He was so tall. That fact kept floating through her brain. At five-foot-ten, she was tall for a woman. He still towered over her. She wanted to kiss him. Other than jumping up and down like a rabbit, she couldn’t figure out how to pull it off.
As if reading her thoughts, Samuel stepped backward down two stairs on the porch. He still was higher than eye level, but definitely more manageable.
“May I visit you again tomorrow?”
A spike of disappointment shot through her. Ella groaned at Samuel’s question. “Freddie will be home tomorrow. I can’t take him to a coffee shop.”
Instead of appearing put off, Samuel simply smiled, his irresistible dimple making an appearance and causing her knees to go weak. “I’ll bring Tam along. It can be like a play date.”
Ella really wanted to ask what the beautiful pixie was to him. She wanted to kiss him more. Since his answer could ruin the moment, she held her silence. Reaching out, she squeezed his shoulders. If possible, she went even more gooey inside at the sensation of his skin beneath her fingers. While her mind was out of focus, Samuel leaned in, touching his lips to hers.
It was a sweet kiss. He didn’t press her in any way. His lips were slightly parted as if simply breathing in her air. She was content to have his bottom lip between her teeth, his body this close to her. Their tongues never touched. It was the most erotic moment she’d ever experienced. When he pulled away, his eyes shined with lust. A flush covered his cheeks, but obviously, his will was strong. She was busy beating down her inner crazed monkey, and he kept his hands to himself.
“Good night, my little witch.” He walked backward down the remainder of steps while holding her gaze.
“Until tomorrow,” she answered, and he disappeared the same as he had earlier in the day.
She knew she’d eventually need to find out what sort of creature he was. For now, he was hers and that was all that mattered.
CHAPTER FOUR
Samuel prowled from one end of his ten-by-ten room to the other, feeling more restless than he had in ages. Perhaps it had been building for centuries and he had refused to acknowledge it. Now, it was staring him in the face. He was unhappy. He was a warrior, a guardian, and proud of it. He’d ensured the safety of the Hall of Gods for eons, never expecting a thing in return. It was his job. This was his place. His duty. It fucking sucked.
“I think you’ve worn the varnish off the floor.”
Samuel extended his wings, cracking his neck in his annoyance over the interruption. Curling his fingers into a fist, he ground his back teeth.
“Did you need something, Mistress Selena?”
“Your incessant stomping can be heard three floors down, Samuel.”
“My apologies, Mistress,” he said between clenched teeth. He froze in place, becoming unnaturally still.
“No need to be an ass. I came to check on you because I was concerned. Not to mention, Lena has been worried about you ever since you disappeared.”
Selena, along with her sisters Rowena and Katrina, better known as the Three Fates, had been his mistresses since creation. He’d neither enjoyed nor hated his life of servitude. Until recently, it had simply been the way of things. The touch of affection in Selena’s voice caused his blood to run cold. He purposely shut his mind against all emotion.
He reached down and with a precise tug, dropped his kilt to the floor, leaving his body bare. He stared at a spot past her shoulder. “I would’ve come to you if you had called. There was no need for you to make the trip to my quarters.”
He could hear the lack of enthusiasm in his voice, but he couldn’t be bothered to hide it. Samuel had been Selena’s personal guard and sexual slave from the day he was created as a full-grown man. Even though she’d granted him his freedom three thousand years ago, he’d known it was only a matter of time before she revoked their bargain.
“Oh, Samuel,” she said, sounding sad. “You’ve been free to leave here for a long time.”
He did meet her eyes at the words. The concern in her blue eyes took him by surprise. It wasn’t as if he didn’t care for Selena or she didn’t care for him. There was no love there. As much as it may seem the perfect bargain for a man, it wasn’t. No one, not even a warrior such as he was, could survive an eternity without love. To have love is to belong. He belonged nowhere.
“There is no place else for me,” he heard himself admit.
“Then perhaps you’ve not looked hard enough,” she said, leaving him alone.
***
He was waiting for her when Ella arrived at work the next day. Standing in the center of the shop with his feet braced apart, braid hanging down his back, and bulging arms crossed over his chest, Samuel was the perfect picture of sexiness. Ella wanted to lick him, just one time. Surely, there wasn’t a soul who would chastise her if she simply ran her tongue over his nipple and kept walking as if nothing happened. The way he watched her should be illegal. He ate up her presence with his stare. Damned if her body didn’t scream for more.
“I found I couldn’t wait until this evening to see you again. I brought you breakfast.” He nodded toward a paper bag waiting by the cash register. A cup of coffee sat next to it. If such a thing was possible,
Ella wanted him even more. A delicious man who comes bearing coffee holds the key to instant pants removal.
A pink rubber band shot through the air, flying past Ella’s head, before pinging off Samuel’s bare chest. Samuel didn’t as much as flinch.
“No shirt. No service,” Randall said haughtily. Ella hadn’t even noticed his presence behind the counter. She’d been so engrossed in Samuel.
Samuel’s already iridescent eyes began to glow seeming almost to swirl with anger. He turned his gaze in Randall’s direction. His temper didn’t show itself in any other way. Ella still found herself taking a step back. Making his retreat, Randall headed toward his office, grumbling under his breath the whole way about dark ones pissing all over other people’s territories. He slammed the door closed behind him. Yanking it back open, he stuck his head out.
“And you’re fifteen minutes late,” Randall admonished before slamming the door closed once more. It immediately opened again. “Freddie’s in the back, asleep.” This time the door closed with a definite snap instead of a slam.
“The shaman has a crush on you.”
Ella’s jaw dropped at Samuel’s statement. “Shaman? Who? Randall? He’s no shaman. He’s only a pharmacist, and he doesn’t have a crush on me.”
She wanted to add if Samuel ever witnessed the twenty-minute eyebrow lecture she endured daily from Randall, he’d laugh hysterically at the thought of Randall possessing any mushy feelings for anything, much less her.
“A pharmacist,” Samuel repeated. He moved to the nearest shelf. Picking up the first bottle he came to, he read, “Angelica: mix three drops with lukewarm water at bath time for five nights to remove itching hex. Other uses include home protection from most curses if sprinkled weekly. Yes. I was mistaken. This is the average pharmacy, and yes he is carrying a torch for you.”
She knew she’d caught sight of a cauldron in his office once. She’d concede the shaman point, but a torch? No way.
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