by Tigris Eden
His grin was telling. One that said he knew he was every woman’s fantasy come to life. If she hadn’t sworn men off, he surely would be the object of her desire. Hot, dirty sex appeal was pouring off this man in waves. If she weren’t careful, she’d be caught in the undertow.
“I’m Captain Dravaggio.” His warm, strong hand gripped hers. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me and my team.”
He quickly introduced her to the men in the room. There was a set of twins that sat across from her. One was smiling as he lit a red cigarette, blowing the smoke in her direction, the other glared. She didn’t take in their looks because she was still stupidly eye fucking the captain. What was it about him? He made her want to jump out of her seat and onto him. There were some other names tossed about; some guy she thought she heard called Adam, and another guy the captain referred to as Hawke. Then there was Gabe and Oliver, whom she’d already met. Dravaggio was saying something about missing team members and apologizing for their absence when Jes realized the guy with the red smoke was sitting next to her now. How the hell did he get so close without her noticing?
“And because you are so enamored with our captain and didn’t hear the introduction,” he held out his hand and grabbed hers, breaking her out of the trance before continuing, “I’m Royce. Resident badass, all around swell motherfucker, and every woman’s dream come true. Very nice to meet you.”
He held eye contact with her and gently kissed the back of her hand until she was fully aware that all the men in the room were smiling. Captain Sex God bowed and retreated to the chair at the end of the table then gestured with his hands.
“The floor is yours, please tell us everything you know about Marcus,” he purred. The man actually purred. Goodness, no human female was safe from him. Jes’s mind conjured an entire porn scene in her head when he spoke. And she was the object of all his sexual ministrations.
She cleared her throat and clasped her hands, resting her elbows on the table. Her palms were sweaty and her heart felt like she’d been running a marathon. Now she was nervous. All these men were waiting on her. Should she have stayed with Marcus longer and gathered more information? Or was she doing the right thing by leaving? You’re doing the right thing. Just tell them what you know.
“It’s the right thing,” a slow voice said next to her ear. Was he answering her question or insinuating something else?
It was the guy sitting next to her. Royce.
“Just good with minds.” He gave her a wide Cheshire cat grin. Jes could see his fangs. Great, she was in the company of a vampire who could read minds. Just what she needed, someone intruding on her most private thoughts.
“Well, that all depends on what you have in your head. All I’m interested in is finding the rest of the missing Vampiri. Everything else is none of my concern. And I’m not a vampire.”
He leaned closer and tugged on her hair.
“Don’t worry, sweetie, I won’t tell the captain he was the star attraction in your porn slide.”
The men in the room all chuckled under their breaths. They’d heard what he said regardless that he’d whispered it to her. She was, after all, sitting in a room full of immortals.
“Whatever,” Jesminda shot back. “It’s not my fault, I’m sure of it.”
“You are correct in that assumption, and I apologize that I had any effect on you. I will remember to keep composure when in your presence. I don’t get out much.” Dravaggio said with a slight nod. A gesture she knew meant he wanted her to continue.
Royce chuckled again and Jes promised herself she’d avoid him at all costs. She didn’t need him playing around in her head, or Dravaggio messing with her libido. Getting free of Marcus and keeping her daughter safe was serious. She needed the Shadow Unit’s help.
Seven sets of eyes waited for her story. Jesminda cleared her throat and began a detailed explanation of what she knew and what her assumptions were when it came to her ex, Marcus. The men listened. Oliver seemed more receptive to her explanation of why she could not tell him the next location. She explained that when she’d first met Marcus, after a couple of months of dating, he’d told her of the existence of immortals. She didn’t believe him at first. But then she found out that her best friend was immortal. She couldn’t tell the Shadow Unit about Bells, and she wouldn’t. When Belinda’s people were ready to come out to the governments of the world, they would. Problems would arrive once they did, but it wasn’t Jes’s secret to share.
“Who’s Bells?” This came from the resident badass as he called himself, Royce, all dark brown hair and amber eyes. In the light, she could see flecks of green and gold in his gaze. He seemed smoother, more casual than the others. His twin, Ronin, was bald. Silver eyes stared back at her from a harsh face. It seemed as though Ronin was the animal and Royce was the man.
On cue, Ronin growled and Royce laughed.
Shit! She’d forgotten about their mind reading talent.
“Bells is my best friend. She’s the one who is watching my daughter for me. That’s the other thing…” She looked over at Captain Dravaggio. “I need to pick Faith up. She needs to be safe. And the only way it’s going to happen is if she’s with me.”
“This Bells is an immortal?” Royce asked.
“It’s not my story to tell. When her people are ready to come forward they will.” Jes pleaded with her eyes and in her head for him to refrain from asking her something she couldn’t reveal.
The captain looked from her to his men, and they all nodded in unison. There were some audible grunts and chairs moving, but it appeared as if they’d decided. A united front. She let out a deep breath and relaxed her body. She just needed to get through this with her sanity intact. She gave them all the details she could pull from her memory; the late night flights and the men Marcus surrounded himself with. She told them how Vince had plugged in the wrong GPS coordinates that were supposed to lead her to a romantic dinner. And how she ended up at one of Marcus’s apartments where he was holding the Vampiri prisoner instead.
She explained how she’d met a barely lucid Teresa, who’d told her to search for Shadow Unit on the web along with the name of her father. She also relayed what Teresa had told her about how they moved every other month, how the Vampiri were kept weak, and about the blood sport some were forced to take part in, as well as the eating of vampire flesh allowed to those who paid top dollar. Marcus would even let them cut the part of the skin they wanted to eat most. One woman had even opted for a vampire’s genitals, balls and all. She thought if she swallowed his flesh, she would become impregnated and immortal. It would never work, and that poor vampire would never be the same. If he survived, the blood he was allowed to drink would not restore his pride or his manhood. Vampiri didn’t regenerate severe injuries such as loss of limb. It didn’t matter what caste they were from, or how much blood they consumed. It wouldn’t be enough to heal them.
Jesminda watched Oliver as she relayed the entire ordeal. She hadn’t been able to escape with his daughter, and she knew he was angry. At least she was opting to get the captured Vampiri help. But also help for you and Faith. Stay focused.
She told them everything, and no one interrupted her. Not even when she finished talking. The silence in the room was telling. The air chilled. The men around the conference room began strategizing how they could find Marcus’s place before he moved the Vampiri again. Captain Dravaggio approached her and sat down in the seat next to her. He scooted his chair forward and placed his elbows on the table. Head bent towards her, he looked right into her eyes. The man was dangerous with a side of sexy. Justin Timberlake had it all wrong. He was not bringing sexy back, Dravaggio was. And he was doing it times ten and then some. There was no way some woman hadn’t snagged him.
“Jesminda? Can I call you that, or would you prefer me to use your maiden name and call you Miss Zealand?” His voice did funny things to her skin. It caressed her arms and face. She blinked and cleared her throat.
“Jesminda
is fine. Thank you Captain Dravaggio.”
“Please, call me Stephan.” He gently took her hands into his and leaned closer. Did he not understand the boundaries of personal space? However, the sultry scent of him had her leaning forward, as well. A mixture of spice and anise seduced her senses. He’d obviously forgotten to turn off his sexy. She was still affected, more now as he sat closer to her. She cleared her throat, and Dravaggio understood her meaning. Suddenly, the heat on her skin evaporated and was replaced with calm. Much better.
“Agent Stone wasn’t here for the meeting this evening. He should have been, but he’s a little upset about having to take on this assignment,” the captain said softly. She knew he wasn’t hitting on her, but damn, all her woman parts were on board with offering her body up as a sexual sacrifice.
Through the semi-sexual induced haze Dravaggio supplied, Jes realized that he’d just told her that her protector wasn’t on board with his job. She let her contempt show. She didn’t want someone who wasn’t vested. She needed real protection. If the captain couldn’t provide her with the proper security, Faith would be taken from her, and Jes would be killed. Jes removed her hands from Stephan’s and absently rubbed her stomach.
There was a long slash across her shoulder down to her stomach from the night she’d tried to escape. It had been before she’d even known about the captive Vampiri. She’d quietly slipped from bed and walked into her daughter’s room. A stashed duffel bag and some cash were under the back seat of one of Marcus’s Escalades. She’d dressed Faith in a warm jumper before putting her to sleep in an effort to keep the night air from affecting her. Not much did, as her daughter’s temperature ran higher than most humans. But Jes was a responsible mom. There were only a handful of steps to freedom, and she’d thought she was safe. She’d reached for the latch on the front door and pulled as softly as possible. Faith was asleep and warm in her arms as the door swung wide. She saw the car and was stepping off the step when an arm wrapped around her stomach and jerked her back into a solid chest. The air in her lungs froze in fear. It had taken all of her strength to keep hold of Faith. One of Marcus’s men stepped from the kitchen, taking Faith from her. Helpless to stop him, she’d watched in horror as Vince slung her child over his shoulder. Faith had slept through the entire ordeal, and Jes hadn’t known why until Marcus whispered into her ear.
“Little Faith won’t come to, Jesminda. I had Vince dope her full of my latest concoction. Don’t worry, she won’t be hurt. I’m sure her shifter genes are burning through the drug as we speak.”
Marcus licked the side of her neck, making her entire body shiver in disgust. She stood as still as her heart and nerves would allow while he spoke in low tones to her.
“Were you just going to leave? Take our daughter and just disappear without a trace? Tsk tsk, my lovely. I love you, I will always find you.” Marcus even sounded sincere, but she knew the truth. Her body naturally reacted to the words I love you. Instead of joy and happiness, she felt immense pain and betrayal. Those three words had the power to undo her in the worst way.
Marcus bit her painfully on the ear. That was the last thing she’d felt before he took the knife he held at his side and slashed the duffel from her shoulder. He’d purposely slashed the blade deep into her skin. He continued pulling the blade, careful not to nick an artery, until she had a gash that ended at her hip and stomach. He’d done it as a warning, and then had the bastard Vince patch her up as he’d wiped her blood on her own soaked pant leg. She’d passed out from the pain after the tenth stitch or so. Vince hadn’t used anything to numb the area. She could feel each pinch of the needle and the feel of thread through her skin as he’d sewn her back together.
Stephan stared at her when she finally came back from her memory, straightened and stood up from her chair. She knew her expression wasn’t a pleasant one, but she didn’t give a damn. Whoever this Agent Stone was, he could go to hell. Why wasn’t Oliver on the case? His daughter, Teresa, was one of the missing Vampiri. It would have made more sense for him to be assigned. He would be the one best suited for the job, and he had as much to lose as she did.
“Stephan, why isn’t Oliver the one watching over me?” she asked with an air of authority. She was not going to let them call all the shots. Her and Faith’s safety was on the line.
“Oliver is considered new to his House. There are protocols he must follow that even I can’t counteract. Agent Stone is a werewolf. He is able to be with you at all times.”
Jesminda didn’t believe for a second that Agent Stone would take his assignment seriously. She needed to make sure she and Faith would be safe. The werewolf should have been at this debriefing. Not off doing whatever the hell it was he had been doing. She snorted loud enough to get the attention of the other men in the room. She didn’t care; she wanted them all to know she was unhappy. No one said a word as she looked around the room trying to decide how she was going to play her next move.
Jesminda took a step back from the table. She ticked off reasons Agent Stone was not going to be of any use. If she had to go on Oliver’s schedule to carry out what she needed, she would. Even the guy who could read minds would be better. Any man in the room was better than Agent Stone. They, at least, had showed up.
“Don’t say it, honey. Forget it.” This came from the twin with the bald head. Ronin was it?
“Yeah. Ronin.”
She cleared her mind. She was not going to say something in her head she normally would not say aloud.
“That works for me.” Ronin nodded over in Dravaggio’s direction and stood. “I got some things I need to handle.” He looked over at Jesminda and nodded his head. At least he had manners.
“Stephan, I would prefer another of your men take on this assignment. Anyone other than Agent Stone.”
7
The fucking smell wouldn’t leave his nostrils. He hadn’t gone to that meeting on purpose. He wanted to be there to get the information necessary to do the job. But getting as far away from the scent as possible was priority. She’s not even here. Whoever it was would have immediately seen the state he was in. Draven couldn’t bring himself to go to the debriefing with a hard on. Or have the twins all in his shit. All because of a fucking smell that drove his insides insane. He’d dreamed of it and the woman attached to the sensuous aroma for five years. Talk about obsessed; he was a borderline stalker when it came to her. He couldn’t tell Melissa what he’d dreamed about, even if he did take his sexual frustrations out on her. Melissa didn’t smell like his island flower. And he knew it was wrong, but he’d still fucked Melissa raw last night hoping to satisfy his lust. Maybe it was the reason he smelled her now, because of last night’s dream. It made things worse for him because as he’d closed his eyes and pictured her face, he’d smelled her scent. Imagined it was her body he was driving into. The need was so strong the bed frame threatened to break.
His girlfriend didn’t deserve that, no woman did. He cared deeply for Melissa, and it was a significant enough step that they had moved in together. Everything was falling into place. Their arrangement had all the ingredients one could wish for, except for love. And fucking fire. The lack of passion should have been a vital enough reason to deter him, to send him elsewhere, but he’d stayed. He didn’t harbor even the smallest cinder for Melissa, just warm feelings. It has to be enough. Resolve had settled in months ago. He would do right by Melissa. His father wanted to know he could lead their pack. His mother complained about grandchildren constantly. He was tired and restless; Melissa would be the perfect addition to the pack. He knew she loved him. He’d only lied to her once. A lie of omission, he’d kept his dark fantasy about his one night with a mortal woman to himself. On the nights when he’d woke, his dick hard as steel and he’d sexed her for hours, he hadn’t told her it wasn’t her he was trying to pound into the bed, but his phantom lover.
His one-night stand’s island smell drove him to extremes, made him want things he could never have. It’s what had his skin craw
ling. He rounded the corner just as he heard a voice. Her voice. He shook his head for a moment to clear the haze. She couldn’t possibly be here, in this building. Ever. You’re losing it, Stone.
“Stephan, I would prefer any other of your men on this assignment than Agent Stone.” Draven’s heart stopped. The air in his passageways froze in place. If his heart hadn’t been secured tightly behind his rib cage, it would have exploded from that sound. On the other side of the door was his tropical flower. He couldn’t see her, couldn’t touch her, but fuck if her scent didn’t linger around him in a loving caress. A caress that stroked his cock to a painful hardness while her voice slid against his skin in a fiery blaze. Draven walked and stood in front of the conference room; its double doors wide open. He was dumbfounded. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. She soaked his senses and drowned him in her presence. There were words he wanted to speak. Words needed to be said, yet, nothing came out. His throat was closed. His inner beast whined to taste her, touch her. He wanted to bite her and then lick the pain away.
She was wearing white capri jeans with sandals and a pink button-up shirt. He hadn’t seen her skin covered with so little showing. It turned him on. He absently rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes to savor the moment.
Her hair was down. Large ringlets caressed her cheek and beautiful neck. The playful strands of red were missing; only thick, rich mahogany covered her perfect face. Her eyes were more exotic, and haunted. Bad shit was mixed in with a mother’s love. His flower had suffered a lot since their time together. He wanted to make her laugh, not see her face marred with worry and fear. Honey eyes stared back at him in recognition. Her mouth opened on a gasp. Draven stood as still as possible, he didn’t want to upset her more. Clearly, she was unsettled by his presence. The last time they’d seen each other, a woman had been wrapped around his body like saran wrap. A vampire named Chloe. He was on a job, and she had been his contact. Memories of that night flooded his brain. Damn, he should have gone after her. Their situation might have turned out differently. How?
