by Ebony Olson
Calin was the first person I found, squatting above Margaret, her eyes staring blankly into the afterlife. I squatted down next to him, putting an arm around his head. I hugged him to me as he mourned his first wife. He wouldn't mourn her fully tonight, there was still work to be done, but we'd both take this moment until we could farewell her properly.
“How great is your loss?” I enquired carefully. Calin loved his wives, but they were also our employees, and I didn't want him thinking my concern was the loss of guards.
“Margaret dead, and Anna is fighting for her life as we speak. Selena is a wreck. Margaret put herself in harm's way to save her.” Calin swiped at his eyes and took a moment to center himself. “L'Ordre and L'Paix are already here. Luke called them immediately.” I nodded, understanding this wasn't just a matter of order. Anything that could be considered the beginnings of an interspecies war brought in the peace officer. We both stood, and Calin turned his back on the gruesome loss behind him.
I lowered my voice. “Can you take Spectra out of sight till this is done? She's going to be traumatized, and her presence here will cause us issues.”
Calin nodded. “Any idea where she is? She did her vanishing trick again, though I must thank her for saving Gina.”
“I left her in the kitchen.” I started up the servants’ walk to gain access to the kitchen without passing through the main part of the house. I opened the door and moved around the bench where I'd left the bodies. Spectra wasn't there.
Calin tapped my shoulder and pointed to the kitchen door, still ajar. I concentrated and could see her drift leaving through that door, fear and shock strong in that aura. I sighed. “You'll need to track her. She's spooked though, so be careful.”
“I'll take Gina. She can use her animal eyes in case your girl has gone ghost again.” Calin walked back out the way we came in.
I took a breath, shut my shields, and went out to the main foyer and the chaos that was there.
“What took you so long?” Henry Williams enquired as I joined him, Alexander, and Luke by the main staircase. Seeing them side by side, there was no mistaking they were father and son. Alexander was just a younger version of his father.
“Found a loose end in the cellar,” I answered glumly. “Has Luke explained what happened?”
Henry nodded, “Where's Calin?”
Alexander always deferred to his father if present because he was respectful, and as much as he annoyed me for his prejudice, Alexander performed well in his role since taking it on.
“He and Gina are going out to check the perimeter for any we may have missed.”
Henry nodded, crossing his arms. “Good idea. I believe we've only got the one left alive?”
I looked to Luke, who nodded. “The one who attacked Gina while she was still transforming and you intervened.”
“He lived?” I asked, surprised and angry, but glad Luke knew well enough to cover for what we'd all seen Spectra do. “That's a surprise.” I gave Luke a stern look. Luke looked at his feet.
“I would question him, but it appears his sudden transformation to being human again left him with amnesia.” Henry cocked a brow. “I didn't know it was possible to cleanse a beast without killing it.”
I shook my head. “Admittedly, that wasn't what I was aiming to do. I actually don't know how that happened. Maybe he was a new convert?”
Alexander assessed me. “I'll look into it. I'd love to know how you did that.” He looked around and nodded to one of the men standing at the front door in coveralls. They started filing in with body bags.
“Luke, can you escort two of the men to the pool and retrieve the sorcerer down there?” I asked politely. Luke nodded and indicated the men should follow him.
“Who was it?” Henry asked.
“Falon Lore.”
“The weakest of them,” Alexander considered, “but it looks like the rumor has worked. I will leak a memo at work that tonight's attack resulted in one of the attackers being exposed and successfully cured of the beast.”
Henry nodded. “I will follow that up with a notice that the antidote has been moved to a more secure location. That should prevent this happening at your home again.”
“Let's leak several memos. One to each sector indicating different times and places. That should narrow the field for identifying the breach.” Alexander suggested. “Too long the Essence has gained access to information that should never have breached the NSIO walls.”
Henry nodded. “I think I'm done here. Hopefully, you'll have your home back within the hour.”
“There is one dead which will stay,” I informed quietly. “Calin will bury his wife here.”
Henry closed his eyes, the first bit of emotion I'd seen in him all night. “Which wife?”
“Margaret.”
“She was a good woman. Give him my condolences.” Henry met my eyes. “Truly good women are hard to come by these days. They shouldn't be harmed.” I nodded, agreeing with every word he said. Henry looked intently at me before looking away, and I knew he was aware of my interest in Spectra.
Alexander's eyes were angry. “Identify Margaret, so the cleaners know who to leave.” I nodded. Alexander Williams dropped his shield and stepped into the ether.
Henry waited a moment after his son left. “He was willing to put aside his hate for your kind to make this work, Bay, but if you try to take her from him, he will turn on you and years of planning will be destroyed.”
“I seek only a taste, Henry. You know better than any that my eternity is not something I would offer the girl. Besides, we both know Alexander cannot offer her anything permanent either. She is much better off with the boyfriend she already has. That they have an open relationship works in my favor as much as Alexander's.”
Henry looked at me curiously, and I resisted clarifying about Mercury, remembering that Alexander might not know about him.
Henry blew out a breath. “I adore that girl. She has a will of iron when it comes to living. She wasn't hurt tonight, was she?” My eyes widened in shock as Henry reached out and removed a long black hair from the shoulder of my jacket, holding it up with a knowing look before dropping it to the ground. I shook my head. “It was her choice this time, wasn't it?” I nodded. Henry shook his head. “He will kill you when he finds out, so keep whatever happens behind closed doors, Bay.” Henry took two steps towards the door, where he preferred to vanish out of sight.
“Do you know what she is, Henry?”
Henry looked back over his shoulder at me, his eyes as dark and dangerous as if I'd just threatened his wife's life. “Leave it alone, Bay. Have your fun then let her go.”
Spectra
I ran into the darkness, not having any idea where I was running or how long I'd been running. Despite the freezing cold ground and the light covering of snow, I kept running. Through the open land and then into the even darker forest, winding through the trees, catching myself and pushing on whenever my body felt like it would fail. Then an angel appeared in front of me.
I dropped to my knees in surprise before I recognized it was a statue. I knelt there panting, eyes traveling down the statue till I could just make out an inscription at the base. A grave. I was kneeling on a grave. As I scanned the area around me, I realized it wasn't the only grave in this clearing. I couldn't help thinking of the irony. I'd run from kneeling before the newly dead, just to kneel before the long dead.
I cuddled up to the base of the stone angel, shivering as my body temp cooled rapidly, but it was worth it for the peace that started seeping into me. Consecrated ground. I dropped my head to my knees and closed my eyes, wishing I could just step back into my bedroom at the convent, or maybe even into Mercury's arms. He'd be at the hospital, working hard to save those he could, praying for those he couldn't, or wouldn't. The weighing of souls. Would mine weigh a little heavier after what I'd done tonight?
Movement through the undergrowth caught my attention, and I raised
my head to see a lion watching me from several meters away. I smiled. “I'm glad you're okay.” My eyes lifted over Gina's head as the blond man, Calin, jogged behind her, slowing to a stride as he approached.
He ran a hand along Gina's back and whispered something in her ear then stepped cautiously towards me. He stopped a meter away and squatted to look at me. His eyes flicked to the statue and back. “Are you cold?” I nodded. He stood, slipping out of his jacket, stepping forward lightly as if I was a child that might spook and run.
I unfolded my legs, and he stopped walking. Both he and Gina watched me stand, as if they were surprised that I could. I met his eyes, and he inhaled a sharp breath. He didn’t say anything, just held his jacket for me. I pulled it on, wrapping it tight around me as I started walking in the direction they came from. Gina spun around and took off in a run. I raised a brow at Calin.
“She's gone ahead to organize a bath and some clean clothes for you.”
“A shower will do.”
Calin shook his head. “You've run for kilometers. Your muscles will soon tell you about it. You need a nice hot bath and maybe some simple stretches before you rest.”
“Is it all over?”
Calin pursed his lips. “For tonight. If L'Ordre has done his job well, and he usually does, the place should be clean as a whistle by the time we get back.”
I nodded and kept walking. Calin touched my back a few minutes later and pointed to my left, using his hand to turn me and move in that direction.
“What will you do when your secret comes out?” Calin asked casually as we walked.
“Which secret?”
“About what you are?”
“What I am now, or what I was before?” I saw Calin's head swivel to consider me in my peripheral vision. I shrugged. “It would be best if it wasn't revealed. No one wants L'Ordre as an enemy, especially one who has a contract with your signature on it.”
Calin stopped walking. “Were you sent as a test, Spectra? Is that why you agreed to meet with him tonight?”
I turned to consider Calin. “Bay wants something from me, Calin, and until last night, I couldn't understand why me. After last night, I can't refuse him.” I smiled quietly to myself. “Alexander always says compassion is my weakness.”
Calin studied my eyes. “He's wrong. Compassion and self-sacrifice are very admirable traits.”
I smirked. “Well, it's not all self-sacrifice. I am hoping to get something out of it.”
Calin laughed, stepping forward, and I turned to keep walking with him. “It's been awhile, Spectra. You may need to give him a few chances to release centuries of pressure first.”
We stepped out of the forest into the clear field. I pouted. “But he promised me he could bring a woman to orgasm with his face between her thighs.”
Calin growled, grabbing my shoulders to face him, face serious. “Do you want to be food?” I shook my head, suddenly scared. “You are not only breaking centuries of abstinence, Spectra. For centuries before that, he hasn't been with a woman without gaining sustenance from her. He'll need to resist that instinct, so don't put him in a position that tempts it.”
I swallowed. “And by that, you mean the literal physical position.”
Calin's mouth pulled up slightly. “Exactly.” Headlights came across the field towards us and Calin shielded his eyes. “Why do people who can see in the dark use headlights? Honestly! There goes my night vision for several minutes.”
We stood still for the next few minutes while the lights came closer. Eventually, a Jeep Wrangler pulled up beside us, the top down, Luke behind the wheel. “Gina told me Spectra was tired after her run.”
I looked at Calin. “How did you know I'd run the entire way?”
He took my arm leading me to the passenger side and placed me in the passenger seat before shutting the door and jumping into the backseat. “Your tracks.”
Luke shifted back into drive and started speeding back through the paddock. “The clean up’s finished. The boss is making arrangements for your wife's burial.”
“Have we heard about Anna?” Calin asked, his face shutting down, but emotion flitting across his eyes when I turned to look at him.
“Critical.” Luke glanced at me then back to the dark path in front of us. “I'll drive you in once we've seen Miss Michaels safely back.”
“We can't both go, Luke.”
“Your wives are exhausted, and as much as they'd all like to go, you know only you will be let in to see her. So, let your wives rest and mourn Margaret. Nothing more will happen tonight so I will take you, that way you can be by your wife's bedside if she wakes.” The way Luke phrased the word 'if' made me think it was highly unlikely.
The house came into view and silence descended over the car. It started snowing again as we approached the house. Luke looked up. “If this keeps up at this rate, we'll be snowed in come Monday.” He pulled into the garage and shut off the engine as Calin jumped out of the back and opened the door for me.
Calin looked at my feet and shook his head. “Definitely a bath.”
Luke came around the car. “I'll take her. You go see your women. I'll meet you back here in fifteen.” Luke put his arm on the small of my back, and I remembered I was wearing Calin's jacket.
I slid it off and handed it to him. “Thank you. For the jacket and for coming to find me. I'm sorry about your wife.”
Calin nodded and walked off into the house through a different door than the one Luke was leading me towards, his hand resting on the bare skin of my back. He walked me up the stairs, and as I lifted my legs to climb, I could feel the muscle soreness setting in. By the second landing, I was cringing with each step. Luke looked at me with concern, shook his head, and swept my legs out from under me, carrying me the rest of the way to the third floor and the room I escaped from not even a week ago.
In the bedroom, he put me back on my feet. “There's a hot bath waiting for you. Gina left you a nightdress on the bed. The boss still has a few things to fix up, so take your time and soak those torn muscle fibers.” Luke walked back out of the room through the one door I hadn't tried last time. I caught a glimpse of a study through the door before he shut it.
Sighing, I moved to the bathroom, slipping out of my dress and into the hot water. I'd put my body through too much today. Spending the day praying in the frigid garden. Then this run through the snow. I was beyond exhausted. I felt myself starting to drift to sleep and startled awake, slopping water everywhere.
I looked at my hands and cringed. I grabbed the washcloth and started scrubbing at the dirt before attacking my feet with the same vigor. By the time I felt clean, my fingers were turning pruney. I pulled myself wearily out of the tub, dried off, and wrapped the towel around me, walking out to the bedroom to find the nightdress.
As I stepped into the room, Bay sat in one of the chairs at the other side of the room. Head in his hands, as if he too were exhausted. He looked up as I closed the bathroom door, and any sign of weariness faded as his eyes trailed over me. He stood up and walked towards me.
“You're safe?” he asked. I nodded. “You're not hurt?”
“Only self-inflicted muscle soreness.”
He touched my cheek, just the slightest brush of the back of his fingers. “I'm sorry the night was ruined, Spectra. You're exhausted. I'll let you sleep, and tomorrow I'll have Luke take you home.”
I frowned. “You changed your mind?”
Bay just looked at me. “If I'd changed my mind about wanting you, Spectra, I would have Luke take you home immediately. You are exhausted, and you must be scared after tonight. I will...”
Bay's eyes turned liquid as I untucked my towel and dropped it to the floor. He swallowed once, shook his head, and stepped into me, catching me up in a passionate kiss that stole my breath for a second. I unbuttoned his shirt quickly and pushed it from his shoulders, not bothering to untuck it before I started unbuckling his belt. I would lose my nerve i
f this didn't happen tonight, and after what I'd already been through, I was getting what I came for.
Bay's pants dropped to the floor, and he pulled me tight against him, his hardness pressing painfully against my pelvis and lower abdomen. Walking us backward to the bed, I crept onto the mattress as he climbed over the top of me, his fingers seeking out my heat and sliding into me. He stroked me enough to initiate my body's natural response before he dropped his body to mine, letting his erection find its own way, and it did, like a heat-seeking missile.
He found my opening and shoved into me, patience be damned. I'd offered it, he was taking it, before anything else tried to interfere. The moan that rumbled up his throat as he slid home and started thrusting into me was beautiful. I smiled at the sounds he was making, so animalistic, so full of need. He started throbbing inside me, and I put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back.
Bay met my eyes, nothing but lust looking back at me. I gave him a gentle look and pushed again. He rolled onto his back but kept hold of me to stop my escape. “Give me a second,” I murmured and kissed him gently. I climbed off the bed and grabbed my purse that I'd seen sitting on the chair when I first walked in. I grabbed what we needed from inside then jogged back to the bed.
Bay raised a brow at me as I straddled him, ripping open one of the condoms and throwing the rest on the bedside table. “Rule one, remember? Plus it will help with your sensitivity.” He opened his mouth, but I started rolling the condom on, and the feel of my pushing the rubber down his shaft made his back bow. I followed that up by sliding him back inside me. I bent over and kissed him slowly, drawing it out, just holding him inside of me.
His hands caressed over my body, taking my breasts in his hands and caressing them, doubling his efforts when I moaned for him. Pushing back up to sitting, I started riding him, tilting my pelvis as I lifted off him again. Bay's eyes rolled back, but his hands gripped my hips. I could see how much he was trying to restrain himself, and I felt like I was torturing him.
