A warm hand cupped my face and I couldn’t hold back the tear that fell down my cheek. When the man before me ran his thumb over my cheek, wiping the tear from me, I calmed just a bit.
“Hey, it’s just me, Linds.”
Joy surged through me as the sound of Exavier’s voice ran over me. Opening my eyes, my mouth dropped and I couldn’t have formed a sentence if I tried. Tossing my arms around him, I hugged him tight. I wasn’t sure I’d see him again after the way I’d left things at the rec center. I’d told him again I wouldn’t be going with him and wished him well. He’d been reluctant to leave but in the end, he did. My chest had ached the rest of evening.
His strong arms circled me and he caressed my bare back lightly, making me shiver with delight. “Well, it’s nice to see you too. I’m glad to see you missed me.”
Pulling back, I collected myself and laughed softly. “Wow, sorry about that. I guess you can add that to my crazy file. It expands by the second you know. And I did miss you, more than I should have since I only just met you and we’ve only been apart about three hours.” I took a good look at him and arched a brow. He wore a tan turtleneck with a black dinner jacket and black slacks. He looked amazing. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought we’d coordinated our outfits. “Hmm, I didn’t realize front men for bands clean up so well.”
His blue eyes raked over me. Suddenly I felt very self-conscious. I pushed a loose curl behind my left ear and shifted a bit. Exavier’s gaze moved back up me and stopped on the hand near my ear. His brows drew together as he tipped his head slightly. “You have your upper ear pierced. I didn’t notice it with your hair down.”
I nodded, unsure why he seemed shocked by that. Touching it lightly, I smiled. “Yeah. This heart used to be a charm on a necklace someone special gave me. When I grew too big to wear it anymore, I had a friend of mine convert it to an earring and had my cartilage pierced with it.”
“You look beautiful, Lindsay,” he said in a hushed tone.
The feeling of being watched moved over me again. Turning my head slowly, I glanced around for signs of trouble. The minute I noticed another dark shadow, I knew they’d found me and wouldn’t stop until I drove them away.
“It was nice running into you tonight, Exavier. You should probably go ahead in and meet with—”
Something growled.
“Meet with…umm…I think I forgot something in my car. Take care and enjoy your evening.” I turned and bravely took a step forward. There was no way I was going to let them hurt Exavier. No. They would follow me. I knew that much about the enemy.
Exavier slid his arm around my waist and leaned down to me. “I’ll walk you to your car and escort you in.”
“No!” Panicked, I stared at him with wide eyes. “I mean, no, thank you. Go ahead and meet your party. I’m fine.”
“If it’s all the same, I’d rather stay with you.”
It was plain to see that he wasn’t planning on leaving me alone. Giving in, I nodded and turned around fast. “Right then. Let’s get in there.”
“I thought you needed to get something from your car?”
Another growl sounded. I took hold of his hand and walked as fast as I could in my heels. “It’s not that important.”
“Linds, is something wrong?”
“No. Don’t be silly. What could be wrong?”
“Oh, this and that,” a male voice said from behind us.
Turning slowly, I found myself staring into a pair of grey eyes. Their owner was my height and extremely pale. His white-blond hair hung to his shoulders. He smiled and I caught the hint of a fang. “Lindsay, how good to see you again.”
Again? I didn’t know the vampire but apparently, he knew me.
“Is this a friend of yours?” Exavier asked.
The vampire smiled, waiting for my answer. Patting Exavier’s hand, I nodded. “Mmmhmm, do you think you could do me a favor? Could you leave a message for the Willows party? Tell them that I’m running late and can’t wait to see what their surprise is. Make sure they know how much I love meeting new people.” If my father didn’t catch on that something was wrong with that message, he never would.
Exavier nodded. “Sure. I’ll see you later then?”
“Mmmhmm.”
Probably being carted out in a body bag but hey, it counts.
Exavier headed towards the entrance and I took a deep breath as I stared at the vampire before me. He smiled wickedly at me. “That was a very good girl, Lindsay. I thought I might have to kill your date as well as you. Even I tire of needing to dispose of so many humans.”
“Who are you? I’m positive I don’t know you.”
He shrugged. “That is not important. All I wish to know from you is the identity of the dark prince.”
I stood still, keeping my power near the surface and masking it from the vampire. “Why does everyone think I know the identity of this prince guy?”
He laughed and waved a hand of dagger-like nails at me. “Do not play games with me, Lindsay. You are his mate, his chosen one. You know who he is. Tell me.”
“No.”
The vampire appeared taken aback by my stance. “What?”
“I said no.”
“Do you wish to die?”
I bit my lower lip to keep from either laughing or crying. At the moment it was a toss up. “That’s a rhetorical question, right?”
“You have a smart mouth for a mortal woman. I shall enjoy cutting your tongue from it.” Taking a tiny step towards me, he licked his fangs for show. “Tell me what I wish to know or I will unleash my legion of demons on you.”
I snorted. This guy was full of shit. I, for one, wasn’t feeling like dealing with his crap too. I’d have enough to deal with when I got to my mother. If I got that far tonight. “Since when did three shifters become a legion?”
He froze. “How is it you know this, human?”
“Mmm, going out on a limb here but I’m thinking I’m not as human as somebody told you I was. And let me just say that the last thing I want to do is get my hair wet right now so don’t go pissing me off. Bad weather tends to follow.”
Laughing, he took another step towards me. “You are terrified. I can smell it.”
“Yeah, and you’re dead. I can smell that too. Now that we have that out of the way, tell my why you want to know who the prince is?”
He snorted. “Simple, to challenge him and win is a great honor. Defeating him puts one in a position to rule.”
“If you think you’re powerful enough to take on the prince, why is it you need me to tell you who he is?”
Narrowing his grey eyes, the vampire snarled. “I grow tired of talking to you, woman. I shall kill you and then the date you seemed all too willing to keep out of harm's way.”
“No you won’t.” It was childish, but completely called for.
“Yes, I will.”
“Ooo, here’s where I say ‘no you won’t’ and we go back and forth until I call your mother something offensive. Let’s skip all of that.”
I waved my hand in the air and released a small amount of my power. Giving my voice an added “push”, I spoke to him, “You will not harm the man I was with. When you see him again, you will look away, uninterested. He is not a target, not a threat, a simple human unworthy of your time. And you will issue the command to your slackies that he is not to be harmed or they will face your wrath.”
Moving closer, I smiled as I continued to let my magik ride over him. “As you stand there, you’re forgetting why it is you’re even here. Did it have something to do with a woman? No. A prince? No. It will bother you, fester in the back of your mind until you can no longer stand it. It was something. You’re sure of it. But what? Ask the shifters you brought. Ask them and force them to tell you. Don’t listen to their lies of some prince you know nothing about or some woman. There is no mate. No position of power—just three lying shifters who will need to be dealt with. When you’re finished, go to your master and tell him he is
a liar. No such thing exists. Don’t stop until he believes you.”
Easing my power back, I smiled. “You were saying?”
“I was, umm, saying,” he stammered. “You are…?”
“Gee, did you lose your place? I hate it when that happens.”
He nodded. “As do I. Enjoy your evening, madame.”
“You too.”
Turning, I found Exavier standing there. His blue eyes held my attention as he shook his head slightly. My stomach dropped. “How long have you been there?”
Exavier put his hand out to me and the compulsion to go to him was great. So great I found myself almost running to him. The moment he took hold of my hand my power flared and rushed out of me. I yanked back fast as I tried to pull my hand free of Exavier’s. He didn’t let go or let on that he’d just taken a heady dose of my magik. Either he didn’t notice or he absorbed it.
He pushed the doors to the restaurant open and whisked me through them. Drawing me close, he stared down at me with bedroom eyes, leaving me breathing heavily and clutching onto the backs of his arms.
“Ah, Ms. Lindsay, your father is expecting you. He is at…”
Exavier pulled me down the corridor, towards the main eating area, paying no attention to the man’s attempts to seat us. He took his jacket off, released my hand for a brief second and handed the jacket to the man attempting to steer me to the table.
“Xavs, I need to go meet my parents for dinner.”
“I know,” he said, yanking me out onto the dimly lit dance floor. Small orchestral music played as other couples moved together around the area. Exavier drew me into his arms and held me close as he began to dance slowly to the music.
I stopped fighting and let him lead me. Staring into his eyes, I seemed to lose myself. Suddenly, all that existed was him. He kept his head bent a bit, allowing us to dance eye to eye. The intimacy it created left me sighing in his large arms. I drew in a deep breath, savoring his musky, fresh, morning dew scent. Our lips brushed, fire ripped through me and I firmly believed Exavier was going to kiss me. When he didn’t, I was disappointed.
“Have you decided yet? Will you come with me?” he asked, his warm breath blowing over my lips.
Leaning up, I tried to capture his lips with mine but with the height difference he had the upper hand and kept them just out of reach. “Exavier.”
A slight grin splayed over his handsome face. “Tell me your answer.”
“Exavier, I already did.”
He brushed his lips over mine quickly. “Are you willing to be mine? Will you leave with me?”
Closing my eyes, I tried to block the overwhelming surge of emotions tearing through me. I couldn’t. Our lips touched again. This time I whimpered softly.
“Say yes, Linds. Come away with me.”
“I can’t.”
Exavier feathered his tongue over the edges of my mouth gently, making moisture pool to my inner thighs. His tongue darted out and over my lower lip, leaving me to melt in his hands. “You can. Say yes.”
Our tongues touched for one fiery second and it was pure ecstasy. “Please.”
“Say yes. Swear you’ll come with me, Linds.”
“Xavs, I can’t—”
He cut me off quickly by dropping his mouth down onto mine. He slid his tongue in and explored the inner edges of my mouth. Instantly, I did the same to him. It was his turn to moan as I tipped my head and nipped at his lower lip. Exavier jerked my body to his. The feel of his hard, clothed erection against the thin, silky material of my dress was too much. He rocked his hips against me as we moved in a circle. The hard bulge dug into my lower abdomen as if it knew exactly where it needed to go for pleasure.
“Say yes, Linds.”
This was all too much. I’d never wanted a man as badly as I did Exavier. Every inch of my body craved him. I couldn’t do this. Not now. Not in the middle of the restaurant. Pushing on his chest, I managed to put a tiny bit of space between us. It wasn’t much but it was all he gave me. “Xavs, this isn’t the time or place to…”
Pressing his mouth to my ear, he licked the heart-shaped earring, making me jolt slightly in his arms. Chuckling, he whispered, “To throw you down, tear the clothes from your body and bury myself in you just like I wanted to do earlier today?”
The very vivid image he painted flashed before my eyes and I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted anything. “Yeah, that would be a good example of what should not happen here.”
“Promise you’ll think about it.”
“What? Sex or helping you?”
“Both.”
Pulling back fast, I did my best to right myself and glanced nervously around the restaurant. Thankfully the lighting was dim or the entire place would have been able to witness our erotic dance. He moved to put his arm around me and I stopped him quickly. “No. No more. I refuse to be putty in some singer’s hands.”
“Some singer?” he mused.
“Oh, I have no idea how famous you are. More importantly, I don’t care. Now, I need to meet with my parents.” Touching my swollen lips, I silently wondered what I looked like now that he’d turned me on to the point I had almost tossed him down and torn his clothes off.
“Stop fidgeting, you’re beautiful. Nothing is out of place. Though, I have something that is now painfully enlarged but other than that, we’re good.” He kissed me quickly, catching me off guard. “Go to your parents now. We’ll finish this later. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, sweetheart.”
In a flash, he was moving in the other direction. Stunned and very horny, I made my way slowly towards my father’s regular table. As I approached, my mother waved and my father stood, pulling out my chair and smiling. “You look lovely, Lindsay. Thank you for joining us.”
I sat down and forced a smile onto my face when all I really wanted to do was chase after Exavier. My mother looked beautiful with her long chestnut hair wrapped in a bun. Her high cheekbones were dusted with the tiniest bit of blush. Her pale rose-colored strapless dress looked stunning on her.. She smiled, not looking anything close to the age she wanted people to believe she was. Only, in her case, she wanted to look like my mother, not my sister.
My father sat down next to her, adjusted his tie and pushed his shoulder-length, jet black hair behind his ears. His green eyes locked on me and he smiled, careful not to reveal any fangs as he did. “I was afraid you would not show, Lindsay.”
My mom laughed. “He’s checked his watch every two minutes since we arrived. I’m going to take it away from him if he does it again. Our surprise still isn’t here so I have no doubt he will.”
“Je t'aime,” my father said, lifting her hand and kissing it tenderly.
I looked away, allowing them a private moment.
“Tiennot, you didn’t spoil our surprise did you?” my mother asked. “I know how bad you are at keeping things from Lindsay. She has you wrapped around her little finger.”
“As do you, Olivia.”
“Guys, can we possibly wait until I’m gone before you start going at it like two horny teenagers? I’m not sure I can handle that just yet..”
My mom’s mouth dropped. My father burst into laughter, only to find himself being elbowed in the stomach. “Tiennot, she is just like you.”
“I know. Let us go home and try for another one.”
A wave of nausea hit me. Sure, they both looked like they were in their mid-to-late thirties but I did not want to think about them having a baby. “Could you wait until I’m married at least?”
My mother scowled. “Darling, we are immortal and will still die of old age before you get to that.”
“Okay, looks like the mystery date is a no-show. Who wants to order and pretend like we enjoyed the food?” I asked, tapping my glass of water. “His loss, let’s eat.”
“Don’t cut me out of the running just yet.”
Mom looked behind me and smiled wide. My father did the same. I didn’t move. “Ah, Exavier, it has been too long. Look at yo
u,” my father stood and reached his hand out, “you are a man now. Gone is the little boy who chased our Lindsay around. Please sit.”
My fists clenched as Exavier put his hand on my shoulder. I wanted to knock him on his ass. I held back by a thread.
Mom nudged me. “Look, honey. You remember Exavier Kondrashchenko, don’t you?”
“Mmmhmm.”
“Lindsay?”
“Yes, mom?”
“Look, he’s all grown up now. When we received a call from him last week we couldn’t believe it. Can you believe it?”
“No. I certainly can’t believe it.”
Exavier slid into the chair next to me and reached for my hand. I glared at him. His lips twitched and his eyes twinkled with amusement. As he lifted my hand, I pulled it back and struck him across the face.
My mother gasped and my father shot up fast. “Lindsay Marie Willows!”
Exavier kissed my palm gently, chasing the sting out of it. His blue eyes settled on me. He no longer had the amused look on his face. “I deserved it, Mr. Willows.”
“You have not seen one another for twenty years. Tell me how it is you warranted such a response.” My father exhaled deeply. “And it is Tiennot and Olivia to you, Exavier.”
“Thank you.” Exavier stared at me.. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you it was me. It was nice to get to know you without that being between us and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if you’d be happy to see me or not. I’d been told you requested I stop calling or trying to contact you in any way when I was younger. And every time I got up the nerve to do it anyways, someone who I plan on having a serious talk with assured me you didn’t want to see me.”
I shook my head, trying to make sense of what he’d just said. I’d never requested he stop calling me.
My mom laughed. “That’s ridiculous, Exavier. I sat, stroking her hair and pretending not to notice she was crying for years. Lindsay would never ask you to stop calling her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Well I did, Lindsay. So did your father.”
“It does not matter, what matters is that he is here now. Tell me again what brings you to the area.” My father was always one to elegantly smooth things over. I seemed to have missed getting that trait from him.
Loup Garou Page 13
