by Deanna Chase
Shivering, I crossed the room to his small walk-in closet and rummaged around until I found a pair of sweatpants and an old T-shirt. There just wasn’t enough material in my dress to keep me warm. In the adjoining bathroom I found a pair of scissors and, without asking, cut slits in his shirt for my wings. If it was that big of a deal, I’d buy him a new one. But I doubted it. Tal wasn’t one to get worked up over his things.
Once I changed into his clothes, I rolled the pant legs of his sweats up so I didn’t trip over them, tightened the drawstrings, and padded barefoot into his living room.
“You forgot someone,” I said.
“Huh?” He sat up from his prone position on the couch, clearly startled by my silent entrance.
“You forgot someone on your rundown of people I love.” I stood near his bedroom door, unable to move any closer.
His gaze traveled down my body and then seared into mine. “You look…comfortable.”
“Do you mind?”
He shook his head. “But I’d be lying if I said I preferred this look to that amazing dress.”
My lips twitched. “I’d be worried about you if you did.”
He got to his feet and in three strides was standing in front of me. With one hand on my hip, he brushed his fingertips over my cheek and let them run down my neck.
Heat sizzled my insides and I wondered how I could have been cold only moments ago.
He gazed down at me, his conflicted eyes unreadable. Hesitation? Wariness? Fear? I wasn’t sure.
Reaching up, I wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him a little closer. “You,” I whispered.
He let out a slow breath. “Yeah? What about me?”
My heart started to flutter and my breathing became shallow. “You left yourself off the list of people I love.”
The conflict in his gaze shifted to something soft and tender. “You love me?”
He knew I loved him. He was my best friend, but that wasn’t what he was asking and I knew it. I just didn’t know if I was ready to say it. Instead I took his face in my hands and rose on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his.
Our kiss was gentle, sweet, vulnerable. We were in uncharted territory here. Last week I would’ve smacked him and accused him of flattering himself while rolling my eyes at his absurd question. He would’ve laughed and likely swept me off my feet and thrown me on the couch in the most unromantic way possible. Later, I would’ve laid my head on his lap and told him matter-of-factly he was my best friend and of course I loved his ugly ass.
But today, everything was different. What we had was too new. Too intense. Just too uncertain. We’d had a fight on our first date. Was this a glimpse of what was to come? I forced the thoughts out of my mind and concentrated on his soft lips moving over mine. Our tongues met in a slow caress that almost brought tears to my eyes. This was raw tenderness underneath all the uncertainty we both were carrying around with us.
I pulled back and blinked. “I’m closer to you than anyone.” My words were heartfelt but seemed to fall short to my own ears. I wasn’t ready to give what he was asking.
“I know, Wil. I know.” He pulled me into a hug. “Your safety is the most important thing. If protecting you means giving my elixir to human thugs that work for Allcot, then dammit, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Releasing me, he took me by the hand and led me to the couch. He pulled me to sit in front of him, one of his legs on either side of me. I tucked my wings in and rested my back against his chest with my legs stretched out in front of me. My nerves settled. This was where I belonged. He buried his head in my neck and pulled me tight to his body.
It was the only place I wanted to be. And even though I hated the fact that Allcot now had control over Tal and the new drug, I completely understood where Talisen was coming from. As adamant as I was about not ever using Influence or letting it into the hands of vampires, I knew if Tal’s life was on the line, I wouldn’t hesitate.
“Are we okay?” he asked huskily.
I twisted to look at him and placed a gentle hand on the side of his face. “More than okay.”
Chapter 8
Tal and I fell asleep on the couch. At some point, I woke to him carrying me to his bed under the cypress tree. My day had caught up to me and when Tal tucked me beside him, I laid my head on his chest and instantly fell back asleep.
I awoke alone at the pulse of a blender reverberating through the apartment. After a quick trip to the bathroom to brush my teeth with the brand-new spare toothbrush I found in the medicine cabinet, I combed my hair and headed into Tal’s sun-soaked apartment. The drapes were open, revealing a wall of windows. I paused to revel in the sweet warmth and let my gaze wander lazily over Tal. His back was to me as he tossed fruit into a blender, apparently whipping up breakfast smoothies.
Yum.
After not eating much the night before, my stomach was growling. But food wasn’t the only thing I was hungry for. Talisen’s jeans rode low on his hips, and the way the morning light cascaded over his toned, naked torso made my mouth water. After our fight, there hadn’t been more than a hint of anything romantic between us. I’d been too exhausted and overwhelmed. But right now, I wanted to press myself into his gorgeous body and discover everything he had to offer.
“Good morning.”
Even though I was busy staring at him…well, his body anyway, I hadn’t noticed him turn his head in my direction. He wore a cocky grin that told me he understood all too well what I was thinking.
I pretended not to notice. “Morning.”
“Sleep well?”
That earned him an appreciative grin. “Yes. Your tree was exactly what I needed. Thank you for thinking of me.”
“Anything to get you in my bed more often.”
My cheeks burned and he chuckled. All I could do was breathe a huge silent sigh of relief when he turned his attention to rummaging in the fridge. Everything was back to normal with us. Tal was once again a huge flirt and I was happy to be on the receiving end, as always.
“Phoebs dropped off some fresh clothes for you.” He pulled out a basket of fresh blueberries. “Do you want me to give you a lift to your shop on my way to the university?”
Yes. I didn’t want to waste one moment of this morning. Our first one together as a couple. Even though we hadn’t been physical at all once we’d gone to bed, we had slept intertwined and it had felt more right than I could’ve ever imagined. Unfortunately, we couldn’t always have what we wanted. “It’s probably best if I take a cab. If anyone sees you dropping me off, they might get the wrong idea.”
He crossed the kitchen, grabbed my hips, and forced me back against the wall. “They’ll get the exact right impression,” he said huskily as he buried his face into my neck. Then he claimed my mouth, kissing me so thoroughly that the rest of the world disappeared. The heat of his body ignited an uncontrollable fire in mine, and the faint but intoxicating scent of forest and male musk filled my senses. When he finally pulled away, my lips pulsed as if swollen, and I could barely catch my breath. He ran his hand through the slight tangles of my wavy hair. “I’ve wanted to hold you in my arms all night for a few years now.”
I bit my lower lip and tore my gaze from his mouth. “You have?”
His soft lips brushed lightly over mine once more. “Yeah. And after living the reality, I’m going to be spending most of my waking hours figuring out how to get you back there.”
I laughed and pushed him back. But only because I had to get to the shop and deal with the aftermath of yesterday’s destruction. “It’s time to go. Can we pick up where left off, say, seven tonight?”
Mock disappointment shone in his puppy-dog eyes. “If you say so.”
Smiling, I placed a hand on that perfect chest of his and pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat. “You’ll survive. I promise.”
***
Thirty minutes later, showered and in my own clothes, Link and I stepped out of the cab a few blocks from my shop. Announcing my
arrival with a city cab was bound to raise questions.
It was still early, only just before seven, but Tami was likely already there setting up for the day.
Link ran a little ahead of me, excited to be out walking instead of cooped up in the office or the house. His tongue was out as he trotted along with a bounce in his step. I kind of knew how he felt. After the parting kiss with Talisen, I’d been almost drooling and ready to skip off to start my day, too. I chuckled. Yeah, I was doomed.
I slowed as we reached the corner. One more block and I’d have to face the destruction that had once been my sanctuary. I steeled myself. Everything could be put right. I would not let Asher and his thugs take away the one thing that was truly mine.
With much resolve, I forced myself to round the corner and strode with purpose toward the front door. The bell jingled as Link and I entered the shop.
“Morning.” Tami waved and slid a tray of Molten Muse into the bakery case.
“Morning. Are Em and Georgie here yet?” I strode to the back and flipped on the lights, signaling to the world we were open.
“They’re in the back preparing a fresh batch of Mocha in Motion and setting up more trays.”
“Great.” I snapped my fingers, and Link bounded to my side and sat obediently. “Good pup. We’ll be in my office cleaning up,” I told Tami.
She sent me a sympathetic smile. “Call if you need help.”
“Thanks, but it’s mostly trash.” Taking a deep breath, I pulled my door open and strode in. Then stopped dead in my tracks. “What the hell?”
“Allcot had it taken care of.”
I jumped and fluttered about three feet away. “Dammit, Harrison, you scared the bejeezus out of me.” My security detail sat in my brand-new office chair at my brand-new desk, in my pristine, not-a-thing-out-of-place office. Slowly I descended and landed softly beside him. “What the hell are you doing in here?” I waved a hand indicating my office. “And how did this happen?”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and leaned in. “Get used to me, babe. I go where you go from here on out.”
I shrugged him off and sent him a death glare. After spending the night with Tal, this guy’s touch made me flinch. It was just so wrong.
“Everywhere? I don’t think so. My house is off-limits.”
“Careful,” he warned. “If you don’t let me in, the ones watching will start to get suspicious.”
We stood facing each other. Harrison kept an amused expression despite his serious tone. I tried to keep the scowl from my lips. “If you know someone is watching, why don’t you just go after him?”
“Because, beautiful, we’re trying to turn the tables on him and track him back to Asher. It does no good to kill the messenger if we can’t get to the puppet master.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes at his endearment. “Don’t y’all have ways of making people talk?”
“Not if they’ve been Influenced or had some combination of truth-blocking spells put on them. More often than not, their brains end up addled and they become totally useless.”
Resentment made me tense. Something similar had happened to Pandora’s sister not too long ago. With Phoebe and Tal’s help, I’d been able to reverse the spells she’d been under, but that had been sheer luck. If she’d been tortured and expected to talk, she’d have ended up broken for sure. Damn it all. I still wasn’t letting him in my house. I was done housing Allcot’s people. No matter what anyone said.
Waving a hand around the room, I asked, “Do you know what happened here? Yesterday it was a disaster area.”
“Like I said, Allcot had it taken care of.”
“What?” Anger boiled up from my chest. He’d expect something in return. He always did. “Why?”
Harrison shrugged. “He’s a nice guy?”
A bitter laugh escaped from the back of my throat. “Right.”
Someone knocked on my door just before it opened. “Whoa.” Georgie poked her head in. “Have you been here all night?”
Harrison gave her a sly smile. “Actually Willow and I—”
“Harrison came in early to clean up. I just got here,” I said, glaring at Harrison. I knew he was playing the part of my human boyfriend, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Suggesting to my employees that I’d spent the night in the office with a stranger wasn’t going to cut it. “Harrison managed to get me a new desk yesterday afternoon and offered to deliver it today.”
“Well, aren’t you a miracle worker,” Em, Georgie’s shorter and rounder sister, cooed as she strode in. “We’ll have to keep you around for a while.”
He shot me a self-satisfied grin and nodded his agreement. “That’s the plan.”
I rolled my eyes. “Harrison is going to be helping out with some remodeling in the back for a while. Feel free to ask him for anything.” I smiled at him. If he was going to be hanging around, he could make himself useful. “Georgie, could you show him to the storage room and get him started on installing those new shelves we’ve been too busy to get to?”
“Sure.” She smiled at Harrison. “It’d be my pleasure.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted me and followed my employees out of the office. Link darted over to his new doggie bed. After rolling around on it, he lifted his head in sort of a nod of approval and then curled into a ball.
I grabbed the old-fashioned phone on my desk and dialed Phoebe. It went straight to voice mail. I didn’t leave a message. What was the point? I couldn’t say what I really wanted to. I had no idea what was bugged and what wasn’t. I spent the next half hour going over paperwork and was so engrossed that when my cell phone buzzed, I actually let out a tiny yelp.
Link jumped up and started pacing. You’d think he’d be used to my overreactions by now. I was glad he wasn’t. He was my first line of defense against all the crazy that seemed to follow me.
The text was from Phoebe. I’ll be there in ten minutes. The courtyard is calling.
What the hell did that mean? We didn’t have a courtyard. But the neighbors did. That was it. She wanted me to meet her outside in ten minutes.
Good. Did she have a plan of action? Asher had already come after me once. I couldn’t afford to sit and wait while Allcot’s people stalked his lackeys. I paced until the clock read ten minutes past the hour. Then I slipped out the side door.
Phoebe was already waiting. She grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the opening to the neighbor’s courtyard, concealing us from prying eyes.
“What’s going on?” I asked, rubbing my arm. Damn, the girl had a strong grip.
“What isn’t?” She reached into her bag and pulled out her black stun gun. “Take this.”
“Why?”
“It’s yours now.”
“You really think this is going to ward off vampires?” She always carried a stun gun, but they were almost useless against a vamp. Sure, it hurt, but it wouldn’t slow one down. They were just too good at compartmentalizing pain.
“Yes. It’s the Void’s version.” She held up a hand to stop my protests. I had always refused one on the premise that if a vamp got it away from me, I would be total toast. “It will work on vamps, but that’s not why I brought it. It’s for the souped-up humans.”
I stepped back, clutching the gun. “How did you know about that?”
Her mouth opened in a surprised O. After a few beats she closed it and straightened her spine. “Sorry, Wil. I planted a silver beetle on you because of the meeting—or nonmeeting—you had with Allcot.” She bit her lip, embarrassed. “I heard what you and Tal said.”
Shit! Nothing was private anymore. I was even personally bugged. I started rummaging around in my pockets.
“It’s not there.”
“Where, then?”
“Your hairclip.”
I reached up and yanked the offending accessory off my head. “This is a ladybug. Not a beetle.”
She shrugged. “Either works.”
I wanted to toss it to the ground and stomp
on it until it was in a million pieces, but instead I handed it to her. My privacy was being invaded from all sides, but I knew Phoebs had bugged me because of Allcot. She kept tabs on me only when I was headed into dangerous territory. “You could’ve told me.”
“With everything that was going on, I just forgot.” She met my eyes and I saw sincerity there. “I should’ve turned it off earlier, but then you and Tal started arguing about his agreement…Well, you know me. I like to be in on the plan.”
I nodded, not sure if I was pissed or not.
“But I did turn it off after I heard Tal’s confession. Pretty low of Allcot to involve him, if I do say so myself.”
I was suddenly emotionally exhausted. “I can’t live like this.” I waved to the shop, indicating Harrison, though I wasn’t sure she knew what I meant. “I can’t live with zero privacy, knowing someone is intent on taking me down while I sit back and do nothing. I have to take action.”
Phoebe cocked her head, looking thoughtful. “I have an idea, but it isn’t Void sanctioned.”
“Since when has that ever stopped you?” I challenged her.
“Never. You know I’m always up for kicking some vamp ass. I just want to make sure you are.”
I held up the stun gun. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter 9
I opened the door to my office and whistled for Link. He shot off his doggie bed and scrambled to my side. Seconds later we were in Phoebe’s car, headed toward Mid-City, New Orleans’s known vampire territory. I hadn’t told Harrison I was leaving. Phoebe didn’t want him anywhere near her investigation. I didn’t blame her.
Allcot and his people had their own way of dealing with situations. It usually involved making people disappear. Harrison would never let me go without him, if he’d let me go at all. I had Phoebe and Link. They were more than enough to battle any unexpected attacks.
“I’ve got the last known address of the guy who attacked you at the dress shop yesterday. The director ordered a search of the premises and I, being the fabulous manipulator that I am, managed to score the job.” She grinned, clearly pleased with herself.
