Los Angeles

by Tiffany Aaron

  Not that he believed she would, but he figured it had to be helpful to know where everything was to start with.

  “What happened there?” He was curious.

  She shook her head, her confused expression creating a little wrinkle between her eyebrows. “I don’t know. All of a sudden this cloud of peppermint and lavender surrounded me. It was like I was being bathed in the stuff. I had to get away from it. Didn’t you smell it?”

  He thought about the hint he’d caught while talking to Ms St Timus. “Just a little bit of peppermint. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine now. I’ve never been a fan of lavender and to have so much of it around me, I might end up with a headache later.” She ate cautiously but gracefully and Nevan found himself watching her instead of eating.

  “Nevan, am I dropping food on myself or something?” She wiped her mouth with her napkin.

  “What? No. Why would you think that?” He jolted out of his trance.

  “I could feel you staring at me.” Cassandra ducked her head. “I was worried I was embarrassing you.”

  Nevan set his utensils down then took her hand in his. “I’m so sorry, Cassandra. I was caught up in thinking how beautiful you are, it never even crossed my mind that you would think that.”

  “I’ve had some dates where the guys got upset with me because I’ve spilled or dropped something.” After taking a sip of water, she smiled. “Okay. Where were we before my sneezing attack?”

  He shuffled back to pick up their discussion. “I was worrying that they might kill again to get this spell cast.” Then a memory hit him. “But when you were Patrick, you said something about it being our ancestor.”

  “Who? The priestess they want to bring back?” Cassandra wrinkled her nose while she thought.

  Nevan smiled, loving her expressions while wondering if she knew she made them. “Yes. Her.”

  “Hmm…do you think they told Patrick that they needed blood from a descendant to make the spell work? Maybe he didn’t know they planned on killing him.” Stiffening, she looked horrified. “What if they come after you?”

  He chuckled. “I’m a cop. It’s not like they can sneak up on me. I’m not a recluse like Patrick was.”

  She frowned and shook her finger at him. “Don’t be arrogant. Even the best trained soldier can be injured or killed. You’re not Superman—or even a fallen. You can be hurt.”

  Grabbing her finger, he tried to reassure her. “It’ll be fine. I doubt they even know I’m around here. I didn’t even know I had family here until I let my father know where I was moving.”

  “Your family isn’t close?” she asked, seemingly distracted by the mention.

  “I’m close with my parents and my siblings. Not with the rest of the family. The extended members of the Largent clan are scattered all over the world. Only my dad keeps track of everyone. We figure if there’s something we need to know, he’ll tell us.” Nevan kissed the tip of her finger then let her go back to eating. “Do you have any close friends?”

  “Some of the ladies I work with at the shelter, that’s about it. I don’t have any close Enforcer friends or unrepentants. I’ll be honest and say the closest friend I have is probably Lucifer.”

  Nevan fought the need to glance over his shoulder before curling up into a ball. Why do I react this way every time she mentions his name? I’ve dealt with him before and it’s not like he scares me.

  He mentally rolled his eyes at himself. Hell yes, Lucifer scared the shit out of him, yet he was pretty sure the fallen wasn’t interested in him at all. He probably didn’t make a blip on his radar.

  “I didn’t know he could be friends with anyone.”

  She lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I’m not entirely sure you could classify us as friends, but we talk and he visits me. Maybe he’s more like the annoying big brother who always has advice, but never takes any that you might give him.”

  Nevan still wasn’t sure he could accept that description of Lucifer, yet he realised he didn’t have to. No matter what kind of relationship Cassandra had with Lucifer, it wasn’t any of Nevan’s business and he didn’t have the right to complain.

  “Do you consider Danielle a friend?”

  Do I?

  He went over all the situations they’d been through while he lived in Chicago and realised that he did consider her a friend. She’d dealt with his being an asshole with aplomb and graciousness.

  “Yes, I do and I should probably tell her that,” he commented.

  “I think you should.”

  They finished their lunch then went out to the car. Nevan had to get back to work, so he asked, “Where do you want me to drop you off?”

  “You can take me to the shelter. I’ll have Eli drive me home when I’m done.”

  “All right. Maybe I’ll have more information when I call you tonight.”

  He dropped her off at the shelter before heading back to the station.

  Chapter Five

  “He’s the one,” the old woman informed her leader.

  “You’re absolutely sure?” The leader didn’t want to fail a second time. They only had so many chances at getting the spell right and bringing his lover back. It had taken several years to discover the right bloodline then more years to cultivate the right connection to get his hands on one that was right.

  And you were wrong about him. He didn’t have a strong enough gift to feed the magic. He pushed the voice of doubt away. He wouldn’t be wrong this time.

  “Yes, sir. I touched him and felt the power inside him. Very strong and the even better news is he’s learned how to control it, so he’s built it up over the years.” Her grin would’ve scared the pants off a sane man, but her leader revelled in it.

  “We’ll have to plan it just right. The full moon rises in four nights from now. We’ll have to be outside for the spell to be at its strongest.” He paced the altar room. “How are the others coming?”

  “The altar will be finished by then and the others are almost finished gathering what you asked for.” The woman’s wrinkles deepened. “How are we going to get him into our custody? He’s a police officer. It’s not going to be easy to trick him.”

  Flapping his hand at her, he said, “We’ll need to devise a plan. Keep following him and see if you can find a weakness we can exploit.”

  Her pale amber eyes lit up. “I think I know exactly who we can use. When I approached him today, he was having lunch with a young blind woman. She’s vulnerable, even with that beast of a Seeing Eye dog. We take her then exchange his life for hers. He had the look of a man in love.”

  He rubbed his chin while contemplating her suggestion. “Okay. Have Seamus follow her to see where the best place to snatch her is. I must go and meditate. I must be balanced in my soul for this to work.”

  “Yes, sir.” She inclined her head before leaving him.

  After stripping, he knelt in front of the candles burning on the altar, ignoring the hard, cold stone under his knees. He let his chin drop as he closed his eyes. He breathed deep several times, seeking the quiet space in his mind where all the memories of centuries were stored.

  At one time, he’d been one of the most powerful druids in Ireland and he’d ruled with his wife at his side. They’d been reincarnated a hundred times throughout the years, but this time he’d come back to the world on his own and her soul was stuck, which he couldn’t allow to continue.

  It was time for them to begin to fulfil their destinies. They were to rule the world again, but he needed his wife with him. Their combined power would be more than any government could bring to bear. They would take this modern world and crush it beneath their feet.

  Excitement crashed through him as he imagined what they would achieve once she was free. Then a sharp pain in his chest reminded him that he had to remain balanced for any of the complicated spells to work. He had been laying down a network of already cast magic to help focus the gate spell.

  Even though Patrick Largent
wasn’t the right descendant, there had still been power in his blood, so he’d used it to set the first two layers, but he would need this other man’s blood to establish a foundation for the final step.

  “It won’t be long, love,” he whispered, and a cold breeze ran the length of his spine, bringing a smile to his face. “I can’t wait to hold you again.”

  He refocused and began to chant, letting the rhythm and the words draw him deeper inside his head.

  * * * *

  Nevan watched as Cassandra strolled towards him. In her own space, she was confident and moved so fluidly that he forgot she was blind. She climbed on the bed then crawled up his body until she straddled his hips.

  He’d bought a box of condoms because he wanted to fuck her more than once a night. Of course there were other things they could do, which she was demonstrating at the moment. She licked along the length of his cock to swirl her tongue around the fleshy head.

  After burying his fingers in her hair, he tugged on it hard enough to get her attention. She glared at him. “What?”

  “Why don’t you swing your cute little ass this way? I want to make sure you have some fun while you’re sucking me.”

  A sexy grin crossed her face when she realised what he wanted and she quickly repositioned her body so that he was face to face with her most private part. Nevan licked his lips as he ran his fingers down between her legs to tap against her clit. She jumped and he was happy she hadn’t taken him back in. He didn’t want her to bite him.

  “Ah,” he moaned when she swallowed him down to the root. He was impressed by her ability. It wasn’t like he was big or anything, just most of the women he’d been acquainted with hadn’t liked giving head, and it had been like a negotiation to get a blow job from them.

  Cassandra was quite enthusiastic about it, making Nevan very happy as well. He pinched her clit lightly before gathering some of her juices to ease his way inside her. Crooking his fingers, he scraped over the most sensitive spot inside her and the vibration of her groan around his erection caused him to shudder.

  Three fingers later, Cassandra was impaling herself on them along with his tongue while he fucked her face. From the sounds she made, Nevan had the idea that she enjoyed everything happening to her. Her body welcomed his invasion with warmth and moisture.

  When his own climax threatened to overtake him, he slapped her butt and she let him slide out of her mouth to glance at him. The desire on her face made him even more eager to fuck her.

  “I want to come inside you,” he said.

  She blinked as she worked through what he said. Once it made sense, she started to roll over on to her back.

  “No.”

  He manoeuvred her so she was on her hands and knees while he knelt behind her. Nevan caressed her cheeks once before he tore the foil open to get the condom out. Maybe after they’d been together for a while, he’d stop using protection. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her when she said she couldn’t get pregnant, he just felt better using it.

  Nevan bit back a groan as he rolled the latex down over his heated flesh. One or two hard pumps and he’d come. He didn’t want that. Like he’d told Cassandra, he wanted to be inside her when his climax hit.

  Cassandra didn’t move as he took his time sinking into her, even though he could feel the fine tremors racking her body. They both sighed when he was finally seated all the way in. He wrapped his arm around her waist before sinking back on his heels and bringing her with him.

  While sitting so intimately on his lap, she let her head fall back to rest on his shoulder. He stared over her shoulder at her breasts, which he cupped with one hand. Nevan bit her shoulder as he lifted her then let her drop.

  “Oh God!” She cried as he filled her.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered in Cassandra’s ear as he twisted her nipple with his finger and thumb.

  “Nevan.” The breathless quality of her voice told him how close she was to the pinnacle.

  After encouraging her to brace her hands against the wall at the head of the bed, he gripped her hips tight enough to leave bruises. He slid almost all the way out then slammed back in.

  She screamed as he continued to drive into her. He watched the muscles in her back flexing with each thrust in, and two jagged scars on her shoulder blades caught his attention. He managed to peel one of his hands away from her before reaching up to trace each scar.

  Forming any kind of question was impossible so he filed it away to ask at a later time. His balls drew close to his body and his cock swelled even more. It felt like he was going to explode into a million pieces at any moment and he didn’t want to shatter alone.

  Nevan slid his hand down though the nest of curls covering her pussy and pressed his thumb hard against her clit. He kept up the unrelenting stimulation, wanting her to come first. Finally, her inner muscles clenched like a clamp around his shaft as her orgasm hit her. He rode her through it until he couldn’t control it any longer and he let go. The shockwave of his climax echoed through his entire body as he spilled his cum inside the condom.

  Her residual trembling massaged him until he was sure every last drop drained from him. Cassandra went limp in his arms and he kissed the nape of her neck as he lowered them onto the bed. Lying on his side, he spooned with her until his breathing calmed. Once he was sure he could move without crumbling to a puddle beside the bed, he climbed out to head to the bathroom.

  Nevan dealt with the condom then washed. Bringing a cloth back with him, he set about cleaning her up, even if only to get rid of some of the sweat that coated her tanned skin. He tossed the cloth in the direction of her laundry basket before rejoining her in bed.

  Pulling the covers up around them, he brushed her hair off her forehead. “Are you okay? I wasn’t too rough or anything?”

  She shook her head. “Oh no. You were fine. I’m fine. Just pleasantly tired.”

  As silence filled the room, he listened to the click of toenails on the floor as Kaiser wandered into the room. The dog slept beside Cassandra’s bed and wouldn’t come into the room until they were done making love.

  With all of them together, Nevan relaxed, letting his worries about the case and the possibility that he might be a target go. He wanted to get a good night’s sleep and even with the extra activity he and Cassandra engaged in for the last three days, he’d got more rest at her house than he had at any other place he’d ever lived in.

  “It’s been five days since you found out that your cousin was missing. Not much has seemed to happen.” Her voice was low.

  “I know, but we’ll catch a break in the case soon. I have faith, plus we’re still working the McCallen angle. I’m sure there’s something there. It just hasn’t popped into my brain yet.”

  Cassandra patted his hand where it lay on her stomach. “It’ll come to you.”

  “I wish we’d find his body though. My aunt wants to have something to bury. She wants a gravesite to visit.” He’d received a call from his father earlier that day telling him that exact same thing.

  “It’ll turn up,” she said. “I don’t think they did anything to destroy it. They were interested in Patrick’s blood. He didn’t have the sight, did he?”

  Nevan shook his head. “No. As far as I know, I’m the only one in my generation that has it.”

  “You were blessed.”

  Snorting, he couldn’t keep his disbelief from shining through. “Blessed? I don’t call seeing spirits a blessing. It’s been a curse most of my life.”

  Cassandra changed positions so she faced him. Why does she do that when she can’t see me? She placed her palm on his cheek. “You’ve chosen to look at it as a curse, but if you used it as a gift, you wouldn’t be so haunted by it.”

  “Haunted? Was that a joke?” He laughed then cringed at the bitterness in it. “The second night I spent here was the first full night’s sleep I’ve had in my life. It’s hard to close your eyes when you know what’s standing over the bed watching you
.”

  “You’ve never wanted to see if you could help those spirits who appeared to you?”

  “Why would I? There’s nothing I could do about them. It’s not like I’m a priest or a fallen angel who could send them to where they needed to go.”

  She smiled. “No you aren’t, but what you are is a policeman. Most of those you see died violent deaths and are asking you to help them find justice. If you listen, you can hear them as well as see, then you might be able to discover who killed them.”

  He’d never thought about his ability as anything but a burden. What if she’s right? What if I can help them in some way? It might be worth seeing them all the time to get a chance to bring them peace.

  “Why don’t you think about it? We don’t have to do anything about it right now. You have other things to focus on.” She kissed him then rolled back to her original spot.

  Nevan wanted to whine about her giving him all of this to think about then rolling over to go to sleep. How was he supposed to rest now? Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds then let it out, hoping it would relax him.

  Then, just when he’d got a handle of everything and was about to doze off, his phone rang. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered as he grabbed it off the nightstand.

  He swore he heard Cassandra giggle as he answered, “Largent.”

  “They found a body,” Tommy announced.

  “Do we have an ID yet?” Nevan slid out of bed before pulling on his jeans.

  Tommy whistled—to get someone’s attention, Nevan assumed—but he held the phone away from his ear. He returned it when he heard Tommy’s voice. “Not yet, but something tells me it’s your cousin.”

  He paused in the process of putting on his shirt. “What makes you say that?”

  “The fact that he’s pretty much drained of blood. Not sure how they did it, but of course, there was quite a bit at his house.” Tommy sounded like he was trying to figure the logistics out, but Nevan didn’t care.