Atos laughed. What a stupid ass, if he thought killing him would be enough to avenge his brother. No, he wouldn’t make his death easy for him. He heard the bitch was a beautiful woman. He could hardly wait to see her gag from wolf dick. He would enjoy watching the Blood Robbers take turns tasting her body while Callum watched. And when she was covered with thick cum, he’d slit her throat.
Slay them both. Feed them to the pigs.
He was breathing hard now. The anticipation was too much. Yeah, his cock thickened from impending victory.
“Darling, what are you thinking? You look excited.” Zenaida walked in the room. Her gaze shifed from his hard cock to his face.
“I’m excited whenever you’re near, Zen.” That part was true. Staring at his lover’s body clad in a skimpy, red silk nightgown, his cock became painfully hard. Zenaida’s body would make anyone dream of fucking her. Through the open gap of her nightgown, her taut rosy-hued nipples peeked. He could see that she wasn’t wearing underwear. He crooked his finger, motioning for Zenaida to come. The outcome of tonight’s fight might not favor his side. He knew how skilled Callum and the Midnight Howl were. Possibly this could be the last time he’d see Zenaida again. Heart twisting in knots, he quickly got up and walked toward the woman he loved.
“Make love with me.”
“I want nothing else in this world but to share this bed with you.”
“Good. Because we’ll use this bed in any way possible to shape-shifters.” Atos snaked his hand in between Zenaida’s legs. Her pussy was still slick from their last lovemaking. Inserting his fingers inside her wet passage, he finger-fucked her the way she liked it done—rough.
“Atos, I’ll fight with you tonight,” she moaned.
Atos bit her neck and focused his mind on pleasing her. “No. It’s too dangerous. You’re not in a condition to fight.”
“Don’t worry about me, love. I won’t get in the thick of the fight. I’ll be there to make sure your back is covered. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.” Zenaida rode his hand. “Let me fight tonight.”
“Let me think about it, love.” He lowered his head to capture one exposed nipple with his mouth while rotating his fingers inside Zenaida. His cock was ready, her pussy waiting. Slowly, he pulled his fingers out. “Put your hands on the bed, love.”
Zenaida shrugged her shoulders seductively to dislodge her nightgown. The wispy material barely made a sound when it landed on the hardwood floor. Naked, she licked his lips and then did what he asked her to do. With her bending down, ass up, and legs wide apart, Atos could look at her wet pussy. Beautiful, plump, perfect in his eyes and all his.
Breathing hard, he ran his fingers inside her legs. Earlier, he lifted her legs up in the air and mounted her hard and wild. It was great fucking her from behind. He wanted a repeat of that. Atos spat on his fingers then spread his saliva on her pussy to mix with her own juice. Zenaida moaned and lifted her ass even higher.
“Darling, what are you waiting for? I want your hard cock now.”
“Just enjoying the view, Zen. You can ride with us tonight. Right now, I’ll ride you the way you fucking like it.” He aimed his cock on her glistening opening. “Just you and me,” he said and rammed Zenaida in one swift move.
***
Marisol woke up alone in bed. How long was she asleep? Rolling on her belly, she buried her face in the pillow, inhaling Callum’s scent.
Wow. What happened in the past few days must have been what people call a fast lane. It seemed like one minute she was still in her home, planning to watch Pride and Prejudice. Now, here she was in love with a shape-shifter, killing bad Blood Robbers, and having sex. Lots and lots of it.
Lying on her back, she stared at the ring Callum gave her. It wasn’t an engagement ring. Not a promise ring even. Callum gave it to her because...how did he say it? She was what the ring represented.
I am his beautiful soul. So does it mean we are one?
He loved her. He must be in love with her, but couldn’t say it. Well, maybe she should ask. Why not? This was the twenty-first century. Women tumbled into bed with men outside the sacrament of marriage. Therefore, it would be okay if she asked. Marisol sat up. Yup, she’d do that. Now, for the first step. She must find him.
“Callum, are you in the bathroom? I got to pee.” She waited for him to reply. He must be practicing with his brother again.
Swinging her legs on the side of the bed, she looked about the room. Her sword and backpack were on the chair and her clothes hung on the back. Callum had tidied up a bit before he went outside. How long was he going to be gone? She looked for her hair tie. Damn thing had disappeared again. She should really get a short haircut. Although Callum liked it when she sat astride him, leaning forward, her hair serving as a curtain, imprisoning their faces while she rode him hard. Okay, she’d think about cutting her hair.
Marisol put on her jeans. The waistline was low and showed her pubic bone, but they were so comfortable to wear. She wore the white wrinkled shirt she’d stuffed in her backpack. She was searching for her Chapstick when her stomach rumbled. Should she go up and eat at the Turtle Bluff? She bet Cray would let her in the elevator. Carrying the sword on her back, she left the apartment.
Outside the front door, her nostrils picked up the acrid scent of cigarette smoke. Victor and his two burly long-haired friends, Bruce and Watt, sat on a low concrete fence. They were puffing away at their cigarettes. She didn’t know Victor smoked.
“Hey guys. Have you seen Callum?”
Watt and Bruce ground their cigarettes on the fence. Both sniffed, as if smelling something odorous. And the way their nostrils flared, she’d think the men had smelled something bad. Marisol had the urge to sniff her armpits. The men acted as if her very presence stunk. Victor took one more puff of his cigarette; then he, too, ground out what was left on the wall. He pitched the stub in the nearby can, surprising Marisol when it landed inside.
Something was bothering these three. She could feel it. In the short time that she’d known this clan, she learned that they could change their moods in a hurry.
Well, she would be moody too if she had to fight Cancers and other shape-shifters. What surprised her most was their dedication to keep the humans safe, even if some of them hated the job. Like some American sentinels fighting for Iraq and Afghanistan. Oh yeah, she’d never forget the catcalls she heard when she agreed to fight Viola. Not all of them liked humans and probably couldn’t care less if the Blood Robbers finished her kind.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Marisol apologized. She smiled at the men. They stared back.
“You didn’t.” Victor angled his head, trying to look at her sword. “Where are you going?”
“I thought about visiting Doctor Yousney and then walk here and there. Then my stomach chose the perfect time to growl, so now I’m thinking about eating at the Turtle Bluff. I’m not sure if there are any stores open at this time of night. Is Cray on duty in the elevator?”
“He’s always on duty,” Bruce said.
“Okay. I’ll go see him. He’ll probably let me in.”
“You’re not allowed to go out.”
“Why? Is it because of my sword? I’ll leave it here then. You can watch it for me, Victor.”
Watt nearly choked on his smoke.
“Why are you carrying your sword if you just want to walk around or eat?”
Marisol shrugged. “I’m leaving the den so I thought I should take it with me. Now, why can’t I go up, Victor? Do I need a password?”
“No. Cray or Endy will let anyone go out.”
“So why am I not allowed to go up?” She noticed the men exchange glances.
“You can order anything from the restaurant. Delivery is free. I’m hungry, too. How about I order the food and we’ll eat at the park? It’s well lit,” Watt said enthusiastically.
“Sounds great. We should tell Callum. He doesn’t have a cell so I can’t call him. Do you know where he is? When I woke up, he wasn’
t in the apartment.” She tucked the loose tendrils behind her ears. “Damn hair. If I keep losing my hair ties, maybe I should cut my hair short.”
“I think you should keep it long. Women should have long hair. Nothing beats a woman with hair like yours while carrying a sword. Super sexy and—”
Victor elbowed Watt. “Well, I don’t think he can eat with us. He’s busy right now. Doing something important.”
“Like practicing?”
“Not this time. He and his brothers and a few sentinels are running tonight to fight for—”
“Watt!”
Bruce pretended to move, but Marisol saw him elbow Watt’s side again. Watt’s brow rose and his mouth formed in a perfect “O” the way one would when he finally realized something.
They’re hiding something from me. “Why would Callum run tonight? He’s fighting for what, guys?”
“A woman.”
“Principle.”
“Love.” The three men said simultaneously.
“What?”
“Forget it, Marisol. Let’s get something to eat. We’ll order Mongolian Beef to go for Callum.”
Marisol used her thumb to roll the ring on her index finger. What did they mean by fighting for a woman, principle, and love? “Are you talking about...?”
Callum told her despite what Viola did to him that he’d still continue to protect his ex-fiancée from harsh criticism or anything. Viola often went up to patrol. Maybe something had happened to her, so Callum had left her bedside to lend aid to his old flame. Damn it. He spent the majority of his days sparring with his brothers, including Viola. Now it seemed he was gone to fight for her. Marisol shook her head. Here she was thinking about asking Callum if he loved her, when his heart was set on protecting another woman. How long was he going to be Viola’s knight in shining armor? And should she continue believing that she meant more to Callum than a midnight snack? The thought made her feel sick. She wrapped her arms around her midriff and stared at the ground.
“Marisol? You were saying?”
“I’m just saying, I know all about Callum’s sworn offer to fight and protect his…” She waved her hand in the air, toward no one in particular. “Someone.”
“You know about his offer?” Victor frowned.
“Yeah. Callum was quite honest and open about it.”
“See? Damn it, Bruce. You elbowed me for nothing.” Bruce just grinned then and pretended to box Watt.
“You probably misheard Callum, Victor.”
“No. I know what he said.”
“Keep Marisol here and never let her out of your sight. Make sure she stays here, and the sword,” Watt said, running his fingers through his shoulder-length hair.
So that’s it then. It’s always about the freaking sword. She wasn’t allowed to go up because of her damn sword. Nothing else. The urge to stomp her feet was so strong, Marisol had to chew on her lower lip from doing it. “Well, I’m going up. Callum probably doesn’t care if I get eaten up there anyway.”
Within a heartbeat, the men changed their demeanor, their faces masked with anger. They flashed her a menacing look she hadn’t seen from them since she arrived here. Marisol swallowed.
“I saw you spar with Viola, Marisol. You’re good. In fact, more than good. But you know so little about us, our clan, or our enemies, to say that Callum doesn’t care about you. Yes, we are skilled warriors, if you want to call us that, but to win a fight is not as easy as pissing. There are emotions and lives involved. We don’t casually walk into the middle of a fight and come back smiling and ready to have dinner. You worked with Doctor Yousney. You saw the sentinels. We’re like humans in so many ways. We have feelings. Even Xavier has feelings. You witnessed his first smile, saw him blush when you insisted on fussing over him, over his paltry cuts. When you offered him soup and wiped the blood off his hair. See, we’re not one hundred percent animals. And you obviously don’t know anything about our kind.”
Taken aback, Marisol didn’t know what to say to Victor’s sudden burst of anger. Victor’s words stung. The simple reminder of how different she was from these men—from Callum—hurt. Why? Because deep inside, she wanted to belong here. To become a part of this world. Callum’s world.
“Diluted maybe, but Youven’s blood still runs in my veins. I’m not afraid to face anyone. Your enemy or mine. Yes, I’m a woman. Weak in some people’s eyes. Born to wash the dishes and sweep the floor. However, I’m not like any other woman. Push me and I’ll push you back. Love me and I’ll give my whole heart to you. But make the mistake of hurting those whom I love, and I’ll take you to the devil myself. Yes, I know little about your clan and I’m not a shape-shifter. But my mind is open to anything. I’m willing to learn. If I sounded callous, I apologize. It’s just… It’s the woman...thing…that had me, well…Sorry.”
“Well, Callum should have taken her with him. She’d probably kill Atos in a heartbeat. Then they could all come back in time for dinner.” Watt directed his words to Victor and Bruce as if she wasn’t even there.
“Her sword would definitely help send the bastard to where he belongs.”
Callum is fighting Atos? “Watt, did you just say Callum is fighting Atos right now?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s why I’m this angry, Marisol. I’m the one who should apologize. Forgive me. It’s not easy standing here knowing one of my brothers could die and I’m not there to help. Callum’s last remaining life is on the line right now and I’m here instead of fighting beside him.”
Oh my God!
“You know I’d be with your brother right now if we weren’t assigned to do police work down here, Victor.”
“I know, Watt.”
“I don’t get the others. They stayed because Callum’s fight is personal, they say. Dammit. If Callum kills Atos, the whole clan would benefit from it. And you know what the others are saying? Callum has gone mad because of love.”
Love? Love for her? “Excuse me, but am I to understand that Callum is still in love with Viola and that’s why he challenged Atos?”
“Viola?” the men asked in unison.
“Am I wrong?”
“Marisol, Callum challenged Atos because of you. He loved you enough to—Fuck!”
Watt snorted. Bruce choked on his own spit. And Marisol…Well, shocked was an understatement to describe how she felt at the moment. Callum loved her and he left to fight Atos without telling her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that my brother loved you because he wanted to...you know. But I just realized we weren’t talking about the same thing at all.”
“I know. I thought you were talking about Viola and you thought…Never mind. The part why he challenged Atos—that you need to explain.”
“Didn’t you say Callum already told you everything?” Bruce asked. He looked worried.
“About how he remained as Viola’s protector. I thought that’s what you were talking about. Callum is fighting Atos because of me. Why?”
“Shit.”
“Uh-oh.” Bruce took a step back. “You didn’t know Callum made a deal with Atos?”
Marisol shook her head. “Start talking, Victor. Or you can tell me, Bruce. Or you Watt. What the hell’s going on?”
Chapter Seventeen
Even the crickets were silent tonight. Was it possible they could feel the impending doom? That in a few minutes the blood of shape-shifters from two different clans would spill in this place? A soft breeze blew, disturbing the flowers resting on the graves. Callum could smell the bastards. They were somewhere around. Most likely hiding behind the centuries-old cedar trees, he thought. The muscles in Callum’s jaw tightened, twitching as he clenched his teeth. The cowards were watching them.
“They’re here.” Zambro broke the silence. “Fucking pigs will make us wait. Waiting’s not good for the nerves and that’s what they’re doing. Wracking our nerves.”
“Why? We’re used to waiting. It’s part of our job. To wait in the dark until one of
them stupid Blood Robbers show up.”
“We know that, Ty. They don’t. Because like you said, they’re stupid.”
Callum clenched his fingers. The familiar feel of his ring was absent. And it made him smile. Marisol would keep it. He hoped she’d understood his meaning when he gave it to her.
The sky was pitch-black with nary a sight of a single star. Darkness and death hung heavily in the stale air. Somewhere an owl hooted.
“Brothers, we have a long night ahead of us.” Callum braced his legs apart, his hands touching the guns strapped on his thighs. “I wish for a chance to repay you all. If that chance never happens, know that I am one lucky son of a bitch to have brothers like you.”
“Um, Callum. Do you have to go sappy on us right now?”
“When you fall in love, Ty, you’ll understand.”
“Okay, Callum, Atos is coming.”
Sure enough, the Blood Robbers, dressed in black, began to emerge from the dark corner of the cemetery where the mausoleum stood. His entourage fanned out like a bird spreading its wings. Callum recognized Atos right away. Who could miss his trademark? Black trench coat, black hair, and metal arm protector. The woman on Atos’s left-hand side caught the attention of the Midnight Howl. What the heck was she doing here? To beguile? To create turmoil among the Midnight Howl sentinels? A freaking distraction. Callum took a quick look at the sentinels. Yup, just look at them. Acting like they’d never seen a stunning woman with flowing black hair before. Damn dogs.
Atos and the rest towered in their over six-foot height. Some even reached seven. Callum heard they liked to hang out at emo nightclubs where emotionally depressed, socially shunned, addicted to My Chemical Romance teenagers liked to waste away their nights and days. Most likely they supplied meth and ecstasy, too. The muscles in Callum’s jaws tightened even more. He wouldn’t be surprised if his teeth turned into dust from the grinding he was doing. Atos and his worthless cronies never failed to put him in an ugly frame of mind.
Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set Page 311
