by Bethany Shaw
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the gorgeous human. The poor girl probably had no idea what kind of danger she was in just by showing up for work.
Elly giggled and her shoulders slouched down as she punched Elvis in the shoulder. “Stop.”
“Just speaking the truth,” he flirted. “Whose fancy schmancy coat you wearing?” Elvis turned to Laik, cocking his head to the side as if awaiting an introduction.
Elly pointed to Laik. “This is Laik.”
Elvis ran appraising eyes over Laik. Was it just him, or did Elvis seem more interested in him than Elly? Elvis licked his lips and Laik lifted a brow. If he could sense Elvis was a vampire, then surely Elvis could tell he was a dragon shifter and wasn’t in the mood to be trifled with.
“Where did you find him?” Elvis questioned with a smirk, his eyes never leaving Laik.
“He’s my brother,” Acelynn spoke up from behind Elvis. “I just spoke to Ted and let him know we were out and okay. The fire department has to sweep each floor and every room in the casino. It’s going to be hours before people can get back inside. Our show tonight is cancelled,” she explained.
“Oh, no. It’s our girl’s debut,” Elvis pouted as he rubbed Elly’s shoulder.
“Trust me, I’ll be okay if we wait another day...or two,” Elly mumbled.
“Let’s get out of here.” Acelynn wrapped an arm around Elly and motioned Laik to follow her. They pushed their way through the growing crowd until they filed out onto the bustling Vegas Strip.
Fire trucks sat in front of the casino and firemen hustled startled casino guests out onto the street.
Laik sighed. If his superiors found out about this, they’d have his head for inducing panic. As a member of MYTHS (Magically Yielded Team of Heroics Society) he was supposed to uphold the law and protect humans while ensuring the magical community stayed a myth in their minds. If he were lucky, the fire department would chalk it up to a faulty smoke detector and no one would be the wiser of his little puff of smoke.
His eyes darted to Elly. She was worth it if he got in trouble. He’d hate to see the pretty human break a leg while dancing in those too-high heels.
Elly tripped and stumbled forward, but was caught by Acelynn before she fell to the ground. Laik shook his head. He’d definitely made the right call. He’d done her a favor by having the hotel evacuated. How the hell was one woman so clumsy?
Chapter Two
Laik followed Elly, Acelynn, and Elvis into their shared apartment. Elly slipped off Laik’s suit coat and handed it to him as they filed into the living room. He hadn’t realized his sister had taken up residence with a vampire since the last time he’d visited. He didn’t like the idea of it considering Elly was human.
“Thanks for letting me borrow this.” Elly hugged her middle, causing her breasts to bulge out of her bikini top. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to shower and get changed.”
“No problem,” he told her, catching a whiff of her orange-pineapple scent. He lifted his jacket to his nose and inhaled her sweet perfume as he watched her stumble to her bedroom. Her plump ass jiggled slightly beneath the sequined material and feathers. Laik gritted his teeth, wanting to reach out and spank it. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Something was wrong with him. He shouldn’t be acting like a sex-crazed teen, especially around a human. Any romantic entanglement with a human was off limits for him. Shifters and humans weren’t meant to be together in any capacity. Yet, when he opened his eyes, they followed her anyway. He needed a good night’s sleep so he could be back to himself by morning.
Elly went inside her bedroom and shut the door. Laik opened his mouth to speak but his words got lost when a loud crash sounded from Elly’s room.
“I’m okay,” she called out a few seconds later.
“One of these days that girl is going to get hurt,” Elvis drawled as he whipped his wig off and smoothed his hand through his blond hair.
“I’m guessing you didn’t invite me to Vegas to watch you perform,” Laik started as Acelynn slipped off her heels. She sauntered to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
He’d hopped on the first flight to Vegas after listening to his sister’s frantic message last night. She seemed to be fine which didn’t explain the panic he’d heard in her voice.
“I asked you to come because you’re a part of MYTHS,” she replied as she plucked a bottled water from the fridge and twisted the top off.
“I’m listening,” he said as Acelynn took off her silly hat, letting her cocoa locks spill out. His twin and he shared the same eye and hair color, but their personalities couldn’t be any more different.
“It’s about Elly,” she hissed as she approached him. “I think she’s been cursed.”
Well, that would explain why she’s such a klutz, he told himself.
“What makes you think that?” he questioned. The girl was human and seemed innocent. Why would someone curse her?
“Three weeks ago, Charlie and I were heading back from an Elvis competition in Los Angeles. That’s when we found Elly stranded on the side of the road. She’d hit a deer, and then run out of gas. We picked her up, of course—”
“Of course,” Laik interrupted, rolling his eyes. His sister put on a tough show, but she was a softy at heart—too nice sometimes.
Acelynn waved him off. “Anyway. We helped her get a tow truck and followed it back to Vegas. On the way here, her car falls off the tow truck, and is totaled by a semi.”
Laik raised his brow waiting for Acelynn to continue as she took a sip from her water. To him it sounded like the poor woman was having a string of bad luck, nothing more. It would pass. Then again, if he pretended to be checking into it he could spend more time with the beautiful human.
What are you thinking? he questioned. Nothing good could come from dating a human. His parents were a perfect example of that.
“Elly said she was trying to start over in a new city, so we invited her here to live with us. She’s so accident prone; the poor thing is such a sweetie and we wanted her to go someplace safe,” Acelynn continued.
“Right, and naturally you thought bringing a human to live with a vampire and a dragon shifter would be safest,” he said as he ran his hand over his face. He’d be doing Elly a favor by taking her out of here. Acelynn meant well, but vampires couldn’t be trusted around humans in such close quarters. Their lust for blood knew no boundaries.
“Oh, don’t forget, Ava’s a succubus,” Charlie giggled as he made himself comfortable on the couch.
“Oh, and a succubus too,” he added with a frown. Nothing about this situation was funny. At least succubi prefer to feed on members of the opposite gender.
Swallowing her most recent sip of water, Acelynn glared at her twin and huffed. “I think she’s in real trouble, Laik. I got her to open up to me the other night. She told me her string of bad luck started when she left LA. Elly worked for Ian Palmer—”
“Ian Palmer?” Laik growled, interrupting his sister.
Acelynn nodded. She had his full attention now. MYTHS had been trying to nail that son-of-a-bitch for years. Ian Palmer manipulated magic and used it to hurt people.
“I guess he started getting really possessive over her. He’d show up on her dates and to all these other weird places that he shouldn’t have been. He kept asking her out, and she kept saying no. Then he got possessive over what she wore and where she went. She wouldn’t tell me everything that happened, but things took a turn for the worse and she ran away—from her life, Laik. That’s when we found her,” Acelynn told him.
“That girl’s such a breath of fresh air. She’s the kindest soul I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a lot of folks. Elly would do anything to help anybody. I’d hate to see anything happen to her,” Charlie added as he clasped his hands together and tossed one leg over the other.
“I think Ian Palmer cursed her or something,” Acelynn said. “No one can be that accident-prone without a curse. When have you ever seen someone trip so many t
imes in one night?”
“To be fair, I don’t know how you ladies walk in those things to begin with. I’d fall flat on my nose if I even tried,” Charlie said, waving his hands to where Acelynn’s shoes sat on the floor. “Although, you make it look like you’re walking on air.”
“Thanks,” Acelynn smiled before turning back to Laik. “You have to look into it.”
Laik gritted his teeth. If everything they’d told him was accurate, there was a good chance Elly was indeed cursed. Ian Palmer was a slippery bastard that had been evading MYTHS for years. He was always able to come up with a defense or a scapegoat. This could be his chance to finally nail the asshole to the wall.
“Please tell me you’ll look into it,” Acelynn pleaded as she took a step forward and grasped one of his hands. “Please?”
Laik met his sister’s gaze. “I’ll need to spend some time with her to assess the situation. Do you have someplace I can sleep? I’d like to see her again first thing in the morning.” So much for putting some distance between him and Elly. At least with a good night’s rest he’d be thinking clearly.
“Will the couch work?” Acelynn questioned as she looked at the couch.
Laik groaned as he turned to the too-small couch. “Sure,” he grumbled. Well, there goes the good night of sleep I was planning. His legs would probably poke off the end of it, but it would keep him close to Elly. If Ian Palmer had cursed Elly, she was in trouble. He didn’t dare leave Elly unprotected until he got to the bottom of this.
“Thank you so much, Laik.” Acelynn threw her arms around him, hugging him as she rocked back and forth on her feet.
Laik patted her back as he pulled away. He wasn’t doing this for his sister. There was something about Elly—something he couldn’t quite pinpoint, and he needed to know what it was.
***
Elly tiptoed out into the front room as her belly grumbled. Her stomach had been in too many knots to eat dinner earlier, hence her 2 AM raid of the fridge.
She’d come home, showered, and crashed into her bed without another thought.
Her fingers trembled as her stomach gurgled again. When was the last time she ate? Lunch? Breakfast? She tugged the fridge open and examined the contents. I don’t want something too filling. It’s the middle of the night.
She grabbed a gallon of OJ and then opened the freezer, grasping a few frozen pastries. She shoved two of the sweet treats into the toaster before snatching a glass from the cupboard.
Her hand bumped the tumbler and it tipped to the side. She reached out, trying to catch it, but it toppled onto the counter, bounced off and shattered into dozens of pieces on the floor.
Elly squeezed her eyes shut while cursing her clumsiness. “Shit,” she mumbled as she set the OJ down and stretched across the counter to flick the light on.
“Everything okay?”
Elly spun around with a squeak, taking a step back as she came face to face with Laik. He was shirtless, giving her a perfect view of his sculpted chest. She shuffled forward as her hand reached out to touch him but stopped.
Heat exploded across the bottom of her foot and she hissed as the pain sliced through her. She hopped forward on her uninjured foot with a grunt.
“Damn it,” she groaned.
Laik’s hands flew to her waist and she gasped as he lifted her up and set her on the kitchen island. “Are you okay?” he questioned as his hand traveled down her calf. His hands were hot, igniting an inferno within her as they slid down her skin. He lifted her foot and inspected the bottom of it.
Elly swallowed as gooseflesh pimpled her skin where his fingers had been. Tingles shot to her core, and she shifted on the counter, wishing his hand would graze her leg again. Thank God I shaved earlier.
“Elly?” he questioned, when she didn’t respond.
For Christ’s sake, Elly, you’re bleeding; get your head together.
“I’m sure it’s not too bad,” she breathed as her heart pounded against her ribs.
“Don’t move,” Laik instructed as he hopped over the broken glass. He pulled a few paper towels from the roll and wet them under the sink before returning to her foot. “I don’t see any glass in there,” he told her while pressing the cool compress against her skin.
“You should be careful, too. There’s glass all over the floor. I’m such a klutz lately. I don’t know what’s going on with me,” she grumbled as she smacked her head with her palm.
“Hey, accidents happen,” he soothed with a smile. “I’ll go get some bandages. Can you hold this here?”
Elly reached forward, placing her hand over the towels. Her fingers brushed against Laik’s and heat ebbed into her hand like a jolt of lightening. Damn, what is it about him?
“Where are the bandages?” he asked her as he met her gaze.
His eyes were a beautiful amber with a tiny glint of golden-orange. They were unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Laik cleared his throat and she blinked, remembering he’d asked her a question.
“Oh...um...in the bathroom, third drawer on the right,” she told him. “But please before you get hurt too, let me clean up my mess.” She scooted forward. Glass was everywhere and he was going to end up with a cut foot.
Laik reached out and placed his hands on her thighs. She glanced down at his hands and wondered how it would feel if they traveled just a little farther up. Heat crept over her cheeks as she realized she was wearing her teeny, tiny boy shorts and a tank top with no bra. It’s not as ridiculous as my gold bikini, she reasoned.
“Stay here. I got it,” he replied as he met her gaze.
Elly licked her lips then swallowed the lump forming in her throat. I could get lost in his eyes.
Laik cocked his head, staring a moment longer before spinning away and heading off to the bathroom. Elly watched his backside as he sauntered away. His black lounge pants hung low on his hips and she nibbled her lip as she watched his firm ass. He probably spent a lot of time at the gym.
He disappeared into the bathroom and she sighed, turning her attention to her injury. She lifted the towel and huffed. The cut was almost the width of her foot. That will make dancing in heels fun, she mused.
Laik’s footsteps drew her attention back to him. Her gaze fell on his chiseled chest and she forced her gaze up to meet his eyes. If he can manage not to ogle me then I can do the same. Of course he might not be interested in me too.
She bit her lip at the realization. A relationship wasn’t something she should be pursuing right now anyway. Her psycho boss had driven her from LA. He was most likely looking for her. Ian Palmer was a nut and she wouldn’t put it past him. He thought they were destined to be together and had insisted she move in with him or else she’d be sorry. He’d given her twenty-four hours to come to her senses. She hadn’t stuck around to find out if he’d follow through on his threat. But she was sorry—sorry her luck had turned from bad to downright rotten. Although, perhaps her luck was changing.
Her eyes narrowed, glancing over Laik as he strode into the kitchen with a box and a few other items.
“Careful where you step,” she warned as he padded over the tile without watching where he was walking.
“I’ve got thick skin. I assure you, I’ll be fine,” he promised. “Let’s see that foot again.” He set the items from the bathroom on the counter as he grasped her foot again.
Elly propped her leg up as he set to work bandaging her. “Acelynn didn’t tell me you were staying the night,” she said, breaking the silence.
“My sister felt obligated to let me stay since she invited me,” he explained.
“Oh...right, you probably stay in my room normally?” Elly sighed, as she threaded her fingers through her hair. It had been the guest room until Acelynn had offered it to her. That’s a great way to make a good impression. Steal the guy’s room. I’d be grumpy if I had to sleep on the couch. Laik was tall; she’d guess him to be over six feet. He wouldn’t fit on there easily.
“It’s no problem at all,” h
e told her as he rubbed something over her cut.
She hissed as the wound burned. Her fingers gripped the edges of the counter while the sensation seared its way over her cut. Tears pricked her eyes and she closed them to keep them from falling.
“Sorry. I had to disinfect it,” he apologized, without looking up.
Elly opened her eyes, letting them wander over him while he was preoccupied with her foot. His hair was mussed and she wondered how it would feel to run her fingers through the thick, short locks. Her gaze darted to his hands as they blotted at her foot.
On his right hand he wore a thick-banded ring. It was unlike any jewelry she’d ever seen before. Made of solid gold, the ring featured a dragon surrounded by a ruby stone in the center. She opened her mouth to ask about it but stopped when he crinkled his nose and sniffed with a frown.
What, do my feet stink?
“Something's burning,” he commented as he turned around to look at the counter behind him.
Elly followed his gaze. Black smoke trickled out of the toaster. “Oh crap! My pastries,” she cried out.
Laik lunged to the opposite counter and flicked the lever on the toaster. The charred pastries popped out. Steam billowed off the blackened food. She groaned and shook her head. So much for a late night snack.
“What is wrong with me? I can’t even get a drink and snack without causing bodily harm to myself or someone else. I should come with some sort of a safety warning,” she mumbled.
“It can’t be all that bad, can it?” Laik asked as he wrapped gauze around her foot.
She lifted her brow and met his eyes, causing him to chuckle.
“Have you always been so...” he trailed off, clearly not sure the best way to word his question.
“Uncoordinated,” she finished for him. “No. I’ve thought about going to the doctor to make sure nothing is seriously wrong with me. I was head of the cheerleading squad in high school and I also played soccer recreationally up until I left Los Angeles a few weeks ago. I’ve always been sure on my feet...until recently, that is. Now, I half expect to fall on my ass every time I leave the house,” she told him with a smile. When she decided to start dating again, she’d have to remember that hot guys were all too eager to rush to help when she had a mishap in public. Who’d have thought embarrassing yourself would lead to getting asked out?
