Andromeda's Reign

by K. S. Haigwood

  He grinned as an idea came to mind.

  Roel quietly let himself inside and shut the front door, then nearly jumped out of his skin when Lea cleared her throat from behind him. He grabbed his chest and whirled in her direction, his heart still pounding.

  “Shit, Lea…” Roel’s eyes widened and his jaw unhinged when he noticed she was in nothing but plain white house shoes and a pale pink satin robe, with her silky, mahogany hair spilling over one shoulder, all the way down to her waist.

  His eyes were drawn to her chest where one taut nipple was pushing against the satiny fabric. Roel’s mouth closed, and he swallowed, but he couldn’t seem to pry his eyes away from her perfect, perky tits. His heart still fiercely thudded against his sternum, but now for completely different reasons.

  As if she knew what he was staring at, Lea crossed her arms over her chest and averted her eyes from him. Uncomfortable, he thought. Shit! I’m a douchecanoe! She’s been sexually abused, asshole!

  “It’s not wise to break into a vampire’s lair,” Lea said, “not even during the day. I’m pretty good with weapons.”

  Roel held up the key. “Phoenix left town early. He left about four hours ago. I’m in charge of watching the moonrising wolf. He still hasn’t shifted back to his human form.”

  “Was there trouble in Las Vegas?” she asked, concern filling her voice.

  Roel nodded as he slid the key in the pocket of his shorts, debating with himself whether he should stay or make up an excuse to leave. He wasn’t sure he could keep his eyes from wandering again if she planned to wear that robe for much longer. His misery would tamp down a bit if only she would put on a bra. Jesus, she has perky nipples. I’m such an ass. I really am. I’m an ass.

  He blew out a breath as he ran a hand over his head. “Mena isn’t acting right. Phoenix thinks she’s falling in love with Ace, so I told him to get his ass on a plane and put a halt on that shit—” He looked sheepishly at her. “—stuff. Sorry.”

  Lea sighed as she dropped her arms, and his eyes darted straight to her chest. Fuck! “I was afraid that might happen,” she said. “I really like her. She’s good for Phoenix, but that bond is so strong.”

  Roel’s attention moved back up to her face as his brow lifted. “So, you think it’s the bond causing her to feel that way, too?”

  She shrugged. “It pretty much forces them to be together in every way. I figured it was only a matter of time before her heart got involved. I don’t blame her, but I really wish we could do something about it. I don’t want to lose her.” She shrugged again, but this time she seemed shy and maybe a bit sad. Her voice dropped in volume. “She’s my friend. I don’t have many.”

  He wanted to hug her so damn hard, but didn’t trust himself not to cross any boundaries. “Listen, Lea, Mena isn’t going to stop being your friend. And I think you have a lot more friends than you know. There are a lot of people who care about you around here.”

  She lifted her head and narrowed her gaze on him. “Name five.”

  Roel huffed as he thought about it. “Well, I can name more than five. I’m sure Phoenix does, and I’m fairly certain Jaxon does. Then there’s Mena. I know Heath, Tracy, Brad and Heather do.” He chewed on his lower lip for a moment as he worked up the courage to include himself on the list of people who were her friends. He wanted to be so much more, but she wasn’t ready. She’d even told him that, back in the hotel room, after Phoenix and Mena had come to school him and Jaxon on their behavior. “And me.”

  A small V formed between her eyes, but her lips twitched up. That was a good sign, right? “You care about me?”

  “Are you blind?” he blurted, and then covered his face with his hands as he growled. “Shit, I’m sorry, Lea. I’ve been trying to be a gentleman ever since you told me that you weren’t interested, but I’m a lost cause. I am trying, though. Really, I am.” He felt the heat rising to his face, and wished he could keep the blush from showing his weakness where she was concerned. His words were enough.

  He was just about to make up some lie for why he had to go, when she laughed. It was barely audible, but it was definitely a laugh, and music to his ears. Hesitantly, he glanced at her out of the corner of his right eye. Yep. Her face was a beautiful shade of pink, and she was grinning from ear to ear. She put her hand over her mouth, in embarrassment, he thought. Why on Earth would she want to cover that gorgeous smile? Hadn’t anyone ever told her that she was stunning when she smiled? Wait, he knew the answer to that already. It was a no. That was so hard to believe. She was like a flower in bloom. Breathtaking.

  “You’re laughing at me?” he said as he grinned, and then he thought, please don’t stop. I can say stupid things all day if you’ll just keep laughing at me. I’m really good at saying stupid shit, especially to women as beautiful as you are. I trip and fumble. All the right words are on the tip of my tongue, but only the wrong ones come out. But as long as you’re laughing, instead of kicking my clumsy ass out of your house, I’ll keep talking and saying all the wrong things to you. You deserve so much better than what I can ever give you, but I’m praying like hell that you give me a chance to try to make you happy.

  Roel flinched when she quickly raised her arm, but she only held up her finger—instead of a silver knife—and then ran from the room, shouting over her shoulder, “Hold on!”

  He blinked a few times, confused, but hadn’t come to any conclusions about her radical behavior before she ran back into the room, holding out a rectangular box about twelve inches in length. The wrapping paper was dark blue, with a white ribbon around it, tied delicately at the top. He was scared to touch it, not because she was offering it to him, but because someone had taken so much time and care to make a box look that beautiful. He was afraid to mess it up. Had she wrapped it? Was it a present? Of course it was a present, but was it for him? Why? No, she must be giving it to him to give to someone else. That had to be it.

  Roel gingerly took it from her, being careful not to rip any of the paper or catch the bow on his trembling fingers. It was heavy. Really heavy. His brow furrowed. “Um…”

  “Happy Birthday,” she said quietly, but her eyes were shining when he looked up at her. His eyebrows popped up. How had she known… wait… “You told me at the hotel that your birthday was this month. I didn’t know what day, and I didn’t know if you even celebrated them anymore, but I wanted to get you something. Actually, I made them myself.”

  “Holy shit,” Roel muttered under his breath as he stared at the box, and then his head lifted to look back at her, so he could make sure this wasn’t a joke. She beamed with excitement.

  Forgetting all about the pretty wrap job she’d done on the box, he tore the paper off in less than a second to find an exquisite steel box left in his palms. A skilled engraving of a wolf howling at twelve full moons that circled its body made up the center. There was so much detail in the wolf and the intricate lines around him.

  Roel’s vision blurred and he put the side of his fist to his mouth as he held the box in one unsteady palm. What the hell. He’d never gotten this choked up about anything… ever, not even when Mena had asked him to be her Beta. After a moment, he managed to swallow the lump in his throat then turned his head to pin Lea with his eyes.

  “Nobody has ever—” he started, but she laughed again—really laughed, not quietly this time.

  “The case is just an extra, Roel,” she said. “The real present is inside. Open it.”

  The case? As he glanced back at the rectangular box, he noticed for the first time that it had a latch on the front. “Oh, God. If what’s inside is better than this, I’ll need to sit down to open it.”

  Lea gave him a huge smile as she led the way into the living room, and then pointed to the coffee table. “Set it there,” she said, and then sat on the couch the coffee table was in front of.

  Roel placed it on the table then sat down beside her and just stared at it. Christ, he hadn’t been lying to her before. He couldn’t remember, besides th
e time Mena had given him the Beta ring, when anyone had given him a gift. What was inside the box? It was too big to be jewelry of any kind, not that he wore jewelry, but Lea wouldn’t know that. He would love it and wear it with pride if it was, though. If it was a puppy, that poor son of a bitch was dead, he was sorry to say. Besides, the box was too small for a puppy anyway. It was only about an inch and a half tall.

  He jumped when Lea shouted, “Will you open it already? One of us is still growing old here,” she said on another amazing laugh.

  “Geez, woman. Give a guy a heart attack, why don’t ya.” Inhaling deeply, and then letting it out in a whoosh, Roel reached for the latch and flipped it up, and then lifted the lid. He paused, and sucked in a ragged breath as he stared in awe at a beautiful pair of custom made daggers.

  Lea took the lid from him and let the spring-loaded hinges guide it to a stop at a forty-five degree angle behind it. “Pick one up,” she said, “but be careful. They’re razor-sharp and they have silver in them.”

  The lump was back, and he couldn’t see for shit. Blinking back the moisture, he reached forward and gripped the sturdy hilt of one of the blades. It felt perfect in his palm, like it was made for his hand alone. How had she done that? There was more engraving on the base of the blade. He twisted it in his hand, looking at one side, and then the other. The same wolf that was embedded on the lid was on the blade, smaller, but with just as much detail. On the opposite side, his name and a ß, the symbol for the Beta, just below it.

  Glancing at the other in the box, he knew it was exactly the same. How was he supposed to react to something like this? He didn’t know, but he knew his body was buzzing and humming, like it had never done before.

  She’d made them herself. He couldn’t wrap his mind around that or the fact that she had wanted to give him something for his birthday at all. What did this mean? Had she changed her mind about being his girlfriend? Was this just a gift because Phoenix’s vampires and Mena’s shifters had become allies? Had she made daggers for Mena as well? No, she’d plainly said Happy Birthday.

  “It was too much,” she said quickly as she moved to get up. “I shouldn’t have—”

  Without another thought, Roel swiftly placed the dagger back in its seat and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, stopping her. “Nobody has ever given me anything so precious before, Lea. I am overwhelmed, but in a good way. I’m just speechless. Give me a moment… please.” He pleaded with his eyes for her to stay beside him, and she did. She took in a deep breath, and so did he. They exhaled together as they held eye contact. After a long moment, a huge smile broke over his face. “Those are the most amazing knives I have ever seen. A million different thoughts are racing through my head right now, but the one I have to ask first—because I would be effin’ dumb not to—is… Will you go on a date with me?” He swiftly held up his hand. “Wait… that wasn’t good enough. Next Saturday is Valentine’s Day, and I don’t know how to not say this corny, but, will you be my Valentine? Wait!” His hands shot up to his face, and he growled in frustration. “That sounded even worse out loud than it did in my head. You deserve more. You deserve better. I just don’t know how—Gah!”

  “Roel?” Lea said softly.

  “Yeah,” he huffed out, and then removed his hands, not at all looking forward to seeing the disappointment and pity in her eyes that he was sure would be there from him getting the wrong impression. When he looked over at her, he was surprised that she looked a little hopeful instead.

  “I would very much like to be your Valentine and go on a date with you next Saturday,” she said, and then bit down on the center of her bottom lip.

  His heart raced as his eyes fell to look at her mouth. “Can I see you every day until then, too?”

  She smiled. “And every day after that, if you’d like.”

  His hand rose and he curled his fingers around the back of her neck as he leveled his eyes with hers. Leaning in close to her mouth, he paused just an inch away from Heaven. He hadn’t been able to get her kiss out of his mind since it had happened. New and unexplored territory for him, but he was always game for new things. His eyes flicked up to see that hers were filled with desire. Oh, no. No. She might think she’s ready for everything, but he knew her past, and nobody had touched her since. Slow. He’d have to take it painfully slow and make sure that it was just as special for her as he knew it would be for him. He didn’t care if it took years for that time to come.

  Roel nodded once. “I’d definitely like that, Lea,” he said, and then she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his.

  Chapter 39

  Friday, February 6th 12:08 p.m PST

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  Slade

  The front door opened and Kai walked in, with Trevor and Nikon on his heels. To Slade, they all looked pissed.

  Slade started to get up, but Kai waved a hand at him, and then grabbed his ball cap from his head and threw it to the floor before falling into one of the recliners.

  Slade stared at him a moment then raised his eyes to Nikon and Trevor. “Well?”

  Nikon shook his head. “Not even a sniff of them. The only thing we got out of it was nine fried cell phones. They were close—we knew they were—but we couldn’t catch a trail. They had something that killed our phones the second we walked into that warehouse.”

  Slade’s eyebrows popped up as his eyes widened. “Was there any sign that they had been in there?”

  Trevor shook his head. “Nothing. The place was deserted. Not even the dust on the floor was disturbed, no foot prints or anything. It’s like it was just a decoy.”

  “Fuck,” Slade muttered as the rest of the nine came in, dragging their asses.

  “Where’s witch boy?” Karma said, and her eyes darted to Embyr, who was draped lazily on the other end of the loveseat Slade was sitting on.

  Slade sighed, praying she would hold her tongue. “He’s getting some rest, but he told me to wake him when the first group returned. I guess I need to go up and rouse the love birds, too. Damn, I don’t want to catch them in the act again. I thought he was going to rip my head off earlier. I’m sure he would have if he’d been able to see me.”

  “I’ll do it,” Karma said.

  Slade peered at her from under his brow. “No, you won’t.”

  She shrugged. “Then I’ll go wake up Clay and demand answers for why she wasn’t where he said she’d be. We’ve been on a cold trail since four a.m. and my phone is a paperweight now!”

  “You won’t do that, either, Karma. Go to bed.”

  Her eyes flicked to Embyr, but he didn’t take his eyes from her. “To your bed?” she said.

  Shit! “Karma, go to your room. That’s an order.”

  Her jaw clenched under her skin and her eyes flared hot, but she turned on her heel and ran from the room.

  “Friend of yours?” Embyr said.

  Slade sighed. “Karma isn’t friends with anyone, but you definitely don’t want to be on her bad side. She chose that name for good reason.”

  Embyr giggled dryly. “Whaddya know. That’s exactly the side of her I want to be on. Are you dating her?”

  Slade turned to look at her, but Embyr was still staring at the archway Karma had left through. Her head turned, and she smiled as she met his stare. “Not exactly,” he replied wryly.

  “Just screwing then,” she retorted. “I can handle that.”

  His eyebrows rose as a mischievous smirk played across his mouth. “What’s there to handle?”

  She shrugged. “Just curious if I needed to expect a knife at my throat or at my heart when she found me in your bed later.”

  Slade laughed, and Kai stood up.

  “I’m going to wake up my relief then hit the sack, dude,” Kai said. “Ace is going to have all our balls on a pegboard if the next crew doesn’t find the girl.”

  Slade was still grinning as he nodded. “Go on. Go to bed. I’ll tell the crew outside to go wake up their reliefs and go to bed, as
well. I’ll wait until last to go tell Ace the news.”

  “Much obliged,” Kai said, and then followed Nikon and Trevor out of the room.

  Slade blew out a breath as he looked at Embyr. God, she was gorgeous, but he had a feeling he would only be a fond memory in her mind after today. It wasn’t like he wanted anything serious, well, with anyone, but he didn’t let women in his room. That was his space. “I think Clay has a place for you to sleep in the den. I’m not trying to be a dick, but nobody sleeps in my bed but me.”

  Embyr’s eyes cut over to look at the archway.

  Slade shook his head. “Nope. Not even her.”

  “Well,” Embyr huffed as she stood. “What a disappointment that is. I’ll wake up Clay and let him know the next crew may want him to find her location again.” She didn’t seem bothered at all that he’d turned down her invitation for sex as she walked out of the room.

  Slade wasn’t even going to think about why that disappointed him.

  Friday, February 6th 2015 12:17 p.m. PST

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  Andromeda

  As Andra rolled over, her hand reached out for Ace, but his side of the bed was empty and cold. Her eyes shot open to find the room well lit, with the sun streaming in through the window. She squinted against its glare, and then huffed as she looked down at the rumpled sheets and comforter where Ace’s sleeping body was supposed to be.

  There was no sound or sign of him being in the bathroom, either. Had Slade come to get him? Surely he wasn’t making her do the walk of shame.

  She bit her lip as a grin spread wide across her face. Last night with him had been amazing.

  “I’m glad you think so,” Ace’s voice said through her mind.