Stew glanced up as a nurse approached the circular desk—the ER’s centerpiece. When he looked up, his gaze slid right from the nurse to the ER doors and his blue eyes lit, a grin spreading across his face when he saw me. He quickly hit the open button I knew was near his desk and the glass doors whooshed open.
“Clara!” He beamed, standing at my entrance.
I stepped inside quickly before the doors could close and rushed over to the desk. The nurse looked between us, a soft smile replacing her earlier scowl.
“Oh, Clara! It’s so good to see you,” the nurse said. Her name eluded me—Jenny? Jennifer? Jen?—I was pretty sure it started with a J.
“Hi,” I said, flushing over the sudden attention. Most of the ER staff were like a family. I was told that wasn’t normal for an ER, but I loved it all the same. These people knew me—they’d watched me grow up, celebrated holidays and good grades with me. They’d encouraged me and allowed me to draw them, sitting in the corner with my sketchpad every day after school. I was told some even kept my drawings on their fridges, which always baffled me. I might be pretty good at graphic design, but drawing people had never been my strong suit.
“It’s so good to see you,” Stew said. He unlatched the short door on the side of the desk and swung it out, coming around the side to give me a big bear hug. He squeezed me tightly before leaning back, holding onto my shoulder. “You never stop by to see old Stew anymore.”
I smiled guiltily. “Sorry, Stew. There’s been a lot going on.”
Stew chuckled. “So I hear! You just finished your finals last week, didn’t you?”
My mom always kept Stew up to date on everything. I found it cute, and secretly considered Stew my dad when growing up. I’d wished him and my Mom would date—I even tried to Parent Trap them once—but it was a no go.
“I did,” I said. “Just in time.”
“When do your grades come in? And make sure you get me a ticket to your graduation, you hear?” Stew narrowed his eyes playfully, and I laughed.
“Of course. It wouldn’t be graduation without you.”
Stew flushed adorably and I slugged his arm. He’d never been good at taking compliments. His blush quickly faded, replaced with a wide grin. “Good. Are you here to see Maggie? You know she’s been awful sore with you lately. You’ve got to keep her in the loop or she’s going to start taking it out on me.”
My lips twitched. Stew was the only one who got away with calling Mom, Maggie. “Yeah, sorry about that. Hopefully things get back to normal soon.”
Stew raised a questioning eyebrow, but before he could ask what I was talking about, a woman with raven-black hair and bright green eyes strode into the room from the back hall, a clipboard in hand, and an elderly woman on her arm. She didn’t even glance up as she spoke softly to the woman, making her laugh as Mom got her seated. She gave quick instructions to a junior nurse and handed off the clipboard before straightening and taking in the large ER.
Mom froze the second our gazes met. Her eyes widened and a grin quickly spread on her face until she was flashing teeth. “Clara, my love!” Dodging patients and staff with expert grace, Mom weaved her way to Stew and I. “It’s about time!”
I winced at her scolding tone. “Sorry, Mom. You know I’ve been sick.”
“Sick?” Stew guffawed. His palm flew to my forehead. “You don’t feel hot.”
I swatted his hand away and rolled my eyes at the two of them. “I’m fine. I got over it.”
Mom narrowed her eyes. “You still sound a little stuffy. Maybe I should have a look at you.”
“Mom!” I groaned. “I’m fine, I promise.”
The suspicion didn’t leave her eyes, but she let it go. “All right. I’m just glad to see you.” She held my bicep for a moment and squeezed. She wasn’t a big hugger, but her arm squeezes always had a happy bit of warmth blossoming inside me.
“I’m glad to see you too,” I said, smiling.
“We’ll have to get dinner to celebrate your graduation, now that you’re feeling better.”
I blanched. Oh shit. “U-Um,” I stammered as potential excuses flew through my mind. “I’m not even technically done school yet. I won’t get my grades back until June.”
Mom scoffed. “So? You’ve been at the top of your class since First Year. I’m sure you aced all of your courses once again.”
“Still, maybe we should actually wait until I graduate to celebrate.” That’d give me until mid-June—about a month to make sure I had my shit together.
“Ridiculous. We should go out this weekend,” she said.
Stew looked between us helplessly. He wanted to intervene—or maybe join us for dinner—but my Mom’s scowl kept him silent. She was scary when she was angry.
“Not this weekend,” I said quickly, a lie burning on my tongue. “Gloria, Jamie and I have plans.”
Mom’s frown deepened, as did the suspicion in her eyes. “All right,” she ground out. “Then next weekend.”
Shit. If I argued too much she’d be even more suspicious. At least if I had a week and a half to come up with an excuse, I’d manage something before then. “Fine, that works for me.”
Mom smiled instantly, and the tension in the room suddenly broke. “Excellent.” She turned to Stew, her gaze softening. “Stew, would you like to join us?”
Stew beamed. “Of course. It would be my pleasure.”
“Perfect.” Mom faced me again. “Then it’s a date.”
I barely resisted rolling my eyes. “Are you happy then? You’ve seen me and you know I’m alive and well.” I raised my eyebrows in question.
Mom looked me over quickly. Once she seemed sure that I had all of my limbs, she nodded brusquely and settled her hands on her wide hips. “Yes. You may leave, as long as you promise to answer my calls once in awhile.”
I smiled. “I can do that.”
Mom waved me towards the door. “Then off with you. Have a great day, love.”
I gave her a quick one-armed hug, surprising her. She blinked wide eyes at me until I released her and headed for the door. “Bye, Mom! Bye, Stew!”
“See you soon, Clara!” Stew called after me as I hit the button for the door.
The doors whooshed open, and I stepped through, giving Mom a little wave.
“Goodbye, sweetheart,” she said, so softly I almost missed it. She had a strange look on her face, but before I could decipher it, the doors shut between us, and Stew pulled her attention back.
I sighed, relief settling in my bones as I slid out the ER doors. Everything had gone all right. No one had died, or even been maimed. Maybe I could live a somewhat normal life outside of killing people. It’d be a life full of lies, but at least my family would be protected.
At this point, with Elizabeth breathing down my neck, and her threats hanging in the air, what more could I really ask for?
Chapter 13
Ky
Ryker and I had a sort of understanding. The vampire may not know me, or my intensions, but he’d let me stay so long as I helped him protect Clara. Because damn that girl was going to need all the protecting she could get.
Demons. Hellspawn. Vampires. Reapers.
It was all crazy as fuck. What had this girl gotten herself into? And how? Her life seemed to be a jumbled mess of occurrences, all of them orchestrated by Hell’s princess, Elizabeth. But no matter what that evil bitch threw at Clara, I would protect her—and not because of some stupid ancient tradition my ancestors had passed down through generations.
I would protect her because she was mine. The first moment I saw her, even through the haze of pain, I knew my mate had found me. She hadn’t realized it, and still didn’t, but we were made for each other. Bound to each other. She might not feel the tug of the mate bond the way shifters do—we’d have to exchange blood for her to feel that—but I saw the way she looked at me. She might not realize it yet, but that attraction was leading somewhere. It was leading her to us. But I couldn’t tell her. Not yet.
But I thanked my ancestors now for her lack of observation skills. They allowed me to get around unseen, darting between alleys, running between the legs of pedestrians to keep up with her long strides.
When we’d finally arrived at the hospital, only then did I wait outside. An animal in a hospital would be too obvious. There would be dozens of bored patients looking for something to do until they could be seen. They alone could be my undoing.
But no matter how much I told myself it was smarter to stay outside and wait, my cat disagreed. He wanted to chase our mate down and stay by her side. He wanted her in his sights at all times—the possessive little shit.
I couldn’t say I disagreed with having her in our sights at all times, but I didn’t want to risk capture either.
I shook my head and twisted my whiskers, forcing myself to keep my paws on the ground. I waited, and waited, sitting on the steps of an old Brownstone townhouse. She was taking an awfully long time. I didn’t know how long she normally visited her mother, but with every passing minute, my heart raced.
Call it the mate bond, or my own brand of paranoia, but being away from her made me physically ache. Desperation swelled inside me, and my cat yowled in frustration as I continued to refuse his hold on our body.
Not yet, I attempted to soothe him, but he would not be calmed. Not when our mate was out of his sight.
My muscles twitched as time continued to pass. When, finally, I’d had enough, I leapt to my feet and began pacing the step. That only made my cat more anxious. So he wanted action, did he?
My mind raced as I walked back and forth. Clara would come out soon, and hopefully head right home. I’d be able to follow her back, and slip inside before she was ever the wiser. But what fun was there in that?
If I could smirk in this form, I would. A plan quickly formed in my mind—one to keep Clara out a little longer, and possibly get me some alone time with her.
My mind made up, I leapt down the steps and bounded across the street. I slipped into the nearest alley; the one Clara would pass on her way home. Once inside, I crept up the first mound of boxes I saw and leapt onto the nearest escape ladder.
Several minutes later, I’d successfully broken into a young bachelor’s apartment and borrowed some clothes. My heart raced as I slipped back into human form. It was a risk to transform out in the open like this—not only because supernaturals didn’t exist to humans, but because of the people after me.
Cold speared the excitement that had been building since my plan formed. If they saw me, I was dead, and my mate might not be far behind.
Shit. I ground my teeth. How likely would it be for one of them to happen upon this random alley? Very unlikely, I’d imagine. But was it worth the risk?
No, I decided. Nothing was worth risking my mate. But before I could change back and slip out of the stranger’s clothes, Clara’s strawberry and vanilla scent hit me. My entire body heated, chasing away the cold.
On instinct, I leapt over the metal bars of the fire escape, falling two stories before landing in a graceful crouch. A smirk broke my lips as I crept to the end of the alley. I could feel her getting closer, her scent growing stronger on the breeze, disguising the smell of garbage lingering between apartment buildings.
Just as I reached the end of the alley, her long legs entered my field of view. I reached out without thought, grabbing her arm and yanking her into the darkness the alley provided.
She yelped, and I heard her heart speed up as I dragged her a few feet, all in a span of seconds. I clapped a hand over her mouth, and her hot breath bathed my palm. I pulled her tight against my chest, backing up a few more steps before spinning her around.
Fear turned to cold fury as she spied me. I grinned—I couldn’t help it. She was like an angry kitten, bristling all over.
“Afternoon, Mistress,” I teased as I lowered my hand.
“Ky!” she snapped, making my grin widen. “What the fuck? I almost bit you.”
I chuckled. “You wouldn’t risk it, Mistress.”
I trailed my fingers down her arm, and her cheeks flushed, pink taking over the soft pale olive of her skin. She must not have realized how close we were until now. I knew the telltale signs of her embarrassment well. I’d be teasing her as much as I could, happy to see her little scowl every time she was flustered.
“You don’t know that,” she said, the fight in her voice leeching away. Her tensed body relaxed against me, pressing closer.
I couldn’t go anywhere with the alley wall behind me, and I certainly didn’t want to. My cat purred deep inside my mind, happy to have her back and so close. I knew his peace would only last so long, and soon he’d return to desperately pushing me to claim her and seal our bond. But for now, I’d revel in the relative peace he gave and drown in the delicious scent of what was mine.
“I do, Mistress,” I countered, playfully tapping the tip of her slightly pointed nose. “I know you wouldn’t purposefully hurt a fly.”
She frowned. She knew I was right. “I might if I was desperate enough to protect myself.”
My smile faltered. She had a point. From what I’d seen of her short brawls with Zane, she would protect herself, despite my taunts.
“See?” It was her turn to smirk. She tilted her head up, raising her chin defiantly. “You know I’m right.”
I reached up, carefully sweeping her hair away from her eyes. She stiffened in my arms, her lips popping open in surprise. “I’ll just have to be more careful next time.” I trailed my fingers down her soft cheek before dragging my thumb lightly across her bottom lip. As soon as my thumb was gone, her tongue darted out as if to catch me. Warmth and desire blazed a path through my body, and I tightened my hold on her hips.
“N-Next time?” she stammered.
I smiled. How was it possible that she could be so fierce one moment, and adorably awkward the next? I loved the way she blushed and stuttered her words when she was embarrassed, but the heat wafting from her was new. Her breasts pressed against my chest suddenly, and the scent of her desire hit me like a train.
My blood heated and my cat leapt to attention. My breathing quickened as my hands swept up her hips, over her curves. She shivered as I dragged my fingers higher, letting my thumbs skim the sides of her breasts before I stroked up either side of her neck to cup her cheeks.
Her hot breath scorched my lips as I leaned closer. It was like her desire had sent me into a trance, and all I wanted was to close this insufferable distance between us.
But I stopped myself. Even with the heat in her eyes, and the press of her body against mine, I couldn’t do this here. I didn’t want our first kiss to be in some dark, dusty alley. She deserved better than that. And as her humble servant, I wanted to give her everything I could and more.
I sighed internally, and forced myself to refocus. Instead of kissing her like I so desperately wanted, I pecked her on the forehead and dragged her into my arms.
Clara squeaked in surprise as I pressed her against me. Her heart beat against me, and I stroked her hair. I knew I’d made the right decision when she relaxed and her thin arms wrapped around my waist. She hummed, content as she laid her head on my chest.
I smiled against her hair and squeezed her again, knowing I’d made the right choice.
With both of our lives in shambles, and her recent discovery of the supernatural world, I didn’t want to scare her by moving too fast. So I’d keep our mate bond a secret and blame it on the debt I owed her. I’d call her my mistress and shiver inside every time her angry little pout was aimed my way. Because this beautiful woman was mine. And I’d be damned if I let anything happen to her. Including me.
Chapter 14
I didn’t know how much I’d needed this. Being wrapped it Ky’s arms made my heart race uncontrollably and my entire body heat in an unfamiliar way. I’d only had the same feeling with one other person recently—Ryker. So when Ky had decided not to kiss me, I was both disappointed and grateful. I wanted to kiss him—really wanted to. I hadn’t felt like that in a long time, but there was so much going on in my life right now, did I really want to add more complications?
I might be attracted to Ky and his insufferable smirk, but I also had feelings for Ryker. That sweet man had helped me through so much already, and it didn’t feel right to throw all of that away just because Ky had been sweet to me too.
I sighed. Despite how right it felt to be held in Ky’s arms, I couldn’t stand there all day. I’d already been gone longer than I thought, and it wasn’t right to make Ryker worry.
Wiggling out of Ky’s hold, I carefully took a few steps back. Once I had some distance, clarity returned, and I realized why Ky had been nearby to pull me into an alley in the first place.
“You were following me,” I accused, narrowing my eyes at the cat shifter.
He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. Now that I got a better look at him, I could see his clothes were a size too big; his jeans hanging low on his hips, and his baggy t-shirt a size too big to be stylish. He must have stolen someone’s laundry. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
I blinked, surprised he was apologizing at all.
“We were worried,” he continued. “You haven’t been out on your own much.”
My fists clenched. Wait a hot minute. “Ryker was in on this too?”
Ky opened and closed his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say that.
“You’re both unbelievable.” Turning on my heel, I stormed back toward the alley mouth.
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