by Jackie May
Illren glares at Oliver. “She is ready. She’s just being stubborn.” He turns back to Charlie. “Can you do it, or not? I will pay you, of course.”
Finally, I snap out of my shock. “Don’t you dare,” I warn Charlie. “Illren, you have no right to—”
“You lost control of your power!” Illren snaps. “I will do what I must to ensure your safety.”
Charlie braves stepping between Illren and me. Not very smart, considering we’re about to kill each other. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, everyone calm down,” he says, raising his hands in a placating gesture. He pushes Illren and me even further apart and looks back and forth between us. “I’m not going to force anyone to do anything.”
He gives me a look, making sure I understand and believe him. I grudgingly nod.
“That being said,” he starts again when Illren opens his mouth to argue, “I am a part of this clan now, too, and I’m Nora’s mate.” He looks at me, and his face softens. “I will always want what’s best for you. The thing about being a cupid is I have a unique perspective. Sometimes I know what a person needs better than they know themself. If there is something I can do to bring you closer to the men in your life, then I’ll do it. I won’t be able to help myself. It’s who I am.”
I start to argue, and he cuts me off. “I’ll only ever want you to be happy. I spread love, Nora. I spread joy. It’s not a bad thing.”
I blow out a hard breath. “I suppose when you put it that way…”
Charlie grins and turns to Illren. The fey looks stoic as always, but he’s thinking hard. I can tell. He’s plotting.
“Mr. Kovros?” Charlie asks.
Illren slowly pulls his gaze away from me and looks at Charlie. “Illren, or just Kovros, is fine.”
Charlie nods. “Illren…I will do what I can, but it takes time.”
“What?” I screech.
Charlie surprises me with a rueful look while Illren preens like a smug bastard. “It’s inevitable, Nora,” Charlie tells me, ignoring my scoff. “Illren is not wrong about you. I can see the connection. It’s a medium-size flame, even. I’ve had success with a lot less.”
I scoff again. I can’t help it. I’m being scolded because I won’t admit to having a crush on a psychotic, bloodthirsty assassin. A crush I swear I don’t have! I don’t think. Okay, I’ve been known to live in denial now and then. It’s possible this could be one of those times.
Before I can continue to wage a futile argument, Illren clasps a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Come,” he commands. “I will show you the rest of the den. There are three empty bedchambers to choose from.”
The two walk off down the hall, no doubt planning my seduction. Charlie is being his jovial self, and Illren is…not smiling, but he looks relaxed. It’s the chummiest I’ve ever seen him act with anyone. It’s unsettling.
“Is it just me,” Oliver mutters, slipping an arm around my waist, “or is that the beginning of a budding bromance?”
“Partners in crime, maybe,” I grumble.
Oliver chuckles. “It’s nice. Illren could use a friend. He’s been the odd man out since he moved in.”
I side-eye Oliver. “I believe that’s intentional.”
“Maybe.” Oliver shrugs. “But everyone needs friends. It’s funny that the broodiest winter fey would befriend the cheeriest summer fey, though.”
That is kind of amusing. It’s my turn to shrug. “Opposites attract and all that, I guess…”
Oliver grins. “Or our deadly assassin is secretly a romantic.”
I snort a disbelieving laugh, but Oliver raises a challenging brow. “He did bind himself to you on the hope that one day you would love him.”
I open my mouth, but no argument comes out. Illren really did do that. I sigh in defeat. Things are going to get really complicated around here.
Oliver nudges me. “He’s not so bad.” I gape at Oliver, and he blushes. “Killer for hire aside, of course.”
“Are you seriously championing him right now? You want me to hook up with him? And what about Charlie? I suppose I should just take him as a lover, too?”
Oliver gives me a lopsided grin. “You are stuck with both of them.”
“Ollie!” I laugh. “I can’t believe you’re selling me out.”
I smack his shoulder, and he pulls me flush against his chest. The smile never leaves his face even as he lowers his lips to mine. I let myself get lost in his kiss. There’s been too much drama tonight, and things with Oliver are always so easy. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he melds our bodies together, warming mine all over. He pulls back just enough to look at me. “I only want there to be harmony in the den, and I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” I promise. “You make me happy.”
“Good.” He presses another soft kiss to my lips. “You want to sleep in my room with me tonight?”
A small thrill rushes through me. Oliver’s never asked me that before. He’s stayed with me when I was hurt, and we’ve sacked out together once or twice after a late night playing video games or binge-watching Netflix, but we’ve never just gone to bed together intentionally. It feels different. More relationship-y.
I want to take him up on the offer, but I shake my head. “I would, but I was planning to nap out here until Parker comes home.” I watch Oliver’s face closely for any signs of hurt or jealousy. I don’t find any, but I still feel compelled to explain myself. Oliver might be completely okay with this unconventional relationship, but I can’t seem to shake the guilt entirely. “It’s New Year’s Eve. I don’t want him to come home to a sleeping house. I want to at least say good night. And I should probably warn him about Charlie.”
Oliver chuckles again. “Yeah, that’s probably wise. He’s as likely to kill a stranger in our home as Illren.”
I laugh. “The difference is he would ask questions first.”
“True.” Oliver covers a yawn with his fist. “All right. I need to sleep.” He kisses my cheek. “Good night, Nora.”
I grin. “No class tomorrow, so I’ll see you in the morning for once.”
“Late morning, I hope. It is four a.m.”
The man has a point. “Okay, maybe noon.”
I wake up in my own bed with a dead-to-the-world vampire wrapped around me like an octopus. It’s not the first time Parker has used me as his personal body pillow. It started about a week ago. The first night he snuck into my room he stayed on top of the covers, but it’s cool in the den—Terrance can’t handle a lot of heat—so the second night he snuggled under the covers with me, and that was the end of my personal space.
He never asked if he could start sleeping in my bed, and he’s never mentioned it. I don’t bring it up, either. Surprisingly, I don’t mind. He’s never tried to make a play. It’s not a sexual thing. I think he really just needs the company. I think he’s lonely and feeling a little disconnected from the rest of the clan.
As the only vampire in the family, he’s the only one of us on a truly nocturnal schedule. After the whole human-hunters-killing-fey issue was settled, we all went back to our normal work schedules, and Parker started his new job as the Deputy Director of the Detroit Division of the FUA. Since then, we hardly ever see him.
Oliver has his last semester of grad school classes in the mornings and then works until midnight, so he mostly crashes as soon as he gets home. Terrance, Rook, and I usually drag ourselves through the door between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. and do the same. Illren’s schedule seems more erratic, but he’s not really the let’s hang out type. In truth, Terrance, Rook, and I see Parker for an hour or two after he wakes up each evening, and Oliver sees him at work, but that’s it. In the summer, when sunset is as late as 9:00 p.m., we have the potential to not see Parker at all. I need to do something about that. I just don’t know what. In the meantime, I’ll let him continue sneaking into my bed, and I’ll just enjoy our snuggle time.
I usually disentangle myself from him and get ready for my day without disturbing him, but I misse
d him last night, and I don’t want to get up yet. I must have fallen asleep on the couch, and he brought me to bed without waking me, because I’m still in my work clothes.
I roll over and kiss his cheek. “Parker,” I murmur.
He shifts in his sleep, pulls me closer, and nuzzles his face into my neck. It seems it’s going to take a little more effort to wake him up. Vampires can wake during sunlight hours, but they’re usually pretty groggy and can never stay awake for long. I don’t need him awake for long, I just want to say hello. “Parker.”
He groans and nuzzles me again.
Feeling bold, I slide my hands under his T-shirt, thinking my chilly fingers on his bare skin will do the trick. He doesn’t stir, but it definitely wakes me up. I’ve never had the pleasure of exploring his abs like this. His skin is so smooth it’s like silk beneath my fingers, and the line of fine hair running from his belly button to his waistline is particularly interesting.
Parker’s body tenses beneath my touch. He lets out a low moan of pleasure, and his hands start rubbing my back. “If you’re feeling me up, does that mean I get to return the favor?” he asks, his voice husky and thick with sleep.
Still feeling brave, I drag my fingers up the firm ridges of his abs. “Maybe.”
His hands immediately seek out the hem of my shirt. Instead of slipping his fingers beneath the fabric like I did, he pushes my shirt up. I follow his prompt and take it off. He tosses it to the floor and pulls me back down to him, letting his hands roam over all of my exposed skin. I shiver with pleasure and snuggle closer. “Sorry. I won’t keep you up long. I just wanted to say hello. You were supposed to wake me up last night.”
His eyes are closed, and his body feels completely relaxed as he continues to run his fingertips along my skin. “You looked too peaceful.” He still sounds groggy, but it’s a happy groggy. A content groggy.
“I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year. Now you owe me a kiss.”
Parker sucks in a deep breath as if to clear the sleepiness from his brain, then rolls on top of me and finds my lips with his. His body weighs me down, and where that would normally trigger a panic attack, Parker’s movements are so languid that I actually enjoy the feel of him pressing me into the mattress.
The kiss is deep at first but quickly morphs into something slow and relaxed. There’s something different about this kiss than his normal ones. Parker’s too sleepy to really worry about losing control. He’s not overthinking it for once. He’s acting on instinct, and the result is a slow, sensual kiss that is sexy as sin. He’s making love to my mouth as if he has all the time in the world. I would stay in bed with him like this all day if I thought he could manage it, but I know my time is limited, so I take advantage of this rare, totally relaxed kiss for as long as I can. One kiss becomes two, then three, until he finally collapses onto his back and pulls me against his chest. “Happy New Year, Nora. I love you,” he murmurs, drifting off to sleep again.
I smile against his chest and wonder if he’ll even remember this moment when he wakes up. I hope so. “Sweet dreams, Parker.” I kiss his cheek, then roll out of bed to get ready for the day.
When I finally emerge from my room, showered and ready to go, I find the rest of my clan hanging out in the living room. I’m the last one up, and the guys all seem to be enjoying their day off. Rook and Terrance are deeply concentrated on a game of pool, and Oliver and Charlie are engrossed in some kind of shooting video game. Even Illren is present. He’s pulled the coffee table in front of a chair and is sharpening his knives and sword on it. But for him, that’s being social.
None of them notice my presence, so I take the opportunity to simply watch them. I’m glad they’re hanging out. All of my guys get along for the most part, but they haven’t really bonded with each other much. Hopefully this is the beginning of them becoming more of a family than just all being the men in my life.
“Look out!” Oliver shouts. “You’ve got a man on your six. You need to build cover.”
One of the characters on the giant screen breaks out into some funky dance, and Charlie starts frantically pressing buttons on his controller. “What the—I’m dancing. Why am I dancing? I can’t move!”
Oliver laughs. “Boogie bomb. It’ll stop in a second.”
“But he’s going to shoot me!”
I chuckle at the stress in Charlie’s voice. Seconds later, Charlie’s half of the screen goes quiet and a message pops up telling him he placed 16th. “Damn.”
He sets his controller down on the couch while Oliver continues to build some kind of fort to hide behind.
“16th is great for a newbie,” Oliver assures him.
Charlie laughs. “I’d have died long ago without you saving my ass over and over. But hey, at least I went out with style. Did you see those sweet moves? They were better than my real moves.”
I laugh, catching the attention of every man in the room. I’m greeted with a round of smiles and good mornings. Even Illren gives me a nod with a hint of a smile on his lips. “Good morning.” To Charlie, I say, “Not a dancer?”
“Ballroom. Swing.” He grins. “I can waltz and jitterbug like a pro, but whatever it is they’re doing in the club these days?” He shakes his head. “Not my style.”
“Nooooo!” Oliver groans.
I glance at the screen and chuckle. “What? Second place not good enough?”
“I almost had him.”
I walk over and plop a kiss on the top of his head. “I’m sure you did.”
He grins at me and holds up his controller. “Want to try?”
I shake my head. “Another time. Illren and I were going to go visit Giselle. See if we can learn something about why I lost control of my power last night.” I glance at Illren for confirmation. “If you’re still up for it.”
He rises to his feet and starts loading all of his weapons back onto his body. It’s a small arsenal. I’m not sure where he puts it all. I smirk. “So…that’s a yes.”
I hate leaving when we’re all finally together for once, so I extend the invite and try to entice them all with food. “Anyone else want to come? Maybe we can find a diner or something after we talk to her. Grab some brunch.”
Charlie jumps to his feet and heads for the coatrack. “I’m in. I was going to head home and pack up some stuff a little later anyway. There’s an IHOP between the lighthouse and my place. It should be open today.” He looks around the room. “Maybe we should all go…”
Not surprisingly, both Oliver and Rook jump at the chance to spend time with me, but I get all warm and fuzzy on the inside when even Terrance agrees to come. Normally he’s pretty antisocial. Or just too busy to hang out. The only other time I’ve seen him take an entire day off was Christmas Day last week.
I eye Charlie suspiciously. Could that be his doing? His whole power of suggestion thing? He said he strengthens relationships. Maybe that doesn’t only apply to romantic ones. Charlie catches me looking at him and winks. Definitely up to something. Oh well, if he wants to make my guys all love each other like a real family, more power to him.
We all pile into several cars and head over to the lighthouse. It’s overcast and freezing today. Typical for a Michigan winter, but not ideal for visiting the Riverwalk. The wind is blowing forcefully off the water when we arrive, burning my lungs every time I breathe in and stinging my eyes. It’s almost enough to make me turn around and come back to see Giselle in May.
Oliver and Charlie look just as miserable as me, but the werewolf, with his internal heater, and the two winter fey don’t seem to have the same problem. I hunch down into my coat and bury my face in my scarf as we make our way through the park. At least the sidewalks have been salted if not cleared of most of the ice and snow. I don’t want to slip and end up all wet, too.
We gather around the railing along the water, and Illren lets out a whistle, calling to Giselle. While we’re waiting for her to surface, I sidle up next to Rook, hoping to steal some of his heat. I give him an innocent smile
. “Want to be my space heater?”
He chuckles and happily wraps his arms around me. It’s not quite the same when we’re both wearing coats, but it’s better than nothing.
“Nora!” Giselle chirps, controlling the water to lift herself up to the same level as the railing. Her eyes flick over the small group with me, and her smile widens. “And you’ve brought the crew! Yay!”
“Most of them,” I agree, smiling back. I’ve come to visit Giselle only once since she told me about my need for a harem, and all she wanted to do was gossip about my men. She’s a boy-crazy one, for sure.
I make the rounds of introductions, and when I get to Oliver, Giselle lets out a long awww. “You are just adorable!” She bops his nose and smiles wickedly at me. “This one’s my favorite. If he weren’t already yours, I’d keep him.”
Oliver ducks his head and steps back out of Giselle’s reach. “Um…thank you?”
She winks and blows him a kiss.
The guys all snicker, and Oliver hunches his shoulders like a turtle trying to duck into its shell. He’s never going to hear the end of this. Poor guy. Giselle’s right, though. He is my adorable one.
Giselle rests her arms on the top of the railing, ready to shoot the breeze. The woman is topless—it’s a mermaid thing—and her wet hair is forming icicles, but she doesn’t seem bothered by it at all. “How are you not freezing?” I ask as a large gust of wind blows my hair off my frozen face and makes my nose start to run.
“I’m a fish—cold-blooded.”
“Oh. Right. Must be nice.”
She laughs and props her chin in her hand. “So what brings you to my doorstep today? Clearly, with this wind, it’s not just a social call.”
“Yeah, I’ll make more of those in the spring. Actually, I was hoping you might know something about my power. I lost control of it last night.”
Giselle straightens, her carefree attitude replaced with concern. “Lost control of it, how?”
I grimace. “Well, it was like it had a mind of its own. It wanted me to use it.”
Giselle nods as if she expected this response. “And you wanted to use it, didn’t you? You felt compelled to.”
