“Yes, but they probably aren’t home yet. Let me text them.”
Dani replied, saying that she had to make a couple stops, but yes, she needed to come over and would arrive around eight-ish. Nate also gave me an ETA of eight o’clock.
While we waited, I set the leftover pizza on the counter and foraged in the cupboard. A day like today called for chocolate. I found a box of truffles and brought them over to the table.
Archer accepted one of the candies, then gave me a speculative look. “Are you hungry?”
The fact that we had just finished off an entire pizza between the two of us, along with a number of chocolates, left no doubt as to the nature of his question.
I was about to answer that I was just tired, when I realized that part of my weariness stemmed from a very different kind of hunger.
“Are you offering?” I asked, only half serious.
But when he said, “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t intend to carry through,” I realized just how hungry I was. The stress of the day had sapped my energy levels and Archer’s voice was soft. The heat in his eyes seared its way across the table. Oh yes, there was a connection between us, all right, and it wasn’t one that was merely born from the single tryst we’d had.
My breath coming quickly, my hand went to my turtleneck, and I realized that I was playing with the collar. I wet my lips, licking them gently as I leaned my elbows on the table.
“Care to find out if twice is a charm?”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about the answer to that.” He glanced over at Marsh.
Marsh let out a soft laugh. “I’ll hang out here with Whisky. I might have a go at trying to communicate with him, see if I can figure out how he summoned to me here.” He shot me a long look. “You need to feed. I promise I won’t watch.”
I breathed a little easier. He seemed at peace with the thought, and so I stood, holding my hand out to Archer. As I led him upstairs I could hear Marsh talking to Whisky. Secure in the knowledge that my house and land were warded heavily, I let the events of the day go as we entered my private bedroom.
Archer stood in back of me and placed his hands on my shoulders.
“Let me undress you.” He brushed my hair away from my face. “Let me take the lead. I have a feeling that most of your clients have always wanted you to be in charge. Let me take that off your shoulders for tonight. Let me be your master.”
A ripple raced through my body as I responded to his words. He was right. I was always the one who led. Usually, I didn’t mind, but there was a part of me that needed to let go of control, to let go of the responsibility to make everything work. I was tired of always being in charge, and the day had increased that weariness tenfold.
With a shudder, I leaned into his caress. As his scent swept around me, the hunger began to rise in earnest.
“I need you,” I whispered. “I need your chi. I need your hands on my body.” I closed my eyes as he reached around to tug the tail of my sweater out of my jeans. I started to help him.
“Stop. Lift your hands.”
I obeyed. As he slid the sweater up and over my head, then gently tossed it on the bed, I reveled in the delicious blast of cool air that played over my breasts. I was wearing a lace bra, and he unhooked it, slowly and deliberately. Then, as the straps went slack, he walked around to face me before he removed the bra. My breasts bounced gently as the band caught beneath them, then gave way. My nipples stiffened under his gaze, and a hot flare drove its way down my body, from breast to between my thighs, where it set off a series of minor explosions.
I let out a soft gasp, but he gave me one shake of the head. “Silence.”
Closing my mouth, I stood, frozen, as he reached for the zipper on my jeans, easing it down to expose the fact that I wasn’t wearing underwear. With a rough laugh, he arched his eyebrows.
“Commando? Brave woman.”
I couldn’t let that go by. “No, not brave. Just…being me.”
“Being you is a good thing.” He tugged on the belt loops, lowering my jeans until I could step out of them. They landed atop my sweater and bra, and I was truly naked except for my pentacle. That, I had no intention of removing.
He must have sensed my thoughts, because he shook his head, placing his finger to his lips to kiss it, then touching my own to transfer the kiss. “I will never ask you to remove your necklace. It protects you. It will burn me if I touch it, but I’ve been burned before.”
I didn’t want to hurt him. “I’ll take it off for you.”
“No. Don’t. I will never ask you to lower those defenses that keep you safe.” His voice grew serious, the play vanishing. “I will never ask you to endanger yourself for pleasure. Or for food. I’ll wear my shirt. The cloth will take the brunt of the heat from the silver.”
“Archer, be sensible—” I started to say, but he swept me to him, crushing my mouth with his in a kiss that went on forever. I moaned, frantic for his touch, frantic for the heat to consume me. With one hand, he reached down and began to finger me as I let out a low growl and—unable to wait—grabbed for his belt buckle.
I shoved his jeans down as he walked me forward to the bed. As I fell backward onto the mattress, he kneed apart my legs and thrust into me, hard and thick, demanding entrance. The fire between us flared, stronger than the first time, and the haze of passion began to overwhelm me as he covered my face with kisses.
Returning his lips to mine, he whispered, “Feed…feed on me…”
As he continued to drive himself into me, I began to feed. I inhaled deeply, drawing his breath—his life force—deep into my lungs. With every second, the charge grew stronger.
He arched, grinding against my pelvis, so deep inside he was touching my core. With one hand, he pinched one of my nipples so hard that I let out a cry that was mingled with his breath. The pain drove me higher. I was hooked to a live wire, a direct current to life itself. The glow of his touch, of the shimmering nimbus that made Archer who he was flared with wild abandon, and I drank it down.
Suddenly, unable to soak up any more, I realized that I was about to come. I called out his name as I came hard and fast, pleasure and pain mingled to where I could not separate them. Tears sprang up as I wrapped my arms around him. Archer followed suit, arching into my embrace as he closed his eyes and groaned. Then, spent, he fell against me and lay still, murmuring soft words that I couldn’t quite understand.
From a long way off, the doorbell chimed. Neither one of us moved, but a moment later, Marsh appeared in the bedroom.
He stared at us, still coupled, for a long moment. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but Dani’s downstairs. She let herself in. She’s hopping mad, Lily. You’d better come down.”
And with that, playtime was over.
Chapter Twenty
Crap, what had happened now? I threw on a nightgown, then slid a silk robe over it, belting it firmly. Archer grinned at me as he jammed his legs into his jeans and yanked them up.
“Good thing we were finished,” he said. “Otherwise, I would have said she could wait.” As I started for the door, he caught my arm. Pressing his lips to my forehead in a gentle kiss, he whispered, “I could get used to this, you know? I could really get used to this.”
I gazed up at him. Once again he took my breath away. What was it about him? I barely knew him and yet I wanted him in my life. I had been so relieved when Wynter told me to keep him around. It wasn’t just because I could feed off of him, either. That was a big plus, but below the surface, I realized there was so much I wanted to know about him.
“What are you thinking?”
Startled, I almost answered and then stopped myself. I couldn’t just blurt out that I wanted him to stick around, at least not the way I had been thinking. That was a one-way trip to stalker city. Plus, it didn’t seem fair to lay my expectations on his shoulders. Not when he had been so helpful. I pressed my lips together and shook my head, smiling.
He frowned. “Do you want to know what I�
�m thinking?”
Again, I had no good answer. I wanted to shout out, “Yes,” but something stopped me. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was just shock from all the changes that had gone on through the day. I wasn’t sure that I could handle anything that I might not want to hear at this point.
“I’m going to tell you, whether or not you ask.” He pushed me back, facing me directly. “Lily, this…arrangement we seem to have…it means more to me than just helping you out. I like being part of your life. That’s all I’ll say for now on that matter, but please, never feel you are using me. Okay?”
I nodded, drinking down every word he was saying.
“I also think that I know what you can do, now that you have to shut down the salon.” Before I could ask, he continued. “Work with me. I can use a partner in the business. It also seems to me that this would be a good way to fulfill Wynter’s orders, at least regarding the Souljacker. And this way, I can tell you the things that I need to tell you, but that confidentiality prevents me from revealing.”
Startled, I took a step back. That was the last thing I had expected him to say. “But I don’t know anything about being a detective or an investigator. Won’t I just be in the way?”
“Not at all. Let’s face it, you have to do something. I have more than enough work—it would help to have an assistant. I just haven’t found the right person yet. I have the money to pay you, and this would mean that when you grow too hungry, even if it’s during the day…” He didn’t have to finish the sentence. I already knew the end.
I jammed my hands in my pockets and stared at him. There was no subterfuge in his voice, and I couldn’t detect any hidden agenda behind his expression. That didn’t necessarily mean one didn’t exist, but if there was one, Archer was doing a good job of keeping it under wraps.
“I suppose if you think I’m capable of learning the job… And you’re right, there are perks, aren’t there?”
At that moment Marsh appeared again. He looked irritated. “Can you please hurry it up? Dani is roiling mad, and quite frankly, she’s taking it out on me. I don’t want to find out what she can do to spirits when she’s in a bad mood.”
I turned to Archer and nodded. “I’ll do it. Thank you for the vote of confidence. And…thank you for everything else.”
Marsh let out a snort. “I’m not even going to address that, but please—”
“We’re coming.” And with that, Archer and I headed downstairs.
Dani was sitting at the table, the look on her face cold enough to freeze water. Something had happened, all right. Before I could say anything, a knock on the back door announced Nate’s presence. I refilled the kettle and set it to boil. We could all use a hot cup of tea.
Nate glanced at Archer, giving him a little wave. “Hey, how’s it hanging?”
Archer’s lips crooked into a gentle smile, lifting ever so slightly. “It’s been an interesting day. And you?” He included Dani in his question.
Nate shrugged. “Rough day at work. I had to let one of our better programmers go because we found out he was embezzling money via his expense account. He was also leaking sensitive information. I don’t see how this is going to end well. He’s the type who might show up at work with an automatic and mow down the whole office. Security’s on high alert.” He glanced over at Dani. “And don’t you look like you want to set the world on fire. What’s going on?”
Dani let out a sputter. “Well, for starters, when I got to my shop, I found it’s been trashed. Someone broke in and destroyed half my inventory. The cops came and dusted for prints, but unfortunately, whoever did it took the film from my security cameras before smashing them to pieces. This is going to cost me a fortune to fix. I won’t be able to make your wards, Lily, but then again, I noticed when I drove in tonight that you have a new set—they’re nice, by the way. I assume Wynter gave them to you? Good deal, because I’m going to be spending the next two weeks shoveling out the mess in my shop.” She paused to take a breath.
“Crap. Who the hell do you think did it?” Nate asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m ready to kill. And then I got a call from Rebecca’s husband. He’s blaming me for her death. He says I was a bad influence on her and that it’s my fault she got the fucking tattoo. He can’t do anything to me, but damn it all—Rebecca was my friend. She is…was…an adult. And then…” She suddenly ran out of steam.
So it was already beginning. “I think I may know what happened to your shop. I could be wrong, but…” I glanced at Archer, who inclined his head.
“If you do, tell me because I’ll throw a whammy on them so fast they won’t be able to sit down for a week. I lost a lot of money.”
I let out a long sigh. “While I was out at Wynter’s today, she warned me that Tricia’s not done with her revenge. She’s out for my blood, and if it means hurting my friends, that’s what she’ll do. I—along with anybody associated with me—am on her shit list. She’s got revenge on the brain and you know how Weres hold grudges.”
“Fuck. That explains something else. The cops found a patch on the floor where somebody peed. They said it was strong—very strong. Ten to one, whoever she had in there was marking their territory to let me know they had been there.” She motioned to the refrigerator. “Can I grab something to drink? Some lemonade if you have it?”
“I’ll get it.” Archer moved to the counter to pour her a glass. As he set it on the table, he said, “We have some pizza left. Would you guys like it cold or hot?”
She accepted the soda, drinking half of it before answering. “Hot. Nate?”
“Hot’s fine with me. Pizza’s good no matter what.” He frowned. “So, your security cameras were tampered with? Did they steal anything?”
Dani shrugged, staring morosely at the glass in her hand. “I don’t know yet. I think so, though. Several of my expensive crystals are gone. But Weres don’t like magic, so I doubt they took any of my scrolls or spell components. They made a mess of them, though.”
Archer slid the pizza onto a pan and put it in the oven to heat. “I guess she wasted no time, did she. What did the police say?”
“They said that I should keep my eyes open, call them if any troublemakers come into the shop, and that they would analyze the urine to see what they can find. All so much talk meaning they haven’t a clue who did it and they have better things to do than waste their time on a break-in. Seriously, they can’t stop the vampires, and now they’re writing off burglaries. What are they good at?”
It occurred to me that maybe I could confine the damage if I talked to Tricia directly. I didn’t want my friends taking the brunt of her anger for me. As Archer, Nate, and Dani discussed the break-in, I slipped into the living room and looked up her number on my phone’s InfoPages. I decided it would be safer to text, and sent her a message, asking her if she would meet with me privately for a talk—that I wanted to apologize and do what I could to make amends. I knew that it would never make up for what happened, but I couldn’t sit around and do nothing.
That done, I took a deep breath and returned to the kitchen. Maybe I could at least take care of one problem without too much collateral damage.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dani and Nate were deep into the pizza when I returned to the kitchen.
As I settled back in my chair, Dani asked around a mouthful of mozzarella, “So, tell us what happened out at Wynter’s.”
“What didn’t happen?” I gave them the rundown of my visit. “So, in effect, in one day, my entire life has been turned upside down. I’m no longer self-employed, that’s for sure.” I couldn’t decide if I felt more grumpy because I had been forced to close my business, or if it was because I hadn’t been given a choice in the matter.
“We’ve all had one hell of a day,” Nate said. “What about you, Archer?”
“I was waiting till everybody was here to tell you what I managed to find out today. I decided to try to find out who might have been helping the Souljacker escape, and why
they did so. The most logical suspect is his father. So I started there. And that’s when the trail opened up into a rabbit hole, and I went tumbling down.”
That didn’t sound good. “Is it really that bad?”
“I think that I found out a number of things we’d all be safer off not knowing.” Archer wasn’t smiling. He spread out a series of file folders on the desk. “I printed off the information just in case somebody decides to go in and try to delete it.”
We settled in to listen.
“First, you have to know that Terrance Schafer and the Deadfather go way back. Terrance helps out the Deadfather politically, the Deadfather invests in Schafer’s businesses.” Archer looked up from the paper he was holding. “Got that?”
“Yeah, and that sounds about right. Big business and vampires are becoming synonymous.” As much as I didn’t like the fact, I wasn’t going to refute it.
“Okay, well here’s where it gets dicey. Terrance’s ex-wife—Charles’s mother—is petitioning the court for power of attorney over her son. She wants him staked. She’s also a major power player in the political scene, so it’s feasible she could win the case.”
Light-switch time. I snapped my fingers. “So Terrance asks the Deadfather to help him smuggle Charles out of WestcoPsi. He couldn’t ask the authorities to release Charles—he did murder that family, and if he’s let out he’ll automatically be under penalty of death.”
Dani paled. “But why would the Deadfather let Charles go free? Why didn’t he turn him over to Terrance?”
Archer scratched his nose, looking very much like he was about to tell us something we didn’t want to hear. “Because something went wrong. Dani, I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’ll just come out and say it. There were two witnesses to what happened the night Charles escaped—they managed to stay out of sight. They described the vampire who broke in and killed the guards. I did a little more digging, and sure enough…this vampire works for the Deadfather. He’s his right-hand man, so to speak.”
Souljacker Page 17
