by A. P. Jensen
“How did it go?” Cain asked.
“I got the information I needed.”
Cain pushed her on the couch and knelt in front of her. She sucked in a breath when he began to unzip her boots.
“What’s the next step?” he asked.
She cleared her throat and told him about Francis Thayer and Olivie Belrose. Cain took off her boots and her hands brushed over his when he unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them off.
“Harvard’s going to research the Belrose descendants and see if we can find one. Maybe they can help us.”
“Progress,” Cain murmured and nipped her inner thigh.
“What are you doing?”
Cain zipped her boots on before he met her gaze. “I’ve been waiting four hours to have you.”
She licked her lips. “What are you waiting for?”
Cain jerked her to the edge of the couch, cupped his hand around her nape and kissed her. She ripped open his shirt and liked the sound of his buttons bouncing off the walls and floor. She fumbled with his pants and when her hand brushed against him, he made an impatient sound and did the deed himself. He ripped her thong with one quick pull and began to work his cock inside of her. She tried to find purchase, but her heels scrabbled over the floor and she groaned in frustration. Cain made her crazy with his slow thrusts.
“I nearly followed you,” he said against her lips. “I don’t like you being far from me.”
She arched her back. “Everything’s fine. Hurry up.”
He chuckled. She raised her leg and rubbed her alligator boot on his lower back, letting the grooves caress him. Cain jerked and his eyes narrowed to slits.
“I’m going to buy you a lot of boots,” he growled.
She gently trailed the stiletto on the inside of his calf and he clenched his jaw. She smiled as he began to speed up.
“You know how to make me crazy.”
“I’m learning,” she gasped.
Cain pulled her from the couch to the floor. The unforgiving floor allowed him to go as deep as he wanted and he seated himself to the hilt. She screamed and stared up at the blinking lights of the Christmas tree as he rode them both into climax. She ran her hands through his sweaty hair and grinned. Kicking ass and then coming home to be loved by a man like Cain was the best of both worlds.
Cain’s phone began to ring and they both tensed. Cain gave her a long kiss before he retrieved his phone from his pants. She sat up as he answered.
“Hello?” Cain shot Raven a quick look. “Hey, Jane.”
Raven glared at him and got to her feet.
“Wait. What?” Cain said distractedly.
Raven belatedly realized that she was wearing nothing but her red satin top and stiletto boots. She hid her smile and sank onto Cain’s lap. He cleared his throat uncomfortably when she nibbled on his neck.
“Jane, is this important?” Cain asked gruffly.
“I want you to come back,” Jane said.
Raven trailed her nails down Cain’s abdomen and he sucked in a breath.
“I’m not coming back,” Cain said impatiently. “Did Rich put you up to this?”
A short silence. “He asked me to make the call, but I didn’t mind doing it. I miss you and what we had together.”
Raven clenched her fists and got to her feet. Before she could walk away, Cain wrapped an arm around her thigh, keeping her beside him. She shoved at his head, but he didn’t release her. She had to resist the urge to grab the phone and throw it against the wall.
“Jane, we’re done,” Cain said.
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Jane whined.
“Yes, it does.”
Raven’s phone began to ring. She frowned as she leaned down and fished it out of her jeans with Cain clinging to her like a koala bear. She frowned at the unfamiliar number on the screen and answered.
“Hello?”
“Raven!”
“Maggie?”
“Yeah!”
She looked down at Cain who was still talking to Jane, but he’d heard his sister’s name. She twisted Cain’s ear and walked away when he released her. “Is something wrong?” Raven asked as she walked upstairs.
“No, I just want to know if you’re married yet.”
She stumbled and made sure Cain was still downstairs before she said, “Maggie, I want you to listen to me, okay? We are not getting married.”
“But you love each other.”
“So?” Raven said impatiently.
“You’re going to be together. Grandpa’s worried about it.”
“Did he tell Jane to call Cain?”
“Probably. Jane loves Cain, but he never loved her back.”
She was taking comfort in the word of an eight-year-old. She was losing it. “What are you going to do for Christmas, Maggie?”
“Tonight we have a big party. There’s lots of food and games. Those with super powers come from all over. We open gifts, sing and battle.”
“Battle?”
“Super power against super power. It’s for fun.”
Of course Rich would think battling was fun, that crazy bastard. “I hope you have fun.”
“Can you and Cain come? Maybe he’ll propose in front of everyone!” Maggie squealed.
Raven slammed herself into the bathroom and locked the door. “Maggie, I don’t want you badgering Cain about this.”
“Yeah, whatever. Can you come?”
“Sorry, kiddo, it’s too late to make it out to Texas.”
“We can send one of Grandpa’s planes.”
Of course Rich had his own private planes. “I have to stay here with the Unmemorables and figure out how to break the curse.”
Maggie sighed. “Okay, fine. If you get engaged, send me a picture of the ring. Merry Christmas! Love you!”
She opened her mouth to address all of those things, but before she could, Maggie hung up.
“That little bitch,” Raven said admiringly.
She unzipped her boots and slipped off her top. She showered, wrapped herself in a towel and padded into the bedroom for clothes. She walked into the huge master closet and ran her hand over the multitude of clothes. Maybe Cain had a clothes and shoe fetish. Who would buy this many clothes for one person? She found a long, slinky nightgown in the back of the closet and slipped it on. It slithered over her skin like butter and she was glad the house was warm so she didn’t have to dress in a flannel onesie.
She walked downstairs and found Cain in the kitchen. She ignored the way he stopped pounding garlic with the handle of the knife to examine her. She grabbed a soda out of the fridge and sat on a stool at the counter. Christmas tunes played on his iPod and she tried to resist the festive mood, which was hard with the decorations and sparkling Christmas tree.
“What did Maggie want?” he asked.
“For us to fly to Texas for the party tonight.”
“It’s the biggest party of the year.”
“It sounds fun,” she said and watched him put a prime rib in the oven with potatoes and carrots. “Your family always celebrates Christmas?”
“Its tradition.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Do you want to go?”
He shook his head.
“Why?”
“I have my Christmas present right here.”
She blushed. “Stop the cheesy lines.”
“They’re working,” he said with a grin.
“What did Jane want?” she asked as casually as she could.
He shot her a level look. “You heard.”
“I want to hear you say it.”
“She wants me back at headquarters like everyone else.”
“And she wants you back. Cain, why did you break up with her if she still loves you?”
“What else do you think? I didn’t love her back.”
“You like violent women instead of schoolteachers?”
He shrugged. “You pegged her. She’s gentle and works with the orphaned kids that we take in. I ke
pt a lot of things from her because I knew she wouldn’t understand the things I have to do. She knew a facet of me, but not everything. She wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Raven put her chin on her hand and watched him. “You ever been in love before?”
“Before you? No.”
“Oh.”
His blue eyes pinned her. “Yeah. Oh.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m happy with you. You know that, right?”
“Yes. I didn’t think I’d ever want to break away from my family. Everything happened so fast with you. I didn’t even know I was in love until you left me. I realized then, nothing else mattered.”
She went over to him and kissed him long and slow. His hands bunched up the fabric of her nightgown. She laughed and pulled away.
“You’re good with that mouth,” she said.
“I’m good with other things too.”
“I know you are, but I’ll let you finish cooking first.”
While he prepared dinner, she told him about the Unmemorable mansion and Sunshine. He smiled when she told him about the superhero drawing and that Bam Bam wanted to be an underwear model. At some point, Cain pulled out champagne. They talked and laughed and Raven wondered if this is what normal couples did.
Cain pulled her over to the Christmas tree and made love to her beneath the blinking lights. She was charmed by Cain, the music and the magic of Christmas. Night fell and she curled up on the couch with Cain and watched Christmas movies. She was angry with herself for not getting Cain anything, but when would she have had the time?
“Thanks for this,” she said as she leaned against his side. He’d gone out of his way to give her Christmas and all she could think of was ways to make it up to him.
He tightened his hold on her. “You deserve it.”
She looked up with a frown. “I do?”
“Yes, you do. You’ve put up with a lot of shit over the years and I like to take care of you.” He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip.
“You’re trying to spoil me,” she accused.
His eyes warmed and he fisted his hands in her hair as he brought her close for a kiss. “I want you so spoiled that you look to me for everything. I want you so bound to me you can’t live without me.”
Chapter Eleven
Raven roused, stretched and smiled at the delicious aches. She’d been well and truly used and loved it. She opened her eyes, excited for the coming day. This feeling grew when she saw a gift wrapped box beside her. She glanced at Cain who was coming out of the bathroom, hair wet and dressed for the day.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” she said in the most unconvincing voice ever.
“Open it,” Cain said.
Her fingers trembled as she undid the bow and pulled off the top. She stared down at a wicked set of throwing knives complete with belt and leg sheaths. The largest knife was as long as her forearm from blade to hilt. She picked it up and saw her dazzled eyes reflected back at her in the morning light. She carefully set the knife back in the box, went to Cain and gave him a thorough kiss.
“I love you,” she said and her voice shook.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“It’s the best gift ever,” she said and tested the blade with her thumb.
She rushed into the bathroom and got dressed so she could put on the belt and leg sheath. She examined herself in the mirror and turned to Cain who watched from the doorway.
“I look like Laura Croft.”
“Yeah, you do,” he said in a gravelly voice.
Raven put a folded hunting knife in her pocket and pulled it out. The hook caught onto her pocket and snapped the blade open so it was ready to be used. She examined the three-and-a-half-inch blade and ran her thumb over stainless steel. She noted that Cain was holding himself back with effort. She closed the blade, slid it back in her pocket and walked over to him.
“I’m going to get you a present,” she stated.
“You are my present,” he said, running his hands over her.
“No, I’m going to get you something great!” she said, giddy as a five-year-old and bounced on her toes.
“Hey! If Raven doesn’t come down in five minutes you’re going to have an audience!” Jackie shouted from downstairs. “We’re holding Bam Bam back for now, but you’ve been warned!”
She shook her head. “Geez, I’m stuck with them, aren’t I?”
“For now. We’ll see if they stick around after you break the curse.”
Raven gave him a strange look, but didn’t comment as they walked downstairs, hand in hand. There was a moment of silence when the guys got a good look at her. Jackie pushed his Santa hat back, put his hands on hips and glared at Cain. Bam Bam put a hand over his heart.
“You guys must have a kinky sex life,” Bam Bam said, examining the knives strapped to her body.
Luester shook his head. “Great. Now she’s gonna kill people on sight.”
Happy brought her a cup of coffee with a gruff, “Merry fucking Christmas.”
“We brought presents!” Bam Bam said proudly.
“And we made mimosas,” Harvard said and toasted her.
“Let’s see the knives,” Ace said and pulled a blade out of her leg sheath. Apparently, his knee was fully healed and he’d forgiven her for it. Maybe witnessing the pain she inflicted on the others evened the score in his mind.
There was a moment of reverent silence as the Unmemorables examined the knife and converged on Cain, asking where he bought the set from and for how much. She perched on a stool and drank coffee as someone turned on soft rock music. Happy was making breakfast and the smell of sausage made her mouth water. She grinned as she watched the guys who looked like inmates drinking mimosas out of fancy glasses.
“Present time,” Jackie announced and pulled her off the stool and pushed her down on the couch.
She blinked when he dropped a black garbage bag at her feet. “You brought me trash? Thanks,” she said dryly.
“We’re men. We don’t wrap shit,” Happy snapped from the kitchen.
Bam Bam plopped down on her other side. She watched suspiciously as the others gathered around to watch. They wouldn’t give her a snake as a gag gift, would they?
When she made no move to reach into the bag, Jackie rolled his eyes and dug in. He pulled out something black and bulky. He placed it in her hands and it took her several seconds to realize what she was looking at.
“You guys bought me a Kevlar vest?” She was unbelievably touched. They wanted her to live. That was sweet.
“She’s blinking a lot,” Harvard said loudly.
Apparently, the garbage bag was the Unmemorables’ version of Santa’s sack. Jackie pulled out five guns, a whip and several sketches from Sunshine. In one of the drawings, she flew through snow-covered treetops. She was surrounded by the Unmemorables, cape streaming out behind her. In another she held a blonde woman at gunpoint who was wearing a flannel onesie. Sunshine had such a strange imagination. The last drawing made her frown. It looked like a pose from Snow White. Raven lay on a blanket of white with her hands clasped on her chest and her cape spread around her dramatically like wings as she slept. Dark shadows surrounded her.
Raven was distracted from Sunshine’s drawings by Bam Bam who handed her a bag filled with assorted sex toys and gave Cain an “I got you covered” look. Her cheeks bloomed with color and she tried to cover it by examining one of her guns. Ace jumped in and gave her the history of a wicked .44 Magnum that looked like it was from the Wild West.
Raven looked around the room and felt her heart swell. These men went out of their way to get her presents she could use to keep her safe. They didn’t bother with clothes or jewelry—they knew her better than that. The wall she’d built around her heart crumbled to dust. Hell or high water, Cain was her man and these guys were her family. They were in this together.
Raven launched herself at Ace who went rigid and then struggled to get away. She released him, turned and threw he
r arms around Jackie who hugged her back. Luester pulled a gun to hold her off and Happy brandished a knife. Bam Bam opened his arms wide and Harvard accepted her embrace stoically, but didn’t return it. She didn’t care. She’d never received a gift in her life and this Christmas was perfect.
Ace muttered about how she was “being a girl” and turned on the TV. The Christmas Story was on, which he declared was a classic. Cain paced away from them and turned on his phone. She watched him as she downed her first mimosa and emotions frolicked around inside of her. She had a man, and for the first time, was surrounded by family on a holiday. She felt loved and content, which was odd considering all the madness, but as long as she had Cain and her boys, everything would be fine. The Unmemorables crowded her on the couch and began to quote the dialogue of the boy with thick glasses who wanted a BB gun for Christmas.
Cain’s phone beeped several times. He frowned and put it to his ear as Happy began to hand out omelets. She sat up as Cain typed something on his phone and put it back to his ear. He moved toward the stairs and he didn’t run, but the screaming tension told her something was very wrong. She waved off the omelet, followed Cain upstairs and stopped in the doorway of their bedroom.
“Yeah, I’m on my way,” Cain said into the phone and came out of the closet with his duffel.
“What’s wrong?” she asked after he hung up.
He didn’t look at her as he said, “Maggie’s gone.”
She grabbed the knife out of her pocket. The handy blade whipped out and gleamed in the light. “What? How? I just talked to her yesterday!”
“The Council was attacked early this morning. A lot of people were killed in their sleep. Several people are missing. Maggie’s one of them,” Cain said in a monotone. “They called me last night, but my phone was off. I need to go.” He zipped up his bag and faced her. “My dad thinks the Battalion has a soldier with a power similar to mine.”
She heard the accusation and nearly crushed the champagne glass in her hand. “It wasn’t Jackie.”
Cain’s face was carved in hard, unreadable lines. “Can you guarantee that?”
“Yes. He’s my brother. I’d know!” She’d never felt so certain of anything in her life. She’d stake her life on it. Jackie was her brother and he wouldn’t... “He drove me here yesterday afternoon. How could he go to Texas and be here this morning?”
