“You could say that,” I said. “My man left, our cat’s an asshole again, and sometime in the future, I’m going to get hit by a bus.”
Marla stared into my eyes, her blue ones showing concern. “Kelly, that’s not funny.”
“What?” I said. “It’s not like I’m going to die or anything. You think a bus can kill a vampire?”
“It could, if it pushes you against a wooden stake-like object. Did your vision show you that?”
I shook my head. “No, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Well, you don’t look so hot, yourself.”
She put a hand to her hair. “I’m going to kill Peter. I want my own shower back, with my own shampoo.”
“What’s wrong with my shampoo?” I asked, although she didn’t really need to say. Sometimes, you just want your own things. “Will Peter hand yours over?”
“No. I asked, leaving out the whole, you need to move out of Grayson’s and my apartment thing, but he said he likes how it makes him smell.” She shook her head. “So now he’s taken my apartment and my shampoo.”
“I’m sorry. We’ll get him out of there soon.” I made a mental note to find out what kind of shampoo it was, so I could buy some for her to use in the spare apartment, where she and Grayson had been staying. They were currently trying to get it comfortable enough to lure Peter over, but he seemed well-entrenched in their apartment.
Out of nowhere, the images from my vision flashed before my eyes, and I frowned.
“You okay?” Marla asked.
“Yeah.” Not wanting to think about getting hit by a bus anymore, I turned back to the cats in the alley, just in time to see Flurry—or was it Snowball?—launch herself at her sister, claws extended.
17
XAVIER
Everyone screwed up. It was a part of life. The important parts were having the best intentions, admitting when you’d done something wrong, and doing everything in your power to set it right.
I didn’t know if Kelly would forgive me, but that wouldn’t stop me from doing right by her. And I’d explain everything to her once I’d had a chance to fix my mistake.
After I’d left the tattoo parlor, I’d searched Forbidden for one man in particular. Instead of finding him, I found Joe. None of what had happened was his fault, so I was careful not to take it out on him, and instead asked where to find the town’s alpha, Declan O’Malley. It turned out he lived just outside of Forbidden in farm country, not too far from Joe’s ranch.
Declan lived at a bed and breakfast, and his mate ran the place. Lucky for me they had an empty room, so that’s where I crashed while I attempted to mend the problems I had caused.
I sat on the porch swing waiting to catch Declan. He’d been out of town for work at his construction job for the past couple of days and hadn’t been available. When he got back about an hour ago, he said we could talk after he settled in.
Just like everywhere else in Forbidden, the B&B had a warm, small-town feel with a flare of magic in the air. It wasn’t just the scents of shifters who came and went, either. It was as if all things supernatural belonged here. Forbidden had a homey feeling to it, and I wished I could stay. But I wouldn’t push Kelly from Forbidden by staying. I’d do right by her, by her vampire family, and by her town. And if after that she still couldn’t see that we were meant to be mates, I would go.
A strange voice swept through my head.
Kelly’s an alpha. Submit to her, and everything will be fine.
The screen door creaked behind me. I could sense that it was Declan even before he spoke.
“Daphne tells me you’ve been staying here for three days.” He circled around so I could see him and leaned on one of the pillars with his arms crossed. His hair was damp and his scent carried hints of soap and the oatmeal bars Daphne had served for breakfast.
“I have.”
Roll over and show him your belly.
Just like before, I ignored the voice. After everything that had happened, I hadn’t been sleeping well. When I woke, it felt like I hadn’t rested at all.
“What happened with Kelly?” Declan’s tone held no hint of judgment, but also held a knowing quality, like he could sense that she was my mate. Maybe because I still carried her scent, or maybe it had been the way I’d looked at her when Declan had first shown up at Forbidden Fangs.
“I screwed up,” I said.
“I’ve been there,” he said. “But she’s your mate. Fix it.”
“I’m trying,” I told him.
“You planning on joining the pack?” he asked.
“That’s not what I’m here to ask,” I told him. “I’m here for her.”
He raised a brow like what he’d asked and what I’d said were the same thing. They weren’t.
“I’m attempting to work out an agreement with The Stakehouse,” I told him. “But I wanted to clear my thoughts with you first.”
That’s right. Defer to his superior strength.
If the two of us got into it, I didn’t know who would win. It was a strange thought, and I pushed it away.
“I respect the organization,” Declan said. “What do you have in mind?”
“I claim Forbidden as a safe haven from hunters. It won’t be easy to make the case that not all vampires are evil and in need of slaying, but with your cooperation, the town could be its own territory.”
As I said the words, I felt the ring of truth in my ears, and the certainty in my heart. This was our best move.
“Stakehouse of Forbidden?” Declan asked.
That wasn’t what I’d meant, but now that he’d said it, I couldn’t not want that. “The Stakehouse is all about killing,” I said.
“Not after you convince them that some vampires are good people,” Declan said.
“A kinder, gentler Stakehouse. I love the sound of it.”
“Then make it happen,” he said. “You use your connections to protect my people, you’re pack.”
I hadn’t had a pack in so long. And I didn’t even know if I was staying. I wanted to say yes.
Say yes. Be his beta.
Like hell. I was no one’s beta.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said.
“Let me know how it goes.” Declan nodded and headed back toward the door. Then he stopped. “And, Xavier—”
“Yeah?”
“Welcome to Forbidden.”
With that, he went inside. The screen door clattered shut behind him.
I took a walk and called Clyde. He picked up right away.
“Xavier, perfect timing. Thought I wasn’t going to hear from you about the Covington job.”
“You’re not,” I told him. “That’s not why I’m calling.”
“Oh. Surprise vamp nest in Forbidden? Has to be a big one for you not to have it handled by now.”
“The vampire who killed the human is dead,” I said.
“Great,” Clyde said. “Then what’s the problem?”
Tell him you’ll do whatever he wants.
“I’m taking Forbidden,” I told him, ignoring the niggling voice in my head. “Putting down my own Stakehouse.”
“That’s great,” Clyde said. “Never thought you’d be the kind to settle, but you’re one ruthless fuck. If anyone’ll be able to keep hunters in line, it’s you. I can send a few guys down your way, clear out any bloodsuckers between there and—”
“No,” I said. “We’re not killing indiscriminately anymore.”
He gasped. “You got turned. You’re one of them bloodsuckers now, too.”
“No,” I said. “I’m not.”
“Then you got worms in your head or something. We kill vampires.”
“Not in Forbidden.”
“We’ll see.”
I growled. “Send a hunter to Forbidden, he won’t come back.”
The threat lingered between us.
“Why?” he asked. “I thought with your girlfriend dead and all, you’d for
ever be one of us.”
“I am,” I said. “And I’m not. People change. We learn. We grow. And I’ve learned that not all vampires are soulless monsters.”
“And you’re sure it’s not the brain worms?”
“Clyde.” I used the sharpness of my wolf to prove which of us was the alpha. “This is how it’s going to be.”
“Right then,” he said.
“Come visit sometime and I’ll prove to you that our way needs to change.”
“I might just take you up on that,” he said. “Take care, Xavier.”
I hung up the phone feeling a lightness in my chest.
I did it.
Kelly was safe.
With my mate protected, I could rest easy. Everything else would fall into place.
Content, I found my feet carrying me toward town, even though I had planned on going back to the B&B after my phone call.
My organs felt like they were on fire, like the sun was broiling me from the inside out, even though there was snow all over the landscape. The air should have carried an icy bite, but all I could feel was the heat. I raised my hands to my cheeks. Shifters didn’t get sick. Was this what a fever felt like?
My skin was clammy in a sheen of sweat. But for some reason, I wasn’t worried about it. The little voice in the back of my head grew stronger.
Everything is peachy.
“Everything is peachy,” I said.
And suddenly I had the urge to drop down in the snow and make an angel. So I did. Right on the side of the road, I rolled around in my long-sleeved shirt and pants, soaking the fabric and making my entire backside numb. Carefree as a kitten, I waved my arms and legs in the snow in the shape of an angel. Then I climbed up off the ground and admired my work. It was nice.
Life was grand.
Happy as a clam, content as a kitten, light as a cloud, I skipped down the road.
But my shirt was wet. Wet clothes could make you sick. So I pulled off my boots, my pants, and my shirt, and I skipped down the road carrying my clothes along with me.
You know who could use a frolic in the snow more than grumpy grump old me? Kelly. I’d take her hand and we could skip together. I’d like that.
Adjusting my clothes in my arms, I reached down and grabbed a handful of icy-cold snow. Would Kelly like a snowball? No. Not unless it was to throw at me. A flower? A wolf?
A wolf would be cool.
Squishing and pushing with my fingers, I formed the body shape—loggish. Then I attempted the head and legs. They fell off.
What I was left with was curved with a bit of a mushroom top where the head was supposed to have been. It was a penis. Perfect!
So I skipped down the road in my socks and boxers with my snow-penis gift in my hand until I found myself standing on the doorstep to the tattoo parlor. With a friendly knock, I waited for her to answer.
The door opened, but it wasn’t Kelly who answered. It was Grayson.
“Hi, Grayson. I’d like to speak to Kelly, please. If that’s okay with you.”
He gave me a queer look, to which I replied with the friendliest of grins.
“Wait here,” he said, then shut the door.
So I waited.
The next person to open the door was Kelly. She was beautiful, like a midnight rose. Her blue eyes swirled with emotion, and she held herself in a guarded stance.
The feverish heat in my face burned, flashing through my arms and legs and making me tired. I needed to tell her that something was wrong. I was sick.
“Hi, Kelly,” I said. “I brought you a gift.”
I handed over the snow dick.
She quirked her lips to the side in a crooked smirk.
“I’m sorry for every wrong I ever did to you,” I said, averting my eyes from her perfect face. I deserved only to look upon her feet instead. No, her feet were too good for me. I could only look at the ground. I fell to my knees. “Please forgive me. I only wish to worship you, and serve you in any way you see fit.”
“Is this a weird sex thing?” she asked, a smile in her voice. “Because I’m kinda into it.”
Suddenly I realized how naked I was. This was completely inappropriate; no one should stand or even kneel in such a manner before a goddess.
“I am so sorry,” I said, and scrambled on my knees to find my shirt and cover myself.
Kelly grabbed my arm and guided me to my feet. She tilted my chin up. I kept my gaze averted.
“It’s true I was angry,” she said. “Furious, really. And hurt. But I don’t think you’re like them. You’re…you. Xavier Breene. And I love you. So, apology accepted. Come here, you weirdo.”
She kissed me.
My inner voice was the grumpy grump of reason. He said to tell her that nothing was right, that I was sick, and that I needed help.
But he, too, fell speechless by the taste of her tongue and the feel of her body against mine.
18
KELLY
I pushed Xavier back on the bed and he fell willingly. This was different—this was kinda fun. I could get into a submissive Xavier, who was here to let me command him.
I had a few commanding ideas, too.
“Hands above your head,” I said. “I’m going to lick your cock until you’re squirming, you naughty man.”
Wow, that felt weird to say. But he blinked up at me with a heated gaze, so I kissed his lips, then down his chin. He made a soft sound when I splayed my hands over his lower belly, next to his erect cock.
I stared up at him. “Did you just whimper?”
He shrugged. “Maybe?”
“I’ve never seen this side of you,” I said.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I only want to please you, goddess.”
This was weird...maybe a little too weird. Usually he was holding my wrists, making me writhe at his touch, making me beg and plead for what I wanted. I could understand wanting to mix it up a little, but now? And so drastically?
“What do you want to do to me?” I asked.
“I want to please you,” he said.
“Please me how?”
He shrugged again. “However you want. I am yours to command.”
I took in the beautiful forest green of his eyes, the firm curve of his jaw. His eyes showed none of the self-assurance I usually saw there. His lips were twisted in a frown.
“Where is your self-respect?” I asked him.
“I lost it,” he said.
I scrambled off of him. Xavier wouldn’t ever act this way. He might give in to me and let me take control, but never in this submissive, obsequious manner.
My vision—the one I’d had a few days ago where I was on top of him, leading the fun. This was it, coming to life, only I didn’t actually like it now.
“Marla!” I shouted. “Grayson! Get in here!”
“What is it?” Xavier asked. “Have I displeased you?”
“Get the fuck away,” I said. “You’re not Xavier. Put your bloody clothes on, you arsehole.”
He did as I asked, sitting up and getting dressed with a glum expression on his face.
“I thought you two were making up—” Marla said as she stepped into the room. She took in the sight of Xavier zipping up his pants, and me straightening my top. “Oh, looks like you already have.”
“No, we have not,” I said, gesturing between Xavier and me. “This is an imposter.”
Grayson came up behind Marla and stared at Xavier. “He smells just like Xavier. My shifter senses wouldn’t get that wrong.”
“But...the demon,” Marla said.
“Exactly,” I said. “I think he’s possessed.”
“I’m only possessed by the desire to please you, my goddess,” Xavier said, falling to his knees in front of me and tugging on the edge of my shirt.
Grayson pointed at Xavier, his finger shaking, his mouth agape with horror. “That is no alpha wolf.”
“Exactly,” I snapped. “Xavier, listen. We’re going to get you some help.”
“You told me to get the fuck away,” he said, a tear rolling down his cheek.
Bloody hell, I did not have time for tears. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest—I didn’t want his feelings to be hurt. But also, this was not really Xavier.
“Can I go to the little boy’s room?” Xavier asked in a plaintive voice.
Sounding completely gobsmacked, Grayson said, “Sure, whatever.”
Turning away, I found my phone on the nightstand and dialed Ben. His line immediately clicked over to voicemail. Where was that demon-hunting radio show host when we needed him?
His recorded voice shouted, “I’m at the SCROTE conference in Cincinnati this week! Come join me and talk about all the wrinkly, hairy topics related to SCROTE!”
I ended the call, not bothering to leave a message.
“Ben’s still at the conference?” Marla asked.
“Sounds like,” I said. “But we have everything here.”
“Except,” Marla said, “for Xavier.”
I looked back to where he’d been kneeling. “Fucking hell, where’d he go?”
The door downstairs slammed, little bells tinkling after the bang.
“He left?” I said.
“I thought he was just taking a piss,” Grayson said, looking apologetic.
My heart started pounding as panic set in. “We have to find him. Someone could hurt him.”
“Okay.” Marla took my hand. “Hang on. We’ll go find him. We have the demon juice already, and we’ll bring it with us. Grayson, you can stay back in case Xavier returns.”
I chewed my lip. What if the demon had strengthened itself again, and the new recipe wasn’t strong enough?
No, I couldn’t think like that. This had to work.
“In which case, I do what?” Grayson asked.
“Sit on him,” I said. “He’s submissive now, so just boss him around and he’ll probably do what you say.”
Grayson rolled his eyes and muttered, “Pathetic.”
19
XAVIER
Kelly was trying to help. I knew this, in my mind—in the back of it, apparently—because my feet were still carrying me in the opposite direction.
Exes and Exorcisms Page 10
