by Lia Davis
Rolling my eyes, I walked out the door. He clearly didn’t get my sarcasm "Yeah, I think I remember."
I made a beeline for the stairs, ready to put some distance between me and those that knew what happened in the spirit world.
The morning sun was a slap in the eyeballs as I charged out the door. I'd never had the sun sensitivity of the vampires, but today it made me want to curl up in a dark cave and hibernate. With a thick blanket.
"Ugh," I said, shielding my eyes.
Kevin looked at me in concern. "You okay?"
"Yeah, but I feel like I need sunglasses." Which I never did. What was my deal? "I don't know, maybe I didn't sleep quite as well as I thought I had."
"My car is right there." He pointed to a small, red, sporty thing parked illegally at the curb in front of our building. "It has great tint."
"You know there's a perfectly good parking lot over there?" I pointed off to the side of campus, where the student parking lot was. "And there's no reason we couldn't have walked to your car."
"I thought I'd pick you up close, you know, treat you right."
He opened the door for me, smiling as I slid into the low seat. "What kind of car is this?" I asked.
"It's an Aston Martin. They're made in England." Given his accent, I assumed he'd bought it while living there. I'd heard of the brand, and from the looks of it, it was a luxury brand. I hadn't realized he was freaking loaded, though.
"Tell me something about you," I asked, eyeing his profile. He really had that sunken-cheek rockstar look going for him. A hot rockstar. And all mine.
"You know the big bad, I'm sure." He glanced at me as he said it, a frown forming on his handsome face.
"Your aunt?" I sighed.
"Cousin," he corrected. "Trinity, yeah."
"Well, my grandfather is Lucifer. He's a hoot."
"Yeah, but he's great, isn't he?"
"To me, sure. But he's Lucifer. I'm saying you can't help who your family is. He takes care of his own, but if you get on his bad side, well, watch out." I turned in the seat to study him more as he drove. I wanted him to know it was no big deal. It wasn’t his fault his cousin was a psycho.
"Are you warning me to be careful about your grandfather? Treat you bad and gramps will come running?" There was an edge to his tone and made my alpha side snarl.
I pushed it aside and let out a laugh as he drove off-campus. "No, not at all. You'd have to get through me before he'd get to you."
"You take care of yourself?" he asked. He was driving fast, and we were nearly to my parents' house and the seat of our government.
"I do." I straightened in my seat. A car crash wouldn’t kill either of us, but it would hurt like fuck.
"Good. I don't like a damsel, love. But I've got your back, at the same time. That okay with you?" He glanced at me and winked.
Considering his words, I watched him as he paid attention to the road. As a vampire, he'd have a leg up on any human and be able to react faster, but even vampires and lycans got into car accidents occasionally. I appreciated that he watched what he was doing.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I thought you might like to go do something very normal."
My eyes lit up and my lips twitched. "Depends on your definition of normal."
"I have it on good authority humans like to bowl." His dry voice sounded apprehensive.
"Oh, yeah, I've bowled loads of times with my sisters. Have you ever been?" Now things were starting to get interesting.
"No."
I tried to explain the rules to him, but as soon as I mentioned that he'd have to rent shoes, he stared at me, slack-jawed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean the floor of the bowling alley requires a specific type of shoe."
"Why can't we go buy the shoe we need?"
"Well, I suppose we could, but most people rent them from the alley. No sense in buying shoes you might wear once a year or less."
"I'll wear my boots. It'll be fine."
"If you say so," I said in a singsong voice.
At the bowling alley, we selected balls and the tiny attendant handed me shoes. "What size for you?" she asked Kevin.
"No, thank you," he replied.
I watched them with an expectant look on my face. It was about to be a battle of wills.
"No bowling shoes, no bowling," she said firmly, her bright pink eyes sparking.
Kevin leaned forward, looked deep into the attendant's eyes, and repeated himself. "No, thank you. I'll wear my shoes and it will be fine."
She cocked her head to the side. "I don't know how it is where you come from, vampire, but here, no shoes, no bowling."
It was hard not to burst out laughing. My new mate was gorgeous, willful, and had been put in his place by a sprite.
His eyes widened in shock. "I don't sense anything in you. You're not lycan or witch. Are you a human that knows?"
We didn't let many humans in on the secret, but a few knew. "No. Now do you want to bowl or not?" She put one hand on her hip, clearly done with his shit.
He shot me a look, but I shrugged. No way I was helping him out of this mess. Everyone had to learn. Elizabeth wasn't to be messed with. She'd put anyone in their place. Hell, I'd love to see her go against Poppy. He'd get a major kick out of the tiny elf.
"I guess," he said. "Size thirteen."
"Aw, don't be grumpy, mate. If it helps, that exchange succeeded in thoroughly cheering me up." I giggled as he eyed the shoes apprehensively.
The day was further brightened by the fact that Kevin was one hundred percent horrible at bowling.
"You didn't plan this date with a single thought to your own ego, did you?" I asked him, giggling as I watched another ball travel down the gutter.
"If I'd been thinking about my ego we would've hopped onto my motorcycle and driven to a private destination where I would've wowed you with my prowess on the guitar."
"You play guitar?" I'd always been a sucker for a musician. He was right. That might've actually impressed me. Instead of being impressed, though, I was comfortable and relaxed. "Well, you should definitely plan that for date number two. This was a great way to break the ice with both of us, though."
He got brownie points for the bowling.
"Well, the day isn't over yet. Do you want to eat?" He took his shoes off, pulled his boots on, then grabbed mine and gave them back to Elizabeth.
"No, I'm good. I don't eat much."
"Good. Then the next stop is a surprise. Come on."
I waved at Elizabeth and she laughed. "Good luck. That boy's got a lot to learn."
That he did.
He held my door open again. "So, what are we doing?" I asked as I slid in.
"I told you, it's a surprise."
Kevin drove a short distance from the Collective Compound, maybe a couple miles, and pulled into the parking lot of an old hotel. "What in the world are we doing here?" It was completely deserted and scaffolding all along one side indicated it was going through remodeling.
"My surprise."
He parked around back, out of sight of the street. I looked out the windshield and up the back of the old antebellum mansion. There weren't many left in the area, but this one had been a hotel all my life. "I didn't know they were remodeling."
"They are. And the owners ran out of money, so construction is on hold." He grinned evilly at me and wiggled his eyebrows.
"So?"
"So, come on."
I opened my car door and jumped out of the car before he could get around and open it for me. Chivalry was great, but I wasn't helpless. Not by a long shot.
He bumped his butt against the back door and turned the handle, and it made a popping sound. He shot me a toothy smile, full of mischief. "Are you staying out here?"
Looking around, I thought about the repercussions of breaking into an empty hotel.
Fuck it. I followed him in. Why not live a little?
The dim interior was absolutely gorgeous. Even the back en
trance, which opened into the kitchens, displayed the opulence of the original construction. Details in the woodwork, an enormous fireplace in the corner, the whole room screamed wealth and splendor.
Sure, the wallpaper looked faded in the early afternoon light streaming from the window. The wood had scratches and dings here and there, but the remodeling, if they finished, would be gorgeous.
"Can we explore?"
Kevin grinned and held out his arms. "You can go anywhere you want to."
I walked out of the kitchen into a narrow hallway, then turned the corner to a larger, more opulently decorated hall. It stretched all the way to the front door, which was framed with the most detailed molding, painted white.
Drifting around, I looked at the details and marveled at the preservation of it all. "So this is it? We break in here, and I look around all impressed?" Just because I was impressed didn't mean he needed to know it. The mansion was really cool and being there was definitely out of the norm.
"There might be a little more to it than that." I turned and looked at him. He leaned against the banister of the grand staircase, looking totally out of place in his leather jacket and ripped jeans. His eyes were fixed on a spot behind me.
I turned to see what he was looking at, but there was nothing there except for a huge set of double doors. Whatever was behind the doors, it was sure to be a large room with a lot of history. Probably a ballroom or library.
Smiling over my shoulder at Kevin, I walked toward the room. "What's up your sleeve?"
"Not much," he said, pushing off the stairs and stalking toward me.
I left him to his sexy walk and pushed the doors open.
As soon as the room came into view, I gasped, my arms going limp at my side.
Kevin stopped beside me, throwing one arm around my shoulders. "You like?"
The room wasn't just a ballroom. It wasn't just a library. It was both.
The center of the room had an enormous dance floor, but it was dull. Probably needed restoring as much as the rest of the house. What had made me gasp was the walls. Every inch of every wall that wasn't occupied by a floor-to-ceiling window was a bookshelf. And every inch of every bookshelf was full of books.
"It's like I've stepped into Ami's favorite childhood movie."
Kevin's face fell. "Ami's?"
"Oh, yes. She's always said that her biggest dream is that one day her prince will show up and give her a library like this."
"What about you?" he asked.
"The breaking and entering part was pretty exciting," I said sheepishly.
Kevin growled low in his throat. "I agree."
His hand on my arm made me freeze, but the shock of desire that ran through me at his touch zapped me into movement.
He pulled me toward him, and I let him, falling into his chest like I wasn't strong enough to easily pull back if I wanted to.
Turning my face upward, I waited for him to press his lips to mine, but the moment never came.
"Well, your announcement about this being Ami's dream brings my surprise a little flat, but it's all yours, love."
"What's all mine?" I asked, my eyes glued to his lips. All I could think about was how soft they looked, and if he liked kissing other things with them.
"This." He let go of me, backing up into the center of the room. "All of it."
"Will you explain what the hell you're talking about?" I walked toward him slowly, waiting for him to clarify what in the room was mine. "Did you hide a book in here for me? Books are really more Ami's bag."
He rolled his eyes. "You're going to keep me on my toes, aren't you?"
Pulling a remote out of the inside breast pocket of his jacket, he pressed a button and the sultry tones of a saxophone drifted into the air.
"Where'd you get that?" He'd obviously pre-planned this part. How else could he have known what sort of music would come on?
"Tala, do you have a romantic bone in your body?"
"Not really. Does sex count as romance?" Romance took up too much time and expense.
He sighed and arched a finger at me. "Come here."
Eyeing him warily, I moved forward faster as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "This is a copy, but it should explain what I mean."
I took the paper, reading the details. My jaw dropped.
"You bought this place?"
"Lock, stock, and library, love."
"Why?" I couldn't imagine what would possess him to purchase an enormous mansion.
"Well, it was available. And cheap. And until you're ready to move in, the old owner has agreed to be manager. He'll oversee renovations, get the hotel back up and running.
"But, but..." I looked from Kevin to the paper. "Why?"
"Well, for you." He put his hands on my waist, pulling me closer as I stared at his name on the deed. "As soon as we're married I'll sign half over to you."
His sexy accent didn't mask my shock at the word married. "What in the ever-loving fuck, Kevin?"
"As soon as I saw you, and knew who you were, I knew I had to have this place. I'd already been thinking about buying it. But you sealed the deal. I came straight over here after tearing myself away from you in the hallway."
"You left me high and dry, well, high and soaking wet, and walked away and bought a hotel?"
He nodded.
"I'm going to say again, why?"
Kevin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, totally messing it up since he had it gelled. "Are you always this thick?"
"Apparently. Spell it out for me."
He took my hands, throwing the paper copy of the deed. It drifted to the floor several feet away. Pulling me into his arms, he swayed to the tune of the music. "I didn't know yet that you had three mates, but I did know that you had two sisters. Sisters that would want to live close to your parents, given the position you three are in."
I stood limply in his arms, letting him move me around the ballroom, but only moving my feet. Shock didn't begin to describe how I felt. My arms hung at my side. He slid a hand down my right arm, lifting it to his neck, then switched hands, holding me at the small of my back and moving my other arm until I had my hands in the hair at the nape of his neck.
"Love, the three of you are going to have kids, and families, and sentries. You need an enormous place to live. And I'd heard about you. You don't like being apart. You're stronger together, right?"
"Right," I whispered.
"And I figured if you three decided you never wanted it, it's an investment property as a hotel."
"You have this much money, like, lying around? That you can drive an Aston Martin and buy an antebellum mansion?"
"Well, of course. Who do you think got all of Trinity's wealth?"
Geez, and I thought Fenton was loaded, with his Hightower family connections.
Too bad I wasn't impressed by money.
I was, however, impressed by someone that spent their money in such a thoughtful way.
Chapter Eleven
"So, we need to figure out what page you’re on. You’ve been on the outskirts of things. I’m not sure where you are with everything."
"Why don't you fill me in while we dance?" He continued swaying us around the room.
"You know about Phenex?"
"Mmm."
"So you know I now have four mates, and share him with my sisters?"
"I've spoken to him. He's a nice guy."
"What about Randell and Fenton?"
"Fenton's okay. Randell and I will get used to each other." He lowered his face to my neck and pressed a kiss there. "Not like we have much choice, do we?"
I chuckled, and he moved one of my hands between us, clutching it as his other hand pulled me even tighter against his body. His desire for me was apparent in the bulge poking me in the hip.
"My sisters have three mates each, besides Phenex. So that'll be a total of ten of us. Plus our sentries."
"Good thing this place has sixteen bedrooms, and some of the bedrooms are suites.
"
"That is good," I whispered as he nuzzled the spot behind my ear that drove me mad. He couldn't have known it before, but that didn't stop him from realizing it as I breathed deep and held it.
"You like that?"
"Yeah."
"There are servants’ quarters for your sentries." He moved his head up and pressed his cheek to mine. "And stables. If you three don't want horses, they can be converted to guest quarters, or one of your sisters could take over the stables as her own."
"You really thought of everything, didn't you?"
"At first, I imagined your sisters and you here with me, but as I learned more about you and your family, it fit. There's room enough to expand, too. If you wanted a place for your grandparents."
"What about your family?" I asked. "Don't you care about them?"
"Of course, but they live in England, and I live here now."
His hand on my back drifted down, massaging as it went toward my bottom.
"And all our mates' families? If they need a place to stay in their old age?"
"I imagine we'll figure it out, won't we? By the time some of the parents are old enough to need to live with us, our kids might be out of the house. Or Meda and her mates and sentries might have moved over to the government house. Or who knows? We may scrap the whole idea and live separately."
"This is pretty amazing," I said as I looked around the gigantic room. He swayed me in slow, wide circles, giving me time to study the view out the windows as well.
"I'm glad you like it."
"Kevin," I whispered, by this point, my water at a rapid boil and both my vampire and lycan panting with desire. "Is this private and special enough?"
"Love, I hope so. I want to claim you so badly it hurts." He laughed as he looked down at me.
"Claim me?" I asked, one eyebrow arched. "Don't you mean that the other way around?"
"You can claim me all you want to, and immediately if it pleases you, but I'll be claiming you too, don't mistake it."
His insistence ran all over me, and I felt the telltale tingle of steam rising from my pores.
"What is this?" He stepped back, looking at my arms and face.
"When my emotions are riding particularly high, with anger or extreme upset..." I looked up at him and pouted my lips a little, trying to give him my best come-hither stare. "Or desire, my water heats and boils. It makes me steam."
