by Emma Shade
My bare feet padded on the concrete as I neared the blue water of the pool. Taking in the beautiful scene of the backyard oasis, I scanned the surroundings and debated on how long it would take for me to drop the towel and dive into the water before being spotted.
Blake, with sunglasses perched on his nose, turned as if he sensed me. His smile grew, and he waived me over. Once I reached him, he said, “Drop the towel, Lily, and have a seat. The sun is shining, the weather is warm, and we’re surrounded by friends. It can’t get any better than this.”
“I don’t know about that, Blake. If Sam hadn’t confiscated my other suit, I wouldn’t be wrapped up in this towel. Instead, I’d be lounging on the chair next to Alistair, soaking up the rays.”
Chuckling, Blake said, “Surely the bikini can’t be too bad. I know it will look amazing on you. I always said I wanted to see you on a beach someplace lounging in a bikini, didn’t I?”
I snorted. “Not even close to a beach, but the pool is nice.”
“Yeah, one of these days, I promise we’ll be on a beach and drinking a nice cold beer. Or margarita, whichever you prefer.”
“That’s if I can get these assassins off my back,” I sighed. Sam swam up from the bottom of the pool and splashed me. “Hey!”
“Get in! The waters nice!” Sam cried, sloshing water on my towel and soaking me in the process.
“Not in this swimsuit, I’m not,” I insisted, covering my face from the splashes.
Strong arms gripped under my arms and lifted me from the edge. Blake suggested, “You better hold your nose.”
“Why? What...” My body soared into the air as Blake tossed me forward. I landed, towel and all, in the water with a splash. I sputtered as I reached the surface. “Blake, you’re going to pay for that!”
Sam and Paige taunted me, daring me to pull him in. Well, I attempted to, but failed miserably. I was no match for his strength and practically hung off his legs as I tried to yank him in the water.
With a grin, Blake glided down into the pool. Because I hadn’t moved away quickly enough, his smooth skin slid against mine, internal sparks erupting between us. The air wheezed out of me with the contact, shivering with pleasure.
Our eyes met and held. As his hand skimmed around my waist, Blake whispered, “I want to kiss you so badly right now.”
I gulped back the desire and the supernatural powers caressing my skin. “Blake, I...”
Luckily, Sam decided to dunk me, breaking the contact and my protest.
The rest of the day was spent in the pool, trying to avoid intimate contact with Blake. We played chicken, Marco Polo, had a cannon ball contest, and tried every which way to go down the slide. I cussed Sam the entire time, having to tie the bikini back together every few minutes.
Ashton was missing from action. Or at least I thought he was. Toweling off with a spare beach towel, I spotted him on a stone balcony overlooking the courtyard, his stare aimed at me. As though his eyes stripped the skimpy bikini right off my body, I felt exposed and vulnerable. Like he watched me strut around naked.
Blake, lounging on a chair next to Alistair, followed my gaze. He saluted Ashton with his middle finger, a mocking grin to add to the sarcasm.
It felt like I’d traveled full circle to the same situation I left a few months ago. From Blake and Ashton fighting like cats and dogs, to running away, and then back to Ashton and Blake clashing again.
Even though I’m sure the two men chasing after my heart had a troubled past, the majority of their disputes were because of me. Honestly, it had to stop soon or I’d go insane.
Dry enough to go inside, I made my way to the master suite and changed. I barely hit the bed before my eyes closed in a restful sleep.
Later that night, I sensed eyes on me again. The room was still, not even the sound of breathing filled the dark. I whispered, “Sam, this isn’t funny.” No reply. And like one of those stupid girls in a cheesy horror film, I squawked, “Hello?”
What had I expected? The person in the house to answer me? Well, maybe. Of course, when you thought somebody was in your bedroom in the middle of the night stalking you, it just made things that much worse. I was propelled back to my childhood and my terror of monsters under the bed. My heart pounded, lungs sawed in and out, and I was tempted to pull the covers over my head to hide.
The minute a large calloused hand covered my mouth, I tried to scream my lungs out. Please let somebody hear me. But the only sound that came out was a muffled screech. My legs flailed in the covers.
Hands flying to the one covering my mouth, I dug my nails into the skin and attempted to clamp my teeth on the guy’s palm. Energy coursed through me and arcs of electricity ruptured along my skin. My capture never flinched as the sparks located his skin.
“Get her feet and arms before she breaks loose,” a deep, accented voice ordered.
Strong hands gripped my ankles, holding them against the soft mattress. I attempted to scream again, but it was useless. I sent up a prayer that one of the vampire’s in the house caught the commotion with their superior hearing, because apparently my attacker was immune to my abilities.
“I’ll kill you if you don’t stop fighting. We’re not kidnapping you. Yet,” said the man who covered my mouth.
Just then I realized there were no vibrations coming from either of the men touching me. Vampires. It amazed me they had gotten past the guards at the gate, through the house, and into the master suite undetected.
I attempted to say, “What do you want?” But, muffled by the man’s fingers, it came out more like, “Woof do you wah?”
The lamp on the nightstand clicked on, casting the room and my two attackers in a soft, yellow glow. Dressed in black combat pants and t-shirts, they both resembled a secret military team dropping in on their enemies at night. Alistair actually had a similar outfit, minus a symbol of a bird on the breast of the shirt. The man, keeping me quiet, had pale golden eyes, blonde hair, and a face that had seen its day of hard living. A bulky dark skinned man seized my feet, but his facial features were obscured by a black ski mask. Only his intense brown eyes were visible.
“Listen carefully,” the guy who clasped my mouth shut whispered, leaning in close. His accent lilted as he enunciated each word. “We could kill you without an ounce of remorse, but Ashton wouldn’t take too kindly to that. Instead, here’s what you’re going to do. Meet us at Mystique tomorrow at 7 pm sharp. You and Ashton come alone. You hear me? No guards, no friends, and certainly no conjurers. If anyone is seen near the complex, or if you don’t show up, we’ll slaughter you all.”
I gulped when it hit me. This was the vampire version of the Enforcers. The speaker’s expression promised that he had every intention of following through on the threat. Especially when he sneered, baring his fangs.
“Are you going to be a good girl before we leave? No screaming?”
I nodded and dropped my hands beside my head. I’d pretend. A gun was hidden under the pillow thanks to the influence from Paige and Sam. I bulked at first, but so glad that I listened. Yes, vampires couldn’t be killed by a bullet, but I expected to slow them down substantially. And the sound of gunfire was going to wake the entire house.
The man lifted his hand from my mouth at the exact moment my fingers slipped under the pillow and around the butt of the gun. Shaking with terror on the inside, I was barely composed on the outside. I took a calming breath as I slid my finger over the trigger.
As though I suddenly developed brass balls, I tilted my head, looked directly into the vampire’s golden eyes, and said, “You know what? I think I might not be so good after all.”
Both men pulled a face, puzzlement marring their expressions.
I wrenched the gun out, unclicking the safety as I went. I normally wasn’t a good shot, but adrenaline apparently freed my inner sharpshooter. Boom. The first bullet slammed into the talker’s Adam’s apple, blood arching on impact. Gun swiveling around, I aimed at the hulk of a man who blurred around the bed
in a second flat. Boom. A bullet caught him chest, blood drenching the front of his shirt.
I think disbelief had a better impact than my gun. Well, except for the poor guy with a bullet lodged in his throat. He gurgled as he burrowed a finger in the wound to retract it.
A fist pounded on the locked bedroom door, and Alistair called out, “Lily?!”
As a few raised voices called out for me, including Ashton, the men propelled themselves to the terrace attached to the master suite. But before they left, the male I’d blasted a hole in his throat, rapidly scrawled something in blood on the glass. Then they were gone.
Almost as instantaneously as the men vaulted over the balcony, the bedroom door exploded open. Every single friend staying in the home, surged through the door, weapons drawn. I smiled at the gesture and sat up, even though I trembled from adrenaline.
“Liliana,” Ashton gasped, dashing over to me, “are you okay?” He inspected every exposed area of my skin with his deft hands.
I glanced down, becoming conscious that I was covered in the attacker’s blood. “Oh,” I whispered.
Shivering, I stared at the red coagulated liquid splattered over my skin and sheets with detachment. The glimmered remains of my powers sputtered and disappeared.
“I think she’s going into shock, Ashton,” Alistair stated, coming forward. He reached for my eyes, and I yanked my head away, bashing it against the wooden headboard.
My stomach churned and I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat. I felt cold, like I’d spent the day playing in the snow in only shorts and a tank top. Blankets were piled on top of me, and the weight felt as though they placed a heavy piece of led over my body. Then my vision faded and I slipped into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
A bright light blinded me and I lifted my hands to cover my eyes. Only to be held back by strong, firm hands. One eyelid was pulled open with an intense light, and then the next.
Finally, once the light was pulled away, I blinked my eyes open. I was no longer on the bed, but on a comfortable couch in the sitting room of the master suite. A man, who had to be a doctor, tucked his scope and medical equipment into a leather bag.
“She’s doing okay. I think it was shock, but she’s fully recovered now,” the doctor said.
“Thank you,” Ashton said, and shook hands with the man.
The doctor nodded to me in greeting and left the room, bag in hand. When the man had inspected my eyes, there hadn’t been any vibrations. A vampire doctor. Who knew?
“How are you feeling?” Ashton asked, propped up on the armrest of the couch. His hand raked through my hair.
I was feeling better, but my eyes swerved to the balcony windows and spotted the blood scrawled words. “What do they say?”
Ashton followed my gaze and frowned. “A name of a local club and a time. Mind telling me what happened?”
Blake strolled into the room, and parked himself in the arm chair next to the couch. “My guess? It was the vampire Contingent. No way could a conjurer live through that much blood loss.”
“I think he’s right,” I admitted. “How did they get in undetected?”
Ashton sighed and blew the breath out from between his lips. “He’s right about the Contingent. They detained my guards at the gate. Strung them up from a tree next to the building.”
“Aren’t your guards trained for this sort of thing?” I asked, sitting up.
“Yeah, they are. But the Contingent is unrivaled in training and stealth. It’s the only way to get behind enemy lines,” he admitted. “However, I should’ve been made aware that they were coming. My phone calls have went unanswered.”
Blake chuckled. “Apparently your standing with the Contingent doesn’t mean a damn thing, Ashton.”
He ignored Blake, and Ashton questioned, “So what do the words mean on the window, Liliana?”
I filled them in on the night and how the attackers showed up in the room. And about the gun and shooting the men. “It’s a place to meet them. But I have to come alone with only you as my guest. Anyone else shows, or if I don’t, they’ll slaughter us all,” I whispered. “Do you think they could?”
“Oh, yes. Without a doubt,” Ashton declared, a sad smile playing on his lips. “They make what the Enforcers do look like child’s play. Mystique is...eclectic. It doesn’t surprise me they want to meet there.”
“Why do you say that?” I frowned.
“You’ll see soon enough. I’ll be sure to have an outfit ready for you. You’ll need it to get in,” Ashton hedged.
“I don’t like this,” Blake said. “How do you know they won’t just kill you both?”
Ashton shrugged. “We don’t. But if we don’t go, they’ll do it anyway and execute everyone we know.”
Sam knocked on the door jam and then entered the room carting a serving tray. “Brought you some soup, girlie. Figured you could use it after last night.”
“Thanks, Sam,” I murmured, and took the tray from him. As I scooped in the first bite of chicken noodle soup, Blake and Ashton filled Sam in.
Sam’s eyes narrowed, and he exclaimed, “Oh, hell no! We’re not going to sit here and let them do this, are we? You’re going to let her go into Mystique? You know that place is...”
“Sam, we don’t have a choice,” Ashton insisted.
He looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded in agreement.
I wasn’t sure if the Contingent would follow through on their threats, but I wasn’t going to allow that as a possibility. And I had no clue what this club was. When I asked, everyone was tight lipped. Instructed to wait for my outfit to arrive, I decided on a shower in anticipation for the night ahead of me and Ashton.
Uncertain on how it would play out, I hoped that we’d finally come to an agreement and put this business to rest with the Contingent. But that was like wishing for warm weather on a cold, snowy day. It wasn’t going to happen.
*****
Later that evening, Sam sauntered into the room gripping a cream colored garment bag and a long box under his arm. His grin, full of devious glee, prompted me to pause in uncertainty.
Spreading the bag out on the bed, he set the box next to it and rotated in my direction. With a smirk, he said, “You, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, are going to be as mad as a wet cat when you see this. I’m dying here!” He bounced in place, smiling from ear to ear. “I cannot wait until you open this bag, and I’m going to let you do the honors. The shock factor alone will crack me up, baby cakes.”
“Is it that bad?” I asked, edging towards the garment as though it held a dead body.
Sam laughed, mimicked cracking a whip, and waggled his eyebrows.
Great. I had no clue what he meant, but with his hilarity at the situation, this wasn’t going to a gorgeous formal dress this time. I glanced back at Sam and unzipped the bag.
I squawked, “You have gotta be fucking kidding me!?”
Sam shook his head, chuckling the entire time. “You even have matching accessories in the box there.”
The.... “dress” was essentially black leather lingerie. The scrap of leather cinched in the front and back in corset style, plunging low enough in the front to nearly show my vagina. The back was just above my butt crack. The only plus side was it had shoulder straps and my breasts wouldn’t plop out if I bent over...maybe.
That wasn’t the worst of it. Inside the box was a pair of matching thongs and high heeled leather boots that came up to mid-thigh. And to top it all off? A choker that looked like a freaking dog collar with matching wrist cuffs.
I growled in frustration. “Sam, please tell me this is a joke.”
Tossing his arm over my shoulder, he surveyed my get-up for the night. He chuckled again. “Well, I wish I could say that I was, but Mystique is a member’s only club that caters to an exclusive clientele. This,” he gestured at the leather, “is only what you’d be expected to wear.”
“And what does Ashton get to wear? If you tell me je
ans and a T-shirt, I’m going to strangle you,” I warned.
Sam winked, and replied, “Oh, honey. You are going to wet your panties when you see him.” Snapping his fingers, he pointed to the bathroom. “Snap, snap! Get dressed. I have to see you in this, because we all know it’ll be the one and only time you’d ever wear something of this fashion in public.”
I trudged begrudgingly into the master suite bathroom, lugging the bag and accessories with me.
Sam added, “I’ll be in shortly to help you tie up the dress and help with makeup.”
Once inside the bathroom, I shut the door, and I muttered, “Just freaking wonderful. I’m going to strut around a dang club wearing skimpy lingerie to meet a couple of vampires. How cliché.”
“Less talky, more changey,” Sam called from the bedroom.
I jokingly flipped him off behind the confines of the door, and stripped out of my clothes, including bra and panties. Shimmying into the leather dress, I glided on the thongs next, and tested bending over in the body length mirror. Fabulous. My butt cheeks were visible if I touched my toes. Sighing in resignation, I sat on the toilet and zipped up the leather boots.
As if sensing I was mostly dressed, Sam opened the door and whistled.
“I look like a freaking hooker,” I griped, waving my hand over my body for emphasis.
“Well, just don’t kiss on the mouth,” he suggested with a grin.
“Sam, this is not Pretty Woman. And not a joke,” I snapped.
Grabbing my brush, he began to brush my hair out, and said, “Well, excuse me. I thought I’d lighten the mood.”
“Sorry, I’m just stressed to the max. Especially now that I have to wear this crap.”
He yanked my hair into a high pony tail, and as he was wrapping the band around the hair, he said, “I don’t know why you’re so self-conscious wearing this. Babe, you are a beautiful girl and tons of woman will be green with envy tonight.”
“Thanks, Sam.” I smiled at him.
“Anytime. Now, on to makeup.”
