He gathered me in his arms. Darius was so broad that I felt like a waif in his arms. For a moment I tensed, feeling vulnerable, and then I thought fuck it. I was warm, cosy, and well fucked. Why was I trying to ruin this for myself? It was okay to give in to my feelings and they were telling me to lie in this man’s arms feeling protected.
We had dozed, but then I awoke, feeling fingers teasing between my legs.
“This time I’m going to take my time with you. Until you’re at my mercy and begging for more.”
My heart rate quickened in excitement.
Sure enough, a few hours later one thing was for certain. We’d passed the compatibility test with flying colours.
Chapter Fourteen
Lucy
Earlier that evening…
I didn’t know what to say to my fiance after overhearing his conversation with Andrew last night. He’d only just woken anyway, so I decided I’d save my questions for later. We were going out for a meal and I didn’t want to ruin date night. Except the phone rang and his eyes got a shifty look about them. Information for those dating ex-demons—betrayal can be spotted a mile off.
“I’ve got to pop out.” He told me.
“Oh yeah, where?”
“Bloody Kim. Apparently she’s got some kind of emergency. There’s always something with that lot: Kim, Theo, Shelley. Do you think we’ll ever get a quiet night on our own?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “So don’t go.”
He tilted his head at me. “It’s an emergency. I won’t be long.”
“Well, I’ll come with you.”
He shook his head. “You get ready and go get our table at the restaurant. I’ll meet you straight there.”
Then he stood up, kissed my cheek and whizzed off.
I needed to follow him. Only my wings were so goddamn fluffy and enormous he’d spot me if I tried to fly, so I’d just have to get a taxi. Luckily the angel realm held an account with A1 Cabs. Angel 1 to those in the know.
I was just about to climb into the car when I felt something hard poking me in the back, something I’d not experienced for a day or two. I turned to see Andrew having premature wingulation.
“Put them away.” I scolded.
He managed to get them to disappear.
“Look it's your fault, my angel bleep went off. Now I don’t know what you are doing but I have to strongly advise you against it.”
“I’m only going to have a nosy at what my fiance is doing.” I gave Kim’s address to the taxi driver.
“Can you hold on a minute?” Andrew said. The cab driver shook his head in agreement. “Take as long as you like, my meter’s ticking. Always drama with you Angels. By the way, quick question. Any of you have a boss called Charlie?” He let his head roll back and cackled with mirth. It was times like this I wish I’d still got my pronged fork.
I turned to Andrew and tried to smile sweetly. “If you stop the cab setting off again your mission will fail because I’m going to push you out of it, which evil doing will no doubt get me benched by Team Angel. So, sit there, watch me and I figure as long as you don’t let me kill Frankie, we’re good. I can’t promise though.”
He sat back and sighed. “I’d better get my job after this because they gave me the hardest gig ever.”
We pulled up down the road from Kim’s and I made the cab driver put us in invisible mode, one of the perks of Angel Cabs. So we all watched as Kim’s door opened and Frankie stood there on the step. She stood on the doorstep in only a robe and with a towel on her head, freshly showered, and then she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
My hand was on the door handle of the car, but Andrew leaned over and with strength I didn’t know he possessed he moved my hand back to my side and very bluntly said, “No.”
I flashed him a look of hurt and anger.
“I’m your earth angel. You must be guided by me right now. No, Lucy. This is not the right path.”
The fight left me and I leaned back in the cab, my head against the back of the leather seat and I fought back tears. “Surely he wouldn’t do this? And Kim, I thought she was wanting to date Darius. I can’t believe them.”
“Can you take us to Hanif’s Indian Restaurant now?” Andrew asked the driver and once again we were on our way.
On route I got a text from Frankie telling me he now needed to go to see Theo again as he had a query about Ebony.
Was that the truth or had he turned back around for another round with Kim?
“Actually, I’d like to detour to The Marine.” I told our driver. “I think I need a few mojitos.”
It was an hour later when I got a call from my fiance saying he was at the restaurant and where was I? Andrew helped me walk from the bar to the restaurant entrance as I was a teeny bit wobbly on my feet due to lack of food and three cocktails. We were just about to cross the road toward Hanif’s when I saw Seth dart into there. Then there was a bleep from my bag. My angel bleep had sounded. Seth was about to do something stupid.
Andrew recognised the sound. “Him?” He nodded toward the restaurant entrance.
“Yes.” He picked me up and ran with me across the road, through the entrance and down the stairs.
I ran over to my project. “Seth.” I shouted, hearing him say he’d sit with Darius and Kim. On their date? Mind you, she did seem to be creating her own harem at the moment. Seth shot around facing me, his face masked with disappointment. “You can eat with me and Frankie if you’re feeling lonely. Over there.” I pointed to where Frankie was sitting, looking at me in confusion.
“Sure, that would be lovely, Lucy.” He replied though his face said anything but.
“I’m only doing this because it’s part of my earth angel duties. I’m watching you, Fletcher.” I spat out, before stalking off to my table.
“Lucy. Is this, or is this not date night? Only you’ve arrived with two other men.” My boyfriend said.
“If I were you right now I’d be quiet.” I told him, my jaw clenching.
“Have you been drinking?” He sniffed near me. Stupid vampires and their enhanced senses. “Mojitos? You went for mojitos? With him?” His fangs descended. It was laughable. I’d just followed him to another woman’s house, and he was acting like I’d done something wrong when he knew Andrew was my earth angel.
I was about to speak but then I heard a growl from across the tables. Darius’ eyes had turned yellow, and he looked like he was about to shift. He bolted out of the restaurant. Surely, she’d not confessed about her dalliance with Frankie, had she?
Seth stood up. “Have you been ditched? I’d be more than happy to take over as your date.”
“Sit down!” I commanded.
Kim took one look at me, shrugged her shoulders and then throwing money from her bag onto the table she ran out of the restaurant.
“Are you ready to order?” Rav said.
“No.” Four people spat out at him at the same time.
Rav took a step back. “Whoa, you do know I’m the evil one right?” He said. “I’ll give you five minutes.”
“So where have you been?” I said to Frankie.
Andrew’s pager went off. Bleep. Bleep. Bleep. In other words, shut up Lucy.
“I must go see that Kim is okay.” Seth said. Bleep. Bleep. Bleep. My pager went off.
Rav came over. “Can you turn those off? They are the same bleeping noise as the ovens. We keep thinking food is ready when it is not.”
“We can’t, sorry, Rav.”
“Well, are you ready to order now?”
“No.” We all said again.
So I wasn’t allowed to ask Frankie where he’d been. Great. Well as it happened, Seth was looking like he was ready to bolt so my mind was currently occupied as to what the heck was going off with him.
“Seth?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s going on? You are acting very strangely.”
He sat back in his seat. “I don’t want her with that Darius guy.
He’s not for her.”
Frankie turned to him. “I’m sorry, dude, but I really think he is. It was prophesied you know. Ebony, before she lost her visions, she saw it.”
“I refuse to believe it. I believe in another outcome.”
“Look, you have a crush. I understand. Kim’s an attractive woman. I went there myself in the past.”
Andrew shot up in his seat.
“You’re making my job very difficult for me right now, Mr Love. Maybe you could please think before you speak, you know, in front of your fiancée.”
Frankie looked perplexed. “But she knows my past. I know hers. I just saw her ex-boyfriend down at Shelley’s. We all have a past.”
“You saw Dylan?”
“Yes, everyone is trying to see what they can do to help Ebony.”
“Is she in a bad way?” I asked.
“No, quite the opposite. She’s loving not having any visions and wants to go on a holiday. We’re trying to explain that seers can’t have breaks from their visions. That it’s not normal. In the meantime I’m trying to consult with Margret on whether we can think of a spell to help when they do return. Shelley is not so well with the pregnancy tonight, hence Theo called me over to help.”
Theo was calling my current boyfriend to help my ex-boyfriend’s wife—the one who stole my previous boyfriend. I think I’d be having words with Theo at some point.
“Lucy, love?” He meant it as a term of endearment but I heard it as my to be married name.
“Yeah?”
“Can we go home and I’ll make you and Andrew an omelette? I’ve lost my appetite and I think this date night is a bust.”
I had to agree.
Frankie whizzed home to make a start on supper while we got another angel cab. We dropped Seth off at his apartment. He exited the car without saying goodbye and walked up the street with his shoulders slumped. I guessed unrequited love could do that to a guy.
The taxi set back off and Andrew turned to me. “Thank you for listening to me. I cannot stop your actions. I can only advise as you know.”
I searched his face for answers but there were none to be found. “Yes, I do know, and that’s the only reason my fiancé didn’t find his face tandoori'd tonight. Because I finally have faith. It took me a long time to find it, but you are my earth angel and if you are advising me to not pursue this, despite what it looks like, then I’m listening. I want you to get your wings properly, Andrew, and I also want to believe that I’m not seeing what I appear to be seeing.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
“But if I’m wrong and you’ve fucked up again, I’ll skewer you and make you an angel kebab.” I told him. He shot a few feet away from me. You could lead an ex-demon to the good side but you couldn’t always make her drink—unless of course it was a mojito.
Chapter Fifteen
Kim
I woke wrapped in blankets and Darius. It was heavenly until my stomach decided to let us both know that I hadn’t eaten properly since the pancakes and the poppadoms.
Darius’ head shot straight up. “Oh that won’t do at all. I can’t have my woman hungry.”
My woman. Those words should have scared me half to death and had me running out of here, but instead they made me break out into a big beaming smile. What was happening to me?
He leapt out of bed and I let my eyes wander down over his muscled back, over those thick legs, and that taut ass, as he bent to pick up my clothing from the floor. Okay I could have done without that last visual. Next time avert thy gaze as he bends right over, Kim, but the rest of it oh my.
He insisted on dressing me, which took another hour, seeing as he insisted on kissing my skin over and over as he placed each clothing item on my body. Then he got a fresh robe from a cupboard in the yurt.
“We’re well stocked because as I’m sure you can imagine, we tend to lose our clothes a lot.”
“It’s like you’re the incredible hulk but not green.” I laughed.
“Oh I get green all right, especially when I think you’re kissing other men.”
“I’m not kissing any other men.”
He walked over to the bed and scooped me up in his arms. “Damn straight.” He said. “Now I’m going to take you back to mine and get you some breakfast.”
He held me in one arm as he used his other hand to push the door open. So he could do it. How strong was he? He put me down, and I turned around to see that on this occasion the kitchen was full.
“Meet the family.” Darius said, completely unflustered by the fact that he was in a robe. Luckily there was an outbuilding behind the yurt that had a small bathroom so I’d been able to wash myself a little and remove as much of yesterday’s makeup as I could without my face wipes.
“Come take a seat.” Alyssa said, a huge knowing grin on her face. “I bet you’re starving both of you. Big night?”
“We went out for an Indian.” I said quickly. “And decided to stay in the yurt so as not to disturb you as we were late back.”
Darius laughed, a great hearty guffaw.
“Darlin’, family of wolves. They can smell our coitus. No good being embarrassed around here. Now take a seat and let me get you a large breakfast, because yes,” he looked at Alyssa and winked. “We have a huge appetite this morning. So, I’ll let Alyssa introduce you to everyone because I can see she’s dying to do so.” He patted me on the butt before pulling out a chair for me at the table.
I sat down at the table with my head in my hands. I’d never been so embarrassed in all my life. Staring at the table, I daren’t look up because I just knew there would be several sets of eyes looking at me.
Then the smell of coffee appeared under my nose and I decided it was worth the stares to be able to drink this much needed nectar of the gods.
I clutched my hands around the mug and took a sip even though it burned my tongue.
Alyssa waved her hand around. “Okay, so, Kim. This is our mum, Freya; dad, Billy; and my older brother Rhett.”
They all smiled at me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you at last, Kim.” His mum said. “I know your journey here has been a little tricky.” There was an underlying tension in her words. This mama was protecting her cub.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t understand pack rules and I know I’ve made a mistake that can have ramifications for the pack. If there’s anything I can do to undo the mess, well, just let me know. In the meantime I’m reading up on pack rules so I don’t do anything else that’s stupid.”
Darius served me a huge plateful of bacon and eggs before his mother spoke again.
“Well, if you mate with my son on the next full moon, there will be no war with Hogsthorpe as there would be no point. Darius could take on his true role as Alpha of the pack and they would be of no threat.”
“Mother.” Darius scolded. “We’ve had one date. One. Please leave any further dating and mating stuff for me to discuss.”
“You’ve slept with her, and Jett hasn’t.” His mother stated clearly. “So once that news reaches the mutt’s ears, which it undoubtedly will, Kim will be in danger, as he’ll want to even the score.”
I dropped my fork. “You mean he might…”
“Attack you? He’s not allowed via pack rules to do that but he could just to spite Darius. However, he could use coercion, threaten other people to make you do his bidding. So the full moon is next Friday and I suggest we make an announcement as soon as possible.”
I slammed my fist onto the table. “This is my life you’re talking about. I get you have beef with Jett and his mother. What Darius’ father did to you was unforgiveable, but I’ve been on one date with your son. You can’t expect me to commit the rest of my life to him after one date.” I leaped up from the table and then I did what I always do when faced with difficult situations. I ran.
Heading past the rows of caravans I ran until I’d left the park. A bus was coming and I jumped on it, letting it take me to Withernsea centre. I didn’t fee
l like going home as I expected Darius would turn up there. I really did need to eat now. I was starting to feel faint with the lack of food because I had expended a LOT of energy the night before. It was my day off, and I’d thought after eating I would spend the rest of the day with Darius, getting to know him better—both his body and his mind—but no, here I was again all by myself.
I realised I’d walked up to work. Oh sod my day off, I needed to keep occupied. I unlocked and headed up the back stairs to find myself flung up against the stairwell wall tied in blue webs.
“Oh, it’s you.” My bestie let me back down gently, her eyes changing from a weird blue back to normal.
“What the fuck, Shelley?”
“Kim, when have you ever, EVER, come into work unless you were rostered? So forgive me if I thought we were being broken into.”
“You have me there I suppose.” I pouted.
“Anyway, what are you doing here?”
I climbed up the rest of the stairs. “Do you think I could actually get past the stairs and then I might tell you.”
I followed her into her office and took a seat. “I’m sorry to disturb you at work but I didn’t want to go straight home.”
“What’s wrong?” Shelley walked up to me and placed a hand on my arm.
“It’s Darius.”
“Oh, what’s happened now?”
“It’s the pressure. I didn’t know I’d set off this pack war thing. Then I find out Jett is Darius’ half-brother, and now his mother wants me to mate him on the next full moon in a week’s time!”
“Steady on there, rewind. Jett is what? Whose mother? Or is Jett’s mother also Darius’ mother? I’m lost.”
I went through everything bringing my best friend up to date.
“Flipping eck, Kim, you don’t half know how to fuck up spectacularly.”
“I know. So now what do I do about it?”
“As the current head of Withernsea, I’m going to ask for a meeting with Edon and Jett. They are the alphas of the pack. I need to discuss the situation and ask for it to be taken into account that you are not pack, and were not aware of pack rules and therefore events should be excluded, unless you commit to them with full knowledge.”
Supernatural Dating Agency - The Complete Collection (Books 1-6) Page 34
