by R. E. Butler
Maybe she’d run into the handsome police chief tonight and could casually mention the kitten. And maybe he’d be so smitten by her concern for the kitten that he’d ask her out on a date.
Right. And monkeys might fly out of her butt, too.
Sighing, she wondered if there was a spell to boost her confidence so she could ask him out. But what if he said no? What if he said yes?
Chapter Two
Brody Carmichael took a drink of reheated human blood as he stared at the monitors that were hooked up to security cameras around his home. While he could feel the rising and setting of the sun in his bones, he liked having eyes on the sky so he could know one hundred percent that the sun had fully, completely set. He hated getting burned, even just a little bit. Which was most likely a holdover from when he was a kid and had tried to tempt fate—and the sun—by going out early or staying out late and seeing what would happen and how much sun he could tolerate.
The answer? None.
While the twilight time, when the sun was nearly set and the sky was mostly dark, was passable, he could still get burned if he happened to be hit with a last minute ray, so the answer was to stay in until it was fully dark. The cameras helped with that.
And considering that he no longer had a coven—and the protections granted by them—he felt better knowing that no one could get into his home without his knowledge. Not that anyone was banging down the doors to spend time with him.
Not even a tempting witch named Delaney.
He took another drink of blood and let out a growl. He wanted to ask Delaney out, but every time he was in her presence, he got tongue-tied and felt like a slack-jawed idiot. He’d loved her from afar since the moment he arrived in the seaside town of Sable Cove to accept the police chief job. That was six months ago. He couldn’t believe he’d spent one hundred and eighty days—give or take—pining for her.
Some vampire he was.
A perimeter alarm went off and he looked at the camera monitor, seeing a familiar blue pickup pulling into the long driveway. He turned off the alarm and unlocked the front door so his best friend and the only other person on the police force, Venice, could come inside. Brody’s three-bedroom Cape Cod home was fitted with automatic shutters that opened and closed at sunset and sunrise, and a light-tight entryway that would allow someone to come into the home in broad daylight without letting sunlight inside the house.
Venice was a fallen angel and had answered an ad Brody posted for a deputy two months earlier. He was a transplant from down south, and a bit of a player after a broken heart had left him not wanting to commit to anyone. Brody’s coven—headed by his grandparents—was one of the more powerful ones on the West Coast, residing in the state of Washington. While he’d only been gone from the coven for a year, the wounds were still fresh and he didn’t want to dwell on what had gone down between his grandparents, his arranged mate, and a whole hell of a lot of secrets.
Once he’d left Washington, he’d floundered for a bit, but found his footing in Sable Cove as the chief of police. He’d told the town’s committee members that he’d left his coven to start a new life, and since they were all humans, they hadn’t questioned why a vampire would voluntarily leave his coven.
He was glad he’d come to Sable Cove, and not just because he felt like he’d found his home. A lot of his feelings hinged on the alluring Delaney. But his recent past and family history wasn’t anything that made him feel like a winner, and whenever he thought about asking her out, those unworthy thoughts rose like wraiths in his mind and he chickened out. Including the first night they’d met, when he’d been out on patrol and their paths crossed. She’d sparked more than interest in him, and he’d been tempted to ask her out on the spot. But he’d been unable to form the words because of the unworthy feelings that cascaded through him. And ever since then, those feelings had only magnified. She was gorgeous, sweet, kind, and had a big heart for animals, particularly the familiars she rescued.
He was just a vampire without a coven or a family. What did he have to offer but his baggage?
The only thing that he kept clinging to was the little part of him that believed she was his soulmate. And that he needed to get off his ass and ask her out before some other male realized what a spectacular person she was and stole her out from under him.
Snarling, he swiveled in his chair and drained the last of the blood, all but slamming the mug on the counter.
Damned inferior feelings!
The exterior door opened and closed, sealing Venice inside the foyer. Only once the exterior door was shut could the interior door be opened.
Venice opened the interior door and closed it. “Hiya, Chief.”
“Hey, Venice. How was your shift?” He pushed aside his torment and plastered a friendly smile on his face.
As the only two police officers in town, they split the twenty-four hour day into two shifts—Venice taking the daylight hours and Brody the night.
“Aside from a stalled car requiring a tow truck, it was quiet.” Venice gave Brody a smile and headed into the kitchen.
Brody followed, picking up the now cracked coffee mug and tossing it into the kitchen trash. Venice opened the fridge and hummed, then reached inside and pulled out a plastic container with a rotisserie chicken inside. The male sat at the kitchen table and opened the chicken. Brody grabbed plates and silverware and set them on the table, along with bottled water from the fridge.
“Do you think every supernatural creature has a soulmate?” Brody asked as he fished a drumstick off the chicken.
“Sure. Do you?” Venice took a bite from his forkful of chicken.
“I do. I’ve just been wondering if the pull for soulmates is the same on both sides.”
Venice, who was intuitive as an angel but also knew Brody very well, raised his brow. “You’re wondering if Delaney feels as compelled by you as you do by her?”
“Yeah.”
“And if she does, then why hasn’t she asked you out.”
“Exactly.”
“Because you’re both chickenshits.”
Brody wanted to argue, but Venice was right. He’d felt a connection to Delaney the second he’d laid eyes on her, but neither of them had made a move in six months. If she was his soulmate, wouldn’t she also feel that same pull? Wouldn’t she not want to wait?
“Look, I don’t claim to understand soulmates. I thought I had it figured out but I was dead wrong, so now I don’t trust myself when it comes to this sort of thing. That being said, I’ve seen the way you two act around each other, and it’s pretty obvious that both of you are at the very least attracted to each other. There’s something between you, and I think you owe it to yourself to find out what it is. If she’s your one-right-person, then you’ll end up cursing this wasted time.”
That was a really great point. Brody grunted and dropped the chicken leg onto his plate. “Every fucking time I see her, my plans to talk to her and ask her out go flying out the window, and I look like an ass.”
Truth. The last time he’d spoken to Delaney had been a week ago when he’d gone to speak to Cassian, the lighthouse keeper, about a boat distress call he’d heard on the scanner. He’d seen Delaney sitting on a rock and talking to Yasmine. He’d made a beeline right for Delaney, the words can I take you for a cup of coffee on his lips. What he’d said when he stopped in front of her—after an embarrassingly long moment of silence—was “Isn’t the beach closed at sunset?”
He’d wanted to kick his own ass. First, Delaney was a member of the town’s founding family and fairly untouchable as far as town ordinances went, and second, he’d never once in his life kicked someone off the beach for being there after sunset. She’d stared at him like he’d sprouted a second head and then given him a clipped answer suggesting he was an idiot of the highest order. Then she’d proceeded to tell him that she knew for a fact the only person who ever kicked someone off the beach was Cassian, and that was because he was a crotchety male who didn’t really li
ke anyone and sometimes liked to cause problems for shits and giggles.
Brody had beat feet after a hasty apology, and he didn’t think he’d recovered yet from the scathing look she’d given him.
Or the eye roll that Yasmine had sent his way.
Blowing out a breath, Brody said, “I’m worried if I’m wrong about her, then I’m wrong about some other things, too.”
“Like maybe your grandparents were right about the female they picked for you?” Venice asked in between bites of chicken.
“Yep.”
He shrugged. “I’m no expert on relationships, obviously, but I can say that not following your heart leads to problems down the road. If Delaney is yours, then you need to claim her. She and the other two witches are prime catches, not only pretty but powerful. Males are always sniffing around them.”
Delaney wasn’t just pretty, she was beautiful.
“I need to figure out a reason to meet with her, get her alone so I can ask her out.”
“Just tell her you want to talk about a spell.”
“What kind of spell?”
“Well…” Venice finished the last bite of chicken, the bones practically picked clean, and put down the fork. He folded his hands and looked thoughtful. “Her power is over animals. I heard in town that someone dropped off a familiar last night but stayed off the rescue’s security cameras, so they don’t know who or what it was.”
Warning bells went off in Brody’s head. “Did she call it in?”
“No. I was at the diner and overheard Thea talking to Kinsley while she waited for a to-go order. Apparently people will drop off a familiar on occasion, but it was the first time they’d had someone leave a familiar at night and purposely avoid the security cameras.”
“I’ll take a pass by the rescue and make sure everything’s okay.”
“You could pass by her house, too,” Venice said. “Since the rescue closes at seven, and by the time the sun sets it’ll be eight thirty.”
Brody truly hated summers. The long daylight hours meant he could only be outside for a handful of hours in total darkness. He’d considered taking a job in Alaska before he’d come to Sable Cove. The six months of darkness was super appealing, but the six months of sunlight was enough to put a damper on those plans. He’d go cuckoo bananas if he had to stay indoors for six months.
Brody paused in his cleaning up and turned to face Venice. “You up to anything tonight?”
“Nothing exciting. I’m going to try to get some work done on the boat before I call it a night.” Venice had a wooden boat he’d been building from scratch since he arrived in town. He’d purchased plans to build a nineteen-foot mahogany runabout, and while it was slow going, the male was determined to build it.
“You come up with a name for it yet?”
“Nah. I’ll wait until I get it finished before I name it.” Venice rose to his feet. “Thanks for dinner.”
Brody chuckled. “You’re welcome.”
“You got about twenty minutes until full dark. You want me to keep patrolling until then?”
“No, you’re fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Venice gave him a lazy salute and headed for the foyer. Minutes later, Brody was alone. His thoughts tumbled as he watched the sun fully set through the monitors. He’d been hemming and hawing for far too long, and he needed to ask Delaney out, sooner rather than later. If she said no, then he’d know that she wasn’t really his soulmate. If she said yes, then they could see where things would lead them. But either way, he was now a male of action and was one hundred percent going to do this.
Truly.
One way or another, he’d soon either have a date with Delaney or a bruised ego to tend to.
Chapter Three
Delaney had just changed into her favorite pajamas—a matching set of shorts and a tank made of soft fabric patterned with llamas wearing sunhats—when there was a knock at the front door.
She knew it wasn’t Kinsley or Hadlee, because they’d just walk in without knocking, so she was curious who would stop by at eight forty-five on a Thursday night. Making her way to the front door, a wave of heat washed over her as she grabbed the knob. Pausing, she let out a slow breath and wondered at the strange feeling. If she didn’t know better, she’d say she was turned on, except she hadn’t been doing anything but getting ready to catch up on some TV with some popcorn.
She stared at the door, wondering who was on the other side.
For a heartbeat, she thought it might be Brody. But why would he come to see her at her home? She couldn’t remember him ever doing that in the entire six months he’d been in town. He’d stopped by the rescue occasionally when it was open past its normal closing time of seven o’clock, but he’d not once come to her home. So it couldn’t be him.
Except...
“Delaney?” Brody’s rich voice made things low in her belly tighten and heat.
Shit!
Twisting the knob, she pulled the door open. She should’ve said hello or at least grunted to acknowledge him, but instead she stood slack-jawed like an idiot, drinking in the oh-so-hot look of him in his uniform.
No male had any right to look so tempting.
“Hello,” he said, rocking back on his heels, the porch light making his badge shine. His gaze dropped down the length of her petite frame, and she heard a very faint, very animalistic growl that he tried to cover—unsuccessfully—with a cough.
Her brain came back online as she glanced down at herself and realized she was in her cute pjs. If she’d known he was coming over, she’d have dressed in something extra sexy, although she couldn’t think of anything she owned at the moment that fit the bill.
“Hi,” she said. Her voice squeaked, and she cleared her throat. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
His eyes got darker. And oh did she like how that looked on him.
“I wanted to stop by and ask about the familiar that was abandoned on your doorstep.”
For some reason, she was disappointed, but she shook the unwanted feeling away and opened her door farther to allow him in. “Come on in. How did you hear about it?”
At her urging, he sat on the couch then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. She sat in the matching recliner across from him. “Venice said he heard about it at the diner. I wish you’d called me.”
“It was morning when I found the box.”
“I’m still the chief and available twenty-four-seven.”
“Oh.” She let that roll around her mind for a moment. She didn’t think she’d ever heard him tell anyone he was available all day, every day. Her spine tingled, and she struggled to hide a smile at how pleased that made her. “I’m sorry. I thought about it, actually, but I figured you couldn’t do anything about it anyway, so I didn’t call. I should’ve though. Next time someone drops off a box at the door without getting on camera, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
He chuckled. “Thanks. Did you find out anything about the familiar? What kind is it?”
“A kitten. She’s really young, so she hasn’t been someone’s familiar very long. We haven’t found out anything at all yet. After we had her checked out by Yasmine, we put her on the website for adoption.”
“What do you think happened?”
“It’s hard to say for sure, but it’s actually pretty strange.”
“I thought people dropped pets off frequently to the rescue, familiars and regular animals.”
“It happens, but what’s weird is them staying off-camera. They had to know where the cameras were to avoid them entirely. We only saw the box.” She opened her phone and loaded the video then handed it to him.
He watched it and hummed. “What would be a reason for a familiar not having a master?”
“Well, she could be new and never belonged to someone. Familiars can occasionally be born to non-magical parents, but it’s pretty rare. Usually a familiar is born when one or both parents are familiars. She might have been acting weird and the humans who h
ad her realized she wasn’t for them, so they brought her to us.”
He handed the phone back and gave her a curious look. “You don’t believe it though.”
“No. I think something else is going on, I just don’t know what it could be.”
“The kitten is staying at the rescue?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll patrol there more frequently, make sure no one is hanging around.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure, and also my job.”
She knew she didn’t do a good job hiding her disappointment at his answer when he frowned and growled a little. “It’s not the only reason,” he said.
Her breath caught. “Oh?”
He let out a gruff sound. “Do you remember when I saw you at the beach that night?”
“I remember you trying to kick us off it.”
He rolled his eyes. “I wanted to ask you out. But I lost my nerve and instead said something that made me look like a jackass.”
Her mouth fell open. Holy crap—was he was going to ask her out?
“I didn’t know. I thought—” She bit her bottom lip and didn’t finish her sentence.
He stared at her intently, and she thought she might melt from his gaze. All sorts of wicked thoughts traipsed through her mind, and she once more wished she were wearing something sexier than her llama pjs.
He rose slowly to his feet and moved to stand before her. He looked down at her, all strength and male, and offered her his hand. She took it, and he pulled her up swiftly and against him, causing her to let out a squeak in surprise.
“You thought what, sweetheart?” He banded an arm around her waist and kept her close. So close she could feel his hard body against hers, particularly the ridge of his erection, which was digging into her hip.
Instead of answering that question, she whispered, “What are you doing, Brody?”