by Trina M. Lee
By the time I returned to the living room with a yawning Tavi straggling along behind me, Nova already stood among the group. They’d all gathered, standing and sitting while Nova glared from the middle of the room, his arms crossed.
I paused in the doorway, stopped by the sight of him. Black hair loose, spilling past his shoulders, Nova’s vicious crimson stare was especially brutal tonight. Although that may have had something to do with the ugly gash beneath one eye and the deep purple bruise that had formed around it.
In my experience demon wounds usually healed immediately. What the fuck had happened to him? There was more though. The black wings usually held so regal and perfectly positioned behind him drooped, like it took more effort than it should to hold them.
“No FPA bullshit tonight. So don’t worry about that.” Nova’s blood red gaze swept over all of us. When our eyes met, I raised a brow. As expected, he didn’t acknowledge me. “Tonight you’ll be training outside. In teams. To be specific, you’ll be hunting one another. Consider this a good time to get really damn good at tracking and evading. I expect that you’ll be doing a lot of it in the near future.”
Nova split us into teams of two, excluding Ira, the older spell caster who still recovered from a serious leg injury. Corr and I were placed together. We would be hunting Rayne and Dalyn who would be hunting Ghost and Tavi who would be hunting the two of us. So while trying to find our prey, we also had to worry about being someone else’s.
“Each team has a different address as your starting point, and you’ll be given a general direction to head. That’s it. The winning team gets to sit out of the next FPA job.” Waving a hand toward the door, Nova dismissed us.
Now that was a prize I could get behind. After the last few outings I could use a break.
“I’ll meet you at the front door,” I said to Corr, turning to Nova before he could disappear. Not knowing how to start a conversation while my cheeks grew hot, I blurted, “You haven’t been around. Is everything ok?”
“Peachy keen, cherry bomb.” He chucked me lightly under the chin despite keeping himself just out of reach. “This is nothing. Just leftovers from what happens when one pisses off The Circle’s powers that be. I’ve had worse. Much worse.”
That rush of lust I always felt when I looked at Nova now was accompanied by something more. Worry. “What did you do to piss them off?”
The way he held himself made me think he was more injured than he let on. What the hell had they done to him? The FPA might have been the enemy, but The Circle of the Veil were far from the good guys.
“Fucked up a job. Failed to bring them what they wanted. Don’t worry, Blaze. I’d never let them do this shit to you.” He dragged his thumb across my bottom lip.
I touched the tip of my tongue to it.
Nova pulled away with a curse, taking a step back, like he didn’t trust himself alone with me. The soles of my feet burned as I forced myself to stay put when all I wanted was to touch that bruise claiming a large portion of his striking face.
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” I heard myself say, blabbering from the effect of being around him. “You didn’t come around after we hit that bachelor party, and I was afraid—I mean, I was just concerned. I’m glad you’re fine.” Smooth move, moron. I wanted to smack my head against the wall. That feeling grew when Nova chuckled, enjoying my awkwardness.
“I’ve been better but I’ve been worse too. Nothing takes the pain away quite like looking at your beautiful face.” Something wistful came over Nova’s expression as he gazed at me. If he was thinking anything remotely close to what I was thinking, we were just two steps away from trouble.
“I wish there was something I could do to help.” I stumbled to get the words out.
“Do you?” Nova challenged, a dark brow raised.
Was this a trick question? Feeling like I’d just walked into a trap, I said, “Of course.”
Then he was there, kissing me. Devouring me. Nova’s mouth moved on mine, drinking me in. I succumbed to his silent demand, wanting to give him everything. Drowning in the sudden rush of desire, I fell under his thrall.
I didn’t stand a chance. Nova wanted to feast on my lust, and that’s what he got. With one hand holding the back of my head as he deepened the kiss, the other cupped my ass, pressing me tight to him.
The kiss ended as fast as it had started.
Breaking off, Nova stepped back, releasing me with obvious reluctance. His eyes seemed to glow with a renewed light, like his wickedness level had just been topped up. But most astonishing was how much the bruise marring his face had faded.
Despite the warmth of my cheeks and the wetness gathering between my legs, I felt fine. Better than that. Amazing. Exhilarated and flushed with want.
Enjoying my speechless state of wonder, Nova extended a wing between us, nudging me with the feathery mass. “Now I think the question is, are you ok? Except that I know that you’re not, and I know that you won’t be until I fuck you in more ways than even the Kama Sutra can dream up. But that won’t be happening tonight, and if we’re smart, it won’t happen ever. You should probably go before I let myself touch you again. If I start, I won’t stop until it’s over, cherry bomb. Until there’s nothing left that I don’t know about your body and how to make it mine.”
Fumbling to make my tongue work again, I wrinkled my nose. “Is that supposed to make me want to leave? You have seen you, right? Besides, I can’t very well go out with drenched panties. You’re lucky I just did laundry.”
Nova’s pained groan was almost my undoing. “You’re killing me, woman. Don’t tempt me with your wet pussy. I might be strong, but I’m not that fucking strong.”
His discomfort was so blatant and palpable that it made my own a little easier to bear. Backing toward the door, I said only, “Yeah, neither am I.”
After a quick trip back upstairs to freshen up and splash some cold water on my face, I came back to find Nova on the front porch, barking orders at the others as they left. Gliding up behind him on my way out of the house, I slid a tiny ball of silky fabric from a back pocket and tucked it into his hand as I passed by.
It took him half a second to realize what I’d shoved into his palm. The scrap of royal blue material was a flash of color in his hand as he shoved my underwear into his pocket. Although he maintained an unruffled exterior, his drowning black pupils broadcasted the hunger he possessed for me.
“Watch yourself, Blaze,” Nova called after me. “If you want to play that way, expect to lose.”
I didn’t look back as I crossed the driveway to the silver Mercedes I’d never seen before, where Corr waited in the passenger seat. Taunting an incubus demon with my lust-filled panties was a risky power move if there ever was one. That power could be turned on me in a split second. Still, he hadn’t rejected my gift. Nor had he hesitated to feed on my desire once offered. There was only one way this flirtatious dance between us would end. In bed. And the repercussions would follow.
Nova and I both knew that.
CHAPTER TEN
Corr and I drove to an address north of downtown. All we knew was that we were to park the Mercedes in the lot of a twenty-four–hour Tim Horton’s and head north from there, toward the large graveyard on this side of the city. Once we were on foot we’d be both the hunters and the hunted. So we could train without issue, the watchdog team scoured the area for FPA activity.
It felt like a fun little exercise. Naturally, I greatly wanted to win. The idea of a night off was encouraging but bragging rights would be nice too.
“Mind if I grab an iced coffee first?” Corr jerked a thumb at the coffee shop.
“Go for it.” While he ran inside I tucked the keys under the seat and got out, locking the doors. Smudge would be sending someone to pick it up.
The Mercedes, like many of our rides, had been “borrowed” from the police impound lot. The Circle had a guy there willing to turn a blind eye. We almost always brought them back, which he
lped ensure the FPA never learned where we got our cars. Changing up the vehicles made it harder for the FPA to track us. We should probably retire the gray BMW; they’d seen it too many times.
When Corr emerged with an iced coffee in one hand and a donut in the other, I snickered. “Nice snack choice. Very hunt appropriate.”
We ambled along to the corner and waited for the lights to change so we could cross. Corr chewed a mouthful of donut, casually glancing about, taking stock of our surroundings. “If I’ve learned anything in the last month, it’s that life is too fucking short not to eat the damn donut. And I think I’ve earned a cheat day.”
To emphasize his claim Corr dramatically ran a hand through his short blond hair, using it as an excuse to flex his bicep. The swell of muscle he put on display made me appreciate his choice to wear a t-shirt. I’d seen him work out in the gym enough times to know that the only ink on his upper body was the two black wings outlined in great detail on his back. They were beautiful. Once Corr’s shirt came off and he started swinging on that punching bag, I was a smitten kitten. And I wasn’t the only one. I’d caught Dalyn ogling the hell out of him.
Since Corr pretty much offered by putting it out there, I helped myself to a feel. Sliding a hand over his bicep, I made an appreciative moan and winked.
“Shut up,” he laughed, blushing as he sipped the sweet-smelling iced coffee.
Corr had a laugh that didn’t just touch a girl’s sweet spot but also her heart. Which made him far more dangerous than one might first assume. It had taken days, several, for him to open up enough to crack more than a grin with the rest of us. He still wasn’t much of a talker overall, and aside from Ghost he remained the most mysterious house guest. But he’d started to open up, revealing tiny pieces at a time. Maybe if we both survived long enough, we’d become friends.
“All right, so a werewolf who likes donuts.” I paused before stepping off the curb, making sure the traffic properly stopped first. Couldn’t trust anyone, especially not some shithead texting and driving through the city at night. “What else do you like?”
We crossed with half a dozen other people, blending in with the small crowd, walking at their pace. “Honestly? My greatest weakness is strawberry Pop-Tarts. Don’t ask why. I couldn’t tell you.”
Having been turned before the snacks were made, I had no opinion either way, but I loved having another nugget of information about the quiet bookworm. Drawing on a dusty old memory, I said, “I used to love these apple tarts my mother made. Funny because I always hated apples. It’s probably the one thing I remember most about her. I was pretty young when she died.”
Strolling along down the sidewalk, we broke away from the hurrying pack of humans, always rushing to be somewhere. Since we had no idea where the others were, we just kept walking.
“How did she die? If you don’t mind my asking.” Corr’s gentle tone soothed with its friendly warmth.
“She got sick. After a few days she stopped breathing in the middle of the night. It happened fast, so I don’t remember much.” Not that I wished to remember that time any better than I did. Unfortunately, as I’d gotten older, I’d started to suspect my father had poisoned her.
“I’m sorry. That’s rough. I lost my parents in an accident. Both of them. I was fourteen.” Corr stared straight ahead as he spoke. As he shared.
When he didn’t volunteer more information, I steered the subject in a new direction. “So where do you think the others are? They’re going to find us based on the sprinkle trail you’re leaving.”
A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. He stuffed the rest of the donut in his mouth and pointed at the intersecting streets ahead, a brow raised in question. There were several ways we could go to reach our destination.
“Should we stay out in the open like this?” I asked, doing another scan of the vicinity. “Or try for a little more stealth?”
Sucking back coffee until the straw made that irritating slurp noise, Corr eyed the thinning street traffic. “Let’s just keep going a few more blocks, then we’ll start to zig zag our path in case anyone is following.”
Knowing that Ghost hunted us made me wary, but with Tavi as his partner, we had a chance. He couldn’t possibly be as stealthy as usual with her tagging along. As slick as the werewolf could be, she didn’t compare to Ghost. He’d disappeared into the night while I was looking right at him.
“Ok, so you like classic books and steamy romance, strawberry Pop-Tarts, and MMA.” Tucking a lock of hair behind an ear, I waggled both brows, keeping the conversation light and easy. “What about music? Movies?”
Using the straw to stir the ice in his coffee, Corr considered his answer. “I like a little of everything, but I guess I’m partial to classic rock. Zeppelin and Sabbath type stuff. I actually don’t see a lot of movies. Too many based on books that should have been left as books.”
Spoken like a die-hard book lover. Having seen Led Zeppelin in concert once, many moons ago, I spent a few blocks telling him about it. When Corr veered left down a side street that led into a residential zone, I followed, trusting his choice.
When I asked him if he liked to write as well as read, he deflected. “Pretty sure it’s the vampire who answers questions. I haven’t read any books about interviewing a werewolf.”
I made sure he saw how hard I rolled my eyes. “How long have you been sitting on that one? Ok, what do you want to know? Ask away.”
A pretty bold invitation for sure but I suspected that Corr would never ask a question that he himself wouldn’t want to answer. He definitely wasn’t going to ask me if I did any writing. Certain now that he did, I was curious what kind of scribblings found their way out of the mysterious werewolf’s mind.
Corr ditched the empty cup in a trash bin at the end of a driveway as we passed. “How many years have you been a vampire?”
“Sixty-eight.” The number felt strange in my mouth. I tracked that number like the birthday from hell but never said it aloud. Nobody had ever asked. “Twenty-four when I was turned.”
“So it was the fifties.”
“Early. Elvis hadn’t hit it big yet. I still remember when that happened. The human race has been latching onto musicians with frightening fanaticism for as long as I’ve been around. Only the names have changed.” Such a simple question shouldn’t have had me focusing so hard on the pop culture of the era, but Elvis Presley’s rise to fame made an easier topic than my life at the time.
A prickle along the back of my neck brought me to a halt. Corr paused, raising his nose to sniff the breeze. “Do you feel something?”
I felt the presence of another supernatural. Their energy hummed at a different frequency than a human.
The thing about power was that the more you had, the better you could do such things. Ghost had enough power to easily feel us out. Shit. Was he close? Did he know where we were? Of course, a defensive move would be to shield. I could mentally project a cloak around my energy, to hide it from the vampires, demons, witches, and the like. My shield was only as strong as it’s projector though. Without including my wayward blood magic, I doubted I could keep our presence hidden from him.
“I’m not sure. For a moment it felt like we might not be the only ones around. Let’s change things up just to be sure.” Slipping between two houses, I reached out to Corr. “I can’t shield both of us unless we’re touching. If that’s ok.”
Corr’s gray-blue eyes fell to my hand, and he hesitated just a split second before engulfing it in his much bigger one. Cold from holding his iced coffee, it warmed quickly as we moved between houses, cut across yards, and darted down back alleys. I did my best to hide us from anyone who might be feeling out the area for supernatural energy.
When we reached a small playground, we paused to take stock of our new surroundings. I felt nothing, but that didn’t mean a damn thing. For all we knew the others could be approaching the cemetery from entirely different directions, nowhere near us.
“The cemetery. The rea
l hunt won’t be on the streets. Nova expects us to run into the others in the cemetery,” I said, certain of it now. “Assuming we don’t actually cross paths with anyone until we arrive, how do we want to approach this? Try to get there first? Last?”
Corr gnawed his bottom lip, drawing my gaze to his mouth. Why was I thinking about how his kiss would feel? Damn Nova and the lusty fog he left behind. Yeah, I blamed the incubus.
“Rushing to get there first means racing against Ghost and Tavi if they’re thinking that same thing, since Rayne won’t be able to move as fast with Dalyn,” Corr mused. “But Ghost doesn’t seem like the type to rush. What do you think?”
“I think you’re right about that.” While keeping a tight watch on every side of the tiny playground, I pondered what I knew of Ghost. “Somehow I can’t see Ghost showing any of his super stealth secrets to Tavi. If anything, he’ll go at her pace, let her set the tone. But I could be totally wrong.”
Corr glanced back in the direction we’d come. The coffee shop we’d started at was far behind. “Then we have to take a gamble. I say we get there as fast as we can, but we don’t rush in like fools.” His hand tightened ever so slightly on mine, bringing my gaze back to him.
Logically I knew there was no double meaning to his words, but they struck me anyway, making me examine him a little harder. “Sounds good. Let’s keep going.” Moving on kept the moment from turning into something weird.
For me anyway.
I knew Corr was attracted to me. A woman knows such things and a vampire or shifter can smell them. Not to mention the hard-on he’d tried and failed to conceal several times while teaching me defensive groundwork. Still I knew better than to think an attraction was any more than just that.