Released by Desire (City of Sin, #2)

by Melissa Stevens

  “I am not sure what you mean by TV.” He turned and looked at her for a moment. She sat up, picked up the remote, and with a press of a couple buttons, she’d turned the TV on and was looking at the schedule of what was on. “Whoa. What is this?” He looked at her with wide eyes. “How did you get images of people to move?” He glanced at the TV then back to Teya. “I understand there is a massive amount of new technology, but how do you have moving images and sound as well?” He scooted forward on the couch until he sat on the edge, leaning closer to the television.

  Teya sat up, her pillow having moved away. “We’ve had it a while. I take it for granted now.” She tugged on the hem of his shirt. “Sit back. We’ll find something to watch.” He leaned back, relaxing against the couch again. Teya leaned into his side once more, his arm going over her as she flipped through the channels, trying to find something to watch. She snuggled against him as she settled on an old movie. She’d seen the movie more times than she could count, but it was one of her favorites, and it was new to Jericho. Leaning against him, she watched the beginning of the movie, but soon drifted off to sleep.

  11

  Jericho noticed Teya had fallen asleep shortly after the movie started, but he enjoyed having her curled against him, and the story had drawn him in, so he sat back and let the film play. When it was over, he hesitated to get up. Teya looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to disturb her. She’d moved until her face was pillowed on his leg. Unable to resist the urge, he smoothed her hair away from her face and tucked the stray strand behind her ear. She wrinkled her nose and rubbed her face against his leg.

  As he sat watching her sleep, Jericho wondered how meeting her Fraction would go. He was worried about it, but it was what she wanted. Whatever he needed to do to stay here with Teyacapan, he was willing to do. Even if it meant he had to meet a bunch of strangers to try to prove he was worthy of their leader. He wished he knew what would be required of him.

  Teya stirred again, bringing Jericho’s mind back to the present. She sat up and blinked several times.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Is the movie over?”

  “It is.” Jericho ran one hand along her back, smoothing her hair as he went. She blinked a couple more times.

  “How long has it been over?”

  “A few minutes.”

  “Are you hungry?” She yawned, covering her mouth with one open hand.

  “Not particularly.” He watched as she glanced around and blinked several times as she tried to get her brain to wake up.

  “What time is it?” She didn’t look at him as she asked.

  “I have no idea.” Jericho shrugged. “I could tell you if I could see outside, but there is nothing here to give me any clues.”

  She gave him a small smile. “It’s called a clock.” Teya stood up and stretched her arms over her head. Her joints popped as she rolled her head from side to side. Glancing across the room, he saw her look at an odd round thing with sticks sticking out at odd angles on the surface. “It’s almost ten.” Jericho wasn’t sure what that meant. Time as it was told now was an alien concept to him. He was used to using the sun and how much light there was to determine what should be done. The sun being down meant it was time for talk and bed. The sun being up meant time to work.

  He must have had a blank look on his face because she gave him an understanding look.

  “That means it’s about five hours after sunset...and it will come up again in about nine more hours, if that helps.”

  “I am not yet certain of the concept of hours. But it does tell me it is long since nighttime.”

  Heading into the kitchen, Teya pulled a pair of glass bottles from the refrigerator and brought them back to the living room as she explained to him the concept of hours and how they worked, ending with, “It’s early February, so we’re only about five weeks after the solstice. The nights are still long, but they’re getting shorter. Does it make more sense now?” She was sitting sideways on the sofa, one leg curled under her as she faced him and watched him from less than two feet away.

  “It does, thank you. Correct me if I’m wrong, but being ten p.m. means it’s almost tomorrow, but we still have several hours before the sun comes up.”

  “You’re correct. Very few things now revolve around the sun, in terms of schedule. There are somethings that still do, but not here in Vegas. Here, time matters little to anyone. We are a city of indulgence and excess. Norms come here to have fun. They don’t realize that supernormals run the town. Supes running the town is half the reason Vegas is open twenty-four hours. Day time is normal, then all night long is for the nightwalkers, like vampires and such.”

  “Why do they care if normal humans are out all night long?”

  “It makes their prey more readily available.”

  “Prey? You allow them to eat the humans?”

  “Well, they can feed on them if they don’t endanger the secret of our existence. This means they can feed if they don’t kill. Norms won’t keep coming if people regularly disappear on their visits.”

  “Oddly, I can see the reasoning behind that.”

  “Now that you understand, what do you want to do tonight?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We could go out, see what’s going on, and do a little normal watching, if that interests you. Or we can go to bed.” She covered her mouth as she yawned again.

  He was quiet a moment as he watched her. There was nothing outside that interested him more than the woman in front of him, and she was obviously sleepy.

  “I think bed is our best option.”

  “Are you sure?” Teya dropped a hand on his leg. “We can go out if you’d like.”

  “I am sure. It is long after the time I am used to being in bed and asleep.” He didn’t tell her that bed and sleep hadn’t been a thing in the space between.

  “If you’re sure.” Teya stood. “I’d like to take a quick shower first, though, if you don’t mind.”

  “Go ahead. I am in no hurry.” Jericho watched as she shuffled into the bedroom and could not help the smile that formed as he watched her go.

  Jericho waited until she had plenty of time to get into the shower then went in the bedroom. Peeling the blankets back, he undressed and slid between the sheets. He lay there wondering what Teya would say or do when she saw him. Pillowing his head on one arm, he closed his eyes to wait.

  Jericho woke when the bed moved as Teya slipped beneath the sheets on the other side of the bed. He opened his eyes and found the room dark.

  “I did not intend to fall asleep. I was just waiting for you to join me.”

  “No big deal.” She smiled as she lay down and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders. “I was trying to slip in without waking you so we can both get some sleep.”

  Jericho reached across the empty space between them, hooked Teya around the waist, and pulled her close.

  “I want you here. You were too far away.” Jericho buried his nose in her long hair and inhaled her scent. She wiggled until she was nestled up against him. Jericho closed his eyes again and listened to the sound of her breathing. Not more than a few moments passed before Teya’s hand slid across his skin. She ran her hand around, drawing designs on his chest. He scowled and wondered what she was up to.

  “How tired are you?” she whispered in the dark.

  “I am a bit sleepy, but I could be tempted to delay my slumber.” A smile crept across his lips as she moved her hand down, smoothing her fingertips over his stomach. She ran a line over one hip, and he could not help his body’s natural response. Blood rushed to his cock as the woman who had provided him with everything continued to tease his body. He curled his fingers into the sheets beneath him and his body tensed. Her fingers wrapped around his hardened dick and he almost came off the bed. Teyacapan was no bolder in this realm than she had been in their dreams, but now, in this body, his senses were far more than he remembered in the dreams.

  Jericho could bare
ly see the outline of her body as Teya moved over him and leaned close for a kiss. Her thick hair was damp as it fell against him, making him shiver at the contrast of his internal heat against the cool length of her hair brushing along his skin. Tongues tangled and hands roamed until they were both breathing hard. Jericho couldn’t take the anticipation any longer and rolled Teya to her back. He wished he could see her face as he lined his cock up with her opening and pushed slowly into her. Before he could say something, she moved, stretched away, and hit something to make the lamp on the table come on.

  “I wanted to see you.” Teya gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes. Jericho marveled at how she seemed to read his mind. He leaned down and gave her another kiss before once more lining himself up with her opening and thrusting inside slowly.

  Teya’s fingers curled into his back as she moaned. “More,” she said, her voice breathy.

  Jericho was only too eager to comply. He thrust into her again and her claws slipped from beneath her nails. Soon, the world had narrowed to just the two of them and the feelings and sensations of their bodies as they came together.

  When they both collapsed against the sheets, gasping for air as they fought for the energy to move, Jericho wondered if it would always be this way between them, and without realizing it, said it aloud.

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” Teya said between gasps. “We were together in our dreams for centuries and things never faded between us. Why would they now that you’re flesh and blood again?”

  Jericho didn’t have a response to that. Maybe she was right. He hoped so.

  12

  Teya left Jericho with Neo. Her brother was going to show him around the casino and what he did during the day, maybe some of what surrounded them on Fremont Street. She knew it would take a little while, but Jericho would find where he fit in. She had no doubt. He was quickly learning to navigate the world as it was now and would soon find his place in it.

  The elevator dinged and the door slid open. Teya stepped out and glanced around at the empty waiting area. She appeared to be the first one in, even Meredith, the receptionist, wasn’t at her desk yet. Stepping past the reception desk, she headed for her office.

  “Good morning.” Rachel’s voice startled her as she’d been looking at the floor and thinking about the day ahead. She looked up and found Rachel already seated at her desk, her computer running in front of her.

  “Oh.” Teya jumped and lifted her head. “I’m sorry. I thought I was alone. Good morning, how are things?”

  “So far so good, but we’re just getting started.”

  “What do you have that needs my attention?”

  “Just a couple things.” Rachel stood and followed Teya into the office. “Erin sent me back some proofs for the new ad campaign, as well as some unprinted and unaddressed invitations to be used for the cross-Fraction party. I’ll print them out and bring them in for you to review. Also, I’ve received some of the expenses for your birthday party that I need approval for.”

  “I wish we didn’t have to do a birthday party.” Teya sighed.

  “I know you don’t like it, but the Fraction expects it.” Rachel checked a list in her hand. “I only have a few more things to double check and it will be all taken care of.”

  “And the date on that again?”

  “It’s this Saturday night.”

  “I thought so, but I wanted to be sure.” Teya turned and stared at the mural on her back wall for a moment. “The plus side is that it will be a perfect opportunity to introduce Jericho to the Fraction.” Turning, she faced her friend with a sigh. “I hope they can accept him, because the longer he’s here, the less I’m willing to give him up for them.”

  “Give them a chance. I think most of them just want to see you happy and won’t care what he is,” Rachel said. “Of course, there are a few who will bitch that he’s not a dragon. On the other hand, at least he’s not a vampire or a were.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Teya gave a small laugh. “I guess worrying about it between now and then is a waste of time.” She pulled out her chair and sat down. “We might as well get started. The sooner we start, the sooner we’re done, and I can go back to Jericho.” She knew she was grinning like an idiot, but she didn’t care.

  “No problem. Give me five minutes to get some things printed out and I’ll be back with what I need you to look over,” Rachel said over her shoulder as she left.

  Later, after Teya had reviewed the ad campaign and the budget for the birthday party, she was looking over some of the Fraction’s finances when her intercom buzzed.

  “Yes?” she asked after pressing the button to let Rachel hear her.

  “Sloan is back. He says you said to let him know today what his clan in Wales said about your conditions.” It wasn’t a question, but Rachel’s voice lilted at the end as if it were.

  “I did. I’m sorry. I meant to let you know and forgot. Do I have time to see him now?”

  “You have nothing scheduled for another hour and a half. Do you want me to send him in?”

  Teya straightened the papers on her desk, stacking them and putting them in folders. Then she minimized everything on the laptop set to one side so it only showed her desktop photo of a thunderstorm over the desert. Setting the folders aside, she double check to make sure there was nothing visible that could compromise Fraction security then hit the button on the intercom again.

  “Send him in.” Teya waited until the office door opened then stood and met the tall, blond man halfway across the room. “Thank you for coming back.” She extended one arm and shook his hand before walking with him toward the desk. “Have a seat.” She motioned to the pair of chairs in front of the desk before returning to her seat. “I wasn’t expecting you to have answers so quickly.”

  “Honestly, I wasn’t, either.” His deep voice was rough, as if he’d spent a long time screaming and had damaged his vocal cords. He watched her with pleasant, pale blue eyes. “After we met yesterday, I called and informed the clan leader of your stipulations, the most important in my mind being that they not force anyone to come, as well as your recommendation that they outline what they were looking for and ask for volunteers. I didn’t forget the others, though. No one of Alpha status. Beta through Omega are acceptable.”

  Teya nodded for him to continue. She’d set the stipulation of no Alpha dragons be sent because it would only cause more tension as they tried to control the situation. It would defeat the purpose of the entire trip. Negotiating with an Alpha is next to impossible unless you have equal or higher status, and negotiating the parameters and limitations of a dragon tourism program, for lack of a better term, would require a great deal of negotiation, she had no doubt. This was a project she intended for Neo to handle, since he was a very good negotiator, as well as the fact that since he managed all the dining facilities in the MesoAmerican. He knew how much having visiting dragons in Vegas would help their business. Pitting an Alpha against Neo would be asking for the program to fail before it had even started. Not that Neo was a pushover. He wasn’t, but he was a Beta, content to assist and manage without being in charge and having all the responsibilities and liabilities of being an Alpha.

  “They have a few stipulations of their own,” Sloan continued. He was the go-between many clans used to begin contract negotiations with Teya, as well as other clans. Heck, even other Fractions used him for some of their negotiations. He was a natural mediator. Sloan was originally from Oslo and one of the few remaining Nordic dragons. Teya had often wondered how he managed to survive in the heat in Vegas, but this was where he’d chosen to settle. He was an asset to the Fraction, so Teya didn’t want to upset him by asking too many questions.

  “Let’s hear them.” Teya had expected them to come back with conditions of their own. Sloan pulled out his smartphone and touched the screen a few times.

  “First, they will agree to send a Beta if you agree that you will not be doing the negotiating, that you assign the task to a Beta of ours.
” He glanced up at her.

  “Done. That had been my intention all along.” She glanced down at the notebook she had pulled out to make notes on then back to Sloan. “Next?”

  “Second, they want permission to send a security team with their emissary.”

  “That’s reasonable. I’ll say that that will be up for negotiations, pending the determination of who they choose to send.”

  “Very well.” He made a few notes.

  The two of them went back and forth, discussing the conditions that the Welsh clan had put forth. She made a few notes, as did Sloan, and an hour after he arrived.

  “It looks like we’ve gotten everything here addressed. I’ll go back to them with your responses and let you know what they have to say.” He stood. Teya mirrored the movement and stepped around the desk. Reaching out, she shook his hand again.

  “Great. I’ll be waiting for their response. Thanks for coming in.” She walked with him to the door.

  “Thank you for taking the time to see me.” He waved at Rachel and left, going back down the hall toward the waiting area. She waited until he was out of sight then turned to Rachel.

  “Has anything new come in while Sloan was here?”

  “No.” Rachel checked the clock. “Your next appointment is in twenty minutes, but she’s not here yet.”

  “All right. Let me know when she gets here or if anything else comes up. I’m going to try to finish the purchase orders before then.” She turned back into the office and pushed the door closed as she went.

  13

  Jericho knew there would be a party soon. Teyacapan had told him that every year there was a big birthday celebration for the Fraction leader while they’d sat together on the sofa the evening before. She’d warned him that it would be his introduction to the Fraction. Now, she was working, and Jericho was with her brother. Neo had spent the morning showing him around the resort the Fraction owned, and how it operated behind the scenes. Mainly, the restaurants that he managed but he’d shown Jericho a lot in the time they had spent together.