by Lola Gabriel
“I may have shared my theory with a few people,” Atom muttered evasively.
“What?” Wilder demanded furiously, his fists trembling in rage. “Why? You have no basis for this ridiculous idea!”
“I’m telling you, Mr. Wilder, there is something happening in the Hollows! There is a theory called The Big Shift. It’s ancient—”
“Rhetoric?” Wilder hissed, covering the space between them. “It’s religious psychobabble! I thought you were of sounder mind than to spew forth crap like this!”
Wilder was familiar with the story. Some of the mortals believed in an ancient scripture that dictated the end of the Hollows, but Wilder knew better than to buy into such nonsense. He couldn’t believe he was discussing it with Atom at all.
“Something is happening!” Atom insisted. “When you come back in a week, you’ll see that the walls would have—”
Atom was lifted to his feet before he could finish his thought, his wiry frame dangling. His eyes widened to meet the glowing amber eyes of his employer as puffs of smoke escaped Wilder’s lips.
“You will say nothing to no one,” Wilder intoned. “If you know what’s good for you.” Atom made a choking noise, but Wilder didn’t release him. “If you bring this up again, I’ll see you banished, Atom. Am I clear?”
Atom gasped wildly, but he managed to nod, and Wilder dropped him unceremoniously onto the floor. He shifted back, the scales smoothing away to his soft flesh, and shook his head.
“I can’t believe I have to tell you to shut up about this,” he told Atom, his voice almost a growl. “In this day and age, you’re putting stock into a book that was written by primitive beasts.” Atom didn’t respond, dropping his head downward in contrition, and Wilder was forced to accept the gesture as submission. “Not another word to anyone.”
“Yes, Mr. Parker.”
Wilder stormed from the security office and discovered he was shaking. He went directly to his own offices, where Cybil barely glanced up at him.
“Your three o’clock is waiting in there.” She pointed at the inner room.
“Who is it?”
“Dr. Fritz.” Wilder was about to ask who that might be, but Cybil beat him to the punch. “Your seismologist.”
Great. Wilder entered the room, and Dr. Fritz stood, a wiry vampire who was much past his prime.
“Mr. Parker,” Dr. Fritz said, rising eagerly to extend a pale hand.
“Did I keep you waiting?”
“Not long, sir, and I am happy to wait for the most important man in the Hollows.”
“Don’t let my brothers hear you say that,” Wilder chuckled. “Did Cybil offer you something to drink?”
“I’m fine. It’s a full moon tonight, so I’m saving myself for the hunt.”
“Good call.” Wilder sat behind his desk and looked at the scientist carefully.
“As honored as I am to be here, Mr. Parker, I don’t know what I’m doing here,” Dr. Fritz said when Wilder didn’t say anything. “You have a science-related question for me?”
I can’t believe I’m asking him this, Wilder thought grimly, but he knew he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter now. He decided to take a more roundabout approach to the matter. “Do you study the tectonic plate shifts on the Sunside?”
“I have explored that avenue of the science, yes.” The ancient being’s face shadowed. “Not deeply, I’m afraid.”
“Have you explored how the shifts affect the Hollows?” To his relief, Dr. Fritz’s face brightened considerably.
“Ah, yes, of course. Many moons ago, mind you, but I have done research on the matter.”
“And?” Wilder asked. “What do you think about it?”
“It’s a rather complex situation, of course,” the vampire explained. “Obviously, we don’t belong to the Sunside, but we do share the same planet, even if we don’t float along the lithosphere. What happens on the Sunside has always affected us, more so after the Hollows were unsealed.”
“Obviously,” Wilder agreed. “But how much do the plates affect us?”
“To varying degrees…” Dr. Fritz sat back, a look of understanding coloring his face. “You’re aware of the newest shifts.”
“I’m not sure if I’m aware of anything. That’s why you’re here. Is there a danger I should be concerned about?”
Dr. Fritz smiled somewhat tightly. “Define danger,” he replied. Wilder scowled.
“I’m not here to play word games with you, Fritz.”
“Very well. Here’s what I can tell you: in the past one thousand years, the Hollows have been directly affected by the tectonic shifts in the lithosphere.”
“Affected how?” He shrugged, but Wilder could see a shadow of unease cross his face.
“We’ve lost about two percent of the Hollows in that time.”
“What?” Wilder couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How? Why?”
“There are many theories, of course, such as the prophecy—”
“Don’t bring that up,” Wilder snapped. “Are you suggesting that the Hollows are shrinking?”
“I’m not suggesting it. It’s a scientific fact. I haven’t measured recently, but eventually, the walls will close in around us and force us to the Sunside.”
“Impossible!” Wilder scoffed. “What about the beings who can’t live on the Sunside? The chimeras and trolls? They’re not bred to deal with direct sunlight!”
“I would wager that we are several thousand years away from such a catastrophe,” Dr. Fritz offered in the way of optimism. “Perhaps there is time yet to calibrate them accordingly.”
“How long will it take you to find out more on this?” Wilder questioned, sinking back into his chair. “I want to know exactly what the rate of this happening is and what we can do about it.”
“As you wish, Mr. Parker. I will need a couple weeks to look into it.”
“You’ll stay here in the palace until your research is complete. You can have access to the Parker labs for anything you need.”
“That’s very generous of you, Mr. Parker. I’ll see what I can find on the subject.” Fritz paused before speaking again. “If you don’t mind me saying so, Mr. Parker, I really don’t see this as a major concern.”
“That’s good to know,” Wilder said curtly. “Now get me proof to that end.” He waved dismissively, punching the intercom to call to Cybil. “Make arrangements for Dr. Fritz to stay in the palace, Cybil.”
Dr. Fritz excused himself, and Wilder let his mind process what he’d just learned. So Atom wasn’t completely insane. There’s something happening.
His private cell rang, and he welcomed the distraction, none more than when he realized it was Cassia.
“Hello,” he drawled. “How are you?”
“I’ll be better when you come and sign the lease on the building,” Cassia answered in her no-nonsense tone.
“When can I do that?” Wilder asked, already rising from his desk.
“Right now. Where are you?”
“At home. I’ll be there in a few hours. Can I pick you up at your place?” There was a long quiet. “Cassia?”
“Uh… yeah, okay,” she mumbled. “I’ll text you the address.” Wilder smiled to himself.
“Can’t wait to see you,” he told her earnestly, and she giggled nervously.
“I can’t wait to see your name on the lease after chasing you around for months.” Her words made him laugh.
“See you soon.” He couldn’t believe he was so excited to see her, but he told himself it was because of the mystery surrounding her.
Once I find out who she really is and what her family ran from, I’ll be over it, he lied to himself, pretending that was the only reason. He tried not to think of Cassia’s full lips and shapely rear-end. She’d shuffled him all over New Jersey, and Wilder had begrudgingly admitted that she was good at her job. It didn’t hurt that she was lovely and a witty conversationalist, and that their day of office hunting had quickly become an evening of
dinner and drinks at La Fiesta, which had lasted until the wee hours of the morning.
Wilder had desperately wanted to kiss her, but something had held him back. The last thing he wanted to do was come on too strong with Cassia—he had a bad feeling that he wouldn’t get a second chance if he blew it.
He bolted out the door to the inner office but froze when Cybil called out to him.
“Where are you going now?” she demanded, her voice fraught with exasperation.
“To sign off on the building in Newark.”
She eyed him skeptically. “Why do you look so happy?”
Wilder realized that he was grinning and immediately suppressed his smile. “I’m happy to have found an office for the east end headquarters.”
Cybil snickered. “I liked you better when you knew how to lie,” she told him. “When will you be back?”
“No idea,” Wilder answered truthfully. Not for a while, if I’m lucky, he added silently, waving as he scooted away from Cybil’s gaze. It was the first time he could ever remember wanting to visit the Sunside with so much excitement.
What is Cassia doing to me? he wondered, but as he thought it, he also realized that he didn’t care. Whatever it was felt too good, and Wilder intended to relish it.
6
“Are you happy now?” Wilder teased, dropping the pen on the desk. “You got what you wanted.”
Cassia chuckled. “Did I?” she asked, grabbing the paperwork. “You know what I want now?”
“Well, anyone who takes the time to track down a CEO for a couple of missed appointments must have an endgame in mind,” Wilder reminded her and Cassia grimaced. It wasn’t her finest moment, but Wilder seemed determined to have her relive it over and over again.
She tucked the papers into a manila envelope and shoved them to the side of the glass table. “Should we have a drink to celebrate?”
“I didn’t travel all this way not to be fed and liquored up,” he jested. “Do you want to go out?”
Cassia looked and him and shook her head.
“Not particularly,” she responded, sauntering toward the fridge to remove a bottle of Pinot she had chilling. She had secretly hoped that Wilder would stay, despite her better judgment. The attraction she felt toward him was not something she could easily fight, and even though she knew better, her sixth sense warning her that he was going to cause her a world of trouble, Cassia’s willpower seemed non-existent in his presence.
The night before had been somewhat of a drunken blur, but when she thought back on it—and she had done so all day—she couldn’t suppress the idea that Wilder Parker had entered her life for a reason.
Pouring two glasses of wine, she handed one to Wilder, and they toasted.
“To your new headquarters,” Cassia said.
“To new beginnings,” he replied, and she felt a hot flush touch her cheeks. She swallowed her embarrassment with a long sip of wine.
“Are you hungry?” she asked quickly, eager to fill the silence. “I don’t have much here, but we can order in.”
Wilder rose from his spot and joined her side, setting his wine glass onto the table.
“I am hungry,” he told her, and his meaning was unmistakable.
You shouldn’t get involved with a client! something in her voice yelled nervously. Especially not a client like him! Cassia silenced the warning and turned her green eyes toward him. Her pulse was racing, the sound of her blood rushing into her ears.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” he told her, and Cassia almost laughed. Was that his way of asking for her permission? He was an ass, but at least he was a respectful one.
“What are you waiting for?”
It was all the encouragement Wilder needed, and when his lips brushed against hers, Cassia was ready for them, her own parted.
She fell into him instantly, his strong arms sweeping around her slender waist and drawing her near to feel the curves of his muscled frame. Their mouths explored, tongues touching as Cassia’s hands slipped along the small of Wilder’s back, pulling him tightly toward her with a mounting urgency.
The spark she had felt had been ignited into a full-fledged conflagration, and Cassia could tell Wilder felt the same as they slowly moved out of the kitchen, clothes falling after them until they were nearly naked and sprawled before the unlit fireplace on a faux fur rug.
Why didn’t I light the fire? I knew we were coming to this. We could have been making love by the fire. It didn’t matter, for Cassia was swept up in waves of heat greater than any the hearth could have provided when Wilder’s lips trailed along the crevices of her body to explore her intimately. She felt like he had touched her before, and yet she was so clearly caught up in the headiness of the first time with him.
A five o’clock shadow around Wilder’s face caused a tickle on her inner thighs as he discovered her center, and Cassia moaned quietly, her head falling back to arch toward his mouth.
“You are perfect,” he growled from his position between her quivering thighs. “I knew you would be.”
Cassia could only exhale in a sweeping whoosh as he delved into her, bringing her to the highest forms of pleasure over and over again until she was exhausted.
When they were face-to-face again, she leaned up to kiss his lips, her eyes boring into his.
“Take me,” she begged softly. “Please.”
Wilder grinned at her, the cocksure yet boyish grin that both infuriated and aroused her, but Cassia was too consumed with the desire to consider the meaning behind it.
“I can’t refuse when you ask so nicely,” he teased gently, brushing his lips against hers. Their bodies joined then, Cassia’s thighs clenching around his waist. She gasped, and Wilder’s mouth swallowed the sound.
They fell into a crescendo of passion, their movements a choreographed flow as though they had known one another in such an intimate setting before. It was at once familiar and strange to Cassia, who never wanted it to stop, no matter how many times she reached her highest climax.
Their passion reached a fever pitch, and with a grunt and a long sigh, Wilder succumbed to his primal needs. Cassia held him close, feeling the wild thudding of his heart, which matched hers almost perfectly. Wilder’s breaths tickled the side of her neck, and she exhaled, expelling the last of her energy in one lungful of air.
“You’re a great real estate agent,” Wilder cracked, raising his head to look at her. Cassia eyed him with contempt.
“Really?” she growled, knowing he was joking. “I already had your signature.”
“You had me,” he told her quietly, the jesting smile falling from his lips. Their eyes locked, and another sweeping warmth flooded Cassia. “You’re shaking,” Wilder said, sliding to the side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m a little better than okay,” she laughed. “You broke me.”
“Is that a fact?” he laughed. Gently, he brushed a rogue strand of hair from her cheek, but his fingers lingered on her face. “You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”
“Creature, huh?”
A strange shroud clouded Wilder’s face, and he sat up, peering down at Cassia with an expression she couldn’t quite understand.
“You never did tell me about your family,” he recalled. “Where is your mother?” Cassia wished he hadn’t asked, especially not at the moment when she had never felt more at peace.
“What is your fascination with my mother?” she demanded defensively, also sitting. She reached toward the sofa for a throw blanket and wrapped it around herself.
“I just want to get to know you better,” Wilder said, but Cassia was irked.
“I don’t see you telling me about your family,” she replied. “And you don’t see me asking you about it.”
“I have four brothers,” Wilder responded. “They are all in different places of their lives.” Cassia knew about the Parker family—a lot of it she’d uncovered when she’d done the original digging on him. “How about you? Any siblings?”
Cassia’s mouth became a taut line.
“No,” she answered shortly. “I’m an only child.”
“Single mom?” Wilder asked, and she turned to look at him curiously.
“Yeah. How did you know?” He didn’t answer, and Cassia got the feeling he was weighing his next words very carefully. “What? Suddenly you’ve developed some tact?” she asked with mild sarcasm. “I must be a good influence on you.”
“You are.” Wilder moved closer to her and drew her body against him. His heart had slowed some, but it was still beating quickly. Cassia found the rhythm hypnotizing and didn’t pull away. “I want to tell you something,” he said quietly. “But I don’t think you’ll take it very well.”
“Christ, you’re married, aren’t you!” Cassia wrenched herself out of his arms and glared at him accusingly.
“Of course not! You must really think I’m a pig!” Wilder snapped, his face twisting into a scowl. Cassia was instantly contrite.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “You just made it sound like… I don’t know, something earth-shattering.”
“Well, it is, in a manner of speaking,” he replied slowly, the frown falling from his face. “I should have said that I doubt you’ll accept it as the truth when I tell you.”
Cassia waited. She studied his face, hoping to understand what he was trying to say by his expression.
“I won’t know unless you try me,” she reminded him, but her pulse quickened at the undertones she was feeling.
“Have you ever felt… different?” Wilder asked her. “That maybe you didn’t belong in this world?”
Cassia barked out a laugh. “Doesn’t everyone, Wilder? What kind of question is that?”
“A legitimate one.”
She realized he wanted an answer, and her mouth puckered downward. “I guess, sure.”
“Does your mom talk about where she’s from? About your extended family?”
“Again with my mom?”