by R. E. Butler
“Aw. That’s so sad. He’s all alone then?”
“He’s got you,” Margot said.
Kelly smiled. “He sure does.”
“So, have you decided when you’re going to quit?” Margot asked.
Kelly’s mouth fell open and she looked at her friend. While she tried to think of something to say, Margot chuckled. “It’s easy to see how close you and Bellamin are. It killed him to have to leave your side this morning, so there’s no way he’d want you gone all day to work at the bookstore.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, honestly. You’re right, though. My whole life changed when Bell and I became beloveds. But I really love the bookstore.”
“Too bad there’s not a vampire bookstore,” Atlas said.
“Mishka kind of has one,” Kelly said. “Not that he’d ever make it a public place.”
“True. It was spectacular though,” Margot said.
Kelly nodded. “I’d love to just hang out there and read everything.”
“Maybe he’ll let you go back there sometime,” Margot suggested. “In the meantime, I’d love it if you’d work one more shift with me, so that Poppy and I can have a fun last day with you.”
“It’s not like you’ll never see me, you know,” Kelly said.
“Our lives are going in different directions, but I’ll always be your friend.”
Conversation stopped as Adriel pulled around the side of the apartment complex. A security gate opened slowly and allowed their vehicle to pass, closing behind them. They followed an alley to a large metal door which opened to admit them. Once inside, the door was shut, and when it clanged as it hit the concrete floor, Bell stepped out of the shadows with Dylan and Merrix and opened the passenger door.
Aram, who’d woken up the moment the vehicle had stopped to wait for the gate to open, crouched on all fours over Kelly and hissed at Bell.
“What the hell?” he asked, taking a step back.
“Hey, little dragon,” Kelly said with a soothing tone, stroking his head. “This is my beloved and that means he’s your friend. Give him your hand, Bell.”
“Is he going to bite it off?” he asked.
“I promise he won’t. I think.”
“That’s reassuring,” Bell said, rolling his eyes. He extended his hand and Aram sniffed it, then looked at Kelly with a questioning purr.
“That’s right. He’s mine.”
“Damn straight,” Bell said.
“This is Aram,” Kelly said. “I named him after the head of the coven since he didn’t have a name of his own. He was guarding the treasure.”
The dragon hopped down and snuffled all over the concrete, taking a moment to sniff at Bell, then Merrix and Dylan. He looked at Kelly and she assured him they were friends. As he went to explore the garage, Kelly hugged Bell and kissed him.
“I feel like we’ve been apart for days, not hours,” she said.
“Me too.” He lifted her off the ground and held her tightly, his face buried in her neck. “How did it go?”
“I’ll tell you once we’re in the apartment. I’m glad you’ve got help because I brought back some things.”
Adriel, Rysk, Tyrant, and Atlas waited at the back of the van, where she’d placed the items she’d wanted to bring from the cave. While it had been overwhelmingly tempting to loot the whole cave, they simply didn’t have the room for everything, and it wasn’t like the cave was going anywhere. She was the only one who could access it, and since Danlier’s coven was destroyed, no one else knew she was the Key Keeper.
She and Bell joined the males at the back of the van. Bell let out a low whistle.
Inside the cave, she’d found leather satchels, which she and the others had filled. She’d found a section of the cave with bookshelves carved into the wall, and she’d cleared out an entire shelf of books to bring back. One of the satchels had gold coins and gems, and she’d brought back a beautiful sapphire bracelet for Selma. “This isn’t even a tenth of what was in the cave,” Kelly said. “I want to go back again and look around, bring back more things. I don’t know where to put it all though.”
“I have an idea about that,” Bell said. “We can discuss it later. For now, we can put everything in our apartment. And I guess we have a pet now?”
“Yes,” she said. “A really protective, very old dragon.”
Bell kissed her with a chuckle. “Anything to help keep you safe, beloved.”
When all the items were settled inside their apartment, Kelly and Bell walked back down to the garage with the others. She hugged Margot tightly. “Thank you so much for coming with me. If it weren’t for you, there’s no telling what might have happened.”
“I’m glad I knew where to go.”
“I’ll call you tonight, okay?” Kelly said.
“Of course.” Margot gave Aram her hand to scent as the dragon came to stand by the two of them, and he sniffed it and then purred, sitting on his haunches next to Kelly and wrapping his tail around her ankle. “See you soon, Aram.”
Kelly and Bell thanked the bears for their help and support, and then she hugged Atlas. “Are you going back to your realm?”
“Yes, but to pack. Adriel was kind enough to offer me a tent within the den. I just got my family back, there’s no way I want to just disappear into my realm.”
Tyrant said, “We’ll bring him to visit whenever you want, and you can contact him with mine or Rysk’s cell phones.”
“I was hoping you’d be sticking around,” she said. She entered her and Bell’s numbers into their phones and handed them back.
“To be honest,” Atlas said, “I feel compelled to stay in this realm. It’s not only that I finally have a connection to family again, but there’s something in this realm drawing me to stay.”
“What do you think it is?” Kelly asked.
“I don’t know.” He sighed and gave her a smile. “Fate will reveal it when the time is right.”
Bell put his arm around Kelly and shook Atlas’s hand. “Thank you for keeping my beloved safe.”
“That’s what we do for family.”
“See you soon,” Kelly said.
The group climbed into the van, and Kelly, Bell, Aram, and the others scooted away from the door to avoid the sunlight as it opened and allowed the big vehicle to exit. Once the door was shut and locked, and Merrix confirmed that the van was gone and the exterior security gate was locked as well, they left the garage and headed up to their apartment.
“Glad things went so well for you all,” Merrix said as he and Dylan stopped at the door to her and Bell’s apartment.
“Thanks for keeping him company,” Kelly said. “I’m sure he was going crazy being apart from me. I sure was.”
“Will we see you guys tonight?” Dylan asked. “Are you working?”
“Mishka wants to talk to Kelly after sunset,” Bell said. “I don’t think I’ll be working tonight, though.”
Once they were inside the apartment, Bell ordered a meal for her because she was starving, including several raw and cooked steaks for Aram. The little dragon was snuffling every inch of the apartment, making curious noises as he moved. Bell hustled down to the lobby to grab the food, and when he returned, he sat with her on the couch while she devoured a ham and cheese omelet and a blueberry muffin that was as big as her fist. Aram ate the raw steaks first and then the rare-cooked ones, and then he climbed up onto the couch and flopped down with a happy purr.
“He’s so sweet,” she said, stroking his smooth underbelly.
“He is. I’m sweeter, though,” Bell said.
He picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. She kissed him, her body suddenly on fire. “I’m aching for you, Bell.”
“Trust me, love, the feeling is entirely mutual.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Bell set Kelly on the bed, his entire being aching with need. Being apart from her had nearly driven him insane, and now that she was safe and fed, he wanted to do a millio
n things to her. Make her purr with pleasure. Trace her sexy curves with his fingers and tongue. He moved to straighten, but she fisted his shirt, pulling him down and twisting them until he was underneath her and she was straddling him. Planting her hands on the bed on either side of his head, she smiled and kissed him, their lips meeting and parting as their tongues touched and the kiss deepened. His spine tingled and his fangs throbbed as she deftly avoided the sharp tips like she’d been kissing him for a hundred years and not just a few days.
He found the hem of her top and pulled up, sliding his fingers up her smooth, warm back. She shivered and smiled against his lips, easing from the kiss and planting little nips and licks along his jaw and down his throat. Her fingers flew down the front of his shirt, opening the buttons and pulling it from the confines of his jeans. She kissed a path down his chest, moving her body lower as she undid his belt and unfastened his jeans. She peeked up at him, their gazes clashing as she reached inside and stroked his length.
He wanted to tell her how gorgeous she was. How crazy he was about her. She was the most spectacular female he’d ever known, and that she was his beloved and that he’d get to wake up with her everyday forever just made him... so... fuck.
His head fell back as she worked his jeans and underwear down his hips and freed his length, her tongue stroking over the fat head with a soft moan. She shoved his jeans down his thighs. He closed his eyes at the feel of her mouth as she took him a little further into her mouth each time she went down. His senses were on fire, the sweet scent of her arousal like a beacon for him. He hit the back of her throat and ground his teeth together, his fangs digging into his gums as heat poured over him.
She lifted from him and he opened his eyes to watch her strip from her jeans, her hands trembling as she worked quickly. In a heartbeat she was straddling him, grasping his cock in her hand and rubbing him against her heat. She was wet and hot, and he exhaled as she slid down his length, taking him fully inside her. The ache within him intensified sharply, and he wanted to flip their positions and pound into her, take them both to the heavens as quickly as possible.
But he didn’t. His beloved was on a mission of her own, and he loved her taking over in their mating bed.
When their bodies were wed tightly, she leaned over and kissed him.
“I love you, Bell.”
“I love you, Kelly.”
She straightened, letting out a moan as she grabbed the hem of her top and lifted it over her head, unfastening her bra and tossing it aside. She flexed her hips, grinding against him, as she cupped her breasts and smiled at him, every bit the vixen. He grasped her hips and they moved together, her body undulating against him, their gazes locked. He moved his hand until he could touch her clit with his thumb, rubbing the bud in time to their movements. Her pussy clenched him tightly and her mouth fell open as she panted for breath. He rubbed her bud faster, her eyes closing in bliss as she came around him. He followed her into pleasure a few strokes later, smiling as she slumped down onto him with a happy sigh.
He nuzzled her throat and gave her skin a nip. “Sexy, beautiful female. All mine.”
“Forever,” she promised.
* * *
Bell took a seat next to Kelly across from Mishka’s desk. Sitting on his haunches next to Kelly was Aram, wearing the leather collar and leash that Bell had delivered before they left. It was for show—Aram wouldn’t leave Kelly’s side, but he looked very intimidating and they didn’t want anyone to freak out about him. So far, Aram had only snapped his jaws at Merrix and Dylan in the lobby before they’d headed to the club, but he’d purred and wagged his tail like a puppy when he was introduced to Angie and her twin mates, Vex and Rage. He had a feeling it was entirely based on the fact that Vex and Rage had heard about the dragon and gave him a huge smoked bone. Which he was happily gnawing away on, his sharp teeth scraping and gouging the bone.
Mishka’s beloved, Harmony, stood next to him, looking at her phone.
“Beloved?” Mishka murmured, taking her free hand and bringing it to his lips.
“What? Oh, sorry.” Harmony put her phone on the desk upside down. “The guys are working on a set list since the new stage is nearly finished.”
“It’ll be nice to have it back,” Bell said. Several months earlier, the coven’s construction crew demolished the stage where Harmony and her band played. Harmony, as a musical muse, used music to alter the emotions of people, feeding her nature from their good moods. When her nature was satisfied, her hair would have streaks of bright pink and blue within the dark strands.
“For sure.” Harmony sat on the arm of Mishka’s chair. “So holy crap, you’re actually related to the most famous coven in the entire history of vampires.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Kelly said. “It’s crazy, right? The night I filled in for Selma as food, I was just this human girl who worked at a bookstore.”
“Fate is strange sometimes,” Harmony said.
“Now,” Mishka said, “tell me everything.”
Bell listened as Kelly recounted opening the portal into the Fromuls Realm, finding the cave that appeared empty, until Aram unlocked the secrets.
Mishka sat in rapt attention, his golden eyes wide with curiosity as she shared her adventure. Bell was incredibly proud of her, even if he was damn jealous he couldn’t join her.
“So,” Kelly said, clearing her throat and taking a drink of the iced tea that Harmony provided, “I found some leather satchels and filled them—with books, interesting artifacts, and gold and jewels. I haven’t had a chance to look through the books yet, or really go through any of the satchels. I figure I can go back at some point and get the rest of the books. I’m most interested in them.”
“Really? Over the gold and jewels? Because I gotta say, I’d be heading for the sparkly stuff first,” Harmony said.
Bell smiled as Kelly chuckled. “I was overwhelmed, honestly. I’ve never seen such wealth. I did see a really pretty sapphire bracelet and picked it up for Selma, since it’s her birthstone.”
“So sweet.” Harmony said.
“But the truth is that I don’t know what to do with everything. There’s only so much gold that a person can spend. I mean, I know I’m immortal now but still…” Her voice trailed off, her head tilting down as silence filled the room.
Bell frowned. “Sweetheart?”
She inhaled as she lifted her head. “Sorry. I just don’t know where I fit in anymore. I mean, I’ve inherited wealth that can’t be counted. I have sole access to a hidden cave in a realm that no one in our party had ever heard of. And I’ve got a dragon for a pet and protector. But despite all that, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t work at the bookstore anymore, and while I’ve got all of Bell’s fighting knowledge mixing around in my brain, I know for a fact he won’t want me to act as guard here in the offices, and I’m okay with that. I’m still me, but also I feel like literally everything about me has changed in such a profound way that I don’t know who I am anymore.”
Bell’s heart ached for the soft, sad tone in his beloved’s voice. He picked up her hand and brought it to his cheek. He wanted to make everything right in her world, but he didn’t know how. She was feeling lost and adrift, and all he could do was be there for her.
Mishka cleared his throat. “Cella came to me when we arrived back before dawn today and asked if I’d be willing to allow her to hire you for the food manager position.”
Kelly’s head tilted and she didn’t say anything for a moment. “What’s that?”
“The food manager position handles the humans who are paid to feed the vampires in attendance at the club. We’ve always had a human fill the position, because we’ve found that other humans feel more comfortable around one of their own kind. The female who held the job last quit after the club bombing because she didn’t feel safe, so Cella took over for her. It’s been many months since that happened, and Cella’s been unable to find a person to fill the position. Because you’re an immorta
l beloved mate, you’re still human which would make you an asset for the position.”
“I have a feeling there’s a but coming,” Kelly said.
Mishka smiled. “I don’t really want you for that job.”
“Because I lied and took Selma’s place and exposed a weakness in the check-in system?”
Mishka made a face. “Well, I wasn’t happy about that at first, but in all honesty, you demonstrated a severe security weakness that no one else had noticed, so I’m not pissed about that anymore. I was hoping you’d want to take a new position that I recently created—curator for the coven’s library.”
“I didn’t know you had a library,” Kelly said, glancing at Bell with a confused look.
“Officially, I don’t,” Mishka said. “But the storage facility, as you saw for yourself, is filled to the brim with antiquities and books. While everything in the facility is cataloged in the computer system, I don’t even remember everything that’s in there because I’ve had some of the items for so long. What I’d like to do is offer you the curator position. We’ll get a new computer system and catalog program set up, and you can spend the night hours at the facility, re-cataloging everything into the new system. If you’d be interested, I’d also be thrilled if you would store your own treasures in the facility. We can set up one of the individual rooms for your collection and you can focus on that first.”
“Wow. Really? I don’t know what to say.”
Harmony smiled gently. “Just say you’ll think about it and let us know. Bellamin can be part of the guard detail that transports you to and from the facility. We can even work him into the guards who patrol there as well. With your dragon pet, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about as far as your safety, and that facility is locked tight as a drum.”
“And Arissa is working on spells to cover the vehicles the coven uses. It’s sort of a large-scale protection that would inhibit anyone from really seeing where the vehicles are going. If she can pull it off, with the help of the Wiccan coven, then we believe that will make our coven even safer.” Mishka paused and leaned back in the chair, taking his beloved’s hand. “I have a love of books and antiquities. Darien searches for things for me in his downtime, and if you take the job, the two of you can coordinate retrieval of items too.”