by Mina Carter
Oh well, the intrigue would all be over tomorrow. In the afternoon Jane was taking them to the Fae Court so they could get Spud back to his parents, or at the very least to the Morrigan who was bound to know who his parents were.
She nibbled her lip as she walked. The poor things must be going out of their minds with worry and she didn't like the idea that she was contributing to their distress. She didn't know them but she was sure any parent whose child was missing must be going through hell, wondering where their baby was... whether they were okay, who had them, whether they were being looked after, fed enough, kept warm enough... the list went on.
She'd been all for going to the Courts straight away, getting the baby back as soon as possible. Until Jane pointed out that Fae, especially temperamental ones like Mab and the Morrigan, were not people you knocked up out of their beds nor did they need Feral ending up as crispy critter. Reluctantly she conceded that Jane had a point, agreeing to get some sleep so they could leave as soon as the sun faded.
She reached the door to their room, opened it easily. Her lips quirked in a smile as she remembered Feral's earlier grumbling. Honestly, all it took was a light touch, not going at it like a bull at a gate. She pushed the door open and slipped in on silent feet. It closed behind her with softest click. Her eyes flew to the inhabitants of the room to make sure she hadn't woken them. She knew only too well how grouchy babies could be if they were woken before they were ready.
Her eyes fell on the bed and she smiled, all but melted inside. Stretched out full length across the bed was the large form of her Vampire Warrior, and curled up trustingly on the broad expanse of his chest was Spud, his pink hair a bright halo against the darkness of Feral's skin. She itched to rush over to her bag and grab her phone. She so needed to take a picture of this, it was just too cute for words; big, scary looking thug but so gentle with the baby he was cradling.
But then her attention was diverted by the lean form of the man himself. Shirtless again. He seemed to have real issues keeping a shirt on for any length of time, he just wore jeans. Jeans that clung to his lean hips and powerful thighs, the top button undone revealing the slight vee of hair that disappeared under the denim. Oh my god, he was commando under there!
She swallowed convulsively. There wasn't a spare ounce of fat on him, he was all hard muscle and satin skin. And even relaxed as he was, that charisma shrouded by sleep, she was still fascinated; still felt that pull towards him she had earlier. The desire to run her hands over those ripped muscles. Explore that scar she could just see on his abdomen with her tongue...
Ok, she was definitely a pervert! Her hands flew to her cheeks as heat flooded them. It was one thing to lust after a guy when he was conscious and asking for it but quite another to still do it when he was sleeping and holding a baby. Just how low could you get?
She shook her head, crossed the room to get to her bag. A quick search through the organised chaos of the contents and she located her phone by touch, drawing it out of the bag and flipped it open as she turned. Only to find Feral watching her, his dark eyes unreadable.
“That won't work, Kyn don't pick up on camera's well,” His voice was barely more than a whisper so he didn't wake the sleeping baby. “Like not at all,”
Tessa frowned, pouting slightly in her disappointment. It would have made such a cute picture as well! She flipped the phone shut and slid it back into her bag, saying the first thing that came to mind. “So how do you get a driver's license then?”
“Who said I had a license?”
“What?” Tessa squawked, the shrill sound making Spud jump a little. Feral glared at her warningly, soothing him back into sleep. If he wasn't a Vampire, he'd make a great dad Tessa thought to herself absently, before her indignation at being driven by someone without a license got the better of her again. “You don't have a license? You shouldn't be driving at all then! What if you got caught?”
Feral just shrugged, rocking the baby in his arms on automatic. “Jedi mind tricks remember? What else am I supposed to do? We don't photograph and I don't have a birth certificate. Not easy to get a license without those,”
She nibbled her lip, caught out once again making assumptions. She hadn't had a lot to do with Kyn before. In fact Feral was pretty much the only one she'd done more than nod at.
“He's gone back,” Feral's deep voice was still quieter than normal as he levered himself up from the bed, his posture rigid as he kept the little boy held in his arms in the same position as he'd fallen asleep, a look of contentment on his tiny face. She watched as Feral carefully placed him in the travel cot Jane had sent up to them, making sure he was tucked in nice and tight.
Her heart melted again, a sense of amazement filled her again at the gentleness he showed towards the baby. She knew he had issues with Pixies. There was an edge in his voice at times; a flash of anger in his eyes, when he spoke about them that tipped her off. It wasn't surprising, the Pixie race as a whole weren't a nice one. It was one of the reasons the women were peeling off, choosing to live and marry among the humans. It was a better life.
Feral straightened up, watched Spud for a moment then turned to her. “He's asleep,”
he announced with pride, a smile spreading over his face.
The smile hit Tessa like a speeding bullet, her heart fluttered in her chest. Feral was dangerous, not just physically in that 'mess with me and I'll rip your limbs off' sort of way, but dangerous in other ways too. Something deep inside her, something inherently feminine, told her he was dangerous emotionally as well. Without much effort she could fall for him and fall badly.
She tried to ignore the feeling as they settled in on the double bed to watch an old film Feral found on one of the channels. It was strange but, despite the day she had, followed by all the excitement of the evening, she wasn't tired yet. But it didn't matter, they could sleep in late in the morning. Until the sun went down they were pretty much trapped here so they might as well make the most of it.
“This is terrible,” she commented, indicating the screen. “And I'm bored,”
He slid her a sideways glance, arching an eyebrow. “Bored? You can't be... this is a classic!” he said, his voice aghast even as his eyes twinkled with laughter. Tessa studied the screen again, which showed some kind of car chase which never seemed to end.
“Yeah, right,” she muttered. “Classic my ass...”
“Oooh! That’s it, you can't diss Bullitt, it's just not done!”
Tessa giggled, their conversation conducted in whispers as they tried to avoid waking the sleeping baby, “Not done huh? Seems to me I just did... so what you going to do about it fang-boy?” she challenged, grabbing a pillow to defend herself and scooted to the edge of the bed.
“Fang-boy? Well aren't you queen of the original insults?!” Feral demanded, arming himself and advancing on her. Trouble was, the fierce expression on his face was completely ruined by the pale lavender pillow he was brandishing threateningly. “You have insulted my honour! Prepare to... get battered!!”
With that he launched his attack, battering her with the feather pillow as she frantically tried to defend herself with her own. Queen of the pillow fights when she was a kid, she was pleased to discover she'd lost none of her skill, easily holding him off as she made a move for his pillow. Then she had both, rising to her knees to hit him back, forcing him to block with lightening quick movements, both of them laughing so hard she was surprised the noise didn't disturb Spud.
Her half second glance that way cost her dearly. In a sneaky move Feral flicked both pillows out of her hands and rolled over, pinning her under him in a lightening quick movement. She giggled and tried to wriggle from under him, her fingers strained for the pillow teetering on the edge of the bed to whack him over the head again.
Then she caught his gaze and the amusement drained from her face. The mood between them flipped from light and teasing to aware and fraught with sexual tension in a heartbeat. Holding her gaze he moved, sliding a hand into her
hair, strong fingers caressed the nape of her neck.
She swallowed, realising she was very effectively pinned on the bed under him. His large, muscled body covered hers, blocking her view of the rest of the room. Trapping the two of them in their own little world. One heavy leg covered hers, his broad chest pressed against the softness of her breasts. And pressed against her stomach was the hard evidence of his mood.
She caught her breath, a thrill shot through her as he leaned forward. “I've wanted to do this since we left off earlier,” he confessed as his lips claimed hers, hot and hard. Full of need as, without preamble, he coaxed her lips apart. Her body turned to jelly as his tongue swept in, exploring the silken depths of her mouth relentlessly. Endlessly. By the time he lifted his head a lifetime later they were both breathing raggedly.
“Don't turn me away, Tess,” He kissed her between the words, hard kisses that transmitted the need surging through his large body. “Please don't turn me away.”
“Don't worry, I don't intend to,” Her hand smoothed over the nape of his neck, brushing against the stubble there. A silky pelt that teased her fingers. He moaned, his head dropped again to devour her lips as he moved over her, the movement of his hips against hers mimicked what they both wanted to happen... what was going to happen shortly.
She parted her thighs, cradled him with the softness of her body as his hand smoothed down her side. He pulled her t-shirt up, his movements hurried, desperate almost. As though he couldn't wait to touch her, as though he needed, craved, the touch of her skin. As he did, his large hand fitting into the curve of her waist, a sigh escaped him. A sigh she could swear was a sigh of relief as his lips trailed fire down her neck.
Tessa's breath caught in her throat. Did he really feel that way about her? Desperate to touch her? She could understand it if he did, a similar desperation was crawling through her, settling deep inside her and taking up residence. She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his back, feeling the hard muscle that rippled under his skin until she had a handful of the hard ass Jane had admired earlier.
Almost as though thinking of her had conjured her up, there was a rapid knock on the door, Jane's panicked voice filtering through the wood. “You’ve got to wake up guys! The Pixies are here!”
Chapter Six
Feral closed his eyes, dropped his head down to rest against Tessa's shoulder.
Frustration and disappointment surged through him, fighting a battle for dominance. He couldn't believe this! Not again!
"I fucking hate Pixies!" he breathed vehemently. His fist bunched instinctively under the pillow with the need to hit something. Take a little of his frustration out somehow.
"Tell me about it," Disappointment and frustration coloured Tessa’s voice as she pushed at his shoulders. He rolled away, already looking for his boots as she headed for the door. "And I bloody am one!"
Feral didn't answer, just nodded his head as he jammed his feet into his boots and grabbed his shirt. Behind him Jane barrelled through the door as soon as Tessa opened it, her sharp eyes sweeping the room and latching onto his semi-nakedness immediately. It was something Feral was used to, sometimes Kyn Warriors had that effect on other races, particularly women... something about their demon blood. The fact that most of them were over six foot and ripped as all hell didn't hurt one bit.
"Oh put it away lover boy, we don't have the time!" Jane told him as he pulled the shirt over his head, the fabric stretching over his broad shoulders. He pulled it down, emerging from the fabric to give her a look, but didn't reply. From the pale look on her face she already had one hell of a shock, worry etched into the features that were so similar to Tessa's. Must be where she got the attitude from as well, he mused as he grabbed his weapons belt and buckled it quickly around his hips.
"Grab your bags," she ordered as she headed over to the cot to pick up the sleeping Spud. Wrapping him tightly in the blanket she cradled him against her and headed back over to the door.
"We've got Pixies downstairs looking for you and they aren't taking no for an answer.
You need to get out of here and now!"
Neither of them needed to be told twice, they grabbed their belongings and stuffed them into the bags as quickly as they possibly could.
"How the hell did they find us so quickly?" Feral demanded. He zipped his bag up with a quick flick of his wrist and held it out to Tessa. Who glared back at him, a 'carry your own damn bag buddy!' look on her face. It wasn't until he pulled one of the heavy blades from the back of his belt that her expression cleared. Nodding, she took the bag, looping the strap across her body, the strap sitting diagonally between her breasts as she picked up the other two.
Feral wrestled his attention from her delectable body, one he had so nearly had his hands on. And was having trouble with even now, as images of what she look like naked flashed across his minds eye causing a very predictable response lower down in his body. He shook his head. If the Pixies caught up with them he needed a clear mind as well as his hands free to deal with them, and rampant erotic fantasies of Tessa were just going to distract him.
Well, distract him even more than her presence did, and that delicate scent that was all hers. A scent which had wound itself around him, crept into his nostrils and crawled under his skin until it was a part of him.
A dark, dangerous look spread over his face and hardened his features as he settled his blades more comfortably on his hands. Any Pixies stupid, or unlucky, enough to catch up with them now were really going to wish they’d never been born. They’d interrupted twice now. Not once, but, count them, twice… right as he’d been about to get some action! Which was not something he was forgiving lightly, not with his body as hard and aching as it was, reminding him of exactly what he was missing out on!
He nodded he was ready to the two women, both watched him with that wide eyed look which women sometimes got around him. A look which said they half expected violence to just occur all around him without him needing to lift a finger. Well, civilian women got that look anyway. Vixen would just have slapped him upside the head for showing off like he was, flexing his muscles because Tessa was watching, and demanded to know why he wasn’t out in that corridor yet.
Casting a quick glance about the room to make sure they had everything he moved past the two women to the door. With control hard won over the years and even more so now he blocked out all other distractions and concentrated on the corridor outside.
It was empty, his keen senses picking up nothing. No breathing, no heartbeat, nothing.
He heard of some people holding their breath to avoid detection when they were lying in wait for someone. But he had yet to meet anyone that could shield a heartbeat from a Kyn.
Especially one that hadn’t fed yet tonight.
“Ok, we’re all clear,” He pulled the door open and headed out into the corridor.
Progress through the hotel corridors was quick, Feral hurrying the two women along as quickly as he could. He didn’t even have to remind them to keep quiet, which was a minor miracle considering how they’d been chattering away down in reception earlier. Even Spud was down with the deal, watching proceedings wide-eyed and silent as he picked up on the sense of urgency shrouding the adults.
The corridors were deserted, it being an odd sort of time in the morning. The one where clock watching insomniacs had finally succumbed to exhaustion and the average early bird’s alarm clock had yet to spring to life. Even so, dawn was approaching, the tell tale heaviness settling into Feral’s limbs as Jane led them down further into the depths of the hotel. Down through the kitchens and beyond, into the darkness of the basement.
Feral breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the shielding comfort of the ground closing around him, shielding him from the worst effects of the approaching sunrise. Of all the facts humanity had picked up or made up about Vampires their habit of seeking the earth was the most accurate. The human books and films each gave their own reasons of course but the reason was simple. The laye
rs of dirt between him and the soon to rise sun lifted some of the heaviness trying to settle into his muscles and hold him paralysed, crushing him. But the earth stopped that, a bizarre form of sun block. He chuckled to himself; amusement filled him at the thought. Good old dirt, factor billion.
“Well, here we are,” Jane announced as the two women stood at the bottom of the stairs, Feral joined them a moment or so later. The barred door at the top of the stairs might not stall a determined Pixie for long – hell, by the looks of it, it might not stop a determined Chihuahua for long – but sometimes you had to make do with that you could get. At the moment Feral was taking every half second he could lay his hands on.
The basement wasn’t what he was expecting, the fusty odours of age and mildew combining to attack his sensitive nostrils. On the one hand it was your average, clutter filled basement with the random cast of paraphernalia of running a hotel lining the walls. Like the dining room chair to his left, resplendent in all its faded glory, seat ripped to spill its fabric guts out onto the floor. Next to it sat a cot with three broken slats filled with what looked like ripped up old sheets, and so on... half formed shapes in the shadows cast by the single bare bulb overhead. All pretty standard basement type stuff.
Except that was, for the freaking huge magic circle painted across the floor and continuing in a sprawl across the wall. As though the painter had realised halfway through he’d run out of space and had just carried on along the next available surface. Feral followed the design, half expecting it to continue over the clutter, painted across more broken chairs and the like. But it didn’t, that area of the basement completely clear to allow the circle to continue unbroken. In the middle, there was a door. Well, it looked like a door. If doors didn’t actually have doors and lead to raw dirt instead. Absently he wondered how the dirt was being held up and why it hadn’t just fallen into the room.