“You were only supposed to bring back one jaguar,” Cord called out as they approached.
“Kish wouldn’t leave without her sister,” Winter explained. “She was afraid Moon might be hurt if the demons find the jaguar community. I told her Moon can stay with us.”
Cord didn’t look happy, but Kish’s sister didn’t seem to notice as she raced forward to greet him. “I’m Moon. Don’t worry about me causing any problems. I’ll do my best to stay out of trouble, and I can help out a lot. Since I haven’t had my first change yet, I can’t hunt, but I can cook and sew. I love sewing. I made my clothes and Kish’s.”
“We should keep her,” Vexx called out.
Kish still hadn’t said anything, and Mitchell was keeping his distance.
“We need to get moving,” Abram announced. They could all talk about Moon’s stay with the cougars after he and the others were on the road. The trip was long, and he figured the sooner they got Kish to the witches, the safer Mitchell would be. Not just Mitchell. Everyone would be safer. He wasn’t just thinking about Mitchell.
“He’s right,” Winter agreed.
Cord walked over and hugged Vexx before turning to Jase. “Don’t let anything happen to my daughter.”
“I’ll protect her with my life,” Jase promised.
Cord nodded and started to strip out of his clothes before looking over at Moon and sighing. Moon had already told them she’d yet to have her first change. “Looks like we’ll have to walk back.”
“I’ll call and get you a ride,” Abram offered. “I’m sure Connor can swing back to pick you up.”
“All right,” Cord agreed.
Abram made the call, and then they were off. He tried to hide his annoyance when he learned Mitchell was taking a different jeep, leaving him with Kish, Davin, and Maddox. On his way to the jeep, he decided it was for the best. He needed to stop thinking about Mitchell. Not fucking likely, the voice in the back of his head responded.
Chapter 36
The second night, they reached the former doomsday cult settlement. Vexx was excited, while the others were uneasy. The place was undeniably creepy, with a large wrought-iron gate around it. As they approached the entrance, dark magic crawled along her skin. The sun had already set, adding to the eerie feel of the place. Still, no matter how many chills it sent up her spine, Vexx was fascinated. There were benefits to her curiosity.
They parked the jeeps and stepped out just outside the gate.
Abram rubbed his arms and muttered, “This place is scary as fuck.”
“It’s a spell,” Vexx assured them as she reached out to try to identify the source of the magic.
“Not a demon spell,” Kish remarked, with only a slight tremor to her voice. “It cuts straight to your soul.”
“I don’t like this place,” Zane muttered.
Two females and a male approached from the other side of the gate. Vexx smelled shifter, vampire, and another scent she suspected might be Fae, but they were harder to identify.
“Why are you here?” the smallest female in the group asked.
Vexx liked her on sight. It wasn’t easy being the smallest in the group, but this vampire was a survivor, and she didn’t doubt her own strength. She was only about an inch over five feet tall with a petite frame, shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, and brown eyes.
Judging by his scent, the male was a wolf shifter. He watched them with silvery blue eyes. His hair was black and cut short. He was tall compared to most cougar shifters she knew, standing just shy of six feet. That was the case with most wolf and bear shifters.
The other female was tall, standing barely an inch under six feet. Her long blond hair was streaked with shades of turquoise that matched her eyes.
“Connor said you’d grant us sanctuary for the night,” Mitchell replied.
The leader studied Mitchell before nodding and opening the gate. “Bring the jeeps in, and we’ll show you where to park them.”
On those words, she walked away with the shapeshifter beside her. The others stayed behind to lock the gate again after they entered. The feeling of unease let up some once they passed through the gate.
Vexx looked around as they passed the burnt out old buildings. It reminded her of the vampire reservation near her clan’s land. It had been burnt to the ground during the original vampire rebellions. The enemies of the local vampires had rebuilt the center of the reservation at some point, but no one had noticed. Vampires still avoided that area because of the bad memories associated with the reservations.
As they neared the center of the old doomsday cult land, they found a large mansion. It had probably been a magnificent building at one time. Large pillars stood near the front. Shades were drawn in all the windows. Older solar panels lined the roof of the massive two-story building.
“I guess the people who ran the cult didn’t have money issues,” Jase remarked.
“Of course not,” Vexx replied. “You were alive back then, so you must know how cults worked.”
Jase shrugged. “We lived in an isolated part of Canada. There were probably cults around, but we didn’t have enough involvement with humans to hear much about them.”
“In general, cults required their members to hand over all their worldly possessions,” Vexx explained. “They likely still do in other parts of the world.”
“From what I’ve heard, there are plenty of settlements run by vampires and humans that could still be considered cults,” Jase pointed out.
“You’re right,” Vexx agreed. “I guess the big difference is that people don’t have many worldly possessions to hand over these days.”
“They still lose the most important thing,” the vampire who’d greeted them at the gate said as she approached them. “In a cult, you lose your identity. You can’t be yourself, just a part of the collective unit.”
“Spoken like someone with experience,” Vexx remarked.
The vampire nodded. “My parents were the leaders of the nightmare cult that existed here before the outbreak. It’s possible I’m the last living survivor. I’m not sure if anyone else was dying of cancer when the Moon virus outbreak first hit.”
Vexx stuck out a hand. “I’m Vexx.”
“I’m Seramina,” she replied before gesturing to the shapeshifter. “This is Jax.” She then gestured to the Fae standing farther back. “This is Jilliana.”
Mitchell looked at Jilliana. “You must be the one who cast the spell on this property.”
Jilliana flashed him an impish smile, surprising Vexx. She’d expected the powerful Fae to respond in a more detached manner. “It took me years to perfect it. Are you impressed? You’re the first Fae who’s seen it. We try to avoid the Fae. They are not good people.”
“Avoiding the Fae is always a good idea,” Mitchell agreed. “No offense to you.”
Jilliana waved off his apology. “None taken. I consider myself a wizard, not Fae.”
“Come inside, and we’ll get blood for you,” Seramina told them as she turned and walked into the mansion. She continued speaking as they followed her through the house. “You can’t stay here more than a night.”
“We won’t,” Mitchell assured her. “I understand you like your privacy.”
“The spell on the property will also make you lose your mind if you stay too long,” Jax added with a grin. “Jillie already had to alter the spell for you to stay the night.”
“I take it you don’t have many guests,” Jase remarked.
“We haven’t survived this long by inviting strangers into our domain,” Jilliana explained. “You’re the first outsiders we’ve invited to spend the night here.”
Jax shook his head. “Nah, we’ve invited others.”
“Only those we planned on inviting to stay here permanently,” Seramina added. “We’re only inviting you for a night because Jillie was dying to meet another Fae, and we were all curious about demons.”
“You’ve never met another Fae?” Mitchell asked Jilliana.
>
Vexx was surprised to learn Jilliana had no ties to the Fae. Half-Fae often lived among other species, that is, if they weren’t killed at birth. She’d never met a full-blood Fae who lived in the human realm.
“I was kidnapped and raised away from the Fae,” Jilliana explained. “Now, I’m just too sweet to try living with them, so I keep my presence hidden.”
Seramina snorted. “Sweet? I’ve seen you fight. You aren’t that sweet.”
Lexi had stayed back, looking as fascinated by the spell as Vexx. For some reason, Jilliana hadn’t noticed her until that moment. When she saw Lexi, her turquoise eyes widened. “Another Fae? Wait! I was warned by a witch to avoid Fae with silver eyes. You’re a dark Fae.” She sounded more curious than frightened.
“Her father saved my life,” Vexx interjected.
“No, he didn’t save your life,” Jase whispered.
“Right,” Vexx agreed with a sigh. “Her father brought me back to life.”
“Oh! Can you do that?” Jilliana asked.
“No,” Lexi replied. “I’m more human than Fae.”
Jilliana sighed. “That’s a pity. I want to learn that trick.”
“Before Jillie asks you a thousand other questions, let’s get some blood for the vampires, and I’ll show you to your rooms,” Seramina interjected. “You all look exhausted.”
“It’s been a long day,” Vexx agreed.
Jilliana looked disappointed with the interruption, but she didn’t complain.
Vexx was exhausted, but she wondered if any of them would be able to sleep with the dark magic flowing around them. Jilliana might not consider herself a dark Fae, but her magic was definitely not the good variety.
Chapter 37
Abram heard a knock shortly after going to bed. He hesitated, wondering if he should answer it. Seramina and her people creeped him out as much as the magic causing his skin to crawl, so he preferred to avoid interacting with them. The others could always message him if they needed anything. With the way the spell on the area affected them all, he didn’t think they’d be wandering around at night.
With a sigh, he got up to answer the door when the person knocked again. He found Mitchell standing there, shirtless with his feet bare. His hair was wet, so he’d probably taken a shower before heading to Abram’s room.
“Hey,” Abram said, feeling somewhat tongue-tied. He wanted to say more, but the sight of Mitchell shirtless did something to him. He’d seen more attractive guys completely naked, and they hadn’t had this strong of an effect on him. Typically, he got turned on, not dumbstruck.
“Can I come in?” Mitchell asked.
“Sure,” Abram replied as he stepped back to let him into the room. “Is this place bothering you as much as it bothers me?”
Mitchell shrugged. “Not really. It must be a demon thing.”
“I guess there are some benefits to your demon side,” Abram remarked.
“Are you trying to make small talk because you’re nervous?” Mitchell asked with a sexy as fuck lopsided grin.
Abram swallowed hard. Mitchell’s smile nearly knocked the breath out of him, leaving him aroused, confused, and a little pissed off. He’d had enough of feeling like he had no control over his world, and part of him wanted to tell Mitchell to get the hell out of his room and stay away from him. He hated the vulnerability that Mitchell brought out in him, but he wouldn’t tell him to leave. “You make me crazy.” His voice was so hoarse, it sounded like he’d swallowed a mouthful of sand. “This should be a perfectly innocent conversation.”
Mitchell’s bark of laughter surprised him, and Abram’s confusion must have shown because Mitchell explained his reaction. “I laughed because this is far from an innocent situation. We’re both shirtless, and both turned on. We’ve both been turned on around each other for days.”
“Months,” Abram uttered. “I keep thinking you’re totally innocent, but you surprised the hell out of me.” He moved across the room and sat on the edge of the bed.
It was more of a cot with a thin blanket and worn sheets. At least, Abram didn’t need to worry that his room would inspire some great seduction scene. Then again, he didn’t need a seduction scene to get turned on; all he needed was Mitchell.
“Are you okay?” Mitchell asked, his eyes narrowing with concern.
“You have a way of throwing me off,” Abram admitted as he stood and moved to the far side of the room.
“I know the feeling,” Mitchell agreed with another one of those grins that made Abram feel warm all over.
“Why are you really here?” Abram asked as he leaned against the wall and shoved his hands into his front pockets to keep from reaching out and touching Mitchell. And wasn’t that a strange reaction? He wanted Mitchell, but he was trying to avoid taking him.
“You know why I’m here,” Mitchell murmured as he prowled forward. “Don’t pretend this isn’t exactly where you want me to be.”
Abram stood there like an idiot as Mitchell continued his slow, sensual approach. Their gazes remained locked, and Abram found it impossible to look away. He didn’t have to seduce Mitchell because Mitchell seemed determined to seduce him. “This isn’t right,” Abram rasped out when Mitchell stood directly in front of him.
Mitchell stroked his cheek with a tenderness Abram was unaccustomed to—one he didn’t deserve but craved no less. “Why isn’t it right?” Mitchell asked as he leaned in closer until his warm breath caressed Abram’s lips. “Are you about to tell me that I’m too good? Do you think that by condescending to me, you can avoid what’s between us?”
“You are too good,” Abram insisted.
With their lips barely touching, Mitchell’s chuckle vibrated against Abram’s mouth. “That’s just an excuse because I scare you.”
“Nothing scares me,” Abram said helplessly.
“You’re terrified because this is about more than sex.” There was no accusation in Mitchell’s voice. It was merely a statement of fact.
“No!” Abram jerked awake in his bed, dick throbbing and heart pounding against his ribs. He’d have slammed his fist down on the mattress if there were room.
Climbing out of bed, he slipped on his pants and walked down the hall to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He looked up from the sink at his reflection. People often described his gray eyes as cold and disturbing—the eyes of a killer, one of his past lovers had told him. Her fascination with death had made her the perfect lover for him, so they’d fooled around for months before that same fascination with death had gotten her killed. Her death hadn’t come as a surprise, and he’d never mourned her passing. He didn’t miss any of his past lovers, but something told him Mitchell would be a different matter if he continued getting close to him.
“Fuck my life,” he grumbled before yanking the bathroom door open and almost slamming into Kish.
Chapter 38
“What are you doing out here?” Abram demanded.
Kish’s eyes narrowed in response to the vampire’s question. What right did he have to question her? “Since when do I need to explain myself to you? What the hell are you doing out here?”
Abram chuckled. “You are just what I need with the mood I’m in.”
As a shapeshifter, she’d already caught the scent of Abram’s arousal along with a hint of aggression. In her experience, the two often went hand-in-hand when it came to males. It also happened with females, but she’d noticed it more in males.
“You want to fuck me, vampire?” she practically purred. The idea appealed to her. He was attractive, and he’d helped her before.
He hesitated, his gaze moving along her body as he considered her offer before he shook his head.
“It will be good for both of us,” she continued. “You seem as wound up as I am.”
“I’m not in the giving lover kind of mood right now,” he replied. “Plus, I’d be thinking about someone else.”
She laughed. “Why do you think I care who you’re thinking about? I’m n
ot looking for a gentle lover to make me feel all warm and fuzzy. You’re just a distraction for me.”
Her hips swayed as she sidled closer to him, and she let her robe fall open so he could see all she had to offer. He backed up a step with a shake of his head. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, but I feel like I’d care if I was thinking about someone else.”
She frowned. “I’ve misjudged you. You seem like the type who only cares about his own needs, but you sound like a man in love.”
Abram snorted. “Love? I’d hardly call it love. I’m devoted when it comes to my obsessions, but I don’t know shit about love.”
He was lying, but she couldn’t tell if he was only lying to her, or if he was also lying to himself. The scent of his arousal had grown stronger since he’d seen her naked.
“You want me,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “I want sex, but it’s not about you.”
She studied him, trying to figure him out. “When I saw you were with our group, I figured you felt like I owed you something for helping save me before. I thought you’d try to collect.”
“You’re even more messed-up than I am,” he stated.
“I seriously doubt that,” she replied with a laugh. “So, who is it that’s got you so confused?”
Abram let out a cynical laugh. “Don’t tell me you want to be my friend and chat about our feelings. Should I tell you all my darkest secrets?”
“Fine,” she snapped. “I try to be nice, and this is the way you treat me? I don’t know why I even bother.”
Abram caught her arm when she spun to walk away. “Wait. I’m sorry about being such a dick. This place creeps me out, and I’m having weird dreams.”
“And you’re a dick,” she finished for him.
Abram let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, there is that.”
“So, you don’t want to fuck, and you don’t want to talk,” she stated. “I’m going for a run on the property.”
“Are you sure that’s safe?” he asked.
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