by Kyle, Celia
“How very enlightened of you, Dad.” Deo joined his father at the glass door leading to the balcony, both watching the hustle and bustle of Othercross down below silently for a moment. “You don’t have to do this for me, you know.”
Orrin laughed. “I’m not doing this for you, Deo. Not really. An ó Murchadha princess would be a coup for the Nicolaides clan, and a mated heir will be seen as more stable by the rest of the clan. Besides, you deserve this.”
Deo found the window to Cora’s office. It was too far away to see inside, even for a vampire, but simply staring at the dark rectangle somehow made him feel closer to her.
“Thank you,” he whispered to his father.
“You’re welcome, son. Now go claim your woman.”
* * *
Deo streaked through the tunnels leading to OAJ, taking care not to bump into anyone who would have trouble seeing a vampire move at natural speed. Within minutes, he stood outside of Cora’s office door, his heart racing as he tried to think of what to say. It didn’t matter. He’d figure it out when the time came. Bursting into her outer office, he was stopped cold by a young blonde witch sitting at a credenza like it was a desk.
“Can I help you?” She jumped up and smiled rather lasciviously at him.
He hadn’t seen this one before, and over the years he’d come to know everyone she worked with. Cora’s assistant, Holly, was nowhere to be seen, and Cora’s inner office was open and empty.
“Is Cora here?”
The witch’s eyes grew wide. “Ooh, are you her boyfriend?”
Deo chewed his lip for a second before answering. “Sure.”
Cora would no doubt kill him later for saying it, but since he intended to convince her they belonged together, it might not matter by the time she heard.
“Huh, didn’t know she had it in her. She’s kind of a square.”
Deo bristled. “She’s a princess.”
The woman didn’t catch his chastising tone, or at least ignored it. “I know. Right? In theory she could have any man she wanted. Actual and factual.” The witch appraised him like he was a slab of beef. “I guess you’re pretty hot, in a broody, low-key way.”
By the blood, this witch would be the death of him! “Cora?”
The witch shrugged and returned to her version of a desk. “The iceberg she calls Mother dragged her to lunch in the cafeteria.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Have fun with that, brah.”
Deo winced and then headed for the stairwell. He was halfway there when he heard the witch call, “I’m Kelly, by the way! Nice to meet you, boyfriend!”
He wondered what Aquaria wanted to nag Cora about this time, though he already knew. She wanted her daughter to find a mate before the Siren’s Curse took her life. No doubt Cora sat in a booth with her mother, rolling her eyes as Aquaria harangued her. He imagined the way Cora’s eyes would light up when he entered the cafeteria and rescued her.
Skulking in the shadows, he crept silently into the cafeteria, his gaze immediately locking onto Cora. She looked defeated but just as gorgeous as ever. Her golden hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders. As always, she dressed plainly, not wanting to flaunt her family’s wealth, but every piece of clothing fit her lush, feminine curves perfectly. Today she wore a pale blue business shirt perfectly tailored to fit her full breasts and small waist with black slacks that cupped her rounded bottom and skimmed her generous hips. People often compared her to Marilyn Monroe, but Cora was much more beautiful, at least as far as Deo was concerned.
Something about her pallor bothered him. She probably had been sick again but didn’t want him to worry, so she hadn’t bothered to tell him. She used to tell him everything, but now it seemed he had to make an appointment just to say hi.
“How’s Mom?” a voice asked from behind, startling him. Not an easy thing to do with a vampire, but he’d been distracted. At least, that’s the excuse he was going to use if anyone noticed.
“What are you doing here?” he asked the witch from Cora’s office, who was peering over his shoulder at the mother-daughter duo.
“Kelly.”
“I heard you before. Now what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“Girl’s got a right to eat lunch. Doesn’t she? Even if she’s only working as a totally unpaid intern as punishment, a girl’s gotta eat. You want me to starve, big fella?”
Now that he had Cora in his sights, he allowed Kelly’s charms to amuse him. “I absolutely do not want that. So, what do you know?” He jerked his head toward the booth.
“I know lots of things. I know seven hundred grapes go into a bottle of wine. I know the fear of the number thirteen is called triskaidekaphobia. I know the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland.”
As Kelly droned on about all the things she knew—conveniently omitting what she might or might not know about Cora and her mother’s discussion, Deo watched helplessly as the pair stood and said their goodbyes. As much as he wanted to talk with Cora, he wasn’t going to do it in front of Aquaria. When they walked out the front door of the cafeteria and into the bright sunlight, he sighed heavily.
“What do you know about protective spells?” he asked, interrupting Kelly’s bit of trivia that bats weren’t really blind, which all vampires knew anyway.
Her blue eyes blinked rapidly in surprise. “You mean to, like, allow vamps to walk around in the sun?”
“That’s the one.”
For once, she didn’t have a smart come-back. “I’ve only tried it once.”
“And?”
Kelly grimaced. “He got a little singed around the edges, but he lived. Or unlived, or whatever you guys call it.”
That didn’t sound promising, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Want to practice on me?”
“Are you shitting me?” She looked around, as if someone were playing a practical joke on her.
“Not in the slightest. I need to find Cora. Now. But…” he nodded toward the main doors, the entryway glowing with bright sunlight.
Kelly took a deep breath and met his gaze. “If you’re willing to risk it, I’m willing to try.”
Deo took two steps back from the woman and closed his eyes. A vision of a smiling Cora filled his mind and he held onto it as tightly as he could. If he was about to die, he wanted to do it with her face in his head.
“Do it.”
His skin began to tingle, and then it felt like electricity was skittering down every nerve in his body. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but he’d be lying if he said it felt good. The zipping and zapping culminated in a hard snap as the spell took hold. When he opened his eyes again, the entire cafeteria seemed a tiny bit darker, as if the sun had been blotted out by an eclipse.
“That’s about as good as it’s going to get,” Kelly said, worry and excitement battling for dominance in her expression. “Do I need you to sign some kind of liability waiver or something? If you fry out there, I don’t want your clan coming after me for murder.”
“Don’t worry, if I die, they’ll never find out. If I don’t, I’ll owe you one. And having the heir to Clan Nicolaides owe you a favor isn’t a bad thing.”
He barely caught the flicker of shock in her eyes before he turned and sprinted for the doors. Cora had quite a head start on him, but luckily for him, he had a pretty good idea where to find her.
Chapter Three
A stroll through the gardens on the grounds seemed like the perfect way to relax the tension in Cora’s neck. She worked on loosening her jaw and thinking happy thoughts, too. She used all these techniques on a daily basis to minimize the damage stress placed on her already taxed body.
She didn’t need her mother interfering in her life right now. What she needed was a vacation on a secluded beach where she could let down her glamour and soak in the sun, ride the waves, and maybe pretend she was normal for a minute.
“Do you want to die a spinster?” her mother had snapped as Cora walked her out of the cafeteria.
&
nbsp; “I’d rather die a spinster than marry someone just so I won’t feel sick anymore, Mother.”
She’d kept her tone even by dint of will. OAJ was her place of work and she couldn’t afford to lose her temper in public. Not only did she have her professional reputation to maintain, but having grown up as a princess, she’d been trained to conduct herself in public accordingly.
“You’re being a child, Coralia. Marriages of convenience happen all over the world, for all different reasons, and many have very happy outcomes. Do you think marrying for love means you will live happily ever after?”
“For siren’s sake, please don’t quote divorce statistics at me.”
Aquaria had stared her down. “Marriage is about duty, responsibility, shared goals, and raising a future generation. It’s about building wealth and strengthening your family interests. Love is a bonus. If you respect your husband, and you grow to like him even, then you’re fortunate. But don’t fool yourself, dear, love is not a requirement for a successful pairing.”
Cora had opened her mouth to protest but then snapped it shut. She would never convince her mother. They were of two vastly different generations and opinions. Better to let her walk away thinking she’d won, which is exactly what Cora had done.
And now she found herself walking through the seemingly endless Othercross gardens under the clear blue sky. It wasn’t sand under her bare feet, but at least it was sky. And if she closed her eyes and inhaled, she could almost smell the sea.
The tension didn’t ease much, no matter how many blissful seascapes she visualized. Her mother’s words held on for dear life. Of course, Cora didn’t want to die young and alone, but she didn’t have much choice. No choice that she’d be happy living with, anyway.
Vampires were lucky. Once they found their beloved, every cell in their bodies knew the bond was real and the couple was fated to be together. Only once in her life had she ever come remotely close to feeling that way—Deo.
They’d met not long after she’d realized the boys hanging around were only attracted to her because of her natural allure, not for her. Much to her mother’s chagrin, she’d put her protective glamour in place much earlier than other sirens. But in spite of her early glamour, she’d felt a spark when Deo introduced himself at a ball and danced with her all night.
She smiled as she recalled the way he’d swept her around the dance floor, spinning her into a delirious tizzy. The entire evening, she’d hoped he would tell her that she was, indeed, his beloved. What eighteen-year-old wouldn’t long for a tall, handsome and very charming vampire to claim her?
But it never happened. He would have known instantly if she had been his beloved, as all vampires did. But he hadn’t and she wasn’t, as sad as that made them both.
Thank Poseidon they’d remained friends, even though he continually hinted he’d like more. She couldn’t do it. No way could her heart survive a fling with Deo. Even now, decades after they had first met, a fist curled around the organ in question and squeezed at the thought of him leaving her once he found his beloved.
Dammit, she needed a release, an outlet for some of her inner turmoil. She prided herself on always being poised in the face of difficulty, but some days, a gal needed to vent, and there was only one way for her to do that.
Hurrying deeper into the gardens, to a section not often visited, Cora kept an eye out for other people. Stopping in front of a sweet little fountain, she waited and listened. No one was near her, and if she was careful, no one would hear her.
Lowering her glamour a tiny fraction, Cora’s siren voice lifted into a wordless, soaring soprano. She’d only meant to sing a little, but no siren could sing only a little. The notes filled her, bursting from between her lips with the ferocity of a wild thing uncaged. Attempting to bottle it back up would be fruitless until the song was complete.
Free.
Tilting her head back, she gave in to the madness, her glamour wavering and finally falling away. A sea wind rushed through her hair, whipping the golden strands across her face. Salty air stung her lips, droplets of moisture beading on her forehead. The crash of waves roared in her ears.
Her song spoke of loneliness, of unrequited desire, of the absence of her mate. Where was he? Where was her own beloved? Would she ever find him?
A footstep crunched on the gravel on the path behind her. Cora whirled, slamming her glamour back into place, but she knew it was too late. What poor fool had come upon her as she sang? Dammit.
The figure of a tall, muscled man in a black shirt and tailored jeans edged from the shadows, fire and desire blazing in his intense dark eyes. Eyes she knew.
“Deo?”
Cora froze, every atom at war. She should run—not that she could outrun a vampire, but she should at least try before he fully succumbed to her song. Was there still time? The other, darker, traitorous part of her laughed.
Come, her siren said. You are mine.
She fought hard to retain control over herself and didn’t dare speak until she was certain there would be no thread of power in her voice.
“Cora.”
His voice, lower and darker than she’d ever heard it, so unlike the normally smooth tenor that spoke with a combination of old affection and humor. The perfect older brother, a safe male friend. How many events had he attended at her side because she knew she could trust him? Not once had he broken her trust, not once had he attempted to corner her in a darkened room and steal a kiss.
The bastard.
A smile curved his lips. After all of these years he could read every emotion that crossed her face, even those she tried to hide. Dark, sinfully sexy, knowing. He closed the distance between them, head lowering, her name on his lips again. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck, drawing her in even closer.
Her body responded, desire a whirlpool of diminishing self-control, an undersea volcano, hot lava bubbling to the surface, steaming waters scorching the unwary.
Sanity returned, just enough for her to find the strength to push him away. “No!”
His smile and his touch fell away. Deo stared down at her, expression smooth, hard. So unlike her comfortable friend. Please, please let her song not have possessed him.
“Why do you push me away?” His voice remained calm, nearly emotionless.
She inhaled, relief almost buckling her knees. Her singing hadn’t driven him insane, at least not this time. Or not fully anyway.
“You know why,” she mumbled, testing her voice and relieved to find her glamour fully back in place. “Nothing’s changed since the day we met, Deo. You yourself have admitted you don’t feel the beloved bond with me.”
“Maybe because you’ve never fully let down your glamour in my presence. If you did—”
“If I did, you’d almost certainly go insane, Deo. Besides, you’ve caught enough glimpses through my glamour to know by now if I were your fated mate.”
Deo stepped into her space again, fingers skimming the back of her arms as his gaze bore holes in her heart. “I know, but—”
“No buts,” she put distance between them. The heat emanating off him made her dizzy, unable to think straight. “I value our friendship too much to burn it on a fling.”
Pain flashed in his eyes. “Why do you always insist it would be a fling? Why couldn’t it be more?”
Cora threw her hands up in frustration. “You know why, Deo. Let’s say we do this thing. Let’s say I won’t wonder every minute of every day whether you’re with me because of me or my allure. Let’s say we fall completely head over heels for each other, blissfully happy, totally smitten. “
“Sounds good so far,” he growled, the timber of his voice doing funny things to her lady bits, as it always did.
“And then, on some random Tuesday when we least expect it, bam! You discover your beloved, the one person you’re meant to be with for all eternity. It’s a bond you won’t be able to resist, Deo. You’ll go to her, and where exactly will that leave me?”
Perfe
ct lips pressed into a hard line, as they always did when she brought up this argument. She didn’t like it any more than he did, but it was the truth. As much as she cared for Deo, she couldn’t allow herself to feel everything she wanted because her heart would inevitably be shattered. Better to have him as a friend for the rest of her life than to lose him as her mate and wish she was dead.
“And I want that for you, Deo. I honestly do. I want you to find your beloved and have that blissful happiness until the end of time.” That was only a half-truth, but close enough. “Besides, the attraction you’re feeling right now is proof that my siren song has affected you. Whatever you think you’re feeling, you’re not.”
Oh, how she wished he was, but she’d seen it all before. One glimpse behind the glamour curtain, even a small one, and the boys couldn’t get enough. He may be frustrated as hell, but so was she. They were even.
“Whatever you want, Cora,” he finally said, a resigned sadness tinging his words. “I only want you to be happy.”
Cora smiled at her friend—her best friend—and tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Come on. I need to get back.”
They walked in tense silence for a moment, the earthy scents of a bajillion flowers thick in the air. A ray of brilliant sunshine shot through the canopy of trees and glinted off Deo’s black hair. That’s when it hit her.
“Hey! Did someone cast a protective charm on you?”
The grin she received nearly made her trip. Did vampires have their own kind of glamour?
“Your new assistant. Kelly, I think was her name.”
Cora wasn’t sure whether to chastise her intern or start paying her. Regardless, she was glad to have his company after the disaster that was lunch with her mother.
“So, guess what Mother’s up to now.”
“Joining a motorcycle club?”
She ignored his lame attempt at humor. “She’s throwing a gala on my birthday and inviting all the males she deems eligible in a sad attempt to force me to pick a mate. Can you believe that shizz?”
“Huh, my invitation must have been lost in the mail.”