by Dannika Dark
“My bosoms?” I snorted, knowing exactly what he was asking to see.
His hand slid down between us and the button on my pants popped free. I was beginning to think I should charge Logan a fee to look at my tattoos.
When my zipper came undone and he kissed me salaciously, I lost the thought.
***
During the three months that had passed since Justus last saw Page La Croix, she’d made no efforts to contact him. Silver and Page had forged a friendship, keeping in touch through phone and Internet. He’d tried to forget her as easily as she had him, but for whatever reason, he couldn’t let go. Justus had never slept with the same woman twice, and yet he found himself thinking about her in the late hours of the night while lying in bed.
The very bed he’d made passionate love to her in and held her close as he watched her sleep.
Justus had been ordering an arrangement of orchids that were delivered to her door every Tuesday and Friday. He was certain they’d ended up in the trash, but that didn’t prevent him from selecting the finest flowers the city had to offer. Prior to that, he had been sending her dresses and elegant blouses. He knew his efforts had been squandered when he’d paid a visit to his friend, Remi, for advice. Remi had no insight he could relay to Justus—only that Page had someone new in her life whom she would never give up. With another man in the picture, she would never wear the clothes he sent, so Justus began sending flowers instead. Modern men gave up easily, but men from his time pursued a woman, wooed her, and showed what he could offer.
It didn’t take Justus long to find Page’s new apartment building. She had moved out of her old one and, much to his relief, rented a brownstone in a safer area of town.
He rang the bell, but no one answered. Two hours later, the cap on the cheap bottle of red he’d bought at the bar had been unscrewed. Justus polished off most of the wine while sitting on the steps, watching the humans walk their dogs.
What did he know of women? He knew nothing of what made them tick—one reason he stayed out of Silver’s personal life. Trying to understand the decisions she made was an exercise in futility. Then again, who was he to talk? Here he was at the doorstep of a woman who was not even his own Breed.
A biting chill hung in the air, but it didn’t affect him. He wore nothing but a T-shirt and dark slacks, utilizing his Thermal abilities to regulate his body temperature. None of the humans that walked by had called the cops on him for loitering, but most people didn’t like to get involved.
Justus sat on the gritty step, the soles of his shoes crunching over the rough concrete with each slide of his foot. His left leg was extended and he leaned against the wall on his right shoulder—half asleep.
It bothered him that Page had stopped coming around. Whatever had started between them had been snuffed out faster than he could draw breath, but time hadn’t quelled the insistent need he had to know she was safe. There was no rational explanation for his behavior, and it shamed him that he couldn’t get it under control. She invaded his thoughts on a daily basis, and he was concerned that without a partner, she was overworking herself. Page was much like him and allowed work to consume her.
He felt her presence before she even spoke.
“Mr. De Gradi?”
A shiver snaked up his spine. It was her impersonal use of his name that gave him pause. He wanted to know why she didn’t find him a worthy male, but pride kept his mouth wired shut and prevented him from seeking the truth. Why should he care? Justus could have any woman he wanted without all the strings to get tangled in.
“Apologies,” he murmured, not lifting his eyes to meet hers.
“Are you drunk on my stoop?”
The glass bottle scraped against the concrete as his foot knocked it to the side. He couldn’t keep his eyes focused and rubbed their corners. When he lowered his hands, Page came in to view.
She was wrapped up in a large black coat, watching him with her bewitching brown eyes. Her skin glowed, and he remembered how smooth it had felt beneath his fingertips and how sweet it had tasted against his tongue. Brown hair peeked out from the edge of the beige knit hat that flopped over loosely in the back. Had he forgotten how radiant a woman she was?
“What are you doing here? And why are you drinking outside my apartment?”
“Will you speak with me?” he asked. “Privately.”
Her eyes darted around and she stuffed her bare hands in her coat pockets, sniffling as a gust of wind chilled the air.
“We can talk here, but I’m calling you a cab.”
“Where is your car?”
“It’s… Mr. De Gradi, this isn’t about—”
“Don’t call me that,” he said harshly, rising to his feet.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get too personal.”
He looked down at Page, who was holding on to the brick wall that led up to the doors. “Are you well?”
She smiled coyly. “I’m well. And you?”
“Inebriated, but well. You’re right. We shouldn’t have this conversation while I’m in this condition.” He stumbled to the step below and she began to reach out to help but retracted her arm.
“Justus, please. Sit down and I’ll hail you a cab. I think you’re intelligent enough to know you’re in no condition to drive.”
She was right. The Mercedes Silver had bought him was parked a few paces up the road. He felt guilty about leaving it unattended, uncertain if it would send her a message that he cared little of her gift.
As if Page could read his mind, she made an offer.
“I have a reserved space in the indoor garage you can use. The parking in this city is just horrendous, but we’re pretty lucky to have a five-story garage at the end of the street. I’m paid up through the year and my space is empty. I’ll move your car.”
“And walk home unescorted?”
Page tugged at the end of her hat and shivered. Her bulky coat didn’t look warm enough for this weather, so he cranked up his internal thermostat, even knowing she’d feel none of it because she stood several feet away from him.
“Have you been able to manage your cases?”
Her inky lashes fanned down and she studied his shoes. “The Council offered me a partner and I turned them down.”
“Why would you do that?” Justus took a few steps toward her and Page moved behind the wall that divided the space between them.
“Well, I went out to dinner with him so we could get to know each other.”
The air must have heated up ten degrees. The thought of another man buying her dinner and putting his hands on her body lit a fire in Justus.
“Go on,” he said in a placid voice.
Page rubbed her nose and shrugged with her eyebrows. “We didn’t get along. He’s a bright guy, but way too controlling and opinionated. I can see why his last partner left him. Most of the time, partners are male and female. Not really an arranged marriage, but a suggested one. He’s been married for ten years and I think he was hoping the Council would pair him up with another man so his wife wouldn’t get jealous. I got the vibe he doesn’t think women are as intelligent as men. He told me he made his wife quit her job after they got married.”
Fool. “And have you put in a request for another partner?”
“They offer their best candidate and if the match doesn’t work, I’m on my own. Maybe it’s better this way. I have a few connections and I’m going to see if anyone knows of a good lone Relic in need of a partner. I’ve been managing my cases, but I had to give up a few of my clients. It was tough.”
That piqued his curiosity. “Who did you let go?”
“I thought about cutting the difficult ones I don’t get along with, but they’re my best-paying clients. So I made the decision to cut the ones who paid the least.”
Justus set the bottle down and leaned on the wall. “I thought money didn’t matter to you?”
Page worked her jaw a little and looked up at the building. “Things change. I’m a single woman an
d I was living on the wrong side of town. There were ten robberies and two rapes that happened in the old building while I lived there, but I couldn’t afford to move anywhere else. Do you know why? I found out Slater was underpaying me. He controlled all the finances. I knew we had to be making good money, but he said after sending a cut to the Council and investing a portion of the money, it didn’t leave us with much. I didn’t know any better because I’d never had to deal with the finances. That asshole stole from me. Now I’m left with…”
“With what?”
Page shook her head and pulled her hat off, revealing a tangle of honey-brown hair. She threaded her fingers through the straight locks and brushed it away from her angelic face. He admired her delicate features, including the Cupid’s bow of her upper lip. He’d never seen dark eyes so mesmerizing, and her creamy complexion appeared as if it had not been acquainted with the sun. Intelligence brimmed in her expressive eyes, and that was a bigger turn-on than he could have imagined.
“Answer the question, Page. What are you left with?”
“No future. No savings. I’m trying to rebuild what he stole from me. I’m not going to lie, Justus. Money intimidates the hell out of me. People are consumed by it—controlled by it. I’ve watched it happen, and those are the people who are the most dangerous. They think they can buy anything they want and that everything is replaceable.”
“Is that why you severed our relationship?” he accused rather than asked.
Her words grew sharp. “I had my reasons. But yes, it bothered me to know how much you make. I got a glimpse at the real man beneath all that, but I’ve also seen the side of you that’s controlled and influenced by materialism. How much is that watch on your wrist?” she asked, pointing at the gold Rolex accented with diamonds. “You’re a Mage, and that means you’re able to sense time without looking at a clock. So why buy a trinket you have no use for—one that probably costs more than a month of my rent? Haven’t you ever considered alternative uses for that money? There are orphanages in the city, women’s shelters, people who are struggling to make ends meet. Why not put your money to good use?”
“You assume I do not?”
Page immediately covered her face. “I’m so sorry. I have no right to judge you. I just didn’t expect to see you sitting outside my door tonight and it took me off guard.” She raised her arm and a cab slowed down. “I’m so glad to know you’re doing well, Justus. I really am. To be honest, I don’t know why you showed up here.”
That was the moment Justus wanted to lay it on the line—tell her how consumed he was by the thought of her, and yet, his feet were cemented to the sidewalk. The words tangled in his throat and he knew his actions must have appeared irrational.
“Do you not have a man to care for you?”
“Talk about déjà vu,” she said with a wistful grin. “No, I do not.”
Perhaps she was lying, or maybe she didn’t want to talk about her personal life with a drunk. Justus wanted to know who the other man was in her life that she was keeping a secret.
The brakes on the cab squealed as the car rolled up to the curb and parked, smoke billowing out of the exhaust pipe.
“Can I have the keys to your car? I’ll make sure it’s taken care of,” she said, holding out her hand. When he didn’t move, her fingers curled inward and she suppressed a grin, but he still caught it. “Promise I won’t take it for a spin all over the city. This is a safe neighborhood and it’s a short walk. If it’ll make you feel better, my neighbor won’t mind if I call him down and ask if he can walk me, although his wife might. She’s sweet, but retirement doesn’t suit her.”
Justus fished his hands in his pockets and gave it some thought. This would mean he’d have to see her again and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Jealousy stirred in him when he considered asking if she had been intimate with another man. It wasn’t his place, but maybe what he was feeling toward her was a sense of claim on something no other man had known. Irrational indeed.
“It’s a black Mercedes. I want you to go upstairs and have your neighbor drive you to the garage in my car before escorting you home. Do you understand?”
“Of course,” she replied, her gaze steady. Page took the keys from his hand and tucked them in her coat pocket.
The wall separated them, but it felt like more than distance stood between them.
An awkward pause hung in the air as Justus staggered and rubbed his face. He didn’t have to sober up to recognize he had made a spectacle of himself.
“I’ll have Simon pick up the car tomorrow. My apologies for interrupting your evening; I will keep you no longer.”
It was an arduous walk to the cab, but once inside, he stole a glimpse of Page walking up the steps as the car sped away.
Silver would soon be leaving him. It was only a matter of time now that she had accepted Logan’s claim. A moment of independence Justus had once looked forward to was now met with an unexpected sense of loss.
He would be alone again.
Chapter 6
After Logan fell asleep beside me in the hidden room, I slipped into the Grey Veil and called for Justus. It was a place he’d once showed me that existed in the subconscious—a place he’d created. My Ghuardian possessed quite a few gifts, this being one of them. He’d once told me not all rare gifts serve a valuable purpose, but I disagreed. Going to the Grey Veil had once saved my life.
The ability to visit was easier when I’d recently taken some of his light, which I’d done during a training session a few days prior after breaking my finger during a maneuver. Anyone he’d shared his light with could visit, provided Justus had shown them the way.
It required concentration to enter this realm. I don’t know what I was expecting to find—Justus lounging around on top of the black rock, fishing in the crystal waters? I admired the calm beauty and bathed myself in sunlight.
It seemed like ages since I’d last visited, yet nothing had changed. I wondered if this place held any significance. The trees were tall and whispered secrets as the wind tickled their green leaves. The early morning light filtered onto the clear water, capturing its reflective qualities and creating a ripple of sparkles across the surface. In the distance, I could hear woodpeckers and other strange sounds from within the forest.
“Ghuardian?”
“Silver?”
I whirled around and blinked in surprise at Logan. “What are you doing here?”
“Dreamwalking, I suppose. Why did you come here?”
Logan had the ability to dreamwalk but couldn’t do so with everyone. While the Grey Veil had restrictions on who could visit, the doors weren’t locked for my inquisitive Chitah.
“Logan, you’re not supposed to be here.”
He folded his arms and it was then I noticed his long hair. I felt rueful looking at it, remembering how I’d cut it off in an attempt to sever our relationship.
“Female, you were turning in your sleep and I sensed distress.”
“I’m trying to find Justus. I’m worried.”
He chuckled softly and touched my shoulders. “And is this how it will be when you move away from him? Am I to worry that each night he doesn’t answer your call, you will be here looking for him?”
A gust of wind lifted my raven locks and Logan stepped forward, capturing a strand of hair between his fingers and leaning down to take in my scent.
“He’ll always be my Ghuardian. That doesn’t go away if I move out.”
Logan cocked his head to the side, staring down at me with bright, animalistic eyes. “If?”
“You want me to stay with Justus temporarily, but he’s the one who makes the call on when I’m ready for independence. I’m a Mage, first and foremost. I still need to learn to protect my light because five hundred years from now, I’m still going to be a Mage. I’m not sure if one or two years is sufficient for me to learn what I need to know.”
Logan gently bent down, as soft as a whisper, and brushed his lips against my cheek. “
I will wait for you.”
“Rubbish,” Simon said from the edge of the woods where he was leaning against a maple tree. I laughed at the long johns that snugly fit his body. He waved his arm at a monarch butterfly that landed on his crotch and began spreading its wings.
“Simon, what are you doing here?”
“Better here than where I was. Brought home a lovely little strumpet last night who just so happens to be a marathon runner. Now there’s a woman with stamina.”
I snorted. “So you left her alone to hang out in the woods?”
He looked away and I caught a flash of his tongue ring as he yawned. “As it turns out, that girl is sexual napalm. She’s the kind that’ll wear you out so you have no energy to fight her when she starts moving in. She’s in the other room now, actually making breakfast!” He made a gruff sound and approached us with his arms folded. “I don’t do domestic.”
“Then kick her out instead of following me around,” I suggested.
His voice rose an octave and his hands became animated. “I knew she was at the club shopping for a husband based on the hints she dropped in conversation, but bloody hell, she had the best set of knockers. I feel like such a prat for bringing her home—I have somewhere I need to be.”
Logan cleared his throat and stood with his arms at his sides. “Perhaps if you found a female of worth, you would have no need to put your cock in every hole it finds.”
I covered my mouth to keep from laughing and Simon flashed him a peevish glance. “Bugger off.”
“Simon, have you heard from Justus?”
He stretched his arms and his long johns slid down his narrow waist just a little. “Your Ghuardian’s at home with a hangover. Serves him right.”
Relief washed over me and I relaxed my shoulders. “Logan, I want you to drive me back to Lucian’s to pick up my car. I need to head home and make sure everything’s all right.”
Simon stepped between us. “And why is your car over at Lucian’s house?”
“Because we were attacked,” Logan said before I could stop him.