by Dannika Dark
Page shook her head, unable to answer.
His nostrils flared and he pulled in several puffs of air, allowing the taste of her emotions to settle on his palate.
“Anguish, regret, fear… I don’t enjoy these emotions when they come from a female. Whatever you’re suffering through will pass. Among Chitahs, the greatest gift a female can give us is her love and respect. The second greatest gift is a child. I came close to becoming a father once, long ago. It was not my young, but that of my enemy. The love I felt for this female was immense, making me long for those days of holding that infant in my arms. I wanted to surrender to the life of a father and instill my values into that baby. You are more than a mother, but a teacher.” He placed his hands on her belly and sighed remorsefully. “I sometimes wish the child had lived, even if Katrina did not. Don’t trouble yourself with the woes of life, for they will only prevent you from giving all of yourself to others. A child needs his mother’s love, not her tears.”
Page touched his cheek appreciatively. His sincerity and compassion gave her renewed courage. “I hope you and Silver find a way.”
Logan cocked his head to the side. “I will not hope for something she is unable to give me. It wouldn’t be fair to Silver. Without stars, there is still the moon to light up the night sky, and Silver is my moon. Why wish for the stars when I have all the light I need?”
Logan rose to his feet and reached in her cabinets.
Page pulled herself together and wiped her nose. “Silver and Justus had to leave. She wants you to call her on your way home.”
He set a mug on the cabinet and tore open a package of cocoa. “Once you have settled down with a warm drink and I have prepared you a meal to reheat later, I will leave.”
“That’s not really necessary, Mr. Cross.”
“I am in your debt for assisting me. Aside from that, you know that as a male Chitah, I cannot abandon a woman in distress. It goes against my very nature. Factor in the young you are carrying, and I will make sure you are well fed and smiling. Do you like pasta?”
Chapter 16
After Page and Justus left the motel room, Adam kept a close watch on Sadie. She’d slept through the morning and at around two in the afternoon, he dozed off beside her with his fingers laced together across his stomach. An old black-and-white cowboy movie on the TV had lulled him into a nap.
He awoke with a gasp and a hand pinching his nose. With wide eyes, Adam glanced to his right and looked at Sadie, who was lying on her side.
“You snore,” she said in a soft voice, retracting her hand.
“I don’t snore.”
A broad smile brightened her hazel eyes. He hadn’t noticed before, but up close, she had dark blond lashes. “Either you’ve never slept with a woman, which I doubt, or all your previous lovers have been liars.”
Adam rubbed his hands against his face until he felt more awake. He turned to his right and propped up on his elbow. “You feeling okay?”
Sadie yawned a little and rubbed her eye. “Like I ran a marathon. Sorry I had to skip out on you, but I don’t like to impose on people.”
“You want to tell me what happened with Cedric?”
She licked her lips and Adam reached for the glass of water across from her and placed it in her hand. After she took a short sip, he set it aside and gave her his undivided attention.
“Well, I went back to the club to pick up my paycheck. I didn’t know Cedric would be there, but he found out I hadn’t gotten paid and figured I’d eventually show up. He wanted me to come live with him again and I told him to kiss my ass.”
Adam wanted to smile at her confidence, but he was too pissed off.
“I guess no isn’t an answer he likes to hear very much. He followed me out to the van and then we really got into it. I managed to get away and thought he’d let it go, but when I stopped at the red light around the corner from the motel, he opened the door and tried to pull me out. Then he juiced me. He thought if he could get me weak enough, he’d be able to haul me out of there. I guess Cedric didn’t plan on the wrench I keep tucked between the seats.”
“What made you come back here?”
“I had no other place to hide out. I figured you might get a little heroic and protect me if he came snooping around. He just took so much that time. Usually it was controlled and I never needed more than a short nap, but he got greedy.”
“Tell me more about this guy. What does he do?”
She shrugged with her right shoulder and turned onto her back. “Not sure, but I think it’s illegal. Most of his business dealings were either on the phone or outside the house. He’d get in a mood sometimes and start rambling, but I couldn’t make any sense of it. I think he had anger issues because of his looks.”
“Handsome?”
Sadie snorted and shook her head. “He’s albino. I’m sure there are some handsome albinos in this world, but Cedric isn’t one of them. He uses that self-tanning lotion and sometimes looks like a carrot, which doesn’t go with his hair. It’s short and almost white, just like his eyebrows. I never looked close enough to see if he had lashes. He’s older; I think he was probably forty-five when he was made. That’s my guess. One of his front teeth is capped in silver. Don’t ask me why I hooked up with him, but I don’t judge people on their looks. He came across as a cheery kind of guy when we met. I guess that makes me a terrible judge of character. Maybe I’m just too young to have figured people out.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-four. My birthday is coming up, but I only keep track so I can get a free meal. Some places have free dinners if it’s your birthday.”
Adam couldn’t figure this girl out. He’d never met anyone that could get over a traumatic event as quickly as she could. If Sadie was her first name, resilience was her last. Maybe when you have nothing to lose, you just learn how to endure life’s beatings better than everyone else. He knew a little about that kind of life, but it also felt like she had built up an impenetrable wall around herself. The kind of wall that she didn’t use to keep people out, but to keep her emotions in. The emotions that might weaken her and make her lose hope. He got up and grabbed a bottle of water, taking a seat at the table and putting distance between them.
“Why do you keep sitting across the room from me?” she asked. “Am I too ugly to look at?”
“Is that how you fish for compliments, or are you trying to make a point?”
“Not everything is about you, Adam.”
He fumbled with the cap from his water bottle. It wasn’t that she had indirectly brought up a sore topic, it was the fact she had just called him Adam. He wondered if it was intentional or a slip, but he didn’t make mention of it. Hearing his name roll off her tongue was a lovely sound.
“Do you have Cedric’s information?”
She propped a pillow behind her back and pushed herself up. “I know where he lives, but I’m not telling you.”
“And why not?” he asked, drumming his fingers on the table.
“Because you’ve got that macho look in your eyes. You’re a good guy, and I don’t want to be responsible for you getting hurt.”
“You should give me a little more credit than that,” he said, casually stretching out his legs.
She swept her hair back and an unruly strand snapped back in front of her face. “You haven’t been around long, which means you’re probably still a Learner.”
“What makes you think that?”
She held up her hands and glanced around the room. “Immortals don’t live like this. They amass a fortune in their lifetimes. Money always runs out, so they become skilled at something and buy land and homes for security. Immortals don’t live in a rundown motel on the seedy side of town and hang out in human bars.”
She had a point. Novis had given Adam lectures about the importance of finding his worth in this world. Once a Mage learned what he was skilled at, he could make money. Homes are important; no one respects a Mage who doesn’t live well beca
use the immediate assumption is that they are without skills.
She slid her legs over the edge of the bed and picked at the hole in her jeans. “Sorry I stole your sweater.”
He glanced at the oversized black sweater falling off her shoulder. “Keep it. Do you need help standing up?” Adam rose to his feet and held out his hand.
Sadie gripped it and tried to stand on her own, but her stance became shaky. Adam hooked his left arm around her waist and pulled her up. She melted against him, standing closer than what made him feel comfortable.
Her hazel eyes felt invasive as they looked upon him. When she pressed her body against his, he scraped his teeth against his bottom lip and his heart began to speed up. He’d never felt so damn nervous with a woman before.
Jesus. Sadie was the kind of woman every man would throw away his life for. She had the heart of a poet, the soul of a saint, and the body of a sinner. But she also had modesty, something he found attractive. Adam liked a woman who could make a loose pair of jeans sexy.
He also liked the way she kept staring into his eyes, and a fire began to kindle within him—one that made him wet his lips with desire. She pulled on his neck as if trying to stand taller and suddenly… kissed him.
Her lips were lush and soft, tenderly brushing against his. He froze in a panic as if he’d never been kissed before. Hell, it felt like his first kiss all over again.
Sadie leaned away and he blinked in surprise. “Why did you do that, Kitten?”
“Someday, Adam, you’re going to want to kiss me back. But I’m not at a place in my life where I’m ready for a relationship. So don’t worry, it all started and ended right here. I have dreams I want to chase before I get caught up in love. In the meantime, I’d like to make you smile more often because you’re a debonair guy and that’s what they do. Smile. Cut loose the anchor that’s weighing down your conscience and let go once in a while. You also look like you aren’t used to hearing a girl speak her mind. So that’s the deal between us, and I wanted to lay all my cards out on the table. Maybe someday, maybe never. But right now, I need you to help me to the ladies’ room.”
***
Justus and I sparred for an hour in the training room after leaving Page’s apartment. He no longer tolerated my complaints after experiencing my power firsthand. The fighting techniques were one thing, but Justus began to focus on other Mage abilities. The flashing I had down pat, but he wanted to show me how to ball up my energy and use it in a burst—to move faster than visible to the eye.
Finn sat on the sidelines watching, and I got a little nervous about that. He’d never seen me sparring and as protective as he was, Finn handled it with class. In fact, a few times when I knocked Justus down, I had my own cheering section in the corner.
Our session came to a halt when Justus received a call. He turned around and I stared at the tattoo of a sun between his shoulder blades. His voice fell to a low murmur and I sucked on a bottle of water, noticing Finn was carving a piece of wood in his spot in the corner. Finn had a God-given talent with whittling little animals out of wood.
“What’s that one going to be?” I asked, out of breath.
“You like games, so I was going to make you a chess set.”
“Are you kidding me? I’d love that.”
Logan swaggered in from the hall, looking rested after a long nap. He’d spent some time with Page before heading back and was beginning to look better with each passing minute. Even his injury was showing early signs of healing. I couldn’t help but smile every time I saw him, and it felt like such a silly reaction. Maybe it was the fact he was still shirtless. He had a bandage taped across his right shoulder. His healthy color had returned and so had that predatory look in his eyes that told me I was about to become dessert.
He leaned down and spoke against my mouth. “I should be the one making my female sweat.” As punishment, he pulled back and withheld my kiss.
I adored it.
Logan had a way of drawing out the tension between us until the desire to feel his body against mine became an unbearable ache in my soul. He was skilled at working me into such a frenzied state that I could scarcely look at him without getting aroused. A brush of his lips against mine, a graze of his finger across my nipple, sexy words spoken softly against my ear, and especially the way his eyes would roam across my body like a man with caged passion.
When his nose twitched, I knew he’d caught my scent. He strutted through the room, a smug look crossing his face.
“Adam is on his way over,” Justus announced, setting his phone on a bench. “I’ll be in the shower.”
“Wait a second. What’s going on?”
He lifted his tank top from the bench and wiped his red face. “Go upstairs and use the shower.”
“I think not,” I argued. “Since we have guests down here, I have no intention of someone tapping their foot on that damn lift button and lowering me down here in the middle of my shower. Can Simon design an elevator? That is the most ridiculous—”
“Then get a towel and wipe yourself down. Novis will also be coming.”
He disappeared down the hall and I glanced at Finn.
“I think you smell just fine,” he said with a shrug.
I flounced down the hall. “What ever happened to ladies first?” I yelled at the bathroom, slamming my bedroom door.
Thirty minutes later, I hopped in the shower after Justus was through. There wasn’t time to wash my hair, so I pulled it back and slipped into a pair of black sweats and a pink shirt. Justus wasn’t impressed with my attire, but this was an impromptu meeting, so he was going to have to live with it. He was lucky I hadn’t put on my Slacker shirt.
Logan remained in bed, following the Relic’s orders. Finn decided to hang out in the training room and carve his pieces of wood.
I wandered upstairs and waited until the silent alarms went off. After checking the monitors, Justus went to let Novis inside the house. I watched the monitors as Adam turned up the driveway on his motorcycle. He was sans helmet, wearing jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. No jacket. Apparently, real men didn’t need clothes in winter. Justus was the exception because as a Thermal, he could regulate his body temperature. But he always made sure I was dressed for the weather. He looked upon me as a sort of daughter, so he meant well. He’d once asked me to call him father when I’d accepted Logan’s claim, but I never did. Justus was my Ghuardian and always would be.
“Let me take your coat,” Justus offered as Novis entered the house.
I joined them and gave them worried look.
Novis bit the tips of his gloves and pulled them off. He looked casual in a pair of denims and a white button-up shirt with an ashen sweater pulled over it. The V-neck was stylishly wide and the fabric tight. Novis reminded me of Justus in how his version of casual was always trendy and put together. He’d gelled his black hair as usual and spiked it in different directions.
I stared into his clear blue eyes and waited for him to smile.
When he didn’t, I looked to Justus.
“I feel Adam is near,” Novis said.
My Ghuardian stepped into the hall and disappeared.
“Can I get you a drink?” I offered.
“No. Are we alone?”
I nodded. “Logan and Finn are downstairs. Let’s sit in the dining room.”
I lit a few candles on the table and then the sconces on the wall. The room basked in a warm glow that made the painting behind Justus’s chair come to life. The wine bottles glistened from the rack on a narrow table by the wall. The dining room had an inviting appeal with its quiet ambiance. Our table was hammered wood and a long bench ran along the right side. Novis took a seat in the chair by the entrance, clasping his hands together and somberly looking at the painting on the wall.
A few murmurs filled the hall before Adam and Justus entered the room. I listened to the sound of their clothes rustling as they took a seat at the table—Adam across from me. He glanced my way, but his thoughts were else
where.
Adam smoothed the palms of his hands across the wood and flicked his eyes between the two men. “I know the name of the man who’s buying the metal and selling it to Nero. I made a silent vow to finish what Knox had started, and I didn’t think I’d get very far with it. I met up with his old partner and he gave me some information, including a name. Cedric.”
Justus drew in a sharp breath and pushed back his chair. He gripped the edge of the table as if he might stand up.
“Say again?” Justus said. “Is he a human?”
“No,” Adam replied. “All I had at first was a name. Then I found a girl in trouble and by some random coincidence, she had an albino Mage on her tail. Guess what his name was?”
“Cedric,” Novis answered. “I would have never expected him to get heavily involved in the black market. He’s progressively gotten in more trouble with his taste for human girls. One unfortunate victim didn’t survive his juicing habit and he served time. That was eighty years ago. Since then, he’s flown under the radar. I had a few files that detailed how the girls had voluntarily lived with him, so there was nothing we could do because it was consensual.”
Adam pressed his finger against the scar that ran across his left eye. His facial hair was the usual five-o’clock shadow. He carried a dark expression that marred his good looks more than any scar.
Adam rubbed his face, but his voice remained smooth and confident. “I got his license plate, and I shouldn’t have any trouble getting his address. We need to move fast before he catches wind we’re onto him.”
Justus met eyes with Novis. “Cedric might know the whereabouts of Nero if he’s dealing directly to him. This is a strong lead.”
Novis pinched his bottom lip and stared vacantly across the room. “We’ll need Christian. The last man we caught had limited information; no one seems to know where Nero hides.”
“Can we not find another Vampire to do the job?” Justus spoke with guarded resentment.
Novis sat up straight and tipped his head to the side. “Why would we do that when we have entrusted him this far?”