A Nightly Howl

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  "Whatever would you need a whole floor for?"

  "Who knows what could happen if your magic gets out of control?"

  "Shut up," I said, flushing.

  Fortunately for me, we reached the reception. Nathaniel started teasing me again and I didn't believe that he had reserved the whole floor for us. His sister was expecting us tomorrow. He spoke in perfect French with a stunning receptionist who was a fairy. The hotel had an authentic setting. As soon as I walked in, I could feel that Parisian atmosphere.

  I was wrong when I thought that Nathaniel was joking about our private floor. Our room was like a large penthouse with a private dining room, sitting room and kitchen. We were going to be here for a night and we had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and our own private bar.

  "So, what do you think?" he asked.

  "Are you kidding me? We don’t need all this."

  "Maybe not, but I'm not taking any chances. I don’t want to be disturbed."

  "Yes, but this probably cost you a fortune."

  “Don't worry about the money," he said, kissing my neck. "Besides, we have a lot to catch up on, but first we’ll go for dinner, before…"

  "Before what?"

  "Before I let go of any self-control that I’ve got left and take you right now—French style."

  "French style?" I asked, laughing, getting all hot and sweaty.

  “Don't tempt me," he said. "I need to make a phone call. Why don’t you change? We’ll have dinner downstairs in the restaurant."

  "Of course, dear," I mocked him.

  For a moment, I thought that he wasn't going to make that phone call after all, but he let me go. I went to the terrace to look around. My energy was swirling inside of me fast, but I was lost for words when I saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance as the sun began to hide behind the horizon. We were going to have a very special night and I couldn't wait to explore Paris tomorrow.

  While Nathaniel was busy in the living room I reapplied my makeup, and put on my best silver dress and killer hills. I looked good, felt good and I was ready to rock. Nathaniel changed his shirt and stared at me for a long moment.

  "Miss Taylor, you look exquisite," he whispered, approaching me.

  "Oh, thank you, Mr. La Caz."

  “Let's go before I rip that beautiful dress to pieces."

  Chapter 22

  Missing person.

  I was starving, so I was glad that he’d restrained himself. For the first time, I didn't have to worry about my excess magic. My fingers sparked and shimmered, but no one was paying any attention to me. The hotel’s strict policy towards humans applied to its employees as well. We shared a lift with an Italian witch who was playing with the lights all the way to the bottom floor. In the restaurant, we were served by a beautiful elf who spoke in excellent English. The food was out of this world and Nathaniel was very attentive. Throughout the dinner he never laid eyes on any other woman and kept the conversation going the whole time.

  "During that night when you decided to be so reckless, did you find anything out about Rufus?" he asked while we were enjoying our dessert. I knew that he wouldn’t give up talking about this. I kept him in the loop most of the time, but I didn't know if I should mention McGregor.

  "Their thoughts were tangled," I explained, hoping that he would dismiss the subject.

  "Just tell me. You know that I can be very persuasive."

  I sighed. "McGregor is in London, but I couldn't make out anything else from their conversation."

  "So, you packed yourself and your friends in all sorts of trouble just to find out that my enemy number one is still in London?"

  "Can we not talk about this right now? You’re ruining the atmosphere."

  "At least tell me what the hell had happened up there?"

  "Jasper saved my skin," I said, taking a sip of champagne.

  "As in your ex-boyfriend, Jasper?"

  "Yep, the same one," I snapped. "He killed a couple of giants, then tried to talk me out of dating you."

  Nathaniel was listening. He didn't look like he was jealous, but he didn't look happy either.

  "He wants you back. I’m not even a tiny bit surprised," he said with a smooth low voice. His hazel eyes darkened.

  "Jasper does want me back, but I can assure you that we won’t ever be back together. He’s dangerous, but he saved my butt up there, and I owe him one."

  "I don’t get it, Julia. Why did you go out with him in the first place?"

  It was a good question, and one I wasn’t ready to go into complete detail about.

  I met Jasper just after I graduated. I knew his sister, Georgiana, first. She was my roommate and a good friend. Jasper had been travelling for a while and he was looking to settle down, and Georgiana talked about him often. She convinced me to go on a date with him when he arrived back in the UK. I said yes because I just wanted to make her happy. I hadn't been out with anyone for a while and I just wanted to have some fun.

  Jasper showed up an hour late. "I'm so sorry; I was stuck in traffic for over half an hour," he said, sitting on the sofa opposite me.

  "Well, at least you’re here now," I muttered, looking around. He didn't look at all like Georgiana. At the time, I thought he wouldn’t be someone that I could see myself dating.

  "So, tell me about yourself. My sis mentioned that you’re half elf. And you’ve got trouble with your magic?"

  We talked for an hour or so and then he dropped me home. There were little things that I noticed later on that bothered me. He talked about himself a lot, and he was obsessed with dark spells and oriental charms. He was rude at times so our date ended early. When Georgiana asked about it, I was too scared to tell her the truth, so she told Jasper that I had an amazing time with him. He had a great profession; hunting all the supernatural creatures around the world. He fascinated me with his wild stories. It wasn't long before the second date turned into a third and fourth. Jasper looked after me and at the very beginning, he treated me well. Before I knew it, I was in a serious relationship with him, and from there it only went from bad to worse. I was stupid, naive, and I just didn't know how to end it.

  "Well?" Nathaniel asked, pulling me away from my thoughts about Jasper. I didn't know what to say. "His sister hooked us up. I was lonely. Men were never that interested in me, and he looked after me."

  "But you left him."

  "I did." I sighed. "Can we change the subject now? I think I’ve had enough talking about my crazy ex for one evening."

  "Of course."

  Nathaniel didn't notice that a lot of females were looking at him. It surprised me that he didn't dwell on my past with Jasper. I was dying to ask him about his fiancé, but I didn't want to ruin our evening together. My past was complicated, but it was nothing compared to what Nathaniel went through with Isabelle. He had even admitted that he was in love with her.

  Who knew what he had planned? We were both adults, but I was the one who was in love with him, not the other way around.

  After dinner, I excused myself and went to the ladies’ room, happy that the conversation about Jasper was over. I reapplied my makeup and called Mum, assuring her that I was still alive, and that Nathaniel hadn't proposed to me yet. Mum said that she knew "these" things and was sure that he would present me with the ring tomorrow. She was a lost cause, so instead of thinking about her, I started adjusting my reflection in the mirror.

  I was in the middle of reapplying my makeup when the fire alarm went off. Two vampires left the bathroom in a hurry, speaking fast in French. I assumed that it was probably a test, so I didn't rush. The alarm kept ringing, so I left, worried that it wasn't a false alarm after all. The corridor was filled with paranormals. People were panicking, hurrying towards the entrance. Other paranormals were rushing through the stairs; the hotel staff was directing everyone outside. I snuck back to the restaurant, but all the tables were already empty. Nathaniel was gone.

  I rushed towards reception.

  "Excuse me, can you tell me what’s g
oing on?" I asked one of the porters in English.

  "Not sure, mademoiselle, there is a fire—no time to talk—leave, leave!" he shouted, pushing me toward the exit. My phone fell out of my hand, but I didn't have a chance to pick it up as the crowds of people rammed me, pushing forward. The panic spread, but I couldn't understand anything; everyone was screaming in French.

  I tried to keep calm, but this wasn't how I imagined this whole evening would end. Nathaniel had my purse, my phone was gone, and he was nowhere to be seen. The porter must have been right about the fire because I noticed the smoke coming from the rooftop once I was outside.

  I could hear sirens in the background. The police arrived. I had no idea what had happened to Nathaniel; he was probably looking for me, cursing that I didn't wait for him. Someone was crying, others were pointing up. The firefighters arrived, and the evacuation continued.

  The police closed the main road, creating complete chaos. The traffic started mounting. It was already dark, and the air was saturated with smoke. Police were pushing people away from the building, afraid that the fire would spread quicker than anyone could anticipate.

  "Excuse me, do you speak English?" I asked an old wizard standing by an elegant witch.

  They shook their heads staring at my inflamed fingers. I sighed, glancing around in frustration. The top floor was burning; orange and yellow light illuminated through the night, melting the aura with Parisian lights. The situation was serious, and I knew that there was no chance that anyone would be back inside anytime soon. I didn’t understand how the fire could spread so fast without anyone noticing it. We were supposed to be on the top floor—I didn't believe in that sort of coincidence.

  I paced around the street searching for Nathaniel in the crowd, but it was too cramped to recognise anyone. My magic was getting out of control.

  "Julia, hey, Julia!"

  I turned, wondering if I really heard someone shouting my name. Then I saw La Caz Senior pushing people away, rushing towards me.

  "Oh, my God, Philip," I yelled, hugging him tightly.

  "Wow, calm down there, darling." He pulled away. “Don't tempt me; I don’t think I can handle you so close."

  "Yes, sorry," I replied, flushing. "I'm glad that you’re here. I lost Nathaniel. We were in the restaurant, then I went to the bathroom and the alarm went off."

  "You can’t find him?"

  "No, we separated, then I dropped my phone," I continued mumbling. "What are you doing here? Did Nathaniel expect to see you today?"

  "He called my hotel a few hours ago to discuss our meeting tomorrow."

  Philip looked chaotic, but I was glad that he was here. After a moment, he offered me his jacket because the temperature dropped slightly. He looked much paler today than when I met him the last time.

  "Maybe we should call him," I suggested, "To find out where he is."

  Philip scratched his head, licking his lips. I didn't use my cover charm, so my scent was probably driving him insane. "I don’t use mobile phones; I don’t like technology."

  "You don’t have a mobile phone?" He nodded, looking lost.

  "Well, what are we going to do now?" I asked, dejected.

  He looked around, disoriented. He was a businessman like Nathaniel. I didn't understand how he was running his company without a phone. Our floor was burning, and I didn't believe for a second that it was just a fluke. If it weren't for the long dinner, we would have been upstairs, making love.

  "Stay here," he said. "I'm going to find out what’s going on."

  "No," I protested. "I'm not staying here alone. I don’t speak French."

  “Don't worry, I won’t be long. Just stay where you are."

  He vanished before I could stop him. There was more smoke, the traffic was building, and I wanted to scream with irritation. Fortunately, he came back ten minutes later shaking his head.

  "So? What’s going on?"

  "They’re still evacuating people," he answered. "The firefighters are trying to gain control of the fire, but it spread too quickly. I don’t think anyone will be allowed to go back inside tonight."

  "Does anyone know what happened?"

  “It's too early to tell."

  My heart skipped a beat as I imagined being trapped on the top floor with Nathaniel. All the scars on my body would always remind me of that horrible fire in the agency. If it wasn't for Grandpa’s Christmas present, I would have burned alive.

  "Come on, we should get going," Philip said.

  "Go where?" I hissed. "What about Nathaniel?"

  "You don’t want to spend the night on the street, do you?" he asked. "My son knows how to take care of himself. We will call him as soon as we reach my daughter’s house."

  He was right; the street was getting crowded and the police started to push people farther away from the building. I had to keep my hands hidden away, hoping that no humans would notice my inflamed fingers. Philip was a vampire; he could easily drain me if he wanted to, but he was also Nathaniel’s father. I knew that I could trust him.

  Twenty minutes later we got into a taxi. I had to really concentrate on not blowing anything up throughout the whole journey. The taxi driver was human; he ranted in French with La Caz Senior. It was quarter to one in the morning by the time we reached our destination. We drove through a large estate, stopping in front of a huge gothic mansion. I was too tired to ask questions, but I wanted to know if Nathaniel was safe. Philip vanished, leaving me with the housekeeper who showed me straight to my room. I was pissed off that he just disappeared, leaving me completely unaware of what was going on. My excess magic was taking away all my energy and I just needed to get to bed. My room was spacious with a squeaky wooden floor and a large, high king-sized bed. I stayed up for an hour before exhaustion finally took over and fell asleep—not knowing if I would be alive in the morning.

  * * *

  When I opened my eyes the next day I was completely confused. Someone had taken off all of my clothes and I was lying on top of a warm, ripped body. My mind was spinning as I peered beneath my eyelashes, inhaling the familiar scent. Nathaniel shifted slightly and I automatically relaxed. Memories from last night flashed in my mind: the fire, the crowd, and his father.

  "Hmm, stop moving," he muttered, pulling me closer.

  "I lost you yesterday. What was going on?" I asked, sitting back. He opened his eyes.

  “It's a long story," he replied, moving his eyes down. I flushed remembering that I was completely naked.

  "I don’t remember you undressing me." I dove back under the covers. He stretched his arms around, showing me that he didn't have any clothes on either. My skin started tingling; energy whisked through me.

  "Shut up and let me make love to you. I’ve been waiting too long for this."

  "But—"

  "Stop talking; let’s just fuck."

  He was ready for me; my whole body cracked under the magic crawling through my skin, eager to be released. Yesterday I was ready, but today I didn't even give myself a chance to think about what I was about to let happen. He threw the covers away and his eyes darted downwards, moving from my breasts, my stomach, down between my legs, stopping on my feet. The bright morning light poured into the room and I shivered, filled with anticipation.

  "All mine," he whispered, leaning down, kissing me softly. "This house is full of vampires. They won’t hear a thing; they’re dead until sunset."

  "Are you sure?"

  “I've never been more sure in my entire life."

  The desire pulled us to each other as he parted my legs with his and slid himself between me. I wanted him so much; I could ask questions later. Right now, we both needed to feed our desire.

  He stared down at me for a long moment. "Put your hands above your head, seal them with your magic, and hold on to the bed."

  "I don’t like being told what to do," I said, already feeling excited about this idea.

  "Trust me, you will love what I'm about to do to you."

  I wasn't sur
e if this would work, but I obeyed and grabbed the bed tightly. He didn't give me a chance to think about his next move, because he kissed me hard, sucking on my lower lip. His fingers caressed the bottom part of my stomach. Then he took my breast in his hands and his left thumb massaged my nipple. Energy poured out of me, sharpening my senses, heating up my skin.

  "Are you ready for me?" he asked, nipping my neck. I moaned, pushing up my hips, but he laughed, showing me how hard and ready he was for me. He took my nipple into his mouth and I cried out; desire burst through me. He sucked and licked every part of my breast and electric sparks kept passing through my skin. Our eyes locked and Nathaniel started moving down, smiling wickedly. I ached for him; I wanted to have him inside of me. I let out a small gasp. His head was between my legs and his tongue brushed over my sex. This was too much for me to bear, and I whimpered with pleasure.

  He lifted his head and said, "Keep your hands away."

  I moaned with frustration.

  "Trust me, you will enjoy this more than anything." He growled, kissing my stomach, and then he was back pressing his mouth against mine, his tongue moving inside me. His touch was burning my skin; my breathing sped up. Then he was gone again, circling around my hardened nipples. I cried out as my power throbbed through me. Before I could get used to whatever he was doing to my breasts, he was between my legs again, smiling, and I saw a mad gleam in his eyes. When he licked my clit; once was enough to send me away to another universe.

  "God, Nathaniel," I yelled, jerking around, trying to free myself, but I’d tied my hands with magic, so I was stuck.

  "Are you going to beg now?" he asked, laughing.

  "You aren’t playing fair," I moaned, wanting to have him inside me, feeling his hard cock pressed against the entrance to my sex.

  "You know that I'm going to win; you might as well just surrender," he said, running his tongue again across my sex; this time sucking and nibbling at the same time. My heart was racing out of my chest.

  "Oh, please, why are you doing this to me?" I cried out as fire brewed between my legs. I was ready to beg him.