by I. T. Lucas
He wanted to make that tired look go away, to enfold her in the shelter of his arms and ease her fears and worries, to cocoon her in safety and warmth and undo whatever damage he had unwittingly done.
But this was not the right time for this. And besides, he would probably freak her out. As it was, his body didn't get the message that it was okay to power down yet, and with the way he was still primed for a fight, he could just imagine how threatening he must seem to her.
Forcing in a deep breath, Kian tried to relax his coiled muscles.
He was so grateful that he had made it on time... His original plan had been to thrall Syssi again to get her to cooperate, but he was glad he had decided against it and had restored her memory instead. It had confused the hell out of her, but at least he hadn't compounded the damage to her brain.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that.
The truth was, he wanted Syssi to remember him; and all other plans had flown out the window once he had seen her again and his hormones had taken over, doing his thinking for him.
Kian smirked, remembering how following her inside, he had zeroed in on that shapely behind of hers...
Lucky for him, she hadn't caught him ogling it...
But oh, boy, those form-fitting leggings she had on outlined her ass so perfectly and left so very little to the imagination, he had to fight the urge to cup them with his hands, and after giving them a nice squeeze, run his fingers along that center seam all the way down to her core...
And when she had turned around and found him almost pressed against her, he had wanted to kiss her, bad. It was good that he had learned some restraint over the years because with the way she had gazed at him, wanting him to do just that, he had to remind himself that there was no time and that he had to restore her memories and get her out of there first. The kissing had to wait. Still, he had managed to get away with that little slap on her delicious ass, thankfully, without getting in trouble.
She might've even liked it...
Perfect, the girl was perfect.
Sexy, sweet, beautiful...
His...
Sitting beside Syssi in the SUV, Kian wondered what it was about her that stirred these unfamiliar cravings in him. The lust was to be expected; Syssi was beautiful and sexy and it was in his nature to want her body. But the possessiveness, the protectiveness, the tenderness he felt toward her, these were new.
He hugged her closer and caressed her knee lightly, reluctant to spoil the moment and upset her with the explanation he had promised. But it needed to be done.
Taking a deep breath, he shifted so he could look into her eyes and took her hand, squeezing it gently.
"Remember the people we were trying to avoid yesterday?" Kian used the most reassuring tone he could muster, hating that he had to scare her again. "They came back and ransacked the lab during the night—wrote hateful things on the walls."
Syssi's hand flew to her chest and the color drained from her face. "Oh my God! Poor Amanda, she must be so upset!"
Fuck, that didn't work as well as he had planned; the girl turned as pale as a ghost.
And he hadn't even gotten to the punchline yet.
"She is really distraught, but not over the damage. That is easily fixed... Amanda had a notebook listing among other things all of her paranormal subjects by their first name, phone number, and the ranking she assigned them. That notebook is missing, and we believe the vandals got it and may try to harm those on the list."
"Why?" Syssi kept rubbing her chest as the bad news piled.
"Why do they do all the evil deeds they do? Hate, fear, ignorance, greed, envy. Take your pick. They may believe special abilities are evil, the mark of the devil or some other nonsense like that. The why doesn't matter, just know that they will. You are the highest ranked on Amanda's list, which makes you their number one target."
Just talking about it had blown his hard-won composure away. The idea of anyone or anything posing a threat to Syssi had him seething with rage. "Can I have your cellphone? We need to get rid of it. The fuckers can track you by its signal." He held out his palm. "Don't worry. I'll buy you a new one."
Syssi handed him the device and scooted away, putting some distance between them. Kian knew he'd sounded vehement delivering his little speech, and with her already being scared, his dark mood must've added a layer of anxiety.
Pulling her back to him, he plastered her against his side and squeezed her shoulders reassuringly, tightening his fingers on her cold, sweaty hand. "Don't worry, sweet girl. I'd never let anything happen to you. I'd rip to shreds each and every one of those bastards with my own bare hands before I let any lay a finger on you. You are safe with me," Kian finished his gruesome pledge with a kiss to the top of her head.
Except, it didn't seem to help with her anxiety. The poor girl remained silent and rigid.
Way to go calming her nerves, moron.
At this point, she must've been as scared of him as she was of the looming threat.
Opening the window just a crack, he sent her phone flying straight into a construction curbside trash bin.
Now the fuckers could follow it to the dump.
CHAPTER 30: SYSSI
“You could stumble and twist your ankle wearing these insane shoes," Kian bit out as Syssi wavered and gripped his bicep for support.
Walking from the car to the elevators, she felt a little lightheaded. Was it the Kahlua? Perhaps. Though it also could've been whatever Kian had done to her head. But then, being scared out of her freaking mind might've had something to do with it as well.
"It's not the shoes, they're actually pretty sturdy. I'm just a little dizzy. I might be still tipsy from all the Kahlua I had this morning. Or, what's more likely, the weakness and lack of balance are the results of all the excitement. I was so scared..." Embarrassed, she glanced his way before looking down at her feet.
Some of the dark shadows had lifted off his handsome face, and he no longer looked as frightening as he had in the car. Though judging by his stiff posture, he was still tense.
"Tipsy? Before lunch? Somehow you don't strike me as the type..." A smile tugged at his lips as he wrapped his arm around her waist, propping her against his side so she was almost floating, her feet barely touching the ground.
"No... I'm not, I hardly ever drink. I had a panic attack this morning. That's why I stayed home instead of going to the lab. The premonition of impending doom was so strong, I couldn't shake it off, and decided to trust it." Syssi looked up at him with a sad smile. "I learned from experience to listen to that cursed foresight of mine. So anyway, long story short, I spiked my coffee with some Kahlua to soothe my rattled nerves."
Kian kissed the top of her head and squeezed her shoulder. "I'm grateful for your foresight, and you should be too. It might've saved you from something very nasty today. But enough of that, I don't want you thinking about it anymore. You're safe now."
Parting ways with Brundar at the elevators, they stepped into the one going up to the penthouse.
"How many of those spiked cups did you have, anyway?" Kian asked as the doors opened to the vestibule.
"Three cups, but there wasn't that much alcohol in them. It's just that I'm a really lightweight drinker. Half a glass of wine makes me woozy." She grimaced.
"You'll feel better after you'll eat. This dizziness is probably the result of stress combined with alcohol and an empty stomach. I'll have Okidu whip us something." Kian dropped her duffle bag by the entry and headed for the kitchen.
Hesitating, Syssi wasn't sure if she was to follow him or wait by the door. Looking around and twisting her hands as she reacquainted herself with the place, she wondered if Kian planned for her to stay with him.
She should've thought of asking him to drop her off at Andrew's.
Though in truth, being led like a goose she hadn't been thinking at all. It seemed that her brain took a hiatus whenever Kian was near, mistakenly assuming she belonged with him. Except, she didn't, not really, which
explained why she felt so awkward and displaced coming home with him.
Taking a deep breath, she put one foot in front of the other and followed him to the kitchen.
CHAPTER 31: KIAN
Kian found Okidu cutting vegetables at the counter. "Good, I'm hungry, and so is Syssi. We could use an early lunch, or brunch as it may be. It seems we both skipped breakfast." Motioning for Syssi to join him, he pulled out a stool for her.
"Of course, Master, and good day to you and the lovely lady. It is a pleasure to see you again, madam." Okidu bowed, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "May I serve luncheon in the dining room, Master?" He intercepted Kian as he was about to pull another stool for himself.
"Yes, good idea, the dining room..." Kian pushed back the stool and redirected Syssi toward the room.
Good save.
Shaking his head, Kian was thankful for Okidu's intervention. As ridiculous as it was for someone his age, he didn't have much practice at being a host. Besides the Guardians, he never had guests over. And they didn't really qualify as such or require that kind of courtesy.
But if his mother would decide to grace his home with her presence, he'd have to brush up on the good manners she had attempted to instill in him all those centuries ago. Regrettably, he didn't have much use for those with the kind of company he kept. Curiously, though, it hadn't bothered him before. His nightly prowls required little if any effort or finesse on his part. He'd show up, zero in on his chosen prey, and the females usually took it from there.
Easy...
He hadn't brought any of them home.
If he hadn't fucked them against a wall in a dark alley or some other secluded corner, he would bring them to one of the timeshare apartments on the lower levels, or a hotel. Later, Okidu would make sure that Kian's thralled and confused partners found their way back safely.
He had never spent the night with any of them.
As he pulled a chair out for Syssi, he was acutely aware of how different she was from his nightly fare.
The women who tended to take his bait were the hardened, disillusioned types, frequenting the bars and clubs looking for some good times. Just like him.
No questions asked and no expectations.
Most times he hadn't even ask for their names.
Syssi seemed so innocent and fragile in contrast, sitting there like a proper lady with her back straight and her hands in her lap, looking nervous.
Her eyes darting around, she looked at everything and anything in the room just so she wouldn't have to look at him.
So shy... so reserved... so sweet...
She wouldn't make it easy on him. She would expect him to woo her, be romantic...
Kian's brows drew tight as it dawned on him that he didn't know how to do that. He had never felt the need to make that kind of an effort before.
Living the way he did, and with hardly the time or patience to watch or read anything romantic, he didn't even have the benefit of learning by example from fiction.
Yeah... he had the finesse of a bulldog and was just as charming...
But, whatever, he’d improvise and hope not to blunder too badly. Because even though he didn't expect to have Syssi for more than a few days, for some reason it mattered.
CHAPTER 32: SYSSI
Syssi dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.
By the time Okidu had served brunch, she had been ravenous and had devoured the eggplant sandwich, with only crumbs remaining on her plate. Everything had tasted amazing, and remarkably, it had all been vegetarian.
Folding her napkin, she braved a quick glance at Kian, and her breath hitched.
He was watching her raptly, reclining in his chair and sipping on his coffee and making her squirm under his intense scrutiny. With the food gone and coffee served, the silence between them felt like a vacuum begging to be filled.
Clearing her throat, her eyes darted back to her empty plate. "Thank you for a wonderful meal. I've noticed that there was no meat in any of the sandwiches. Are you also a vegetarian? Like Amanda?" she blurted.
Kind of lame, but it was the best she could come up with under his unnerving stare.
"It's a healthier way to eat, not to mention kinder. I think most of us are instinctively reluctant to kill a living being. If people had to actually hunt and kill their own food, I'm sure many would choose not to. Unless they had no choice because there was nothing else. I stay away from animal products as much as I can, although when the alternative is starving, well... self-preservation and all that... Amanda tries, but you know her, she has to have her Brie or goat cheese from time to time." He smiled a tight-lipped smile.
Syssi had to agree. Amanda hated rules and lacked discipline in everything she did, so why would food be any different?
"Yes, I know what you mean. I can't see Amanda being strict about anything. I'm puzzled, though, by your comment about eating meat as an alternative to starving. Have you ever been in that kind of situation?" It took some effort, but Syssi finally let go of the napkin she had been folding and unfolding, placing it beside her plate.
"There were times that there was nothing else... that I ran out of provisions, out in the wilderness or on a trek at some remote location. Hunting and killing for food was my only way to survive... Yeah, I was in situations like that..." He shrugged, but his face showed obvious distaste.
"So, you're into the whole extreme-survival-camping thing? Lately, whenever I go channel-surfing, I stumble upon one of those reality shows, and I've noticed that the theme became very popular. Obviously, the shows are staged, but I assume that it's a real form of recreation for some..." Kian didn't look like the type, though, more the CEO, or a military commander than an extreme survivalist. Perhaps he was a veteran, turned CEO... except, he looked too young to have done both...
"No, for me it wasn't a recreational choice. Let's just say there were times in my life that I was forced to fend for myself in a hostile environment." His grave tone suggested he wouldn't appreciate any further questions on the subject.
Syssi figured he couldn't talk about it, or wasn't allowed...
Like Andrew...
Yep, the little he had said sounded like special ops. "I admire your ability to do so. If left alone in the wild, I would probably become the food. With no survival skills whatsoever, I would be completely defenseless and helpless. Terrified…" Syssi shivered, remembering the nightmare and her desperate run through the woods with the demon-wolves snarling at her heels...
Unbidden, images of what had followed slammed into her mind, sending a powerful flash of arousal through her. Erupting in her core, it spread up through her chest all the way to the nerve endings of her fingertips, making them tingle as if zapped with an electric current.
A quiet moan that sounded more like a whimper escaped her throat as if the flood of sensations needed an outlet after overwhelming her body. Mortified, Syssi blushed and looked down, hoping desperately Kian would attribute that embarrassing sound to her fear of wild beasts.
CHAPTER 33: KIAN
Kian's body had reacted before his mind had time to process the torrent of sexual triggers slamming into him and knocking his breath out with the force of a battering ram.
Kind of like the one that had popped behind his zipper...
What the hell had just happened?
What had brought on that tortured moan? And why was she suddenly emitting such strong scent of arousal tinted by fear?
He was no stranger to that particular combination. Sensing his predatory nature on a visceral level, most females responded to him that way; their lust and their apprehension combining to create one heady aphrodisiac.
His favorite.
And what do you know; coming from sweet, shy Syssi, that explosive mixture fueled his lust like nothing before.
And as it grew stronger, his control grew weaker.
Taking over, the predator in him overpowered the thin layer of civility he struggled to maintain, and he pounced. In one quick move, he had her on h
is lap, trapped there in the cage of his arms.
Taken by surprise, Syssi squeaked.
Feeling the evidence of his arousal prodding her where she sat, her eyes widened and her lips parted on a sharp inhale, the flush on her cheeks climbing along with her arousal.
"You see, Syssi. If you were mine, I would have taken care of you, defended you, provided for you. You would have never been left alone to fend for yourself. The only wild beast to fear... would have been me..."
Searching his face, she smiled a little, probably thinking he was only teasing. But as she looked into his eyes, sensing the kind of animal she was trapped by, her smile faltered.
With his palm closing gently around the back of her neck, he held her gaze as he drew closer to her mouth, slowly, deliberately, prolonging her breathless anticipation until she was panting with it.
Abruptly, he tightened his grip on her nape and closed the remaining distance between them, striking her soft lips with an almost bruising ferocity.
Syssi melted into the kiss, pressing herself against him, surrendering to his invading and probing tongue, flicking it and sucking it in.
So damn good…
As he withdrew, breathless, she followed, licking his lips and pressing her own little tongue into his mouth.
Reluctantly, he refused her entry.
By now, his fangs had fully descended, following the rest of his body in preparation for what it assumed was coming.
He couldn't allow her to find out that he wasn't who, or rather what, she thought him to be. Not yet, anyway.
Entangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her head back and nipped her bottom lip in warning, then licked it to soothe the small pain away.
"No, baby, I can't have you do that. I need to be in charge when we are together like that." He tried to mask the implied command with gentle words, then kissed her again, softly, tenderly—teasing, testing her compliance.