A growl rumbled through Avon’s chest. “Even if she had any desire to do so I would not allow it,” he stated, resting a hand on my hip.
She huffed, “That’s not what this is about.”
“Come on, mum, that what it’s always about,” I sighed softly. I wasn’t even mad anymore, I just felt dejected, knowing that she would think so little of me. I would always be a disappointment to her because I could never carry on the family’s legacy the way she wanted me to.
I took Avon’s arm and led him back to the car. Once we reached it he took my chin and made me meet his gaze, “I hate that she hurts you,” he said seriously.
“She doesn’t mean to.”
“She’s your mother, you care what she thinks, maybe more than you should.”
He was right, for generations there was a certain way things had been done. I refused to comply because I couldn’t be who I was expected to be. I didn’t want to spend years of my life having the children of virtual strangers, people I could never love.
Not to mention I didn’t want seven kids because I would inevitably be unable to give them each the care they needed. I wasn’t even close to ready for kids. God, why couldn’t I let this go and just move on?
Even what Misha’s mage had said about being the last true Witch had got to me. I was so messed up.
Avon kissed my nose briefly, distracting me from my thoughts. “You are perfect. What you are does not affect who you are. You are my wife, if you ever have a child it will be my child and it will be when we’re both ready,” he said, kissing me on the lips.
Warmth rose in my chest. I met his dark eyes and reached up to cup his face. “I adore you,” I told him, my heart behind every word.
In a flash, his mouth was on mine and my body was pressed back against the car door. “I love you too.”
I gasped and he took the opportunity to press his tongue between my lips. He masterfully claimed my mouth until I couldn’t breathe and didn’t care to. Luckily he broke off before I could pass out. I did feel a little dizzy though.
“Let’s go to the warehouse, I’ll feed you but then I’ll have to go to work.” His lips brushed mine once more and then he hurried around to the driver’s side.
I felt like I needed a moment to recover from that kiss but I climbed in the car anyway, chewing my bottom lip.
“BRO, DID YOU PUT A ring on it?” demanded Grant, grabbing my right hand.
“I did,” confirmed Avon.
“Nice. You know, I’ve always wondered if ‘it’ meant the hand or if it’s just the objectification of women,” Grant comment.
I smiled, “I feel like your thought patterns are different to most people's,” I told him.
It was at that moment a young woman came out of the bathroom. I raised an eyebrow at Grant.
He grinned, “Macey, come meet my roommate’s wife,” he called.
She walked over blinking tiredly and rubbing her messy hair. She frowned a little, “He doesn’t live with his wife?” she asked, yawning.
“It’s a rather complicated situation,” I said.
She yawned again, nodding, “Nice to meet you.” Then she walked over to the kitchen.
Her tiredness was understandable, Fey often took energy from those they were sleeping with. They fed off of emotions and lust was one of their favourites, understandably. In this way they were the opposite of Demons who prefered to feed from darker emotions. “She’s nice,” I told Grant.
“Very nice,” he said suggestively. “You have a certain glow about you, I can practically taste the lingering energy.”
“Don’t you dare feed on me, I don’t need more than one guy trying to exhaust me.”
He laughed and we both walked to the kitchen. “Where’s Madge?” I asked as I took a seat at the kitchen island.
“She’s with Lucy, Lucy actually hired her as a part-time assistant,” said Avon.
“Really? No one told me. That’s great.” It wasn’t that long ago that I’d seen Lucy but then we hadn’t met at her actual office.
He stepped up behind me and brushed his fingers down my neck. “It was not an intentional omission, little one, it’s a recent development and I’ve been a little too distracted to think of it,” he murmured, nuzzling my hair.
“Mmm, okay,” I said feeling a little distracted myself.
He chuckled and placed a plate in front of me. My stomach growled as I picked up the sub and I didn’t even question what was inside before taking a bite. I moaned, I was so damn hungry.
I devoured the whole thing without pausing and Avon grinned, “Are you satisfied, little one?” he asked before taking a bit of what remained of his own sub.
I nodded and patted my stomach, “Thank you.”
He smiled and reached to wipe something from the corner of my mouth before sucking it off his thumb. “What will you be doing in my absence?” he asked.
“I’m going after Misha,” I said firmly.
He frowned, his mood instantly darkening, “It’s not wise.”
I was still angry, so very angry at the way Misha had treated me. I could either be angry or afraid and angry felt a lot more productive. “You said you’d be able to find me, will you also know when I need you?” I asked.
He nodded reluctantly.
I smiled, “You’re all the backup I need... but I’ll also take one or two of my family members. And I’m not going to face him until I’m good and ready,” I said because going alone really wouldn’t a good idea.
He sighed softly, “He hurts you and I’ll gut him like a fish,” he growled.
I kissed his cheek, “I’ll just use the bathroom real quick then I’ll be ready to go.”
Chapter Twenty-two
“I need to know everything you’ve got on Misha,” I told Amber.
“Why?” she asked without glancing up from her computer screen
“I’m going to burn him.”
That got her attention. “Misha is one of the most powerful Warlocks of his generation, how exactly do you intend to burn him?”
“First, I’m going to get him banished.”
She raised an eyebrow, “You’re involving the Coven in this?”
I nodded, “It’s about time the bastard learns he’s not above the law.”
She smiled with amusement, “There’s the devious girl I know and adore.”
I grinned sheepishly. Before my union to Avon, I had been so consumed with fear of Misha that my only thought was to lash out physically at him, which wasn’t in my nature. This was more my style. This was me being smart.
Looks and brain, those where my true weapons of choice and it was past time I exploited them. “I’ll email you everything we’ve got on him and if you let me know the charges I’ll petition the council.”
I beamed at her, “Thanks. For a start, multiple counts of kidnapping, employing a mercenary under false pretenses, human experimentation and mutilation. I’ll probably think of a few more things and message them to you.”
Her eyes narrowed, “Human experimentation?”
“I’ll explain during the trial.”
She huffed, “So secretive these days.”
I smiled, “Because everyone else around here is such an open book.” I glanced at her one last time before heading to my office.
I was sitting back in my chair, absorbing the information I had just read on my father when my phone rang. I answered, chewing my lip thoughtfully.
“What are you doing?” asked a familiar deep voice, pulling me effectively from my thoughts.
“Just some research, boring research from the safety of my office.” I toyed idly with the pens on my desk.
“Well that’s good but what I really meant to ask was what are you wearing?”
I grinned. “The real question is what am I not wearing?”
“Oh, don’t get me all worked up, love, my shift doesn’t end for hours.”
“You started it,” I accused.
“And I’d come over there to fi
nish it if I had more than a half hour break.” His voice was a deep seductive purr.
I bit my lip and closed my eyes for a second, “So... what are you wearing?”
His laughter was deep and rich even over the phone. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and find out.”
I smiled and tugged at a lock of my hair, “There any other reason you called?”
“Other than to hear the voice of my beloved?”
I grinned, suppressing a laugh, “Yes, other than that.”
“I can think of no better reason. How is the research going?” he asked.
“Okay, I guess. I haven’t found any major weaknesses I can exploit.”
“Damn, I love it when you talk business. Is this how it was when you did your research on me?” he asked.
“I didn’t have much to go on with you and I lacked the perfect memory thing.”
“Yet you had me eating out of the palm of your hand in only a few short hours,” he said with amusement.
“For the record, you’re my favourite target to date.” I doodled a little demon on the edge of a piece of paper in Misha’s file, then I gave him a broad chest.
“And you are the best mercenary seductress who’s been sent to steal from me.”
“Well, I sound super cool when you talk about me that way.”
“I value honesty.”
I smiled as I doodled a rail-thin Warlock. “Me too.”
“I do have one question. Would you have slept with me to keep up the ruse?” The question was asked casually but there was an underlying tension that told me my answer mattered.
I paused for a long moment as I considered the question. “Honestly? I don’t know. I like to think I wouldn’t have if you had thought I was under Grant’s glamour but then I’ve seen you when you want to get a girl between the sheets. A girl only has so much willpower.”
He chuckled, “Oh yeah? What would I have had to do?”
“Remember the first time you came to my apartment? If you’d have done what you started to do then I would have been putty in your hands.” I had dropped the pen and abandoned the doodle.
“Mmm, good to know. You think you’ll be done it time to get something to eat?”
“This shouldn’t take all that much longer, then I’ll squeeze in a quick workout.”
“You want me to pick you up when I’m done here?”
“Yeah, I’ll be here.” I smiled and drew a lighter in the hand of the demon, he was setting the mage on fire.
“IT’S DONE.”
I jerked upright suddenly, “Huh?”
Amber smirked, “You’ve got your trial, tomorrow at noon. You should probably get some sleep in an actual bed before then.”
“Don’t tell me how to live my life,” I said groggily, wiping the drool from my chin.
She chuckled, “There are cots in the break room,” she reminded me on her way out.
I rubbed my face with both hands. Damn Avon and his ability to keep me up all night. Actually, that was an ability I was quite fond of. I shook my head and finished reading up on Misha. There was a lot on him, this guy had tons of property shares and he even had his own lab, not to mention that his list of employees was as long as my arm.
Amber had even included a scanned copy of my mother's hand-written notes from nineteen years ago. She described him as a ‘suitable potential candidate’. Well, at least some thought had been put into my conception.
“Delivery.”
I grinned at the familiar voice and glanced over at the door. “What are you doing here so soon?”
He walked closer, letting the door close behind him, “Can’t a guy visit his wife at work?” He dropped a bag of food on my desk as I rose to meet him. He cupped my ass and pulled my hips against his.
“Avon,” I breathed contentedly.
“I wanted to make sure you weren’t storming any castles,” he murmured, kissing my neck.
“No, I’ve requested a formal hearing.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”
“Really.” I tilted my head back to kiss him. “I’m taking him down through the proper channels.”
“I wasn’t aware that the Warlock was answerable to anyone.”
“It seems he’s forgotten that fact too. He has used the system a few times to get what he wanted, it’s how he claimed the city. Now I’m going to use it to get what I want.” Like father like daughter, I guess.
He kissed me again, “You are brilliant, playing him at his own game. I seem to remember you have a talent for manipulating an audience.”
I smiled, he and Grant had been that particular audience. Then I glanced at the bag of food on the desk, “I see you’re taking your responsibility to provide for me very seriously.”
He grinned, “Yes, any hunger you might have, I’m here to sate it,” he murmured, brushing his fingers through my hair while his other hand held my body flushed against his.
Warmth filled my whole body and I rubbed my fingers against his stubbled cheek. “Not here.”
He nipped at my bottom lip, “You’d tell me no?” he teased.
I melted against him, “I should definitely tell you no,” I murmured.
He kissed me and hitched me up, pull my legs around his waist. I made a soft sound of pleasure as he braced me against my desk. Heat pooled low in my stomach.
“Anyone could walk in at any moment.”
He reached behind me to push the keyboard aside so he could press me down on the desk. “Then just tell me no,” he dared as he straddled my hips, kissing my neck.
I would absolutely tell him no... in just a moment. He squeezed my breast. I closed my eyes and gasped softly.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmured.
I grinned, “It’s been like six hours,” I informed him.
“Six hours of Radien making me do the most menial tasks,” he complained.
“He can’t be that bad.” Radien was a great guy.
“He’s been pissy with me today, I think it’s because I didn’t have time to shower so your scent is all over me,” he told me as his hands slipped beneath my shirt.
I frowned, “He was one of the only ones who seemed okay with us being together.”
He smiled a little “Knowing something and actually... smelling it, are two completely different things.”
I grimaced, “I suppose so, he knew we were dating but he probably doesn’t need that much evidence.”
He nodded, one hand moving to the small of my back while the other cupped my breast through my lace bra. My nipple hardened as his thumb teased it through the fabric. He pinched the hard nub and I moaned, arching my back.
He grinned, “You still haven’t tol-”
The door to my office flew open and I gasped. Avon tried to stand but it took him a moment to untangle his hands from my shirt. “Jeez, knock much,” I growled.
The twins appeared and I had no time to react before Wes slammed Avon against the wall and Cas grabbed me as if to hold me back.
“What the hell?!”
“You need to learn a little respect,” snarled Wes, one hand holding Avon’s shoulder.
“Stop, let me go, you moron!”
Wes’ arm came back and Avon’s eyes turned completely black. I elbowed Cas in the gut and lunged forward. He grabbed me with both arms before I got more than a step from him, pinning my arms to my sides.
Avon caught Wes’s fist before it could land and they both froze as they each tried to overpower the other.
I slammed my head back until it connected with Cas’s forehead. He groaned and I was able to pull free. I swung a kick in his gut to deter him from grabbing for me again. Then I reached to pull Wes off Avon but his elbow came back at the worst possible moment and hit my jaw.
The impact slammed me back against the wall. My vision went dark as my head collided with the brick at my back. There was a roar of outrage, a primitive, fierce sound that couldn’t have come from a human throat.
I heard a loud crash.
Chapter Twenty-three
When my vision finally cleared I saw Avon face, eyes brimming with both concern and controlled rage. “Little one, are you okay? Speak to me, please.”
My eyes moved past him, to the twins who stood by the door, with matching looks of horror. Large deep gashes had been slashed across Wes’s abdomen, if he were human he probably would have been disemboweled.
Tears swam in my eyes and I blinked them away angrily. “Stay the hell away from me. I hate you both! How could you do this to me?”
“Kia, I didn’t mean-” Wes tried to step forward but Avon snarled, eyes going black again.
“If you come near my mate again I will kill you,” Avon promised, scooping me up into his arms protectively. I closed my eyes and buried my head against his neck as the movement made me dizzy. “It’s okay, love,” he whispered against my hair.
He started moving and I balled my fist up in his shirt and wished that the world would just settle. Where I dared to open my eyes again he had set me down on a sofa in the breakroom and had a hand pressed against my head.
“A minor concussion,” he assured me softly.
“I’m not mad about the injury,” I said softly. Matter of fact we’d given each other much worse while sparring.
“I am, the bastard should know better than to fight in such tight quarters with you in the room.” His words were harsh but the healing warmth from his hand was soothing. He sighed softly, “But you feel as if they betrayed you by attacking me.”
Oddly he sounded disapproving. “They tried to hurt you, I thought we were past this. I expected better from them.”
“They found a man ravishing their sister in her office, by attacking me they only did what most guys would do.”
I frowned, trying to put my emotions into words, “You’re mine, by hurting you they hurt me.”
He grinned, looking entirely too pleased. “I am yours. How’s that head feeling?”
Warlocks & Warfare_A Grimmer Legacy novel Page 14