Finn studied the screen. The man appeared annoyed, his brows drawn together. He tapped a pen on the table top. The door opened. From the angle of the camera, Finn couldn’t yet see who had entered. But the senator’s expression smoothed out, only a slight tic in his cheek revealing he wasn’t as calm as he appeared.
A woman entered the picture and Finn’s breath caught in his throat. “Cassia,” he snarled. What the hell?
“You have them?” she asked.
He watched the rest of the film until she walked out, then he sank into one of the chairs around the room and tried to think it through, make some sense of it all. Work out what she planned and what the implications were. Lilith wasn’t allowed to directly interfere. But did that extend to Cassia? He didn’t know.
This was obviously not her first meeting with the senator. “When she first planned this, I hadn’t met Rachel. And she couldn’t have known that we’d meet today. This was pre-arranged before the five days began.” Christ, he’d saved that bitch’s life. He should have left her to the demons.
“She obviously planned to put Rachel out of your reach. Maybe even have her killed,” Torr said. “With the Covenant at this stage that would likely mean the end of your chances.”
He wanted to believe she wouldn’t do that. Hell, she’d said she loved him. But he suspected Cassia’s love wasn’t the selfless type. And she was a demon; they hardly valued human life. She would probably think nothing of it
He reached across and swiped the screen to replay the image, studying Cassia.
Demons only had limited access to Earth. They could visit in three ways. Mostly, they did so by possessing a human’s body. There were always humans open to the sweet persuasions of a demon. Humans who thought they could benefit from the possession, only realizing too late that their souls were damned for eternity. But there were limitations to such possessions; the host’s body and mind started deteriorating almost immediately. And the demon took on the image of the human. That clearly wasn’t the case. Cassia looked like Cassia.
The second and most likely method was an astral projection. They had great strength for a limited period of time, but the projection took an enormous amount of power, which could not be maintained for long. However, they did have the advantage that if they were killed here on earth, their physical form re-manifested itself in the Abyss. So his natural inclination to wring Cassia’s neck would hardly be effective.
The final option was by opening a portal between the Abyss and Earth. But that was beyond the powers of most demons. Finn and his brothers were not creatures of the Abyss, and as such, they had the ability to open the portals and move freely between the realms. That was one of the reasons they’d been so valuable to Lilith. They could also open a portal to Heaven, but they wouldn’t be welcomed there. Once, they had all called it home, but none of them had entered Heaven in more than two thousand years.
“Now the five days have begun,” Torr said. “I’m guessing she must be desperate to get Rachel away from you.”
“Is she allowed to do that?”
“She shouldn’t even know of the Covenant. If Lilith told her, likely she’s breaking the rules. But whether it would be considered enough to break the terms, I don’t know. We’ll find out. Tomorrow. There’s another thing. I think we should get the boy back as soon as possible. With only the senator involved, he was safe. But now Cassia is in the picture. I wouldn’t like him to be used as a bargaining chip.”
No. Rachel would no doubt agree to anything to keep her son safe. And how could he blame her?
“We’ll get a plan together,” Torr said. “And I’ll try and sort out a meeting with Lilith. And Gabriel.”
“Oh goody.” He hated fucking Gabriel. “Asshole.”
Torr smiled. “Yeah. Why don’t you go and rest? There’s nothing else we can do for now. Go to your woman.”
Finn nodded and left the room. He didn’t think Rachel would be too happy if she woke and he was in her bedroom. But somehow, he found himself outside the door to the apartment.
Then inside. He stood in the sitting room. Maybe if he stayed in here, she wouldn’t be too pissed off. But now that he was this close, he needed to see her. Hell, he needed to touch her. And he had a feeling that wouldn’t go down so well. She would probably freak out. But maybe there was a way around this.
She might not be happy with a man in her bedroom. But how about a wolf?
Without giving himself time to think it was a bad idea, he willed the change to come over him. His skin prickled and, seconds later, he stood in wolf form. He shook himself, raised his head, and breathed deeply. He could smell her now, and her sweet scent filled him with longing.
He padded across the sitting room and nudged open the bedroom door with his nose, pausing in the doorway. She was asleep. She’d pushed off the covers and lay on the sheet in a long, white nightgown that covered her from neck to ankle, though he could see the shape of her body beneath the thin cotton. He stepped forward slowly, not wanting to wake her, partly because she might tell him to go and partly because she needed her rest. He jumped lightly on the bed, went down on his belly and shuffled closer.
Stretching out his neck, he lightly touched his nose to her bare hand, and a shiver ran through him. He shuffled closer until he lay stretched out beside her, not quite touching.
As if sensing his presence, she stirred in her sleep. Rolling onto her side, she came flush against him. Her arm came around his body, and she burrowed her fingers in his fur. Then settled again, her breathing slow and even.
He didn’t sleep, just lay through the night knowing this might be the only time he ever got this close to the woman he loved.
Chapter 11
Rachel was so comfortable. Deliciously warm, her face was pressed up against something so soft…
She didn’t want to remember. Didn’t want to open her eyes. She snuggled closer.
Someone, or something, licked at her cheek, and she almost leaped off the bed. Her eyes flashed open. She was sharing a bed with a huge golden wolf. She recognized him from the day before, but all the same, she instinctively edged away until she was up against the headboard of the bed. The wolf lay on his belly and slowly inched toward her, then rested his head on her thigh and gazed at her out of stormy eyes. Gray with a circle of black around the iris. She recognized those eyes.
“Finn?”
She reached out with tentative fingers and slowly lay her hand on his head. His fur was silky-soft under her fingertips, and he pressed up against her palm.
Her guardian angel. Who had watched over her. Who yesterday had very likely saved her life. She still didn’t know why and guessed it was one of the many things he couldn’t tell her. Whatever his reasons, she trusted him.
But she couldn’t stay here forever. She wanted to check that Jacob was okay. Find out what the plan was to get him away from the senator.
She gave Finn a last scratch on the head and took back her hand.
He whimpered, and she smiled.
“I have to get up now,” she said. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was ten o’clock. She had slept for about six hours, and she felt refreshed. And hungry. And ready to face whatever had to be done. For so long her whole life had been mapped out, the days unchanging, and now she faced the unknown.
But strangely, she felt energized by the idea. Eager to get out there. A great weight had lifted from her mind when she’d seen Jacob last night. She hadn’t really believed he was safe until she had seen him. The senator clearly considered Jacob as family and wouldn’t mistreat him. She didn’t want him to spend too much time with the man, but at the same time, she was sure he would come to no immediate harm.
The doorbell rang, and she jumped again, then looked at Finn. The wolf sniffed, and she got the distinct impression he was annoyed with the interruption, but not in any way alarmed. She relaxed.
The bell rang again, and he got to his feet, shook himself, leaped off the bed and trotted out of the bed
room. A moment later, she heard the sound of the door opening and quiet voices. They had visitors. Had something happened? Finn appeared in the doorway in human form, and she instinctively grabbed the sheet and pulled it over her, suddenly aware that she was naked under the thin nightgown.
Amusement flickered in his eyes, and she scowled.
“You spent the night in my room,” she said. Actually, in her bed.
“I wanted to stay close, make sure you were safe, and I thought you’d be more comfortable sharing your room with a wolf than a man.”
He was obviously right, if her reaction now was anything to go by. Her pulse was racing, and her skin burned with embarrassment. But he was so big. And handsome, and seriously beyond anything she had ever imagined. She pushed the thought aside because it was never going anywhere.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
“Yes. Jacob is fine. Phoebe and Bella have come to take you shopping.”
“Phoebe and Bella?”
“You met their husbands last night.”
“I don’t need to go shopping.”
He crossed the room, and she held herself very still. He didn’t stop, but came to the edge of the bed and sank down on the mattress beside her. Her pulse raced even faster. She wanted to tell him to give her some space, that it wasn’t appropriate, but her tongue was stuck, and her lips glued together so she couldn’t get a word out.
Reaching out, he tugged her hand from where she was clutching the sheet to her throat, and held it in his own. His was warm and hard, and a sense of rightness flowed through her. The sensation was enough to calm her tattered nerves.
“Yes, you do.” He squeezed her fingers. “There’s nothing wrong with your clothes,” he said, and for a moment the words made no sense. Then she realized he was talking about shopping. “But you need to blend in, and at the moment you stand out like a…”
“Religious freak in a city of sinners?” she suggested. She’d heard the term once when she’d visited the nearby town with her Papi.
He grinned. “You’re not a freak. But yes, you stand out, and we can’t afford that. So go shopping with Bella and Phoebe. Tell yourself it’s for Jacob.”
“Where will you be?”
“I have some people I need to see. But I’ll meet you for lunch.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “I’ve put my number on speed dial. If you need to reach me at all, just call me. Anytime.”
She took the phone. She wanted to ask again why? But maybe for now she should just accept it.
He made to get up but settled again, and she looked at him. So beautiful. His face all clean lines, his eyes so deep. His lips…
He was getting closer. And she was frozen in place. Though frozen wasn’t the right word, because she was hot. Hot as hell’s fires.
His face was so close now, she could feel the warmth of his breath. His lips touched hers, and heat jolted through her, sizzling along her nerves, settling in her stomach, sinking lower so a little pulse started between her thighs. The feeling was so unexpected that shock held her immobile while he deepened the kiss. His mouth parted over hers, and his tongue pushed inside, filling her. Her arms came up to hold his shoulders. Her head fell back. The feelings were so strange and yet familiar. As though he had kissed her a thousand times and her body welcomed him. Wanted him.
He straightened, his mouth leaving hers, and she was lost and alone and wanted to scream at him to come back. Instead, she clamped her lips closed. And stared at him. He cupped her cheek with his big hand. Some emotion moved in his eyes, but then he took a deep breath and his expression blanked.
He kissed her forehead and rose to his feet. “I’ll see you later.”
And he was gone.
Rachel sat in the bed, unmoving for what seemed like an age but was probably only minutes. Her lips tingled, her breasts ached. Maybe she was coming down with something. Perhaps she’d picked up a cold from her dunking in the river yesterday.
She stared at the door where he’d disappeared, unsure whether she wanted him back or not.
He was dangerous.
And that kiss went against everything she had been taught to believe in. But how could something bad feel so good?
She closed her eyes and relived the feelings. The smell of him, warm man overlaid with the musky scent of wolf. The taste of him, heat and spice. The feel of him, hard muscles under her fingertips, the softness of his lips
Someone cleared their throat, and her eyes flashed open. Two women stood in the doorway. Both young, probably her age. And both were short, not much more than five feet. One had pale blond hair cut off blunt at the shoulder, framing a heart-shaped face, pointed chin with a deep dimple, and dark-brown eyes flecked with gold. The other had short, spiky red hair and blue eyes. They were both dressed in blue jeans, T-shirts—the blonde’s gold, the redhead’s turquoise—and sandals.
“I’m Phoebe,” the blonde said, coming into the bedroom and stopping by the bed, holding out her hand. “You met my husband, Cade, last night.”
Rachel took the hand that was proffered and shook it.
“And I’m Bella. Short for Belladonna,” the redhead said, coming up on her other side. “Because my ma reckoned I’d poisoned her life.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry, I’m over it now.” She grinned. “I’m married to Torr, the scary one.”
She remembered the dark man with the scar. “He was kind.”
“Really? He must like you.” She studied Rachel for a moment. “I’m sorry about your little boy.”
“Thank you.”
“But Finn will get him back. You don’t need to worry.”
Her stomach rumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“No problem. Out of that bed and get some breakfast. Then we have to hit the shops.” She tugged the sheet from Rachel’s hand as she spoke.
“We do?” She wanted to deny it, but Finn had said she had to blend in, and she knew, from her visits to the town, that she would likely stick out terribly here in the city. And she wanted to be able to go with them to get Jacob.
“Definitely. Up you get.”
She glanced across at Bella, who had a smile on her face. The two were like a whirlwind, sweeping her along. And somehow, she found herself out of bed.
“Goodness, you’re tall,” Phoebe said. “And beautiful. So striking.”
“Get dressed, and we’ll meet you in the kitchen,” Bella said.
Rachel waited until they had left the room and stared after them for a moment, her head whirling. She crossed to the bathroom. After using the toilet, she splashed her face with water and glanced at herself in the mirror. They didn’t have mirrors at Haven. They were a vanity.
Was she beautiful?
Joseph had always said she was pretty, but she’d never thought much about it. Right now, her black hair was a wild tangle around her face. She blinked at herself, trying to see what others saw. Her eyes were a pretty color—the dark green of pine needles. Familiar—Jacob’s eyes were the same green. Her lashes were thick, her cheekbones prominent. She’d always thought herself too thin and her mouth too big. She gave a shrug.
Her clothes were folded neatly on the stool. She got clean underwear from her bag and dressed quickly, combing out her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. and placing the cap on her head. The apron came last, and she tied that at her waist, then headed out. She could hear murmured voices from the kitchen.
She pushed open the door and stepped inside. Phoebe and Bella turned, their eyes widening in a synchronized reaction.
“Oh my,” Phoebe said.
Bella pursed her lips, but her eyes were gleaming. “Sorry,” she said. “But really… just… no.”
“Forgive us,” Phoebe said. “We’re English. We don’t have anything similar. It’s just a little beyond our…experience.”
Bella came around the table and halted in front of Rachel. “You really dress like this? All the time?”
Rachel nodded.
“Don’t you find it a little restrictive? How do you do anything in those long skirts?”
She shrugged.
“The hat thing has to go.” Bella reached out and snatched the cap from her head. Rachel scowled. “And the apron.” She turned to Phoebe. “We really should have gotten her some clothes yesterday.”
“We thought about it,” Phoebe told her. “When we heard you were coming. But we decided if we did that, you might not come shopping with us. And that would have been a shame.” She patted the stool beside her, and Rachel sat down. “We got you the nightdress,” Phoebe continued, “because Finn told Torr that you were part of this really strict religious group, and we thought you wouldn’t want to sleep naked, and we didn’t know if you’d get a chance to pack.”
“That was kind.”
They had set food out on the table—bread and cheese and fruit. And a pot of coffee. Rachel poured herself a cup and breathed in the lovely scent. She blocked out the others while she drank it. Poured herself another, blew out her breath, and faced them again.
“Bella doesn’t respect anything,” Phoebe said. “You’ll have to make allowances for her. Her mouth usually works before her brain. But she has a good heart.”
Rachel knew that. The other woman radiated a sort of goodness. Almost palpable, like an aura around her.
“I don’t care how good my heart is. The apron still has to go.”
Rachel didn’t have a problem with that. She’d worn the clothes her community expected of her, but not through any intrinsic belief that such things mattered. She’d had the argument with Papi. She believed God shouldn’t care what people wore, only how they behaved and what was in their hearts. The clothes they wore at Haven mattered to the people, not to God. But she hadn’t had any great urge to dress differently. What she wore mattered little to her, so she hadn’t made a point of it.
She helped herself to a piece of bread, spread it with butter, laid a piece of cheese on top. She ate it and then another. A small bunch of grapes, and she was ready to go. She got up and untied the apron, folded it and placed it on the table, took her plate and cup to the sink and washed them, then put away the rest of the food. While the two women watched her.
20 Shades of Shifters_A Paranormal Romance Collection Page 206