“Good,” said Jordan, rising. “If something else comes up you’ll let me know?”
“Of course.” Reeve walked with Jordan out to the lobby.
“Do you need me anymore?” asked Gregory, eyeing a couple of women sitting by the fireplace.
“No.” Reeve guided Jordan toward the front doors. He glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to hear him speak. “Jordan, when this whole thing shakes out, do you think our secret will still be safe? Gregory and Demetrius might not care, but the rest of us do.”
Jordan shrugged as he cut his gaze to Lilith’s portrait. Gregory had told Jordan their secret ten years earlier when he’d first recruited him as their unofficial FBI contact. They’d had a contact since the sixties when a guest had turned out to be on the most-wanted list.
“I don’t think so, Reeve. I’ll certainly do my best to keep that part out of it. I’d say Sofia’s safety is your biggest concern right now. Keep her on the property, and don’t go for any long walks in the woods with her or take her out on one of the lakes in a rowboat.”
As Reeve stood in the parking lot and watched Jordan drive away, he reflected there most likely wouldn’t be any long walks in the woods or leisurely rowboats on the lake with Sofia. She hadn’t left her suite in three days, except to make an appearance in the basement several times a day, and Reeve suspected she’d only done that so her cousins wouldn’t suspect anything was amiss.
He and Niko had tried everything to persuade her to talk to them, but she kept telling them she needed more time. The party was in five days, and neither man knew if she’d make an appearance. They both had to play in the band and had no clue how they’d watch her at the same time if she wasn’t in the basement with everyone else.
Reeve knew he and Niko had made the best decision at the time to tell her their secret, but he couldn’t help wishing the revelation could have been under more controlled circumstances. He and Niko had argued about that night over and over, but in the end, Reeve couldn’t admit he wouldn't have initially reacted in the exact same way as Niko had.
Finally they’d agreed to focus on keeping her safe, no matter what her ultimate decision turned out to be. Reeve hadn’t had to ask. Niko was just as devastated by her silence. Sofia had turned their world upside down and crawled so far under their skins that there was no way they’d ever forget her or replace her. Neither man wanted anyone else, or ever would.
As Reeve returned to his office, he reflected that perhaps he and Niko would end up as the last two holdouts after all, though it wouldn’t be due to the fact that they’d refused to fall in love.
* * * *
Sofia woke up Friday morning, still undecided on what to do about the party that night. Tiffany had knocked on her door the evening before, asking what time she wanted to have her hair and makeup done, and Sofia had told her she wasn’t going to the party. Tiffany had said she’d come by in the morning to see if she’d changed her mind.
After ordering toast and coffee, Sofia flipped through the channels on TV, but nothing held her interest. She missed Reeve and Niko terribly, but she didn’t know what to do about it. She couldn’t reconcile everything they’d told her. She believed them, but it was too overwhelming to think about it. Her entire freaking life was too overwhelming to think about.
What was she doing here? She’d stayed nearly three weeks past her checkout date. She had no idea if Julie would actually hold her job much longer. She’d left most of her belongings in her apartment, but she was afraid to return to it. She had no idea if Rake was in custody or was out there somewhere, just waiting for her to drive away from the resort.
Every day she went to the basement and made small talk with her cousins, but they knew something was wrong. Niko and Reeve no longer needed her to help plan the party. Everything had been in place for over a week. It was torture to see them everyday but not touch them or listen to their voices whispering in the dark. She missed their mouths on her body, their touch on her skin, and the incredible feeling of having both their cocks inside her body.
But was this to be her life now? Hiding from her ex-husband while living with two fallen angels who seduced their guests? Did Zach and Emmett still do that? She knew Gregory and Demetrius did. Vince had said something just yesterday about how both men seemed to be getting more action than he could keep track of. He hadn’t meant for her to overhear his comment and had thought her reaction was because of it, but he’d been wrong.
Her reaction had nothing to do with Vince’s choice of words. Sofia hadn’t been able to shake the image of another woman in bed with Reeve and Niko, and she’d had to excuse herself from the basement for the remainder of the day.
Reeve and Niko had told her they loved her, but what did that mean? They had a business to run. Keeping the guests happy was what they did. They wouldn't simply give all that up for her, would they? It didn’t seem possible that they would.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she rose to answer it, thinking it was a staff member who had come to take away her breakfast tray. She opened it to find a pretty woman with long, dark hair standing in the hallway. A bright smile graced her face. It took Sofia a minute to realize she was face-to-face with Abigail Cosslin.
“I was just thinking about you.” She opened the door to let Abigail in.
“Were you? Good thoughts, I hope.”
“Confused thoughts. I’m glad you’re here. I desperately need to talk to someone.”
Abigail put a hand on her arm. “I thought you might. Let’s sit down.”
“You know they told me, right? Reeve and Niko. They told me what they are.”
She nodded. “I know, but they didn’t send me. I came on my own. I wish I’d had someone to talk to when Zach and Emmett told me. I was so freaked out. I actually left the resort and went back home because I was afraid their business would be in trouble.”
Sofia nodded. She was right then. “You mean because of what they do with their guests.”
“What? No. My father threatened them. I’d gone through a divorce and my ex-husband had embezzled a lot of money from my father’s law firm. He held me responsible.”
“That’s crazy.”
Abigail chuckled. “It sure is, but at the time I didn’t have enough of a spine to stand up to him. It wasn’t until I returned home to the empty house I was about to lose that I made a plan to become financially independent.”
“How did you end up back here?”
“Zach and Emmett had plans of their own. The day I went to my father’s office to tell him I was quitting—I worked for him, you see—Zach and Emmett were there. They were ready to pay him off in exchange for him agreeing to leave me alone and let me live my life.”
“You mean with them here?”
Abigail shook her head. “No. At that point they didn’t think I was coming back. They were willing to pay him the debt he felt I owed him, even if that meant they’d lose me.”
Sofia rose to pour another cup of coffee. Her hands shook. “Do you want some?”
“No, thank you. Sofia, are you wondering right now if what they told you is true, or are you wondering if you can live here with both of them?”
Sofia turned to face Abigail. She looked happy and healthy, like a woman in love. “I’m wondering about the other women.”
“Oh, I see. Now I understand why you said that. You’re mistaken. They don’t seduce the guests any more. I get them both all to myself. In fact, they’re all wondering what’s going to happen with this place very soon. They’re always full, but they can’t keep doing this seduction thing forever with only four of them left who are Nephilim.” Abigail smiled. “And if you decide to stay here, there will only be two left. Gregory and Demetrius are likely to run this place into the ground if left to their own devices.”
Sofia walked back into the sitting room and sank into the nearest chair. Her fingers trembled as she brought her coffee cup to her lips. Reeve and Niko weren’t going to make love to othe
r women. They only wanted her. She was afraid to believe it was true, but Abigail’s story proved it.
“They should have taken Joelle’s advice all those years ago.”
“What do you mean?”
Abigail grinned. “Have they told you about Joelle?”
Sofia nodded.
“She worked for her father, too. He ran a high profile ad agency that’s still in business. Apparently she tried to persuade them to advertise all their other services in the sixties, but they never quite brought into it. Now I don’t think they have a choice if they want to stay in business.”
“This place really is amazing. They have everything here.”
“I know. And now that it’s so easily accessible from Chicago, they’d be booked years in advance.”
“Abigail, how did you accept their story so easily?”
“I didn’t, but I couldn't deny my feelings for them. Still, it wasn’t until I saw them in my father’s office that I realized my love for them was something I’d never find again. And I realized they’d move heaven and earth for my happiness, even if that meant I wasn’t with them. I moved into the suite I now share with them the very next day.”
“And you’re happy here.”
“I’m deliriously happy. I’m also applying to law schools in Chicago. I want to become an attorney so they don’t have to hire an outside firm for legal matters.”
“But are you okay with not being married to either of them and not having children?”
“I didn’t have an idyllic marriage. My husband wasn’t only an embezzler. He ran off to the Cayman Islands with one of the legal secretaries. He’d been cheating on me for a long time.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “I’m not. He was a user, just like my father. If all that hadn’t happened I never would have come here, and I wouldn’t have learned to stand on my own two feet. And I wouldn’t have Zach and Emmett.”
Sofia sipped her coffee. Would she ever feel as confident and strong as Abigail was?
“Sofia, do you love them?”
“Yes.” She stared at Abigail. “I’m so in love with both of them it’s frightening. I’ve never felt this way.”
“That’s how it was for me, too. But I questioned if it was real, you know?”
Sofia nodded. “Yes. That’s exactly it. How do I know it’s real?”
“It is. They can’t make you feel anything you don’t want to.”
“I don’t know what to do, Abigail.”
“Look, I don’t know everything that’s going on with your ex-husband, but I do know one thing. Reeve and Niko are crazy in love with you. Zach and Emmett told me they’ve never seen either man like this.”
“When they became…mortal…did they still remember everything? Are they still the same?”
Abigail laughed. “Yeah. Don’t worry about that. Their sexual expertise stays intact. And yes, they remember everything. The changes in them were so subtle I barely noticed. And when I had the chance to speak with Joelle, she said the same thing about Blade and Cristian.”
“You talked to her?”
Abigail nodded. “Just once. She’s quite frail, and we couldn't talk for long, but her eyes were bright and shining, and she had the most serene smile I’ve ever seen. She’s lived a happy life with Blade and Cristian.”
“It all sounds too perfect, you know? Too good to be true.”
“I know, but it’s real. And you can trust your feelings are, too. Sofia, I can’t tell you what to do. But I hope I’ve put your mind at ease where their feelings for you are concerned. I hope you realize that as bizarre as all this sounds, it’s not really anything to fear. You’d be safe here.”
“I believe that. But my ex is out there somewhere, and I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t want Niko or Reeve to think I’m using this place as a way to hide from my real life, you know?”
“They don’t think that. None of us do. At least come to the party tonight. After that, take it one day at a time.”
Sofia nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sofia twirled in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom while Tiffany clapped her hands.
“Perfect. You look perfect.”
“Will they like it?”
“Ah, yeah. I doubt they’ll be able to keep their eyes off you.”
“Thank you again for your help, Tiffany.”
“My pleasure. Now let’s get down there before Gregory eats all the good food.”
The basement looked amazing. Everything from the music to the lighting made Sofia feel as if she’d stepped back in time. Reeve and Niko looked over-the-top hot in their white tuxes. She spotted Michael, Vince, and Jerry talking with Zach and Emmett. Abigail walked toward Sofia, smiling.
“You look fantastic. I’m so glad you came. Your cousins have been entertaining us with stories about your great-grandfather.”
“What? They don’t know any more than I do.”
“I think they’re embellishing a bit.”
“I love your dress.” Abigail had on a royal-blue halter dress with a skirt that would flare out if she twirled and black strappy pumps.
“Thanks. I’m told it belonged to Caleigh. I feel a bit self-conscious wearing it but also wanted to because this is the very space where she sang during the war.”
A shiver ran through Sofia. “They’re all so connected to the past, aren’t they? I mean, it’s real for them, not just some story. They lived it.”
“Yes. It’s a bit difficult to get used to at first, but you will.”
“I wish I knew as much about my own family.”
“Well, maybe you can research them? I mean, when all this is over.”
She and Abigail joined the others.
Michael whistled. “You look beautiful, Sofia.”
He looked like a throwback to the age of crooners. “And you all look amazing. Did you find the clothes here?”
“Yeah. This place is like a fairy tale, you know?”
“I told your cousins they had to dance with you until Reeve and Niko can take a break,” said Emmett. “We have staff who will fill in for them for a set or two, and Zach is going to sing later as well.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
She wasn’t sure if Niko or Reeve wanted to be with her. Michael led her to the edge of the dance floor, and Sofia watched the couples dancing. She had no idea if she could do this. Reeve and Niko would be watching her the entire time. “Michael, I’m not sure about this.”
“Oh, come on. Let’s have some fun. You’ve had that anxious look in your eyes for a week now. Forget about Rake for one night, okay?”
Sofia exhaled slowly. He thought she was worried about Rake. He didn’t know what was going on with Reeve and Niko. Thank God. Otherwise he might try to intervene and everything would turn to shit.
She followed Michael out onto the parquet floor. As they began to dance, she relaxed. When she caught Niko’s eye, her heart skipped a beat. The love and relief shining out of his eyes came at her like a rush of wind. He’d been afraid she wouldn’t show up.
At the next pass in front of the band, she sought Reeve’s gaze, and was rewarded with the same look in his dark eyes. He winked at her, and she almost stumbled, but it was worth it. They were happy she was here.
After the number ended, Vince twirled her around for the next dance, and she thought about everything Abigail had said. She caught sight of Abigail with Zach, and both beamed as if they were teens experiencing their first crush. When Emmett took his place, Abigail’s smile was just as bright. She truly loved them both, and they adored her. And she wasn’t just window dressing. She was going to law school so she could help them run the business. She cared about this place and its future as well.
By the time Jerry danced with her, Sofia was nearly out of breath. Every pass in front of the band rewarded her with smiles and winks from Reeve and Niko. She couldn’t wait for them to take a break so she could
speak with them. She wanted to tell them how sorry she was for avoiding them, and she wanted them to know she’d decided to stay here with them.
What was waiting for her back in Chicago? Nothing. She could do what she’d been trained to do here, for them. Surely they’d help her move her few belongings from her apartment. She was still close enough to see her family, and she was safe here. Even Rake wouldn’t be stupid enough to storm a resort full of staff and guests.
The FBI would catch up with him eventually, and if they were as powerful as she’d been led to believe, maybe they’d also break Rake’s stronghold on the police force? He wouldn’t be able to ruin this resort.
“I need some air,” she told Jerry as the dance ended.
“There’s a back door behind the stage that leads to a patio. Come on. I’ll show you.”
Sofia stood outside in the warm night air and breathed in the scents of pine needles and water. Insects sang, and she heard an owl hoot in the distance. “It’s so pretty here. And so peaceful.”
“Yeah. We’re going to miss it.”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you came back to visit.”
“When are you leaving, Sofia?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Jerry shook his head. She barely saw the gesture because his face was in shadow. “Well, you can’t just stay here forever. You have a job and—”
Jerry grunted as if the wind had been knocked from him, and Sofia saw the figure of a tall man silhouetted against the night sky just before pain ripped through the side of her head and everything went dark.
* * * *
Niko tried not to panic as he looked for Sofia. Where had she gone? He’d just seen her dancing with Jerry less than five minutes earlier. He walked up to where Zach, Emmett, and Abigail were talking to Michael and Vince and tried to keep his voice calm. “Hey, where is Sofia?”
They gave him blank stares. “She was dancing with Jerry,” said Vince.
Cherished by Two Angels [Notorious Nephilim 5] Page 14