by J. C. Diem
“Yes,” Mark responded.
She smiled in evident delight. “Perhaps you would like to join me for a late dinner?”
“We already ate,” Kala said then grunted when Flynn elbowed her in the side. “Oh. You were talking to Mark.” She looked at Mark’s reddening face and sniggered. “I’m sure he could force down another bite or two.”
“I’d love to join you, Ava,” Mark said with quiet dignity. “It will be nice to spend some time with an adult for a change.” He cut a glare at Kala, who pretended to look suitably chastened.
“Our bags are still in the SUV,” Reece said before Kala could embarrass our boss further.
Slightly flustered, Ava turned and led the way back down the hall to the side door. She waited in the doorway for us to retrieve our belongings. We headed left instead of right when we were back inside. Turning the corner, we came to a set of stairs and kept climbing until we reached the third floor.
Mark claimed the first room that we were shown to. Flynn took the next one and Kala took the third. “Lexi and I will be sharing a room,” Reece said firmly.
Ava sent a questioning look at Mark, who nodded his permission. It would have been pointless to try to stop us. Nothing was going to keep us apart ever again if we had anything to say about it. “Would you two also like to share a room?” she said to Kala and Flynn.
“Eww!” Kala said in disgust. “Flynn is like my brother!”
Flynn’s response was far more polite. “No, thank you. We’re not a couple.”
“Ah. My mistake,” Ava said with a straight face, but I sensed her amusement. Something told me she knew they weren’t a couple. This was her revenge for Kala’s cheeky attitude. Few people managed to turn the tables on her and get away with it. Reece’s lips pressed into a tight line as he tried to hide his smile.
“Try not to keep us awake all night,” Kala said and sent Reece and me a sly wink before she disappeared into her room.
Mark’s whisper floated to us through the walls before he joined Ava for their late meal. “Our bedrooms are under video and audio surveillance,” he warned us. “The bathrooms only have audio surveillance.” His tablet came equipped with all kinds of apps and programs that came in very useful.
“You hear that, Lexi and Reece?” Kala whispered. “You can have shower sex, but keep it quiet.”
Flynn snorted out a laugh and turned it into a pretend cough just in case anyone was watching him on a monitor somewhere in the house.
“There will be no sex, shower or otherwise!” I hissed back at her quietly.
Damn, Reece groaned in my mind. I was looking forward to having shower sex with you.
Feeling left out, Zeus nudged my leg. He was hungry and needed to go to the bathroom. He’d only had a quick snack after we’d left the restaurant and he was craving meat.
“Zeus needs to go out,” I informed Reece. “This is what having kids will be like,” I complained.
“Get used to it,” he grinned. “According to your dream, we’ll be having at least three rug rats.”
I hadn’t forgotten the dream the succubus had sent to me. In the vision, we’d had twin boys and I’d been six months pregnant with our daughter. “The dream wasn’t a prophecy,” I reminded him. His had just been wishful thinking. Nothing had turned out as he’d expected when he’d joined his pack. Instead of his brother being his second in command, he’d been a remorseless killer. I doubted that any of my vision had been true, but a small part of me was wishful.
“I can hope,” he replied and planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’m going to take a shower. Try to stay out of trouble.”
“I’ll go with her,” Flynn said just loudly enough for us to hear him. “The curse of Lexi will no doubt strike again if she goes off anywhere alone.”
I huffed out a sigh, but I didn’t dispute his prediction. Bad things happened to me with grim regularity when I was alone. It would be wise to team up with someone even when doing something as innocuous as feeding my dog and taking him for a walk.
₪₪₪
Chapter Eleven
I stepped into the hall just as Flynn emerged from his room. We walked to the stairs with Zeus in between us. “Why didn’t you go before we came inside?” Flynn asked my canine companion.
Zeus’ ears drooped and he hung his head in shame. “I don’t think he needed to go then,” I told Flynn. I knew that for a fact, but I had to pretend I wasn’t magically linked to him for the benefit of the cameras.
“I’m just kidding, fleabag,” he said and bent to ruffle the Rottweiler’s ears. Zeus immediately perked up again. He hated being scolded. His previous owners had treated him like a guard dog and had shown him little affection. He’d chosen to transfer his loyalty to me after he’d come to my rescue. He’d known he would mean far more to me than just a mere servant. He’d been right, of course. I couldn’t imagine my life without him now.
“Do you want to eat or go out first?” I asked when we reached the ground floor. He turned to where he could smell food and trotted off down the hall. “Why did I bother to ask?” I said and rolled my eyes. “Food will always come first.”
We hurried to catch up to him as he led us through a confusing labyrinth of hallways to a gigantic kitchen. Mark and Ava weren’t in sight, but I smelled their scent. They’d gathered some food together and had left through another door. I could hear them talking somewhere deeper inside the mansion. The Boardroom must have been soundproofed because I couldn’t hear anything coming from it.
I had to stop for a few moments and turn in a circle to take in the kitchen. I’d never seen one this large before. The appliances were state-of-the-art. Spotless stainless steel gleamed beneath the lights. The floor was black and white checkered tiles. They were so clean that we could see our reflections. An island with a black marble top dominated the room. Pots and pans hung from overhead hooks above it. Two gigantic stoves sat next to a pair of massive fridges.
“This kitchen is big enough to prepare food for an entire army,” Flynn said in wonder. He crossed to one of the fridges and opened the door. It was crammed full of food, but it was orderly rather than chaotic. “Do you think anyone will notice if I take one of these roasts?” he asked. He took a plate out and held it out for my inspection. A large hunk of beef sat beneath plastic wrap.
“Too bad if they do,” I said with a shrug. “Zeus needs to eat.” We hadn’t brought any dog food with us and the beef would have to do. Zeus stared up at the plate, already salivating from the smell.
Flynn stripped the cling wrap off and put the plate down on the floor. We watched in fascination as Zeus circled it. Deciding on his approach, he bit into the roast and began to chew. In short order, only a few greasy smears were left. Groaning at being overfull, he tottered over to me and leaned against my legs.
“You didn’t have to eat the whole thing, you know,” I said. He spared me a glance and sighed mournfully. He knew it was too much food, but he couldn’t resist eating it all.
Flynn stared down at the smears of grease that Zeus had left on the plate and on the floor. “Can’t you teach him some table manners?”
“I think I have about as much chance with Zeus as you guys have had with Kala,” I replied dryly.
“You have a point,” he grinned. It was a tossup whether Kala or Zeus was the messier eater.
He watched Zeus to make sure he wasn’t going to barf while I searched the cupboards for cleaning products. I quickly mopped up the mess and washed the plate before placing it in the cupboard with the rest of the crockery. The theft had most likely been caught on camera, but what could they do about it? Dock my pay? I was pretty sure I had enough money in my account to pay for it. I rarely had a chance to go shopping these days and hadn’t spent much of my earnings.
I joined Flynn and he opened the door that led outside. We looked at each other when we realized we didn’t have a key to get back inside. A guard hurried into the room before we could worry about being locked out. “That Rottweiler
has one hell of an appetite,” he said. His face was red either from laughing at the footage he’d just seen or from rushing to get here from the surveillance room.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “We didn’t bring any food with us and he was starving.”
He waved my apology away. “It was worth it. I’ve never seen a dog eat a whole roast before. I lost ten bucks on the pool on how quickly he could finish it off.”
Getting the gist of the conversation from me, Zeus sent the guard a dirty look. He was now regretting his gluttony more than ever. The indignity of being the butt of a joke was an insult that he didn’t appreciate.
“We’d better let him get some air or he’s going to bring it back up again,” Flynn said.
“Just knock when you’re done and I’ll let you back in,” the guard told us.
Dangerously close to losing control of his bladder, Zeus rushed past us and disappeared into the darkness. We followed at a leisurely pace so he could have some privacy.
Deep in the woods that stood in the center of the grounds, we waited in a companionable silence. Flynn didn’t feel the need to fill the void with words. His calm was soothing. It helped me relax after the stressful encounter we’d had with the ghost of the necromancer.
The thought was strong enough for him to pick up on it. “It was lucky for us there were other ghosts trapped in the mansion,” he said. “You might be a necromancer, but not even you can control a vengeful spirit.”
I wrinkled my nose and nodded. “I don’t think even Viktor D’Ath can control ghosts.”
“I thought he was a master of the undead,” he said wryly.
“He is,” I confirmed. I’d sensed that much about his power. “But ghosts aren’t undead. They’re completely dead. They don’t have bodies for him to control.”
“Maybe not, but they do have minds.”
That made me think. I’d managed to get inside the dead necromancer’s thoughts and had been unprepared for what I’d found. He’d been beneath someone else’s control and I had no idea who it was. Whoever it was probably wasn’t human. The necromancer had died at least three hundred years ago.
Some people, like witches, had the ability to prolong their lives, but usually at a horrible cost to other humans. It amazed me that the Board had been so willing to accept the lie that their false clairvoyant had told them. The PIA were usually very stringent when it came to checking credentials. How could they not have known what she really was? Whoever had controlled her and the necromancer’s spirt must be far more powerful than anything we’d come across before. They’d somehow managed to dupe everyone.
From deeper in the trees, I sensed Zeus go on full alert. He forgot about his distended stomach and growled in warning as someone approached him. Standing in the shower, Reece sensed my alarm and closed his eyes so he could concentrate on me. Using my link with Zeus, we watched as a shadowy form stopped several yards away. He bent and put something on the ground. I caught a whiff of his scent before he abruptly disappeared.
“Speak of the devil,” I muttered. Knowing the danger was over, Reece resumed his shower, but part of his mind stayed with me. He wouldn’t relax until we were back inside the mansion again.
“What’s going on?” Flynn asked. He peered into the trees, but he couldn’t see any threats.
“My father just paid us a visit,” I said flatly. It was disturbing that he’d known exactly where to find me. As far as I knew, necromancers didn’t have inbuilt tracking devices.
“Major Levine was here?” Flynn asked in confusion. His expression changed to understanding when Zeus trotted into view with something in his mouth. “Oh. It was your other father.”
I gave an involuntary laugh without taking my eyes off the doll that was hanging from Zeus’ jaws. This one was in better condition than the previous present Viktor had forced my mother to deliver to me. It had long black hair and was dressed in jeans and a blue jacket that looked a lot like one that I’d pulled on before leaving my room. I took the doll and absently patted Zeus while I studied it.
“No offense, but your biological father is kind of creepy,” Flynn told me solemnly.
“No kidding,” I replied. I was tempted to rip the doll to pieces and set it on fire, but Viktor could be watching us right now. I couldn’t sense him anymore, but that didn’t mean he was really gone. “Let’s get back to the others before they come looking for us,” I suggested. Reece was on the verge of coming to get us and his patience was about to wear out.
Flynn cast frequent glances behind us as we quickly made our way back to the mansion. Zeus was feeling a lot better now and trotted along happily by my side. I envied him his uncomplicated life. He didn’t have a deranged parent who was trying to make up for lost time by sneaking around leaving bizarre presents in the shadows.
At my knock, the guard let us back in. He didn’t even notice the bulge where I was hiding the doll beneath my jacket. He closed the door and escorted us back up to the third floor. “We wouldn’t want you to get lost,” he joked. “This place is pretty big.”
We nodded in thanks and entered our respective rooms. It was obvious Cromby didn’t want us wandering around the mansion unsupervised. It made me wonder what secrets he was keeping from us. At least a few of the rooms were soundproofed. Anything could be hiding inside them.
“What did I miss?” Kala asked quietly as I stepped into my room and into Reece’s arms. He’d dried himself off quickly and wore only a towel. It felt almost too good to be pressed up against his body.
“Viktor left me another present,” I replied.
“If you’re naked, you’d better put some clothes on because I’m coming in.” Kala gave us about five seconds of warning before the door opened and she barged inside. Flynn joined us moments later. They crowded around as I reluctantly stepped away from Reece and showed them the doll.
“Creepy,” Kala decided.
“That’s what I said,” Flynn agreed.
“Why can’t you have at least one normal parent?” she asked me in pretend outrage.
“Philip is normal,” Reece reminded her.
“He’s also hot.” Her smile was just short of predatory.
“Kala!” I protested.
She blinked at me innocently. “What?”
“Stop lusting after my father!”
“I can’t help it,” she complained. “He’s tall, blond and handsome, just my type.”
“Everyone is your type,” Flynn told her. “Find someone else to fantasize about.”
“Major Levine isn’t the only guy I fantasize about,” she said mischievously. “Sometimes I think about him, Cole, Kendricks and me all together at once.”
My mouth dropped open, but no words came out. The thought of my father in a foursome with Kala, a werelion and the leader of the Obliteration Squad had stunned me to silence.
“Kala is just teasing you, Lexi,” Reece said.
I turned to her hopefully. “Are you just kidding?”
“Of course,” she said, but her scent told me otherwise.
Let it go, Reece advised me. She’s a werecougar. It’s in her nature to want to have sex with anyone she finds attractive.
Yeah, but this is my Dad we’re talking about, I wailed.
Do you really think Philip would sleep with Kala?
It was a good point and it calmed me down. Probably not. She’s way too young for him. She was only three years older than me, young enough to be his daughter.
Then let her have her fantasies. She isn’t hurting anyone.
That was easy for him to say. It wasn’t his dad she was picturing naked along with two other guys.
“Why does he keep leaving you these dolls?” Flynn asked. I appreciated him changing the subject and getting us back on track.
“He hinted that he was going to be rescued from the PIA prison,” I said. “I think this is his way of reminding me that we have unfinished business.” He’d said we had a lot to talk about, but I didn’t want to hear what he
had to say. He’d held my mother captive for eight years before she’d fallen pregnant with me. Desperate for escape and fearful that I’d suffer the same abuse, she’d tried to kill herself.
I had no desire to get to know the man. I already knew he was evil. Necromancers weren’t known for their sanity and kindness to others. If I saw him again, I’d do my best to put a bullet in his brain. The world would be better off without him and so would I.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twelve
Kala and Flynn returned to their rooms, leaving us with the illusion of privacy. Reece took the doll from me and stuffed it into a dresser drawer. I was glad it was out of sight if not out of mind. Feeling slightly unclean, I stepped into the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water helped to ease some of my tension, but it didn’t banish it completely.
Soaping my skin, I was too lost in thought to pay attention to what my hands were doing. Only when they moved to cup my breasts did I realize Reece had taken over part of my mind.
After a short wrestling match, I seized control again. “Pervert,” I muttered and he chuckled wickedly. This was a playful side of him that I hadn’t seen before and I liked it. He’d always been far too serious. It was good to see him allowing himself to have fun. Even if it was at my expense.
“Sheesh, they’re at it already,” Kala whispered to Flynn.
“I’m amazed they’ve managed to control themselves this long,” he replied dryly.
I kept Reece out of my mind long enough to finish up in the shower. Drying myself off, I stood in front of the mirror and combed the tangles out of my hair. I still wasn’t used to my reflection being so wan and faded. I looked like the ghosts that had been haunting the mansion. My death magic allowed me to see them when they were trapped on this plane of existence, but I wasn’t sure why. No other necromancer had the ability to see spirits. Or if they did, they’d kept it to themselves. As always, I was different from the norm.