Fane sighed into my hair. There wasn’t anything quite as satisfying as being spooned by the man I adored. Our bodies fit together like two puzzle pieces designed with the primary purpose of coming together. There was no one else who fit me like Fane. It would be like trying to squeeze a square into a circle. All of the rough edges in my life smoothed out when we were together.
I’d say one thing about being stuck on base in the dead of winter—at least I had Fane to keep me warm at night. Most mornings it was tempting to burrow beneath the covers and play hooky. It wasn’t as if anyone on base was doing a roll call. If anything, Melcher would be happy not to have us poking around the agency, which made it crucial that we drag our butts out of bed and resume the search for Jared.
At least I wasn’t required to dress in army greens. I liked wearing black. Not to copy Fane, but to match my mood during the day. The day we captured Jared would be the day I dressed in a lighter color like yellow or white or, god forbid, pink. I’d wear every color of the rainbow if it led to Jared’s demise.
While I showered and dressed upstairs, Fane went down to the kitchen and put on the teakettle, as had become our routine. It was comforting to know we could live together harmoniously. We’d fallen into step almost instantly which, beyond the obvious reasons, was good because there was enough stress in my life without adding domestic disputes to the mix.
I leaned up to the mirror and outlined my eyes in deep plum and applied black mascara.
My ears perked at the sound of the microwave beeping from below.
Don’t even think about talking to me until I’d had my blood and black tea in the morning.
I flicked off the bathroom light and headed down the stairs. Fane had my mug ready for me when I walked in. His was already empty, washed, and air drying upside down on the drain board.
He also had my tea steeping in a second mug on the counter. I liked my morning brew super strong.
I enjoyed these brief glimpses of Fane standing barefoot in snug boxer briefs and a soft cotton T-shirt. He never lingered long on agency days. It was his turn to shower and dress while I polished off my breakfast for champions of the undead. The only blood consumption Melcher approved was through transfusions. But Melcher was a murderer and hypocrite, and what he didn’t know wouldn’t kill him. Too bad. Besides, we kept our dosage low. Didn’t want to turn into blood junkies like some of the killers I’d taken down.
Fane gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out of the kitchen. He knew better than to speak to me until my two mugs joined his on the drain board. Another reason we cohabitated so beautifully.
As the stairs creaked with Fane’s footsteps, I took my first sip of what I liked to think of as mortal juice. Wonder who Fane had squeezed for this latest batch of blood bags. The important thing was that it was one-hundred-percent kosher.
That was all I needed to know.
I tipped the mug back and savored the taste of liquid pennies shimmering down my throat. All too quickly the small portion was consumed. I stood, smacking my lips. Why did Fane use a full-sized mug for so little blood? Did it help the blood breathe, like a glass of fine wine? Whatever the reason, it wasn’t convenient when attempting to lick the mug clean. I ran my pointer along the curve of the mug, then sucked the last little bit of blood off my finger.
Never enough.
By now the tea was looking good and black. I plucked the bag out and pitched it in the trash before chasing the blood down with the potent, top-of-the-morning-to-you Earl Grey. Some mornings I had toast, but I wasn’t feeling it today. I hadn’t been feeling it since living on base. This wasn’t my home, and I had no intention of settling in. Blood, tea, ready to go!
“Ready?” Fane asked from the hallway, now fully dressed in blue jeans and a gray sweater. His lips quirked up into a smile.
I gave my mug a quick rinse and set it on the drain board.
“We really need to get new jobs,” I said as I brushed past Fane.
“Yeah, the benefits really suck,” he said from behind me.
Fane followed me to the front door, chuckling all the while.
“Yeah, and so does upper management—and by upper management I mean Melcher.” Melcher sucked big time. Always had.
As I opened the front door, I braced myself for the strangling bitter cold sting of December. Who needed coffee, blood, or tea when winter was only a few short steps away and eager to bitch-slap a vamp awake?
That morning was particularly nasty. I felt as if my throat was about to freeze shut.
Fane walked ahead of me to start the car and get it warming up. We had our own place, but no garage. Our entire street was filled with similar two-story homes and duplexes that didn’t include a carport, let alone a single- or double-car garage.
Once the car was started, heaters blasting against the windshield, Fane joined me on our shoveled walkway. I bounced in place. The irony was never lost on me that I was a vampire who hated the cold. No matter how many times Fane told me it was in my head, I hadn’t adjusted to polar temperatures. Like my car phobia, it was something I was sure I could overcome, but seeing as I’d soon be leaving Alaska, I didn’t see the point in wasting time trying to conquer mind over matter.
Instead, I kept bouncing, fingers squeezing in and out of fists.
Beside me, Fane’s fingers twitched. I knew he was craving a cigarette. It wasn’t the nicotine, but the habit. He liked keeping his fingers busy. They’d been busy enough last night. I flushed at the thought. Oh, that felt nice. Maybe I didn’t need to embrace the cold. All I had to do was think sexy thoughts to defrost my brain.
Dante’s Jeep was parked across the street; the white paint practically blended in with the frosted windows. Beyond the Jeep, all the windows on Dante’s place were dark. I supposed it was a tad cruel Dante lived across the street from Fane and me, but I wasn’t in charge of housing arrangements and Dante had opted to live on base. At least he got a place to himself. No babysitting trainees.
As soon as the windows defrosted, Fane and I got into the car. I turned on the heated seat.
“Back to the grind,” I said as Fane put the car in drive and headed to the agency.
“At least it’s temporary,” Fane said. “You can do anything after this. Charmed life. You can be a socialite if you want.”
I scowled. “I don’t want to be a socialite. I want to be left the fuck alone.”
When Fane glanced over, I saw both his eyebrows were raised.
“With the exception of you, of course. I mean, unless I get tired of you,” I added in a teasing tone.
Fane had turned his attention back to the icy roads. “Impossible,” he said. “I’m like blood. The more you have, the more you want.”
Although Fane didn’t turn to me, I caught the Cheshire smile on his lips. Hadn’t seen that one in a while. It made me want to take off my seatbelt and climb into his lap. Seat warmers be damned. We could raise the heat level inside this tin can on our own if we launched ourselves into one of our toe-curling make-out marathons. Without anyone to interrupt us at home, we’d turned kissing and sex into our own personal Olympic sport.
I’d come a long way with car rehabilitation if I was considering launching myself into Fane’s lap inside a moving vehicle. The man had that effect on me.
“Keep talking like that and I might make you turn this car around,” I said in a husky voice. Flirty Aurora wasn’t usually awake at this hour, but there was always room for exceptions.
The car slowed. I leaned forward and squinted at the surrounding trees beyond Fane’s headlights. I figured he must be slowing for a moose along the side of the road, but couldn’t make out any four-legged silhouettes.
I looked from the road to Fane.
“What are you doing?”
“Turning the car around. Or were you bluffing?”
The Cheshire grin returned full force. His teeth practically glowed in the dark.
After getting over my initial surprise, I smiled slowly. My
eyebrows jumped. We’d see who was bluffing.
“You got somewhere more important to be?” I challenged.
Fane’s grin widened. “Your satisfaction always comes first,” he said in a silky voice.
He put on his blinker and made a U-turn in the middle of the road. My heart spun with the movement. The thump inside my chest picked up tempo. I liked that Fane could handle a car without making it spin out of control. He made me feel safe where it mattered and wild and crazy where it really counted.
I would have thought he’d tire at some point, but apparently Fane had enough energy to last a hundred lifetimes.
Every nerve ending tingled as we headed home. I was already undressing Fane in my head. The gray sweater would be the first article of clothing to go. After that, perhaps his socks and pants. Anything short of full nudity felt like cheating, and I did not want to cut corners when it came to Fane.
I clenched my thighs together as we neared our road. Not much farther.
Fane tapped his left foot on the floorboard impatiently. Would he go for my jeans or sweater first?
Our headlights lit up our dark street. A beam of light from the opposite direction cut across the road. As we closed in, we saw Dante standing on the sidewalk with Tommy, holding the golden retriever’s leash.
He had a headlamp strapped around his head. The light was attached to his forehead, beaming out like some kind of magical man unicorn.
Fane’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he pulled into our driveway.
“We have got to find Jared and get out of here,” he said with a sigh.
Dante and Tommy crossed the street as we opened our car doors. Tommy began wagging his tail when he saw me. The first thing Dante had done after he’d been patched up was to retrieve the furball from Nicole and Buck in Fairbanks. Melcher, at Fane’s urging, had authorized Dante to tell the couple the truth about our involvement with the agency and ask them to contact us if they caught wind of Jared lurking around Fairbanks. We already knew he’d joined forces with some of the vampires at Chillers and figured he might linger in that area.
Dante said Buck hadn’t been too happy when he heard the news. He and Nicole had already been on edge after the tastings, and Nicole’s friend had disappeared after going away with some lowlife vamp named Jab.
“Hey, Tommy boy,” I said, throwing out my arms.
Tommy ran up to me, yanking Dante with him. Dante’s headlamp shone in my eyes and blinded me temporarily. Once I’d blinked away the black spots, I crouched down and patted Tommy on the head.
“Did you wake Dante up early, Tommy Moe?” I said, stroking Tommy’s fur.
“Nope, Melcher did,” Dante said, jumping from one foot to the other.
I glanced up. For Dante to sound eager about an early wake-up call from Melcher could only mean one thing. He had a mission.
Fane walked around the trunk of the car and joined us. I straightened up then squinted and held a hand in front of my eyes when Dante’s light blinded me again. Dante reached up and turned it off. It was still dark, but not so dark we couldn’t see five feet in front of us.
“Jab’s back,” Dante announced.
Speak of the devil.
“Where?” I asked.
“Spotted walking into Chillers in Fairbanks. He didn’t stay long, but we’ve got three informants on him around the clock. The only way he’s leaving town is in a body bag.”
“Why isn’t he in one already?” I asked.
“They’re watching where all he goes and who he keeps company with. The naughty list keeps growing, and these vamps are getting more than coal for Christmas.” Dante’s eyebrows jumped. “It’s not time yet, but Melcher reckons I’ll need to head north with a team soon, but not too soon. Don’t want to spook Jab if someone recognizes me. Oh man, I can’t wait to get my hands on that rotten bastard. This one’s for Buck and Nicole. Isn’t that right, boy?” Dante ruffled the fur on top of Tommy’s head.
Fane took a step forward. “Why wasn’t I informed?” he asked.
“Because this has nothing to do with you.”
“Anything that goes through the agency should go through me,” Fane said.
Dante lifted his chest. “I thought you were only focused on Jared. After that, you’re out of here, right? Or has that changed?”
Fane stood rigid, the cords bulging in his neck. “As long as the agency exists, I will remain a part of the decision-making, no matter where I happen to be.”
Dante’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, I see. You’re like those big CEOs trying to run companies from high above without getting your hands dirty or understanding day-to-day operations.”
Fane took another step forward. “I have no problem getting my hands dirty.”
I cleared my throat. “Okay, guys. We’re all on the same side. Remember?”
Fane and Dante remained locked in a stare down. I waved my arm between them and they backed off.
“Anyway,” I said. “That’s good news about Jab. Jared isn’t the only nasty out there. Getting this one off the street will be a big win for the agency, especially when we haven’t had a win in a while.”
Dante nodded eagerly. Tommy tugged him a couple feet away to lift his leg and pee on the frozen lawn.
“That a boy, Tommy,” Dante said.
I turned to Fane and lowered my voice. “Guess we better head over.”
“Did you forget something?” Dante called out with his back to us.
“Yeah,” Fane said. “I forgot about our nosy neighbor.” He heaved a bitter sigh and pulled the car keys out of his pocket.
As we returned to the car, Dante tossed his hand into the air and smiled. “See you in a few,” he said brightly.
Inside the car, Fane revved the engine and backed out of the driveway quickly. “We have got to move,” he said.
“We’ve got to get Jared,” I returned.
I could say it until I went blue in the face and it wouldn’t bring us any closer to finding him. Nor did staring at maps or rap sheets. Jared had killed another good agent then disappeared like smoke over the snow-covered land while we remained trapped in the bunker pacing and scratching our heads.
I didn’t require a calendar to see the year running out.
The following Monday, I immediately noticed garlands draped from ceiling corner to ceiling corner inside the main room. Mandy had made a garland of Christmas cards attached to red string and taped it to the outside of her desk.
I stopped in my tracks and looked around. Fane watched my face. He cocked his head to the side as though trying to figure out what was bothering me. Couldn’t he see?
Christmas was coming, and we were no closer to catching Jared. Also, I was sorta counting on the agency to be the kind of place that didn’t decorate. It all felt like a pine-scented slap in the face.
There was even a damn tree in the corner of the room with little colored lights.
My lip curled. “A Christmas tree inside the bunker, really?”
“Grump.” Fane chuckled.
“Yeah, well, someone kept me up all night.”
“Even more reason to have a smile on your lips and spring in your step.”
“I only have so many smiles in me, and I’m saving them for tonight.”
Fane leaned into me with hooded eyes. “Oh, really? I’ll make sure you do more than smile tonight.”
Yeah, I was counting on it. Despite my best efforts not to, I smiled. I might be a Grinch, but I wasn’t made of stone.
I moistened my lips and whispered beside Fane’s ear. “Why wait for tonight?”
Fane chuckled. “That didn’t work out very well the last time.”
Mandy was stapling papers at her desk, stealing glances at us, a frown on her face. Melcher’s office door was closed. There was no telling if he was there. I wasn’t about to knock and find out.
I grabbed Fane’s hand, savoring the pressure of his fingers around mine as I tugged him down the hall. I left the overhead lights off inside th
e parlor as I dragged Fane to the nearest desk and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to me. Our lips found each other’s in the dark. Fane’s hands slid down my body, resting on my hips. He removed one hand briefly to shove the chair aside then lifted me onto the desk. I wrapped my legs around him. Fane groaned. I leaned forward and kissed him into silence.
There was a soft chuckle on Fane’s lips the moment he got a chance to breathe. “What’s gotten into you? Could it be the holiday spirit? Are we standing beneath the mistletoe?”
“Screw the mistletoe,” I said in a rough growl. “All I want for Christmas is you.”
Fane laughed. “Now you’re quoting Mariah Carey. You must be in the holiday spirit.” He rewarded me with the Cheshire grin, which was more effective than any measly mistletoe.
I lifted my chest to gain better access to Fane’s lips. For the next five minutes, the only sounds inside the room were the sounds of heavy breathing and smacking . . . until a man cleared his throat.
Fane and I pulled apart reluctantly.
“Good morning, Josslyn,” Fane called out, folding his arms across his chest lazily and rocking back onto the heels of his boots.
The lights came on and I winced, immediately lifting a hand to shield my eyes. As they adjusted, I lowered my hand and caught the glower on Joss’s face—more glaring than the overhead lights.
He stood all rigid and irksome near the door in a gray sweater and a pair of black slacks that looked a size too big on his gaunt frame. Joss’s piercing gaze moved from me to Fane.
“I realize that at our basic level we are all primates, but I would remind you that we are in a work environment and we have a job to do. I was gracious enough to step aside and procure my own housing to give you two privacy. I would kindly ask that you reciprocate that courtesy by not fornicating in front of your colleagues within, and on top of, our shared workspace.”
I nearly snorted. Fane was biting his lower lip. He quickly cleared his throat.
True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6) Page 5