She clapped her hands once, sending shivers down my spine at the eerie familiarity of the gesture.
“All right, team. Let’s save the world.”
Survive Today
Believe in your brother, have faith in man,
Help each other, honey, if you can
Because it looks like everybody in this whole round world
Is down on me.
“Down on Me” Lyrics by Janis Joplin
Jackie
“Well, this is all cozy, isn’t it?” I began to unbutton my shirt to get ready for bed. “I have to give Veronica props. When I heard the term safe house, I pictured a bunker somewhere, not a resort cabin in Marin County.”
Lucas yawned. “At this point, I don’t think I’d have cared if it was a tent in the desert, just as long as we could get out of that rolling tin can.” He pointed at me. “Remember that time you said one day we should rent an RV and drive across the country? Consider it scratched off your bucket list now.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I was talking about a romantic road trip with just the two of us and maybe the dog, not a bunch of extraordinary people stuffed into one motorhome that rolled off the lot before I was born.”
“That RV was old, Jacks, but not older than you.” Lucas toed off one shoe.
“It was a figure of speech, buddy. And I don’t appreciate you calling me old.” I stuck out my tongue at him.
“Aw, babe.” He took off his other shoe and snagged my arm, pulling me against him. “You’re not old. Not even a little.” Brushing my fingers away from the blouse, he kissed me lightly. “And let me undress you.”
“I need a shower.” I let him finish undoing my buttons. “I feel like I have days of grime on me from that ride.”
“How about a bath?” Lucas suggested. “I happened to notice that the bathroom attached to our room has one of those big garden tubs. You can soak in there for a while, and then we can take a nice long nap.”
“That sounds divine.” Balling up my shirt, I tossed it into the bag I’d reserved for dirty clothes. “Care to join me?”
A slow smile curled my boyfriend’s lips. “I think that could be arranged.”
The bathroom was large and bright, with light paneling and modern fixtures. I ran my hand over the wooden vanity. “Veronica said she bought this place years ago with this very situation in mind. She holds it under the name of a fictitious company so the Hive couldn’t trace it to her.”
“She’s a very forward-thinking vampire.” Lucas spoke drily. He was still cautious in his dealings with the woman who was his sire. She always treated him with kindness and consideration, but I wasn’t sure he’d forgiven her yet for making him a vampire. Veronica had had her reasons for doing it; she’d wanted to increase his effectiveness as a soldier for our side.
He ran the hot water into the tub, and I poured in a vial of salts I’d remembered to tuck into my suitcase. Lucas shook his head at me.
“You’re the only person I know who’d bring bath products to an apocalypse.”
“A girl does what she has to do.” I slid into the tub, sighing as I closed my eyes. “Oh . . . my . . . glory. I think I’ve found the place I’m staying for the remainder of this end-of-the-world deal.”
“You might get shriveled.” Lucas stripped off his shirt. “Not to mention cold.”
“Are you saying you won’t stay here to keep my water warm?” I pushed out my bottom lip in a pout.
“No, babe, I’ll be off on the whole save-the-world thing. Sorry.” He pulled down the zipper of his jeans and eased them off. “Scoot up so I can sit behind you.”
“Hmmm.” I leaned forward, humming a little as the water rose higher. Lucas surrounded me, stretching his legs alongside mine and snaking his arms around my middle.
“Ouch.” I winced. “I think I have bruises on my bruises from getting knocked around during that attack.” I turned my head a little to see Lucas. “That was intense.”
“Yeah, it was. I was scared shitless.”
“I couldn’t tell.” I brushed a kiss on his shoulder. “You were amazing, the way you kept us on the road. I’m glad it was you driving.”
“All I could think was, just keep it between the lines.” Lucas shuddered. “I figured Nell could do something to protect us, but it took a lot longer than I thought it would.”
“Tasmyn wasn’t able to help her right away. Nell was yelling at her, and then Michael was down . . . it was chaos.” My ears still rang from the sounds of the enemy’s strikes against us.
“And then we get here, and the plot thickens.” Lucas stroked one finger down my chest, between my breasts and over my stomach. “The crazy Romanian witch meets us at the door, thanks to Veronica sending her guardian Nicoleta the information telepathically. No one expected her to be here yet, you know. And Tasmyn and Nell were both unhappy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nell afraid of anyone, but she was giving that Marica a wide berth.”
“I get that. The woman gave me a serious wiggins. There’s power there, and there’s also some real crazy. I’m thinking a mix like that can’t be safe.”
“You’re probably right.” I felt his lips against the back of my head. “But she has her cousin here to keep her in check, and let’s hope it helps.” Lucas sighed. “By the way, I asked Veronica about the blood supply we’re going to need to keep us vamps fed and happy. She’s on it, of course. There’s a separate fridge in the garage, fully stocked. I also mentioned that I seemed to be needing more recently, and that maybe my vampire half is becoming a little more prominent. She didn’t seem surprised. It might get even more pronounced as we get nearer to the fight.”
“How do you feel about that?” I wasn’t sure how I felt. Vampire Lucas didn’t frighten me, exactly . . . but the idea of him being more powerful and possibly more aggressive was new.
“Not sure. I guess if it gives me better weapons against the bad guys, I’m not going to complain. We need to use every possible advantage at this point.”
“What happens now? I mean . . . do we train for battle? And what does that even look like for those of us who aren’t vampires, witches or foxes?” For so long, we’d just been focused on preparing for this time, thinking about getting to the safe house and researching the Hive and what to expect from them. Now that we sat on the cusp of the fight, we weren’t sure what came next.
“I don’t know. Cathryn said that we should take this time to settle in and catch up on sleep. I think she’s pretty exhausted herself.”
“She has to be. All of this is on her shoulders, and it has been for years now.” I didn’t think the de facto head of Carruthers Institute and I were ever going to be best buddies, but I couldn’t deny that I respected the hell out of her.
“True. But at least she has Seamus now to help. He takes care of her, and that’s good to see.” He cupped my boob and circled the nipple with his thumb. “But you know, I don’t think I want to talk about Cathryn or Seamus right now. I think at this moment, I’d like to discuss more pressing business.”
“Oh, really?” I could feel his pressing business poking into my back. I arched my neck until I could reach his lips with my own, opening my mouth to give him full access as he swept his tongue over mine. His hand tightened on my breast, pinching the rosy tip.
“Lean up a little. I’m dying to be inside you.” His whisper sent shivers down my spine, and I complied, gripping the sides of the tub. Lucas thrust his hips forward, plunging into me with a growl that came from deep in his chest. His free hand slid between my legs and cupped me, his fingers rubbing insistently against my folds.
“It feels so good.” I closed my eyes, surrendering to the sensations.
“I want to taste you when you come. Can I do it? I need your strength right now. I need it all the ways I can get it.”
“Yes.” I answered on a gasp. “Yes, do it. God, Lucas. I’m close.”
“Yes.” He ground out the word, pushing into me and rubbing even harder. As every nerve in my body
sang and sparkled, he bit into my neck, suckling at me, the pull of his mouth sending us both into the spasms of pleasure. His tongue lapped at me, taking in every drop of warm blood before pulling away.
We lay in the warm water, still connected, our breath coming back to us slowly but surely.
“Every once in a while, I wonder why we’re doing this. Why we bother.” Lucas murmured the words against my neck. “This world . . . it’s a fucking mess. Sometimes I wonder if we should just let it all burn. And then I see you . . . or I hear your laughter, or we’re together like this, fitting like perfect pieces of an otherwise impossible puzzle, and I know that there’s something worth fighting for. Something to make it all worthwhile.”
I rested against the strength of his body, floating on our love and the promise of a future we’d face together.
Cathryn
“Leave off that, love, and come have some rest.” Seamus laid a hand on my shoulder, brushing my hair away from my face. “You’ve been going over and over all the emails and your notes, and nothing’s changing. Let’s just lie down and close our eyes for an hour.”
I knew he was right, but the stubborn part of me that wasn’t used to listening to anyone’s directives dug in its heels. “I don’t have time for rest right now, Seamus. This is it. I’m going to be explaining everything to the whole assembled team when we gather tonight, and if I don’t get this right . . .” My voice trailed off. “Well, there’s no choice. I have to explain it all down to the very smallest detail.”
“Ah.” He folded his arms across his chest, raised one eyebrow and nodded. “And when you fall over because you’ve passed out in utter exhaustion, what sort of impression do you think that will make, eh? If you don’t sleep some, Cathryn, you’ll not be on your game.” He brushed my cheek with the backs of his fingers. “I know you’re an extraordinarily gifted woman, and I understand that you carry the weight of this entire operation on your shoulders. But you’re only human, love. And we humans must have our rest.”
Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but he was beginning to make enough sense that with a sigh, I closed the laptop and leaned back against his body, letting my eyes close. “Maybe just an hour. Will you set an alarm?”
“I will. Come on over here and look at this lovely bed your grandmother has prepared for us. It’s soft and made up with the finest cotton sheets. I’m pretty sure they’re from Ireland.” He drew back the coverlet and guided me to lay down. “Tuck in there, and I’ll turn off the light and be right with you.”
The bed really did feel amazing. I objected to his use of the word grandmother when it came to Veronica, but then again, she was my ancestor, and grandmother was probably the least complicated way to describe our relationship. I knew, too, that she had indeed designed this room specifically for me. While all the other bedroom suites in the cabin had been up for grabs, she’d informed me that my room was upstairs in the center of the hallway. It was decorated exactly to my tastes, with plenty of cotton lace, simple but tasteful wooden furniture and a huge four-poster bed dominating the space.
The room fell into darkness, and I forced my eyes to stay open until Seamus rejoined me. When he took more than a few moments, I called out to him.
“I’m coming, darlin’. Just setting that alarm as you asked.” The bed dipped with Seamus’ weight, and out of instinct, I rolled closer to his warmth. He opened his arm, waiting for me to snuggle up and lay my head on his firm, broad chest.
It was mind-boggling sometimes for me to realize that I’d only known this man for a few months. When we’d met at the pub he owned with his two brothers, he’d already known me—thanks to his ability to time travel, he’d seen us together in the future. I was still playing catch-up even now, but as many doubts as I’d had about how trustworthy my feelings toward him could be, I had to admit that Seamus O’Casey was quickly becoming as indispensable to me as my next breath.
We’d shared a bed since that first night in Ireland, but although the physical attraction between us was undeniable, we’d yet to fully consummate our relationship. Seamus wasn’t pushing me, although I knew he was more than ready. We both realized, though, that at this time, my priority and focus had to be the plans to defeat the Hive.
Still, it had gotten so that I couldn’t sleep unless it was within his arms. I rubbed my cheek against his heated skin now, breathing his scent in deeply. My fingers played with the dusting of hair over his sculpted pecs, teasing the flat disc of his nipple.
“Cathryn, love, you know I’ve made no secret that I love you and that I want you. Nothing would make me happier than to make love to you this very moment. But now is not the right time. You need sleep even more than you need me.”
“I can’t agree.” My voice was muffled against him. “I need you above all else.” This was the closest I’d gotten to an admission of love, and Seamus tightened his hold on me.
“Well, you need sleep more than you need sex, then. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Maybe.” I brushed a kiss onto his sternum. “Do you think I can do this, Seamus? Can I convince all of them that the plan we’ve worked out is the right one? And is it, really? What if I’ve made some horrible miscalculation? And how is any of this going to work without the vessel? For all we know, the Hive has her already. That would be disastrous. If they’ve captured her, everything we do will be useless.”
“That’s not precisely true, and besides, you don’t know that they have her. Didn’t you yourself tell me that there’s every indication that in fact they do not? It’s your worry and your tiredness talking, love. Close those eyes. Dream a little, knowing that I’m holding you safe and secure. I’ll never let anyone hurt you, not while I’ve got breath.”
“I know.” I nodded, my hair rubbing against him, and it was the truth. This man would lay down his life to protect me, and for the first time in my life, I felt utterly cherished. “Seamus, tell me about the future. Tell me about the day you went forward, when you saw us.”
“Hmmm.” He traced light circles on my back. “Are you sure you want to hear that? Weren’t you the one to tell me I shouldn’t say much about it, so that I didn’t affect anything that might happen?”
“I want to know now. I need to hear that we’re alive and together and happy, even if I know that everything is fluid and subject to change.” I closed my eyes and concentrated on the steady rhythm of his heart.
“You’ll remember that it was Cillian’s thirtieth birthday, and I’d made the time jump to the alley outside the pub. I could hear there was a great céilí going on—”
“What’s that? A céilí?” I was learning more Gaelic every day, but there were still a few phrases that were unfamiliar.
“It’s a party, or at least a gathering, usually with music and dancing. I could hear the music, and I was glad that, apparently, we were throwing some sort of grand bash for Cill’s birthday, as he often doesn’t do much in the way of celebration. Anyway, I snuck around the corner, and there was a group of people clustered outside the pub. That was when I saw her.” His voice softened, and his hand stroked my hair down my back. “She was the most exquisitely beautiful creature I’d ever seen in my life. Her hair was flowing down her back, and she was all aglow. She was chatting with my mother, and they were laughing together . . . I was charmed, and I knew that I had to find out who she was. So I followed at a distance, blending in with the crowds as we moved into the pub itself.
“For a moment, I thought I’d lost her, but then I caught sight of her hair, just in time to hear her gasp as an arm shot out to grab her. I could only see her in profile then, but the expression on that gorgeous face was something I’d never forget. Her smile was both inviting and secretive, as though it was for one person only. Her eyes fairly glowed with what could only be love. Whomever it was she was looking at, she was madly in love with him.”
I was teetering on the verge of deep sleep, but I couldn’t help a smile. “And it was you she was looking up at it, and she was me.”
He chuckled softly. “That it was, love. It was you, and it was me, and we were together and so deep in love, we shone like a neon sign. From that day on, I dreamed only of you, and I waited for the day I’d finally find you.”
“And then I walked into your pub, and I insulted you.” I sighed. “Did I ever say I’m sorry about that?”
“You did, and I’ve forgiven you. It was the best day of my life, you know. It was the day when my life truly began.” He nudged my chin and crunched up so that he could kiss me. “Now you’ve had your story, love. Go to sleep. I’ll be here to watch over you, always.”
As much as I hated to admit it, Seamus had been right. The nap, which had stretched to two solid hours thanks to what Seamus claimed was his inability to figure out how to set the alarm correctly, invigorated me and gave me a clearer mind.
“My time’s all off, though,” I complained to him as we dressed. “Right now, it’s seven o’clock here, but since we were up all night driving, and then slept today, it feels as though it should be morning. Of course, my body thinks it’s ten o’clock, since that’s the time on the East Coast.”
“Think of Daeglan and Cill and me, grappling with the extra change in time as well. In Ireland, it’s smack in the middle of the night just now.” He had pulled a heather gray Henley over his head and was rolling up the sleeves. “I don’t know if I’m coming or going at this point.”
“True,” I sighed. “Well, we’ll get this talk over with tonight, and then we can go to bed for a real night’s sleep. Won’t that be wonderful?”
“It will, and you’ll be all the more relaxed for having this part over with.” He winked at me. “Now shall we go down then? You don’t want to keep your audience waiting.”
I made a rude face at him and might have said more, if we hadn’t heard a knock at the door. I could feel Veronica’s now-familiar signature, and I called for her to come in.
Age of Aquarius Page 17