by C. C. Wood
Macgrath’s legs bent and he leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “No, I wouldn’t lie to you.”
There was no sign of deception, at least none that I was familiar with. I glanced down at the ring I wore, a blue stone set in fine silver. The gem glowed softly, the color remaining the same pure azure it usually was.
He was telling the truth.
I relaxed slightly, realizing that I’d been tense as well. “Any ideas how we can find her?”
He resumed his reclining position, his eyes clashing with mine. “A few. You?”
This felt like a defining moment where I had to decide how much I trusted the vampire. After the dream this morning, my hormones were telling me that not only could I trust him with my personal safety but with my body as well. My brain told my hormones to fuck off. And my heart…
Well, my heart was useless. For centuries, I hadn’t loved anyone or anything. Not until I met Savannah. While some of the ice inside me had thawed over the years, I was still partially numb.
I hadn’t been this conflicted since I woke up with no memory of my previous life, which had been about two millennia ago, give or take a year.
I decided to split the difference. I would share just enough but not everything.
“I’ve tried all of the usual magical avenues.” When I paused, his brows lifted, so I continued. “And some of the unusual ones. Nothing. The witch seems to have disappeared, as though she never existed.”
Macgrath nodded. “She’s good at that. I haven’t been able to find her either. At least not with magical means. But I think I know someone who can track her down.”
“A witch?”
He grinned and shook his head. “No, a hacker.”
I frowned at him. “A hacker? How could they succeed where powerful magic can’t?” As soon as I asked the question, I knew the answer. “The money. Rhiannon likes the finer things, doesn’t she? Designer clothes, luxury, everything. She’ll need funds to maintain her lifestyle. I don’t see a woman like Rhiannon living without her creature comforts for long.”
Macgrath’s grin widened. “Exactly. There is no way she’d rough it. I’ve known her long enough to be familiar with her vanity.”
His words reminded me once again that he’d spent a hundred years aligned with the evil bitch. I pressed my lips together and frowned as his smile slowly faded.
He uncrossed his arms and straightened once again. “I know you won’t be able to forgive me for what I did and that you’ll never forget that I was once Rhiannon’s…” he trailed off.
“Minion,” I supplied.
He huffed a laugh. “For lack of a better word, yes.” He swallowed. “But I won’t make the same mistakes twice. I made a piss poor choice when I fell in with Rhiannon.” His eyes lost focus, as he stared straight through me. “People were hurt and I could have prevented it. Instead I chose to focus on myself and pursue what I wanted. Even if everyone else could forgive me, I’ll never forgive myself.”
I understood exactly what he meant. I had similar demons. When my selfishness had put others at risk, when people had gotten hurt because of it, it had taken me a long time to move on. The Goddess blessed me with amazing power and gifts. I had a responsibility to use them wisely and to help others and I hadn’t always lived up to that responsibility.
“Anyway, even if she used magical means to hide her financials, there’s always a paper trail. It’s nearly impossible to hide everything when it comes to money.”
Considering him for a moment, I asked, “And do you intend to share the information when you get it?”
The vulnerable expression left Macgrath’s face. The smirk was back and I realized he used it as a mask. A way to keep others at arm’s length. “That depends.”
“On?”
“A lot of things,” he replied, getting to his feet.
I scowled at his non-answer. “Care to be more specific?”
“Not really.” His tone was bored and it was pissing me the hell off. He reached for the door handle.
With a wave of my hand, I sealed the door shut. “Well, I would prefer a little more information before I blindly take your word.”
Macgrath laughed and faced me, leaning his back against the door and crossing his arms over his chest. “And you think locking me in here will encourage me to talk? Because there’s a small flaw in your logic.”
I mirrored his pose, crossing my arms as well. “Please, enlighten me.”
There was definitely something wrong with me because I was enjoying this. The verbal fencing, the tension that simmered between us, I liked it. It was exciting and invigorating.
Macgrath pushed off the door, dropped his arms to his sides, and crossed the short distance between us. My muscles grew tight as he leaned over me and placed his hands on the arms of my chair. Our faces were only a foot apart, close enough that I could see the emerald of his irises and the sunburst of gold that surrounded his pupils, spiking into the green like the points of a star. He also smelled of leather and soap and another scent that I couldn’t place. Something earthier.
“If you think that locking me in this room with you will make me talk, you’re wrong. Being close to you, even trapped in a room with you, isn’t a punishment, Ava.” His gaze moved over my face, hesitating for a bit too long on my mouth. Then his lips quirked in a wicked half-smile. “It only gives me all sorts of interesting ideas.” He inhaled deeply and the amber in his irises glowed. He stared at me, his gaze probing and intense. “And I’d give anything to know what you’re thinking right now.”
Thinking? I couldn’t think. All I could do was feel. My body alternately throbbed and tingled, my fingertips itching with the need to touch him. Heat spread beneath my skin. I was quickly losing all semblance of control.
Then reason pierced the spell he’d woven around me. I was letting that stupid dream weaken my defenses. The Macgrath in that dream wasn’t the vampire standing before me. He was a fantasy, created by my subconscious. The real Macgrath, the one standing before me, was an enigma. His smiles weren’t as warm or genuine, and he carried darkness within him. He was dangerous and… thrilling in a different way.
Still, I couldn’t trust him. Not yet. Now that I knew we shared similar demons, I found myself more willing to give him a chance, but he had a long way to go before he’d prove himself trustworthy.
I lifted a hand and the wicked smile on his face faded, replaced by surprise and more than a little hunger. He sucked in a sharp breath when my fingers touched his chest. The heat radiated from him, through the soft cotton, and down my arm, but I remained focused on my plan.
“Ava,” he whispered, lowering his face until our mouths were the barest inch apart and our breath mingled.
I let a small spark of power flow through my arm and out my fingertips. Macgrath jumped back.
“Fuck me!”
I couldn’t help myself. I laughed. “Not today, vampire.”
He rubbed his chest with a hand then grinned. “But another day?”
I laughed again. “You can dream.”
The smile on his face dropped away. “I always dream of you.”
Taken aback, I did nothing to stop him when he left the room.
Chapter Six
Macgrath
I woke roughly, half sitting on the bed. Groaning, I lay back amid the tangle of sheets and pressed a hand over the center of my damp chest. I glanced down and groaned again. The sheet was tented over my hips, likely due to the fact that my dick was hard as a rock.
Two days ago, I’d told Ava that all my dreams were of her. It wasn’t a lie. Since the first time I saw her, she haunted me. My dreams had never been so vivid and realistic. And now they were sexy as hell.
Though I’d never seen Ava naked, my subconscious seemed to have its own ideas about how her body would look. Down to a small beauty mark on her left hip.
In the dream tonight, I’d been lying on my back, staring up at Ava as she rode me. Her skin glistened with a fine sheen
of sweat and a flush in her cheeks that spread down her neck and chest. Her hips rocked in a slow, steady rhythm, driving me insane. I gripped her hips and silently urged her to move faster. She chuckled, low and wicked, but refused to heed my direction. Instead, she slid down my dick until our bodies were completely merged and remained motionless, except for squeezing me tightly with her inner muscles.
“Fuck. Me.” My voice sounded more animal than human, which was exactly how I felt right now.
Ava laughed again and shook her head. “I’m on top, therefore I’m in charge.”
In a blur of motion, I grasped her hips and flipped us, eliciting a sharp gasp from her throat. I withdrew slowly before thrusting deep and hard into her pussy. She arched and gasped again, throwing her head back against the pillow.
Whether she meant it as an invitation or not, I couldn’t resist. I leaned forward and pressed my mouth to her throat, feeling my fangs lengthen behind my lips. “And now I’m in charge,” I whispered.
I bit her then and she screamed, her pussy clamping down hard on my cock as she came immediately. I pinned her beneath me as my hips pounded into hers and she writhed with her orgasm.
Then, just as I was about to come, I woke up. Now I was lying on my bed, desperate for release.
“Fuck,” I growled, my hand sliding down my body to grab hold of my dick. My balls ached with the need to come.
I grasped my dick and closed my eyes. I pictured Ava as I stroked firmly, letting the images from my dream fill my mind. I imagined her breasts swaying with the movement of her hips and tightened my grip.
When I came, I said her name.
Sweat slicked my skin as I collapsed against the mattress, my breath coming hard and fast. The sky was still dark, dawn hours away.
The sheets were damp with my sweat and come. Even if I changed them and showered, sleep wouldn’t be possible again tonight.
Sighing heavily, I threw back the sheet and climbed out of bed. Naked, I gathered the sheets from the bed and carried them through the house into the closed-sized laundry room just off the kitchen. The stacked washer and dryer were tiny, meant for a small apartment rather than a house, but they got the job done.
Once the washer was running, I headed to the shower. Hot water rained down on me, washing away the remnants of sleep from my brain. As I lathered my hair, I realized that the short length suddenly felt alien. In my dream, the strands had been longer, brushing my collar and jaw. For centuries I’d kept my hair unfashionably short. Irrationally, I hated long hair and cropped it close to my scalp on a regular basis.
Idly, I wondered about that small detail, focusing on the change in my physical appearance. It prevented me from wondering if fucking Ava in real life would be as mind-blowing as the dream.
Cutting off that train of thought before it could derail me, I finished my shower quickly, twisting the hot water tap off to rinse my body under the icy flow. More awake and no longer turned on, I dried off and dressed before glancing at my phone.
Five a.m.
Unlike all the vampire legends that humans perpetuated, my kind weren’t relegated to darkness for eternity. Like many predators, our excellent vision and hearing made hunting at night much easier. The darkness was helpful camouflage rather than necessity. Humans were less likely to notice the physiological changes, like fangs and supernatural speed, at night.
When they finally did realize that they were in danger, they were already snared, their minds rolled and open to any suggestions a vampire might want to plant there. Other supernatural creatures such as witches and shifters were not as susceptible, but they could still be controlled in the right circumstances.
However, I was up with the sun despite the fact that I rarely went to bed before midnight. I required very little sleep as long as I had a steady supply of blood.
That being said, the modern custom of coffee in the morning was one I’d adopted happily. I liked the warm bitter brew. The caffeine didn’t truly affect me, but I enjoyed the ritual and usually made a pot of coffee every morning.
I was sipping my first cup when my cell rang. I glanced at the screen, surprised to see that it was Callum.
“Callum,” I greeted him, lifting the phone to my ear.
“Macgrath,” he replied. Then he fell silent.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. He said it would be twenty-four hours before he contacted me and it had been a little over twelve.
He sighed. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, sounding frustrated and pissed. “I followed her trail easily enough but now there’s…nothing. It’s almost as if she never existed.”
I scowled. “Magic?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “I think she hired a human to do this. And whoever it is, they’re fucking brilliant.” He prattled on, using words that didn’t sound like English.
“Great,” I interrupted. “So it’s a dead end?”
He paused. “Not exactly. It’s just more complicated than I anticipated. If I can find the human who did it, it’ll go much faster.”
“Of course. It’s not like there’s billions of humans on the planet or anything,” I responded sarcastically.
“Have a little more faith in me, Mac. There are only a few people on the planet with the skills like this. Maybe a couple dozen. It won’t take long to figure out who it is.”
I put down my coffee and pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. There was an itch between my shoulder blades, one that warned me of the target affixed to my back. It also reminded me of the target on Ava. A delay could mean the difference between life and death. “Any idea how long?”
“A few days. Maybe a week tops.”
It was too long but there was nothing I could do about it. “Just keep me updated.”
“You’ll hear from me soon,” he stated.
“Thanks for your help, Callum,” I replied and disconnected the call.
Taking a deep breath, I placed the phone on the counter top with a great deal of care and reached for my coffee cup. I couldn’t help Callum find his mysterious hacker, but I could protect Ava the only other way I knew how.
I drained the mug and set it in the sink before I moved toward the door. I grabbed the leather jacket off the wall-mounted hook and headed out into the early morning chill. I would pick up some supplies from the grocery store on my way to Ava’s house. From my months of watching her, I knew that she was an early riser too so she would be awake by now.
Once again, the skin between my shoulder blades itched and I resisted the urge to look behind me as I shut and locked the door behind me. Even without that telltale discomfort, I would have known that Rhiannon was watching and waiting for her chance to strike. Just as I knew that she wouldn’t seek to hurt me directly, she’d noticed the way I’d looked at Ava and, if she wanted to get to me, she would go for Ava first and foremost.
And I would be waiting.
Surprisingly Ava’s windows were still dark when I pulled up in front of her house. If her car hadn’t been in the driveway, I would have believed she’d already left. Instead, I climbed out of the car, carrying a couple of plastic bags that contained eggs, fruit, and croissants.
As soon as my foot hit the first step of the porch, the front door opened, revealing Ava dressed only in a thin navy robe, the remnants of moisture from her shower still evident on her skin.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice pitched low.
I lifted the bags in my hands and kept moving forward. Rather than asking for an invitation to enter, I walked up to her, crowding her back into the house. “I’m hungry.” Her brows lifted and I realized how my words sounded. I chuckled and stated, “For food.”
Though the scent of her damp skin whetted my appetite for a lot more. I inhaled deeply and suppressed a growl. Control. I had to remain in control.
Her eyes narrowed as she shut the door behind me. “Well, come right on in,” she said, her tone mocking.
I fought to master the reactions of my body
as I carried the bags into the kitchen. The entire front of the house was open, the kitchen, dining, and living areas blending together into one large room. Though I assumed Ava had plenty of money due to her many business endeavors, her house was rather modest. Not small, but definitely not the mansion she could probably afford.
I set the bags on the counter and began to put out the food. She approached, leaning a hip on the opposite side of the island. Her eyes widened when she saw the array.
“Are you really going to turn down a free meal that I’m willing to prepare for you?” I asked and smiled a little as her eyes paused on the chocolate-dipped biscotti I’d picked up on a whim. On more than one occasion when I was watching her, I noticed that Ava favored them with her coffee or tea at the shop.
The corner of her mouth quirked as she lifted her gaze to mine. “That depends. Are you going to wash the dishes afterwards?”
“Of course,” I replied without hesitation.
“Then I guess you’re making me breakfast.” She walked over to the coffee maker on the counter and poured two cups. “How do you take your coffee?” she asked.
“You don’t know already? I thought you were a powerful witch.” I was only teasing her, but she faced me and looked me over as though she took my question seriously and she was sizing me up.
Before I could laugh and tell her my preference, her violet gaze locked onto mine and the breath left my lungs. The power was there, in those purple eyes, glowing, shimmering, and dancing. She no longer looked like the beautiful, young woman she usually appeared to be. No, she could have been the Goddess in the flesh, looking upon a creature that represented little more than a puny threat. She was both the beginning and the end. Of time. Of life. Of the very fabric of the universe. Goose bumps rose on my skin and the hair at the base of my neck lifted.
“I know why you’re really here, vampire,” she stated. Her voice was little more than a whisper but it seemed to echo endlessly around us.
I realized then that I had never truly witnessed the height of her power. The night she faced down Rhiannon, she hadn’t even delved into the well that filled her. Right now, in this moment, I was seeing the true face of Ava Amaris and it was blinding in both beauty and ferocity.