by Robson, Cecy
I hate to admit it, but it felt pretty damn good. My back leg started twitching and I melted in his hands. I relaxed, not enough to change back, but enough so I wasn’t so ornery. Misha took advantage of my momentary lapse of anger to get ready for bed. When he emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, I couldn’t help but gawk at him. If Greek gods walked the earth, Misha was Adonis. But when he slipped off the pajamas before climbing into bed, he was more reminiscent of Thor.
I jumped off the bed and grabbed his pants with my fangs, growling and shaking them at him. A big sly grin spread across his face. “Do you need to go for another walk?”
You’re just a funny, ha-ha comedian, aren’t you? Get the damn pants back on, Misha! I’ve had a rough day and I’m feeling really vulnerable.
“Bark, yip, yip, bark, growl, woof, woof!”
He knew I didn’t approve of his behavior and yet he picked me up and laid me against his chest. “My darling, I have not worn clothes in my bed for well over a hundred years.”
Misha’s chest was warm and comforting. He stroked my head in rhythmic and hypnotic movements. I struggled to resist his charms, but I was fading fast. Somehow, I managed to jump down and retrieve his pants. He sighed as if he’d caught me rummaging through the garbage. “Very well. I will do as you ask. But no more barking, agreed?”
I turned my back to wait while he dressed. When he was done, he pulled me under the covers with him. After a few minutes of Misha stroking my head, I drifted off to sleep. I dreamed of Aric’s soft lips. How they swept across my skin the mornings he’d woken beside me, his body alert and craving my touch. My eyes blinked open. I was human again. And naked. I felt relaxed, warm . . . sexy. But the lips that sought me weren’t Aric’s. And this wasn’t our bed.
Misha’s tongue slid along my shoulder and to my neck in teasing strokes. His arm wrapped around my belly while his fingers tickled my skin. I turned to face him. “Misha—”
His lips immediately pressed against mine and he pulled me on top of him. My nipples became erect upon meeting his bare chest. I jerked away from him and leapt out of bed, yanking a sheet with me to cover my body.
“Kitten, wait.”
“No, Misha. I can’t do this to me or to you. I’m going back to the guesthouse.” I moved like lightning, but it wasn’t fast enough. He blocked the door with his body.
“Why will you not surrender yourself to me?” he demanded.
Humiliation heated my skin. My body, desperate for touch, had responded to his. I couldn’t meet his eyes. “Because I can never be what you want.”
“That should be my response. If I stank of beast and howled at the moon, would I then be your match?”
Misha was bitter, hurt, and completely furious with me. At first, I expected him to lash out, either with more words or the violence he was capable of. He didn’t. Instead, he surprised me by stepping away from the door. He needed and deserved an explanation for my actions, but what could I have said? Anything would have been cruel. So I left, passing several vampires on my way out. They glowered at me, no doubt having heard our words. But their opinion of me didn’t matter; only Misha’s did. When I returned to the guesthouse, I slammed the door behind me. I slumped on the bed and reached for the phone.
Taran answered on the first ring. I spilled my guts like a disemboweled fish.
“Damn. I can’t believe you kissed Misha!”
Taran’s outburst wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine I needed. “I didn’t exactly kiss him back, Taran. Like I said, he caught me off guard.”
“And you miss Aric,” Emme added softly. I wasn’t surprised to hear her gentle voice on the other end. Taran always put me on speaker when our other sisters were around.
“Yeah. I miss him. I saw him today, and his mother.”
“We know, Ceel,” Shayna said. Her voice lacked its typical liveliness. “He’d gone to the airport to pick her up and called us on the way back wondering if we knew where you were. He wanted you to meet Eliza . . . before she met Barbara.”
“She was naked in bed making out with Misha,” Liam said from some distance away.
I sat up in bed. “Oh, my God. Liam is listening in!”
“Are you sure, sweetie?” Emme asked.
“Yes, I’m sure! He just announced that I was naked and kissing Misha.” A thunderous roar erupted farther away. Aric’s thunderous roar. Oh. God.
I heard someone hurry away and throw open the door. “Liam!” Emme shouted. “Oh, no. What did you do?”
Taran yelled at Liam over Aric’s increasing growls. “For shit’s sake, Liam! Did you happen to tell Aric it was an accident and she left right away? Did you tell him that, Liam?”
Koda’s deep voice boomed in the background. “How do you accidently get naked and start kissing someone?”
“It’s not all that uncommon,” Bren interrupted. “It’s happened to me more than once.”
“There’s a shock,” Danny muttered.
My jaw unhinged. Good Lord. Did everyone know?
“I need you guys outside now!” Gemini yelled from farther away. “Aric is completely losing it.”
“Taran, please go to the window and see if you can put Aric to sleep,” Emme pleaded. “Someone’s going to get hurt.”
I heard Taran’s quick footsteps, presumably running toward the window. I grabbed some clothes and frantically began to dress. “Emme, tell Aric I’m coming. I need to explain—”
Taran interrupted. “Don’t, Celia. It’s over.”
I stopped in the middle of putting my pants on. “Did you put him to sleep already?” I was begging her to tell me yes.
“No. He went wolf and took off.” I heard her tap her nails against something hard. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but I think you have a right to know. Gemini says the burden of continuing his species and being without you has taken a toll on Aric’s animal and human forms. Gem is . . . worried Aric’s beast is rising to the surface and taking over the man.”
I straightened and let the hem of my jeans fall from my grasp. “What does that mean exactly?”
“It’s his wolf’s way of trying to keep him strong and protect him from his pain, Ceel,” Shayna answered hesitantly. “The problem is, his beast isn’t as reasonable or patient—and if his present condition worsens he’ll eventually just stay wolf. Koda says it happens sometimes . . . when weres are deprived of their mates.”
I closed my eyes and tightened my jaw. “The Elders must obviously know this. Why—I can’t comprehend why they would allow him to lose his humanity!”
Taran chimed in. “Anara doesn’t care, Ceel. He can still order Aric to make pups with Barbara. All she has to do is take on her wolf form.” She scoffed. “I think that bridezilla from hell knows it and is trying to work the animal angle. When Aric changed just now, she did, too, and went after him.”
I missed my bed when I attempted to sit and ended up sprawled on the floor. I kicked off my jeans and rose on wobbly legs just when the door slammed open on the other end of the line and several pairs of feet trotted in.
“Hey, do you think Aric is finally going to mount Barbara?” Liam asked from somewhere in the room.
Emme gasped. I didn’t make a sound. I was too busy begging God to kill me.
“If he does, maybe he’ll stop being such a tight-ass bastard,” Bren said. He stomped away. His voice echoed as if he were yelling out the window. “Hey, Lorraine!”
“Her name is Barbara, moron,” Koda muttered.
“Like I give a shit. Hey, you! While you’re at it, take out that cougar Aric has rammed up his ass.”
“Bren, shut your snout. Celia is still on the phone!” Danny yelled.
“She is?” There were some rustling sounds and then Bren came on the line. “Hey, Ceel, how’s it going? Look, don’t worry about what I said. No one can make Aric scream like you can. One time
I was hungry and stopped at your house for a bite. You probably didn’t know I was there since you guys were going at it like gorillas in heat—”
“Dude. Shut up!”
“Back off, Shayna. I’m trying to make her feel better about Aric bumping uglies with what’s her face.”
“Oh, my goodness, Bren,” Emme whispered. Like me, she probably couldn’t believe the words pouring out of his mouth.
“Anyway, you guys were inspirational. After I ate the sandwich and had some dessert—by the way, your blueberry pie rocks—I picked up a girl at a gas station and had one of the best lays of my life. Seriously, you guys should tour or some— Ow! What the hell?”
The sizzling sound alerted me that Taran had zapped him. She flipped out. “Everyone out before I jolt the shit out of you!”
There was a collective groan from the wolves in the room before I heard the shuffle of feet exiting. “Are you all right, Ceel?” Shayna asked.
“No. But I will be,” I answered, though I knew it was a total lie.
• • •
“Good morning, Misha.”
He was wearing his black silk pajama bottoms. And judging by the four exhausted and extremely pleased-looking women caressing him, he probably hadn’t slept a wink.
“The Elder Anara contacted me this morning. You have the assignment you claim your beast so desperately needs.” He paused to chuckle at the cringe-worthy suggestion Tramp Numero Uno whispered in his ear. “You will fly with a group of my vampires to Nicaragua today. A Tribe nest has been discovered. We need you to destroy it and the Tribemaster.”
A Tribe nest was where a Tribemaster bred with human women to make demon children for his army. I still had nightmares from my first encounter. These poor women were forced to carry the monsters to term and then died à la Alien-esque delivery. It wasn’t going to be an easy assignment, yet I was more than willing to take it. The supernatural war had claimed many innocents, and I’d grown sick of it. Even if Misha hadn’t recruited me and the Tribe hadn’t targeted me specifically, I still would have fought to take those assholes down.
The task itself wasn’t what bothered me. I’d trained for it. What upset me was Misha’s callousness. His cold, dismissive tone coupled with kissing that leggy blonde . . . He had some nerve. It’s not like I’d expected he’d join me on assignments. After all, masters and Elders, like military generals, fought only when there was no other choice. Still, Misha didn’t have to behave like an idiot.
“Misha, I’d like to talk to you about last night—in private.”
Misha didn’t acknowledge me, but the brunette licking his chest stopped long enough to glare and speak for him. “Misha doesn’t have time for a little girl when he has women to keep him occupied.”
Okay, sister, you’re pissing me off. “What kind of women are you if he needs four of you to replace one of me?”
Misha tensed but still wouldn’t look at me. And except for the one kissing his lips, the remaining “women” scowled at me. Knocking them into oblivion would have accomplished nothing. They were only human—stupid, slutty, and probably diseased, but human nonetheless. Besides, Misha was just as responsible for their actions.
“Fine, Misha. If you don’t want to talk about last night, we won’t. Just tell me, is there anything else I need to know about the mission?” He finished his kiss and then began another one with a different groupie. The little patience I had left quickly disappeared. “I asked you if there was anything else,” I hissed.
“No. You will receive further instructions half past the hour. Go pack. Breakfast will be brought to the guesthouse. You are excused now.” He motioned me toward the door and returned to his entourage.
My rage forced my claws out. I turned and stormed out. Between Misha and everything going on with Aric, I had a lot of anger to unleash. The Tribesmen wouldn’t know what hit them.
• • •
Screw Misha, screw Barbara, and screw this whole stupid mess. I called my sisters to inform them of my absence, but couldn’t reach them. I did finally end up talking to them—on the plane.
I jumped out of my seat when they boarded Misha’s private jet. They smiled and waved, and apparently had been shopping. They slipped off their long coats to reveal matching camouflage tanks and cargo pants. They even wore army boots. I think they were trying for military chic, but the results were more like Special Forces Barbie. Taran sat down as if she owned the plane, tossed back her dark hair, and began applying another coat of lip gloss. God forbid we take on demons with chapped lips.
Emme tried to give me a small smile, but when she caught my not so cheery expression, she quickly sat next to Taran and shrank back into her seat.
“What the hell are you three doing here?”
Shayna finished adjusting her ponytail and grinned like I was the flight attendant welcoming her on board. “Misha called and told us you were going on another assignment. We’ve missed your last few so we asked him if we could come along.” She tugged on the strap of her tank top as it fell off her right shoulder. Unlike Taran, she didn’t have the goods to fill out her stretchy shirt.
If Misha had arrived I would’ve staked him in the ass. “It’s more like he manipulated you into coming along!”
Taran closed her compact and huffed. “No shit, Celia. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to help.” She eyed me up and down. “Why the hell are you dressed like that? Aren’t we headed for a jungle?”
The vamps and I wore shorts and T-shirts. I rubbed my temples to fight off the headache pummeling my brain with each passing second. “The plane is not going to drop us in the jungle. We still have to drive by jeep to the Bosawás Reserve. We’re trying not to stand out. But forget how I’m dressed. Are you out of your minds? There’s no way you’re coming!”
Taran jutted out her chin and narrowed her blue eyes. “Look, Ceel. We’re going with you whether you like it or not. Those assholes tortured you guys and pissed on my birthday brunch. Now they’re trying to kill you.” She pointed an irate finger. “That’s just goddamn rude.”
I reached for my cell phone. “Oh, really? Well, I think your wolves may have something to say about that.” I hit Koda’s number on speed dial, knowing he’d be the most furious.
My sisters exchanged panicked glances. Emme ripped the phone away from me with her force and held me in place when I lunged for her. I opened my mouth to tell Koda everything the moment he answered the phone, but my voice was immediately silenced. Taran’s irises blanched and I felt my vocal cords constrict. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t even whistle.
The vamps watched the drama with quiet and wide-eyed enthusiasm. The bastards didn’t even lift a finger to help.
“Celia?” Koda’s deep voice reverberated through the cell. “What’s wrong?”
“No, puppy. It’s me,” Shayna answered.
He paused, already suspicious. “Why are you calling me on Celia’s phone, baby?”
“Um . . .”
Emme’s eyes widened and sweat beaded on her forehead. Her head smacked against the cushioned chair as I pushed against her power. “Hurry up and tell him something. She’s too strong. I can’t hold her.”
I smiled to myself and stopped thrashing. My sisters never could grasp how great our hearing was.
“What’s going on?” Koda growled. “Who is Emme holding back?”
“Oh, puppy . . . what could possibly be going on?” Shayna answered, laughing a little too hysterically.
“Put Celia on now!”
Taran covered her throat with one hand and motioned for the phone with the other. Shayna gave her the phone and Taran began speaking, using my voice. The words she used and the way she spoke screamed loud and clear that it wasn’t me. “Relax, man. We’re just out shopping for tampons and stuff.”
I laughed silently. I could almost hear the vein on Koda’
s forehead pop. “What the hell is happening? This isn’t Celia!”
“Pssst. Pssst. Sorry, puppy . . . psst . . . The phone is breaking . . . psst . . . up. Don’t wait . . . psst . . . up . . . psst.” She disconnected and gaped at the screen.
The vamps roared with laughter. Emme blushed two shades deeper than usual. “Taran! Did you have to tell him we were buying feminine products?”
“Emme, why do you have a goddamn problem saying the word ‘tampon’? Just say it. It would be so liberating.”
“Taran, the vampires are listening—”
“Tampon, tampon, tampon!” Taran sang.
Shayna’s head whipped from the phone to us. “Forget the tampons! I think puppy knows I lied to him.”
Taran rolled her eyes. “No shit, Shayna.” She scooted to my side. Her irises blanched to crystal; as they deepened to their blue color, my vocal cords relaxed.
I touched my throat with the tips of my fingers. “How did you do that?”
“I’ve been practicing harnessing Tahoe’s magic.” Taran shrugged. “Sometimes it works; most of the time it doesn’t.”
I nodded. “Interesting— Oh! But guess what. You’re still not coming.” I grabbed hold of the plane door just as it was about to shut.
“Oh, yes, we are,” Taran shot back, right before she put me to sleep.
CHAPTER 9
The villager called the nest El Hogar del Diablo. The devil’s home.
Taran’s spell had knocked me out for the entire trip. I woke cranky as hell and ready to make evil my bitch. And yet the young woman’s fear gave me pause. I may have been residing with vampires, but she was living among monsters.
Emme’s face blanched at the name despite the choking heat and humidity. I tried asking the young woman more, but she shook her head and hurried away. The residents of the small Nicaraguan town knew of the evil lurking in their forest, but they were too frightened to speak of it. I pulled my out-of-control curls into a ponytail and nodded my head toward an approaching male. Maria smiled and licked her lips. You didn’t need a GPS with a vampire around.