“I don’t suppose you know any good contractors my way?” I asked.
He chuckled and shook his head. “We live geographically over three hundred miles away from one another. I don’t think I’m likely to be of much help there. I could do the work though if you want.”
I shook my head and set my fork against my plate. “No, that’s crazy. You’ve got enough on your hands. Plus the new job. I’ll find someone.”
The stool screeched as I pushed away from the counter and moved to clean my dishes. I could feel his eyes watching me. After putting the dishes away, I turned back to him with a grin.
“I should get home.”
I half-expected him to argue but he just nodded. “See you tomorrow then?”
“I’ll do my best.”
The deep kiss he gave me before I left had a message behind it. He wanted me to spend the night. I was half-tempted to stay, but after our earlier discussion I felt like I needed some space to think about us. The look in his eyes as I orbed away gave me a warm ache in my heart. This relationship thing was certainly complicated.
“That’s why you need to marry that boy. He’ll make an excellent housewife.”
I snorted and shook my head. Rhia and I were on our way to a call for one of my MAUCs, a vampire named Rufus. The poor fellow got himself entangled with an ultra-religious gal the previous evening. Perhaps she wasn’t all that religious after all because she did in fact sleep with Rufus. And that couldn’t be blamed on his ability to hypnotize because he preferred to feed on a woman after he seduced her. He liked the taste of the endorphins in their blood.
As we approached the grotto I noticed Rhiannon was distracted. She kept pulling her cell phone from her pocket, frowning, then putting it back. After almost a minute she would repeat the process again. I side-eyed her as I programmed our destination.
“You expecting a call?” I asked as we stepped into the stone enclosure.
Her face turned fuchsia and she fumbled to put the phone away. I pursed my lips and frowned at her, but she averted my eyes.
When we arrived at our destination I put a hand out to stop her from walking away from me. “I need you to focus here, Rhia. Is there something you need to tell me?”
Rufus lived in an apartment in Kansas City, Missouri, so Rhiannon and I had orbed into a forest near there so hopefully we wouldn’t be seen. I knew the moment we got there that we were alone, not sensing anyone else in the area. I faced my friend with a severe look.
“No,” she laughed, shaking her head in short jerky, movements. “Why would you think I need to tell you something?”
“Rhiannon, you know as well as I do that these kinds of vamp cases aren’t easy to treat. Do I need to confiscate that phone?”
“Pfft! C’mon, you. There’s no time for this silly conversation. We need to get in there.”
I followed her, a nagging concern about what might be going on with her pricking my brain. Shaking my head, I relayed the same advice to myself that I’d just given to Rhia. Focus!
Rufus came to the door on the third knock. He didn’t look as bad as I feared he might. His skin was pale, but then all vamps were pale. Still, he looked whiter than most and he groaned, when he motioned us inside.
“So where did you get it?” I asked, wasting no time with pleasantries.
“Just my left arm. I reached out for my cell and knocked over the bottle. Who the hell leaves an open bottle of holy water beside their bed?”
He showed us his arm where the skin still sizzled, wispy smoke coming from the cracks in the charred flesh. Rhiannon pulled out her bag and started doctoring the wound while I sat beside him. He was fortunate the injury wasn’t any worse.
A holy wound won’t stop burning and eating through a vampire until appropriate treatment is applied. That meant that if a vampire happened to receive that kind of injury to his torso, he’d likely not survive it. It would eat away into his internal organs which, surprisingly enough, are still necessary—even for an undead vampire.
“How did the lucky lady react to your… condition?”
“That was the weirder part. She didn’t seem surprised at all. In fact, she insisted on examining the wound even though I tried to get out of there as quick as possible. To be honest, this kind of pain is akin to a guy getting kicked in the family jewels. I was in no condition to keep her off of me when it happened.”
“So she saw it then? Well that’s just dandy.” I crossed my arms over my chest with a heavy sigh. “I’ll need her address, Rufus. I’ll probably need to try to wipe her mind. Hopefully she hasn’t told anyone else.”
“Yeah,” he hissed, stretching his lips tight across his fanged teeth. “Hey, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Stop fussing,” Rhia ordered, wrapping some strange strips of dripping bandages over the wounds. She was tying them so tight it looked like his lower arm might pinch off.
“Anything else you think might be important for me to know?”
“Ahhh,” he cried. I almost laughed when he tried to snatch his arm away from the good doctor and she popped him in the mouth. I knew how strong she was and the slap probably stung even a vampire. “She did this weird thing when she was checking me out. I could have sworn she tore a piece of my skin off. I screamed and called her some nasty names and she kicked me out after that.”
I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued. “Is it possible you just thought that’s what she was doing?
“Why don’t you ask her? Her address is on the napkin over there. See it on the counter?”
I padded across the room, my mind churning with the question of why anyone would want to snatch a piece of vampire skin. When I looked at the napkin, I was pretty sure I had a good idea.
Written in dainty feminine script was an address and underneath a single name signature: Susan.
I decided to leave Rhia tending to Rufus as I headed for the address on the napkin. If the injury had been any worse, I wouldn’t have risked leaving them together. Holy wounds could be so severe for some vampires that they could lose their senses and attack a person trying to treat them. Again, Rufus was very lucky.
And if I was right about the identity of his mysterious lover, he was double lucky.
He let me borrow his vehicle and I used my phone’s GPS to help me get there quickly. I have a very poor sense of direction, which is okay since I can orb most places without a problem. And when I couldn’t orb, there was always modern technology to help me.
Just as I suspected, when I arrived at the apartment, it was empty.
All evidence that anyone had been living there was gone. No furniture, no personal items, nothing. Upon closer examination in the bedroom, I noticed spots of sooty material on the floor. They followed a circular pattern around the room and out toward the exit. This was evidence of Rufus’ burning skin and fluids dripping onto the floor.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Tig’s number. My sixth sense was telling me there was a lot more going on here than I originally thought. My goblin friend was the reason I was on this mission. When I got his voicemail, I huffed a breath out of my mouth and shook my head.
Rhia was just removing the bandages from Rufus’ arm when I got back. Vampires have accelerated healing abilities so all he needed was a little help from the herbs in Rhiannon’s bag of tricks to help him kick start his paranormal rejuvenation. By the looks of his skin, it was working. The black burns were shrinking and leaving behind nice pale flesh—pale flesh being a good thing for a vampire.
That night I decided to beg off on dinner with Beck and the kids so I could do some more studying on spells and potions. It was imperative that I figure out what the dark witch was brewing, literally and figuratively. It wasn’t a stretch to presume she was collecting ingredients for some sort of spell. I had never heard of any type of spell requiring burnt vampire skin.
That meant nothing of course. I wasn’t the potion-and-brewing sort of witch.
Part of me thought I should contact
Granny again, but that thought was teeny tiny. Another part of me got a sick churning in my belly when I even considered seeking her in the mirror again. That part was screaming and the message was loud and clear.
As I was thumbing through pages and jotting down scribbly notes, my mind was partitioned between my research and a hodgepodge of other thoughts.
I wondered about Rhiannon. She did a good job healing Rufus, and we decided to grab some tacos for supper when we got back to my place. She checked her phone again, chewed her lip in consternation, and finally agreed. Something was definitely up with that werevamp.
Beck was forever present in my thoughts. I might as well have had a power plant connected to my loins because they remained perpetually on fire for him. Our few chances at intimacy were too few and far between. I might have been to blame for that. He wanted me to start staying the night with him, but I refused. He and I had only been dating again for a few months. What kind of tramp spends the night in her widowed boyfriend’s house with his young children under the same roof?
Damn, I’m a prude, I thought. People do that all the time, Lynlee. But I just couldn’t, at least not yet.
The kids weren’t far behind Beck in my thoughts. This morning when I awoke I noticed the birds singing outside my window. Spring would be here in a few months and the trees would begin to bud. Jilly’s nymph powers were expanding all the time. I wondered if I should have one of my clients speak to her or just let her develop on her own.
And then there was Justin. I’d never forget the look of that dark-haired child when I first met him as he stood firm in bold protection of little sister. He had no magic that I could sense, which wasn’t surprising. Full nymph powers generally passed amongst females and not males. Still, his strength of character was clear, and I realized that a part of me wanted to witness each step in his growing process.
I used the heels of my hands to rub my eyes with a heavy sigh. When my blurry vision cleared, I glanced at the note pages before me: squiggling and random script covering every inch of the sheets. It probably looked like the mental ramblings of a lunatic.
My stomach grumbled, signaling that it was time for a break, so I headed to the kitchen for a snack. I broke down a few days ago and brought an extra piece of cheesecake home after lunch with Rhia. I could almost hear it calling to me: Lynlee, Lynlee, eat me.
I snorted, laughing at myself. Clearly I was delirious with fatigue. The first creamy-smooth piece of the dessert was in my mouth when my telephone rang. “H’mo.” I tried to swallow at the same time I answered and nearly choked.
“I’m looking for a ravishing brunette witch with a pernicious habit of leaving me aching for her kisses.”
All it took was the sound of Beck’s voice to send a tingling heat marching down my spine and through my legs. “I think you must have the wrong number. I don’t believe in witches.”
“Are you in bed yet?”
“Ha!” I laughed, dragging my slippered feet along the floor as I carried my cheesecake back into my office, phone wedged between my ear and shoulder. “I wish. I’m still working.”
“So are you ever going to tell me about this case?”
I enjoyed chewing another bite before answering. The sound of Beck’s steady breathing through the phone made me think of the moist feel of it against my neck when he’d whispered something to me.
“My friend Tig wanted me to track down the goings-on of a dark witch. Apparently he knew her a long time ago and he’s worried about what she’s up to.”
“Dark witch? What does that mean? Like the Wicked Witch of the West or something?”
I frowned and considered that. “Sort of. A dark witch uses her magic to manipulate for her own gains and usually hurts people in the process. Magic is powerful and some people feed on that power. They want more and more of it—to keep pressing the boundaries.”
“Hmmm… I see. So do you have any leads?”
“Uh, uh. Not exactly. She’s collecting things… ingredients I think. I don’t know, but my eyes are crossing with all the research I’m doing. Have I ever mentioned I hate research?”
His rumbling laughter pulled forth a big smile on my face. I got more and more head over heels for this man every day.
“I miss you. I don’t like going a day without seeing you.”
“I miss you too. How about a late breakfast?”
“I start the new job tomorrow. How about you come over and spend the night with me and then early breakfast.”
I paused a moment, trying to find my breath. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Beck? I don’t want to do the wrong thing with your kids.”
“Lynlee.” His voice lowered an octave, and I had the urge to crawl through the phone to get to him. “I need you. I want you. I don’t want to go to sleep tonight without you beside me. Please…”
I sucked in a breath and a squeal when I orbed to the spot in front of Beck’s house and felt an onslaught of cold, hard rain pelting my body. For a woman who was anticipating being in the hot arms of a man, the freezing wet was shocking to say the least. I made a leap for the porch, shaking the water from my arms.
Before I knew it I was enveloped in a soft flannel blanket and Beck’s strong arms. “Sorry beautiful,” he murmured in my ear, “I should’ve warned you it was raining.”
“I guess you’ll have to make it up to me then.”
He brushed my damp hair away from my shoulder with his chin and nuzzled my neck. The five-o’clock shadow on his cheek scraped my skin, leaving a hot trail that he nibbled at with soft, wet lips.
I turned in his arms, eyes closed, mouth lifted and open to him. His kiss was crushing—consuming—and I hooked my arms up under his to grab his shoulders and keep myself from falling. I moved with him as he backed to the front door of the house, opening it with one hand even while he kept a tight hold on me with the other.
“The kids are asleep?” My voice was strained, breathless. I heard him chuckle, taking my hand and tugging me through the house towards his bedroom. On the way, I tossed my purse onto the couch as we passed the living room.
“Yes, they’ve been asleep a good while. Justin had another nightmare, but he finally went back down.”
“Oh good…” That was about all the response I could get out because by then we had made it into the bedroom and he was easing me back onto the bed. I was still fully dressed, my clothes damp from the downpour, and I realized that I wanted nothing more than to be out of those clothes and feel Beck’s hands on my skin.
I couldn’t speak again because his lips had claimed mine again, the weight of him pressing me into the mattress. The only thing I could think to do to resolve my need for more contact was to take his hand and place it under my shirt, holding it tight against my stomach.
He parted the kiss long enough to say my name, and I was too befuddled by the sensation of his fingers edging their way up my belly to my ribs and then my breast to say anything in return. My back bowed as I thrust myself deeper into his cupped hand, my nipple hardening.
Now that I had his hand sufficiently occupied to meet my needs, I set my hands to the task of slipping my yoga pants past my hips. I was wearing a pair of jeans when Beck called me earlier, but when I accepted his invitation to come to his house, I knew very well what I was expecting to happen. I didn’t want a snap, a zipper, tight denims, or even panties to get in the way of that.
I didn’t know if Beck had as much forethought, but after kicking my pants away, I set my hands to his waistband and found the tie of his sweats loose and easy to pull away.
I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said that Beck has one of the nicest rear ends known to man… or MAUC. When I placed both hands on those cheeks and squeezed them to bring his body tighter against me, both of us moaned in pleasure.
“Too long,” he breathed and pulled my shirt aside so he could lick a trail from my neck along my collarbone and shoulder. “It’s been too long. I need you now.” I heard the ripping of my clothing as he yanked har
der. I placed my palms to his chest and pushed hard, reversing our positions so that I was on top, straddling his hips.
Both of us were naked from the waist down. I closed my eyes, rocking my hips so that my sex rubbed against his hard erection. Damn right, too long, I thought to myself as I grabbed the hem of my shirt with crossed arms and tossed it over my head.
I opened my eyes and gazed down into Beck’s heavy-lidded expression. The rush of longing mixed with affection and I grinned, touching my palm to his cheek. He kissed my thumb then licked his lips; I bit mine, inhaling a deep breath.
When I reached behind me to unhook my bra, he shook his head. “Leave it. You look incredibly sexy right now—your hair wild, your cheeks flushed, your nipples straining under those silky cups.”
I glanced down thinking this was perhaps the most boring bra in the world: a simple white satin. I didn’t have time to wonder because, to prove his point, he reached a finger up to tease one of my breasts and I shuddered when that barest of touches sent a jolt of desire coursing through me.
Both my hands were splayed against his chest and I leaned back so I could slowly trail my nails down. I took in the feel of his skin under my hands, tracing the line of his pecs down to his stomach. His abs weren’t finely sculpted like in the movies. No, my man was real, a father of two who could cook a meal fit for a king. The little bit of extra meat on his bones looked good on him.
“I love you,” I blurted, not even looking at him. The sound of those three little words made me freeze a moment in panic. I hadn’t said that in a very long time. I hadn’t said it to anyone except him, ever.
The feel of his member against my backside brought me back to the moment, so I allowed my fingers to finish their sojourn south. I rose up, taking him in my hand, squeezing once, and settled myself down inch by exquisite inch.
Beck’s hands slid up my thighs to my hips and then clasped me tight to bring my body full against his chest. Without breaking contact, he rolled me over to my back, propping himself up on one hand while he cupped my cheek with the other. “I love you too, Lynlee.”
A Bundle of Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Sets Book 1) Page 13