by Rivi Jacks
Oh, my. The heat in his eyes—
His mouth comes down on mine in a hard kiss, his tongue probing my mouth, making me moan. My hands delve into his hair as his free hand molds itself around my breast, squeezing firmly, and then pinching my nipple. I whimper, but his hand has already moved down to my bottom, holding me steady as he presses his erection against my stomach. When he pulls his mouth from mine, I whimper again.
“Sweet, I do need to go.” He puts his face in my hair and inhales deeply. “Dom is probably sitting in a jail cell, waiting for me.”
“What?” I exclaim.
He releases me and steps back, running his hands through his hair. “Someone planted a body in the club after closing last night.” At my gasp, he continues. “Then they called the sheriff.”
“A—dead body?” I guess that’s somewhat of a dumb question, but this has caught me off guard.
“Yes. Now what I need you to do is stay here with Maryanne where I know you’ll be safe.”
“Okay.” I frown. Am I safe here? The Kihn did come onto the compound just two nights before. Wow, it seems a lot longer than that.
“There is more of the Guard here now, and the Zelts have put a protection spell around the compound to deter Ezra,” he says as if sensing my concern.
I nod.
He looks at me a moment longer in silence before giving me a quick kiss. “Soon, my sweet.” Then he and Walter leave, taking Max with them.
Chapter Four
Maryanne and I spend most of the afternoon catching up. She wants to hear all about the Kihn coming into the compound.
“It was a good thing you remembered that tunnel.”
“Yeah, we were lucky it hadn’t fallen in or that it hadn’t been sealed off.” I reach for my glass of wine. “We were also incredibly lucky that Quanah was with us.” I glance at her. “Do you know him?”
She nods and looks at me with a sly smile. “He’s a handsome man, don’t you think?”
“Uh… I think I might have noticed.” We laugh. “Yeah,” I agree. “He’s really attractive.”
“Mysterious,” she says.
“I know, right?” I glance at her. “All that long dark hair.”
“And those dark eyes…” Maryanne rolls hers.
“Have you ever seen him without a shirt?”
She sputters into her wine. “Have you?”
I grin. “Nice.”
“As nice as Lucas?” She asks with a mischievous smile.
“Not even!” Then I blush, thinking about Lucas with no shirt—no clothes. “Would you like another glass of wine?” I hurry to the kitchen to get the wine bottle. Looking up at the clock above the fridge, I wonder how everything is going with Dominic.
When I refill our wine glasses, I decide we need music and search through the playlist on Lucas’ iPod, before finding what I’m looking for. The beautiful sound of a Spanish guitar fills the room.
“Can I ask you something, Sofie?”
“Sure.” I give her a curious look.
“What do you think that was that happened between us?”
I know what she’s referring to, and I’ve wondered about the incident more than once. The first time we met, she’d taken hold of my hand, and a current of fairly intense heat passed between us. Just like what happened with Nick when I first met him. “I’m… not sure,” I answer slowly. “Has that ever happened to you before? With anyone else I mean.”
“No. Never. It caught me totally by surprise.” Her comment makes me uncomfortable. “I must say though—you didn’t really seem that surprised.” Her inquisitive eyes continue to regard me. I bet those bright blue orbs don’t miss much. “So… I thought you might have an understanding of what happened.”
I give a choked laugh. “Not a clue.”
“Hmmm,” she says as she takes a sip of wine.
“But—” I say, and her eyes flash back to mine. “Do you know Nick Sinclair?”
“Yes, the re-born.”
I’m a little surprised she knows about him, but then, Maryanne is part of the supernatural community. “The first time I met him—”
She sits up a little straighter. “It happened between the two of you?”
I chew my lip and nod. “Do you have any theories?” I ask hopefully. I think something in my voice alerts her to the fact that I’m not at ease with this.
“I don’t, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
“I’m not worried, I just—since it’s happened twice now—I’m wondering why.”
Maryanne squints as if she’s thinking extra hard. “Did the—heat exchange happen more than once with Nick?”
I smile at her. “I call it a hot flash.” She laughs. “And no, it only happened once, when we first shook hands.”
“The first time you touched?”
“Yes.”
“Just like us,” she says thoughtfully. I watch as her expression changes, and I think she’s thought of something but then she shrugs and says, “You know, I think we are just going to have to put it down to you being—special.”
I laugh softly. “Thanks.” I take another sip of wine. “Now is it okay if I ask you something?”
“Absolutely.”
I smile. “Anything going on with you and Taylor?”
“Well,” she says with a secretive smile. “I would certainly go out with him—if he ever asks me.”
“So… you’ve never been on a date?”
“Not yet,” she says.
I wonder why Taylor’s never asked her out. I know what I saw the night before, and it was evident he’s interested in her. “Have you known him a long time?”
“Six years, but my dad’s known him longer. Taylor first came to Lucas about… twenty-five years ago.”
My eyes widen. “He’s been working with Lucas that long?” I’m surprised, they must have been—really young. I can’t help but wonder, do werewolves age? Vampires don’t—do they? Is that just another one of the myths? It’s a sobering thought though, the implication of what that means, the fact that Lucas might not age. Then an unwelcome thought comes to me. How old is Lucas?
The anxiety I suddenly feel must show on my face because Maryanne reaches over and covers my hand with hers. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”
I take a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. “No, it’s just— Lucas and I are supposed to talk. I just recently discovered—what he is,” I murmur.
“Oh.” Her eyes search mine. “Are you okay with that?” she asks gently.
“I am,” I say without hesitation. “He’s—a good person.” Not to mention the fact that I’m deeply in love with him—but I don’t tell her that.
“Lucas is the best,” she says firmly. “He’s smart, and he has good judgment. He’s done a lot in making it possible for vampires to live among humans.” She stops talking when she sees the frown on my face. “What?”
“Nick told me that in the supernatural world, Lucas is top dog.”
“Ohhh… Sofie,” Maryanne looks uncomfortable. “You need to talk to Lucas about this.” Part of me wants to push for information, but that wouldn’t be fair to her. “I can tell you… a little,” she says.
“Please.”
“Not about Lucas,” she hurries to add. “But I can share a little of our history.”
The phone rings, and I excuse myself to answer, hoping it’s Lucas. I walk back to join Maryanne, a little disappointed it wasn’t him.
“That was Diane, she was just wanting to know what we’re doing. She said to tell you hello.” I sit back down on the couch. “Where were we?” Maryanne smiles at my eagerness for information.
“You’ve probably wondered about my dad and me.” She takes a sip of her wine. “My
mom was a witch.” At my surprised expression, Maryanne nods, her bright blue eyes shining out of her pixie face. “She was a powerful, strong witch, known for her magical knowledge. She knew Lucas’ parents long before she met my dad, and she worked with Lucas’ father.” She hesitates for a moment in her memories. “She was a good friend with Estella.” She runs a hand through her short black hair.
I hope this isn’t too hard for her. I start to tell her, she needn’t continue, when she says, “Estella is my Godmother—did you know that?” I shake my head. “I was a baby when they died.”
“They?” I ask softly.
“Lucas’ father was killed with my mother.”
“What?” I whisper, stunned.
“At the time, Lucas’ father led the Guard. They, along with Lars Aasen’s father, Isak were betrayed. They were investigating a false lead on the location of an individual they were hunting.”
“Oh, Maryanne, I am so sorry.” I lean over and put my hand on her shoulder, and rub soothingly. Maryanne gives me a weak smile.
“It’s okay.” Her voice sounds a little teary. “I mean, I never really knew her so—” I squeeze her shoulder.
Oh, Lucas! The one time Lucas spoke of his father, I’d noticed his reluctance to talk about him. Maryanne said she’d been a baby when they died. Since she’s my age, that would have been around twenty-one years ago. I feel a lump form in the back of my throat thinking about the hurt Lucas must have felt over losing his father. They would have been close for him to react the way he did, even after all these years.
“My mom was gone so much I may never have known her anyway,” Maryanne adds. We sit silently for several minutes, and I can feel her sadness at what might have been.
“My parents didn’t want me,” I say bluntly, immediately surprised. I wanted to say something to take her mind off her mother, but I didn’t realize I’d say that. I don’t usually talk to people about my parents.
Noticing Maryanne’s surprised look, I continue. “They didn’t plan to have children… I was an unhappy surprise.” I lean forward as I reach for my wine glass. “I lived with them in California until it was time for me to start school. Then I came here to live with my grandparents.”
“Did you ever see your parents?”
“I did. I would visit them, or they would stop in to see me on their way to some important event happening—somewhere.”
“Are they living?”
“No.” I look down at my hands. “My father died two years ago, and it took my mom about that long to grieve herself to death.”
“Sofie… I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. Coming here to live was the luckiest day of my life. I have an amazing family.”
After a bit, Maryanne says, “My dad has made it his life’s mission to work with Lucas—controlling the Kihn, finding the gate, and anything else Lucas needs. He’s a lawyer and has a lot of contacts around the world.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“That’s why we do so much entertaining. It’s a way to keep everyone connected here in the States, and a good way for Lucas to meet new contacts. Although, I think he gets tired of all the cocktail parties we have two or three times a month.”
So—Lucas has probably been back to a party since he took me. I wonder if the red witch was there. When I’d last seen her, she had herself draped around Lucas—right before she assaulted me.
“Are you hungry?” Maryanne asks.
“I am. Let’s go see what Max has in the fridge.”
We both decide on a salad and an iced tea, eating at the table in the kitchen. It’s getting late, and looking out the window, I see there’s little light left to the day. I wish Lucas would call, it makes me feel anxious not hearing from him.
I’m not sure if I should press for more information, but Maryanne seems okay talking about things. “Nick told me that the Kihn can’t be allowed to reach the gate or all supernatural will cease to exist,” I say, to start up the conversation again.
“That’s the story. And who of us wants to test its validity.” She laughs with no amusement.
“Us?”
Maryanne looks up from her sandwich. “I’m a witch.” At my expression, she giggles. “I know I don’t resemble how you envision a witch to look.”
“Not at all,” I agree. I actually think Maryanne looks like a fairy, a version of Tinkerbell. “But neither does Brit.”
“I adore Brit! She makes me laugh more than anyone I know.” I smile in agreement. “But her looks are very deceptive. She’s a very powerful witch.”
“Lucas pretty much said the same thing,” I tell her.
Maryanne nods and then leans close, saying softly, “Ezra is afraid of her.” My eyebrows lift in surprise as Maryanne nods again. “If she ever catches up with him, his life will end.” She sits back. “Ezra has two of the most powerful forces on this planet looking to end him; it’s just a matter of time.”
“Lucian and Estella being the other force?”
She shakes her head. “Lucas.”
Okay. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. Lucas and I are definitely having a long talk. “Lucas told me that Lucian and Estella, together, were one of the most powerful forces.”
“In the supernatural world, they are,” Maryanne clarifies. “But Lucas and Brit’s power is far-reaching, and Lucas has no limits.”
I give her a long blink. What the hell does that mean?
I think she realizes she may have said too much. “At—least none we know of,” she says with apparent unease. “Sofie, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you!”
“No,” —I shake my head not so much for emphasis but to clear my racing thoughts— “it’s okay. Really.”
“I’ve said more than I should—”
“Maryanne,” I hurry to reassure her, “I won’t say a thing about this conversation.”
“I’m not worried about that, just that I’ve upset you.”
“I’m fine.” I give her a smile. I ponder for a moment all this new information before realizing it’s too much to think about right now. “Do you practice magic?” I ask, very curious after all she’s told me.
“I inherited powers from my mother, but no, I don’t practice—so—” She shrugs.
“Wow.” I sit back in my chair, amazed by everything she’s just told me. “It’s… just so unreal.” I give a short laugh. “I keep saying this, but the fact that there is this other world happening all around us—at times it’s—mind-boggling.”
“What’s mind-boggling?” A deep voice booms from across the room. Maryanne and I both jump, and I give a little squeak before I can stem my surprise.
Taylor laughs as he crosses the room.
“Hellfire, Taylor! Stop doing that!” I order.
“I’ve never known anyone as jumpy as you, Sofie, and now you’re rubbing off on Maryanne.” He reaches to tug a lock of her hair.
Oh, he really does like her.
“If you didn’t try so hard to scare me at every given opportunity, I wouldn’t be so jumpy,” I respond, trying to put some annoyance in my tone, but I don’t think I pull it off. In truth, I don’t like being startled, and he does it so well—it’s damned irritating. No wonder he and Sawyer get along so well. “One of these days, I’m going to hurt you, Taylor.”
He finds that hilarious.
“Have you heard from Lucas?” I ask, glancing over at the clock. It’s been five hours since they left.
“I haven’t, but I didn’t expect to.”
I nod. I don’t want to be annoyed about not hearing anything. I just have to put it down to Lucas needing to give his full attention to his friend, trying to keep him out of jail.
“Have you been up at the arena, training?” I figured since Maryanne was here, I’d skip
.
“I was. We’ll be getting back to regular sessions next week, so no more ditching for you.”
Regular training sessions were postponed when the snowstorm hit. The Guard still practices and anyone who can make it shows up, but I’ve missed a couple.
“Maryanne, are you in the mood to get out and do something?” I ask.
“Absolutely.” She promptly stands.
“Uh—ladies, I don’t think that’s a good idea—”
“Taylor, we’ve sat here for hours, and honestly, we need a change of scenery and a little activity,” I explain. Maryanne dramatically nods her head in agreement.
He chuckles. “Okay, but it would probably be a good idea for me to come with you.”
“Taylor, would you like to have a girl’s night out with Sofie and me?” Maryanne bats her eyelashes at him, and I laugh.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Maryanne smiles sweetly at him.
It takes us all of thirty minutes to get ready, and as we set out to leave, I decide to leave Lucas a note. I stick it to the fridge as Taylor comes walking back through. He stops to read it and laughs. “You’re good for Lucas,” he says, turning to grin at me.
“Thanks,” I respond. I want to be. “Ready?”
We take my jeep, returned from Impulse and now parked out in front of Lucas’ house. I wonder when that happened. I wish they had come to the door to let me know, I could have asked if they’d seen Dominic or Lucas.
Most of the roads are in passable driving shape, despite the huge mounds of snow in places where the plows simply pushed it out of the way. We make good time on our way to the Shotgun Shack.
There are several vehicles already there when we arrive. My Cousin Sam’s truck along with Jackson Drake and Logan River’s trucks sit parked next to each other. Terry Joe Wooten’s old beat-up flatbed is there too, parked by Sawyer’s jeep and Jake’s truck.
They’re playing a hand of poker when we walk in. LaRue Turner and Tony Martin are also in the mix. I introduce Maryanne to everyone.