by C. J. Pinard
Not surprised by his words, but still curious, I said, “What’s that?”
“That his servitude spell never included that. I can appreciate one’s sexual preferences, but I definitely am a woman’s man. I love everything about a woman. Her soft curves and her strength.” He traced his finger up my thigh and to my hip, under the shirt, and then to my waist, which caused me to shudder. Then his fingertip ran up my stomach to my breast, which he brushed his fingers over. “Women are exquisite, and you are the most beautiful of them all.”
I smiled and leaned down to kiss him. We made out passionately for a few minutes until he got hard underneath me. I was ready for round two, but he pulled away and looked at me, his eyes twinkling. “I have something else for you.”
I bit back a smile. “Really? Between the flowers and the D, I’m having a pretty damn good birthday already.”
His eyes went big momentarily, and then he laughed. “I love that you have no filter.”
“Hey,” I said, lightly smacking his chest. “If I didn’t have a filter, I wouldn’t have said ‘D’. Right?”
Kellan looked down at my hand and gently pried it open. In it, he placed the little black box I’d forgotten about.
Oh, my God…
I stared down at it, wanting to wrench it open in an instant, but also not wanting to open it at all.
“Open it. Please?” he implored me.
I looked into his gorgeous blue eyes and then back down at the box. I slowly creaked it open and felt guilt at the relief I felt when I saw a small pendant staring up at me.
It was a silver quarter moon with a star in the middle. In the center of the star was a moonstone. “My birthstone,” I whispered. I looked up at him.
“I couldn’t see a more fitting gift for a child of the moon.”
“I…” I tried to formulate words. “I had always known opals and moonstones were my birthstones, and even after my transition, I guess I never thought about the irony. They are my most favorite stones.”
“The moonstone is full of positive energy, and I would bet that you were also born during a full moon. It’s why you are so powerful. June wolves are special, and you were born on the first day of the month.”
I looked down at it again, running my finger along the stone and the intricately carved moon.
“Turn it over,” Kellan said softly.
I pulled it off of its resting place on the white satin pillow and flipped it over. With my excellent eyesight, I could see an inscription on the back that read: Never let the moon’s shadow overpower the fire of your star. I love you.
That was it. I lost it. A tear streamed down my cheek as I rubbed my thumb over the pendant. “Oh, my God, Kellan. I’m… I… It’s so beautiful,” I stammered.
“It’s not as beautiful as you,” he replied, forcing me to look at him by putting his hand on my jaw.
I set the black box on the table and turned around so I was straddling him. “I love it. I love the flowers. I love it all. I’ve never been so happy. I love you so much.”
“I love how excited you get over the little things.” He smiled at me.
“And the big things,” I shot back, grinding myself onto his lap.
He chuckled. “You’ll be getting more big things later. Now, go get dressed, we have reservations.”
I blinked at him. “Like… fancy-shit reservations?”
He nodded and smirked at me. “Yes, very fancy-shit, little wolf.”
Chapter 22
Kellan and I arrived at an upscale French restaurant downtown an hour later. I had seen this place several times, but had never been in here because, well, I’d had no desire. I wasn’t even sure what French food was like. I found myself pleasantly surprised by the taste, but not the portions. I wasn’t a French model, I was a hungry wolf and was glad I’d ordered an appetizer, main course, and dessert.
I watched with curiosity as Kellan had ordered a Chicken Basquaise dish and, of course, hadn’t touched it. He told the server he wasn’t feeling well, and asked for it to be boxed up “with a fork and knife.” I briefly wondered what he planned to do with it. Give it to Jeffrey? Yeah, that was probably it.
After I was done, the server brought out the bill and the dinner all boxed up in a container inside a bag with condiments and plastic ware. Kellan quickly handed his card to the server without looking at the bill, and I found this amusing, as I was always scanning over restaurant receipts to make sure they were correct.
As we left through the glass front doors, Kellan gave his ticket to the valet, and while we waited, he kissed me softly under the large, red awning. “I hope you had a good birthday,” he whispered.
I swooned under his gaze and replied, “Best one to date.”
He leaned down and whispered into my ear. “Oh, but the date isn’t over.”
My eyes went big. “Really? More sex? Yay!”
He laughed. “Yes, but not right now.”
The valet pulled up with his Porsche, and after opening the door and letting me in, Kellan tipped the man and we were off, speeding down the street.
We reached a main intersection, and I noticed a man standing on the median with a cardboard sign. He looked thin, dirty, and miserable. Kellan got out of the car, and handed the man his packaged meal and then placed a hundred dollar note on top. “Take care of yourself, mate.” Kellan patted the guy on the shoulder before getting back into the car.
“Thank you,” the young man said with an incredulous smile, his teeth looking like he could use a really good dentist. He dug into the meal before the light turned green.
I stared open-mouthed at my boyfriend as the green light illuminated his pale face.
We drove in silence for a while, until Kellan finally looked over at me. “What is it, love?”
“That was super cool of you. Do you do that all the time?”
“Well, I don’t eat out in restaurants much, as you can imagine. Just sometimes on business.”
“But when you do, you order food and give it away? With money?”
He lifted a shoulder and smiled while watching the road. “Yes, mostly. Looks weird if I don’t eat, and I have enough money to afford it, so why not?”
“God, you’re amazing,” I said breathlessly.
He just shook his head with a smirk.
I looked straight ahead when the car pulled into a parking lot. A very well-known local jewelry store sat looming in the dark in front of us.
I glanced at my phone. “It’s, like, one in the morning, Kellan. I don’t think they’re open.” I did see lights on inside, but the kind they leave on for security reasons.
Before I could say anything more, my door was opening and he was gesturing for me to take his hand so he could help me out. I hadn’t opted for anything extravagant to wear, but I did have on a little shiny black dress, some strappy heels, and dangly silver earrings. My hair was pulled up into a neat knot on top of my head and I’d managed to put on more makeup than just mascara and lip gloss for once.
“It is open, just for us,” he said as we walked toward the front door, where now a young woman stood in a skirt and blouse, smiling.
“Mr. Conley, nice to see you again,” she said with a head nod.
“Hello, Amanda. This is my girlfriend, Ayla.”
I shook her proffered hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, and I must say you look beautiful this evening,” she said with a smile.
This ass-kissing is strong with this one. Must be getting ready to drop some serious cash.
“I heard that,” he replied.
I refrained from snorting out loud and instead faked a cough.
“Right this way,” Amanda said, and with a key attached to a spiral lanyard on her wrist, she locked the door behind us and led us to a case on the other side of the store. I noticed the place was completely empty, except for the three of us, so Kellan had obviously arranged this. I guessed with enough money, you could do whatever the hell you wanted.
&nbs
p; “I really don’t need any more jewelry, Kellan,” I said quietly as we walked.
We reached the case and I could see chains of all different metals and sizes. Kellan grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles. “I wanted you to have the pendant, but I wasn’t sure if you were a necklace type girl, or a bracelet type, or maybe even an anklet, or hell, a keychain. I took enough of a chance on the white gold instead of yellow gold. So I wanted you to pick.”
Funny how I had thought the pendant was silver when it was really white gold. Because I was so not into jewelry and girly stuff.
I stared into his eyes while Amanda waited patiently behind the case. He was being so sweet, and it was melting my ice-cold insides. I slowly shifted my gaze to the case and had to wonder myself what kind of jewelry person I was. I knew a bracelet would probably get caught on something if I wore it while working, and I wore boots too often for anklets. Those were for the warm-weather people who lived in flip-flips all year round. But the idea of a necklace I could hide under my shirt seemed appealing.
I perused the case until I saw a delicate-looking silver chain. “What about that one?”
“White gold, good choice.” Amanda removed the chain from the case and very gingerly handed it to me to inspect.
I loved the way the overhead lights glittered off of it. I ran my fingers over it, and it felt soft and cool.
“Would you like to try it on?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Here, let me,” Kellan said. He pulled the black box from his pocket and opened it up. He removed the pendant and slid it onto the chain, and then clasped it behind my neck.
Amanda was already waiting with a mirror when I turned around.
I took a look at my reflection and smiled. It was gorgeous and looked great on me.
“I love it,” I breathed, touching the pendant. And at that moment, it felt like it was more than just a piece of metal and stone. A little electric current, like the one I’d felt when Sanja touched me for the first time, slid through my fingers. I jerked them away and whipped my head around to look at Kellan, my eyes big.
He smiled and looked at Amanda. “We’ll take the chain.”
I left the necklace on for the rest of the night. Even while Kellan had made love to me over and over until the sun was about to come up. To convince him to stay, I had to ensure him that my blackout curtains were secure enough. I had shut them tight, using the magnets sewn into them to clasp them together, making sure no cracks of light could escape.
We both finally fell asleep just as the sun was rising, and when I woke hours later, Kellan was staring down at me, his fingers rubbing circles on my bare shoulder.
“Good evening,” he said, grinning.
I smiled back at him. “Did you sleep well?”
“No, but I never do. Got about four hours, so that will do. I watched some telly while you were asleep. I hope you don’t mind.” He pointed to the large flat-screen TV on my wall.
I yawned and sat up. “No, of course not.” I pointed at the window. “Was the sun a problem?”
“No, not at all. You were right, those really do black things out nicely. Just a small bit of light I had to avoid while going to the kitchen.” He got up and opened the curtains. There was a thin strip of pinkish-red light glowing over the top of the mountains, and the stars were beginning to peek out above them. “You really do have a gorgeous view from here.”
“It’s why I pay two grand a month for this tiny place,” I said quietly.
“Geez, ridiculous the cost of things these days,” he said with a shake of his head. He went into the kitchen to make me coffee for the second day in a row.
“I could get used to this.”
“I would love if you would get used to this,” he said out loud.
I reached up and touched my pendant once again, but it did not zap me like before. “Did you enchant this?” I was still sitting on the bed with the sheet covering me.
He put the pod into the machine and hit the start button. Then he turned around, looking infuriatingly sexy in just his boxer briefs. “Yes. The moonstone is charmed with a strength spell. I asked Sanja and her mother, and any other witches they could find, to put a powerful spell into the moonstone to give you extra strength when you needed it. I was going to put a protection spell on it, but decided you would probably prefer this, to have the strength to protect yourself, rather than relying on a generic safeguard, which can come in all kinds of weird ways, by the way.”
I thought about what he said and realized he was one hundred percent right. How well he knew me! I shoved the sheet aside and got up out of the bed, walking stark naked to him. I put my arms around him and said, “You make me coffee and give me jewelry. I hope you don’t ever plan to leave me, because I will fiiind youuu.” I drew out the last two words to mimic a popular movie quote.
He laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that. Ever.” He kissed my nose. “I promise.”
Chapter 23
Kellan left to go back to handle whatever business he needed to at the Vlasé estate, and I met Sanja and Beckett at Moon Chasers for a relaxing night, since tomorrow I’d be wolfing out with Evan for three days. Sanja had on a part sweet, part sexy red pantsuit, gold flats, and a high ponytail, and Beckett was rocking his usual highly polished look with no blond hair out of place and a hot-pink button-down shirt with some shiny black pants.
“Where’s Gavin?” I asked Beckett.
“Family thing in his hometown in the mountains,” he replied, waving a dismissive hand. “Elves are weird. Sexy, but weird.”
I scoffed. “I don’t think Gavin’s weird.”
He set his cocktail down and smirked at me. “I didn’t say Gavin was weird, I said the Elven folk were.”
“I guess I can’t argue. Kellan’s assistant, or butler, or whatever he is. A big oddball.”
“So, do you love the pendant?” Sanja asked, pointing to my neck while lifting her lemon drop to her full, shiny lips and then taking a sip.
I grinned at her, putting my fingers to it. “I do. Kellan told me you helped him out with the moonstone.”
“Ooh, what does that mean?” Beckett asked before popping a handful of pretzels into his mouth.
I glanced around, unsure why I kept doing that in here, but still paranoid some human would hear me. I then unclasped the necklace and handed it to Beckett so he could inspect it while I explained. “The stone in the center is not only my birthstone, it’s enchanted with a strength spell. Kellan wanted me to be strong when I faced danger, versus just putting a charm of protection on it.”
Beckett ran his thumb over the moon and stared in awe at it. “It’s so gorgeous.”
“Flip it over,” I said as I lifted the glass to my mouth.
He silently read the inscription, and then looked at me. “That’s so amazing. He’s a keeper, girl.” He handed it back to me, and I quickly put the necklace back on.
“I know, right?” I said, proud of my new gift and happy my friends loved it, too.
I finished the contents of my drink, and after I ordered another, I was just about to ask them what they were doing for the Fourth, when a huge biker came skulking into the bar. He wasn’t anyone I had ever seen before, but I felt an immediate pull to him. Not in a good or a bad way, just an unhealthy curiosity and a little bit of a fascination. He wore a leather biker vest with some kind of bird emblem on it, along with a plain black T-shirt, jeans, and black riding boots that looked more roughed up than mine. He had a graying goatee around his lips, and his short, dark-blond hair was silvery along the temples. If I had to guess how old he was, he seemed to be around my dad’s age.
His eyes scanned the bar until they landed on me and he made his way to our table. I set my drink down and stood up, feeling like I might have to defend myself. The smell of citrus was so overwhelming, I immediately stepped in front of my witch and vampire friends.
Wolf.
“You the vampire hunter… St. John?” he asked way too loudly, a
wad of tobacco inside his bottom lip.
Thankfully, the bar wasn’t crowded yet, but every head turned to look at me.
Crap.
“Vampire hunter? God, no,” I said as loud as I could with a scoffing noise. “And you are…?”
“Clearly, not in a very lycan-friendly establishment.” He looked around at all the pale faces staring at him angrily, then to me.
A faint, “You got that right, dog,” echoed from somewhere around the bar, followed by a gaggle of laughter, but I ignored it.
With my arms folded over my chest, I replied, “I made that mistake at first, too.” I gestured around. “Moon children. The children of the night. Moon chasers, as the sun is not their friend, but the moon is. Keeps the wolves away. You get the gist.”
He so very uncharacteristically rolled his eyes that I had to bite back a laugh. So I tried again, “So, I’m Ayla.”
“Hank Bliss, and we need to talk.” He looked around, made a face, and then spit a wad of dip right onto the wooden floor. “But not in here.”
“Not cool,” I said, pointing to the floor. “And really gross. What do you want?”
“Outside, now,” he ordered.
As I turned to tell Sanja and Beckett I’d be right back, I suddenly remembered the locket and letter my birthmother, Amy Bliss, had left for us. I gasped. “Bliss. You’re my uncle, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” he replied. “And I’m not gonna hurt you, okay?”
I had my dagger in my hand now. “No, you’re not.”
He chuckled and headed outside. Once we stepped out into the cool, mountain air, he replied, “That’s a wicked knife. Can I see it?” He held his hand out.