Tall, Dark and Paranormal: 10 Thrilling Tales of Sexy Alpha Bad Boys

by Opal Carew

  “No, you’re not. How bad is it?”

  She released a controlled sigh. “Come on, Gabriel. You must know how healing works.”

  “Yeah, I do.” He tilted her chin up with one finger so she had to look into his dark, worried eyes. When she met his, she couldn’t look away, even when he released her. “Are you alright?”

  She nodded, though it made her head throb. “I’m fine.”

  That beautiful mouth of his flattened and he growled, the sound making her thighs clench in response. “Don’t lie to me. How bad is it?”

  She sensed genuine concern and a hint of anger in him. She didn’t know where the anger was coming from and it confused the hell out of her.

  “Not that bad.”

  “Shea.” He sighed and shook his head, his eyes closing for a second. When he looked back into her eyes, his gaze had softened. “Let me see your leg.”

  “No.”

  “Shea.”

  With a huff, she lifted her skirt. Purple, blue and black bruises covered the entire thigh. Quinn’s femur had been broken and, as a result, she couldn’t put much pressure on her leg when she walked or the pain would make her knees buckle.

  It hurt like hell but there was no way she’d tell him that.

  Gabriel drew in short breath. “Son-of-a— Shea, that’s—”

  “I’ll be fine. Honestly, it’ll heal in a few hours.”

  Anger, fear and something she didn’t recognized crossed his expression in waves. When he finally settled on pissed, he shook his head just once. “Thank you. For Quinn.” His hand curved around her nape, massaging the muscles in her neck. Warmth spread, easing the throbbing pain in her head. But it was the look in his eyes that made her heart beat just a little faster.

  And when he bent to lay his lips on hers, it pounded like a drum against her ribs.

  This kiss was nothing like any they’d shared before. This time, his lips moved on hers with a hunger that made her forget the ache in her head and her leg.

  She hadn’t kissed many guys, but none of them had had the skill Gabriel possessed. His lips caressed hers, his hand at the back of her neck urging her to tilt just a little so they could fit together even more tightly. His tongue touched the seam of her mouth, and she opened to let him in, welcomed him with a flick of her own tongue.

  He answered with a groan and slid the hand at her nape into her hair, cupping the back of her head.

  Dear Goddess, this was bad. She didn’t want him to stop. That was very bad.

  And when he wrapped one muscular arm around her waist to lift her off her feet and against his body, she wanted him to do more than kiss her.

  Her arms banded around his shoulders, her fingers sinking into his hair. So soft, silky. Like his lips against hers.

  She wanted more. More of his mouth, more of his hands all over her body. She wanted to be closer. She bent her leg to wrap it around his waist—and gasped as pain shot through her.

  “Shit.” Gabriel grimaced as he pulled away then carefully swung her into his arms. “Damn, I’m sorry.”

  Gabriel cursed himself silently as he carried her to the kitchen. He knew she was in pain but the second he’d touched her, he’d completely forgotten everything but her taste.

  Gods be damned, she’d come to him for help and, so far, all he’d done was fuck up.

  First, he’d turned her away. Then he’d almost lost them both at the club. And he’d literally fallen asleep on the job today while she’d healed Quinn and did untold damage to her legs.

  “Gabriel, for the Goddess’ sake, I’m fine. Put me down.”

  “Shea, just shut up.”

  He glanced down, saw her eyes widen and cursed the anger in his voice. Hell, he wasn’t angry at her.

  With a sigh, he eased her onto one of the dining room chairs and pulled another closer to elevate her leg. Her skirt fell away, exposing her thigh, and he caught his breath at the sight. The colors had gotten more brilliant in just a few minutes.

  His dad would’ve kicked his ass.

  Rising, he went to the freezer for ice packs then to the drawer for wraps. Kneeling by her side, he eased the ice onto the bruise and wrapped it tightly with the gauze.

  She didn’t make a sound, but he could tell how painful it was by the way her fingers curled into her palms. His gut tightened in sympathy.

  Pushing up from the floor, he shut off his brain and set about making food. Steaks and bags of broccoli from the freezer, potatoes from the pantry.

  When he had everything started, he turned to find Shea watching him, an unreadable expression on her face, pain in her eyes.

  “You can’t take anything, can you? Nothing’ll help.”

  She shook her head and he felt the anger build. He was so fucking stupid.

  “Hey, look what I found.”

  Quinn reentered the room, dressed in loose cargo pants and a t-shirt, Leo slung over his shoulder. The kid, who’d slept most of the day, must have woken when Quinn went to bathroom. Gabriel heard Shea’s indrawn breath, knew she was worried about Leo’s reaction to the newcomer.

  But Leo had made up his mind about Quinn if his excited expression was anything to go by.

  “Sissy! He has fur on the inside.”

  Seemed the kid had finally found his voice. Gabriel couldn’t remember Leo saying more than a few words the entire time he’d known them.

  Quinn set Leo on his feet and he ran for his sister. Gabriel knew the kid was gonna go straight for her bad leg and he wasn’t fast enough to stop him.

  Shea winced but picked up Leo and settled his weight on her good leg. She seemed just as surprised by Leo’s exclamation.

  “Yes, I know. But how did you know?”

  “I can see it.”

  Oh, yeah. The kid would make a great trophy for Dario. Christ, could this get any worse?

  Quinn stopped at his side. “He knew right away,” he said under his breath. “And he wasn’t afraid of me. Came right up and petted my hair. He was waiting to get into the bathroom. Scared the shit out of me.”

  “Sorry. Forgot to remind you.”

  Quinn’s expression hardened. “Dario’s not going to stop, is he?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “No. At least they don’t know about Shea.”

  “What about Sissy?” Leo turned to stare at them.

  “Nothing you don’t already know.” Gabriel dug up a smile, walked to the table and lifted Leo off Shea. Then, he transferred Leo to his back, where the boy clung as if he knew exactly what to do.

  “Come on, kid. You can help me with the food.”

  Setting Leo on the counter next to the stove, Gabriel cooked as the ache in his chest grew every second. The kid reminded him of Nino so much it was starting to mess with his mind. He hadn’t been able to save Nino or Davis, what made him think he could save this child?

  And Shea? What the hell was he going to do with her?

  He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to take her to bed.

  Wanted to strip her naked and lay her out on a bed, wrap one hand in that dark hair and let the other roam that beautiful body she had no problem showing off.

  He’d start at her lips, let himself drown in her taste before he worked his way down, let his mouth taste those dark nipples while his hand stroked along her stomach and between her thighs. To the short, dark curls he’d seen there. When he’d sucked her nipples until she could barely breathe then he’d drift down to her ribs, dip his tongue into her belly button then—

  “Hey, Gabe. I’m starving over here.”

  Shit. His attention snapped back to what he should be thinking about. And away from what he couldn’t have.

  The steaks. Quinn liked his bloody, and so did he. “What about you, kid? How do you like your steak?”

  “Oh, he’s doesn’t eat—” Shea started.

  “Like yours.” Leo cut off his sister’s reply and Gabriel turned to see surprise on Shea’s face as she quickly closed her mouth.

  “Shea?”

&nb
sp; “A little longer for mine, please.”

  When the food was finished, Quinn grabbed the kid off the counter and set him in a chair. Leo immediately dug in.

  Gabriel slid a plate in front of Shea as he sat down next to her.

  He let her eat in peace for a few minutes before he said, “I want to start Leo’s training.”

  In his peripheral vision, he saw the kid’s head pop up but his gaze remained on Shea. He watched as her brow furrowed and her suspicious gaze landed on his. Yeah, he’d known she wasn’t going to like this but it couldn’t be helped.

  “What training?” she asked.

  “The kid has power, Shea. A lot of it. He needs to know what to do with it.”

  Her mouth firmed as she shook her head. But she didn’t say anything.

  “Shea, you’ve got to consider—”

  She stood, making Quinn and Leo transfer their attention to her. “Leo, I’ll get you some milk. Quinn, you want anything?”

  Quinn’s sharp gaze darted between her and Gabriel. “Ah, no thanks. I’m good.”

  She nodded and limped to the refrigerator. Gabriel got up and followed her to the other side of the room, where she was slapping open doors to find glasses.

  “Shea.” He kept his voice low. “He’s got to know how to handle it, how to use it.”

  Finding the glasses, she grabbed one and nearly shattered it when she slammed it on the counter. “He’s six years old. You will not drag him into this.”

  “I was three, Shea. Your dad had probably already started with him. He’s powerful and he needs to learn how to control it and what to do with it. Ultimately, this isn’t your decision to make.”

  Now her splintered eyes turned hard, that fascinating mix of colors hypnotizing in her fury. “Yes, it is. He’s my brother, my responsibility. I will not drag him into this because I couldn’t— Because I wasn’t…”

  She turned away to face the cabinet doors.

  He wanted to put his arms around her, pull her back against him but didn’t think she’d let him. “You weren’t what?”

  She shook her head, as if she could shake the thoughts out of it. “Nothing. Shit.” He heard something crack and realized it was the glass in her hand. Hairline cracks filled the surface. “Damn it, he didn’t ask for this.”

  “No one asked for any of this, Shea.”

  She took a few deep breaths and her gaze slipped to the kid, eyes wide, listening to Quinn, who wisely kept Leo engaged with some story.

  Taking a deep breath, she lifted her gaze to his. “Can we just finish lunch? Please. I need… I need to think a little.”

  Because she looked liked she’d hit the end of her rope, he agreed.

  But he knew it was only delaying the inevitable. Leo had to be trained. Not only would he be able to better protect himself, but he’d learn how to use his power without hurting anyone.

  Himself included.

  * * *

  As the men proceeded to devour everything on the table and Leo clung to their every word, Shea knew Gabriel was right.

  Leo needed something she couldn’t give him. Something Gabriel could. It bugged the hell out of her, ate at her all through the meal, picking away at her brain.

  One more failure to add to the list alongside her inability to work spells and her failure to make it into ballet school.

  Leo looked more excited than he had the whole time he’d been with her. And who could blame him? The men were fascinating. Gabriel and Quinn so in tune, they finished each other’s sentences as they talked about mutual friends. She’d never had that closeness, that sense of belonging, of understanding.

  She and her mom had never been close. Celeste hadn’t been one for kisses and hugs. That affection had come from her dad, who she’d worshiped. When she’d discovered the outside world her parents had hidden from her, she hadn’t blamed her dad. Only her mom. It had driven the wedge deeper.

  Later, working in strip clubs, she hadn’t really socialized with the other women or met many nice guys. There’d been a couple of decent men who’d asked her out, employees at the lucani clubs she’d worked.

  None of them made her burn the way Gabriel did. None of them could make her blood boil with a look or her thighs quiver with a touch.

  None of them made her want more.

  Of course, none of them had wanted to train her baby brother to be a killer, either.

  Damn it, she knew that wasn’t fair. She knew her father probably had started Leo’s training. Leo had never mentioned it, but then maybe she hadn’t asked the right questions. It had taken months for the shock of their parents’ deaths to wear off, months where Leo woke screaming from a restless sleep and hadn’t strung more than two words together at a time. She’d felt useless then.

  And the feeling wasn’t going away.

  “Shea.” Gabriel voice set her every nerve ending on alert. Her gaze met his head-on. “Are you finished?”

  Dear Goddess, what she wouldn’t give to be finished with all of this.

  Anger began to bubble in her chest. She’d never asked to be born a Priestess of Menrva, had never wanted to give her life to the service of a Goddess who had deserted her people. She didn’t want to be the answer to a five-hundred-year-old curse no one knew how to break. She didn’t want to hear voices in her head. And she certainly didn’t want her brother to be pursued by a madman or have Gifts he couldn’t control.

  How good would it feel to let that anger consume her? To give in to it? To have a meltdown, kicking and screaming until she couldn’t scream anymore?

  Then she looked at Leo, still listening to Quinn with wide eyes. So young. And she shoved all that anger back down into the little hole in her chest where she kept it buried.

  She looked back up at Gabriel, his gaze knowing and compassionate, and took a deep breath.

  “Yeah, I’m finished.” She turned to Leo with a smile. “Hey, bud, I saw a Wii in the TV room off the atrium. You want to vege out for a while?”

  Not even hanging out with Quinn and Gabriel could compare to the joys of the Wii, which he’d discovered at one of the strip clubs and had played every night for hours. Nodding eagerly, he headed down the hall. Out of hearing.

  Both men stared at her.

  No one said anything.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I want us to split up,” Gabriel said.

  “What?” Quinn barked.

  “No way.” Shea slashed a hand through the air for emphasis. “No. That’s out of the question.”

  Gabriel leaned forward to look into Shea’s eyes. “Hear me out before you dismiss this. I want to send Leo to the compound. And leave him there with Quinn.”

  Quinn shook his head, his expression horrified. “Oh, shit, Gabe—”

  Gabriel held up one finger before Shea could break in as well. “We’ll go together, but then I want to leave Quinn and Leo with Serena. You and I,” he looked at Shea, “need to see someone who might be able to help you find out more about your…role in all of this. And I don’t plan to leave Leo and Serena alone with Quinn.”

  Shea shook her head. “I don’t care who you plan to call to protect Leo. There’s no way I’ll leave him behind.”

  Shea’s fierce expression made Gabriel’s chest tighten. She’d fight him tooth and nail over this and he knew exactly how she felt. But it didn’t change the fact that they needed to do it.

  “Who are you thinking of?” Quinn asked.

  “I want to bring in Matt.”

  Quinn’s eyes widened before he started to grin. “Oh, baby, you’re not screwing around, are you?”

  He didn’t answer Quinn but looked straight into Shea’s angry eyes. “No, I’m not. And I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think it was necessary.”

  It had nothing to do with the fact that he was getting too close to the kid and he was scared he’d fail. Fail both of them.

  After a deep breath, Shea asked, “Who’s Matt?”

  “He’s the best grigorio there is.”

&
nbsp; “And he’s a fucking lunatic.” Quinn laughed, but the sound was hollow. “Dario’s men think he’s the anti-Christ. I’m still not sure they’re not right.”

  “I want him to take over Leo’s training.”

  Shea shook her head. “No—”

  “Hell, Gabe. Do you think you’ll even be able to get him out of that pit in Vegas?”

  Gabriel nodded. “I think he’ll come. For Kyle’s sake.”

  “Shit.” Quinn scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think of that. You’re right.”

  Shea held up one hand. “Why would he do anything for my father?”

  “Because he’s Kyle’s brother.”

  * * *

  Shea felt his statement hit her like a blow to her chest. Blinking, she drew in a sharp gasp, her hands drawing into fists on the table.

  “Brother?” They had an uncle? She’d thought they were alone, she and Leo. Goddess, did they have other family?

  Gabriel must have read her mind. “Your mother had a sister.”

  “Is she still…”

  He nodded. “Yeah, she is. She was cursed, too.”

  They had an aunt. Another member of the boschetta. More secrets. So much their parents had hidden.

  She took a deep breath, trying not to hyperventilate. She let her gaze catch and hold Gabriel’s. Like a lifeline. “I didn’t know. Dad never said anything about other family. I never…never thought to ask.”

  Gabriel reached across the table, almost but not quite touching her hand. “No reason you would have. Like I said, grigori are trained from an early age not to discuss family connections. It can get…complicated.”

  She snorted. “Good word.”

  Gabriel sat back in his chair. “So we’re going to see someone who might be able to uncomplicate things.”

  “Who?”

  “Madrona. She’s the historian. She and her sister, Furia, live in New Orleans.”

  “And what do you think she’ll be able to tell me?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “I’m hoping she’ll be able to tell us what you need to know to break the curse.”