‘Okay, you want to give it until dawn then do that. Make some excuse that it’s safer for them to travel in daylight. They won’t dispute that. And letting them leave together will soften the blow. Then at dawn, when you see I’m right, you can let her walk away – no testing, no proof, no questions asked. Don’t search for answers you don’t need to find. If you’re right about her, the less she suspects, the better.’
‘And if this is a set-up? What if that’s what she wants – to get in here, to get on the inside and lower our guards?’
‘You’re being paranoid.’
‘How many of them have you had to deal with, Jake? We need to know what we’re up against and there’s only one way to be sure.’
‘And if she is what you think she is, and you prove it?’ He frowned at his brother’s fleeting glance as Caleb stood from the bed. ‘Tell me you’re not going to kill her. Caleb, we need to talk about this. You act on impulse and you’re going to regret this.’
Caleb placed the ashtray back on the bedside table and exhaled his last stream of smoke. ‘When do I ever act on impulse, little brother?’ he replied as he met Jake’s troubled gaze.
‘And what am I supposed to say to Alisha?’
‘That dawn’s the safer time to go, just like you suggested. You tell her you need to get down to the club for a couple of hours to show your face and stop any awkward questions about how we saved your life – any of which could put her talented sister at risk. Tell her you want her company. Tell her whatever you need to, but I want her out of this apartment for the rest of the night.’
‘If Leila is a serryn, you shouldn’t be alone with her.’
He smiled. ‘I think I’m more than capable of handling her, Jake.’ He glanced down at her two small silver protest rings as he stubbed out his cigarette. ‘It’s time me and that little fledgling out there got to know each other better.’
Chapter Four
Alisha all but stomped back down to Jake’s room. It was an overreaction on Leila’s part – just a stupid overreaction that was so typical of her. And now she had the embarrassment of telling Jake that they had to leave, because she knew the look in Leila’s eyes – a look that told her she meant every word of it.
It was going to be so humiliating.
She’d known it had been a risk getting Leila there. She knew that as soon as Leila discovered the truth, she’d be furious. She knew it was too much to expect Leila to be quietly escorted back off the premises without protest, willingly leaving her little sister behind in the evil domain. She would have argued more, but she knew Leila was better off left out on the terrace before any more of the routine spiel started coming out – especially in front of Caleb. Jake would probably find it amusing but from the little she knew about Caleb, he’d find it anything but.
She sighed with impatience as she stopped at Jake’s door. Caleb had been nowhere in sight so she guessed he was probably still inside too. She felt her nerves give way, her heart pounding.
She knocked on the door before turning the handle, and stepped inside.
Caleb’s gaze met hers from the far side of the bed. Her stomach flipped. Two months of occasional glances in her direction and it still made her feel like an inadequate teenager on every rare occasion they made eye contact.
From the first moment she’d seen him across the club, before she’d even known he was Jake’s brother, her pulse had raced – a rate that had become painful when Jake had introduced them. Her heart had sunk as Caleb had only responded with a swift dismissive glance before taking his brother aside to discuss club business.
But that was Caleb’s way. She’d learned that much. Caleb needed neither people’s time nor approval, which only added to his appeal. Jake and he were so different in that respect. Jake thrived on the attention that Caleb ignored, attention instantly brought by being Caleb’s brother. And females who weren’t impressed by Caleb’s aloofness were quickly placated and enamoured by Jake’s flirty and more accessible manner. But Caleb was always the ultimate goal and everyone knew it.
The brothers were co-owners of the club as well as other various ventures around the south side, but Alisha knew that, beneath Jake’s bravado, it was Caleb’s determination and resilience that had made it all the success it was. It was Caleb’s focus that kept the businesses thriving. It was Caleb’s reputation that kept away the competitors. Jake’s charm and party attitude kept the drinks flowing and the females flocking, but it was Caleb who held it all together.
Just as he’d somehow held it together when he’d found her clutching the unconscious Jake down in the VIP area of the club.
She’d agonised over telling Caleb about Leila, not least knowing she would be furious when the truth was finally out about where her little sister had been spending her nights away from home. And then there was that stirring of uncertainty about Caleb. His business acumen and zero tolerance weren’t the only things he was reputed for.
But when there seemed to be no other hope, when she’d seen for the first time panic in Caleb’s eyes, she had to speak up. She spoke up or she lost Jake. She could deal with Leila’s wrath if that meant saving Jake’s life.
And save him they had.
And despite what Leila believed, Caleb wouldn’t forget that. Caleb was true to his word. Caleb loved Jake more than he loved anyone and, from what she’d seen, was the only one he was capable of loving. He would be indebted to them both. And part of her hoped it would be enough to win a little bit of his approval.
Jake smiled from the bed. ‘Hey, gorgeous. Stop looking so worried – I’m fine.’
‘Leila’s not. She’s really angry with me, Jake.’
‘I’m not surprised.’
‘She’s told me to come and get her stuff. She wants me to go with her. Now.’
‘What’s her hurry?’ Caleb interjected.
She glanced at him still casually leaning back against the wall, hands resting behind his back, his unsmiling gaze fixed on her.
‘Aside from being in the last place on the planet she ever wanted to be?’ she replied. ‘I did warn you she wouldn’t be happy.’
‘Where is she now?’ Caleb asked.
‘Out on the terrace. Getting plenty of much-needed air. How long have we got?’
His green eyes narrowed slightly. She wasn’t sure if there was a glimmer of coaxing behind them but they made her as uneasy as the question that followed. ‘For what?’
‘Until someone can take us to the border.’ She glanced anxiously at Jake then back at Caleb. ‘You promised us an escort.’
‘You need to go and keep Jake company down in the bar first.’
Her heart beat a little faster. She glanced nervously at Jake. ‘Should you really be going down there?’
‘We’ve got to make sure no one believes this happened tonight. There’s only one way to do that.’
‘But you don’t need me. I mean, you know I’d like to but…’
‘But what?’ Caleb asked.
She looked back at him, not liking the edge of confrontation in his tone. She knew only too well he wasn’t used to people questioning him. ‘Do you want to be the one to go and tell Leila we’re staying a bit longer?’ she asked, a little too curtly.
He pulled himself away from the wall with a hint of a smirk that did little to reassure her.
She stepped toward the foot of the bed in a pathetic attempt to block his way. ‘I was kidding,’ she said, unable to contain the panic in her voice. Caleb versus Leila was one face-off they could all do without.
Caleb folded his arms. ‘Why so anxious, Alisha? What do you think I’m going to do to her?’
She looked to Jake for reassurance again. The look in his eyes provided anything but. She reverted her attention to Caleb, her inability to read what was going on adding to her unease. ‘I didn’t say you were going to do anything. I just need to think of a way to explain why she needs to stick around.’
‘Then I’ll talk to her. You don’t have to leave right awa
y, do you?’
‘No, but…’ There was no but. No but except the fact her sister despised vampires more than anything else, and the longer she was there the more likely her views were going to spill into Caleb’s unappreciative lap.
‘So you get ready to go down to the bar with Jake and I’ll keep Leila company.’
She broke from the intense pull of his gaze to look back at Jake.
‘Come on, sweetheart,’ Jake said. ‘Another hour or so won’t hurt. I thought you wanted her to spend a bit of time in Blackthorn?’
‘I do, but...’
‘What are you really worried about, Alisha?’ Caleb asked, snatching her attention too easily back to him.
She struggled for the right way to say it. ‘She has some strong views. I don’t want any friction.’
‘I saw the rings. What is her problem with us?’
The right thing to do was to end the conversation there or at least try to divert away from it, but Caleb’s unrelenting gaze remained fixed on hers. ‘It’s not all her fault. Our grandfather filled her head with some bad crap. Not that I didn’t love him,’ she hurriedly added as guilt gripped her chest. ‘I mean he brought us up, looking after Mum after Dad left her just before I was born, and then looking after us when Mum died. I know it wasn’t easy for him. But with them it was always about the books and the prophecies because of Leila’s talent.’
‘What prophecies?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said with a shrug. She really didn’t – not the full extent. She’d never wanted to take any notice. It had always sounded so dull when they were growing up. ‘Vampires taking over the world and all that kind of stuff. I never believed any of it.’
‘But Leila believes it?’
‘He taught it to her from like the age of five or something, when she started interpreting. I guess it’s ingrained. It made her a bit paranoid, you know?’
‘You talk about your grandfather in the past tense.’
‘He died eighteen months ago. That’s how she got all his books and stuff. He left everything to her.’
He narrowed his eyes pensively. ‘And what happened to your mother?’
She lowered her gaze to the floor. She still felt uncomfortable saying it – a reminder of the treachery of what she was doing.
‘She was killed by a vampire,’ Jake cut in. ‘Attacked in an alley.’
She looked back up at Caleb. ‘It was in Midtown,’ she explained. ‘So we know it must have been someone of importance though we never found out who. Sophie stumbled on it a few years ago. She found it in some newspaper article. Grandfather never told us the whole truth. I guess we were too young. I was no more than two at the time. Sophie was only six. I guess there was never a right time to bring it up. I guess Leila has never got over it. But you can’t all be judged the same, can you? Or where would the whole human race be?’
‘No wonder this is the last place she wants to be,’ Caleb remarked.
‘She’s not been the same since losing our grandfather. Since losing Sophie. Now she’s stuck in that library even more than she ever was. She can’t help the way she is. I know she’s a bit narrow-minded but she’s a good person. And she’s not as tough as she makes out. I just want you to understand why she’s the way she is in case she says anything stupid. I don’t want you to take things personally. I was hoping that being here would help soften her views but I guess there’s not much chance of that now and the longer she stays here, the worse it’ll probably get.’
Caleb looked across at Jake, something unspoken and unreadable passing between them. She’d seen them do it countless times – some kind of shared understanding. Usually she found it a sexy characteristic of their tight bond; now it just made her uneasy. But she didn’t dare question Caleb as he stepped past her, leaving her alone in the room with Jake.
She looked back at him, her pulse racing. ‘I’m not comfortable with this, Jake.’
Jake eased off the bed. ‘Don’t look so panicked. He’s just going to talk to her.’
‘Exactly. She’s going to end up saying the wrong thing to him, or he’s going to say the wrong thing to her—’
‘Alisha, relax,’ he said, pulling level, clipping her chin. ‘We’re supposed to be celebrating. Get yourself changed and we’ll head down to the club.’
‘Jake, this is serious. She has a habit of speaking before she thinks, particularly when it comes to your kind. I’m warning you, there’s going to be trouble.’
‘Leila saved my life tonight. Do you think Caleb’s going to forget that? That I will? Trust me – Caleb will sort it.’
‘So he’s not planning to keep her here?’
‘For what?’
‘I don’t know. Her spells and stuff?’
‘If Caleb wanted a witch, he’d get himself a witch.’ He brushed her hair back from her face. ‘Why did you never mention her talent before?’
Alisha shrugged. ‘I didn’t know how you’d take it. I didn’t know if it would affect things.’
He caught her wrist and pulled her closer, his blue eyes sparkling. ‘Is that your only secret?’
Right then being playful was her last thing on her mind. ‘Promise me Caleb won’t hurt her.’
‘Why would he?’
She shrugged. ‘I saw the way he was with her before you woke up. He didn’t like her wearing the protest rings.’
He frowned. ‘You really are worried, aren’t you? I’ve never seen you so uptight.’
‘You’re not the one who’s got to live with the aftermath of this.’
‘It’ll be fine,’ he said, brushing her hair back from her neck.
But as he leaned in, she pushed him away. ‘You’d better not.’
He pulled back, stared deep into her eyes. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘Leila’s mad enough. I don’t want her to know about you feeding on me too.’
He widened his eyes slightly. ‘Are you serious?’
‘It’s bad enough I’m dating you. If she knows I’m feeding you as well, she’ll flip.’
‘Maybe you should tell her about some of the other things I’ve done to you,’ he said with a playful smirk as he leaned into her neck again.
‘Jake, I mean it,’ she said, her free hand to his chest. ‘I need to be careful.’
‘It’s no fun if we’re careful,’ he whispered in her ear before raking his incisors down to her pulse point.
‘No,’ she snapped, wrenching free. ‘Wait until we get down into the club.’
‘So you are coming then?’
‘You think I’m going to let all those stray females fawn over you?’
He wrapped his arms around her waist. ‘You know how this works – it’s only you I bring up here.’
She gazed into his eyes. ‘I know.’
‘Then ease up,’ he said, catching hold of her hips to ease her back against the door. ‘Anyway, you’re hardly one to criticise.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Do you think I don’t see the way you look at Caleb?’ He leaned closer, a taunting gleam in his eyes. ‘Maybe it’s me who should be jealous.’
Alisha broke a smile. ‘Maybe you should be.’
Jake slid his hands over her shoulders to her behind, tugging her closer. ‘I wouldn’t go there if I were you.’
Alisha raised her eyebrows coaxingly. ‘No? Don’t you think I could handle him?’
‘He’d eat you alive.’
‘Sounds like fun.’
‘You keep thinking that.’ He entwined his fingers in her hair to gently ease her head aside, kissing her lightly up her neck.
She’d never asked him if he cared. It had never seemed important until then. ‘You promise you’ll look after us?’
‘I’ll take care of you every step of the way,’ he said with a smile.
‘I was so scared I’d lost you, Jake. Watching you like that. It was horrible.’
‘So show me how glad you are to have me back,’ he suggested, lowering his inc
isors to her neck again.
‘Not there,’ she said breathily. ‘Do it somewhere Leila won’t see. I mean it. She’ll freak. And I just don’t want to deal with it tonight, not after everything else.’
Jake smirked as he lowered to his knees, dragging his kisses down her cleavage, her stomach, his eyes gazing playfully up at her as he lifted her dress to expose her thighs. ‘What about down here?’
Alisha nodded. She slid her hands over the back of his neck, up through his closely cut hair. ‘Just take it easy this time, all right?’
She tried to relax, her head pressed back against the door, her breathing terse. His tongue felt cold, wet against her inner thigh as he licked her as if she was coated in sugar. Then, as he bit, she flinched, involuntarily gasped, and grasped his shoulders. She could feel him smile as he started to suck, one hand gripping her thigh so as to keep it steady, his other hand pressing against her hip, keeping her pinned to the door.
Closing her eyes, she relaxed into the discomfort, the sensation, the knowledge that, for those few moments, he was completely lost in her and her alone; not the multitude of others that swooned and crooned after him, scrabbling for his attention. In those few moments he was hers. In those few moments she was the one he wanted. The only one he wanted.
This is what Leila could never understand. Any more than Leila understood why she’d had to risk so much to save him.
❄ ❄ ❄
Leila seemingly remained oblivious to his presence as she sat perched on the edge of the round table, her gaze lost in the distance. Her bare toes rested on the bench, her knuckles pale as she hugged herself. Her fine, shoulder-length hair was caressed by the breeze, a breeze that swept the subtle aroma of strawberries and white lily towards him – a scent as fresh, delicate and enticing as the witch herself.
She looked so unguarded that Caleb almost doubted his suspicions, but he couldn’t doubt the spark in his defence mechanisms the moment their eyes had met. He’d hunted enough to know one when he saw one, whatever clever façade they hid behind. And the deadly female on his terrace was going to learn, if she didn’t already know, that not even the most adept of her kind fooled him.
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