by Brenda Trim
“Well, I’m changing. I’ve never had anyone complain about the way I look. In fact, less is more,” Suvi chuckled with her reply as she headed for the stairs. Isis followed her up to the second floor where the noise of hot-shifter-on-witch sex was getting louder.
Isis glanced down at her crinkle-chiffon top and thought about changing as well, but decided against it because she wanted to get out of the house sooner, rather than, later. Suvi’s dress choice was always well-put together, but she hoped she didn’t take too long.
As they walked into Suvi’s room, Isis had never been more thankful for being a witch than she had been since Pema was mated. Witches’ hearing wasn’t as strong as other immortals, so she wasn’t able to pick up the minute sounds of their lovemaking like she would if she were a vampire or shifter. She laughed aloud thinking of the paybacks for Ronan when she or Suvi finally found her Fated Mate. He’d be able to hear everything.
Her mind wandered to the Dark Warriors, and she idly wondered if their rooms were soundproofed to muffle the noise. She surmised that it could get testy in that house with a bunch of un-mated males and two mated couples. One thing she had come to learn, since the mating phenomenon had returned to the Tehrex Realm, was that Fated Mates were combustible together.
Isis wasn’t like her sister, Pema, who hadn’t wanted her Fated Mate. Pema and Ronan had had their work cut out for them before they were officially mated. Ronan’s ex-girlfriend, Claire, had tried to kill Pema twice, and Pema had to work through her biases to eventually accept Ronan. Just the thought of what Claire had done to Pema had Isis’ anger flaring and, instantly, several lightbulbs in the ceiling burst. As tiny shards of glass went flying, she quickly tamped it down before any more damage was done.
“You okay?” Suvi turned around, eyeing her warily.
“I’m good. So why isn’t that red dress good enough for you to wear?”
“Because I’ve had it on all day and I want to wear this new purple one I just picked up. I have a cute, little green dress that will look better than your jeans,” Suvi tried again to convince her to change. Isis watched Suvi toss clothes out of her closet as she searched for something to wear.
Isis wasn’t against dressing up, or wearing clothes that others might consider revealing, but she didn’t feel the need to make a production out of every outing. She already felt sexy in what she was wearing, so she didn’t feel the need to change. She sat down at Suvi’s vanity and glanced in the mirror, admitting she could touch up her make-up, though.
Suvi came out of the closet holding up two dresses. “I think you should wear the green one, because it will look great with your red hair, but the blue would look amazeballs on you, too. Here, try it on.”
“I’m not changing, Suvi. I like what I have on,” Isis gritted out, trying to hold back her frustration before it turned to anger. She turned back to the mirror and finished with her eye make-up.
“Okay, point taken. You know I can’t help myself when it comes to clothes and shoes. Oooh, nice smoky eyes. Try this shimmery lip-gloss.” Isis smiled at Suvi in the mirror. True to form, nothing much ruffled Suvi’s feathers.
The three of them perfectly balanced each other, but Isis was having a hard time adjusting to the changes in dynamics that Ronan had created. Their mating was for the best, and she would never want Pema to be without the bear, but things were definitely different in Casa de Rowan. Normally, Pema would have been getting ready with them and joining them for a night out. One third of the power of three had been missing lately.
Suvi stripped out of her red dress and poured herself into a slinky little purple number. The garment was one of the shortest dresses she had ever seen. “Suvi, you had better not bend over tonight. I know you don’t mind showing the males your assets, but I don’t think you need to flash them your black thong.”
A loud roar from the next room had them looking at one another. “Time to go,” they said in unison and burst out laughing.
They quickly headed downstairs. “You’re free to roam the house naked for a couple hours. We’re heading to Confetti,” Suvi called out as they passed Pema’s door.
“There are leftovers in the fridge, but don’t you dare touch my piece of key lime pie or I’ll pound your ass,” Isis threatened, meaning every word. No one touched her favorite dessert and lived to tell about it.
They ignored Pema’s muffled reply and Isis grabbed the keys to the Audi off the hook by the back door and tossed them over her shoulder. “You’re driving, bitch,” she winked at Suvi.
*****
“Oh Goddess, here comes Plain Paula,” Isis leaned over and whispered to Suvi. “Whatever you do, don’t let her talk about her personal-training bullshit…like anyone cares. Doesn’t she realize we don’t need to exercise? Apparently not, since she never shuts up once she gets started. Boring as hell.” Supernaturals were naturally fit and didn’t need to exercise to maintain it, but that wasn’t to say that most didn’t have a daily regimen they followed. Some, more than others, she thought, ruefully.
Suvi held back her laughter, snorting her drink into her nose. “Crap, that burns. And, we can’t avoid her now, here she comes.”
“Hey there, how are you two? It’s odd to see you without Pema. How does she like mated life? Don’t you just love the new club?” Paula asked as she reached their table. Isis was shocked the super-short nymph stopped talking long enough to catch her breath.
“Hey Pl…Paula. We’re great and Pema is superbly happy. Mating like bunnies as we speak,” Suvi said, her musical voice an invitation Isis didn’t want her to deliver.
“You know, sex burns five calories per minute, so, if they have sex for five hours, they have burned fifteen hundred calories. Of course, on my ten-mile hike today, which I did in less than two hours, I burned sixteen hundred and ten calories. See,” Plain Paula pulled out her cell phone and began pushing buttons, “this FabFit app keeps track for me. I can even post it to my TRex page. And, then I did twenty-four reps on my weight circuit and burned another thousand calories.”
Isis was supremely glad that she hadn’t accepted Paula’s sup-connect. She had no desire to see this female’s hourly caloric burn. The TRex page was the supernatural social media. Humans thought they invented such ways to connect, when truth was, Killian, a Dark Alliance council member and owner of Confetti Too, developed it at least two decades before. Even supernaturals fell victim to vanity and used their pages to flaunt what they had and make others jealous. Difference was, the public bulletins usually involved demons and skirm attacks.
When the Vampire King, Zander, was blessed with his Fated Mate several months ago, breaking the mating curse, the feeds went crazy with the news. Isis remembered reading about it, thinking the realm’s reaction was overkill. She and her sisters were young, she realized, and maybe unable to appreciate the full impact of going without mate blessings for over seven hundred years.
The lapse had led to all sorts of changes the realm had never seen before, such as the Adorned. Adorned were the children of unmated couples and were extremely rare. Being one of a set of Adorned triplets was even more rare and made her and her sisters subjects of a long-ago prophesy. Children of any kind had been scarce over the spanning centuries. Of course, there were some previously-mated couples having children, but the Tehrex Realm population had dipped drastically.
Having spent time with the Dark Warriors and members of the Dark Alliance council, Isis better understood the importance of this decline in population, especially considering the war they had been waging against the archdemons for centuries.
Isis shuddered at the thought of the archdemons and their skirm and the destruction they were capable of causing. She and her sisters owned a shop where they sold magical accoutrements, potions, and did tarot reading for both supernaturals and humans. Black Moon had seen its share of devastated individuals in their store searching for ways to help their loved ones heal from injuries or ones looking for ways to ease the grieving process.
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nbsp; Suvi’s voice intruded into Isis’ musings. “How many calories would they have burned if they’d been fucking for three days straight?” Isis wanted to smack her sister upside the head for encouraging Paula. They’d never get rid of her at this rate.
Plain Paula cocked her head to the side and considered for a fraction of a second, oblivious to the fact that Suvi was poking fun at her. “Approximately twenty-one thousand, six hundred calories. Now, that’s a serious workout. You need to come down to my gym and let me put you through the paces. You’ll feel like new witches.”
“Och, female. Are you really a nymph? I canna understand how you think of nothing but your exercise,” Bhric harangued as he approached the table.
They turned their heads and ogled the six-foot-three, drop-dead gorgeous, Vampire Prince. His amber eyes gleamed with humor as he ran a hand through his buzzed hair. She heard Suvi inhale sharply and understood the feeling. He was a fine specimen with his bulging muscles, black leather pants, and tight blue t-shirt. Not to mention, Isis loved his thick, Scottish bur.
Isis was certain Plain Paula was about to begin another diatribe about the benefits of being a personal trainer, but Bhric saved them. “Come, my lovely lasses, let’s dance.”
Isis eagerly jumped up and grabbed her sister’s hand, following the big, burly warrior onto the dance floor while Plain Paula called out to their retreating backs, “You know dancing is another great way to burn calories.”
“That female is a wee bit obsessive aboot the exercise, is she no’? ‘Tis disturbing and most definitely no’ natural. Her da must have been human,” Bhric observed as he turned to them when they reached the middle of the floor.
A smile spread across Isis’ face, thinking obsessive was too mild a description. “Thanks for saving us. I almost grabbed the gun from my purse and shot her between the eyes.”
Bhric shimmied his hips and sauntered closer to them. The male really was a sexy beast and was built like a brick house. “Ah, lass, my motives are no’ entirely selfless. I plan to have you both pay me back.” He waggled his eyebrows, making Isis laugh.
“I’m happy to pay you anything you want,” Suvi replied, gyrating against the prince. Her little sister had a thing for vampires and Isis was certain she would be happy to take one, or ten, for the team.
Isis shook her head and threw her hands up, quickly losing herself in the music. She jumped and wiggled and moved her hips, having a blast. She and Suvi danced close to Bhric, arousing the Prince, if his erection was any indication. She stepped back into Bhric and rubbed her backside against his groin while her sister stood behind him caressing him. Suvi maneuvered her way in front of Bhric and they continued their movements. The dancing ended when her sister cupped Bhric through his pants.
When the growling and nipping started, Isis left the dance floor, heading to a table far away from Plain Paula. She was hot and sweaty, needing a drink, and rethinking her stubborn choice to wear jeans given they were sticking to her skin.
She lifted her long hair off her neck and scanned the room for any of the other Dark Warriors, especially Rhys. Her body had been amped up since she entered the club, and Rhys, a cambion, would be just the ticket to sate her need.
While Suvi had a thing for vampires, Isis enjoyed a cambion. They were the offspring of a human and a sex demon and had many sensual powers. Given that they needed sex frequently to keep their strength, they were always searching for someone, and all that experience made them incredible lovers. They were notorious creatures of heat, fun and passion, all three of which she needed at the moment.
She didn’t see the Dark Warriors, so she headed for the far bar and ordered a vodka tonic. Isis turned her back to the bar and leaned against it with her foot propped on the stool next to her. She contemplated re-buttoning her shirt as it pulled tight across her breasts when she rested her elbows behind her. A surreptitious check told her that her breasts were spilling out of her black bra. Given the sheen of sweat on her skin, she decided to unbutton a couple more instead. When she looked up, a particularly sexy male caught her attention. They locked eyes, staring at one another for several moments, before he began walking toward her.
Excerpt from Suvi’s Revenge, book three of the Rowan Sisters’ Trilogy
Chapter one
“I didn’t fucking do this! I am innocent,” Caine DuBray slammed his fists on the table and looked Zander, his vampire king, in the eyes. He took several deep breaths to calm down. Disrespecting his king would only have beheaded head that much sooner. It was all still so surreal and he couldn’t believe the mess he was in. He had been casually dating a human named Sally for several months, and the image of her lying lifeless with her throat ripped out was imbedded in his brain. Her skin had been a sickly shade of grey, telling him that she had been drained of blood.
“I cared for her, I would never hurt her. Or any female for that matter, it goes against everything I am.” In fact, his father would tan his hide if he ever dreamed of it. He may be an adult but Ellis DuBray wouldn’t hesitate to beat him senseless for disrespecting any female. Besides, he would never risk suffering the consequence for such an act.
Caine gritted his teeth as his eyes roamed the large conference room in the famed Zeum compound. He had fantasized about seeing the inside of the mansion and he couldn’t believe he was finally there. However, in his dreams, he was there because the king had asked for his help with the Vampire Nation’s finances. Even in his worst nightmares, he would never have been there under such shitty circumstances. The rich, wood floors and the high, coffered ceilings may be elegant and immense, but at the moment, they were closing in on him.
Zander pinned him with a hard stare. He felt the power of compulsion coming off his leader in waves. The sharp sting of the force almost had him wincing and lowering his head, but he held his position. He needed Zander to see that he was telling the truth. Not for a moment did he fear Zander would see anything to implicate him.
Zander sighed and placed his hands on the table, clasping them together. His exasperation was obvious. Zander cared about his subjects, but to see his upset over this drove that point home. He’d grown up hearing stories how Zander had been the saving grace for the realm. The development of the Dark Alliance and the Dark Warriors had been nothing short of genius in protecting the humans and realm members.
“All the evidence points to you, Caine. You must see how bad this looks. You were found passed oot in her home, seemingly from draining the puir lass dry. The human authorities were called and you are lucky that Orlando and Santiago arrived at the scene first and sensed your presence. Shite,” the king raked his hands through his hair, disheveling his shoulder-length black strands. “Had they no’ removed you from the home it would have been all over the media. The Tehrex Realm could have verra likely been exposed by this.” The more agitated the King became, the thicker his Scottish accent became.
“I swear to you, Liege, the last thing I remember is going to her house. We had opened a bottle of wine and were talking on her couch and then…nothing. I have no recollection of anything after that. The next thing I knew, I woke up here in the dungeons thirty minutes ago. I swear to you, I did not kill Sally. I know it sounds crazy and I have no idea who would have done it, but I think I was drugged. My head hurts, my stomach is upset, and I’m parched. There is no reason for me to have these symptoms. Test my blood and see what you find.” Vampires were immune to human illnesses and when they had symptoms like these it typically indicated drugs or heavy alcohol use.
Zander had to believe him. He wasn’t ready for his life to end yet. He had too much he still wanted to do. Caine felt as if his body was coiled so tight he may fracture from the tension and had no idea how to relieve it. Nothing in his life had prepared him for a situation like this. He had great parents who loved him and a good job making decent money. Banking wasn’t fraught with life-and-death possibilities in the Tehrex Realm.
“You could be feeling like this because you did the forbidden and k
illed while you fed, ending up in a blood-induced black-out.” Zander snarled as he stood up, his black combat boots echoing loudly as the large male crossed to a long table at the back wall that held several computers and telephones. The king was intimidating even with his back to him. He wore black from head to toe and strength coiled in the ropes of the muscles covering his body, but it was the power that emanated from the king that grated across Caine’s nerves like razors. He didn’t doubt that Zander could pop his head from his shoulders without breaking a sweat.
Caine’s stomach knotted up when the king picked up the phone. “Jace, I need you to come down to the war room. And, bring your medical bag.” Caine held back his relief at the thought that maybe Zander believed him. He wasn’t going to allow himself any hope until he had something firm to grasp onto. Still, it was a good sign that he was asking the Dark Warrior’s healer to come down.
The king replaced the receiver on the cradle and turned back to face Caine. The leader of vampires and Dark Warriors sat on the edge of the table, bracing his weight with his hands. “Here is what’s going to happen. Jace is going to take your blood. Och, speak of the devil. Jace, you are aware of the situation regarding Caine. He believes that he has been drugged. Take his blood and analyze it for everything. Doona leave any possibility oot. This matter is far too serious.”
Caine was sweating and his heart raced with fear, but maybe there was a way out of this nightmare. “Thank you, Liege,” he replied, genuflecting before Jace approached him.
“Have a seat, Caine. You are shaking far too much for me to do this while you are standing. It won’t take long.” Caine didn’t know why he was shaking so badly. Even if he had no memory of the evening, he knew deep down he was innocent. Jace pulled out a chair and Caine sank into it, allowing some of the tension to leave his shoulders. He rolled up his sleeve for him to draw the blood as the Dark Warrior opened a bag and placed several tubes and a needle on the table.