by Jaime Rush
“Vee,” Jessup pressed. “Do you want him?”
“Yes,” she said, the word hoarse and scratchy. “Damn it, I get grief if I date a Fringer. I get grief if I date an outsider. Mundanes are out. There’s nothing else!” Frustration stretched her words taut. No pretending there.
Jessup shook his head in his I can’t believe this way. He approached Kade, whose body tightened in response, even if he couldn’t see him. Jessup pointed his finger at him. “You pull anything or do anything to hurt my sister or my family, and I’ll string you up here and cut off your appendages one by one. And I’ll enjoy it.”
He gestured for Ryan to go with him. She followed them, hating their disgust at her. She’d spent her life trying to live up to them, and after her dad had died, they’d stepped into the father figure role. Once they were out of Kade’s earshot, she halted them.
“It’s temporary, I swear, so stop looking at me like I’ve just wrecked the family name.” Or their trust in her.
“Do you know what hell we’ll suffer if word gets out that you’ve taken up with a Vega? And a Deuce, to boot?” Ryan asked. “We’re not supposed to even like Deuces, much less date them.”
“I’m not taking up with him.” She glanced at the “him” in question, then forced her gaze back to her brothers. “We started talking, we laughed, and our eyes sort of locked onto each other’s. Have you ever felt a zing with someone?”
“What’s a zing?” Jessup asked.
She put herself back in that moment at Guard headquarters. “A sudden and surprising shock that feels really good. Your chest tightens and your throat goes dry and your body tingles. That’s what we felt. I called him after Arlo’s death, and he’s helping me figure out what’s going on. I know it’ll never work but right now it’s…nice,” she finished on a soft breath. Too nice.
“You’ll kick him to the curb eventually?” Jessup asked, his expression skeptical.
“Have I gotten involved long term with anyone?”
“Well, no.”
“So there. And turn this music off.”
She watched them wander off, both shaking their heads, and waited until they disappeared into the darkness. Then she turned to the specimen on the wall. Annoyingly, her stomach tightened. Her body tingled. Damn it, she was supposed to be mad at him.
She stalked to him. “You.” She had to keep her voice down because she could feel her brothers’ presence hovering just out of sight. Instinctively, they knew something wasn’t right. She knew how to get rid of them. She grabbed a thick wooden block and set it in front of Kade, then stepped up on it so they were face-to-face.
“That you, Vee?” he asked. He inhaled, his mouth curving into a smile.
“Yes, babe,” she said, a bite in her voice. “My brothers are still watching.” To let him know that they still had to play the charade. She was inches from what she called a superhero chin, square with a deep cleft in it. She had the weirdest urge to run her finger down the groove. He smelled of sweat, aftershave, and mud, an alluring combination. Her Dragon was really purring now, which made her even madder.
She leaned close to his ear, which made his mussed hair tickle her cheek. “Why did you come back to my house? You were supposed to wait for me at Ernie’s.”
He seemed oddly calm, considering the circumstances. “There were Fringers loitering in the parking lot who might recognize me.”
She trailed her finger down his chest, forcing a smile for her brothers. Just in case. “You had no right to go into my workshop.”
He kept his head upright, shoulders taut, his Vega pride still intact despite his indignity. “You’re right.” He had a way of agreeing that wasn’t quite genuine.
“And you got caught by my brothers,” she hissed. “Putting me in a very bad situation.”
His upper lip twitched. “I wasn’t too thrilled about it myself. I thought you’d be displeased if I maimed them. Or told them how we really met,” he added in a low voice.
Damn, he was right about that. He’d saved her a verbal spanking. “Thank you. You were in a tough situation, having to fight at a disadvantage. I didn’t think about you telling them I’d gone to the Guard.” When a bloom of affection and admiration filled her, she jabbed her finger into his hard chest. “You wouldn’t have had to deal with any of that if you’d waited like we agreed.”
“I didn’t agree. And I don’t take orders unless they’re from my superior.” His mouth tightened a bit. “And sometimes not even then.”
Her finger was still pressed against his skin. “And of course, you see me as your inferior.” That rankled, but she couldn’t help grinning on her next words, especially since he couldn’t see it. “But right now I am your superior. Given our current position.”
“Indeed. I don’t see you as my inferior, though. Just to be clear. Why can’t I use my magick, by the way?” His question was casual, yet she sensed an underlying tension in his tone.
“Well, they didn’t tase you.”
“They sort of did, actually. Long story. There’s something in these cuffs that’s blocking my magick.”
The cuffs were woven with various threads, one of which was a strand of Lucifer’s Gold, a substance that annulled Crescent magick if it came in contact with the skin.
“Can’t tell you. Family secret.” She leaned so close her jaw brushed his and softened her voice. “Not until we’re married.” Her hand had automatically flattened on his chest when she’d moved forward. “Since we lurve each other.”
His smile reminded her of the Cheshire cat’s. “More than words can say.”
Blondie sang about a heart of glass. Violet remembered dancing around the house as a kid when her ma played these old songs. The “pain in the ass” line was particularly apt right about then.
She felt, rather than saw, her brothers finally leave. They weren’t voyeurs, and they certainly wouldn’t want to witness anything sensual between her and Kade. She doubted Kade knew they’d left though. She liked having the upper hand with him. Let’s torture him some. It was the least she could do after everything he’d done to her family.
She ran her hand down his chest, letting her thumb brush past his nipple, all the way to the hard ridges of his stomach. “Oh, but, Kade, say them, darling,” she said in a louder voice. “You know how I love to hear you say them in that honey-dripping voice of yours.”
He laughed, the kind of sound one makes when they’re in a corner. Just when she thought he might stumble through some awkward words, he said, “Oh, baby, I love waking up next to you in the morning, with your hair all mussed and that dreamy light in your eyes. I love you in that red dress with the deep cut in the front, though you know I love you out of it even more. I love you when you’re ready to fight, all full of piss and vinegar because no one’s taking you seriously.”
She was again at the station the moment their gazes met and that bizarre zing arced between them. Damn, the guy was smooth. And good at what he did. “Go on.”
Despite his position, he seemed more than willing to indulge their charade. “Know what we did that really turned me on?”
She stroked his arm, her mouth only an inch in front of his. “Mmm, do tell.”
“Wrestling in the puddle. The mud contrasting with your creamy skin, your nipples dusky and perky, and your fantastic ass, gods, the way it felt beneath my hands.” He let out a sigh. “Can we do it again?”
His words twined through her stomach and down between her legs. She pressed her thighs together. Damn it, she wasn’t supposed to be enjoying this so much. And he…he was playing the role way too well.
She dared glance down that muscular chest to the top edge of his boxer briefs, where the tip of his very hard erection pushed right up past the band. Could the guy be that good an actor? She’d heard that Vegas could play undercover well, but really…
She smacked his chest, nearly stumbling off the block. She had to grab his arms to keep herself from falling, and for the life of her, she couldn’t will th
em to let go. “You’re this all-powerful Vega, stripped down, blindfolded, and pinned to a barn wall. Being subjected to disco music! You should be pissed, humiliated. And you…you’re turned on.”
“Well, I sure wasn’t turned on when your brothers were flogging me. But now that it’s you and me, and I’m pretty sure you’re not going to kill me, I find it rather erotic. In fact, this is one of my fantasies, being under the control of a sexy woman.”
He’d called her sexy. She blinked. Hadn’t he? She shook her head, getting sidetracked once again. “You are depraved.”
“I thought it would be with a woman I knew very well, but there’s something edgy about it being you.”
“Don’t be too sure about that not-killing-you part.”
His smile was all too real. “Oh, and naked mud wrestling is another fantasy of mine. So within one day, you’ve fulfilled two of my fantasies, Vee. You are quite the woman.” He tilted his head. “Any fantasies I can take care of for you?”
“It’s Violet,” she bit out, trying to stanch the heat curling through her. She was no prude, but she’d never considered bondage arousing. A night of good sex with a handsome stranger in a hotel room, sure. Being tied up, having someone do whatever they wanted—she pushed the thought away. Was he still playing the part for her brothers’ benefit? “I don’t have any fantasies.” But dragonfire, she had to admit having a Vega completely under her control could be one…
“Whoa, I can feel your heat, Vee. You’re turned on, too.”
“Am not.”
“I felt this same heat coming off you when I had my hands on you, when you came apart in my arms.” Even though she couldn’t see his eyes, his smugness was clear. “Right now you have all the power. You can do anything you want to me. I’m at your mercy. You like that, don’t you?”
She had to swallow the sigh that threatened to escape as she took in his body. She wanted to touch him, to run her hands down his biceps, across the rippling muscles of his chest and abdomen, and over his wide rib cage.
He was just playing the part. She reined in her lust. “We don’t have to play this charade anymore. They’re gone now.”
“They’ve been gone for a while.”
Damn, how had he known? Now her heat was due to her embarrassment. “I thought they might still be watching.” She pulled off the handkerchief, revealing his moss green eyes and all that swirling mist deep inside them. “So how much of this was…”
“Real?”
“I was going to say acting. It was all supposed to be acting.”
“Yeah, it was. So what happened?” His question threw her. He’d been as swept away as she had. “I’m going to guess the same thing that happened while we were hosing off.”
Gods, that. She shook that thought from her mind. “Before I release you, I want to get one thing straight: we might be stuck in this pretend relationship, but we are not going there. Uh, again. I’ll have a hard enough time living this down, and that’s if I just chalk it up to a lust thing.”
“Because you already fell for the wrong guy once. The cretin we met at Ernie’s, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t fall for him. But yes, that was bad judgment. You would be even worse judgment.”
“Me, worse than that guy?” He rocked his head back against the wood board. “Come on, you’re killing me. What about my prestige? And class?”
“Not only are you my family’s enemy, but you’re also an outsider. And a Deuce. That makes you much worse.” And most importantly, she felt the zing with Kade, something she’d never felt with Bren.
His expression sobered. “You’re right. I am worse. The totally wrong person for you. This is a fling…theoretically speaking.” He lowered his voice. “And we are only putting on a show. Let me down now.” He’d banked the mist that reflected a Deuce’s emotional state.
Did he mean she wasn’t good enough for him? If he was, at least he’d put it a nicer way. She pressed the release buttons on the cuffs, and he winced as he pulled his hands together and rubbed his arms. She knelt to release his ankles, her eyes taking in that erection snug in his tight black boxer briefs and then his muscular thighs dusted with golden hairs.
In a flash, he had his dagger in his hand. While her Dragon wanted to Catalyze in response, she held it back. Kade held the knife at an angle, turning it back and forth, and then it morphed back into a tattoo at his arm.
He turned to study the cuffs. “Not a taser-like action that stifles the magick for a set time then. Only during contact.” His fingers traced the threads; the golden thread was buried inside.
If it became known that they had threads of Lucifer’s Gold, someone would steal them. Or confiscate them in the name of the Guard. Their government was the only entity allowed to legally hold the substance. It came from deep within the earth of Lucifera, and, even as the island was sinking, the inhabitants saved some of it when they escaped to Florida.
“If you guess, I’ll have to kill you,” she said, moving the wood block out of the way. “Let’s get back to the mystery at hand. Which for me is what were you looking for in my workshop?”
“Can I get dressed first?” He grabbed up the jeans lying on the grass nearby.
She’d liked being in control of him. A lot. He’d submitted to her, and that still trickled through her bloodstream. Even though he was already pulling up his pants, she said, “I suppose.”
“Sounds like you want me to stay naked.”
“Do not.”
He approached her, chest still bare, stopping inches from her. “If you were mad crazy in love with me, sounds like we wouldn’t be able to have a relationship because of your family.”
“I wouldn’t be mad crazy in love with you.”
“But if you were…”
“I’d catch hell. It wouldn’t be worth the dissension.”
“When I signed on to be a Vega, I knew a serious relationship was out of the question. But you didn’t sign on for something like that. It’s not right for your family to deny you a relationship or give you a hard time about who you choose to be with.”
“I know it’s not fair, but it’s just how it is.” She looked at the beauty of the marsh and the swamp beyond. “There are obligations that go with the good of being in a big family.”
“Like keeping the books when what you really want to do is make jewelry. You’re good at it. I saw your work while I was being nosy.” When she shot him a look, he said, “Hey, I thought you’d rather me be in your workshop than in your bed.”
She blinked at the memory of that.
He took her chin in his hand. “I know keeping peace is important, but every time you sacrifice what you want, you cut bits and pieces off your soul until there’s nothing left.”
She thought of the yellow dress hanging in her closet. “What do you know about sacrificing your soul?”
“My father worked his way up through the Guard ranks and then on to the Concilium with a stellar record. I was expected to be a certain way, to want certain things. Yeah, I grew up with prestige, money, high-class parties. No one thought it was clever when I flew down the banister to make my entrance. Or Changed to a wolf and ran across the buffet table.
“I wanted to be Guard on my own terms. For a while it worked, but life smacked me down. I had to make a choice: conform or lose what was most important to me. Being a Vega was all I ever wanted. I sacrificed my personal life for it, and my nature. I see you fighting that same struggle. Don’t sell your soul, Vee. It strips everything away and leaves you empty and wanting something you can’t even name. Something you’ve forgotten was inside you, but it’s an ache that never goes away.” He continued on toward the house, pulling his shirt down over his head.
She could only watch him while the heavy weight of his words sank into her chest. He’d shoved that playful, sexy guy deep inside him. Despite her words, she wanted him back. But what he’d said intrigued her in another way. Was he telling her to stand up to her family on her choice of boyf
riend?
But he’s not your boyfriend! You’re pretending until you get to the bottom of this, or until he can convince his boss to have the Guard investigate. That’s all. She killed the lights and caught up to him. He’d given up serious romantic relationships, which meant he’d probably never loved a woman. Yet, he’d sounded so convincing with all of that waking up next to her in the morning stuff he’d told her.
As they approached her porch, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his vibrating phone. She glimpsed the word Ferro on the screen before he stuffed it back in his pocket.
“I can give you privacy if you need to take that call—”
His expression shadowed. “I’ll check in with him later.”
Violet led him down the hall, turned on the light in her office, and walked to the map. Somberly, she pulled another red tack from her drawer and put it in the August property. How many more would die?
“I saw a yellow and a red tack in August territory on your boss’s map.” She turned to him. “Were you able to find out what the yellow pins meant?”
“He didn’t want to discuss the case with me at all. But there were two red pins in August land. I thought you remembered it wrong.”
“I’m sure they were different colors.” She tapped her temple. “Photographic memory. Yellow changed to red. Red means dead. So yellow means a potential victim, like you said. There was also a yellow pin on Slade land. I want to know why he thinks a Slade might be a target. Their biggest enemy is the Stramaglia clan, and they haven’t been involved in any of this. Yet.”
Kade released a long breath. “Good questions, Vee—Violet.” He slid her a quick glance. “We’ve never bothered with your Fringe wars unless they affected non-Fringers or appeared to be something that might get out of control. Your clan wiped out another clan entirely, and it didn’t even warrant an investigation, as far as I know.”
She stared past Kade, feeling the shadow of those dark days. “I was only fourteen then. My father, killed for no apparent reason, and everyone out for blood.” She’d wanted to go, too, in a rage of grief and anger. Hearing her family’s triumph, that they’d killed every Garza who was there, didn’t give her the satisfaction it seemed to give them.