by K. F. Breene
Still, pinpointing the reason Darius had found his humanity could make a huge difference for the Brink and the Realm. Penny would help for that reason.
She took a deep breath and thought about getting another glass of wine.
“She seems genuinely happy,” Emery said after a while, Darius pulling Reagan closer as the music slowed. “Did you want to dance, by the way? I know you didn’t earlier, but—”
“And have them completely show us up? Are you kidding me?” Penny laughed. “No. I’m tired from the flight. I’m looking forward to just chilling for a couple of days. Reagan’s not allowed to get up to any mischief here, so I’ll get a real break. And no, she is not genuinely happy.”
“No? What am I missing? She has never struck me as the type of girl to fake her emotions.”
“Usually she’s not. And she’s not faking her love for Darius. It’s just…” She shrugged. “People always think Darius is the dangerous one of their pair. They see an elder vampire and think she’s the one in need of protection. That they shouldn’t mess with her because of him. But that’s not it at all.”
“I’m not following.”
“Do you know what would happen if someone hurt him, for example?”
“She’d kill them, I imagine.”
Penny leaned away so he could see her lifted eyebrows. “Yeah. Kill them. At the very least. If they kidnapped him?” She whistled, which almost sounded like a raspberry. “If he got into trouble, she’d handle it, know what I mean? Like…dynamite and earthquakes kind of handling it. Like, burn down a town and—”
“I got it, I got it.” Emery grinned.
“Don’t laugh. I’m serious. She would go absolutely nuts. You think she’s unhinged when she gets bored? Well…” Penny hit him with a poignant look.
He laughed and put up his hands. “She’s territorial, I got it.”
“She’s more than territorial. Once she trusts, she’s a ride-or-die kind of person. She would never let any harm come to Darius if she could help it. Me either. She’ll always have my back. Our backs, I guess, though you are basically marrying into it.”
“I hope to, at any rate.” He rubbed his thumb across the power stone in the ring he’d given her when he proposed. The stone purred in contentment. It liked him more than Penny, she was pretty sure. “Though…ouch.” He smirked.
“You know it’s true. You’re in her circle of protection because of me.”
“So, for your sake, she’d blow the world to save me?”
“I mean…Emery, she would kidnap a person’s family and hold them for ransom. She might even skin a pet or something, I don’t know. She’s nuts, man. Don’t mess with her loved ones. She’s not rational—”
He fell away from her, leaning against the arm of the sofa, laughing. “I got it, I got it.”
“I know that you’re laughing at me, but you have no idea. If you’d been on as many bounty hunter gigs with her as I have, you’d know that the woman has no sense of self-preservation. Literally none. She’s not here to protect herself, and she’s not here for vacation, like we are. She’s here because the people who love her want to keep her safe, and she worries that if she leaves, she’ll drag us all into danger. Then she’d have to, like, light cars on fire or something, I don’t know. Burn Roger’s house down, though that might just be for fun.”
His big body shook with laughter next to her, and he wiped his eyes. Penny cracked a grin, because the last had been a joke. Reagan knew better than to mess with Roger. Hopefully.
“Did she say this?” Emery asked, finally calming down.
“She hasn’t admitted it, but I see it more and more every time we visit. I think she really hates it here.”
“That’s crazy. This is literally paradise. I would give my left nut to own this place and hang out here whenever I felt like it.”
“Ew. That’s the thing, though. You’d choose when to hang out, and when to go back to your life. She doesn’t have a choice, and I think it’s eating away at her. I was sheltered for most of my life, and now, after getting a taste of the magical world, I would wither and die if I had to go back to that. She’s never been sheltered before. Not really. She was sequestered away, but from the sounds of it, her mother exposed Reagan to plenty of danger so she could learn her magic. Her mother found a balance. And that was easy when no one knew she existed, but with so many people out there, looking for her…”
Emery sobered and leaned back toward Penny. “Yeah, I suppose.”
“She can’t hide here forever, Emery,” Penny said quietly. “Even if so many people weren’t actively trying to flush her out, Darius can’t keep her hidden forever. He’s good, but he’s up against the literal creator of hell.”
“The Underworld isn’t hell—”
“Well, the demons we’ve been fighting sure look like the harbingers of hell, so excuse me for the confusion. Show me proof to the contrary, and maybe I’ll believe it.”
“You’re right, though. Even if she wanted to stay here forever, and you say she doesn’t, Darius wouldn’t be this on edge if he had everything locked down.”
“I mean, even if no one finds her, sending all those demons is like tapping her on the shoulder. She knows she can help put them down. We have the situation under control right now, but the second those demons get too much for us to handle, she’ll step in. You know she will.”
“Will that be with dynamite and earthquakes, or will it—”
She elbowed him. “It’s not funny!”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I’ve seen her in action. It’s just your deadpan certainty of it that makes me laugh.”
Penny had no idea why, but she let it be. He’d only try to explain, and then start laughing again when she didn’t get it. She wondered if her dad, whom she was apparently most like in personality, had always been the butt of jokes when he was alive. She’d asked her mom once, but had been told, “Don’t be ridiculous. No one made fun of him!” Given her tone, Penny had figured that probably meant yes, so she hadn’t asked for specifics.
Emery wrestled the smile off his face. “It’s hard to feel the gravity of the outside world in this place. Anyway, yes, I suspect you’re right. You spoon-fed Darius everything we know about Vlad’s plans and motivations. Hopefully it’ll help him shrug off any lingering sense of duty he might have toward his maker. If those two go head to head, it’ll be a test to see if the pupil has outstripped the master.”
Penny’s stomach twisted. Looking over, she watched Reagan glide across the dance floor. Darius often called Reagan mon ange. My angel. That was exactly what she looked like right then, her face tilted up to him with a serene smile, her dress sparkling and flowing around her legs, her handsome prince (of darkness) holding her hand while his other arm encircled her back. An angel…or a princess.
But then, she was a princess. In blood, if not by name.
Penny’s gaze flicked to the druid, draped with shadows in the corner of the room, watching as well. He’d drifted away after dinner, and she hadn’t realized he’d turned up here until right this moment. She wondered what part he’d play in the unfolding situation, or if he’d say goodbye when this phase was at an end and he had nothing left to teach.
She hoped he stayed. There was a calm certainty about him that put Penny at ease. When he stood sentinel, she couldn’t imagine anything unwanted coming in.
Then again, he’d been hard-pressed to keep up with them in their battle with the former leaders of the Mages’ Guild. He wasn’t used to Reagan’s unpredictability, and even though he trained with her, it didn’t seem like he’d become accustomed to her tricks. Maybe even he wouldn’t be strong enough to save them.
Penny steeled her resolve. Whatever happened, whatever wickedness came knocking on their proverbial door, Penny would stand by Reagan. She would guard Reagan’s back, even if it meant plunging her soul into hell to do it.
Four
A thud pulled me up to consciousness. The hard warmth of Darius curled arou
nd me in the soft bedding. Thick black curtains covered the windows, cinched tight. They were closed, which meant the sun was still out. A look at the clock on the nightstand confirmed it—late afternoon.
I listened for a moment. If the wards had gone off, the alarms would be blaring. Given Penny and Emery had set those wards, I was not at all concerned about a breach. It seemed far more likely that Penny had tripped over something upstairs and possibly tumbled down the stairs. You just never knew with her. She could move quickly, fight effortlessly, and really pack a kick when she wanted to, but sometimes the fight against gravity was too much for her.
Hearing nothing else, and sensing no magic, I turned within Darius’s arms and slid my hands downward. I trailed my fingertips over his chest, feeling the grooves of muscle and then the hard plane leading to the fun factory. I lightly kissed his strong jaw while wrapping my fingers around his quickly hardening length.
His groan made me smile. I leaned against him, and he fell onto his back, sucking in a breath as I stroked. I slid my lips across his neck and pulled a leg over his hip, releasing my hand in favor of rubbing my slickness against him.
I made my kisses more aggressive, sucking in his warm skin as I made my way toward his mouth, sliding my hands back up his chest and curling them around the back of his neck. He responded eagerly, cupping my butt and lifting, the weight nothing to him. His tip dragged against my slit as he positioned himself and then abruptly pulled me back down.
Delicious sensation bloomed, and I pulled up to sitting, closing my eyes. I swirled my hips as I rose and fell, taking him all in and then backing off, our slow lovemaking every bit as exciting and erotic as I’d come to find our dancing. As I’d come to find all the things we did together.
Warmth seeped into my chest and I quickened my pace, crashing down onto him now, his fingers on my nub, massaging so fast that it felt like a vibrator. I moaned with the ecstasy of it and then leaned to prompt a change in position.
He rolled with me, pressing me into the mattress and settling between my thighs. I wrapped my legs around him, opening my mouth to his kiss and moaning when he swept his tongue through.
“Bite me,” I breathed, digging my fingers in as I pulled them across his muscular shoulders and down his strong arms.
He kissed along my jaw, thrusting his hips rhythmically. A dull ache pressed against my artery, followed by the sharpness of teeth. In moments, his vampire’s serum pumped through me, overcoming the pain and flowering into a delicious sensation, heightened by the feel of him sliding into me. He drew deeply and my stomach fluttered. I wrapped my arms around him, knowing this was the height of intimacy for a vampire and craving the closeness of it. Craving him.
He pulled away, pumping into me harder. I swung my hips up to meet him.
Crash.
I flinched and adrenaline flooded me.
“It’s just Penny,” Darius murmured. He kept going, not at all troubled by the interruption. Vampires weren’t really worried about others seeing their intimate moments.
Sure enough, around Darius, I could just make out Penny staggering like a drunk, holding her shoulder and looking pleased with herself. She’d just busted in the top half of the unlocked double door.
“Hah! I did it, I— Oh gross. Oh no, oh gross. Oh my God I’m so sorry—” The door wobbled, the top hinge loose, as she tried to yank it shut. Since it was listing now, it banged off the top half of the other door and bounced back. “Snap dragons, farting frogs! Why won’t it close?”
Another attempt, another bang.
“Benedict Cumberbatch’s toe ring, this stupid thing!”
Darius was off the bed in a flash, grabbing the door and pushing it into place.
“Suffering ding-dongs—no!” Penny’s footsteps echoed down the hall.
Barely a second passed before Darius was again over me, pressing against my thighs. But I couldn’t stop laughing. He didn’t resume, instead looking down at me with twinkling eyes.
“She probably had an actual reason for being here,” I said, the laughs still coming. I hugged Darius and then wiped a tear out of my eye, but the thought of her horrified expression started the laughter again. Darius moved off me for a moment so I could hold my stomach and let the laughter come. “Did you see the look in her eyes when you went to the door?” I shook with it. “She’s only ever been with Emery. She is not equipped to handle a drive-by cocking.”
“She did seem embarrassed, yes.”
I let the laughter subside, knowing I needed to go find out what she wanted…as soon as I finished with Darius, which I had every intention of doing after I let myself savor the memory of Penny’s reaction one last time. When the laughter subsided again, I swung a leg over Darius and guided him into me.
“Hmm,” I said, sitting down. His eyes were hooded. “Now, where were we?”
He cupped my breasts, and a sudden urgency overcame me. I sped up as he ran his thumbs over my budded nipples. Pleasure and feelings bombarded me. Sensations overwhelmed me. I clenched my jaw as the onslaught reached a crescendo and then pulled me under and drowned me in bliss. I shook, calling out his name. He pulled me down to him, crushing me against his chest, shaking with completion.
I lay on top of him in the aftermath, breathing deeply, his skin warm and my body sated.
“We ruined Penny’s door-busting moment, do you know that?” I asked, moving to his side and resting my head on his chest.
“I think we did her a favor. Her missteps can be chalked up to distraction. Maybe next time, she’ll perform the action with a little more confidence and flair.”
“Kicking them in is more my thing, though. You know, because of the strength and temper. It wouldn’t really suit her.”
“This is true.”
“She should make an entrance by opening a door slowly. Like…really slowly. Annoyingly slowly. That’s more her speed.”
I pushed off his chest and propped my head on my hand, my elbow planted on the bed beside him. He was smiling, his eyes a perfect spun honey flecked with green, sparkling with fire and mirth and intelligence. He was an incredibly handsome devil, with his high cheekbones and straight nose, his hair tousled on the pillow and his body perfectly cut with muscle.
His lips fell a little and his eyes turned serious as he studied me. He laid a hand on my cheek and traced my jaw with his thumb. “I have enjoyed our time here, mon ange, with just us and our friends. I feel human in an age where being human is sublime. All these years as a supernatural, my mortal life before it—this is the happiest I’ve ever been. It feels like I am truly living for the first time. I am blessed. Truly.”
I leaned forward and kissed his lips. “I’m happy, too. I love you.”
Despite knowing Penny wanted something and I should really go find out what, I lost myself in Darius again, relishing the peace and serenity of the moment and of this place. Because yes, this life was sublime. Darius made it that way. I could stand living it for a while longer. More than stand it, if he’d be here with me.
A while later, with a deep inhale and a slow exhale, I leisurely walked down the halls in a flowing white dress that danced around my ankles. The neckline plunged between my breasts, revealing plenty of cleavage, and even a peek of my stomach when I bent over. The back swooped down low, too, almost to my butt. With the light around me, the thin material revealed what was underneath -a muscular female form, the same thing Penny had recently seen wrapped around Darius’s thrusting body.
I stopped and tried to hold back laughter.
To complete the ensemble, I went without shoes and jewelry and left my hair down in a wild halo of sex hair. The goal: embarrass the shit out of Penny. The look would undoubtedly remind her of the big ol’ dong that had suddenly appeared in front of her, pointing her way.
I bit my finger to try to hold back the guffaws. Why I found this so funny was anyone’s guess, I just knew it was, and poking fun at her was one of life’s greatest pleasures.
The dying sun dappled the s
tamped concrete patio as I came around a large square pillar to the pool area. Cahal stood off to the side next to the bar, his shadows swirling around him as though he didn’t want to be seen. He was probably grumpy about something. He had moods.
Three people were gathered at the round stone table beyond the bar, sitting in Darius’s comfortable wicker chairs. I stopped dead at the sight of the broad back of the one across from me. It stiffened noticeably, and Penny and Emery, seated across from him, looked over his shoulder, finding me.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted, unmoving.
He rose as though uncoiling from an attack-ready crouch, the kind of move powerful shifters excelled at. Pushing the chair out of the way with the scraping of wood feet against stone, he swung around, pecs popping in his overburdened white T-shirt. Good thing cotton was stretchy, though I wasn’t sure why he always felt the need to put it to such extreme tests.
Penny and Emery didn’t bother moving, and I didn’t have the presence of mind to savor the red hue that quickly flooded Penny’s cheeks. Roger always spoiled everything.
His dual-colored eyes, one blue, one a faded green, like a beat-up dollar bill, found my face. A crease formed between his brows, and his eyes flicked downward.
Gorgeous. I forgot she was so striking, he thought, and it took everything in my power to keep from mouthing off with a sarcastic comeback.
He didn’t know I could pluck thoughts out of someone’s cranium, and he couldn’t know. Very, very few creatures could do something like that. Although Roger likely knew—or strongly suspected—that I had demon blood, he didn’t know my exact lineage. Much better to keep it that way—which meant I couldn’t inform him that he needed to protect his thoughts around me.
I cut off the echoes from his mind, a tactic Cahal had helped me hone.
And while I was thinking about it…
I glanced Cahal’s way subtly, acting as if I wanted a drink and was checking out the bar. The druid’s magic kept him in people’s blind spots, and I didn’t want to out the guy if he was trying to be all seekrit.