Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  A jolt of ecstasy took her, exploding into the rapture of pure joy that came with an orgasm as her hips bucked against his. Her arms flew up and behind her head as she tried to grasp onto something, anything to keep her grounded. Mina moaned into a pillow that she managed to grab. Her body shuddered as her back bowed while she came and came.

  As the orgasm subsided, Gav’s thrusts quickened, but remained steady. He used his thumb to massage her clit. Mina moaned. She could feel the pressure of a new climax building, working its way through her once again. He leaned forward, taking her breast into his mouth, sucking the nipple, teasing it with his teeth and tongue.

  “Feels so good, so good…” Her words trailed into a shout of rapture when Gav bit her breast, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to mark her as the next wave of pleasure hit.

  Mina pushed her legs upward until her feet were beside his head, taking the entire length of his shaft deep into her slick, swollen heat. Gav gripped her thighs and pulled her fiercely toward him with every hard thrust of his hips. She looked into his blue eyes, now the color of midnight, intense, possessive. With a snarl on his lips and his teeth clenched tight, he bucked forward. Mina came again as Gav pumped his climax into her. He held her tight as he spent the last of his energy.

  After a few moments, listening to the joined sounds of their labored breaths, Mina smiled. “That was fantastic,” she said.

  Unfortunately, Gav didn’t smile. Solemnly, and with regret she noticed, he withdrew from her. “What does this mean, Mina?”

  “It doesn’t have to mean anything.” She remembered the outpouring of love she’d felt while Gav had been taking her. She didn’t know how to be the woman he wanted. Mating was out of the question.

  She offered a light-hearted grin. “It was fun, right?”

  Disappointment covered his expression, she could tell by his body language, even as the look on his face went cold. She put up her own walls to block his emotions. They were too much. Always too much.

  Gav sat next to her on the bed. “I can’t do this again. It hurts too much.” Exhaustion rimmed his eyes, creating dark circles she hadn’t noticed before. “If you care about me at all, please stay away.”

  “I do care about you. But you know I’m not the hearth and home type. I’ve never lied about who I am.”

  “Maybe you’re lying to yourself.”

  Mina pressed her lips together as anger surged. “I won’t bother you anymore.” She picked up her clothes and left.

  ***

  GAV FLOPPED BACK on his bed and put his forearm over his eyes. More than anything in the world, he wanted to stop loving Mina Vail. He knew she was empathic, which made her, like him, other worlder, but it also meant he’d had to work very hard to keep the intensity of his feelings from her. He was a leogenus, and lion shifters uniquely formed instant pair bonds with their mates. Unfortunately for Gav, his biology had chosen Mina for that instant connection. Even more unfortunate, since she wasn’t a leogenus, she didn’t have to same chemical and physical reaction. They’d dated steadily for six months until he’d introduced his mother to Mina. In hindsight, that had been a colossal mistake. Azzy could be tough to take, even for her loved ones.

  He’d asked Mina to marry him that very evening. She’d said, “No.”

  Since then, Gav had tried to move on with his life, but getting over Mina Vail, especially when she lived right across the hall, had been extremely difficult. He’d made it three months. Three whole months with only the occasional awkwardness of running into her in the hallway.

  Then she had to go and knock on his door. He rubbed his face and sat up. His phone rang, the vibration walked it toward the edge of his night stand. Gav picked up. “Hello.”

  The voice on the other end was his lieutenant, Parker Hill. “We’ve got a body in an alley on the Plaza. It’s a strange one. Your specialty.”

  Gav finished getting the details and hung up the phone. His heart quickened at the excitement of an investigation. At least now he’d have something to think about besides his broken heart.

  Chapter Three

  MINA SLIPPED ON a tight red silk-blend dress with spaghetti straps and a split up the side to accentuate her long legs. It was like a glorious path that led down to her new designer three-inch pumps. She turned her ankle out to admire them. They’d cost a pretty big chunk of change. But when you’re five-feet-eleven-inches tall, you have two choices, try to hide your height or flaunt the hell out of it. It had been three days since her fight with Gav. It still ached to know how much she’d hurt him.

  At six-fifty-nine, Charlie’s little brother knocked at the door. At least, he was prompt. When Mina opened the door to find Mr. Green Eyes wearing an impeccably tailored black three-piece tuxedo that fit his narrow waist and lusciously slim hips perfectly, she nearly fainted. “Uhm, I think you have the wrong apartment.”

  He smiled, sultry and sexy, the sizzle in the air palpable. “Hello, Semina.”

  Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! An orgy of emotions overwhelmed her. “Eric?”

  He looked around. “Were you expecting someone else?”

  Oh, how his voice sent shivers up and down her spine. “You’ve, uh, grown up some since the last time I saw you.”

  “Just a little.” A devilish grin crossed his face.

  Her gaze lingered on Eric for a moment longer than she’d intended.

  “Semina,” he said in a soft, deep voice.

  “I go by Mina now. No one calls me Semina anymore.” Except Charlie. You know. Best friend forever, Charlie. The Charlie whose brother you will not bang. That one.

  “It’s good to see you again.” He leaned close and kissed her cheek. “Hmmm. You smell good.”

  The touch of his lips, innocent and simple, made her feel weak and, frankly, horny as hell. I will not molest Charlie’s brother in any way.

  “By the way, does your sister know you’re OW?” OW was an acronym used amongst the other worlders when talking about their kind.

  Eric raised his brow. “I’m not sure what you mean?”

  Mina leaned in and inhaled his scent. Woodsy, a pleasant smokiness, and just a smidgeon of sweet musk. In other words, all sexy. “A leiol, if I had to guess. But how? Charlie is definitely not other.”

  Eric smiled. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “You are putting off enough pheromones to start an orgy in church.” She leaned, inhaling his masculine scent. “Yep, definitely leiol.”

  “What is this leiol, and why do you know about them?” He gave her a curious look.

  “You really don’t know?” She didn’t feel any deception from Eric, just desire. “Jesus, you need to learn to put the ju-ju away. A leiol is a creature that oozes lust from its pores.”

  “Like an incubus?”

  “Well, demons aren’t real, but there is speculation that all myths and legends have an origin in other worlder evolution.”

  “Other worlder?”

  She was talking too much. Telling too much. Eric obviously had no clue about who he really was or where he came from. He’d survived in the human world without any issues, and Mina knew she was borrowing trouble by telling him about OWs. Besides, leiols were horrible, nasty creatures. Good-looking, sexy as hell, but they also ate human flesh. Eric didn’t look like wanted to eat her. At least not in a way that would leave a mark. Rawr. No, she chided herself. BFFs bro. No rawr.

  “You don’t seduce women just so you can eat their hormone saturated flesh afterward, do you?”

  Eric’s eyes widened, his expression slightly horrified. “That’s gross.”

  “Good. Forget what I said then. You’re a nice normal human.” She smiled. “Just like me.”

  “Thanks for agreeing to be my date,” he said.

  “No need to thank me. We’re family.” Though she was decidedly having un-familial thoughts about Eric. Mina shook her head and grabbed her blue Coach clutch—small enough to be feminine, but large enough to carry lip gloss, a credit car
d, ID, some cash, and a sub-compact Beretta. 9mm, of course. “Now, before we go, there are some ground rules that have to be established.”

  He nodded and even that looked sexy.

  “Cut that shit out.”

  Eric smoothed his hair, his eyes going all bedroom GQ. “Cut what out?”

  “That.” She pointed to his adorable face. “Okay. Pay attention,” she told him, shaking her head to clear her hormone-addled thoughts. “Hand holding’s fine, slow dancing is negotiable, but there will be absolutely no touching of any body parts covered by this dress.” Of course, even the touching of uncovered body parts might not be a good idea.

  “Absolutely,” he agreed, but his emerald eyes sparkled with mischief.

  So the red dress didn’t cover much, but her intent was still clear. No touchy. She grabbed her wrap and linked arms with him. “This is a favor for your sister, buddy. Nothing else.” Even if her body disagreed.

  “Okay, Mina.” He winked. “Got it.”

  She adjusted one of her shoes, and they headed out. In the hallway, the door opened to 37B. It wouldn’t have been so bad if Gav hadn’t looked so damn good—tight black jeans and a black T-shirt to match. She glanced at Eric. What was it with men in black? Well, to be fair these two fellas would’ve looked good in brown paper bags.

  “Hello, Gavriil.” He hated to be called Gavriil.

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Mina.” He looked at Eric then back to her. “You babysitting tonight?”

  Mina’s face went hot. Eric grabbed her hand and kissed it gently, all the while watching Gav. One tiny little gesture that nearly sent her into a frenzy wanting to strip off his clothes and knock boots right in the hallway—with both of them.

  She forced herself to calm down and caressed Eric’s face. “Best gig I ever got.” That slapped the smug right out of Gav. She waved at him as they walked away. “Ta-ta, Gavriil.”

  His apartment door slammed shut by the time the elevator door opened. Mina and Eric tumbled into the carriage laughing. “Thanks,” she said to Eric.

  “Ex-boyfriend?”

  “Ex-something,” she murmured. He put his arm around her, and for a moment, she snuggled in, but she quickly came to her senses and put a few feet between them. “Hey, now. The rules still stand as prearranged.”

  Eric smiled and went obediently to his corner of the elevator.

  “And stop smiling!”

  ***

  JESUS, THAT FUCKING woman! Gav seethed with jealousy and anger, and beneath that lust. Something in the man she was with had triggered an almost primal reaction in him. He’d felt his skin ripple with the first signs of shifting. His animal side wanted to screw anything and everything that moved. It was only his rage that kept him from doing the unthinkable. Lose control. That guy had to be an other worlder, but what kind, Gav couldn’t say. His reaction to the man’s scent had been intensely, almost painfully, physical.

  As it was, he had more important things to worry about. Like a sadistic butcher. The murder on the plaza baffled Gav. He’d never seen the likes of it before. The victim, a male in his late forties, had been skinned from head to toe. The crime scene techs were thorough, and the killer hadn’t even left a hair follicle behind. His sense of smell wasn’t as developed as a werewolf’s but it was well-honed. He picked up faint odors beneath the blood and rot of the corpse. Ash, copper, and some kind of sweet floral scent. Maybe Plumeria, but he couldn’t be certain without further tests.

  Was this crime other worlder? Again, maybe. There were too many questions to be certain about the answers.

  His phone rang. It was Doctor Azan, the pathologist. “What you got for me, Doc?”

  “I dyed the wound on the back of the head. I’m sending you a picture. I don’t know what he was hit with, but I thought maybe you might be able to find out.”

  “Thanks. You think it is...”

  “Other worlders,” Azan said. “Likely. I don’t see a human skinning someone with this kind of precision.”

  Azan was a dagar, the equivalent of what humans thought to be an elf, but he didn’t have pointy ears or pale blond hair or shiny braids. Nor did he go around with a longbow shooting orcs from the back of mutant pigs. That was strictly fiction. He was, however, an educated and keen observer.

  A double beep notified him of an incoming text. Gav pulled the phone from his ear and looked down at the screen. It was a crisscross pattern. He put the phone back to his ear. “That looks like the same pattern from that young woman on the docks last month.”

  “Good eye,” said Azan.

  Shit. “Thanks again, Doc. Call me if you find out anything more.”

  “Will do.”

  Chapter Four

  THE STANDARD STUFFED-SHIRT CEOS and their plastic-faced trophy wives filled the Heston Hotel’s ballroom. The way these rich and powerful people treated Eric made Mina feel like she was on the job. He was a minor celebrity in these circles. Apparently he was the youngest person to ever make vice president at Samson Technologies, a Fortune-500 company, located downtown Kansas City, and the party was to celebrate his promotion.

  The place was decked out to the nines: Crystal centerpieces, ice sculptures, champagne fountains, and a live orchestra playing soft classical music. Eric and Mina were ushered to the head table shortly after they arrived—cameras clicking left and right.

  “I’d have worn my good dress if I’d known we were going to be in the spotlight all evening,” she said.

  “You’re gorgeous.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. The light brush of lips just about melted her panties. Twenty flashes went off simultaneously.

  Sheesh.

  Mina took her seat and looked at the cloth folded into an elaborate flower. Pretty. Mina flattened and put it on her lap. “I’m used to guarding the public spectacles, not being the spectacle. I don’t like it.”

  “Sorry. I should have warned you.”

  His expression told a different story. He seemed very pleased with himself, and she could feel his triumph. Why did he look like everything was going as planned? She wondered, what exactly was the plan?

  A silver-haired man in a well-tailored tux walked to their table. A blonde woman in her forties, pretty in an Nicole Kidman way, but with big breasts—probably fake—was draped on his arm.

  Eric stood, and they shook hands. “Mr. Albright.”

  “Call me John. After all, you’re a partner now.” The older man smiled. “No one deserves it more. The way you beat Taz Industries at their own game was a thing of beauty to witness.”

  He laughed, and Eric smiled. “Thank you, John.”

  Albright gestured to the woman on his arm. “You remember my wife, Kathleen?”

  “Of course,” Eric said. He kissed Kathleen’s hand. “Lovely to see you again, Mrs. Albright.”

  “Please, call me Kitty.” She smiled at Eric with a fair amount of appreciation. “I’m flattered you remembered me.”

  Her hand lingered in his just a little too long. Mina felt the intense desire the older woman projected at Eric. She tried to shield herself from it, but she couldn’t. It had to be Eric’s leiol pheromones interfering with her ability. She wanted to tell him to take it down a notch, but maybe he didn’t know how to turn it off.

  Eric broke contact with Kitty, and the reduction of lust rolling off Kitty significantly decreased. Even more so, when he drew Kitty Albright’s attention to Mina. “This is Mina Vail, my date.”

  John Albright took her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, my dear.”

  Mrs. Albright leaned over and lightly kissed her cheek. “Nice to meet you, Mina. What an unusual and lovely name.” Her smile was tight and phony, and the jealousy she telegraphed toward Mina was heavy enough to knock out an elephant.

  “Come along, Kitty,” Albright said. “We’ve mandatory mingling to attend.” He looked at Eric. “We’ll talk later, Bishop.”

  After the Albrights had left, Mina and Eric settled back down to the table. Mina clawed the air.
“Meow.”

  “What?”

  “That Kitty is a real feline.”

  Eric brushed a piece of lint from his sleeve. “Kathleen?”

  “Oh, it’s Kathleen now?”

  Cocking his head to the side, he gazed at her. Those jeweled-green eyes of his were startlingly clear and innocent with just the hint of the devil. Much to her dismay, Mina felt uncomfortably female. Eric raised an eyebrow and asked charmingly, “Just what type of man do you think I am?”

  Mina was just about to tell him exactly what type she thought he was, but they were interrupted. A middle-aged guy, medium height, graying at the temples, and in a classic tux with bow tie, stood next to the table. He cleared his throat. “Bishop.”

  Eric stood and took the man’s hand in a firm shake. “Wilson.”

  “Congratulations on the promotion.” The gentleman gave the appearance of control, but his real feelings washed over Mina in angry waves. So far the night had proven a veritable cornucopia of intense emotions. In other words, an empath’s nightmare.

  Straightening the back of his jacket, Eric sat down. “Thank you.”

  She expected a backlash of anger, irritation—something from Eric toward the older man, but nothing. Right then, Mina realized she couldn’t read him, at least not beyond the lust his other side emitted. There was no strong anything from Eric toward Wilson, and she cursed herself for being too blinded by her own hormones to notice before.

  Wilson glanced at Mina then back to Eric. “Your date is beautiful.”

  His date can hear you. Not that you’re really paying attention, she thought.

  “Yes, she is,” Eric agreed, never taking his eyes off Mr. Classic Tux. Since it was apparent that she wasn’t going to be introduced, she offered her hand to the unhappy man. “Mina. Mina Vail.”

  Wilson lightly took it. “Samuel Wilson.” He leaned forward and kissed her knuckles. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Vail.” A pen fell out of his breast pocket and rolled onto the table. Eric picked it up and gave it back to him.

  Wilson smiled at Eric, but it wasn’t a happy smile by any means. “Good luck, Bishop,” he said as a way of parting. Mina thought it was an odd thing to say.