“Maybe I don’t want to kill it. Maybe I want to question it.”
“And maybe ... .” Ofelia felt the creature lunge in her direction and instinct took over. The yellow eyes were lidded as it jumped toward her.
She didn’t hesitate. She couldn’t. She hadn’t stayed alive this long by playing it safe. She sent forth a blast that burned so hot it caused the creature to ignite in a wall of flames.
It screamed, the sound loud and terrible. Ofelia tried to move closer so she could see what they were fighting, but Sully grabbed her arm as the monster wildly flailed.
“Don’t.” He was emphatic as the creature lunged for the door, fully ignited. “It will take you with it. I ... .” He was stunned when the creature flopped to the floor and started rolling, extinguishing the flames.
“Uh-oh,” Ofelia said when she realized what was happening. The creature was almost completely out, and he sounded mad. “Maybe we should run.”
“Oh, do you think?” Sully pushed her toward the door, giving the screaming ghoul a wide berth as they erupted through the opening and hit the fresh night air. “Head toward the gate,” he ordered. “Don’t look back.”
Of course, since it was an order rather than a request, she stopped in her tracks and focused on him. His back was to her, his muscles corded, and he was preparing to finish his shift.
“I’m not leaving without you,” she said in a clear voice, causing him to jerk his eyes to hers.
“Yes, you are.” He was adamant. “We can’t let this thing just escape.”
“Then we’ll fight together.” It was with determination that she moved toward him. “We started this together. We’ll end it together.”
His frustration came in the form of a wave of desperation. “I don’t want you hurt.”
“And I don’t want you hurt. The best way is to take this thing on as a unit. I’m not going to leave you no matter what, so you’d better get used to it. I don’t run from a fight. You don’t either. I guess that’s another thing we have in common.”
He made an exasperated sound deep in his throat. “Fine.” He tore his gaze from her and focused on the crypt. “We’re going to talk about this later, though.”
“Great. I think that’s going to go really well. We’ll probably end up ripping each other’s clothes off and there will be no need for a first date.”
He laughed at her practicality. “You are ... just freaking awesome.”
“That might be the nicest compliment anyone has ever given me.”
“They’re going to get better.” Sully frowned as he continued to stare. “Why hasn’t it followed?”
“I don’t know.” Ofelia was equally keyed up and ready to pounce. “I just ... don’t know. Maybe we should go back and check.”
“I guess. You stick close to me.” He was careful as he picked his way down the path, lifting his nose to scent the air when they reached the mausoleum door.
Together, they looked inside ... and realized the room was empty.
“Where did it go?” Sully flicked the light switch and prowled the room, anger coursing through him. “How did we lose it?”
That was a good question. Ofelia had no idea. “I don’t know.” Her eyes traveled back to the second vault slot. “I think we have a lot of questions for the Windsors to answer.”
“It won’t happen until tomorrow. I don’t have the power to compel them to do anything tonight.”
“Then we’ll go after them tomorrow.” Her eyes were heavy when they locked with his. “We should probably head back.”
“Yeah.” His breath thickened again as overactive hormones replaced fear. “We should definitely go back. I’m having filthy thoughts again.”
She laughed at his impish nature. “You’re not the only one.”
OFELIA WASN’T SURE WHEN THE DECISION was actually made. Was there even a conscious choice? She couldn’t say.
All she knew with any degree of certainty was that she took the back stairs up to her apartment, Sully close on her heels, and they didn’t say a word as they walked into her place. Instead, the air crackling with sexual tension, they wordlessly turned to one another once they were inside ... and pounced.
Technically, they never had a first date. It ultimately didn’t matter. Their boundless urges took control for both of them, and when Ofelia woke the next morning to find him still wrapped around her, she couldn’t identify the emotions raging through her heart and head.
“Good morning,” he whispered in her ear, causing a shudder to go up her spine.
“Good morning.” She remained where she was a beat, absorbing his warmth and enjoying their closeness. Then, slowly, she rolled to her back so she could stretch.
He watched her, his hair tousled from sleep and her fingers, morning stubble littering his jaw. His eyes were alert but there was a sleepy quality about them at the corners. Her hair was all over the place, a snarled mess. She hadn’t bothered removing the little makeup she wore the night before and eyeliner was smudged almost to her cheeks.
She was still breathtaking.
“How did you sleep?” she asked when she was done stretching.
“Hard. How did you sleep?”
“Hard.” Her grin was mischievous as she studied his profile. “So ... um ... we should probably talk about this.”
“Oh, that’s such a female thing to say. I’m so disappointed.”
She frowned. “I don’t think it’s a female thing. This is a serious topic. I mean ... I don’t normally do this.”
“What?” His smile never faltered.
“This.” She gestured toward him and then moved her hands toward herself. “I mean ... I’m not exactly known for picking up a guy at the cemetery and bringing him home to ... do that.”
Her suddenly prudish nature fascinated him. “Technically you didn’t pick me up at the cemetery,” he reminded her. “We went there together.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do. You wish we hadn’t done it.”
“That’s not what I said,” she snapped, eliciting another grin that was charming enough to make her frown. “I don’t regret it at all. That’s the problem.” She paused for a beat, realization dawning. “You did that on purpose. You just wanted to hear me say it.”
“I might’ve enjoyed hearing you say it,” he conceded, his fingers gentle as they pushed her hair away from her face. When she didn’t crack a smile, he sighed. “Fine. We’ll talk. I kind of pictured this morning going differently, but talking is fun, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself but ... what does this even mean?”
“You want a definition?” He rubbed his chin as he considered their conundrum. “Well, for my part, it means I had a really good time and I wouldn’t mind a repeat performance.”
“So ... you like the sex.” She was thoughtful as she stared at the ceiling. “What am I saying? Of course you like the sex. You’re a guy.”
“I am a guy.” He was confused as he watched her process. “What’s going on in that busy brain of yours?” He lightly flicked her between the eyebrows. “Are you having some sort of mental breakdown?”
“No. I just ... I don’t think I’m built for a relationship that’s just sex.” She was almost fearful when she finally met his gaze. “I’m sorry. I need more and I know that’s probably not what you want, but I can’t just keep doing ... this ... and nothing else.”
His brain finally caught up to her convoluted thought pattern. “Oh, my ... you really are a girl.”
Her scowl returned with a vengeance. “If you haven’t figured that out after last night then we have other issues.”
“I guess so.” He wasn’t sure which part of the conversation he should broach first. “I asked you out before we had sex.”
“I know.”
“That means I like you.”
“Yeah, but ... most people date before sex. We jumped right to the finish. That means we’re doomed, right?”
&nb
sp; He’d never seen her so morose. It almost made him smile. Almost. “Um ... not from where I’m lying, which happens to be snuggled up close to you with absolutely nothing between us.”
“But .... .”
“No, I’m not letting you talk yourself out of this.” He was firm as he propped himself on an elbow. “This was going to happen regardless. Don’t bother denying it. We’ve been drawn to each other from the start. Just because we leapt a couple of hurdles doesn’t mean we’re doomed. I don’t even know why you would say something like that.”
“It’s because I’ve never started a relationship like this. I mean ... I don’t do this.”
“I don’t either. If you’re worried I’ve got hundreds of notches on my bedpost, I don’t. I’m not going to suddenly lose interest because we leapfrogged to the good stuff. If anything, I’m even more infatuated with you than I was before.
“Last night was ... there are no words,” he continued. “I don’t know why it happened, but I’m not sorry. I don’t think you are either.”
“I’m not sorry. I’m just ... concerned.”
“Well, knock it off.” He was serious. “We’re fine. Last night was great. Tonight is going to be even better.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How do you know there will be a repeat tonight?”
“Because I have faith.” He plucked her hand from the top of the blanket and linked their fingers, admiring their joined hands from multiple angles. “Do you believe that some things are destined to happen?”
“I ... well ... yeah. I’m a witch. Destiny is a big part of my belief system.”
“Isn’t it possible that this was always meant to happen? I mean ... the stars lined up at the exact right time. We found each other in a dark moment but came out the other side. Now we’re facing another dark moment, but we’re doing it together. This feels right. At least to me. How does it feel to you?”
He was so earnest, the fist that had been gripping her heart for the previous minutes eased. “It feels right, if a little sudden.”
“I can’t help it that your hormones took control last night, my little witch,” he teased. “I mean ... I was convinced I would be lucky to get a kiss at your front door but instead you dragged me inside even though I put up a gallant fight, ripped my clothes off — I have no idea what I’m going to wear when it’s time to leave — and jumped me. It was a truly magical moment.”
Ofelia fought to contain her laughter ... and lost. “Shut up.” She moved to elbow him, but he caught her around the waist and wrestled her to the bed.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered when their mouths were inches apart. “Trust me. This wasn’t a mistake. It was ... perfect.”
She lost herself in his eyes and accepted the kiss, wrapping herself around him. She was convinced they were well on their way to round two when the door to her bedroom flew open and caused her to rear up.
“What the ... ?” Sully braced for battle as he turned to see who was invading Ofelia’s private space. When he came face to face with her father, his stomach twisted and the building lust fled on an invisible broomstick. “Oh, geez.”
“What is this?” Oscar practically exploded when he realized what he was looking at.
“Do you knock?” Ofelia challenged, gripping the sheet to her chest as she tried to absorb the new element in the room. “What are you even doing up here?”
“It’s almost eight,” Oscar shot back, his eyes on fire as he extended a finger in Sully’s direction. “You stay right there. I’m going downstairs to get my gun. We’ll settle this the gentleman’s way.” He turned on his heel and stalked toward the door, pulling up short when another figure pushed his way into the bedroom.
“Did you find her?” Felix asked, his eyes bouncing as his mouth dropped open. “Oh, man. I guess you did.”
“I found her.” Oscar’s expression was dark. “I’m going downstairs to get my gun. Don’t even think about letting that one escape. We’re going to settle this like men.”
“That’s the second time he’s said that,” Sully noted, finding his voice. The sheet had fallen and bunched around his waist, but he showed no signs of climbing out of the bed. “What does he mean? How would men settle it?”
“He’s obsessed with duels,” Felix replied, folding his arms over his chest as he pinned Sully with a dark look. “He figures you have a gun because you’re a cop. He’s going to force you to go to Bourbon Street, walk ten paces, and then shoot at each other.”
“Yeah, I’m not going to do that.” Sully slid his eyes to Ofelia. He wasn’t sure what he expected to find. After their previous conversation, though, he was officially worried. That went out the window when he realized she was smiling. “You think this is funny, do you?”
She pressed her lips together as she glanced at him. “I don’t know what I think.”
“You’re smiling.”
“You are smiling,” Felix agreed. “It’s freaking me out. You should not be smiling after the scene I just witnessed. You should be getting your boyfriend to climb out the window so Dad doesn’t shoot him.”
“I’m not going out the window,” Sully shot back. “In fact, I’m not getting out of this bed. You guys interrupted a private moment. I think you should leave.”
Felix rolled his eyes. “Please. That’s not going to happen.” He switched his attention to Ofelia. “The only reason we came up here is because Dad is hungry. He wanted you to have breakfast with him.”
Ofelia didn’t believe that for a second. “That’s not why you came up here. Tell the truth.”
He blew out a sigh. “Fine. He didn’t see you come in last night. He was worried because he knew you went on some clandestine spy trip with this one.” He jerked his thumb in Sully’s direction. “He wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“And how come he didn’t knock?” Sully queried.
Felix shrugged. “I don’t think he expected to find this. Honestly, this is the last thing I expected ... at least at this juncture.” Felix worked his jaw. “You know, I’m usually the impulsive one, Fe. You’re generally the one who thinks things over, chews on them until there’s nothing left but a masticated carcass.”
“Thank you so much for that visual first thing in the morning,” Ofelia muttered as she tried to keep the sheet up with one hand and run her fingers through her hair with the other. “Is there a point to your little statement?”
“Just that if you’re suddenly going to become me, that means I have to become you ... and nobody wants that. If I’m the one left in charge of Dad, he’s going to starve to death. I think I’ve proven that this morning and I was only in charge for twenty minutes.”
She blew out a sigh. “I’ll handle his breakfast.” She shot Sully an apologetic look. “If you give us a half hour to get cleaned up, we’ll come down and I’ll feed Dad. You don’t have to bother yourself with it.”
“Great.” Felix flashed a smile. “I can’t wait to hear the breakfast conversation. It’s bound to be ... really uncomfortable, so I’ll be joining you as well.” He narrowed his eyes as he regarded Sully. “I’ll try to wrestle the gun away from Dad, but you might want to wear a cup.”
“Is your father a kicker, too?” Sully queried.
“No, but I am. There are a few things we should discuss ... from brother to whatever you are to my sister.”
“Oh, yeah?” Sully was in no mood to put up with Ofelia’s family, but he didn’t see where he had a choice. “And what things are those?”
“Your intentions toward my sister.”
Sully bobbed his head. He should’ve seen that coming. Apparently the whole family needed a relationship definition. Ah, well, he had a feeling she was worth the hassle. He snuck another look at her, enjoying the way her lips curved as her shoulders shook with silent laughter.
Yeah, she was definitely worth it.
Seventeen
Ofelia ordered delivery from a local diner. By the time she and Sully showered and dressed, the food had arr
ived. She paid, tipped the man who dropped it off, and grabbed juice and coffee for everybody before settling at the table between Felix and Sully. That meant she was directly across from her father, who was glowering.
“Stop staring at me like that,” she ordered after five minutes of glares. “I’m being serious.”
“I’m your father. It’s my right to glare when you do something stupid.”
For his part, Sully remained calm. He spread strawberry jam on his toast, bit into it, and watched the show for a few moments before speaking. “I assume I’m the ‘something stupid’ in this scenario,” he noted.
“Dude, talking right now definitely makes you stupid,” Felix warned.
Sully ignored him. He wasn’t particularly worried about Felix flying off the rails. It was obvious he loved his sister and wanted to protect her. It was also obvious he wanted her happy. Felix would suck it up and kowtow to Ofelia’s needs no matter what. That meant he would learn to accept Sully.
Oscar was a different story.
“I lean toward the ‘something stupid’ theory every time I look at you,” Oscar admitted, his eyes narrowing as he looked Sully up and down. “What’s the plan here?”
Sully refused to acknowledge Oscar’s tone. He figured the man wanted him to pick a fight so he could point and say “I told you so” to Ofelia. Rather than give Oscar what he desperately desired, Sully opted to play the long game. “Are you asking what my intentions are toward your daughter?”
“That’s exactly what I’m asking.”
“Dad.” Ofelia was exasperated as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “This is really none of your business. Zach and I are the ones who are in this relationship. We make the decisions.”
Sully was amused despite himself. “Oh, does that mean you’ve come to the realization that we are in a relationship?”
She pinned him with a dark look. “Don’t go there!”
“I’m simply curious what your intentions are toward me.” Sully found he was enjoying himself despite the fact that everyone at the table was glaring at him. “Maybe I’m feeling needy and insecure and want to know if you plan to use and abuse my affection.”
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