by Reus, Katie
She nearly jumped, but pulled her earbuds out. “Hey, you scared me.”
“My apologies,” he said in that formal way of his. He had the faintest hint of an accent that could maybe be linked to modern Russia. Or…what would have been considered Russia before three weeks ago.
She wasn’t actually sure how he’d learned English but he and his brothers seemed to know it and a few other languages. From what she’d gleaned they were old—ancient, really. As in, they’d gone into Hibernation so long ago she couldn’t even wrap her mind around it. They didn’t know much about modern history—as in the last thousand years—at all.
“What is wrong?” he continued.
She didn’t move from her position as he sat on the chaise next to her. It was one of those oversized ones that could fit two people. “Nothing. Just tired.”
“I can scent your lie and your sadness.” He nudged her hip with his big hand—a hand she’d had fantasies about.
Well, not his right one in particular, but both giant callused hands. And his mouth. And…other things. He and his brothers hadn’t been living with her and her brothers long, but her crush had developed pretty damn quickly. It was impossible not to like him. He was just so…adorable. To be fair, all of them were, but Mikael was different. Sweet. Always doing little things for her without telling her.
Like, she’d noticed that he sometimes folded her laundry when she left it in the dryer too long. Or he made sure she had a fresh cup of coffee every morning doctored exactly the way she liked it before they all headed to work. And all his kindness didn’t take away from the fact that the male was a walking, talking weapon. She absolutely understood that he was dangerous.
Just not to her.
She scooted over and he stretched out next to her, all long, thick, muscular legs and a spicy, woodsy scent she wanted to bathe in. He tossed the blanket over them, because he was always thoughtful like that.
“I’m just…feeling overwhelmed, I guess. Working on this new housing for King has been keeping me busy, but it’s hard to shut my brain off. Hard to process how many people around the world died so suddenly. Some days I’ll force myself to not think about it, but others…it’s just a lot sometimes.”
“That makes sense. We all need time to process things. And the loss to the world was abrupt and violent. If you are not used to violence, it will be harder to adjust.”
“Did you…see a lot of violence? Before you went to sleep?” She knew he must have, but asked anyway.
“I did.” He leaned his head toward hers so that his was sort of right over hers as he curled his body against her ever so subtly, giving her some of his wonderful warmth.
She breathed deeply, taking him in, glad he was here right now. Her brothers and Mikael’s brothers were out for the night. She hadn’t felt like going anywhere or seeing anyone. “Want to expand on that?” There was so much she didn’t know about him and she was curious.
He was silent for so long she didn’t think he was going to respond. That was okay. The fact that he was here was good enough for her. “I saw a lot of war. Death. Caused it too. I don’t wish to talk about it though.”
“I understand.” Maybe not the war stuff, but she understood not wanting to talk.
“I’m sorry for your pain,” he said quietly.
She tugged the soft navy blue blanket she’d had for years up higher and curled into him. “You’re warm,” she murmured. And he made her feel waaaaay too many things.
“I am a dragon.”
She laughed lightly, her breath curling out in little wisps of white smoke. “So you’re always hot?”
“Yes.”
She nearly sighed. Yes, yes he was. The hottest male she knew. The fact that he didn’t seem to realize it made him that much more attractive.
“What were you listening to on your music machine?”
She snorted. “It’s an iPod. Or you can call it an mp3 player.” Though music machine made her giggle and she vowed to call it that from now on. “And I was listening to The Cranberries. They’re sort of my go-to for anything when I’m…in a mood. Any mood at all.” Happy or sad, didn’t matter.
“Can I hear them?”
“Yeah.” She handed him one of the earbuds. “Dolores O’Riordan was the singer. Her voice is…simply beautiful.” Hauntingly.
“Was the lead singer?” he asked as he slipped it into his ear.
“She died a couple years ago. The world lost an incredible artist that day. I like to think she’s living in a multiverse though, still singing her heart out.”
He paused for a moment. “What is a multiverse?”
“I don’t even know if it’s real. It’s just a theory about how there are other universes that exist parallel to ours and different versions of ourselves are out there living their lives just like we are. I figure if dragons and other supernatural beings exist and our whole world has been changed so dramatically, multiverses exist too.”
“Then I hope she is in one too.”
Avery smiled slightly and pressed play, looking up at him now instead of the blanket of stars scattered across the sky. She wanted to watch his expression, hoped he enjoyed O’Riordan’s voice as much as she did.
Mikael wasn’t wildly expressive—at least he wasn’t normally—but she could see the shift in him, the way his smoky gray eyes lit up as he listened to her lilting, distinctive voice. Eventually she laid her head on his chest as they both listened to the full album.
When his arm curved tighter around her, she savored the sensation of feeling safe and protected. Savored him. This male who she shouldn’t want because she knew there were no happy endings.
But that knowledge did nothing to douse her growing feelings for this ancient dragon who had awakened something inside her she didn’t even know existed.
Chapter 7
“I think my brothers are avoiding me,” Avery said as she and Mikael stepped into the foyer. It had been a long day and she was beyond exhausted. And she couldn’t find one of her favorite hair clips, a sparkly dark blue claw she liked to pull her hair back in after her shower. None of the males in the house had taken it, so she hadn’t bothered asking them. And it had nothing to do with her brothers at all except she was feeling annoyed right now.
“Why do you say that?” He locked the door behind them.
“I don’t know, they’re being weird.”
“So are my brothers. Maybe it is a younger sibling thing.”
She laughed lightly because both sets of their brothers had disappeared after work tonight, acting all cagey. If they wanted to go hook up with people…who cared? She just hoped they weren’t getting into trouble. “Hey, want to go out tonight? I’m tired but I could have a couple drinks and unwind.” For some reason she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts, didn’t want to think too much on…anything.
“Of course.”
“Okay, I want to shower first.” She was covered in a fine layer of dust.
He simply nodded and she hurried up the stairs.
She was so thankful that the city had running water and electricity. She might like getting all sweaty and putting in a hard, physical day’s work, but she absolutely loved running water, thank you very much.
She actually put on a little makeup that she hadn’t used in months—it wasn’t like she could go to the store and buy any more right now—and slipped on a dress that made her feel sexy, feminine. Not like the boss of over fifty men—mostly—who viewed her as one of the guys. Which was good, but still, she needed to feel feminine tonight. Needed to feel alive, sexy.
More than she’d realized until that moment as she put her mascara wand back into the tube. Because right now too many emotions swirled inside her, as riotous as a hurricane. She knew it had everything to do with her father showing up and the stupid feelings she ignored whenever she was around Mikael. Which was often now. Going out with him alone was probably stupid but she was feeling reckless enough not to care. And he was the sole reason she’d dres
sed up—put on makeup. Yeah, apparently she was vain enough to want to look nice for him. Ugh. What was wrong with her?
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Mikael appeared out of nowhere, as always, a freaking ghost. God, he looked so damn sexy in jeans and a gray T-shirt that molded to every delicious muscle. She bit back a groan. How was he so effortlessly sexy? His hair was still damp and she guaranteed he’d put absolutely no thought into what he was wearing. He’d just taken a shower and tossed on clothes and now looked like a walking, talking wet dream.
His eyes widened slightly when he saw her, that smoky gray sweeping over her from head to foot and then back up again.
“What?” She fought the heat spreading across her cheeks. “It’s not that cold out.” The weather was in the weird in-between stage where it got chilly-ish at night but into the eighties in the day. And screw it, she didn’t care if it was chilly out, she was showing some leg tonight, hence the blue summer dress with light gray polka dots. It pulled in at her waist, had little flutter sleeves, and while it had give in the material, it hugged the rest of her as well. She loved the way it made her feel.
He made a sort of coughing sound, his eyes pinned to hers. “You look…stunning.”
“Oh,” she murmured. She cleared her throat again as butterflies danced inside her. “Thank you.” The dress was definitely better than her jeans and flannel work shirts. “I don’t really have a chance to dress up anymore, obviously, so I figured why not tonight.” She was such a liar! She’d dressed up for him and now that he’d noticed…what did she even want to happen?
He made a sort of rumbling sound as he opened the door. He stepped outside in front of her, something she’d discovered shifters simply did out of habit. Especially those of the warrior class; they entered rooms before anyone they saw as more fragile than themselves. And Mikael was so overprotective of her and her brothers. He always went into any room first to ascertain danger. Not that she was expecting any on her front porch. But she appreciated the thought. He had this way of making her feel so damn safe and protected all the time.
Inhaling, she savored the fresh air as they stepped outside, could smell just a hint of rain on the air and was glad for it. Even if it might slow down their job a couple days, they needed the rain. “Riel texted me that he’s going to be late tonight. I think he’s hanging out with Axel, something I’m not so sure about.”
Mikael’s gaze skimmed over her again before he scanned the neighborhood in that intense way of his. When he looked at her like that, his expression so damn unreadable, she had no idea what to make of it. “The lion is no good, I told you.”
She nudged him with her hip as they headed down the sidewalk. They hadn’t discussed where they were going, but there was a local bar close enough to walk to. They rarely drove anywhere anymore; living and working within a small radius made the most sense for everyone. At least in New Orleans. She hadn’t heard much about what was going on in the rest of the world except for a few cities. The news and internet were spotty here—everywhere, she’d heard—and they didn’t get things as quickly as they had before. She knew that King was in touch with Alphas all over the world, and really, she was trying not to worry about any of that since their territory was functioning.
“I don’t understand why you and Axel don’t get along. He’s so sweet, if a little mischievous.”
Mikael mumbled something under his breath, his face doing that cute scrunchy thing he did if anyone even brought up “the lion.”
Which she could admit she liked. Because she liked everything about the sexy male. Tall, dark and brooding. That was Mikael. His eyes were what had first drawn her in. The smoky gray was mesmerizing—and so were his broad shoulders and ripped body. She’d seen him without a shirt on a couple times since they lived together and holy hell, the gods had been created after him, no doubt.
“Have you heard from your…ah, sperm donor?” he asked cautiously as they reached a four-way stop.
Under other circumstances she might have giggled at him using the term sperm donor. It sounded strange coming from him, especially when he often spoke semiformally. “No. He doesn’t have my cell phone number anyway. I don’t actually know how he found out where I live, though I imagine it’s not that hard.”
“If you need me to do anything about him, just let me know.”
“Well you’re not going to kill him, if that’s what you’re saying.” They’d never really discussed what he’d said last night about killing her father, and there was so much about Mikael and his brothers she didn’t know.
She obviously trusted them since she was living with them, but still, he was from a completely different era. Like thousands of years ago. Not to mention a different culture entirely. Hell, species. He’d literally offered to kill her father like it was no big deal.
She knew he’d fought in a bunch of wars too. The concept was so foreign to her. It was hard to wrap her mind around him and his brothers battling with swords—or dragon fire, probably. She’d tried asking him about his previous life once but he’d shut down quickly so she hadn’t pushed. She understood the need for privacy, the need to keep some things to yourself. Even if she did wish he would open up to her some.
“I will do anything you ask of me,” Mikael said quietly as they reached the neighborhood dive bar. He placed his hand on the small of her back, something she liked.
“You’re a really good friend, Mikael,” she murmured as he opened the door and a cacophony of noise greeted them. Too bad he was just a friend.
Inside was busy, as normal. The red walls had always seemed garish to her, but they were growing on her a little. Three guitars were on the back wall, signed by some famous Irish musicians. There was a bit of exposed brick on three of the four walls, and little round-top tables that fit four people max and took up the majority of the bar. Little twinkle lights lit up the undercarriage of the bar top and behind it, intertwined with all the bottles. One thing that hadn’t changed since The Fall—still no smoking inside. Something she was grateful for. Still, it smelled like beer, too many people, and perfumes. She’d been coming here since college and something about this place was comforting to her.
They’d taken three steps when Avery’s gaze landed on her.
Oh my God. All the breath sucked from Avery’s lungs. She hadn’t seen Lindsey in six years.
Mikael shifted his body in front of hers in a subtle, quick motion. “What’s wrong?”
She clutched his forearm, digging her nails in. “Her. She is here. The woman my father…” She couldn’t finish. She tried to tear her gaze away from Lindsey Baird, the woman who she’d once lived with, once thought was her friend, until she’d stabbed Avery in the back in the worst kind of betrayal possible. The one who had apparently left her father, if he was to be believed.
“The one you told me about yesterday?” he asked quietly, his gaze trailing across the bar.
She took a step back, wanting to leave right now.
Just then Lindsey turned and looked at her, her lips a shiny ruby red, her blonde hair soft and perfect, falling around her shoulders and breasts like she was a freaking model. She looked paler than Avery remembered but it looked good on her, like she was a porcelain doll or something.
“Let’s grab a drink,” she gritted out to Mikael, looking away from Lindsey. Because she wasn’t going to let that woman drive her out of a place she liked. Now that she’d actually seen Avery, she couldn’t leave on principle.
As they moved to the bar, she barely blinked and Lindsey was right next to her and Mikael, smiling widely at her. What the hell? How had she moved so fast?
Oh no. A sinking sensation filled her gut as she realized…Lindsey looked different. She’d always been beautiful, no way to deny that. She was like a modern Marilyn Monroe. But oh God, she had to be a vampire. It was the only thing that Avery could guess, and she knew a decent amount about supernaturals at this point. She’d known about them before The Fall. You didn’t grow up in New Orleans a
nd not know that the things that went bump in the night existed. And Lindsey looked even more beautiful than she remembered.
“Avery,” she drawled, stroking her long fingers against the delicate necklace around her neck. It had a single emerald pendant.
It had been Avery’s mother’s—her father had told her it belonged to him, had refused to give it to Avery. And since it hadn’t been specified in her mother’s will, she hadn’t been able to fight him. Lindsey might as well have slid a stiletto through her ribs. Seeing the necklace around Lindsey’s neck… It was just one more betrayal, one more stab in the back.
“I have nothing to say to you.” She’d started to turn away from her when Lindsey looked Mikael up and down, actually licking her bottom lip.
“What have we here?” She reached out a hand as if to actually stroke Mikael’s chest but he slapped her hand away.
Lindsey’s grin grew even wider. “Is this your idea of foreplay?”
“Oh my God,” Avery muttered and looked at Mikael. This was pathetic. “You know what I like. Order for me while I run to the restroom?”
He simply nodded, but his gaze was pinned firmly on Lindsey.
It was a strange look, one she wasn’t sure how to decipher. All Avery knew was that her stomach muscles pulled taut as she walked away, a brittle tension settling in her shoulders. She didn’t like feeling like a coward, that she was running away, but she needed some breathing room to process the fact that Lindsey was here in the flesh. And seemed to be a vampire—which was terrifying on another level. She didn’t think Lindsey would hurt her or anything, but she’d also never thought the woman would screw her father. So.
In the bathroom she turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her cheeks, the chill grounding her a bit. Seeing that woman was a jolt to her senses. She’d moved in a way that was far too fluid, too quick to be just a human.
Once Avery felt more in control of herself, she stepped out into the little hallway, only to be inundated by the noises of the bar once again. A man stumbled past her, heading for the bathroom door. As she headed down the hallway, it sounded even louder than before. It probably was. This was around the time people were getting off work, and especially after The Fall, people needed to unwind more than ever.