“Ha. We’re in,” Jaxson grins at me.
“Day drinking it is, boys and girls.”
Chapter Thirty Two
I head out back and wander out to the trees in the rear of the estate so that I can have a little bit of privacy as I try to contact Diana. One of the males had asked if I wanted him to watch my back while I was out there. I declined, but told him that I’d appreciate if he kept an ear out. It made me smile that he even offered at all. I should at least remember his name.
As I walk, I pull my hair back into a ponytail and allow some of my hair to fall in front of my eyes. I’m coloring my hair back to its normal color today. Maybe I should make it brown. I wish there was a spell to make it grow back out. I need some hair vitamins. Sigh. Rambling to myself.
I find a spot not too far away from the back of the house and I sit down, preparing myself to go through the motions of the summoning. I do everything correctly and for the second time, I get nothing. I wait again and I begin to wonder if my connection with the immortals is severed permanently or if Diana may be mad at me for allying with Zara. Their tumultuous past made Diana very upset that she was in my life and it definitely was not an accident on Zara’s part that she got to know me.
Zara had once lived with and trusted the immortals until she and Sage realized that they had to protect the people here on this plane. Killing Blake became something that she’s had to pay for every single day.
Diana lost a brother and I’m sure that stings deep when you had known him for lifetimes. I know a little about losing a sibling. Maybe Blake was a good person. I’ll never know his side of the story. They’ll never get their brother back and Zara will never get that time back with Sage. Everyone has lost something. I think that it’s time to heal.
I do the summoning correctly, three times to no avail. It’s been about forty minutes and I sense nothing. Fear begins to settle in my bones. What if something had happened? I realize how unlikely that is though. Something wouldn’t have happened to all of them. Diana is just mad about something. She’s just picking a shitty ass time to be acting like this. Our last encounter was pretty heated and she had invaded my mind without a second thought. I’m over it; she needs to be over it too.
Frustrated, I trek back to the house and find Selene still holding a conversation with Jun. Zara is in the corner speaking with the elder wolf and they both look up when I walk past. I shake my head to let Zara know that I had no luck and then I break the news to Selene. She frowns and twists her mouth in thought but doesn’t say anything further.
Not really understanding the situation, Jun gives me a warm smile and says, “Selene does interior design huh. She needs to do something with all of this space. It needs some more life in here.” She points at the plain walls and the entirely masculine air that the entire house gives off. “Then, she needs to decorate the apartment I’m purchasing. I get a couple months paid with the pack account as a show of goodwill and I want her to come with me to buy some furniture. Looks like I really am going to stay a while.”
“Great to hear. If Selene is willing, then I’m all for it. It’s been a while since she’s been able to show off her skills,” I respond, looking at Selene proudly. She made good money doing it too.
When everything went down with my family, she was already on a two week vacation so she didn’t have to worry about her clients. She would have never gone on vacation with projects to finish. If she wants to start again, that’s her decision. She knows that with me, she’ll have all the money she ever needs.
“You guys are cute,” Jun says, smiling at us. “I don’t know too many real life lesbian couples and looking at you two together, I can understand why women find other women attractive. Plus, no one can deny that you two just seem to fit.”
“It’s not just about looks. You can’t help what you feel or what type of person you’re attracted to. Selene is a great person. Her personality alone makes her easy to love,” I say.
“I can see that. You can’t fight what’s meant to be.” Jun looks down the hall, presumably where Jaxson went. “I used to think that when two werewolves felt that mate bond that it was fake or forced. It’s not like that, however. It seems to grow from whatever type of attraction you’ve already had and it tells you that this might be it, but it still lets you decide for yourself. Does that make sense?”
“As much sense as it can make. You already were attracted to men like him. It’s not going to just push you with someone who is completely not your type and then say hey, this is what fate has decided,” Selene tries to explain the way she understands.
“Yes. It’s just so heightened and begging to be explored, but I can say no to it. It’s hard to, but I’m not under a spell like I was afraid was going to happen. Plenty of people mate without ever feeling that pull.”
“Good. It gives you the chance to actually get to know each other. That’s a good thing right?” Selene asks gently.
Jun looks back again and speaks softly, “I think so. Damn, I hope so.” She stares off into space longingly. When she was sent here, I’m sure this was nothing like she’d ever imagined. She hadn’t planned on stepping into the middle of a war, to meet the man that could be her mate, to find a pack that is willing to accept her nature.
Some large cities are simply beacons for supernatural activity and ours is one of them. Because of that, shit can either really blow your mind at the possibilities or it can really hit the fan. There is plenty of power around the area and with Namen being the exception, all awakeneds seem to be civil toward each other. When the smoke clears, I wonder if they’ll still feel the same way.
“Look, I have to get to work but I plan on meeting you all at the club for those drinks. Be prepared to get wasted. Bottles are on me,” I tell them. Sure it’s daytime, sure we probably really shouldn’t do this, but I don’t care. I want to sip and dance, dance and slam a few shots. Maybe I’ll invite Damien and Tamara. Maybe I should ask Jaxson if that’s a good idea.
“In that case, I want the most expensive thing at the bar,” one of the male pack members says coming out of the kitchen.
“That’s fine too. Just come thirsty,” I tell him smiling. The tab is going to be outrageous with a bunch of werewolves but who the hell cares. I have plenty of money to spend and people around worth spending it on. This may be their last chance to enjoy something like this. They’ve lost a lot and if a few drinks will lift their spirits, then I’m down for the cause. “I just hope ya’ll like to dance, because I plan on twerking all over everyone.”
Everyone in the room laughs at my joke.
“Hey Jax! Come out here will you!” The other man calls.
“Hold up Ethan!” Jaxson calls back from down the hall. A couple minutes later, he comes around the corner carrying some hair clippers and a towel. “Somebody come cut my hair for me. I’m done with this mohawk.”
“Aww, but you look so cute with it,” Jun whines.
He smiles but still gives her a look. “And now I’ll look cute with a haircut.”
“I’ll do it,” the oldest wolf, Caleb says.
“Ah, but before you do, there’s something I want to ask you about,” I say to Jaxson.
He looks around the room and then back to me. “Is this something you need to ask me in private?”
“Um, not really. I just wanted to know how you felt about me inviting D and Tamara to come out to drink with us at the wolf club. If that’s too much, we can go somewhere else.”
Jaxson rubs his chin and the small goatee he’s sporting. “If you want to invite your friends, maybe we should go somewhere else. I don’t want the other people there being even more uncomfortable with humans in their midst. Not yet at least. Some are still deciding what they’re going to do.”
“I can accept that,” I tell him. No one speaks up to disagree and I do understand where he’s coming from. “There are plenty of other places to choose from.”
“I know a place where we can still have a pretty good time and b
e ourselves for the most part,” Zara says.
We all turn to her.
“It’s called Rebel and as long as you have the password they don’t care who you are, they’ll let you in.” She raises an eyebrow at us. “Or, are you afraid it’s going to be some sleezy vamp whorehouse?”
“Oh no. I’m just imagining all the fun we’re going to have,” Jaxson says, grinning. He’s looking more forward to this than he was letting on.
Zara pulls out her phone and texts with the speed of a rocket. A few seconds later, a ping comes in.
“So, what’s the password?”
“Suicide.”
“What the hell kind of password is that?”
“They name their passwords after the signature drink of the day. There’s nothing sinister going on here. It’s a bar that has a lot of supernaturals that come in, but the human crowd is bigger. The humans don’t know that they are partying with us, and the supers just like to be around humans so that they feel like they belong somewhere,” Zara explains.
“That sounds good enough for me. Let’s all meet there around three. Zara, what’s the address?” Selene asks.
Zara rattles off the address and a few directions before taking her own leave. It seems that her arm is pretty much healed or at the very least her mobility has returned. The wonders of being a vampire.
“Well, I’ve got to go,” I say as I text Damien. “But, I can’t wait to do this,” I say excitedly. Selene smiles and puts a hand on my shoulder. “See you in a bit.”
There’s a chorus of byes as we head out the door. I mentally try on clothes for the office and then move on to an outfit for the bar. Going more places means that I can wear more things. Wearing more things means that I can shop for even more things. Yay! Selene watches my stupid grin paint my face but doesn’t ask. She can’t really understand my shopping addiction.
◊◊◊
After dropping Selene off, getting dressed, and heading to the office for an appearance, I try to spend my time getting to know my way around the place and the names of employees. I may not have gone to business school, but I did grow up learning the etiquette of being a great boss as well as how to deal with a certain type of business person.
I paid attention to the lessons that I was taught and I also listened in when my dad and Damien were talking about important business stuff while I sat by the door and pretended to do homework. Forget the homework; I passed all of my tests anyway. Right now, I just need to know enough to keep them in their place and for me to make sure nothing like what happened with my dad happens again with Namen around.
I ask questions and am legitimately interested in how things have been flowing. There’s a lot that I have to learn but there seems to be a great team of people here that know just what they’re doing. A well oiled machine, this is. My father built this.
But, he had help. He knew that he needed a strong group of like-minded individuals by his side. I’m not so different. I have help too. I have a team that is down to ride until the very end. Loyalty is everything. Without loyalty, my father’s empire would’ve crumbled long ago. Without loyalty, I won’t even come close to winning. Namen’s followers seem to be very loyal to him. Maybe it’s fear. People often mistake the two when it comes to their motivations.
Damien agreed to come with us to the bar and said that he’d have to ask Tamara when she got out of her meeting. Our company bought hers, but she still gets to remain in leadership. She had to make a few financial and branding changes, but for the most part, her company has stayed the same. I’ll have to look into where we can expand next.
On the way home, I spot a hair salon and decide that now’s the time to get this hair colored back to my dark locks. When it’s all said and done, I end up with some wavy clip-ins that give me back some of my original length. It didn’t take long to complete once I flashed them a promise of a hundred dollar tip if I could do a walk in appointment. It also helped that I promised to pay for the lady who had the actual appointment too. She was grateful and in no big hurry.
I eye my hair in the mirror, styled and looking sexy, then head out with a new attitude. Long hair, don’t care, bitches. I slide in the car and send Selene a selfie. Man, when’s the last time that I did that? What a wonderfully normal feeling.
As I’m driving home, I slow down to stop at the light and glance to see that Selene’s sent me lots of heart emojis and kissy faces. I send her some back and tell her omw so that she knows I’m headed straight to the house.
K, is her response as I set the phone down and focus on the road.
Looking into my rearview, I notice that a police officer is following closely behind me. I check my speedometer to find that I’m comfortably driving the speed limit. I keep checking the rearview and the car keeps getting closer. There are plenty of other cars on the road and I merge carefully in the right lane as I get closer to the exit for the interstate. The officer begins to get over as well, but suddenly veers back in the original lane and keeps going.
That was suspect. They better not be trying to mess with me because of Namen. They’ll soon be in for a rude awakening. Forget about the police chief, I want that detective that questioned me. He’s going to get it first. Maybe I’ll still have Zara glamour the chief while Jun kidnaps the detective. Then, we’ll all meet at the mayor’s house for the party. That sounds even more promising. We’ll talk about it later. I almost forgot to tell the hacker that we’re not doing this tonight.
Once I hit the interstate, I speed home and pull into my garage. I allow myself a couple minutes to feel any intent that may be harmful. When I sense none, I get out of the car and walk inside. Selene is asleep in the bedroom and I lie behind her, pulling her into me. She fell asleep pretty fast. My baby’s worn out and I don’t blame her. Still, she is ready to do the next crazy thing with me with no complaint. She is the best.
There’s about thirty minutes left to get to the bar and I’m almost willing to let Selene just stay home. She wouldn’t be happy about it so I shake her gently. “Hey you, if you want to still come, you have to get up.”
“Okay. I’m getting up,” she mumbles.
“I’m sorry I’m so impulsive. I know you need sleep,” I tell her remorsefully.
“I’m okay really, Rayne,” she says stretching and yawning. “I want to have a little fun with you too.”
“It’ll be just like old times.”
“But, this time, you don’t have to worry about trying to get on with me with any weak lines,” Selene jokes as she combs her hair and pulls in into a ponytail.
“My weak lines got you, didn’t they?”
“Nope, it was the money. I plan to drain you dry,” she retorts.
“Ha. Good luck with that. You’re in this too deep now.”
“I’m a good actor. When I’m finished, I’ll write a tell-all and get it made into a movie.”
“You’re cold blooded, you know that,” I say, crossing my arms at her and pouting like I’m really hurt by her fake revelation. “You won’t get a dime from me, you hear.”
“Too late, I’ve already transferred all the money into my accounts and my real lover is waiting for me somewhere on a beach,” Selene looks at me through the mirror with an all too straight face. She should be a poker champ.
“I will haunt the shit out of you,” I warn her as I throw a shirt at her.
“Haunt?”
“Yeah, because the only way you’re getting rid of me is if I die.”
“Now you sound crazy,” she smiles.
“Oh, but I am. My ghost head will be popping up at all the wrong times.”
“Stop it,” she laughs imagining it.
“You started it you asshole.”
“As if I could ever do you that way.”
I dig through the closet to find some booty hugging joggers and a belly shirt. Then, I put on some black sandals and spray on a little perfume.
“Damn,” Selene says, looking at me through the mirror as I emerge.
&n
bsp; “What?” I inquire smirking. Even though I already know the answer, I still love to hear it.
“Can I have your number?” she asks, licking her lips.
I spin around so that she can get a good look. “As if you could handle this.”
“Baby, there’s nothing about you I can’t handle,” she says, voice low, sincere. With a flick of her hand, my temperature rises just a little bit, her magic caressing me lovingly. We smile at each other as she gets up and closes the distance between us.
Hands wrapped around my waist, she kisses my neck, chin, and cheek. “I love you, Selene. I’m glad that you still look at me that way.”
“Kiss me,” she demands.
I waste no time crushing her lips against mine. Scooping me up so that my legs wrap around her waist, her soft hands caress my lower back and ass. I deepen the kiss as heat arches between us. Her green eyes are alight with power and dominance. I delight in the feel of her strength.
Her power balances out my own until I feel a surge of calm, of clarity, of truth. This is how it’s meant to be. She’s my kite string, my peace. It’s like my power recognizes it in certainty for the first time and my tattoo glows so bright that it nearly burns. White hot energy rushes through all of my synapses as I gasp as my awareness of her becomes like a magnifying glass.
I need Selene more than I ever have and I won’t be denied it for anything. I motion for her to put me down. The second my feet touch the floor, I rip her shirt from her body. She gasps in surprise, but my lips collide with hers once again. She unbuttons her own pants as I unsnap her bra. The panties, I rip away too. I know that she’s probably going to be mad about it later, but I don’t care. I’m going to take her, mark her, and love her harder than I ever have before.
“What about… the bar?” she asks, voice raspy with passion. My hands are all over her, touching wherever I feel skin. I breathe her in. Her sweet natural smell driving me even more wild.
“Fuck them. They can wait,” I say as I nip her neck, licking and tasting the sensitive flesh. I push her to the bed and plan my seduction. My eyes are hooded with desire and she meets my gaze with her own lust-filled one.
Killer Rayne Page 22