I WOKE UP before Isaac the next morning. I propped myself up on one elbow and watched him sleep for a while. He never looked this peaceful when he was awake, and I was afraid the revelation Michelle wasn’t dead was going to erode his control even more. I didn’t want to lose this man when I’d only found him. His breathing changed slightly, and I knew he was awake, even though he didn’t open his eyes. I splayed my fingers over his chest and lightly ran my hands down under the covers. He stubbornly stayed still. So, that’s how it was going to be…
I leaned over and drew one of his nipples into my mouth, biting down gently. He twitched but didn’t make a sound. I straddled his stomach and slid down his body, lowering myself down until my breasts were pressed into his chest. His cock twitched against me, but I still hadn’t gotten the reaction I was going for. I slid down further, suppressing a moan as his cock slipped between my thighs and slid across my wet center. I was tempted to stop there, but I kept going. I was going to make him beg. Finally, my mouth poised between his legs, I flicked my tongue out and lightly licked the entire length of him from balls to tip. A muffled groan came from further up the bed, and I smiled before plunging down and taking him into my mouth.
The groan was louder this time. I started moving up and down, faster and faster, and when he tensed in my mouth, I moved back quickly, letting his hard cock pop out. I slid my body up next to his and curled up in the crook of his arm.
He moved, and I was beneath him. His eyes were open now. “You are a devil woman,” he growled.
“Good morning, lover.”
“I’ll show you a good morning.”
“Must we?” Finn asked. Isaac froze as he was about to plunge inside of me, and we both looked over at Finn. He was lounging in a chair in the corner of the room, one leg flung over the arm and swinging freely. Isaac rolled off me, and I sat up and glared.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Don’t stop on my account,” he said. “It’s not like you’re doing anything you’ve not done with me before. You’re at the good part.”
“If you’d wanted to watch, you wouldn’t have interrupted,” I said. “So, I’ll ask again…why the fuck are you here?”
“It’s Saturday morning and Florence is trying to get a hold of you. I thought you’d want to know.”
“Why are there so many bullshitters in my life?” I asked the ceiling.
“You know I can’t lie to you, Ellie,” he said.
“I absolutely believe you’ve told me part of the truth, but that’s not the only reason you’re here. If I had to guess—and apparently I do—I’d say you came in to interrupt us. I want to know why. I want to know if you’re going to get over yourself and be able to continue as part of this group and be my friend. And lastly, I want to know if you’re going to leave soon so I can get laid.” This was untenable, but I didn’t want to end my friendship with Finn while I was naked with another man. I knew it was over; there was no coming back from this violation.
Finn’s face got colder and more distant the longer I talked. Isaac snaked an arm around my mid-section and pulled me tight into his chest. I could feel his tension, and it woke something in me. Heat flared to the surface and the skin between my shoulder blades twitched with the need to shift.
Finn didn’t say anything, but he looked like he was about to bolt. “If you disappear from this conversation without a promise to knock this shit off, don’t ever come back.”
He didn’t disappear, but he didn’t say anything either. I sighed. “Talk to me. You have been my best friend for the past six years. I value that friendship and our history and don’t want to lose it.
“I know your feelings for me go beyond friendship, but mine don’t, and I’ve never said otherwise. At this point, as much as it hurts me, I need you to know that your jealousy and inability to accept that I will never love you is seriously jeopardizing our continued friendship.”
“You’re choosing that animal over me?” Finn asked.
I growled in frustration. “I am not choosing him over you. I choose to have a romantic relationship with him. I chose not to have that with you years ago. I still wanted us to be friends.”
“How long until you get tired of him and discard him the way you’ve tossed me aside?”
“Finn, I am not discarding you. We can still be friends. You need to let go of the idea that we’ll ever be more. Are you going to walk away from years of friendship because I’ve fallen for someone else?”
“You’re in love with him?” Finn’s voice cracked.
Isaac tightened his grip on my waist. “You can read my thoughts. You know how I feel about him.”
“I suppose you’re in love with that vampire you were lusting over last night, too?”
“What does Raj have to do with anything?”
“Oh, you’re on a first name basis with him? He’s nothing more than a slaver.”
“Wait, what?” I asked, having completely lost the thread of the conversation.
“He keeps Salem and all the others as slaves, completely in thrall to his whims.”
“She was pretty happy to see him last night,” I said. “Much more so than I would be if I were being held against my will.”
“Have you ever seen a Renfield who didn’t look thrilled to see their master? The vamps force those feelings on them.”
“Actually,” Isaac interrupted. “That’s not true. Vamps can manipulate people’s actions but not their true feelings, and it’s bad form to enthrall an unwilling person. Most vampires will give the choice. Since Salem stayed in the clan after Raj took over, it means she probably wanted to.”
“Is that what’s got your panties in a bunch?” I asked. “Salem chose to stay with Raj, with whom she doesn’t have a romantic relationship, rather than escape with you? And now you think I’m choosing Isaac over you? This is all about rejection and your fragile male ego.”
Isaac pinched me lightly, but it was too late.
“You think you’ve got it all figured out? This isn’t over. You may prefer rutting with dogs over spending time with someone who could’ve given you everything you desired, but you’ll regret this. Enjoy your time with your mutt while you still can.”
I stood up on the bed and let the dragon rise close to the surface. “If you hurt Isaac or anyone I care about, I will end you. Our friendship was over the second you threatened him. You’ve already destroyed one of the men I cared about deeply, and I’ll mourn the loss of my best friend, but don’t think for a second that our history will save you. You need to leave and if I see you again, you’re the one who will have regrets.”
I released the dragon and felt the power and pain wash over me. It was pretty cramped in the small bedroom, and I didn’t want to cause too much damage, but I couldn’t help shooting flames at Finn. He disappeared a nanosecond before I scorched him, and I shifted back to my human self and collapsed on the bed. Isaac ran into the bathroom and was back a minute later with a bucket of water to douse the flames merrily burning on the chair.
“I could’ve put that out,” I said from my position on the bed.
“This works as well.” He set down the bucket and climbed onto the bed. “Are you okay?”
“No. I’ve lost my best friend.” I started crying, and Isaac held me until my sobs quieted. “I can’t lose you, too. I’ll kill him if he tries anything.”
“I’ll be okay, Princess,” Isaac said, smoothing down my hair. “I am a werewolf, after all. And as you can fight your own battles, so can I.”
“Thanks for letting me fight this one,” I sniffled.
“No problem, Eleanor. And thanks for having another fight while not wearing any clothes.”
“Jerk face.”
“Always.” He kissed me. “Wanna pick up where we left off?”
I sighed. “I probably should get a hold of Florence. We are supposed to get together to practice today.”
“So practical.”
“Well, we have the rest of our ridiculously long lives for the naked stuff, right?”
He kissed me again, and it left me aching. “Right. The rest of our lives.”
“Hey, Florence!” I called as I walked up the driveway towards her split-level. She opened the door and let me in. “Wow! This place is amazing!”
The warm wood floors were dotted with buffalo hide rugs and the furniture was draped in colorful, woven blankets. Beyond the simple western-style furnishings, it exuded an aura of welcome and home. I looked around, soaking up the interior decorating tips I wanted to remember, and then shook myself. I wasn’t interested in interior decorating.
Florence watched me shake off the last vestiges of the spell.
“A spell to relax intruders and make them let down their guard?”
She nodded. “Let’s go to the back yard.”
We spent the next few hours attempting to merge our energies. Once we were able to do that with relative ease and speed, I practiced dropping out of the weir she was building but leaving my magic pooled for her to access. The dropping out was easy; the staying alert enough to leave my magic, open a gate, and fend off any enemies was going to be harder.
By the time the sun was going down and my stomach was growling, we’d achieved mild proficiency. When Florence called a halt, I slumped on the ground, sweating and shaking. I was pleased to see that she looked as exhausted as I felt.
“Is it going to work?” I asked.
“We won’t know until we try it, but it feels good. You’ll need to come back every other day between now and the equinox so we can practice. I want to make sure you’re staying proficient with your battle magic, too. Bring your wolf next time, and he can play with us. I’m too old to fight you.”
“Too old? Ha! You could run circles around me twice before I even knew we were racing.”
“I am old enough that if I don’t want to play fight, I don’t have to. Bring your wolf.”
“You’re bowing out by signing up someone who’s got a couple hundred years on you? Slacker.” I hoped she knew I was teasing out of affection.
“I know,” she said.
“Dammit! Why are there so many fucking mind readers around?” I yelled.
“You met a vamp?” Florence asked.
“You’re not supposed to read my mind unless I’m actively projecting,” I complained.
“I wasn’t, and you are,” she said. “You’ll want to work on that if you’re going to keep spending time with psychics.”
“Well, at least I have one less in my life now.” I completely failed at not sounding bitter.
“Do you want to talk about Finn?”
I started to shake my head, but before I could even finish the gesture, the whole story came pouring out. I knew I was repeating things I’d already told her, but I couldn’t stop talking. From our first meeting, to finding out I was Fae, to the last few weeks when everything had fallen apart. “He’s a completely different person. How could someone who was comfortable sharing motel rooms with Isaac and speaking to him as a friend call him a filthy mongrel and threaten to kill him? How could he do this to me? To our friendship?”
At some point in my rant, Florence sat next to me. She put an arm around me and pulled me into her shoulder. “Child, I don’t know why he chose this path. Jealousy is an ugly emotion and can lead people to do idiotic things. He’s an old non-human. That tends to change a being’s reactions from weird, but understandable, to inexplicable. Keep an eye on your wolf and ask him, as a personal favor to you, to not wander off for the next couple weeks. I’m sure you can find a way to elicit such a promise.” Florence winked. “Speaking of your wolf, I believe he has returned for you.”
I stood up and stretched. “Thank you. I needed that.”
“I am glad I could help. Go eat something before that growling beast I hear escapes.”
I smiled and ran around the house, kissing Isaac through the open window of the vehicle before climbing in the backseat. “Any news?” I asked.
“The cops are baffled about the crime that left blood stains no lab can identify. There was one working camera across the street that captured a bit of the fight. No faces can be ID’d, but it does show someone apparently going up in flames. It shows that the fight started at our room and catches the Jeep fleeing the scene. The police believe the occupants of room 126—a black biker and his gay lover—are the victims, not the aggressors.”
I snorted. “No mention of me, then?”
“Nope.”
“I’m assuming you’re not going to go talk to the police?” I asked Isaac.
“Nope. Especially not now that I’ve misplaced my boyfriend.”
“Oh, well. I guess they’ll cold case it eventually,” I said.
The next morning, I pulled out the card Raj had given me and turned it over in my hands. I picked up the phone but then decided ten in the morning might not be the best time to reach a vamp, even one as old as Raj.
I made Isaac spar with me and then went for a run. As soon as the sun went down, I called Raj, and we arranged to meet for dinner at a steak house in two nights.
I went back to Florence’s the following afternoon and spent that day much like the first. When we wrapped up, I told her about the dinner the following night.
“Wanna come?” I asked. “You’re an integral part of this team and I need another person there to make sure I don’t succumb to his vampire wiles.”
“I can’t say I’d love to,” she replied, “but I will. I’d like to spend more time with your wolf, too, before we must spend all our time together.”
I was a nervous wreck. I kept going through my clothes, looking for something appropriate to wear. All I had were hiking and camping clothes. I hadn’t packed a single dress. Isaac watched, barely containing his amusement. “Seriously, Princess, I’m pretty sure you’ve never worried this much about what to wear for dinner before. Anyone would think you had a hot date.”
“Shut it,” I muttered. “I was all dressed up the night we went dancing.”
“Yeah, for your night out with Finn.”
“Whatever.” I put on the nicest jeans I had and grabbed a lacy bra.
“When this is over, I’m taking you out for a night on the town.”
“Deal. We don’t have to wait until it’s over, though. Let’s go out after the second gate. I’ll make Florence take me shopping so I can find something appropriate.”
I hooked the bra and pulled the cups up over my breasts. Isaac made a disappointed sound. I rolled my eyes and finished dressing. This was not a date.
I fidgeted all the way to the restaurant. Why was I letting this vamp affect me? Other than the fact that he was ridiculously hot, oozed sex appeal, and genuinely seemed helpful. I shook myself. He had obviously fucked with my mind.
“Are you okay?” Isaac asked after I shifted positions for the hundredth time.
“Yes. Maybe. Raj is throwing some sexual glamour at me, and I’m having trouble keeping my hormones in check.”
“Tell me more about these unruly hormones.” His voice had dropped a register and was wreaking all sorts of havoc.
“You’re not helping.”
“Sorry.” He wasn’t. I could tell.
“I don’t think my reaction to him was natural. I was afraid and angry, but all I could think about was naked things.”
“What kind of naked things?”
“Do you want me to tell you the things I was imagining doing with the vampire?”
Isaac parked the car. “Maybe not right now, but I wouldn’t mind hearing a bit more. Because I am incredibly selfless, I volunteer to not only listen to your fantasies but to help you act them out to see if that will purge them from your system.”
“I hope you can tell I’m rolling my eyes at you, oh generous one.”
Isaac smiled and pulled me into his body for a kiss that left me breathless. “Ready for dinner, Princess?”
We found Florence and Raj engaged in animated discussion. I watched from across the room for a moment, trying to figure out what subject could get them both that excited. They both turned at the same time, and I mentally cursed the number of psychics I’d managed to collect. Raj stood up. His suit looked painted on. I was usually more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, but the way he was rocking that formal wear made me consider adjusting my preferences. How he didn’t spontaneously combust under the force of all that hotness was a mystery for the ages.
Raj’s grin got larger as we walked towards the table, and Florence wasn’t even trying to contain her laughter. “You both suck.”
“I can think of things I’d like to suck.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. This was going to be harder than I’d thought.
“That’s what she said.”
I glared at Raj and then turned my attention back to the table. A waiter stood next to me, pen at the ready.
“Drink order,” Isaac prompted.
“A glass of the house red.”
“Very good,” the waiter replied.
“Florence, what were you guys talking about when we got here?”
“Football,” she replied.
“Are you serious?” I had never been a sports fan, but I knew enough about the game to follow it if I had to. I mostly tried to make sure I didn’t have to.
“Absolutely. Football is serious business,” Raj said. “Florence is an enthusiastic Broncos fan, whereas I am partial to the Saints.”
“You’d have to be, I suppose,” I said. “I’m surprised you don’t live in New Orleans. Isn’t that vamp central?”
He laughed. “For once, the myth is the reality. New Orleans is the seat of power in the New World. Our queen would have the heart and head of any of her subjects found to root for an inferior team.”
“If you say so.” I hoped we weren’t going to have to talk about football all evening.
The waiter returned with our drinks, and I gave myself over to studying the menu. After we’d ordered—Raj stuck with wine—I leaned back in my chair and looked at Raj.
“Tell me why you specifically, and your people in general, are against opening the gates.”
Raj held his wine up to the light and twirled the stem around in his hands. I determinedly did not think about how I’d like to pour the wine down his chest and lick it off. I reached under the table and grabbed Isaac’s hand. Someone was getting lucky tonight.
Raj smiled at me, which didn’t dampen the heat. The waiter brought appetizers and refilled our wine, and then Raj leaned forward to speak.
“The Fair Folk once hunted my people almost into extinction. Only the proliferation of iron saved us. We were forced to join with our age-old enemies in a war that almost destroyed the world. We are the reason the gates were shut, keeping the majority of your people imprisoned.”
As at Rebecca’s, his anger allowed me to see his true self: Ancient and evil.
“No, not evil, my sweet,” he said. “I am angry, but you have never encountered true evil. Ancient is a matter of opinion, and no man likes to hear that the woman he’s determined to seduce thinks he’s old.”
“So you—your people—helped close the gates?” I asked.
“Along with coalitions that are represented by our other dining companions this evening. We’re quite the gathering, are we not? By rights, I should be fighting your mate and attempting to dine on your teacher, but your presence—our enemy—brings us together.”
A surge of alarm thrilled through me before Raj waved it away. “Speaking, of course, as if we were the repository for all enmities among our respective races.”
I couldn’t leave it alone. “Are you obligated to kill me, now that I’m trying to undo what you did?”
“That is the question, isn’t it?” Raj asked, taking another sip of wine.
“There are many of us who remember what life was like before we slammed the gates. Some believe that we were short-sighted, that we should’ve destroyed the enemy instead of containing them. Some believe that the closing of the gates was directly responsible for the Industrial Revolution. What is certain, is the flow of magic into this world slowed to a trickle after. The only magic left not innate to our supernatural forms is that which escapes through leaks and temporary doors.
“I am afraid, however, that the Fair Folk, who are long-lived, might not return ready to cast away old wrongs, but instead, to take up arms again. The battles we had then were bloody, but with the weaponry currently available, a new war could destroy the world.”
“Not if technology is rendered useless,” Florence said.
“Do you think it will be?” Isaac asked.
“I do. The incidents that followed the first gate opening were likely only the beginning. We are going to mitigate the immediate effects of the magic flooding the world, but that much magic is going to short out the technology. The world is going to get big again.”
I leaned back, angry that I hadn’t followed that thought to its logical conclusion. “The planes are flying around Portland again, aren’t they?” I asked.
“They are, but my contact at the FAA told me there are more mechanical issues every day—instruments going haywire—and they no longer fly over Forest Park. The effects are creeping outward.”
“Power outages in Portland and the surrounding area are extremely common now,” Raj said. “Many of my people have missed several episodes of their favorite shows when we’ve lost electricity. It’s been upsetting.”
“What about cars?” I asked.
“Still working as far as I know,” Raj answered. “Although, driving within a twenty-mile radius of Forest Park with a newer car often results in inexplicable mechanical trouble. You may be on foot before this is over.”
The waiter delivered the main course, and we were silent until he left again.
“What can I expect? Will I continue to be hunted by you and yours?”
“You won’t be hunted by me, Your Highness. I speak only for my sphere of influence, not the entirety of the vampire population in the United States.”
“How large is your sphere of influence?” Isaac asked.
“I blush at the innuendo.”
I rolled my eyes. With all the ridiculous men in my life, it was a wonder they’d never rolled right out of my head.
“I’m in your life?” Raj asked. I looked around to see if that was out loud or in my head. By the way Isaac and Florence were looking at me, I was guessing he’d asked aloud.
“You’re in my life in as much as we’re having dinner, exchanging information, and you’ve pledged your assistance to help us tie up some loose ends about a year from now. Why don’t you answer Isaac’s question?”
“My sphere of influence isn’t as large as your Alpha’s, but it does encompass most of the Pacific Northwest. My territory is second only to the queen’s in terms of cachet and desirability. Limited sunlight, you know.”
“Does your influence over the Pacific Northwest mean that you’re like the Governor? Can you command the vamp national guard to stand down?”
“That is exactly what it means. We don’t have an official national guard, though, so my command will be more like a firm suggestion with the underlying threat of decapitation. I can directly control the members of my clan and blood line, but the other clans may choose to strike out on their own.”
“Why would they do that?”
“If the queen issues a statement regarding your capture or kill, that will override me. If someone tries to depose me, they could hope that disobeying would rack up bonus points. That would be the most likely reason a vampire from my territory would go after you. Since you’re no longer in my territory, your safety will only be assured once you return. I can’t protect you outside of my territory.”
“Do you have any mutual aid agreements with other territorial leaders?” I asked.
“Yes, and I can call them in, but it would be better for you to try to fly under the radar rather than have them ‘protecting’ you. I am a man of my word, as are most of the old ones, but sometimes, agreements can be twisted to honor the letter rather than the spirit. Vampires can be treacherous creatures. You wouldn’t want to end up locked in someone’s basement because they decided that the best way to protect you and ensure that you weren’t attacked is locking you away for eternity.”
I looked at him, sure that had been his intent.
He held up his hands. “My word of honor. I’ll observe the spirit of my agreement as well as the letter. You and yours are completely safe from me and mine. I would add to that, if I may—if it is within my power and is reasonable to do so, I’ll attempt to protect you from those who would do you harm.”
I noted that it wasn’t a strong pledge, but it was certainly more than I’d had before.
“Thank you, Raj. If you like, you may call me Eleanor.”
He smiled, and it warmed me like the sun, making me want to bask naked in its light.
“Stop it.” I added for his mind only, “I might think you’re hot and have impure thoughts, but when you start making me feel poetic, then I know you’re cheating.”
“My apologies, Eleanor,” he said. “Sometimes, when I get excited, it happens without conscious direction.” He added, “I’d love to show you exactly how excited I am.”
The waiter appeared. “Oooh, dessert!” I said.
Raj looked at me, and I swear the bastard was laughing. “You can fight if you want, but you and I are inevitable.”
I decided on the flourless chocolate torte. Isaac got the cheesecake Florence and Raj passed and resumed their football discussion. Raj kept sending vaguely pornographic images, and my mind, when not distracted by the horny vampire, was mulling the long-term implications of the magic waves.
It sounded like the flood of magic would send the world back to a pre-Industrial Revolution-era world. Not everyone was going to be happy about that. I was going to miss the internet. I wanted to go back to Rebecca’s and Google shit while I still could. I hoped we could find a way to mitigate the disasters caused by a sudden lack of working tech. Beyond the number of planes in the air at any given time, there must be tons of potentially fatal results that we should be trying to assuage.
After dessert, Raj told me that I could call him any time, and he’d be ready to help us find Michelle. We said our good-byes. He took my hand, bowed over it, and then kissed it. There was a sharp bite of pain, and I realized that he’d turned my hand over and nicked my wrist. I watched, fascinated, while he licked up a drop of blood. The wound closed up the second his mouth left my wrist.
“Delicious,” he said the moment before Isaac punched him in the face.
“My apologies,” Raj said. “I couldn’t help but take a taste. She smells so alluring. I promise it was less than a sip, and this will create no lasting tie.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s not Isaac you should apologize to. I’m the one who was an unwilling blood donor.”
“You’re right, of course. Please forgive me, Your Highness. Both for my boldness in taking blood that was not offered, and in apologizing to the incorrect person. I like to think of myself as a modern man, but every once in a while, the misogyny of the past creeps out.”
“I might forgive you eventually, but never do that again.”
“I’ll make sure to ask next time.”
“Isaac?”
Isaac was quivering in anger. I’d considered asking him to apologize for the punch, but thought that might send him over the edge. He was a big boy—if he wanted to act like a jerk and couch it as protecting “his woman” that was his business. I was feeling less romantically inclined now. I don’t have a problem asking for help when I need it, but I hate the expectation that I can’t take care of myself.
Raj smirked, bowed, and then walked off into the dark.
“Thank you for an interesting evening,” Florence said. “See you tomorrow.”
I hugged her and then got in the truck. Isaac was still seething.
“How was dinner?” Rebecca asked when we returned. Then, she saw Isaac’s face. “That good, huh?”
“Raj nicked my wrist at the end. Isaac punched him.”
“Wow!”
“It’s too bad. Raj was using sexual glamour on me throughout the meal, and I was pretty sure that was going to work in Isaac’s favor tonight. Not sure how his sulking will affect things.”
Rebecca laughed. Isaac glared. “Bedroom. Now.”
“Maybe it’ll work out after all,” Rebecca said.
Once we were in the room, Isaac slammed the door. “I can’t believe you’re being so relaxed about this. He bit you! He could’ve drained you! Enslaved you!”
“But he didn’t.” I started to take off my clothes.
“What are you doing?”
“Stripping.”
“Stop trying to change the subject.”
“We aren’t having this argument. Raj was an asshat. He apologized. I refuse to argue ‘might have beens’ with you. I am perfectly capable of defending myself. If I need help, I promise to ask, but if you treat me like someone who needs protection, that will piss me off.” I finished removing my clothes and stood in front of him naked. “Are we still arguing?”
“It’s just…with the vampire,” Isaac started.
I walked up and pulled him into my arms, not incidentally pressing my naked breasts against him. “I know, sweetheart. Nothing happened. I don’t trust Raj, but I do believe he’s interested in keeping me alive and well.”
Isaac buried his face in my neck and ran his hands down to cup my ass. I sensed—and by sensed, I mean felt against my stomach—the moment his thoughts turned from the might-have-beens to naked-woman-in-my-arms. He growled, tossed me onto the bed, and stripped faster than I would’ve believed possible.
“Tell me more about those naughty thoughts Raj was invoking.”