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As I sipped my Red Bull, I thought about the necklace—the talisman—Sanja had given me and wondered what it could do. I was excited to find out. Would it make me invisible? Look like someone else? All the crazy thoughts ran though my head on how I could kill Linden with a little magic on my side.
But first, I would have to get to him. Moon Chasers was crowded, and Beckett and I sat a small corner table. We were having a good conversation until his boyfriend Gavin showed up. I mean, I liked the guy, we’d all hung out together a lot over the past couple months, but now the two sat making googly eyes at each other and I was quickly growing bored. I vowed if Kellan came in tonight that I was going to get his digits. Ridiculous that I knew where he lived, had rocked his world twice, but didn’t have his damn cell number.
Not that I would be able to find his place again. I remembered what it looked like, but couldn’t quite remember exactly how to get there.
“Ugh, get a room, you two,” I said to the guys as they sat holding hands and staring at each other.
“Ayla, don’t be jealous,” Gavin said. “You should get you some, girl.”
I rolled my eyes and finished the last of my drink. “I have, and I will.”
As if on cue, Kellan and his two security guys walked in. The sight of him made my stomach do a little flip-flop. Our eyes met and he smiled so slightly, and I would have missed it if I hadn’t been looking for it.
I ignored my amorous tablemates and didn’t take my eyes off of Kellan. He glanced at them, then to me again, and gave me a slight nod. I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but I nodded back, hoping it meant he’d be taking me home later. The thought of another night with him sent a deep shudder through my body.
Then I remembered the little tool I had that nobody else did. “How long are we staying here before you take me home?”
His sexy lips curved into a mischievous smile as we didn’t break eye contact. “No more than an hour. I need to make sure things are on the up and up here, love.” God, his accent was so hot.
I nodded. “Good.”
It was bold of me, but he clearly loved it, because for the next hour, as he and the security team made rounds in the bar and then up to the rooftop, he seemed distracted and was unable to keep his serious countenance. It made me giddy that I could have that effect on him... that we held such a cool secret between the two of us. He was still mysterious to me, and part of me wanted to get to know more of him... all of him... and part of me didn’t want him laid bare and stripped down emotionally. Not any more than he had already been while telling me his story. The not-knowing and the mystery of who he was and where he came from was still very exciting and thrilling.
Finally, after I had downed my second drink, and the boys had taken off to go be alone, Kellan approached me with his hand out. “You ready?”
I nodded and set the glass down. “Oh yeah.”
I noticed he had the two guys with him still. I also knew we wouldn’t all fit in his flashy two-seater Porsche. I didn’t say anything, though. When we reached the back parking lot, I watched as one of the guys disarmed a shiny new black BMW SUV. He opened the back door and helped me inside. Kellan got in next to me, and then the big guy closed the door. The other man got into the front passenger seat, and without another word, the car was started and we were driving down the boulevard.
“Ayla,” Kellan said. “These are my associates Phil and Maurice.”
I bit back a smile and said, “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, ma’am,” the guy in the passenger seat, Maurice, said.
“We’ve heard a lot about you, Miss St. John,” Phil said, looking at me in the rearview mirror. Phil had a shaved head and a dark-brown goatee. His eyes were a friendly brown, and he and Maurice were both huge with biceps like cantaloupes.
“You have, have you?” I asked, lacing my fingers with Kellan’s and smiling at him.
“We sure have,” Maurice replied, his dark skin shining orange from the streetlamps. He had a clean flat-top haircut and eyes the color of chocolate.
“So are you guys vampires, too?” I asked with zero shame. Also, the vodka helped.
Maurice chuckled. “Yes, we are.” He turned around in the passenger seat and looked at me with amusement in his warm eyes. He lifted his hands in surrender. “But please don’t kill us. We’re the good guys.”
I snorted and slapped him on his extremely large and rock-hard arm. “Don’t give me a reason to and I won’t. But I am glad you have a healthy fear of me. I’m pretty badass.”
The three vampires laughed in unison.
“I have to say, though,” I started, trying not to smile, “you two are way too hot and beefy to have names like Phil and Maury. How old are you? Like, maybe you should get some cooler names.”
“Ayla,” Kellan said, a hint of a warning in his voice. But when I looked into his ridiculously handsome face, I could see he was fighting a smile.
I ignored him and looked at the driver. “Phil, you look like a Spike or maybe a Bull. And you, Maury—” I began.
“It’s Maurice, not Maury, there’s a huge difference,” he replied defensively in a deep baritone voice, shaking his head.
I waved my hand. “Regardless, you look like a Bugsy... or perhaps a Mace.”
“Enough, child,” I heard Kellan say without moving his lips.
“Bite me, K,” I said aloud, then quickly regretted my poor choice in words.
The two in the front chuckled.
“Or not,” I murmured.
“We’re here,” Phil said, turning into the large driveway. He stopped and waited for the large, wrought-iron gate to move out of the way and allow us access.
He parked the SUV into a gigantic detached garage, and after it was closed, we walked a few feet into the house.
Phil and Maurice went their separate ways once we were inside with the door locked, both disappearing down different hallways. Kellan took my hand and led me to yet another hallway and I quickly recognized it as the one that led to his room. By the time we reached it, I was glad we hadn’t run into Jeffrey. I couldn’t get the visions of him munching on lilies out of my head.
Once he’d closed the door, he locked it and faced me. I looked up into his face and without warning, he used his supernatural speed to move me around and pin me to the door. He had an unmistakable hunger in his eyes that I was sure matched my own.
“I haven’t seen you in weeks, little wolf. Why is that?” he asked against my lips.
He was making me crazy. I just wanted him to kiss me, undress me... devour me. Not ask me rhetorical questions.
“Because you never called me. I’ve been around,” I replied, breathless as I stared into his glittering blue eyes.
“I don’t think I’ve your number, love, or I would have rang you for sure,” he replied, his gaze drifting to my lips as he spoke. Then he lifted my hand to his mouth. He sniffed and then licked the inside of my wrist where my pulse was pounding wildly.
“Exactly,” I whispered back. “We’ll have to rectify that. But later. You need to get naked first.”
He laughed at my brazen demand and picked me up quickly. He then blitzed to the bed and tossed me down. My leather pants, tank top, and heeled boots were off within a blink of an eye. His black dress shirt, red tie, slacks, and expensive loafers were also off in record time.
Kellan kissed me like he was starving and I was trembling in anticipation for him to devour me. He broke the kiss and trailed his wet mouth down my chin and to my neck. When his fangs pierced the soft flesh on my neck, I shuddered uncontrollably and moaned out his name.
He wasted no time entering me, and we spent the next hour keeping the entire house awake with our breathy screams and groans of pleasure.