“My tongue swore, but my mind’s unsworn.” ~ Euripides
In Xen’s absence, ideas and misconceptions swirled around Carissa’s mind. Time seemed lethargic as she sat there. He’d been gone for over thirty minutes. Irritated, she narrowed her eyes at the door and folded her arms across her chest.
Why couldn’t he have told her about Phi Technologies and his involvement—or, correction—ownership? Because you didn’t ask him, you dimwit. The voice in her head spoke the truth, but she flicked it the Greek version of the bird—five fingers.
The empty glass in her hand needed refilling. Taking the initiative to find the kitchen, she walked out of the living room and down a corridor, past the room that held Xen captive in discussion with Kane. Light spilled out onto the corridor ahead. Her feet stopped, her mouth falling open at the sight of the kitchen.
“Now this is a kitchen,” she said to the expansive space. She traipsed over to the breakfast bar and ran a hand over the smooth marble. “This is definitely a cook’s orgasm.”
She breathed before strolling over to the kitchen sink. Large double windows looked out over an illuminated backyard. To her right, a floor-to-ceiling glass door led out to a manicured garden. She caught sight of movement beyond the trees. Doing a double take, her eyes zeroed in on something running towards the glass door. A loud grunt sounded from outside just before the door came smashing down. A scream ripped from her throat. The glass fell from her hands onto the marble floor. Shards flew and imbedded themselves into her toes.
Strong, muscled arms banded around her body as she met with the hard floor. Heavy weight pushed down on her as she gasped for air. Furniture crashed against the marble floor, the sound ringing in her ears, but what made her body shake was the unmistakable clash of metal against metal.
A loud growl reached her ears, followed by a swish through the air.
Silence.
Her brain slowly unfroze, recognizing that the weight belonged to Xen—positioned perfectly on top of her and shielding her from danger.
“Are you okay, koukla?” came his smooth, velvety voice against her ear.
She slowly found hers. “Yes,” she said, her reply breathy.
“Are you hurt?”
She didn’t have a chance to answer. Kane walked through the door that was now a shattered opening.
Gods, what happened?
“We have a problem, Xen. We’ll need to get out of here pronto. We’ve eliminated four demons but my guess is we can expect saturation shortly. We need to move.”
Carissa wriggled to get Xen’s attention. He hadn’t moved and it didn’t feel like he had any intention to, despite Kane’s revelation. If he didn’t move soon her body would explode with desire from the contact. Already she crackled and sizzled beneath him, desire awoken as never before. She cleared her throat.
“Sorry, koukla.” He got up and held out his hand to help her up.
Thank goodness her face was flushed from exertion. Otherwise, he would have noticed her embarrassment from their horizontal connection. He pulled her up as if she weighed nothing. Wonder what he looks like naked? Bet he’s glorious. Oh stop, stupid brain!
She caught Xen’s smirk and her brain backpedaled to what Kane had said.
“What does he mean by demons?”
She winced from the small cuts on the top of her feet.
“You’re hurt and bleeding.” Concern laced his words.
“I’m okay. It’s just a little blood.”
“It’s not okay.” His nostrils flared.
Kane moved around the kitchen quickly. “We need to clean you up, Carissa.”
He walked over to her with an armful of first-aid items. “I’ve got this, Xen. Go get the men ready.”
Xen backed out of the kitchen with his eyes on her and a tortured look on his face.
“Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. Blood does funny things to him.”
Kane worked quickly, pulling the shards of glass from her feet.
The antiseptic stung as he sealed the cuts with adhesive bandages.
“Good as new.” He stood to face her, sealing the swabs he’d used in a ziplock bag in his hands.
“Thank you, Kane. I could have managed it myself, you know.”
“We need to move.”
Xen appeared at the door. “We’re ready.”
Carissa caught the look Xen gave Kane, a silent communication, one that aggravated her. Anger sped through her body, heating it and making her heart pound.
“Xen, you need to explain what the hell is going on.” She clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to curb her rising fury.
“Hell has a lot to do with it.”
“This is crazy, and I’m deranged for even thinking I’d get a straight answer out of you. You’ve avoided the topic of what happened at Jostlers every time I’ve asked. And here I stand, bloodied feet and clueless.” She crossed her arms, silently praying he’d acknowledge her irritation. “I want to go back to my aunt’s house—now.”
“I promise all answers will be granted to you, but first, relocation for your safety is of the essence.” Urgency wove into his voice.
“No, I leave now.” She tried to push past Xen—who was a wall in front of her.
Kane moved, blocking her retreat. “No can do. These things are targeting you as much as they are targeting Xen. You’ve been seen with him, there’s no going back now. You’re in the thick of it whether you like it or not. We have to move and you’re moving with us!”
Her eyes widened at Kane’s firm voice and she snapped her gaze to his. “I can’t ... I can’t be a target. I have to get back to my aunt, she’ll be worried. Trust me when I tell you, she’s quite a spitfire.” She dropped her arms to her sides.
“You go back, koukla, and you’ll be putting her in danger too,” Xen added.
The scene at the charity event replayed slowly in her head as logic kicked in. She’d fired her gun and the target had failed to go down. How could she protect herself or those she loved if her gun failed to stop the attackers? She would have died tonight if Xen hadn’t been there. Kane was right. I really need one of those swords.
Comprehension slammed into her rattled mind. Her chances were better with Xen, and risking her aunt’s safety would be foolish. The problem would be telling her aunt what had happened. She’d sound like a loon. Aunt Paula would never buy that philanthropic Xen Lyson was really a slayer.
“Okay, I get it. We need cover, but I want answers as soon as we are secured.” Her fingers itched to grab the lapels of his suit and shake him. “Convincing my aunt that nothing’s going on will be difficult. She’ll sniff you out in seconds. We need something conceivable—like helping you uncover some fraud.”
“You have my word, Carissa. It will be believable.” He reached out, captured her hand, and bought it to his lips, then clasped that tenderly kissed hand in his and proceeded towards the front door.
She let the breath she had been holding go. “Where are we headed?”
“To safety.”
“You really don’t answer in long sentences, do you?”
Kane let out a laugh, then stifled it quickly when Xen turned with a raised eyebrow.
Xen led her outside to one of the waiting SUVs. A team of men dressed in black gear resembling a SWAT team dispersed to different vehicles. His security team, or whatever they were, acted with the speed of light.
“Wait! My shoes,” she yelled when her foot landed into what appeared to be water.
“You won’t need them.” In one swift movement, he had her in his arms. A squeal almost escaped her lips. Her nostrils scented his masculinity. Without thinking, she took a deep breath. Her heart sped up.
“Put me down,” she insisted, trying to break the spell she was under.
“Your feet are cut. I won’t have you walking barefoot.”
“If you’d let me get my shoes, I’d have something to walk in.”
“Not happening, koukla.” In a few short strides he was at the SUV and placing her in the back seat.
“Nice dress.” A man sitting in the front seat waggled his eyebrows.
Carissa rolled her eyes and Xen growled. Kane thumped the man hard in the left arm as he slid into the driver’s seat.
“Carissa, this is Adam.”
“Pleasure,” he said and winked.
Xen growled again and Kane took one hand off the steering wheel to jab Adam again.
She would have laughed, but she wanted an explanation for all the weird things happening around her.
Kane started the car and they were moving. Surely Xen could brief her a little, bring her up to speed as to which gang or group seemed the likely threat. “Xen, I want you to explain, and the best place to start would be at the warehouse where this damn nightmare began.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for him to answer, to hear his deep voice spell out the truth of the situation. Her eyes darted open at the heavy silence in the car. Turning her head, she zeroed in on Xen. He sat with his lips pressed tightly together. He pinched the bridge of this nose and closed his eyes.
“Xen,” she said softly. Maybe she’d crossed some invisible line. Maybe it is all a crazy dream and I’ve really lost the plot.
Then he spoke. “Carissa, there is no easy way to explain without sounding ridiculous or far-fetched. None of what I tell you will sound like the truth.” He turned in the seat. His eyes met hers. “I need you to trust me. Be open-minded, because what you hear tonight will change everything about the world as you know it.” He shifted his body in the car so that his hands cupped her cheeks. “I need your trust, koukla.”
“From where I’m sitting, it’s a little hard to trust someone you’ve just met, someone who has yet to tell me anything significant.” She lifted her hand and placed it over his. “Trust has to be earned before it’s given.” She dropped her hand and he did too. As she faced forward, she caught Kane and Adam looking at each other.
“Alright. I’ll take what limited faith you can offer.”
Xen picked up on Kane’s and Adam’s thoughts—they approved of Carissa. It pleased him because something deep within him wanted to keep her for as long as the gods would allow, but these thoughts would have to wait. Now his most vexing problem would be to convince her of their co-existence. His words would either make her run screaming or pique her curiosity so that she could learn more about his world and the unearthly creatures roaming the night.
How did one broach this topic without her thinking him a liar? No, he did not want that. He wanted to establish closer ties. Carissa wanted the truth and answers, so he’d give her the short version. Judging by her acceptance, he would proceed to fill in the gaps later.
He cleared his throat.
“There is no easy way to tell you this, but the most important fact is that we are on the side of good. We do not harm innocent people.” He hoped that would soften the blow.
“Okay, so you and Kane are the good guys.”
“And me!” piped up Adam.
“Correct.” Xen said, frowning at Adam’s intrusion.
“The night of the attack at Jostlers, the things you saw but don’t clearly recall—and don’t see clearly now—are Kakodaimones or demons.” He turned, watching for any reaction. He reached out with his vampiric telepathy and found her guard down.
Great. That straightjacket will look better on him than me. Demons—is he kidding?
“I don’t kid.” He grimaced.
Surprise laced her features. “How did you ... oh, never mind.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Why is my recollection obscured?”
He took a sharp inhalation of breath. How to answer this without sounding like a fraud? Maybe hard and fast would be better. “Because I used hypnosi on you so that you’d forget what you had seen, but your will was too strong. I couldn’t completely harness a section of your memories to alter them. You pushed me out, rendering me incapable of completely erasing your memory of the skirmish.” He shifted in his seat, expecting an onslaught from Carissa.
“I thought I was out of my mind, but I knew you’d done something hypnotic. I thought you guys were drug lords or part of some mafia organization. I thought ...”
Xen held up a hand to stop her onslaught of assumptions as to the Phi’s real purpose. “Carissa, there is no mafia involved. It’s an age-old war between unearthly creatures and human protectors.”
“Unearthly creatures?”
“Let me tell you the rest before you jump to conclusions.”
“I’m not jumping to anything. If you were in my shoes, you’d be reacting the same way.”
He looked at her. She was right. “True, but I did ask you to trust me.”
“Okay, I’ll listen.”
“Many years ago, I pledged myself to a secret order to protect mankind from the evil things that walk the earth.” She scrunched up her face, and he thought she looked adorable. “Let me lift my hypnosi so you can see what I’m talking about.” He turned to face her and placed his hands on the sides of her head. In a low, deep voice, he chanted the ancient Greek word mnemoneuo three times.
Xen watched as she sat unmoving. The veil he’d lifted froze her features. It appeared she’d gone into momentary shock. Her eyes widened, he heard her heart rate pick up and saw her body tense. He waited for the scream to come.
Three, two, one.
Nothing.
They rode for ten minutes in silence before he poked into her mind. This time he met a concrete wall. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled when a tear ran down her cheek.
Tears streamed down her face—for Lopez, for her, for everyone who meant something. The images flickering through her memory shocked her to her core. My God, how could any of this be real? The only demons that existed were the human criminal kind. Not the ones she now saw crystal clear in her mind. No, those were found in horror movies, not real life. Yet the logical side of her brain knew it to be the truth, but still she had a hard time accepting it. Panic the size of a golf ball lodged in her throat, rendering her speechless. She sniffed.
Strong arms pulled her closer and a white hanky appeared in front of her face. Luckily the mascara’s waterproof. She tried hard to recompose herself, clearing her throat.
“So what does that make you? If you and your men fight demons, you must be something else?” Her voice quaked.
“I’m a vampire, Carissa. A very, very old one,” he confessed.
“I’m too numb to feel the full effects of fear right now. Although I should.” A shiver ran through her body.
“Koukla ...”
“I mean, of course, you’re a vampire.” A stunned laugh escaped her lips. “If there are demons then it’s obvious that you’d exist.” The words coming from her mouth sounded foreign. I’ll wake up tomorrow and realize none of this happened—that it’s been a bad dream.
His arms tightened around her. Images replayed through her mind again and snippets of random observations she’d made during the evening suddenly made sense.
Her bloody feet.
His reaction.
Vampire.
She repressed the bile that threatened to rise up her esophagus.
She had to ask the inevitable. “As in sharp fangs and drinking blood?”
He didn’t answer.
Her mouth dried, causing her uneasiness to notch up a bit. Damn, what is wrong with the man? “Xen, yes or no? Do you drink blood?”
“Yes, but not in the gory way you might think. Feeding is actually pleasurable to both parties.”
She nodded her head, swirling the information around.
“You’re taking this better than I thought,” he admitted.
“You mean, I’m mentally a thousand hues of deranged. You’ve just obliterated the world I knew. I’ve been hunting criminals while you’ve been killing something beyond human understanding. The way I see it, you’d have to be strong to defeat those ghastly demons. A vampire is good enough for me. As long as I’m not your source of nourishment and you don’t see me as a giant hot dog, we’re okay.” She spat the words out without taking a breath.
“Koukla, you would be more than food to me. You would be the most delectable and sweet dessert.” He leaned close to her ear, his breath hot as he spoke. “I can’t wait to taste you.”
A laugh escaped Kane and Adam, whom Carissa had forgotten were in the front and could hear everything. Heat rose to her cheeks. Xen placed a hand on her cheek and rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. Shivers danced all over her body, masking her prior nerves.
The SUV came to a stop.
Adam punched some numbers on the modified dashboard of the car and a colossal gate slid open. They drove straight into an underground garage. Carissa estimated that the ride had lasted about fifty minutes, tops.
Xen got out and came around to open her door.
“Would you like me to carry you?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“This house is heavily secured so we shouldn’t have a demon problem here. It’s temporary, until we can work out why they targeted you.”
“I understand.” Her feet touched the cool concrete in the garage.
Xen motioned her to follow Kane and Adam. She followed behind, not liking the height difference without her heels.
Kane pressed some buttons on a keypad near a heavy metal door. It opened and they stepped into a dimly lit corridor. She followed behind Kane with Xen behind her. Adam came last, and closed the door. Her face hit a solid wall as Kane stopped in front of her.
“Kane,” she moaned, holding her nose.
He let out a laugh but she didn’t share his humor. “Sorry.” The man was as solid as the steel door they’d come through. “One more door.” Kane said.
Xen wasn’t kidding when he said the place would be secure. Sheesh.
After they crossed the threshold of the last door, light encased them. A set of stairs in front of them rose steeply upward. Just how far underground are we? They started the ascent. What is this place, Fort Knox?
As they climbed the stairs the hair at her nape stood; the notion that a pair of green eyes were watching every step she made had her turning her head to confirm her assumption.
“Like what you see?” Their gazes collided. She faltered on the step but righted herself.
“I think you know the answer to that.” His mouth twitched.
“You look like you’re going to bite it. Don’t tell me you draw blood from butts as well as necks?” she joked over her shoulder.
“She’s onto you, boss,” Adam said from behind him.
Don’t turn around, don’t look at him. Compulsion gave in and she turned her head to look at Xen again.
Undeniable heat flared in those deep green eyes.
Oh heck, he can draw blood from there and I’ve just made a fool of myself. “O-kay,” she muttered.
At the top of the stairs, Kane opened the last door. They stepped through into a large foyer. To her left were double doors, which led to the main entrance of the house. They walked through to a large living room. Carissa blinked. She didn’t know where to look first. Everything screamed lavish, from the French Louis XV couch and armchairs to the exquisite antique coffee table.
Kane and Adam walked to the far end and through another door.
“Call me if you need anything, Xen,” Kane said. He and Adam beamed like mischievous school boys. “’Night,” he shouted.
Xen turned, ignoring them as they left and closed the door behind them. “I should get you settled in one of the guest bedrooms.”
“My aunt ...” A wave of concern crashed over her. She’d been too preoccupied with everything and had forgotten her again. “I have to call her and let her know where I am. She’ll be worried sick.” Her chest tightened.
Xen faced her and stepped closer. His hands brushed lightly over her arms.
“Don’t concern yourself. I will make the call. It’s better if it comes from me. You can talk to her tomorrow.”
Her voice shook. “I should speak to her.”
“Shhh.” He lifted his hand to her cheek and ran his thumb over her bottom lip.
“Trust me, leave it for tomorrow.”
What was it about him that made her give in so easily? “Okay.”
“Feel free to take a look around. Your room is at the top of the stairs, third on the right. I’ll make the call and be right up.” His eyes flickered with something primal then he disappeared to the other side of the staircase to make the call.