“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” ~ Socrates
Carissa woke to muffled voices coming from the other side of the bedroom door and to a naked Xen spooning her. In a slow move she tried to rise without disturbing him, but the movement caused him to stir.
A light whisper left her lips. “Are you awake?” she probed.
“I won’t be for much longer. My body calls for rejuvenation.”
“What happens when you are in rejuvenation?”
“I’m dead to the world.”
“As in heavy sleep?”
“No, pretty much as in you could dance the Zorba on my stomach and I wouldn’t flinch.”
A giggle bubbled up in her throat. “Oh ... that dead.”
“Yes, that dead.” With meager energy, he leaned over and turned her face so he could kiss her. His lips were sweet and gentle. Arousal flared instantly and raced in every direction. She could have easily slipped into more, but he pulled away.
“Stay with me till I’m out, koukla.”
“Okay.” She couldn’t deny him his one request. A blush heated her face at the thought of the pleasure he’d given her last night.
It wasn’t long before his body stilled completely.
Not wanting to lie there any longer than necessary, she got up and headed for the luxurious bathroom, with the sole purpose of investigating the dual showerheads. Experimentation was necessary and protocol required every officer investigate situations for possible threats. Her lips turned up at the corners. The biggest threat was lying on the bed, out cold.
After she almost drowned from the pressure and amount of water, the fluffy towel was a definite comfort.
“That shower is lethal,” she voiced, while wrapping a towel around her head.
She headed for Xen’s walk-in closet to cover her nakedness. Never had she seen so many drawers full of t-shirts. She found one that looked like it might fit. It said, “I Bite Everywhere.” The other choice was “Will Bite Upon Request.”
How convenient—a vampire with a sense of humor. The odd thing that nagged at her was that she couldn’t see Xen wearing any of these t-shirts. From her profiling, he just didn’t fit the picture. It revealed another layer to the man, another nugget to add to the list for later.
Finding a pair of bottoms proved difficult. She went through everything and finally found a pair of black shorts with a drawstring, ones she could tug to keep up. They were big but would have to do. All his shoes and slippers were huge. She grabbed a pair of sport socks to keep her feet warm and completed the ensemble. She giggled.
“God, I look awful.” Then she pulled the socks off.
Padding back to the bed, she threw a sheet over Xen’s naked body. A thousand emotions rampaged through her. The attraction—definitely two-way. The fact he was more than an average human—clearly enticing and at the same time a little scary. The fact that whatever she was tangled in was way bigger than anything she’d ever worked on as a police officer—without question investigating it. And the fact that Lopez lay on a hospital bed—she explicitly wanted the head of the demon responsible. She bent and kissed his cheek before heading downstairs for some liquid energy ... caffeine.
At the bottom of the stairs, Kane stood there with a box in his hands. She looked at him, a question in her eyes.
“From Xen. He ordered these last night.” She caught him eyeing her up and down, and his smirk said it all.
“I think Xen would like the t-shirt, not sure about the shorts.”
“And what is so wrong with the shorts?’ she said defiantly.
“They look like you’re swimming in them.” Entertainment bounced over his face.
“Okay I get it, don’t be such a smart-ass.” Carissa snatched the box from his hands, almost dropped it, righted herself and headed toward the living room in a huff.
Laughter thick and rich sounded from behind her. “Oh by the way, I am smart and I have a great ass.” He winked at her.
“That is not what I said or intended.” Mortification swept up her chest in tones of red as she turned to face him.
“Listen, I’m just toying with you. I’ve got some coffee and breakfast ready, if you want.”
“Coffee. The magic word.” Kane, you are officially my friend. She left the huge box on the table and followed him to the kitchen.
She slid easily onto the bar stool. Kane brought over a hot cup of coffee and warm plate of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomato and two pieces of thick toast with butter. Breakfast heaven.
“Oh, and just in case you don’t go for the American breakfast, here are some tiropites.
“Thanks, this looks delicious. I’m hungry, and those cheese pastries will go down well with the rest of it.”
“Big appetite, huh?” The corners of his mouth turned up.
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, that’s not surprising since you and Xen were up most of the night.”
Yep, he’d heard her. She blushed.
He cleared his throat. “You know, the demons and all.”
Sweet. He was covering for embarrassing her and that made her all the more embarrassed. Her hand came up midair to stop him. “It’s okay. No harm done.”
She gobbled down a mouthful of food while she tried to process the facts. What could she ask him that would be beneficial to her understanding the supernatural world? She also wanted Kane’s take on what he thought about her being a target. She finished her breakfast and took a sip of coffee. Bliss. She closed her eyes savoring it. Divine.
“You enjoying your coffee?”
She was startled out of her thoughts. Don’t tell me he can read thoughts too! Oh no. This would be very bad. The idea of more than one man reading her thoughts didn’t sit well.
“Do you do the mind-reading thing too?”
“Xen’s talent. No, but I can read people’s emotions and reactions pretty accurately, and I also have heightened senses. For instance, I scented you from the top of the stairs and the clothes you are wearing have Xen’s distinct personality on them.”
“So, you’re obviously not like Xen since you’re standing here with me and not rejuvenating.”
“Good deduction. I’m a wolf.”
She gulped. “As in sharp teeth and lots of hair?”
He let out a laugh. “Pretty much.”
Lucky she was sitting down. Her mind spun. “You were at the warehouse that night with Xen.”
He leaned on the breakfast bar counter and flashed her a wolfish grin. “Spot on.”
“You ...” Her words stuck to her throat. She swallowed hard.
“Pushed you over and ripped the demon’s throat out.”
Her eyes went wide as she recalled with clarity the scene. She gasped and her stomach clenched.
“That was you?” Her posture stiffened.
“You must admit, I do have a good coat of hair.”
A deep belly laugh escaped her throat. Her relaxed demeanor returned.
“Okay, that’s definitely more to take in.” Wow, she did expect something, but not his admission to being a wolf. No, that just wove other patterns of fear and curiosity in her consciousness. She got up and took her plate to the sink, rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher. The mundane task helped keep her tension in check, which was not easy.
She cleared her throat. “Thanks. I’ll go sift through the box,” she said, walking back to the bench to grab her coffee. Kane’s hand landed on her arm and stopped her.
“Listen, Xen asked if you wouldn’t mind staying until this evening. He’s under the impression that if you go home you may be placing your aunt in danger, which is exactly what I’m thinking.”
“Xen doesn’t need to know. And I can handle it. I am a cop, Kane.”
“Not happening on my watch.” He folded his arms across his chest and parted his legs.
“I could run your ass in.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s not advisable.”
She let out an exasperated breath. “Fine.”
She’d stay for the moment, then she’d work out a way to get out. He really didn’t need to know all her movements. He’d have enough to tend to without watching over her twenty-four seven. The horrid thought of her aunt being unprotected stabbed her in the gut. “You don’t think the demons would try something? I mean you’ve seen your fair share of things. Would they hurt an innocent old lady?” She needed clarification for sanity’s sake and her aunt’s safety.
He adjusted his stance, dropping his arms from his chest, and looked her square in the eye. “These things don’t care for humanity, they feed off it. We are sworn to protect humans from them. Don’t challenge Xen on his decision to keep you here. Make a good excuse to your aunt and we will back you up all the way.” He paused. “The fact that you didn’t go back to your aunt’s place last night has more than likely granted her protection. Don’t be foolish by going there on your own. They could be watching.”
“I’m a good police officer and would never endanger any innocent lives—even more so when it comes to family. I will follow through for now.” He couldn’t possibly expect her to sit around and do nothing all day.
“Understand that not everything is black and white where unearthly creatures are concerned. Their realm has rules and laws much like we have here in the human realm. You have to remember you are a part of both worlds now. You crossed that boundary when you met Xen.”
The man in front of her might be big, and could pass for a menacing brute, but she recognized the compassion in him. She liked him already and felt the connection, as if he were related to her in some way. Sometimes you met people and hit it off immediately, a familiar feeling like you’ve known the person all your life. That’s how it was being around Kane. A natural comfort bubbled inside her chest.
“I understand. It won’t be easy and I’ll have to deal with it one blow at a time. It’s already too much to take in. I still feel like I’m in a dream and I’m going to wake up from it soon.” Somehow, she didn’t think things would be normal when she got back to Charleston. “How did we all end up at the warehouse if you were supposed to be fighting these things without raising human suspicion? Why did we get the call to be there?” She pulled out the stool from under the kitchen countertop and sat back down.
“We have our theories, but nothing concrete. Perhaps the demons wanted a few humans there to expose us. You realize the detection of our world would lead to chaos? It is a secret we have kept for a long time.”
Deepening her voice for effect she sang out, “Like Count Dracula and Wolf Man?”
His laugh rose and echoed in the kitchen. “You watch too much Hollywood crap. The existence of vampires and wolves goes back further than five hundred years. They weren’t born. Both vampires and wolves are cursed by the gods, the vampires by Hera and the wolves by Zeus.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Wait a minute. So you, Xen, and everyone around you are cursed by the Greek gods?”
“Precisely.”
“But those are myths.”
“Are they? You’re talking to one now.” He winked at her.
The coffee cup she lifted from the kitchen countertop shook in her hands.
“You know, the more questions I ask, the crazier this whole thing becomes. All I really want is to find those responsible for putting my partner in hospital.”
“As I said before, it’s a lot to take in. The best way to understand it is by thinking of it as a whole other structure that sits right alongside the human one, only we are by far the stuff of nightmares.” He wasn’t wrong—by his own estimation. “And that’s putting it lightly.”
She studied him for a moment. “How do you fit into the picture? Aren’t wolves and vampires enemies or something?”
“Unearthly creatures have always interacted, just on different levels. Sure, we have the good guys and the bad guys, and we take sides in times of need. Much like humans do in time of war—which, I hate to tell you, we have been smack bang in the middle of for a thousand years precisely.”
Coffee spluttered out of her mouth. “Did you say a thousand?”
He handed her a napkin to clean the dribble off her chin. “Yes.”
“Gee, you really do keep on giving with the surprises, Kane.”
“I’m a sharing kind of guy.” He winked again.
“So the attack at the warehouse had nothing to do with drug dealers or mafia or anything remotely criminal?”
“No, we don’t involve ourselves in human crimes. As you see, we have a bigger and more destructive problem to deal with.”
“No doubt about that, but I’m still puzzled as to why my contact tipped me off to be there. I was expecting a meth lab.”
“That is puzzling. Maybe your connection wanted you and your partner dead.”
“Looks like I’m definitely nailing Tom’s balls to the wall when I catch up with him.” Rotten slime.
“If you need help, you only need to say the word.”
“Don’t give me ideas.”
“Oh, I’m all ideas,” he sneered.
Somehow, she didn’t doubt he could inflict more damage on Tom than she could ever do. “Thanks, I appreciate you talking to me. You’re officially my new bestie.”
Laughter ripped from his lips.
“More like beasty,” he said, with a grin that could devastate women by the hordes. Mentally, she ran through her list of friends—Ligi and Kelly—then shook her head. No, she couldn’t bring them into this. Not now, not ever.
“Okay, I think it’s time to squash my curiosity and see what’s in the box.” She hopped off the stool and headed to the living room with her cup of lukewarm coffee.
She placed the cup on a coaster and attacked the box like a kid on Christmas morning. “Wow. That man certainly knows how to charm the pants off a girl.”
Under the wrapping paper lay two pairs of jeans, two shirts, two lacey bras with matching underwear in turquoise—of all colors—and two pairs of shoes, both flats. Wow. How? She checked the sizing. No, they were all her size. Warmth radiated throughout her body. Grabbing the box, she headed upstairs to change.
She spent most of the morning exploring the house. The need to get out overwhelmed her, but she had given her word and would honor it until she’d had a chance to talk to Xen.
Coming around the corner to the dining room, she found Kane and Adam sprawled at the table playing cards.
“Can I join in?”
“Sure,” they chorused.
She pulled a chair out and sat down. “What are we playing?”
“Poker,” Adam sang.
Looking at the table, she realized these guys were playing with real money. Big money.
“Okay. I don’t think I can play. I don’t have that kind of money.” She rose to her feet.
Adam jumped to his. “No need to leave. We will give you money to play with.”
“No, that wouldn’t be fair.”
Kane pulled the toothpick he had in his mouth out. “It’s poker and it’s our rules.” He shoved the toothpick back between his teeth.
“Come on. Join us.” Adam pleaded. “I promise it will be fun.” He flashed his eyebrows.
“Okay.” She sat back down and watched as Adam pushed a pile of money towards her while Kane dealt a new round of cards.
Her fingers collected the hand she’d been dealt. It took every ounce of her control to slap the euphoria that threatened to break free on her lips back into submission. Straight flush, what were the chances of that? All hearts.
Adam and Kane placed money in the middle of the table. She matched them but decided to raise by fifty dollars more.
“You sure you know what you’re doing, little lady?” Adam pointed to the money she’d just bet.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh please. I’ve been playing poker since I could walk.”
“That’s a long time.” Adam interjected.
She laughed. “Okay, maybe I exaggerated. Let’s just say, I can play.”
“She could be bluffing, Adam,” Kane warned. Looking at the curve that turned up at his mouth she realized he didn’t believe she’d bluff for one second.
“Okay. I’ll call your bluff,” Adam teased and added to the pile of money in the middle.
The ruse went on for five minutes before Adam folded. “Okay, Carissa. I’m curious to see what you have,” Kane proclaimed as he threw down his cards.
“Straight,” Adam chimed at the cards tossed on the table. “Woo.”
“Straight flush,” she said, smoothing the cards with her hand onto the highly polished table.
Adam’s jaw dropped and Kane wore a mildly annoyed look. After a few rounds and a multitude of laughter, tears in her eyes, she’d had enough.
“What time does Xen wake up from rejuvenation?” she asked Kane.
“Around six thirty p.m.”
“That late?” She couldn’t help the loud pitch in her words.
“Not always. It depends on how much regenerating his body needs.” A grin sat firmly etched on Kane’s face.
“Oh. Okay. Thanks.” She pushed her chair back and stood. “I’ll catch you both later.”
She made her way upstairs. There wasn’t much to do, so she stripped off her clothes and, in her underwear, hopped into bed with Xen. It didn’t take her long to fall into a heavy sleep.
“Who are you?”
“I’m your grandmother.”
“But that can’t be right. I’ve got my mother’s mother, and my father’s mother died a long time ago.”
“Ochi, paidi mou—no, my child. I am your father’s mother, Hera, and I have a gift for you.”
She touched her stomach and warmth spread through her body.
“Take care, my child. You’ll need your warrior’s protection.”
Blinding light hit her irises. She squinted, but when she refocused, the scene before her had turned black. Something wet and sticky squished through her toes. She looked down to find herself standing in a pool of blood. A scream tore from her throat.
Heart pounding, Carissa awoke from her dream shivering. Strong arms pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Koukla, you were dreaming. It’s okay.”
“I hate it when they are so strong, you feel as if you are there.”
“Your heart is racing. What did you dream?”
“I was standing in a pool of blood.” It can’t be good. Something was going to happen—something big—she could sense it.
“I’ve got you. Remember, I will protect you.”
Pieces of the dream began to replay in her mind. “You’ll need your warrior’s protection.”
“What else do you remember?”
“I don’t want to think about it now.” Her attention shifted to his broad and naked chest, then to his muscled arms. The temptation to swipe her tongue over his skin beckoned. I want to lick you.
His body covered hers before she had a chance to vocalize the words.
“I’d like that very much,” he said before his lips descended to hers in a slow and sensual kiss. She moaned when he broke the kiss to lick and kiss his way down to her breasts. “This color suits you.” Lazily, he stroked his fingers all the way down to her panties, then he tore them from her body. She gasped and he rewarded her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. He closed his fingers around the straps of her bra. “I also think this needs to go.” The garment flew across the room, leaving her bare to his ravenous gaze.
Deliberately, he traced kisses all the way down her body. She moaned when his expert tongue swiped across her core. He bit down on her sensitive flesh, causing a shockwave to pass through her and a lament to sing from her lips. Her sounds elicited a deep groan from him, evidence that her passion fueled his. He lifted his head.
“I will never tire of hearing the cries of passion you make.” He traced kisses back up her body. He stopped at her breasts and licked around her areola. Then took a little nip of the nipple before sucking it into his mouth. Her body ignited and she arched her back up off the mattress. Her fingers clasped the bed sheets. When he finished his assault on one breast he started on the other.
If he kept this up she would die a happy woman.
He scraped his fangs over her breast then followed up to her neck where he nipped lightly. The sensation stirred a deep lust within her, making her pant. He retracted his fangs and captured her mouth with a devastating and hungry kiss. The sweet invasion of his tongue short-circuited her senses as it swept and stroked her mouth to rapture. When they were both breathless, he pulled back.
“Koukla. I don’t think I can hold back anymore. I have to have you.” And with one thrust, he entered her swollen sheath. He flipped her so that she sat on top of him.
The position hit every sweet spot. She rocked her hips in a frenzied motion while she ran her fingers across his wide and muscular chest.
He leaned up and caught one of her breasts in his mouth. A deep whimper escaped her lips.
Her lust-filled mind could no longer cope with the building sensations.
“Xen. Please.” She pleaded for her release.
He flipped her over then thrust his length in fast movements before pulling out and starting again.
The sensations and crescendo of their bodies gliding together sent her spiraling to a combustible orgasm. It racked every ounce of energy from her body.
Xen followed right behind her with a guttural groan that vibrated through her body. He stayed joined with her while he pressed featherlight kisses all over her face.
“Now that’s what I call phenomenal.”
“I think I’ve died and gone to sex heaven,” she laughed.
He pulled out from her and pulled her into a spooning position.
“We can shower in a little while and I’ll show you what sex heaven is like with water cascading down your beautiful curves.”
“You could do this again?”
“With you, all night, koukla.”