Sanctuary
Blood Bound Series Book 9
Amy Blankenship, RK Melton
Copyright © 2012 Amy Blankenship
Second Edition Published by Amy Blankenship
All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
Nick parked his car a couple blocks from The Witch’s Brew. The truth was he needed a few minutes of brisk walking to wear off some of the adrenalin that had built up inside him. The word ‘overnighter’ was irritating the hell out of him and he wanted to find out if Gypsy’s definition of the word was the same as his. That… and this was as good excuse as any to get away from Devon and the mess he was in.
He knew Devon would do anything for Envy, but that temper tantrum of his was going a bit too far. Nick blew his breath out wondering if he would have handled it any better than his big brother… doubtful. It also had to suck to have your personal thoughts exposed like that… especially when your thoughts involved injuring someone. If thoughts were a sin then this world was in big trouble.
The funny thing was, between Devon and Trevor; Nick thought that Trevor was in the right mind frame. Trevor hadn't been in pain long enough to plan a whole murder… unlike Devon, who had probably already decided where to bury the body. While he had the feeling that Trevor was just being nice for show… at least the cop was making an effort to not let his personal feelings toward Devon get in the way.
Right now, the two of them needed to work together and make sure Envy was as comfortable and happy as possible. So far… that wasn’t happening. If this kept going the way it was, it could cause Envy to stress herself out and lose the baby.
“Idiots,” he muttered to himself.
Turning the last corner, Nick saw a man leaning against the front window of The Witch’s Brew and quickly stepped out of sight. The man was standing perfectly still with his palms flat against the glass… just staring in like a voyeur.
‘What do we have here, the overnighter… or a stalker?’ Nick cocked an eyebrow giving the guy the once-over. The man looked like a playboy in his Armani and gold jewelry, not counting his hundred dollar ‘I’m cooler than you’ haircut. He flipped his long bangs out of his face mentally denying the jealous streak he was feeling.
Nick bent down and picked up a rock, rolling it around in his hand before giving it a hard sling. It hit the lamppost behind the man with a loud ping, sounding almost too loud in the twilight evening.
When the man’s head jerked around to see what had made the sound, Nick caught the unnatural glow of his eyes when the light shimmered across them just right. He growled inwardly wondering if the city would ever be rid of all the damn vampires.
Silently slipping his pistol from its holster, Nick made sure to keep it hidden in the shadows while he double checked to make sure the chamber was loaded. The last thing he wanted to do was wound the dangerous creature instead of killing it. He tightened the silencer deciding he didn’t need an audience for this.
Why a vampire would be hanging out around The Witch’s Brew was beyond him… especially since the place sold things that killed them.
Peeking around the brick outcropping, Nick raised his left arm and put the vampire in the gun’s crosshairs. Pulling back on the trigger, he smirked when the vampire actually turned and looked at him just before the bullet hit him above the right eye.
Nick moved from his hiding spot fast enough to catch the blood sucker before he fell. He took note of some pedestrians looking his way and sighed in relief. To the onlookers, it just appeared to be two buddies out for a night of drinking who had to hold each other up. He swayed a little to make it look good before rounding the corner of the building and dumping the body behind the trash dumpster.
He stood there a moment before toeing the vampire to make sure he stayed dead. He felt something shift in the air and turned toward the mouth of the alley just in time to see another vampire coming at him.
These city vampires were cowards and hardly ever traveled alone. Couldn’t say he blamed them with all of the demons running around. He frowned at the discomforting change in the city’s food chain.
The vampire leapt toward him and Nick held his arms out, catching the vampire by the cloth of his shirt. He used the momentum to send him flying down the alley. He cursed when he felt the vampire grab hold of his gun and pull it from his hand. It was a good thing his finger wasn’t on the trigger or the bullet would have missed the critter entirely.
“You killed Bernard,” the vampire hissed.
Nick glanced down at the dead vamp, “Don’t worry, you’ll be joining your lover soon.”
“Shifter trash,” the vampire cursed and came at him.
Nick bent his legs at the knee and let his instincts take over. The vampire began tracing toward him and Nick was glad Michael had shown him how to counteract this trick. It wasn’t hard for a vampire to accomplish, but it was something that took a while for the newly born vampires to learn how to do flawlessly.
This blood sucker could do it, but he seemed to flicker as though he was moving through a strobe light rather than a smooth transition from one place to the other.
“Sloppy,” Nick muttered and reached for the sheath strapped to the back of his jeans. Just as the vampire was on top of him, Nick withdrew the wooden dagger and stabbed it deep into the vampire’s throat.
Thick, dark blood poured from the wound and all over Nick’s hand. He flexed his wrist and the dagger broke off, leaving the pine wood buried inside the vampire. His head cocked to the side in a feline fashion as the vamp staggered back a couple of steps before gurgling something unintelligible and falling over.
Nick decided to make sure the thing was dead and brought the bottom of his combat boot down on the vampire’s head, crushing it. Lifting his foot, he turned it up and made a face at the mess on the bottom of it before doing his own rendition of scraping his foot on the ground trying to get it off.
Finally satisfied, he went back down the alley to retrieve his pistol and glared at the broken dagger.
“Damn, now I have to make a new one,” Nick complained and took out his cell phone.
The phone rang three times before it was answered by a very familiar voice.
“Hey Nick,” the voice greeted.
Nick frowned, “My number’s unlisted.”
“I know, you’re number is the only one that shows up as a private number.”
Nick sighed, “I need a favor Harley. I’ve got a pick up for the cleaners. There’s a vampire down behind the dumpster of The Witches Brew and another one with a crushed in skull a few feet away in the same alley.”
“Be there in five,” Harley said wide eyed then sighed when Nick simply hung up.
They’d all been instructed not to take the vampires on because of how dangerous even one of them could be. Here Nick was clocking in two of them in the same night… and it wasn’t the first time.
“Damn vampires,” Nick muttered and quickly reloaded the retrieved pistol. Not wanting to press his luck, he came out of the dark alley keeping his attention focused on every movement around him. He discretely pocketed the dagger handle and stuffed his blood covered hand in his pocket… he’d wash the jeans later.
Nick frowned when he made his way back to the door and found the closed sign staring back at him at eye level. He glared at it. How the hell had he missed that thing? In his defense, he’d been a little busy with a couple of fangers. His gaze lowered to the notice… reading that the shop would be closed tomorrow.
“Damn it,” Nick cursed, suppressing the urge to kick the defenseless door.
The overnighter must have been rescheduled. The old saying ‘you snooze you lose’ came back to haunt him. He completely forgot his paranoia about vampires and marched right back into the alley where the side door of the shop was located. Holstering the gun, he tried the door and found it locked.
“Goody,” Nick whispered and kneeled down in front of the door. “This night is just full of freakin’ surprises,” He ranted to himself. “What did you expect? Her to call you and tell you she was leaving for her… overnighter? Dummy, it’s not like you’re her boyfriend or anything. Just because you haven’t asked her out on a date doesn’t mean others won't.”
Nick glared at the lock as if it was its fault. He’d already noticed that the store’s alarm system was simply for show and had been since the old man died. Either Gypsy hadn't paid the bill or she’d had it turned off not thinking she needed it.
He smirked, the deadbolts might be enough to keep the newbie’s out, but this was the city… even he was a pro. The girl undeniably needed someone watching out for her.
Taking out a small wallet-like item, he flipped it open and withdrew two tools that looked like tiny awls. Placing them both into the lock on the door, he proceeded to pick it open. When the lock turned, he grinned and quickly put the tools away.
Glancing around to make sure he was still alone, Nick smiled as he slipped inside and bolted the door behind him. He’d have to talk to Gypsy when she got home about her ‘security’ system. Maybe even offer his services… free of charge of course.
Nick stood still for a moment letting his night vision kick in before walking through the storage area and into the main room.
The store was beautiful at night, the streams of streetlight shining in the front reflected off all of the crystals that were scattered throughout the room. The bottles of potions and scents reflected different colors and the glint of polished silver weapons lined the walls. It was serene and hypnotic to his feline senses.
Making sure not to disturb anything, he moved through the shop on a mission… to find anything he could about where Gypsy had gone and just who she was meeting. If he had a rival, then he wanted a face and name to go with it.
“Jealous? Who me? Nooo,” Nick rolled his eyes at his little attempt of humor. He’d never really felt jealousy before and the fact that he was feeling it now had him curious as hell.
After combing through all of the paperwork near the front counter, he decided he was looking in the wrong place. Heading back the way he’d come, Nick passed up the storage area until he came to a set of steps leading down into the basement. He’d wanted to know what was hidden down there for a while now and it looked like he was finally going to get his chance to find out.
His grin faded and his eyes narrowed. The bottom of the stairs was barred by what looked like an old fashioned vault door that had been built into the brick and mortar. He cocked an eyebrow realizing the store must have been built over top of a bomb shelter. Now if that wasn’t just as neat as hell. The large wheel on the front of the metal door told Nick that it was a combination lock.
“Great,” Nick complained “This place is locked up tighter than Envy with Devon as her warden.”
Rubbing his hands together, he stepped up to the door and gave the wheel a spin. Then, pressing his ear against the door he concentrated, letting his feline senses pick up the tiniest click of vibration. He began to slowly and methodically move the wheel around until finally, he got the last click and heard the lever echo as it released its hold.
“Gotcha,” Nick whispered and pulled the thick steel door the rest of the way open. He felt excitement bubble up inside of him as he realized he was getting ready to possibly see Gypsy’s inner sanctum.
The first thing he noticed was that she’d left the lights on… just not your normal lights. Several crystal vases were scattered around, housing huge candles that would probably stay lit for a week if they were left alone. They added a mystical atmosphere to the room, showing off a lot of the same crystals The Witch’s Brew sold upstairs. From the looks of things, she probably picked her favorites from each shipment and kept them for herself.
Sliding the tips of his fingers over a crystal wizard and then a black crystal dragon, Nick's lips hinted at a smile knowing what to get her for Christmas. His Gypsy girl had a fetish for crystals… not that it wasn’t an awesome thing to collect. She had a renaissance type theme going on that fit her perfectly.
The furniture was well used but in a comfortable way. When it was originally bought, Nick was sure it would have cost a fortune. Now, the deep purple almost black upholstery was beginning to show signs of wear and he smiled when his finger brushed against a tiny rip that had been sewn closed with black thread.
His eyes lit up in appreciation at the display of medieval weapons on her wall. She didn’t strike him as the type that knew how to use them for anything other than décor, but he was alright with that. He’d never cared for girls that come across as bad asses… they made it hard for a guy to play the hero.
Walking over to the computer desk, he carefully moved the few items around trying to find some clue about where she’d gone. Turning on the computer, he cursed softly when he saw it was password protected.
“Well hell,” he griped and started to turn away when he saw something still sitting on the printer tray. Reaching for it, his eyes lit up when he saw it was a corrected flight itinerary… to New York. She’d canceled one flight and rescheduled another.
“So, you left a day earlier than expected,” Nick said and briefly played with the idea of hopping on the next plane to New York but quickly changed his mind. He didn’t even know where she’d gone once she’d arrived there.
Nick put the itinerary back where he’d found it and leaned against the sofa arm behind him. It still bothered him that those vampires had been stalking this place and wondered if he should stick around until she was due back. He toyed with the idea, trying to come up with a good reason for staying.
The store was pretty safe as long as it was daylight, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep it company at night. Gypsy’s return flight wasn’t until tomorrow evening and her security upstairs sucked as far as he was concerned… though downstairs was about as secure as she could get.
Nick cocked a dark eyebrow... that settled it, he was gonna stay the night and guard the place. His gaze slid toward the back room that was sectioned off from the rest of the huge bomb shelter. There were countless strands of crystalline beads hanging to form a wall. Nick sharpened his eyesight seeing through the slim lines into Gypsy’s bedroom and bath.
Moving purposely through the bead wall, he headed into the bathroom and took off his jacket and shirt. Dropping them into a neat pile on the floor, he washed the blood off of his hand and picked up the shirt to examine it. There wasn’t any blood on it but the jacket sleeve had some on the end of it.
Turning the cold water back on, he used the hand soap to wash out what he could before wringing it out and hanging it over the shower rod. He looked down at the bathtub and smirked at the size of it.
His Gypsy had a garden tub large enough for four people to sit in comfortably. Images of her taking a bath all by herself made him sigh and he conveniently put himself in the picture with her.
Shaking his head, he went into the bedroom to look around and arched an eyebrow at the California king bed. It was obvious that Gypsy liked some things big and he grinned as a wicked thought steamrolled through his mind. Walking to the foot of the bed, he spread his arms out and fell face first into the softness.
*****
Warren walked into the main half of the club and shook the drywall dust from his hair. It was a process getting the new extension done, but at the speed things were going it would be ready just in time for their Halloween Masquerade. He had just entered his bathroom to take a shower when his cell phone beeped at him.
Picking up the device, Warren frowned as he read the text message from Kat. Shaking his head with a heavy sigh, he turned off the water in the shower and headed down to Moon Dance’s main room. At least he hadn’t already been in the shower when the text came through… it wasn’t every day Kat texted him with a ‘911’.
When he emerged from the side door, Warren quirked an eyebrow at the state Devon was in. His brother was in his jaguar form with his eyes clenched tightly shut and appeared to be in a great deal of pain. Kat stood over him with her hands on her hips giving him what sounded like a lecture.
The serious expression on her face told Warren that this really was bad. He glanced toward Quinn who was obviously gaining a lot of enjoyment out of it… if the smirk the cougar wore was any indication.
“You need to pay attention to what Kriss told you,” Kat said. “If you don’t, you’re gonna be like this for a while and I’ll feel absolutely no sympathy for you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest exasperated with her brother. Trevor had been gone at least twenty minutes and her bone head of a brother still couldn’t stand up. She questioned Trevor’s ability to calmly walk away. She was sure Trevor felt the same way Devon did… but knew he wouldn’t be moving around if he was thinking bad thoughts about Devon.
She glared at Devon when he growled at her, “Don’t you growl at me. At least Trevor has the semblance of mind to stop thinking like that.”
“Why is Devon on the floor?” Warren asked as he walked across the room.
Quinn smirked from his seat at the bar, “It appears that Envy is pregnant with Trevor’s baby and Devon wants to kill Trevor for it.”
Warren made a face at Quinn since none of that explained why Devon was wallowing on the hardwood floor.
“She was already pregnant and didn’t know it when she mated with Devon,” Kat sent a glare at Quinn for being so vague. “None of them knew it until Envy passed out and Mrs. Tully ran tests to be sure. Now, because the baby belongs to Trevor, Devon wants to kill him.”
Warren squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. While that explained a few things… it still didn’t answer his initial question. He sighed and decided to repeat himself, “Why is Devon on the floor?”
“He’s on the floor because Kane has Trevor and Devon under a… spell,” Kat shrugged for lack of what else to call it. “Now, when Trevor or Devon tries to hurt each other, or if they even think about hurting one another… they’re reduced to this.” She spread her hands out indicating the idiot on the floor.
Warren frowned, “Let me see if I caught all of that. Devon is angry because Envy got pregnant before she met him and he wants to kill the father of her baby… but he can’t because Kane was smart enough to put him under a compulsion spell?”
Quinn shrugged, “That’s it in a nutshell.”
“Smart man,” Warren muttered then shook his head wondering why he hadn't already gotten word of this from Michael instead of hearing it from Kat. He leaned against the bar and stared thoughtfully at his brother for a moment.
The situation was rather funny, but at the same time he couldn’t believe Devon’s train of thought on this. It was obvious his brother wasn’t thinking very clearly. If Devon did kill Trevor, then where would that leave Envy’s baby. Not counting the fact that Envy would always resent him for it… for denying her child the chance to know its real father. This above all else… angered Warren.
“Leave him, he’ll figure it out.” Warren’s voice was cold.
Kat winced, “Ouch, that’s pretty brutal.”
“You said they’re reduced to this state when they think about killing one another,” Warren repeated waving his hand at Devon. “The only logical thing would be to stop thinking along that line. We can’t force Devon to change the way he thinks. If he loves his mate however, then he’ll stop acting like an idiot.”
Warren watched Devon’s ears flatten against his head and a not so friendly growl rumbled across the room. An answering rumble from Warren silenced the growl and Devon lowered his eyes to the floor before squeezing them shut again.
There wasn’t anything Warren could do to save him this time. This was something Devon needed to learn for himself… or maybe he did need his big brother’s help in this. A slow devious smile pulled at the corners of Warren’s lips as it dawned on him just how to fix this problem.
“I know that look Warren,” Kat said quietly… already feeling sorry for Devon, “and don’t you dare think about it.”
Quinn’s smirk returned, “Should I start carrying a camera with me at all times?”
“Yes,” Warren said.
“NO!” Kat shouted at the same time.
Warren stepped closer to Devon, towering over his jaguar form. “So what if Trevor’s seed is growing deeeep inside of Envy,” he prolonged the word ‘deep’ on purpose just to cause Devon to react… it worked. “The way I understand it… they slept together for months before you ever laid eyes on her.”
Devon screamed and jerked trying to get away from the pain.
“Making love all the time,” Warren continued and tapped his fingers to his chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, I’ve heard that can cause a baby or two,” he smirked wondering how long it would take Devon to become immune to the taunts.
Devon’s temper had forced him into his jaguar form and because of that his animal instincts were pushing him to strike out at the male that was trying to steal his mate. Devon’s head whipped around toward the door and he fought the pain as he started pulling himself across the floor toward it.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” Warren asked. He grabbed Devon by his hind legs and started pulling him across the floor. “Trevor came to this club thinking you were a killer… are you trying to prove him right? And what do you think would happen if you did manage to kill Trevor? Do you think Envy will thank you and run into your arms?”
Devon actually growled up at Kat as he was drug by her. He dug his claws into the floor leaving long scratches in the new tile. Kat watched helplessly as Warren dragged Devon down the stairs into the dance pit, his body thumping on each step.
Quinn put his hand over his eyes and started laughing but abruptly stopped when Kat smacked the back of his head.
“What,” he said unable to hide his smile. “It’s brilliant. By the time Warren is finished with him, Devon will be completely numb to the topic.”
Kat glanced back toward the stairs Devon had been drug down. “Don’t underestimate Devon’s stubbornness,” She remarked. “How would you feel if I was pregnant by another male right now?”
Quinn sobered at the buzz killing thought, “I’d advise you to tell Kane to brush up on his spells… he would need more than one.”
Kat blinked in surprise at her mate then sighed softly. Well, at least he’d stopped making fun of Devon.
Chapter 2
Chad pulled into the driveway of Trevor’s apartment and parked beside Evey. He turned off the car and sat back for a moment thinking about everything that had happened in the last couple weeks. Between him and his sister, he didn’t know who was the most screwed up now… well okay, he’d let Envy win that one. Still, his hadn't been a cake walk either.
Just the thought that he’d been killed and brought back to life by Kriss and Dean was nothing less than harrowing. It gave him the chills knowing he was supposed to be buried in a cemetery somewhere… over… done. In short, it scared the crap out of him. To make matters worse, neither Fallen seemed to know what the consequences of their actions would be on future events.
He’d gone back to PIT headquarters to get his duffel bag and luckily caught Ren alone in his office. He’d taken the opportunity to again ask Ren if there was anything he should be aware of. Unfortunately, the all-knowing Ren didn’t know anything more than Kriss and Dean and it grated a little bit on Chad’s nerves.
At this rate, he would probably spend the next few weeks walking on eggshells to make sure nothing else happened… but in his line of work, that was never a guarantee. Chad had finally just shrugged it off and decided he was just as human now as he’d ever been and to hell with the unknown. The decision had actually taken a load off his shoulders.
“Hello Chad,” Evey’s soft voice called over to him.
Chad looked out the passenger window and smiled, “Hey Evey.” He got out of the car and walked over to her driver’s side door. When her window rolled down, he leaned against it pretending he was actually talking to a person, although his gaze was focused on the lit up dash. “How are you doing?”
“When you look this lovely, it’s hard not to feel good,” Evey answered making Chad’s smile widen.
“I can’t argue with that logic,” Chad said running his hand across her roof.
“Trevor left the key to the front door in my dash,” she opened the passenger door. “It’s all yours.”
Chad stepped back when the door came ajar then slid in the front seat to open the glove compartment. “How’s Trevor doing?”
Evey sighed, “I’m afraid Trevor isn’t here… he said something about letting off some steam by kicking some bad guy butt.”
Chad frowned, that sounded like Trevor but why didn’t he take Evey?
“Why aren’t you with him?” he asked putting a voice to his curiosity.
“He said he needed to be alone for a while,” Evey answered. “He’s upset because he’s afraid the conflict between him and Devon will upset Envy and cause her to lose the baby.”
Chad shook his head, “I don’t think it’ll come to that. Both of them are hard headed but they’d never intentionally hurt Envy.”
“He loves her,” Evey said sounding almost sad.
Chad nodded, “Yeah, I know.”
“So instead of thinking about Devon, he’s gone to take his pain out on something else?” Evey wanted clarification of the mystery of human nature. The more she learned the more curious she became.
“Why didn’t you follow him?” Chad asked avoiding her question. He had a feeling he knew which team Evey was on when it came to the two men.
“My scanners can only track him when he’s in human form. Trevor knows that and wanted to give me the slip. Before he left, he transformed into an owl and flew away,” Evey explained.
Chad retrieved the apartment key out of the glove compartment and went back to his car to get his duffel bag. Leaning back against his car, he gazed at Evey liking the car more and more every time he came in contact with her. “I guess there isn’t too much we can do about it then, is there?”
Evey sighed, “I guess not.”
Chad stood there a moment and took in the slightly dusty appearance of Evey’s body and smiled. “How would you like a nice bath and waxing?”
Evey started humming and Chad nodded, “One Sexton bath coming up… as soon as I change.”
“Chad,” Evey called as he approached the door.
Chad looked over his shoulder, “Yes?”
“Don’t wear a shirt,” Evey purred.
“Ah, you want the Sexton Sexy Special do you?” Chad appeared to think about it then winked at the beautiful car, “I think that can be arranged.”
Evey continued purring.
*****
Envy walked into Kriss’ penthouse apartment and immediately sank into the familiar comfort of the sofa. She already missed Devon… missed Chad… and every time she even started to think about Trevor she wanted to cry. The only reason she wasn’t crying was because of the baby… it had a calming effect on her. Mix it all together and honestly, she was starting to feel a bit numb.
Dean gave Kriss an odd look but Kriss shook his head, silently telling Dean that he’d explain everything later.
“This is a first rate mess,” Envy said softly and grabbed one of the throw pillows to hug.
Kriss sighed, “It’s not your fault that any of this happened Envy. Devon’s just gonna have to get it through his thick skull that he can’t attack the father of your baby at random.”
Envy lowered her chin to the pillow and hugged it a bit tighter, “He… he promised he wouldn’t attack Trevor.”
“When?” Kriss asked, curious as to why a promise like that had even been made.
“After we got back from that vacation with you and Tabby… they fought in Chad’s front yard. After that, I made him promise not to start anything with Trevor because I didn’t want to see either one of them hurt.” She bit her bottom lip feeling heaviness in her chest. They hadn't hurt each other but she was pretty sure she’d hurt both of them enough to make up for that.
Dean frowned, “Maybe you should remind your kitty cat of that promise.”
“Dean,” Kriss said warningly.
“What?” Dean demanded softly. “If Santos loves the girl then he should prove it by keeping his word.”
Envy exhaled loudly, “Dean does have a point Kriss.”
“Point or not, I don’t think this is the proper time to be saying it,” Kriss griped.
“If not now, then when? I have to start thinking about the little guy,” Envy said quietly. “I don’t think the club would be a good place to raise a child. I mean, it worked for Devon and his family… but I don’t want to bring my little boy up in a night club.”
“Of course not,” Kriss agreed “But what do you want to do, move back in with Chad?”
Envy whipped her head back and forth, “Oh hell no. Chad has enough to deal with. Last thing he needs is to take on my problems. Besides… he’s already living with the baby’s daddy. No, I think until everything settles down, I’m just going to pretend I’m a single parent.”
“Another apartment perhaps?” Dean offered before Kriss was stupid enough to suggest she stay with them… permanently.
Envy shrugged, “It’s an idea, but I always hoped I’d have a home when I finally decided to have children.”
Kriss’ expression immediately perked up, “HOUSE HUNTING!”
His outburst startled Envy making her snap her head up and blink owlishly at him. “House hunting?”
“Sure,” Kriss said. “You don’t want to be at the club when the baby is born, right? Finding a house and filling it with furniture and baby stuff would be perfect for getting your mind off things.”
“But where am I going to get the money for a new house?” Envy asked. “I make good money working at Moon Dance… but not that much.”
Kriss smiled reassuringly and gently took her hand, “Honey… that’s the last thing you have to worry about. I’ll help you get the house of your dreams if that’s what you want… and don’t you dare give me a hard time about it. That’s my godchild in there.”
To Envy’s amusement, he again pointed down at her lower tummy. She gave in to the smile but shook her head, “I can’t do that to you Kriss… and you don’t have that much money… do you? I mean… I’m a bartender and you’re a part time stripper.”
“The only reason I bother stripping is because it’s fun. I’ve got a savings account, stocks, bonds, and a few other things I’m not sure of the names,” Kriss said sounding almost ditzy. “I don’t really know anymore… but the man at the bank keeps referring to me as his favorite billionaire.”
“You are such a moron,” Envy said with a giggle and threw a pillow at him.
“Ow,” Kriss deadpanned when the pillow hit him in the face.
Dean hid his smirk knowing this was exactly what Kriss needed… someone to take care of, even if it was only for a short while. They were both bad for picking up charity cases it seemed.
He blocked out the playful bickering of his roommates and gazed down at the unforgiving city from the huge penthouse window. It was obvious Kriss was going to be busy for a while with Envy and in the end… Envy would have the security her and the baby needed. This was the perfect opportunity for him to once again stalk the Fallen hybrid that had been trapped with Misery.
Dean had found him completely by accident and since then had silently kept a discrete eye on him from a distance. After a few days of watching, Dean began leaving him small items such as fresh clothing, blankets, and an occasional edible from the nearby deli. The food wasn’t always eaten but then… human food was not a necessity. They could live with or without it. The clothing and blankets were taken each time though.
So far, the hybrid hadn’t exhibited any evil tendencies and avoided the other demons like the plague. It was a good sign of the hybrid’s mental state… but things had a tendency to change if such creatures were left alone for too long.
From what Dean had observed, the hybrid was more Fallen than demon and he’d bet his own billions of dollars that he could get the hybrid to trust him if given some more time. If that happened, then maybe he could save him from the strangeness of this world he’d suddenly been released into.
He closed his eyes remembering the man’s tears as he’d burst from the cave wall and fled into the night. That had been the clincher… demons do not cry.
“I’m going out for a while,” Dean said suddenly and headed for the door.
“Get some chocolate syrup while you’re out,” Kriss called out before Dean made it to the door.
Dean paused and glanced back at him, “Chocolate syrup, why in the world do you want that?”
“Chocolate milk,” Kriss and Envy said simultaneously.
Dean shook his head and left the penthouse, closing the door on amused giggling.
After the door closed Envy looked up at Kriss, “I didn’t bring any clothes with me and I’m starting to get sleepy. It’s been a long day… and night. Do you have anything I can change into?”
Kriss nodded, “In the second bedroom.” He pointed at a closed door then winked at Envy, “that’s where I sleep when I’m pissed off at Dean. The dresser in there has some of my larger shirts and a few pairs of boxers… help yourself.”
“Do you guys fight often?” Envy said worriedly, not wanting to take Kriss’ refuge away from him.
“Only when he’s being a dick,” Kriss smirked then jerked his thumb toward another closed door. “That’s his spare room if I run him off.”
Envy couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re a nut… you know that?”
“My life’s ambition,” Kriss sighed playfully then started for the kitchen. He needed to make a new grocery list before his and Envy’s cravings started kicking in. He stopped in mid stride and turned toward the front door. Scratch the list… he wanted pickles right now. “I’m going to clean out the grocery store… don’t wait up.”
Envy waited until he was gone before slowly getting off the sofa to go check out her room. Closing the door behind her, she opened the dresser and giggled at some of the shirts he had in there. Some were cute with little baby animals on them, some had funny phrases, and others were just solid colors. Choosing a plain black shirt and a pair of Sponge Bob boxers, she placed them on the bed and lifted her shirt over her head.
Her reflection in the mirror caught her eye and she caressed the soft, smooth skin of her tummy. She cocked her head to the side trying to picture her belly full with the child and turned to the side to examine the concave slope of her belly.
“I wonder who you’re going to be like,” she said softly to the growing baby. “Are you going to be like me, wild and hardheaded… or will you be like him, smart and hardheaded? I hope I make a good mother for you and I know Trevor will be a good daddy.”
Envy smiled at her reflection, envisioning the small soul nestled there. “You’re already blessed… do you know that? You’re gonna have so many uncles and godparents protecting you that I can bet you won’t even get a paper cut.”
She saw movement behind her in the mirror’s reflection and swung around to see what it was. Moving closer to the balcony window, she pushed the curtain aside and gasped at the beautiful white owl sitting on the railing watching her with deep dark eyes.
The owl cocked its head to the side as though trying to determine what she was before turning its head in the opposite direction. Envy had never seen one so close before and was afraid that if she looked away it would vanish.
The owl turned its head once more toward her before turning its back and leaping from the railing. Its wings spread out catching the draft and it flew off over the city toward Angeles National Forest.
Envy remembered reading somewhere that owls were a sign of wisdom and she hoped it was a sign that she was doing the right thing.
*****
Aurora held tighter onto her small sword and looked back up the side of the building searching for any sign of Samuel. She couldn’t believe she’d been careless enough to let him sneak up on her like that. It had been an incredible stroke of luck that she’d gotten away from the roof of the skyscraper in one piece.
As she fell, she’d resigned herself to the fact that this was really going to hurt but an unusual savior had helped her out. On that particular skyscraper were statues of hawks that luckily protruded out from the sides. She’d been able to grab hold of one in mid-fall and swing herself beneath it so she was hidden from Samuel’s sight when he looked down the edge of the building.
It felt like she had been holding on for eternity when the sense of his aura finally started to fade. After she was sure Samuel had gone, she pulled herself up and was able to crawl on top of the hawk’s head.
Tired and out of breath, Aurora leaned back against the wall of the building to rest for a moment. It took her a few minutes to catch her breath but any breather from Samuel's obsession with her was more than welcome. In her mind, she knew why he kept coming after her… lust, plain and simple.
She wouldn’t deny that Samuel was desirable but that was the allure of the more powerful demons. They were beautiful to look at until you saw what was beneath their exterior. Samuel was more beautiful than most demons, but in a lot of ways he was much darker than them on the inside.
She’d been avoiding him as well as she could and it looked like she’d finally lost him again… at least for now. Being anywhere near him left a queasy feeling in her stomach and Aurora didn’t know how much longer she could keep fighting him before giving in to what she was used too.
