Oanen stood and held out his hand to me. I made a face, tossed down the menu, and joined him.
“I thought I’d be eating like a pig in New York. Instead, I’m going to starve,” I grumbled.
He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and led me out to the street. On the sidewalk, he turned toward me and cupped my face.
“After this, it’ll be just you, me, and an extra-large pizza.”
“Don’t toy with me, bird boy. You better deliver.”
He tilted his head and studied my face for a moment.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m hungry, and we’re leaving the place that could have fixed that. What do you think?”
“I think it’s not food that’s upsetting you. Your eyes have just a hint of orange to them.”
His words brought my attention to the wickedness slowly coating my skin. I opened myself to the source.
“Who is it?” Oanen said softly.
The wickedness came from everywhere. From everyone to one degree or another.
“Crap,” I said under my breath. “I just can’t catch a break.” I grabbed Oanen’s hand again and hustled toward the car.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Let’s just hurry before I go after someone here on the street.”
“It’s more than one person?” he asked, opening my door.
“It’s everyone.”
He frowned at me as I got in but didn’t say anything more.
The need to jump out of the car grew stronger on the drive to the Tabernam, and I didn’t understand why. Well, I did. But given how I’d been fine the day before, I didn’t understand why people on the street and in passing cars were suddenly adding to the anger coating me with each passing second.
“I think I should take you home,” he said when we were only a block away.
“Why? We’re almost there.”
His hand covered my fist. I made a face and tried to relax my fingers. It wasn’t easy. The need to do something, to punish someone, rode me hard.
“I’ll be fine.”
However, once inside the Tabernam, my mind went back to how Eliana’s mom had hit on Oanen, and my anger only grew. Had the succubus still been there, I would have owed Eliana a sympathy card.
Oanen stopped my forward progress with an arm around my waist. Before I could tell him to let go, he turned me, grabbed my head and planted a kiss on me that made me forget the anger threading its way under my skin.
When he pulled back, the orange glow from my eyes reflected off his face. Only this time, it wasn’t anger.
“You are the most beautiful creature in this world,” he said softly. “And, it’s hard to think straight when your eyes glow like that.”
“Then maybe you should stop randomly kissing me,” I said.
“Never.”
I rolled my eyes at him, and his lips quirked at the corners.
“We’re here for a reason,” I reminded him.
“Hopefully it’s to purchase something.” The familiar voice killed the happy glow Oanen’s lips had created.
Clenching my fists, I turned toward the clerk.
“Creatures are dying. I’m skipping meals to chase down answers. And, I’m fighting the urge to throat punch someone. Do you seriously think we’re here to buy something?”
“Nicolette Barchim, the succubus,” Oanen said, setting his hands on my shoulders. “What did she buy?”
I could see the hesitation in the woman’s eyes.
“Do not make me pull out my Fury,” I warned.
The woman blanched and quickly answered.
“Herbs.”
“Not good enough. What herbs? What are they for?”
“They’re harmless. Just a boost to her energy while she’s pregnant.”
“Thank you,” Oanen said.
The next thing I knew, I was in his arms and on the way out of the shop.
“I can walk,” I said scowling up at him.
“And, I can carry you. It was my turn.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“No. I’m in a hurry. I promised you pizza, and you were looking ready for a fight.”
He set me down on the sidewalk and opened the car door for me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t feed you first.”
“You better be.”
I got in and buckled up. On the drive back, he asked me to message what we’d learned to his dad.
“Don’t you think you should let Eliana know first? I mean, it is her mom.”
“And if it’s her mom killing creatures because she’s trying to feed Eliana’s new sibling?”
Eliana already hated what she was. I couldn’t imagine how much it would freak her out if she learned her mom was killing creatures because she was pregnant.
“Point taken. I didn’t think their kind killed to feed.” Although, I did remember Eliana’s concern that she’d killed the guy in the alley.
“A succubus typically feeds off of sexual energy, not life energy. They can weaken their meal to the point of unconsciousness. Once unconscious, there’s no sexual energy.”
“These killings don’t sound like a succubus, then?”
“They don’t sound like anything we know.”
I typed out a brief message—Eliana’s mom is preggers—and hit send.
“Now, about this pizza.”
“Anything you want,” he said. “It’s New York. Just about everywhere delivers.”
“Pizza. Pepperoni is a must. Along with bacon, green olives, and onion.”
He glanced at me.
“That’s an unusual combination.”
“Am I a usual person?”
We talked about other food quirks on the way to his parents’ place. I tried to play it cool like his talk was distracting me but knew I’d failed when he covered my fist with his hand again. The anger, along with a familiar restlessness, was still building. If I were back home, I would go for a run. That wasn’t an option here, though.
As soon as he parked, I opened my door and hurried for the entrance.
His hand smoothed down my back the moment we were inside.
“It’ll be better in the condo. It’s protected.”
I hoped he was right. Using the stairs as an outlet, I sprinted upward, taking the steps two at a time.
“There’s a treadmill in the living room closet,” Oanen said as he reached around me to open the door. I liked that he always kept up with me.
“A treadmill in the closet?”
I looked at the double doors on the opposite wall.
“You’re not the only person to get restless.”
He closed the door then crossed the room to pull out the treadmill. As soon as he had the track down, he started it and motioned me forward.
“I’ll order the pizza while you run.”
“Thank you.”
I cranked the speed up, testing myself and the machine as I went all out. I wasn’t winded by the time I finished but managed to work up a bit of a sweat and purge some of the restlessness.
“Better?” Oanen asked when I shut the machine off.
“Much. How long until the pizza gets here?”
“Another fifteen minutes.”
“Perfect.”
I took a quick shower and put on last night’s pajamas. Since there was still time before dinner arrived, I used it to call Eliana. She answered on the first ring.
“Any sign of the brownie or goblin yet?” I asked.
“Not yet.” She didn’t sound like herself.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you trying to lie to me?”
“Yes. Because I want you to focus on getting the job done so you can get home sooner.”
“Talk, succubus.”
Eliana sighed.
“I didn’t know how lonely I was until I made a friend and she left. And then, I find out someone is trying to kill her and my only friend might not come back.”
“I miss you, too. And that burger wasn’t meant for me. Oanen overreacted because of the whole bird bond thing. As for the smiling dead trolls, we have a few leads. It shouldn’t be too much longer. I’m coming back. I promise. How did it go at the academy today?”
“Good. Eugene is loving classes and asking a ton of questions. It rubbed a few people wrong, but by the end of the day, I think they were catching on that Eugene is impressed and curious and not a threat. Oh, a siren almost got him into the pool at lunch, but Ashlyn was there to block him. And, Fenris was being pretty good about keeping an eye on the humans, too.”
“Oh? So you and Fenris were hanging out?”
She snorted.
“No way. He keeps texting me annoying updates. I think he misses you.”
“Then, I think you should be a friend and keep him company.”
“Not me,” she said, sounding completely panicked. “I think the new girls are stirring his wolfie hormones or something because he’s getting worse.”
“Worse? You mean he’s flirting?”
“No. He hasn’t changed at all in that way. It’s his lust. I can barely be in the same room with him. When I spot him now, I just go the other way.”
I felt bad for Fenris and wondered what kind of miracle it was going to take for Eliana to figure out that all Fenris’ lust had everything to do with her. I could only imagine how desperate he was starting to feel if Eliana thought his lust was worse than before.
“How’s your succubus training going? Adira still dressing you?”
“She set out clothes for me this morning. I got creative with them while still following the rules. I wish everyone around here would just leave me alone. I might be a little on the small side, but I don’t think I’m unhealthy. Nothing to warrant this much unwanted attention.”
In the living room, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and waved to Oanen as he left to get the pizza.
“So how is it staying in New York? Are you missing your backpack with all the wicked you’re running into? Did you kill anyone yet?” Eliana asked.
“Not yet. It’s weird here. Most of the time, it’s not as provoking as I thought it would be. People I would have thought I’d want to beat the hell out of, like Elbner, don’t bug me. Yet today, regular people were starting to get under my skin. I’m just glad it’s not like it was the night I came here with Adira. That would have been hell. As it is, I think New York would be more fun if we weren’t having to deal with dying trolls.”
“I heard Adira and the Quills talking. While you’re checking out the deaths in New York, the council near Flagstaff is investigating the deaths of three Nemean lions.”
“What’s a Nemean lion and did they die with smiles, too?”
She laughed.
“No. Nemean lions are a lot like regular lions. They’re animals but a lot harder to kill. Their coats are impenetrable by mortal blades. Since they’re a protected species by our laws, the word is going out, asking for information about their deaths.”
“I’m not sure how this is supposed to make me feel better about dealing with troll deaths.”
“It’s not. I told you so you’d know the Council isn’t giving Oanen all the poopy jobs. An enforcer has to look into any death that’s questionable.”
“Poopy?” I said with a laugh. “Adira should forget the succubus clothes and work on your language skills.”
“Swearing isn’t a language skill.”
“Says the person who doesn’t know how.”
“I know how, I just choose not to.”
I snorted at her as the door opened and Oanen strode in carrying the pizza. The smell of it hit me hard and made my stomach growl.
“I better go. Oanen just walked in with our pizza, and I’m starving.”
“Tell him I said hi. Talk to you tomorrow.”
I hung up and hurried to the pizza. Oanen’s lips twitched as I hungrily watched him open the box.
“That smells amazing,” I said, inhaling.
“I’ll let you have some if you sit on the couch and watch a movie with me.”
“You had me at ‘I’ll let you have some.’”
He chuckled and set a huge slice on a plate for me. The tip of the wedge hung off the edge. I sat on the couch and dug in while he started the movie.
I ate three slices the size of my head before I pushed my plate away with a groan.
“Best pizza ever.”
“Feel better?” he asked.
“I do. Thank you.”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulled me close, and pressed his lips against the top of my temple. I leaned into his side and exhaled contentedly, only partially focused on the movie. My mind continued to dwell on the troll deaths and Eliana’s mom. It would devastate Eliana if her mom was responsible for them. Eliana already hated what she was and feared what she’d become.
That kind of fear was something with which I could empathize. As much as I’d pushed aside what I learned in the Book of Fury, I dreaded what gaining my full powers would mean for me. Without a doubt, Eliana and I were in the same boat, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the future would hold for both of us.
Oanen’s hand smoothed over my arm.
“That was a big sigh for an action movie,” he said.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize I sighed. I was just thinking about the future.”
He paused the movie.
“You didn’t need to do that. I’ll stop talking.”
“I paused it so you would keep talking. The future…our future…is something that very much interests me.”
The low rumble of his voice and the way the flecks of gold in his blue eyes multiplied as I watched sent up warning flags. Our conversation from earlier, or rather, what he’d declared earlier, came back to me in a rush. He loved me and wanted forever.
I swallowed hard, wondering what I should say. I didn’t want to talk relationship. Not now. Not this close to bedtime.
“What are you thinking that’s making you blush?” he asked.
He leaned in slowly, and my pulse picked up speed. His lips quirked at the corners just before his mouth touched mine. The taste of him set off a storm, and fire and lightning exploded inside of me.
My head spun, and I gripped the front of his shirt tightly, anchoring myself and holding him in place. He leaned in further, causing me to slowly slide down into the cushions. The weight of him warmed me. The feel of his chest against mine made it hard to breathe as want consumed me. I wanted to feel all of him pressed against all of me. My body ached for that much contact.
I tore my mouth from his, struggling to remember why we needed to stop. Why I couldn’t wrap a leg around his waist and pull him closer.
It wasn’t easy to think clearly when his mouth was trailing kisses down my throat. Images of us tangled in sheets, his hands sliding over my bare skin, filled my mind and left me breathless.
I wanted him so much it hurt. My fingers itched to inch their way up his shirt. To remove his clothing. To make the images in my mind a reality.
The stroke of his tongue against the edge of my ear sent me flying off the couch. With that touch, the reason we shouldn’t pushed its way forward.
He chuckled, his golden eyes pinning me.
“Not your thing?”
I stared at him for a moment, debating what to say. He caught my hesitation and grew serious.
“Talk to me,” he said softly.
I let out a slow breath.
“When we kiss like that, it’s hard to remember why I need to say no.”
“Why do you need to say no?”
“We’re eighteen. I don’t want to start a family at eighteen. I’m not even sure I’ll want to start a family at fifty. I mean, I’m barely holding my own shit together. There’s no way I want the responsibility of caring for someone else.”
He watched me for a moment, really considering my words.
“Sex doesn’t need to mean kids. I’m not saying that to try to talk you into something you’re not ready for. I’m saying it to let you know I’m okay with waiting for kids.”
He stood and closed the distance between us.
“And, I’m okay waiting for you.”
Even though he said the thing that should have soothed me, I was stuck on one word.
“Kids? Plural? Shoot me now.”
He chuckled and pulled me close, kissing me gently.
“Baby griffins are adorable,” he said, holding me. “Picture a chicken-sized griffin.”
I groaned.
“I’m never going to look at you the same way, again,” I said.
“What? You said you liked my beak.”
“You should stop now.”
“I’m hoping if I keep talking, you’ll get desperate enough to kiss me like we both want.”
“Remember you asked for this, bird boy,” I said a moment before I lifted my head and claimed his lips. It was his turn to groan. He clutched me close as my tongue teased his. As my hands slipped under his shirt. As I stood on my toes and pressed my hips against his.
A moment later, he had me in his arms and was walking toward the bedroom.
“Wait,” I said, breaking the kiss.
“Now who’s the chicken?” he said. “We’re just going to bed.”
“While kissing. I’m not stupid.”
“No sex tonight, Megan. I want to feel your lips against mine until we both pass out. I want it to be the last thing I remember before closing my eyes, and the first thing I think of when I open them again. I know you’re not ready for more; just like I know you’ll let me know when you are ready.”
I looked up at him, tangling my fingers in his hair.
“Just a hella lot of kissing then?” I asked.
“And maybe some petting. I hear birds like that.”
I grinned at his deadpan delivery.
“I think I can handle that,” I said before kissing him again.
Anger flooded me with a suffocating fullness. I woke, breathing slowly and deeply. The smell of warm cotton tickled my nose, and I carefully slid from Oanen’s arms, our heavy make out session barely a thought.
An invisible line pulled me from the bedroom. Barefoot, I padded across the living room toward the sunroom and balcony. Someone very wicked moved out there.
I smiled in anticipation and opened the door.
“Come to confess?” I asked the creature that straightened from the shadows.
His humorless black eyes found mine as I closed the distance between us. He reeked of blood, booze, and fear. I inhaled deeply and didn’t stop walking until we stood toe to toe with his back against the metal and glass rail.
Even though I could smell his fear, it didn’t reflect in his gaze or his words.
“Not in this life, little girl. You need to leave town. Now.”
Lightning fast, I grabbed his throat and lifted him high.
“I’m not the one leaving town. You are. Hell’s waiting for you.”
“Hell’s for humans, bitch,” he rasped.
“We’ll see about that. Elwood Rumlar, confess.” The word brought him to his knees like all the others. He shook, and anger filled his gaze as he spoke of his crimes. He’d killed. Eaten human flesh. Broken the laws of humans and non-humans, alike.
The rage inside of me roared to life and fire danced up my arm.
“Elwood Rumlar, you’ve earned your place in hell.”
I embraced my fury power as I reached for his throat. Before I touched him, pain exploded inside of me from head to toe like I was being ripped in two.
I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound emerged as blackness consumed me.
My pulse thumped in my head. Opening my eyes, I blearily stared at the snow-dusted surface before me. The patio floor. I’d fallen. Again.
I tried to sit up and hissed at the pain searing my chest. I looked down at another burn mark.
“Fuck.”
Oanen was going to notice this one.
Getting to my feet, I looked for the thing that had drawn me outside. I was alone. However the creature had gotten out there, it seemed it had left the same way.
Pre-dawn light reflected off the sunroom glass. I looked over my shoulder in surprise. How much time had passed since I’d gone outside? Obviously half the night. Suppressing a shiver, I used my cold, stiff fingers to open the door.
I went straight for the shower. Oanen would definitely notice how cold I was if I tried crawling into bed with him. The hot water felt good on everything but the burn. I gritted my teeth through washing and drying and put the same cream on the new burn as Oanen had put on the old one. When I finished, I wrapped the towel around my torso and crept out of the bathroom to grab myself some clean clothes. Escaping to the living room to dress, I noted the sun was just clearing the horizon.
“So much for going back to bed,” I muttered to myself.
Despite having been passed out for hours, I was exhausted. I pulled on my clothes, careful of the new injury. Dressed and slowly toweling my hair, I stared out at the patio.
Other than wicked and not human, I didn’t know what that thing had been or why it had come here in the first place.
I thought back to everything he’d said. He’d wanted me to leave town. Why? Was he trying to warn me away from the troll deaths? Were we getting close to finding the killer?
“You’re up early,” Oanen said from behind me, causing me to startle.
I looked back at him. He wore a pair of shorts, leaving his gloriously golden chest bare for my enjoyment. If only my head wasn’t pounding.
“You’re up early, too.”
“It’s not as fun sleeping late without you beside me. Your spot was cold. How long have you been up?”
“Not long,” I said. It was the truth, but not what he meant.
I tossed my towel onto the couch and walked toward him, knowing I needed to distract him from his current line of questioning. There was no way I was going to admit I passed out on the patio for the past several hours.
“I thought the first thing you wanted to think about in the morning was a kiss.”
His lips curved in a sexy half-smile, and he met me in the middle of the room.
“You would be correct.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.
I almost winced at the sting from the heat of his chest on my burn.
“Do I detect a hint of minty freshness?” I asked instead.
“I heard you in the shower,” he said.
“And you missed your chance to join me?”
Gold pooled in Oanen’s eyes.
“Don’t tease me, Fury.”
