Novel Palace
Chapter 36
I close my eyes as I pull my breast out to nurse Rain and am startled when my front door opens and a large white wolf walks in. "Jesus, Zev, you scared the living daylights out of--" I lose track of my thoughts when he transforms from beast to man and stands before me naked. I've already seen the goods, but I'm sitting and he's standing and he's on full display at eye level. Forgive me, but it's really hard to not stare. Holy hell, do all paranormals come packing, or just my three? "Not all of us, no," Zev says in a deep voice, his green eyes twinkling flirtatiously. I blush three shades of red when I realize I spoke out loud. I must be more exhausted than I thought. "But if it bothers you, I'll clothe myself."
"It's not that..." I start to say, but then I stop. Of course he needs to put clothes on. I can't just hang out with him naked. Pull yourself together, Bernie.
"What's that?" Zev asks, turning toward me as he walks to the guest bedroom, his ass cheeks like perfectly sculpted boulders that I have to resist the urge to stand up and touch.
"Get dressed," I finally say when my brain starts to work again.
He chuckles as he disappears into the room, as if he knows what I'm thinking. Undoubtedly I'm not hard to read at the moment.
When he returns, he's only wearing jeans. Which I guess helps a bit. But those chiseled abs are just as distracting as everything else. "Did you lose all your shirts?" I ask, bundling Rain into a burrito and walking over to the living room crib to let her sleep. Zev grins. "I'm not a big fan of excess clothing."
"Right." My throat feels suddenly dry, so I head to the kitchen for a glass of water, then go back to the couch to sit down.
Zev joins me and without asking permission, pulls my legs over his lap, forcing me to recline against the sofa. "What are you doing?"
"Giving you what you need," he says, which brings to mind all manner of tempting ideas, none of which involve my feet.
"Is that part of the pledge potion?" I ask. I have no idea how this thing works, so while my question is a bit cheeky it might also be spot on.
"In a way," he answers. "We're committed to respecting your wishes, as a mother and a woman. But, pledge or no pledge, I understand what you've been through and the care you need. And deserve."
He begins massaging my legs. As he works his way up my calf and toward my thigh I give in completely, moaning as his strong hands relieve the tension in my body.
"You've pushed yourself too hard too soon," he reprimands, his voice as much of a caress as his hands. "Rune's potions will help, but you still need your rest."
"I didn't exactly schedule this craziness to come into my life right now." I lose my words for a moment when his fingers dig into a particularly painful spot on my foot.
"By the way," I say, switching gears to a much more pressing topic. "Do you know anything about the Order of the Star?"Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
I haven't had a chance to ask Darius about his involvement, and since the Sexies have a mysterious shared past, I figure Zev might be able to answer some of my questions.
He frowns, his lips tightening. "Why do you want to know?"
"Okay, sounds like you do know something. Explain.""
"Others will have more information than I do. The Order has a torrid history amongst my race. It was an organization of witches who used their magic to attack my kind, targeting our pups and killing our mates in order to weaken our packs."
"Tell her the whole story," a new voice demands. Darius has appeared out of practically nowhere, and now stands before us, glowering. "The witches organized in order to protect themselves from persecution. From being hunted."
Zev stops rubbing my feet, much to my great sadness, and stands to face Darius, bristling at the interruption. "We weren't the only ones, nor the first, to hunt the witches," he growls.
Rain--disturbed by the men raising their voices--wakes up from her nap screaming, and I scowl at the two of them. "You've already had this fight, and now you've woken the baby. Shame on you both."
I sound like an old school marm, but I don't care. A sleeping infant is not to be messed with.
Zev's demeanor changes in an instant, turning from combative to repentant. He shuffles over, tail between his legs, to change Rain's diaper and try to get her back to sleep. I use the moment to confront Darius.
"Now's the time you explain how, when, and why you met my grandmother," I say, patting the cushion next to me and inviting Darius to sit.
The vampire casts a glance at Zev, who pretends like he's not paying attention, but I know he totally is. Darius takes a seat beside me, close enough for our legs to touch and the recent memories of his gleaming body to flood my brain. His words snap me back to the reality at hand.
"I had business with the Order, before you or your mother were born. That is when I met Tilly. She was a powerful witch--their leader, and we were at war."
"So you were some kind of emissary?" I ask.
He gives a shrug that could mean anything.
"And what did you learn?"
"That they were waiting for the Last Witch to be born as well. The one who would spell the end to all other kinds and return power to the witches."
"Oh good, another power grab," I say dryly. "So their motives are about as pure as all of yours."
Zev grunts, proving he has in fact been listening, and Darius just scowls. "At least we now know who Karl is working with and what they want."
"But we don't know who's leading the Order now," I say. "It's clearly not Tilly."
Darius looks out the window and Zev tilts his head back, staring up in thought. They don't know.
"No, we don't," the vampire says as he lays a hand on my leg.
The touch makes me shiver, and not just from his unnaturally cold skin. Why are all three of these men so good at gentle touches that make me want to be ravaged when there are so many other things I need to be thinking about? "But if the leader is not from your bloodline," Darius continues, "that's something of concern."
"Why's that?" I ask just as Rune and AJ enter the apartment, finally done closing the bar just after one in the morning. On our best night pre-Sexies, the place would be empty by 10:15.
"Not all witches have the best intentions," the vampire says, a knowing look in his eye. "Outside of your lineage, we can't really know what the Order intends to do with the child."
For the next few weeks, things fall
into a bit of a routine--certainly more routine than the first few chaotic days of Rain's life. AJ moves back to her own house to escape the cramped quarters at my apartment but continues to bartend and incorporate more of Rune's drinks into our regular menu. Darius--much to his eternal
ΛΟ
consternation--becomes a favorite amongst the locals, and even folks from out of town. He and Zev perform their act nightly now, bringing in tourists from Salem, Boston, and all over to witness their ever-changing show. Rune plays the harp and has talked me into playing piano with him, and I have to admit, the effect is pretty damn magical. Several patrons record us and put us up on instagram, which delights Rune beyond measure for some reason.
And I can't deny, having these hunky paranormals around has made my bar a whole new type of intoxicating.
I thought Rain's arrival would kill
Morgan's financially, and the antics that ensued made me sure the business would collapse, but things have turned around drastically. In addition to all of our new female patrons, now that AJ has a grasp of her seductive powers, men who would stop in for a beer after work are now staying for three or four drinks.
Meanwhile, I get to be a mother. I tend to my baby without constantly looking over my shoulder, and I wrap her in a Bjorn and stroll through the bar when I feel like it. I've set up a swing next to the piano and Rune and I play her to sleep while the patrons watch and listen. For fleeting moments, I feel a happiness I haven't experienced in years.
But it's a momentary sensation,
clouded by the uncertainty of what isn't happening. Despite our best attempts, we've learned nothing new about the Order of the Star or what Karl was involved in. We don't know who else might be part of this. I'm half expecting sweet old Joe will turn out to be the Devil himself, maybe with plans to burn me alive? At this point, nothing will surprise me.
So when we have yet another week of no new leads, I make a decision. One that won't be popular with anyone.
"I need to see my grandmother again," I announce one afternoon, looking at Darius specifically. "And I want you to come with me."
"Why me?" the vampire asks, setting down the leather bound book he was reading.
"Because you knew Tilly back in the day, and you've got those voodoo mind powers. Maybe you can get through to her. We'll leave Rain at home with Rune and Zev so she'll be safe. And hopefully we can avoid triggering my grandmother into another panic attack." Darius frowns. "I cannot go out during the day, and there are no visiting hours at night," he reminds me. Like what, did he study the damn brochure?
I smile. "I know. That's why we're going to break in."