Nakuni's apartment was nothing like Trisha expected. As soon as she entered the door the aroma of oranges and cinnamon spice tickled her nose. "Wow," she whispered as she sniffed.
He chuckled at her as he hung his car keys up and locked the door behind them. "It's just some various scents to keep the place smelling nice." He glanced around. "I do not normally have company. So please, make yourself at home."
Trisha grinned at him and found a seat. She sunk into the padded softness and sighed in pleasure. "You've got great taste," she congratulated. " She sat forward. "Hey, why do you have a place of your own anyway? Aren't most servants supposed to stay with their masters?"
"That would be true if the Master was less of a person. As it is, he doesn't need me to defend him."
Trisha resisted the urge to snort. Yeah, if she was a vampire she doubted she'd need others defending her as well. "He won't be mad that you're taking the day off?"
"No, you do no
Nakuni motioned for Trisha to sit at a small bar stool that was on the other side of the kitchen island. "I'm going to cook for you. Please, sit there and wait."He paused before he opened the fridge as he glanced back at her. "I do not believe that I have had the opportunity to ask about your tastes when it concerns heat.""Do you mean spicy?" Trisha questioned.Nakuni nodded."I can handle normal levels. Just don't give me any ghost peppers or anything that would make me cry and I"ll be okay.""That's good to hear." Nakuni smiled at her. "I'm not stocked that well here. Just a few odds and ends for myself. However, I will not let you stay here without at least feeding you something for lunch and before I leave."He nodded to the stool again and waited until Trisha sat on it. "Now, I will get started.""What are you making?" Trisha questioned as he bustled around the small kitchen. He moved with a grace as he moved ingredients about
The stillness of the place is what got to her first. Trisha thought she'd be fine with being alone. It hadn't been the first time. And yet, it was like a smothering blanket right now. She'd declined Nakuni's offer to talk.Because really, how would that conversation have gone? Oh, the boss that you value so much is a vampire and that friend of his is a demon. She didn't want Nakuni to think less of her or be worried she had lost her mental capacities.But had she? She hadn't imagined all of that? No, when Kanda's eyes had turned that liquid black it had overcome her. A sea of memories of her first night. What had happened to that beautiful woman anyway? Had she died? Had Trisha been witness to a murder?With a sigh she got up from the love seat she had tucked herself into. She couldn't stay still. She grabbed her lunch plate and Nakuni's as well and took them to his small kitchen.He'd done a wonderful job of using the space well. No surface was was
Everything inside of her froze. The bedroom suite was her own from Ryan's mansion. The rose petals, however, those were new.Trisha hated herself. She knew what this meant. She'd fallen asleep. Because Nakuni wouldn't have taken her back here, without her asking him to."Can we talk?"Trisha crossed her arms over her chest as she whirled to confront him. "Considering that you have me trapped inside this dream world of yours, I have no choice, do ?""I'm not sorry for bringing you here," he answered with a shrug. "You won't talk to me in person, right?"She nodded. "I won't. You've lied to me, manipulated me, did whatever you wanted to me. Is this some sort of game? Or are you devouring me through this?"Kanda wrinkled his nose. "If I was devouring you, you'd be on that bed right now," he answered with a familiar grin.Trisha wasn't having it. "All of these nights I've spent with you, they're all lies. You betrayed me in th
Trisha hugged her pet close as it purred like crazy and cuddled against her chest. "You're hungry aren't you?" she questioned."Come on, I bet Nakuni just let you in here while I was sleeping. Let's get you some food." she picked up her kitten with another hug and ventured to the living room.The stifling stillness still permeated the atmosphere. On a small table in the center of the room, there was a sheet of paper and her phone set beside it.She set the kitten down who whined at her and tried to claw its way back up but Trisha pulled it off before it could sink its claws into her too much. "Calm down," she scolded as she took a seat.Nakuni's writing was crisp, clean, organized. Everything about him was so concise. Why in the world did Kanda have an issue with him all the time?It didn't make sense at all. She scanned the lines and pouted. "He had to go back to the mansion?" she sighed and glanced down at Claw that was staring up at her.
Trisha stared at Nakuni. His hair was messy, his normally perfect outfit all askew. Darkness lingered in his eyes. He held a hand out for her. "Trisha, I can explain," Trisha screamed and scrambled backward as the rocks bit into her skin."Claw?" she called.But she knew the truth.A jaguar hadn't magically just appeared here. Nakuni hadn't just dropped out of the sky either."Trisha, please, calm down." Nakuni continued to wait for her to grab his hand. "Let me help you up."Trisha whimpered as she withdrew away from him. "You're all monsters?" she demanded. "All of you?""Monster is such a harsh word," Nakuni countered. "We're not going to hurt you, any of us."Trisha turned her head away as she bit back a sob. "Why do you all just lie to me?" She hiccuped. "What's Logan?" She demanded. "Surely Logan has to be some creature too, right?"Nakuni sighed. "Please, return to the apartment. I'll tell you everythin
"What are you doing next?" Nakuni questioned as Trisha spun her phone on the table."I'm going to call Logan," she replied. "I know he's lying to, but I want to give him a chance to come clean.""He won't," Nakuni replied. "You knowing the truth about him will only put you in more danger. The guy won't allow that to happen.""More danger?" Trisha snorted. "What was with that hitman? Was he from the Council?""No," Nakuni responded his lips thinning. "I'll find out where he came from though. I promise they'll never attack you again." there was a sneer to his tone as his lip lifted and she could see her kitten hissing as his posture changed.He nodded to her phone. "Call Logan, wanting you to stay with me is selfish. I can't guard you all by myself in my small place."Trisha hesitated as she picked the phone up. She wanted to call him and hear his voice, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. The numbers were easy enough bu
The rest of the ride Lauren fumed in her seat. The ice-cold glare she leveled at Trisha did not go unnoticed by the subject.Whenever Trisha opened her mouth to say something Logan would squeeze her hip reassuringly. "Don't worry about it," he announced as they neared his mansion. "Lauren will just have to get used to you.""Logan, when your deals dry up, when interviews fade away, and when no one wants to use you anymore, I don't want to hear you whine to me. I told you what was needed for this, and you're the one fighting that."She paused for effect. "Also, I've signed you up for a celebrity auction.""There's no way I'm doing one of those things," Logan objected."I did it right after you announced that you had a lover," Lauren countered."My job is to make your star shine bright. I know you're going to go downhill over all of this, but until that moment hits I will sign you up for every event I can. Celebrity auctions, win a date
The rays of the sun peeked in through her curtains and warmed her skin. Trisha turned toward the warmth and her cheek brushed against another source of heat. A hand was right next to her head. She cracked her eyes open and looked into Logan's eyes."You stayed here all night?" she asked as she glanced around the room."You never told me to go to my own room," he replied with a faint smile.His smile broadened. "Well, would you like some breakfast? I'm not a cook, and I don't have any here, but I have a ton of sugary sweet cereals in stock. My manager hates it, but a wolf's metabolism is so high it doesn't matter." He winks. "Just like with those burgers."Trisha yawned. She had slept great, completely at peace, but the lack of Kanda made her feel strange. She'd gotten accustomed to him in her dreams. This was the first time he had been absent. Was that on purpose?"You okay?" Logan leaned forward now. "I can make Lauren grab you something else if y
Trisha's fingers flew over the keyboard as she nibbled on her lip. She paused to take a sip of her water before getting back to work. A step behind her made her freeze and glance over her shoulder. Ryan smiled down at her. "What's up?" she asked."You've been working hard here. We haven't seen you in a while."Trisha chuckled. "You know how Rachel is. I need to finish this coding for her before I can come downstairs. It's the least I can do for everything she's done for us."Ryan wriggled the fingers on his robotic arm in perfect mimicry as if he'd never had his arm ripped off, to begin with. "True, but you still deserve a break."Trisha rolled her neck from side to side. "I think you're right. Is Nakuni finished with lunch?"Ryan nodded. "Part of the reason I came to get you. I wanted to escort you down." He smiled. "Any chance to get to spend some time with you."Trisha's smile widened. "Which is why I'm working so hard. We almost have it
Trisha was stripped bare to Nakuni's ravenous gaze. There was no turning back now, and even if Vanku, or hell, if any of the others walked in, Trisha wouldn't stop. Not until she fucked him.The shifter stripped himself faster than he'd even done to her. Trisha's eyes were glued to his massive dick that bobbed as if acknowledging her gaze and she licked her lips."You're not getting a taste of that, not yet," Nakuni whispered. "I'm too far gone for foreplay, all I want to do is bury myself inside you. I want to feel your walls flutter against and clench me," he growled.Trisha nodded. She wanted that too. "Wait," she whispered as she frowned."What?" he questioned a bit his edge fading away by concern. "Are you too tired?" he bit his lip hard. "It'll be hard but I can stop if I have to."Hard, ha. "No," she answered with a shake of her head. "But, protection?"Nakuni tilted his head to the side with a grunt. "No cubs yet?" he que
A thousand years. Trisha tried to wrap her mind around the words but no matter how she fit them together, they didn't make sense. "Why would you do that?""I repay my debts. I admit I was not aware of the Council's other doings. And why they were stupid enough to bring them here, I am not sure. My guess is it was those children of Westworth's. Those twins never did have brains. You eliminated a threat to the Assembly."The vials. Trisha sat up and her body didn't scream at her for doing so. Vanku moved back as she did so. Vanku's eyes focused on hers, a challenge in their depths.And the pieces fell into place."It wasn't them being stupid," Trisha whispered. "They were going to attack you guys, that's why they brought it here."Vanku smiled, this time her teeth were kept hidden. "Yes, good job, Trisha. I admit I didn't think your kind were capable of critical thought. It's likely they were taking advantage of the situation.""I'm not going
An ear-splitting roar forced Trisha's eyes open. A jaguar bounded down the stairs and following him was a bear, a lamia, wolves, demons, and things that Trisha couldn't even comprehend.She was dropped to the ground like a sack of garbage as the vampires turned to confront the swarm.Jace writhed this way and that, easily looping around Raphael's leg and squeezing it until the vampire was forced to stay still. Jace smirked. "I'm not your death today.""I am," Kanda promised and the demon launched himself at the vampire as Jace let him go. The two tumbled into the dirt on the ground and Trisha could only watch.Liliana laughed as Ryan teetered toward her. "Did you really think there were just two of us here?" she demanded and she snapped her fingers. From all sides, the vampires flowed in as if just waiting for the signal.The fighters were swarmed in seconds. Kanda rolled by Trisha with Raphael on top and Trisha reached out for him, but her a
Trisha didn't speak to anyone else until she was alone with Ryan. The pack had given him his own house as he recovered. As she entered, his eyes were on her."It was about what we expected, wasn't it?" he asked. What was left of his arm was in a sling and the stench of burned flesh lingered in the air."They're making you leave with the others," Trisha answered. "All of the Council has to leave, so after all this, you're just back at square one again."Ryan shrugged. "But you're safe, and you'll be safe. That's all I care about. I know that asking you to help me in the first place was selfish, and I ask for your forgiveness."Trisha didn't answer. His words had a tone of finality to them. A sense that she couldn't push aside. "They're going to kill you, aren't they?" she whispered the words.Would Liliana allow that? The crazy vampire was obsessed with him, there was no way she'd let him die, was there?"We shouldn't talk about t
"We have to talk."Trisha never liked hearing those words. Considering they came from Vanku, she liked them even less. Especially considering they were directed to her. "Are you sure?" she asked.The dragon nodded her scales clinking as she did so. "You will come with me now. There has been a severe accusation." Her eyes flickered over the group. "I can not deny there has been an attack.""I told you," Sofia piped from the side. "You can smell it too.""Yes, vampires did attack this group. I will talk to the main human, alone. The rest of you may go.""I'm not leaving her alone," Logan growled out. "Not with you."Vanku snorted and a plume of smoke trickled from her nose. "I am the Assembly leader. Are you seriously insinuating that I can not be trusted?""Not with a human," Nakuni answered from his place on Mark's back. "Your hatred for them is known.""Why wouldn't I despise the race that has driven mine to the br
Logan moved like a bullet train. Trisha sensed the world flickering around her as he raced but she couldn't pull herself out of her spiral.Was she about to lose Ryan? Lose him before she could even truly get to know him?No.Logan slowed down and her head shot up. She prepared herself to yell at her husband, but the words died like ash on her tongue.Jace was in front of them. The lamia grunted and flicked a hand in greeting. Blood streaked all over his body and his tail was wrapped around Ryan's arm. A giant puddle of blood pooled under the two."Is he?" Trisha whispered not able to force the words.Jace rolled his eyes. "No, but you guys got here too late for the battle. The cowards ran off." He smirked. "Those that survived anyway."Sofia snarled. "What? They attacked you and then left? I hate vampires," she shook her head with a snort and a roll of her eyes."What are you doing here?" Kanda demanded. He h
The rest of the meeting was a blur for Trisha.Did Vanku talk more?She couldn't be sure.The only thing that Trisha did know was that she would not let Ryan be taken from her. She hadn't been able to spend as much time with him as some of the others, but that was something she planned to remedy and him being somewhere overseas wasn't part of those plans.She'd do whatever it took to save him."Very well, human, you've said your piece, and I have said mine. I am leaving now to talk to the wolf pack leader. I expect you to be gone by the time I return. I will not tolerate humans being around me longer than I have to endure."Vanku's eyes slid past her and the dragon clicked once more as she walked away from the group. The other Assembly members besides Sofia filed after her and ascended the creaky steps."I'll take you guys back to your house," Sofia offered, soft so Vanku didn't pick up the conversation. "Besides, I wanted to ta
"We find that the Council is not at fault for any of these transgressions. There is no proof besides what out demon swears they have found, but as we know they can't always be trusted. And so, I will rule in favor of the Council. You may leave, Madam Westworth, we will handle matters from here."What? How could any of this be possible? Trisha wanted to throw something at the smirking monarch of a woman. Why didn't they believe Sofia? And if she had more secret help, why hadn't they shown themselves? She knew better than to talk though."I believe I'll stay here and witness the punishment for these barbarians. It is my right." Westworth replied with a sly smile."No," Vanku responded with a click that confused Trisha. Had she made that sloshy snap sound with her mouth? How?"What?" Westworth demanded. "You're going against the rules. The Assembly does have to abide by them.""The rules only state that I would find if your words involving your organi