I stood there watching the bathroom door shut lightly. Letting out the breath I was holding, I fell gently back against the cool tile. I was at my wits end with Cash. I knew he was a wolf, an Alpha, but I expected a little more restraint. I wasn't his property to order around and dictate to.I pulled out my phone briefly to check something. I had an inkling his last comment to me, was personal."There you are! Girl, you had us worried. We were on our way back to the van when Cash suddenly took off in a sprint to the other end of the food strip. Mr. 'No talky' and I got back the van and you weren't there! So, we took off after him, he was sure in a hurry. I watched him walk out of the women's bathroom. Red faced pissed! What happen?" Reggie asked me the moment she came in."Nothing really, other than the usual emotional bossing." I huffed as my stomach growled."Ha ha ha, that's a wolf for ya. You're hungry, let's get back to the van, we have a smorgasbord waiting for us!" Linking her
Several wolves came towards Reggie and I, barking, until Cash gave the command to heal. All of the ones around us immediately sat as whines came from closed mouths."Well, we know who rules the roost around here!" Reggie commented to me. Her andI watched as they listened to Cash's command, but then we both frowned as the driver reached out pet a few that had stopped beside him.She looked at me and I rolled my eyes.Cash started towards the entrance of the massive stone structure. The van was parked at the edge of the circle driveway crossing in front of two thick pillars of gray stone. Their uneven textures caught the lighting placed around the edges of the drive. You could see tall French doors framed by small flowered covered shrubs at the front entrance. Walking between the two pillars, on granite stone plates, our steps echoed. I tripped staring up at them and Cash caught my arm. I yanked my arm from him, still feeling the effects of our bathroom conversation, and he gave me a
Turning to me as I was following after the butler, she had to stake her claim as Alpha one more time. Figures."We may be far from prying eyes, but we are so well known and important, I wouldn't want to take the chance of word getting out about a mishap occurring. Cash is always in the public's eye. He has a reputation to maintain." Dandaline cooed just as Cash pulled his arm away from her. I only looked at Cash, as she felt the need to explain, I could see no emotion in his face.Following the old man, we ascended up a set of stairs centered in the big open room.The wood detail was all cherry, from every railing and post, down to what was beneath my feet. Larger drapery in gold and brick colored detail hung against the wall of the upper floor. Some were embellished with wolves, while others of forest settings.I stopped briefly at one, to see what looked like Cash, but not human Cash. It was his wolf form I recognized from the other night. The wolf had a branch type pattern that fo
I could picture Cash actually saying something like that, so shooing Reggie's hands away as she messed with one more small chunk of hair to pin back, I stood up from the desk chair. We had chosen the desk because I didn't find sitting at the brass vanity appealing, it felt too cliché for me. "Perfect!!! Damn, I am gooood! You look so elegant! You're gonna knock his socks off, and with the bit of makeup I added from your bag, you may even knock him dead?" Reggie laughed as I slipped on the heels and headed for the door. "Ha, it's recently crossed my mind I couldn't be so lucky. Regardless though, I am not dressing to impress him. I am just playing along until we can get things figured out. Once his life is no longer in danger, I can move on." Even saying I felt a twinge of untruth. "Emm hmm, well, if you say so! Let's go eat." Reggie headed out the door, getting a nod from Pharel. I caught him watching her as she walked away. Thinking it was interesting and cute, I cleared my thro
“What?” I asked him. “You seemed pleased?” he said as the trays were finished being unloaded on to the table. “She should be. We have better dining then a 5 star restaurant. Only the best of the best for Cashey.” I really hated comparing a Dandaline to a cute puppy, but that was definitely what she was striving for. Cash just looked at her briefly and started eating. I noticed Reggie was already sampling a bit of everything so I decided to follow suit. There was just too much to not try it all. The colors and textures of food were the only amusing thing about the entire dinner as we sat in silence and ate. I didn’t pick at my food delicately, not caring, and I filled my mouth to the brim. I engrossed myself in choosing from the dishes slowly before devouring whatever ended up at the end of my fork. Occasionally I would catch Cash glancing at me. I was waiting for whatever it was he had to say, to be said. The butler had entered at the moment I thought Cash would finally sp
The moment Michaels name left my lips, Cash stopped looking through the desk and moved to looking through the wide wooden cabinet behind the desk. “What are you wanting to do in here, if you plan on asking him anyway?” He asked coldly. “It’s not like I have a choice. He will find me when he has enough information, or when he sees fit to tell me. For now, I need something to do. I can’t just sit back, Cash, and do nothing. I've done enough of that and it almost got you killed saving ME.” I snapped for a reason. I wasn’t sure if it was his tone that set me off, or his constantly acting jealous, I was about finished with either. “Saving you, ha, yeah right. You over value yourself. I was looking for him as well. That shifter, whom you decided to play cat and mouse with, has connections to my father's wife.” Cash realized the moment he said it, freezing mid search. He had slipped up and told me something I was fully unaware of. ‘‘WHAT!?? You’re just now telling me this? How do
“Oh, so you have missed me!” Lou responded, avoiding my comment. The long haired, muscled body, scooted a butt cheek on to the desk. I noticed he was wearing jeans and no shirt like the last time we met. “How’d you win a free ticket out of Oblivion, and why are you wasting it by coming here?” I asked, casually flipping through the rolodex. “Come now, Ayda, just admit it, you had fun. I surely did. I think about it hourly...your skin, damp with sweat, your body feeling like warm water against my fingertips. I had always felt so cold, until, I felt you Ayda, I want more of that...heat..” Lou turned his bright mischievous eyes towards me and pushed everything I had laid out in front of me on to the floor so he could lay across the desk. The sound of the rolodex's hitting the floor tipped the iceberg for me. “Get out of here Lou, before the owner of this place comes and eats you.” I threatened as I scooted over in the chair to pick up the mess. “Bah haha, you are mistaken my lo
“I came to keep you safe. This is not a lie. If you end up possessed by the one that is running loose, even I will have a hard time trying to dig him out of you and dragging him back down, Ayda. Neither Michael, that wolf, or your witchy friend, nor the Almighty HIMSELF will be able to extract him from your body.” I rolled my eyes, not taking what he said serious. “You will be lost Ayda. No one, in Heaven or Oblivion, could bring you back this time. That little piece of your soul that remains, in your heart, will become dust on the floor of the Abyss. I do not joke on this.” His words echoed along the shelves of books and smacked me right in my chest. It was the first time I had ever heard seriousness, and fear, in the Devils voice. I was suddenly lost in thought at that moment. Did he really not know how the possession of an Other happened, or, if he knew and the Almighty sent Michael to threaten Lou into fixing this mess, he was playing the false hero. The only thing I was hav
I turned to Steve, his attitude had pushed me a little too far, and I exploded, “Look, I’m so close to saying screw it and putting you back in the metal box before both our asses become kindling for Angel’s fire. You seem to think proving you innocent is my purpose in life, but you’re wrong, STEVE. I am only doing this because I can’t live with a guilty conscience or the possibility of one!” I was huffing, trying to gather my breath. Rarely did I snap like that, but my cool mindset had flown over the railing and tumbled down several flights of stairs. “I don’t know where the guy is, but this was our only hope, Steve, so please, just be quiet and let me breathe.” He stared at me momentarily and cocked his head before looking at the door marked 2C. I looked, too, and the door was opened with an older man staring at us. “Mr. Arubergy?” He nodded and stuck his head out, looking around. “Come in, come in, hurry now,” he said, waving at us to be quick. “Please remove your shoes. I a
Steve's sudden question made me jump, and he grasped my hand harder, saying, “It’s worse than this. Unlike vampires who can sleep for eternity in solitude or fairies who can use their magic to fill nothingness with light and valuables, demons can only wait and listen, hoping to hear what’s happening outside the nothingness.” A slight shake in his voice made me feel horrible all of a sudden, but I couldn’t play into it no matter how bad I felt, “Well, do the crime, and you’ll eventually do time, Steve. I didn’t make those rules back then, but I still have to follow them today.” “Be lucky you didn’t end up with Groves. He had a basement full of tiny glass boxes that held his bounty captures. They could see out, and he would play reruns of commercials 24/7 on a black-and-white box t.v. for them to watch. Talk about torture. At least Reggie would talk to all of you,” Trixie piped in, obviously not feeling bad for Steve. “Sorry if I don’t seem grateful, but in all respect, I wasn’t supp
After my threat of turning his human body into a skunk, Steve complied, and we headed in my care to Corner of Bliss café. The silence was tolerable other than his constant shifting in the passenger seat, looking around. Finding a place to park was tricky, Corner of Bliss was a hopping little café with free Wi-Fi, and it’d been around long enough to have a mass number of Others that were loyal and frequented the place. Of course, humans always found their way there but were welcomed just the same. “Good morning, dears. What can I... get you?” Beth's pause was expected, she was something Ayda and I could never figure out, so I wasn’t sure if she would sense something about Steve. “Just two coffees, please. Is Trixie still here?” Still staring at Steve, she smiled and nodded toward the café window. Trixie was leaning across the booth’s table and chatting up the new waiter. I can't say I blame him. The guy was gorgeous. “Thanks,” I said while she was staring at Steve. “I don’t thin
I sat up feeling stiff, sore, and sleep deprived as the sound of my phone dinging by my bed woke me, followed by clanking sounds from the kitchen. I checked it and saw that it was Pheral who had messaged me. “Good morning, beautiful. I miss you. Everything is the same here, one meeting after another. I may never see the day when I am free of the pack. I’m sorry.” His message hit home, and I held back my tears. I missed him, too, and my heart ached for his hugs and sweet words when we were alone. Never leave the pack? I may end up threatening Cash to let Pheral go as he promised. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I caught the scent of smoke, and when I heard Steve yell, “Bloody Hell,” followed by the sounds of water, I shot out of bed and went straight into the kitchen. “What are you...” I was asking, but before I could finish, he stammered, “Can’t you see I’m making breakfast?” Seeing burnt eggs in the pan and black toast on a plate made me laugh uncontrollably. “Why a
“He’s in Heaven,” saying it in such an evident tone, Steve shrugged and then looked at Michael. We stared at him with our jaws open before I asked, “In Heaven, how do you know?” “Last I heard, he was dying, and an Angel promised him a one-way pass straight upstairs. But, of course, that was back before I got stuck with that killer driving us around and murdering people. So I assume that’s where he must be,” Steve answered, but it didn’t help us because it wasn’t like Heaven was next door, and we could just knock asking to borrow a dead necromancer. “If it was that simple, Michael could have someone up there locate one of the souls of the women that were murdered and ask her personally. But, unfortunately, there’s a lot more to it, paperwork and approvals. Heaven isn’t just chaos and paradise. They are structured, Steve, so a dead necromancer would be hard to locate without going through the proper channels. And keep in mind, Heaven gets word a demon, especially one that was sentenc
After busying myself around my house and battling dust bunnies, Trixie arrived. “Girl, you don’t even know the chaos that went on while you were kidnapped! That Angel was the only one to keep me informed until Zin finally came to the club two days ago, looking like someone had kicked his puppy. He said Ayda had been transported to Hell, but he wouldn’t elaborate. So what’s going on? How are you, and why didn’t you let me know you were safe?” I hugged him after he shut the door and sat on the couch. “I’m fine, as you can see. But sit next to me, and I will give you the full rundown,” I responded, patting the seat next to me. Trixie was a woman’s hottest wet dream, but he preferred the silent solid type equipped with three legs instead of one. He was carrying a bag and pulled out a beer before lying on the couch next to me. “Alright, spill it, don’t leave out a single detail!” From point A to point Z, I told him about the kidnapping, the wolves and shifters that saved me as
It took about a half hour before Michael popped back in. “Alright, you ready?” I just looked at him and asked, “Where’s the body, Michael?” “I couldn’t bring it with me. It’s at the hospital.” I jumped from the barstool, “At the hospital!? Why didn’t you just snag one from the morgue?” He shook his head, “I can’t do that. If the body is dead, the demon won’t last in it. It’s like a zombie who can’t eat brains.” “Good point, I didn’t think of that. Fine, let’s go to the hospital,” I replied while tucking Steve’s box under my arm. Michael looked at the box again nervously, “I can’t believe I am doing this. If Ayda found out, she’d skin both of us.” “Hush. That’s why she won’t find out. We don’t even know if what Steve said is true.” The Angel shook his head and placed his hand on my shoulder. I closed my eyes, knowing I was about to feel nauseous. I felt the pull of his power, and in the next instance, I could smell antiseptic while the sounds of a hospital filled my ears. I g
“He wasn’t a lower demon, you keep saying ‘Two lower class demons’ every time we talk, and I keep telling you he wasn’t. You’re a poor listener.” Suddenly the fairy piped in, “I’ve heard him say it. He’s right, sweetie. You really don’t listen.” “It’s true, it’s true, he has said it! But all she does is say, ‘If the shoe fits, wear it!’...I don’t even have shoes,” the vampire said, giving his two cents with a whine. All of a sudden, all three of them started talking, and my head was about to explode, “ENOUGH! Look, Steve, all you ever said was that he was stronger than you. Never once did you say he WASN’T a lower class. Fuck, if you knew he wasn’t, then you should have said he wasn’t! How the Hell am I supposed to know what you meant?” I stood there trying to decide. This was so out of the blue I suddenly wished Ayda was here. “You better not be fucking with me, or I’ll turn you into a pair of socks for a monkey!” I returned to the shelf where I kept my relaxing bedtime smoke a
It was dark, and damned streetlights were flickering in and out as I came up the side road by my house. It usually would annoy me, but I stayed feeling content anyway. Ayda was learning to open up. She needed to. Plus, I was safe from that crazy bitch that kidnapped me. Through it all, I’d found the sexy man, or wolf, of my dreams. I was never into dating, let alone sleeping with Others. I was quite against it. However, when I met Pheral for the first time, it was like love at first site. Or was that lust? Either way, his tall, dark, and quiet demeanor swept me out of my striped socks. Did I mention he was sexy? With those almond shaped exotic eyes, he could melt the polar caps. When I pulled up along the stone walls shielding the houses, my heart held a beat, hoping he was there, but I knew he wouldn’t be. Pheral’s boss, and pack leader, Cash, took on their pack as the new Alpha in charge. Pheral was helping with the transition. He isn’t an Alpha, or a Beta, just another wolf. “A