Pizza first, Victoria heard Seth say as the foursome pushed through the enthralled throng, then home.
And youll have to convince Dan we were there all along, Ryder said. Seth mentioned you guys have some kind of freaky voice.
We do, so its not a prob, Stephanie replied. But I could also nunchuck his head and hell
Use your voice, Aden called.
A growl of frustration pierced the air. You take the fun out of everything!
Chuckling, Aden focused on Victoria. Now that thats taken care of He reached out his hand, twined her fingers with his, and they left the party. Together.
SEVENTEEN
RILEY HAD BEEN ON plenty of stakeouts in his life, but this was by far his fave. Even though it was a last minute change of plans and rushed.
First, he and Mary Ann had caught a glimpse of Adens parents as they drove a truck away from their house a few hours before. Or who they thought were Adens parents. Driver had been male, early to mid-forties, with brown hair, and from what Riley could tell with his superior wolf-vision, gunmetal gray eyes.
The passenger had been female, possibly in her late thirties, with blond hair, and from what he could tell, brown eyes. Both possessed muddy green auras. From guilt, maybe. Or fear. Hard to tell when the color was so murky, even with his superior wolf-vision.
Perhaps Joe and Paula Stone were living with regret for what theyd done to their son. Perhaps theyd simply been panicked cause they couldnt pay their electric bill. Either was possible.
Riley and Mary Ann were waiting in another house, across the street from the small, slightly rundown one the Stones had left, hoping to catch another glimpse of the couple when they returned. Perhaps even listen in on a conversation or two when they did.
Riley would have searched the house while the couple was gone, but hed spied cameras. The expensive kind with face-recognition software. Too expensive for a home as cheap as that one. And with that kind of cheese being spent on cameras, hed bet good money there were motion detectors on every door and window. Not to mention special hinges and even silent alarms. So, if he didnt have to do a smash and grab, he wasnt going to do a smash and grab.
That would come later, if the couple failed to return.
Part of him hoped they didnt return for a while. Currently he had Mary Ann all to himself. Tucker the Flaming Engorged Rectum was missing and had been since the café. Where the demon spawn had gone, Riley didnt know and didnt care.
Right now, Riley was sitting at the living room window, peering through the crinkled blinds. Yes, hed broken into the place. The locks had been crap, and so had the doors theyd been nailed to, so it had just been a matter of busting the already chipped glass pane, reaching inside and turning the knob.
When would people learn? Glass next to a door was like begging every thief in the neighborhood to come inside.
Mary Ann was sitting beside him. They werent touching. Yet. But they would be. Soon. By warding her back at the motel, hed taken care of the witch and fairy problem. The two races couldnt watch her with their magic and intrinsic abilities anymore, couldnt track her except through human means. A skill they most likely lacked, considering theyd never had reason to use it. Meaning, the danger level was now close to nil.
That meant one soul-rocking thing. Thered be no interruptions. And that meant one more soul-rocking thing. Riley was through being Mr. Nice Wolf. He had experience. He knew how to charm a girl. And had. Often. He knew how to tease and taunt to heighten curiosity and awareness. Now, he would charm Mary Ann.
Since nearly feeding on him, shed been distant, quiet. He had to do something to convince her she wouldnt hurt him. She wouldnt. He wouldnt let her.
Because Riley and Victoria shared such a deep mind connection, allowing him to do more than simply read her aura, and because he was so in tune to everything concerning Mary Ann, hed inadvertently culled Vics thoughts about the girl possibly being related to the fae. Something he was ashamed to admit he hadnt considered. Fairies were drainers, too, and yet they could control their feedings. So, if there was a connection, there was hope for Mary Ann.
Not that she would search. Not yet. She was determined to save Aden. Riley was, too, but he wouldnt put Mary Anns life on the back burner, even for his king. Therefore, tomorrow his digging into her history would begin.
Right now he had to ease her worries about hurting him. Otherwise, shed continue to resist everything he suggested. For the mission and for their relationship.
He scanned their surroundings. The way the neighborhood was laid out, they had a clear view of both the street and Adens (possible) parents place. There were no cars, no one out and about.
Victoria texted me, he said, starting casually. Cold wind blew through the crack in the bottom of the window, causing strands of her dark hair to dance in every direction, even in his face. Her brother came home, challenged Aden, and Aden kicked his ass in front of everyone.
Good for Aden.
We need to tell him what youve found.
What have I found? The frown she tossed him said the rest for her: you gotta think before you speak. Ive got nothing concrete, so theres no reason to get his hopes up.
Not true. He should know you think you found Julian. For all Riley knew, Victoria had already told him. He should know you think you found his parents.
And crush him when we learn Im wrong?
So youre wrong now?
No. But I could be.
And you could be right.
Or not, she insisted.
When did you become such a Debbie Downer? Her aura was a dark blue, sadness practically radiating off her. Mixed with the blue, however, were specks of brown that were soon to darken to black. Not a color that represented deathnot all the time. But with her, that brown represented hunger, her need to feed, to draw energy into herself.
Those specks had grown in the last few hours. Not enough to concern him. Maybe because he also saw specks of red and pink. Red for angeror passionand pink for hope. He wanted to nurture both.
Her mouth fell open. Im not Debbie Downer. The red bloomed a little brighter.
Honey, youre the textbook version of Doomsday. You expect the worst, always.
I do no There at the end, she caught herself. Fine. I do. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the edge of the pane. Better safe than sorry, though.
Actually, no, its not. But if were going to cliché this conversation to death, heres one you need to memorizebetter to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.
I am trying.
Youre coasting, and you need to lighten up. Way to charm her, you idiot. All he was doing was pissing her off. He could have apologized for taking the harsh road, but he didnt. What hed said was true. However, he did flash her a quick smile when he nudged her shoulder with his. Let me help you.
Instantly suspicious, she eyed him warily. How?
Theyd switched roles, he realized. Once upon a time, she had charged full-speed ahead, and he had been the one to press on the brakes. Now he wondered what would she have done if the situation were reversed. Tell me a secret. Something youve never told anyone else. Excellent. Something the old Mary Ann would have suggestedand enjoyed.
Her tongue glided over her lips. Were kinda in the middle of breaking and entering and spying. Now isnt the time to share.
Oh, yeah. Their roles had totally switched. Nows the perfect time. Hasnt anyone told you its prudent to multitask?
I dont know A hint of the old Mary Ann.
Come on. Live a little. Add one more chore to our ever-growing list. Not that talking to him was a chore. He hoped.
A pause, then, Fine. You go first.
He had her and tried not to smile. All right. Here goes. Ive regretted not sleeping with you. Straight to the heart of the matter.
The red halo around her brightened so much, it was almost blinding. Passion, definitely. His body reacted, heating from head to toe.
I dont think thats a secret, she said softly. But Ive regretted that you didnt sleep with me, too.
He froze. Forget charming and convincing her. He liked this. The raw honesty of her tone, the longing she cast his way. Mary Ann, he said.
II She had to know what he wanted. To kiss her, to hold her. To finally be with her.
She turned away from the window, watching him through wide eyes. In the haze of light, he could see flecks of green mixed with the brown. We shouldnt, she said, but she was wavering, he could tell. Not here.
We should. He didnt want to regret anymore, didnt want to wait. As Aden could attest, no one was guaranteed a tomorrow.
Her fingers moved to the hem of her shirt, twisting the buttons. Did she realize what that action did to him? How it tantalized him? What if the owner of this house comes home? What if Adens parents come home?
Still wavering, so close to the edge. Fall, sweetheart. Ill catch you. Then we get dressed. Quickly.
You have an answer for everything, she said dryly. I might have become a Debbie Downer, but youve become a pain the butt. You know that, right?
I just realized we need to work on your perception, too, because its kinda skewed.
A laugh escaped her. Or its finally on target.
Hardly. He loved the sound of her laugh. Husky, wine-rich. And that he had caused it, well, he felt like he was king of the world. Im a little slice of heaven and you know it.
All right. I know it.
Smiling, Riley moved closer to her, making sure some part of them touched. Forearms, hips. Breath hitched in her throat, even as his own hissed through his teeth.
Before he could swoop in to claim a kiss, a car snaked the far corner of the road before speeding along, closing in on the house they were watching. Mary Ann noticed and stiffened. Riley did, too, zeroing in on the driver. Male, early-twenties. Not Joe Stone. The car bypassed the houses, and they both relaxed.
I wonder where Tucker is, she said with a tremble.
You want to talk about him now? Seriously?
Safer for us, dont you think?
Not really. Tuckers probably in the process of a human sacrifice.
Hes not that bad.
Youre right. Hes worse.
She pushed at his shoulder. At this second contact, he sizzled. She must have, too, because she didnt withdraw her hand right away. In fact, she flattened her palms on him and spread her fingers, touching as much of his biceps as she could.
As her aura flared with all that luscious red, she licked her lips. All right. We dont have to talk about Tucker. There at the end, her voice dipped, going low with need.
The heat returned, wrapping around him. What do you want to talk about? His own voice had lowered.
Our secrets.
All the encouragement he needed. He gripped her by the waist, lifted and turned her, until she was poised over him, then he set her on his lap. Straddle me.
She did, and he drew her closer. Not all the way but just enough. Her arms wound around his neck and back. What about the cars
I can still see out the window. Truth. He could. When he looked. At the moment, all he could see, all he cared about, was Mary Ann. Now kiss me. I need you so much.
I need you, too, she said, leaning down and meshing their lips together.
He kissed her deep and sure, his hands sliding to her back, under her shirt, gliding up the ridges of her spine, then down, then tracing the waistband of her pants.
Youll tell me if she rasped.
If she fed. Ill tell you.
Promise?
Promise. This time he would. He didnt want her to doubt him, ever. But lets try something, okay?
What? she asked, hesitant again.
If the urge to feed pops up, or if you feel yourself drawing from me, dont pull away from me.
No, I
Just listen. He cupped her jaw, gentle, so gentle. If that happens, keep doing what youre doing, stay calm, and just try to stop yourself from feeding.
Stay calm. As if thatll be possible with your life in jeopardy.
I honestly think you can stop yourself, that its just a matter of control, but we cant know for sure unless you try.
She shook her head. Thats the kind of thing I should practice on others. Not you.
Just do what Riley tells you, and you might like the results.
A snort. Were speaking in third person now? Because Mary Ann doesnt like it.
Actually, were getting back to our secrets. He returned his attention to their kiss, and soon she did, too. He didnt try anything else, even though theyd gone farther than this before, until she was breathing more heavily and moving against him as if she just couldnt sit still.
He removed his T-shirt, then removed hers and pulled her closer, until their chests were brushing together with every inhalation. He allowed his hands to roam, exploring her. She did the same, sensitizing his skin in the most primal way. Soon he was moaning with every brush of her fingertips.
The few times he heard the hum of a car engine, he would break the kiss long enough to peer out the window, discover the driver was no one important, then dive back in.
Twice, Mary Ann froze on him, every muscle she possessed tensing. Both times occurred sometime after the cars drove past, so he knew they had nothing to do with her reaction, and he wondered if shed felt herself trying to feed but had stopped herself in time. She must have. Not once did he experience a single flicker of cold. And thats what happened when a drainer fed. The victim felt cold. A bone-deep cold not even a thick winter coat could warm.
Riley, she said, and he knew what that meant. She wanted more.
He gazed around the living room. A couch. Old, torn in several spots. Stained. No way. He wasnt having sex with her on that couch. Not for the first time. But he wanted her so badly right now, he
Saw movement. Across the street, in the bushes of another house. Leaves rattling, a glow of orange. The color of confidence and determination. Riley pulled from the kiss and narrowed his focal point. The orange glow was faint, as if concealed by a metaphysical scarf, but it was there all the same.