Chapter 4
Angelica lay on the bed with a couple of pillows propped up against the headboard behind her trying to avoid sleep… her new favorite pastime. As soon as she came back in with her suitcase, she knew Zachary had pulled his little switch on Ren as the other man was sitting on the sofa staring at him. Zachary had told her to go ahead and find a room and get some sleep so she’d happily pretended to do just that.
She’d walked the long halls for a few moments before choosing a door at random and opened it. Upon seeing the interior she smiled and placed her suitcase on the bed. The room was decorated in shades of purple accented with gold and lighter shades of lavender.
The bed was huge, probably emperor size, with a beautiful canopy accompanied by gold and purple throw pillows and comforter. The sheets and pillowcases were lavender and she almost giggled at the little gold tassels on the corners of them.
A large armoire sat on the far side of the room. When she opened it, she half expected to see it filled with old fashioned dresses from the ballroom area. To her disappointment, it was empty. On the wall across from the bed was an antique vanity table with a large mirror.
Next to the bed was a writing desk with a supply of pens and paper, along with a note telling her the data port for her lap top was on the wall underneath it. Angelica had almost laughed when she read this and bent over to take a look. Sure enough, she saw the access point and immediately dug out her laptop and hooked it up.
From her lazy position on the bed, she had a perfect view through the balcony doors at the moonlight shining down on the ocean. She smiled because it was an honest to god balcony.
Most people that knew her would have thought that she didn’t go in for such girly things… but all little girls had the fantasy of being a princess in a castle and she was no different. She even used to pretend that she was Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, waiting for her prince to come and take her away.
Too bad she no longer believed in the theory of a knight in shining armor coming to rescue her from the big bad demons who surrounded the castle.
With a sigh, Angelica looked back down at her drawing and sketched out a few more lines before putting the pencil down on the night table beside her. Placing it on her lap, she lifted her hand and studied her palm where the symbol was imprinted. It wasn’t a burn nor a tattoo of any kind… it was just there.
Picking the paper back up, she looked at the picture she’d drawn of Syn and added the symbol in the bottom right corner of the page. She blinked when the picture started to blur and lowered it back to her lap, closing her eyes for a moment just to stop them from burning.
Syn appeared beside Angelica’s bed as soon as she’d fallen asleep. He’d silently made his way through the castle and the city touching the minds of everyone she’d interacted with. He’d needed to gain knowledge about her life so he would know exactly what he was dealing with. So far the most interesting information he’d gained had been from Zachary’s mind.
The blonde man was sharp as a whip but hid that fact under so many layers. He also held power of his own right as a hybrid. Zachary had been assigned as her protector and he took the job seriously. Syn knew Zachary would have to quickly get over his crush on Angelica… she was not for the hybrid.
Zachary had read her dossier that PIT had on file, starting with her birth until now. The details were very accurate and siphoning that information from Zachary's mind let Syn know there were several people in her past, her childhood to be more precise, that would later meet a very uncomfortable fate.
Syn silently promised that he would erase them from existence without her knowledge. She would never again know the pain of rejection or violation of any kind.
Syn had watched through Zachary’s eyes the memories of Angelica fighting the monsters of this world and knew it was sheer luck that she was still alive. He was sure she knew it as well, though with her interesting view of this world she would never admit it. His eyes trailed to her lips knowing the real reason he had come to her tonight.
Bending over her, Syn placed his hands gently on the pillow on each side of her head and let his lips hover tantalizingly close to hers. When she inhaled deep in her sleep, his lips parted and he blew softly. He watched the silver tendrils of power flow from his lips to hers. It was his promise… the gift of a sun god to bestow the breath of life on his soul mate for her protection. From now on, any injury she received would heal just as quickly as it was given… and she would no longer age.
He stood back up and gazed down at her with soft eyes. Her dark brown hair tumbled over the pillows, shining in the soft light of the room. The rich brocade of the pillows reminded him of how she’d looked the last time while he watched her sleep in their bed on their home world.
The palm of her right hand was turned upward, revealing the mark he had placed there. It had already started its work, awakening her powers and soon her craving for him would follow.
He tried again to see into her mind but her ability to block him was just as strong in this life as it had been in the past. He found himself filled with jealousy knowing that Zachary could read her mind and he could not. He wondered over this but concluded it had to do with trust. She trusted Zachary enough to let her guard down around him… he planned on gaining that same amount of trust.
If she’d ever taught him anything, it was to have an obscene amount of patience, which he realized he was starting to grow a bit short on. Right now her mental shields were high but he was looking forward to working past them and convincing her to let him back in. Now that she was protected by his power, he would have all the time he needed.
Syn sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the notebook to see what she had been working on. An intense calmness stole over him when he saw his detailed likeness on the paper… she was already reaching for him and didn’t even know it.
Angelica felt movement beside her and opened her eyes thinking it was Zachary. Only he would have the nerve to enter her room while she was sleeping.
She blinked finding the dark haired man she’d just drawn sitting on the edge of her bed holding the drawing she’d been working on. Angelica acted on instinct, diving toward him with her palm outstretched to exorcise him as she would any other demon.
“Hello wife,” Syn caught her by the wrist without looking up from the drawing and finished his perusal of it before lifting his dark amethyst gaze to hers.
Angelica locked her elbow in place, making her arm taut. She cocked an elegant eyebrow deciding to ignore the wife remark… demons were delusional.
Syn abruptly pulled her toward him until there were only a few inches between them, close but not touching. Never lowering his eyes, he lifted her palm to his lips and kissed the suddenly glowing symbol.
Angelica stopped breathing for a few seconds… she felt like he’d set her on fire with such a simple and seductive move.
“You’re a very stupid demon,” she said trying to push away the sensation of his lips on her palm.
“I’m not a demon,” Syn informed her. “And your magic will never work on me.” He released her wrist when her arm relaxed in his hold.
Angelica slowly pulled her hand back, “Just because you say it, doesn’t mean it’s true.” She wrapped her own hand around her wrist trying to rub away the feel of his warm flesh touching hers. “Who are you?”
“You may call me Syn.”
Angelica felt cold chills race down her back at the implications of the name. She could already think of many ways that name would fit him. “Okay Syn, why are you here?”
“In your dream… or in your bed?” Syn asked with the ghost of a smile caressing his perfect lips.
Yep, she’d been right. He was completely sinful. Remembering her other dreams had all been nightmares, Angelica slowly glanced around the room then back at him, “I’m not dreaming… I felt you touch me… I… I felt your lips touch my hand.”
“Just because you are dreaming, does not mean it isn’t real.” Syn charmingly mocked her earlier statement.
Angelica’s gaze narrowed when he tore the picture she’d just drawn out of her sketch book. He carefully rolled it instead of folding it, and then placed it inside a deep pocket on the inner lining of his trench coat. She couldn’t help but watch his hands as they moved. They looked so smooth and untouched…like the way history books described those of royalty. Finally she glanced back up at his face and frowned when she saw the hint of a smile.
“Why are you really here?” she demanded.
“To keep the nightmares away while you sleep,” Syn answered and leaned back against the bedpost behind him. “Rest tonight Angelica, no nightmares or demons will haunt your sleep.”
Angelica jerked upright in bed with the sun streaming through the balcony window… it was morning. Looking down at the foot of the bed, she leaned forward and felt the place where Syn had been sitting. There was no trace that he’d been there and Angelica took a deep breath. It was only a dream after all.
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stood up and heard something fall onto the floor. She picked up her sketchbook and started to close it but stopped when she remembered the dream.
Opening the book back up, she flipped through the pages and stopped when she saw that the drawing she had done last night was gone. In its place was a beautiful penciled sketch of her asleep in this bed. It had been done with as much soft detail as the one she’d done of him. In the picture, her hand was relaxed near her face and she noticed the symbol drawn there. Just under the drawing was the word ‘Syn’ written in elegant penmanship.
*****
Tabatha parked her car in the VIP parking space at Moon Dance and got out. Adjusting her short dress, she tucked her keys into the clutch purse and approached the front door. She was sick of hiding out in that lonely apartment waiting to see if Kriss would ever come home. Seeing the excitement of the crowd was already making her feel a little better.
Nick smiled as he watched her approach and opened the rope to let her through ahead of everyone else waiting for admittance. He wasn’t doing it because his brother’s mate was her best friend… he was doing it because without Tabatha… they would not have found Micah in time to save him.
His gaze narrowed on her exposed shoulder. The last time he’d seen her… that shoulder had sported a pretty bad wound, but now it didn’t have a single blemish on it. It seemed they had some kind of healing fairy running around town because the same thing had happened to Micah’s wounds.
“How’s it going tonight?” he asked curiously as he saw a trace of sadness in her eyes.
Tabatha gave him a small smile, “It’s going okay.”
“Has anyone told you that you look good enough to eat?” he inquired with a gleam in his eyes. It was the fastest way to cheer a girl up… he should know, he was surrounded by them every night.
Tabatha shook her head smiling, “You are incorrigible.”
“Yes I am,” Nick agreed. “So does that mean I get to take you home with me tonight?”
“Not a chance!” Tabatha shot back with a smirk then added, “Besides, with you living right above the dance floor, it would be way too easy.”
Nick placed a hand over his heart and made a show of staggering back a couple of steps. “Tabby cat… you wound me. My intentions were completely innocent.”
“I bet,” Tabatha laughed then winked at him. “But I may ask for a dance later.”
Nick leaned closer to her as he held the door open for her. “And I may take you up on that.”
Tabatha walked inside and took a deep breath, loving the familiar atmosphere. It had been a couple of days since her encounter with Kane and she still hadn’t heard a word from Kriss. Her worry was gone now, replaced by a slight depression that she knew only Kriss could get rid of.
The thumping of the music vibrated through her body and she walked to the railing so she could look out over the dance floor. It was late at night, closing in on midnight, and the club was in full swing. Bodies were grinding to the techno beats pumping out of the speakers and the bar section was almost full. Tabatha looked around trying to decide what to do first. She was sick of being alone and figured this was exactly what she needed to snap her out of her moody funk.
Walking up to the bar, Tabatha slammed her small purse on the surface. “What’s a lady gotta do to get a drink around here?” she demanded.
“Bite me!” Envy exclaimed and put a drink down in front of her. “Will that be all ma’am?”
“No,” Tabby said. “I still need to bite you.”
“Be careful,” Envy said. “I bite back.”
Tabatha picked up the drink and took half of it in one swallow, remembering the drinks she’d had at Silk Stalkings a few nights before and the way Kane had kissed her sober. What annoyed her most was that every time she thought about it, she would feel a hot aching sensation spiral downwards toward her lower belly and thighs. Again she flinched as she felt it.
Envy took note of Tabatha’s demeanor and could tell something was wrong with her friend. They’d been through too much together for Envy not to notice it. She went through the motions of making Tabatha another drink when she saw her friend place an empty glass back down on the bar.
As she slid the second drink in front of Tabatha, she noticed Tabby not really paying attention and, instead, looking distractedly out at all the other people enjoying themselves.
Kat was working just a little ways down from Envy’s station and watched Tabatha out of the corner of her eye. She could tell Tabatha looked antsy and wondered what had happened in the last few days to make that happen. Picking up a bottle of Heat, she caught Envy’s attention and pointed at the bottle before nodding her head toward Tabatha.
Envy looked over at her friend before giving Kat an approving nod. Kat fixed another drink and added a small shot of the potent alcohol to the mix before handing it over to Envy.
“Thanks,” Envy said and took the glass to Tabatha. “Here you go Tabby, on the house.”
Tabatha looked down at the drink and smiled. “Thank you!”
“So,” Envy started leaning against the bar. “What’s got you down in the dumps?”
“Nothing that important I guess,” Tabatha answered.
“Yeah right,” Kat exclaimed walking up. “If your face was any longer your chin would still be at home watching television.”
“I’m just upset with Kriss right now,” Tabatha said after a couple of seconds. If she couldn’t tell her best friend then she might as well go home and stay there. “He’s never been gone this long before without calling or letting me know something. He quit his job at Silk Stalkings a few days ago and no one has seen him since.” She didn’t divulge the fact that it felt like she had been dumped… her chest hadn’t quit hurting for days.
Kat got a napkin from behind the bar and handed it over to Tabatha when the tears started to fall. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear this was the reaction a lover would have when their heart had been broken. Envy had told her Kriss was gay, but Kat wondered if something had happened between Kriss and Tabatha that Envy wasn’t aware of.
“Why did he leave without saying goodbye?” Tabatha demanded softly, dabbing at the wetness on her cheeks. She used the anger to stop crying… she hated to cry. “I thought I deserved that much at least.”
Envy pursed her lips together… Kriss would never do something like that without a good reason. Hell, she could tell that Kriss loved her but he loved Dean too. Her hands fisted on the bar when she realized why Kriss was staying away… Dean.
“I’m sure he’ll come back,” Kat said. “You are a good friend and you do deserve to hear the truth.” She looked over at Envy, “Right?”
“Absolutely,” Envy said pushing her anger down into the pit of her stomach. “You know what we should do? Find Mr. Feathers, tie him down on top of an ant mound after covering him with honey and leave him there. That will teach him to call next time.”
Tabatha raised her eyebrows at the redhead, “Alrighty then.”
“Oh, oh,” Kat said excitedly. “Better yet, we strip him down and truss him up like a Thanksgiving turkey then drop him off at the biker bar on the other end of town. Some of those guys are truly frightening.”
Envy shook her head, “Nah, he’d like that too much.”
“I got it!” Kat exclaimed seeing Tabatha's lip begin to twitch at their antics. “We knock him out, keep him prisoner in Tabatha’s bedroom and feed him only bread and water until he gives in and agrees to be Tabatha’s sex slave for all eternity.”
Envy cocked her head to the side then smiled. “Now that idea I like.”
“I got a question for you that’s a little off the subject.” Tabatha said getting their attention. “What do you two know about Kane?”
Kat shrugged, “He’s a sexy as hell vampire with a great sense of humor.”
The three women started laughing but stopped when Devon slid up behind Envy and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“I’ll show you sexy as hell… dance with me,” Devon whispered loud enough for the other women to hear.
Envy smirked at her friends before letting Devon lead her out from behind the bar and down to the dance floor. They could hear the crowd cheering when the cage door slammed and Tabatha smiled.
Getting up from her seat, Tabatha walked over to the railing and looked down on Envy and Devon dancing in the cage. She could see their mouths moving and could only imagine what they were talking about.
Envy was leaning back with her arms over her head holding on to the bars of the cage. Devon had her legs wrapped around his hips grinding into her. One hand was on her bottom, holding her up while the other hand was resting on her rib cage just below one of her breasts… threatening to touch but not actually doing so.
Devon smirked and pulled Envy away from the bars, catching her before she could fall backward and set her on her feet. He quickly spun her around so that her back was pressed against his chest, his hands trailing up her ribcage to cup the bottom of her breast, teasing her.
“Let’s give them a real show,” Devon whispered.
“No public sex,” Envy exclaimed breathlessly.
“Oh no,” Devon said. “That’s for me only and in private. This however,” Envy suddenly found herself in a lowered position with her legs spread by Devon’s thighs as he ground against her from behind. “This is for the crowd.”
Devon rotated his hips in small circles and Envy braced her feet on the floor so she could move with him. She groaned softly and swore she could actually feel him deep inside of her, making love to her without removing a stitch of clothing.
“I love the way you move for me,” Devon growled. “So sexy… and hot.”
Envy pushed back against him, straightening, and then wound her arms back around Devon’s neck. She gasped when his hands lifted the front of her shirt to expose the soft skin of her belly to the crowd. Devon’s right hand slowly moved down until the very tips of his fingers disappeared into the waistband of her tight black shorts while the other pulled her shirt up the rest of the way, revealing the black lace bra she was wearing.
“You cheated,” Envy pouted up at him.
Devon moaned as he continued to create friction between his erection, the thin material of his pants, and Envy’s shorts.
Devon smirked, “Maybe so, but that won’t stop you from coming for me here in front of everyone.”
They rose back up to their feet and Envy turned to face him, sliding her thigh between his and he mimicked the action. Before she could protest, the fishnet shirt was off and they were grinding against each other sensuously. To anyone else it looked like they were dancing, but to everyone that knew them… they knew exactly what Envy and Devon were doing.
“Now,” Devon ordered and Envy had no choice but to obey.
Tabatha watched breathlessly as Envy tossed her head back and started bucking hard against Devon’s thigh. She felt heat spread through her body and wished for a moment it was her in that cage with someone that wanted her the way Devon wanted Envy.
“I wish I could find someone like that,” Tabatha sighed longingly then turned to go back to the bar.
Reclaiming her seat she looked at Kat, “So you think Kane has a sense of humor… really nice guy huh?” She shook her head, “I seem to recall the fact that he’s the one that started the vampire mess and tried to set you guys up for all those murders. Mine and Envy’s names were almost added to that list of victims, remember?” She downed the rest of her drink, satisfied that she had chased the melancholy away. Now if she could just stop getting turned on every few minutes.
“He helped save you and Envy.” Kat tilted her head as she studied Tabatha. She was good at picking up vibes from people and it suddenly dawned on her that Kriss wasn’t the only man on Tabby’s mind.
“Did he?” Tabatha asked and pushed her empty glass toward Kat. “Sometimes I wonder why he was really there. Those vampires were worshiping him like he was the god of all evil. And the only reason he got his hands on me was because he told them he wanted the first taste.”
“Did he bite you?” Kat asked.
“No,” Tabatha admitted and tried to block out the memory of Kane licking her wound then kissing her. She gritted her teeth when she felt a deep low throb between her thighs. “You’re right… he did help save us… just in a very demented way.” She dug into her pocketbook and pushed two twenty’s toward Kat, “Cut me off when that runs out.”
Kat took the two twenties and placed it on the shelf beside the register. Taking up Tabatha’s glass, she started fixing her another drink and decided to leave out the Heat this time because the girl obviously wanted to get drunk the old fashioned way. Maybe it would ease Tabatha’s mind if she knew the rest of the story behind Kane’s antics.
Placing a fresh drink in front of Tabatha, Kat leaned against the bar, “Did you know that Kane was buried for thirty years?”
Tabatha nodded with a frown. “I’d heard something about it but not the whole story.”
“Then you probably didn’t know it was my father and Quinn’s father who buried him.” Kat stated bluntly. When Tabatha gave her a startled look she nodded, “Quinn’s father, Nathaniel, killed my father’s first wife then blamed the murder on my father’s best friend… Kane. They used a curse from Kane’s own books to bind him to the ground. It was a terrible punishment and it could only be broken by the blood of Kane’s soul mate.”
“Damn,” Tabatha whispered.
Kat nodded. Sometimes that one word summed it up better than anything else known to man.
“So what happened?” Tabby asked.
“Malachi found out the truth thirty years later. He and Nathaniel had a huge blow out over it as you can guess. Malachi went to Kane's grave that night to try and find a way to set Kane free from the curse. Nathaniel followed him, obviously not wanting Kane freed for fear of the vampire’s retribution. We don’t know anything else except the fact that our fathers killed each other that night,” Kat sighed.
“Did Malachi know of a way to free Kane?” Tabatha asked curiously.
“No, there is only one way to break that curse. We can only guess Kane's soul mate showed up or something because he’s out now and understandably, when he came back to town, he was more than a little disturbed and wanted revenge.” Kat gave Tabatha a moment to think about that before adding, “He’d been buried alive… as in not asleep or dead. It wouldn’t surprise me if he actually lost a little bit of his sanity while in the ground… I would have.”
Tabatha nodded and Kat took that as her queue to finish the story, “The night you and Envy were kidnapped by Raven was the same night Kane switched sides… he couldn’t go through with it.”
“So everyone trusts him now?” Tabatha asked not completely convinced but found herself really wanting to be.
Kat nodded not having to think twice, “Some of us are still worried about his mental stability, but Michael is sure that it’s nothing that can’t be repaired. Michael is a huge part of our family and we all trust him completely.”
“I wonder what changed Kane’s mind,” Tabatha said while swirling the drink in her hand.
“Michael,” Kat shrugged. “And like I said… if Michael says Kane is on the side of the angels, then I believe him.”
Tabatha used the straw to stir her drink thoughtfully. “If the spell could only be broken by the blood of his soul mate and Kane is out of the grave… then he has a soul mate. Where is she? Why isn’t she with him like Alicia is with Damon?”
This time it was Kat’s turn to look startled. That question had never crossed her mind. She had to admit that Tabatha had a very good point… where was Kane’s soul mate?
