The hot, balmy Texas air buffeted her as she strode toward the dark sedan she had driven to the store. Jeff’s occult bookstore had lights on even though it was after hours. Samantha’s car was in the nearly empty parking lot. Amaliya was glad that Jeff and Samantha seemed to be doing well. Every once and awhile guilt nibbled on her when she considered how much she had screwed up the blonde’s life, but she rationalized it away by concentrating on the fact that Samantha was happy with Jeff.
“He lets you go out alone?”
The dark, rich voice vibrated through her eliciting an immediate response in her lady parts. Spinning about, she found herself face to face with the coyote.
“What’s up, Eduardo?”
It was unnerving how silently he could move. It also bothered her that she had let her guard down and let him get so close.
“Is the old man in the store still? Because there is no way his possessive ass would let you out of his sight,” Eduardo said, obviously teasing her.
Amaliya lifted one shoulder. “Maybe I snuck out.”
The coyote was dressed in very tight jeans and a white t-shirt that showed off his impressive muscles to full effect. The menace that oozed off of him only added to his sultry sex appeal. He was all bad boy and just the type of guy Amaliya had gone after during her college days. Despite his clean-cut appearance, she sensed the feral aspect of his nature just below the surface.
“So, he doesn’t totally control you.” Eduardo tilted his head, his eyes glinting with dangerous allure.
“No one controls me,” Amaliya answered, setting her hands on her hips. He was baiting her and she knew it, yet she couldn’t resist playing along just for a little bit.
Eduardo inched deeper into her personal space, sniffing the air. “You always smell of roses.”
“And you smell like...” Amaliya hesitated. His usual musky cologne was barely masking the scent of fresh blood.
The grin he flashed her was all sharp teeth.
“Did you eat a bunny rabbit or something?”
“I ate a pussy.” The grin widened.
The heavy fragrance of the blood filled her nostrils and her body responded hungrily. Animal blood held no attraction to her, which meant... “Human blood? What the fuck did you do?”
“I told you I ate a pussy,” Eduardo licked one canine as his other teeth returned to a more human appearance.
Wincing, Amaliya took a sharp step back from him. “Oh, fuckin’, gross!”
“Like you never had a period.” Eduardo guffawed.
“Not anymore. Thankfully.” Amaliya definitely liked that perk of her undead existence. She’d hated the cramps she used to suffer.
Eduardo leaned against her car door, his sexy body carefully posed for her viewing pleasure. “Like you vampires aren’t into sick shit. I bet you and Cian are a pretty bloody mess by the time you’re done screwing.”
Amaliya fished her keys out of her pocket. “My sex life is none of your business.”
“I’d like it to be. You and me could tear it up something good, don’t you think? I’ve never had sex with someone I didn’t have to worry about breaking. Or ripping.” Eduardo’s eyes were smoldering.
“Go find yourself another vampire,” Amaliya retorted, then shoved him out of her way.
Eduardo swiveled about, his body almost touching her back, his breath hot on her neck and shoulder. “I want you though. And I know you want me. So let’s do this. Or are you afraid Cian might get jealous?”
“I’ll admit that back in the day I would have fucked your brains out. I’ll also admit that you’re a fine piece of ass, Eduardo.” Amaliya cocked her head so she could see his face. “But I’d never fuck you because you just want to hurt the man I love.” She elbowed him as hard as she could in the stomach, sending him sprawling. “So fuck off.”
Rolling to his feet with predatory agility, Eduardo smirked. “I can smell how much you’d love me to bend you over this car and fuck you.”
“Gross, Eduardo.” Amaliya hated that to a certain extent he was right. Why did she always have to be attracted to the bad ones?
“It’s going to happen. You can’t deny it. You and me.”
“Fuck off.”
Amaliya slid into the car, slammed the door shut, and slid the key into the ignition. She hated the pulse of arousal between her thighs, and her insane desire to do something incredibly stupid with Eduardo. Though Cian and Amaliya were in a committed relationship that was steeped in love, they hadn’t agreed to be monogamous. Eduardo wanted Amaliya’s body. It was an alpha male thing. Cian loved the essence of who she was. It wasn’t too hard to decide how to handle the situation.
When she pulled out of the parking lot, she saw Eduardo slip into the shadows alongside the gaming store, then vanish from sight.
Chapter 5
Cian sat on the kitchen counter watching Cassandra chopping vegetables with impressive expertise. Aimee had a cauldron bubbling on one burner, while sautéing mushrooms in a skillet on another. Amaliya had rushed off on an errand, so he’d opted to hang out with his daughter and her girlfriend before dealing with any of the problems that had brewed during the daylight hours. He was wearing his favorite Homer Simpson t-shirt and black cargo shorts, which his daughter had found hilarious.
“Oooh, scary vampire,” she had joked when she’d seen him.
Scratching his stomach, he tried to ignore the hideous smell of human food. “So you modeled and went to culinary school in Paris.”
“Yep. But I had to quit because of Mom.” Cassandra’s voice took on a guarded tone instantly at the mention of Galina. “She gets confused easily.”
“That’s what you said,” Cian said, lowering his gaze. It was his power that had plunged Galina’s mind into constant confusion. He wasn’t about to admit that to Cassandra. It had been deliberate. Cian had wanted Galina not to remember the terrible things she had seen. Dr. Summerfield had hid her away and not let Cian know where she was to protect her. Though Cian was still miffed that Dr. Summerfield, who he had considered a friend, had kept Cassandra’s existence from him, he had to admit it was a smart move. The man he had once been may have killed his offspring.
Cassandra pinned him with a warning look. Her mother was a topic she did not discuss with him. They had accidently stumbled onto the subject while discussing Cassandra’s life before she became a thief and vampire hunter.
“And then you were recruited by this man Scott to be a thief?” Cian asked, prompting her away from the matter of her mother.
“Yep. And I did that while also working as a waitress as my cover story. It was pretty lucrative until I got hired to steal a relic in Vegas.”
“Then she ran into me,” Aimee grinned. “Literally.”
Cassandra bestowed a loving look on the witch. “I got lucky.”
“No, I did,” Aimee said, smiling affectionately at the dhamphir.
The two women shared a sweet kiss, then returned to their tasks.
“Frank, the asshole who had her enslaved to him, figured out what I was, so he set a trap for me.” Cassandra handed off the sliced vegetables to her girlfriend. “Aimee managed to use some of her magic to warn me. So I went in knowing what was up and we basically rescued each other from the jerk.”
“And this is when you broke the blood bond,” Cian said, trying to sound nonchalant.
Cassandra narrowed her eyes, while Aimee nodded. “Yes. I cast a spell that broke it.”
Busying herself with cleanup, Cassandra pressed her lips together, giving her father speculative looks out of the corner of her eyes, which were green tonight, he noted.
“May I ask how?” Cian tilted his head, his attention squarely on the witch.