“Yep.”
“Viktor will give her the talk. We all receive a briefing on the rules regarding relationships and appropriate behavior within the house. He discourages it for the right reasons. He’s a little rigid, but Viktor is a decent man who looks out for us. He has no family, and wolves thrive in a pack environment. That makes him protective, and I assure you that anything he does within this house is well thought out. As it stands, Viktor trusts her because she’s bartering for protection. People who work for money are easier to bribe.”
“I’m less concerned about external bribery than I am about an internal scandal.”
He inclined his head. “You assume I would stoop to such low regard for a woman.”
“No, but I’ve been around long enough to see how easily people can use what little power they have to take advantage of others. And it’s not jealousy talking just because there’s a new girl in the house. I don’t trust people right off the bat; they have to earn it. I trust you guys, just not all the way. Even you. I know there are things you haven’t told me. Something makes you unfit to live in good society, or else Viktor wouldn’t have chosen you to be part of this team. You guys knew about my kills, so I understand why it took a while to warm up to me. But I know next to nothing about everyone’s past and what earned your spot in this house, so that makes me leery. I get that we’re all here for a fresh start, but that doesn’t mean my trust is automatic. No offense, but that’s just the way I’m wired.”
“I assure you, Raven, I have no intention of seducing the help.”
I stepped closer and grasped his chin. “Yes, but does the help have any intention of seducing you?”
When he blinked, I smiled widely. Niko was old and wise and still blushed like a young maiden every time I suggested anything sexual in his presence. He must have come from the days when people didn’t talk about sex, even with their spouses. Some cultures were very repressed about such things.
“I’m glad to see the medicine is working despite the hallucinatory side effects,” he quipped.
“Just keepin’ it real.”
Niko bowed. “Should you need assistance with your investigation, feel free to invite me. I’ll do what I can.”
“Swell! We’re going dancing tomorrow, so put on your dancing shoes.”
Chapter 6
I gripped my pillowcase, my eyes squeezed shut as Christian’s hot mouth greedily kissed my inside thigh. The higher he moved, the louder I moaned. A rough hand slid between my legs, fingers stroking over my wet panties.
Want more.
Need more.
Don’t stop.
When he pressed harder and stroked deeper, I spiraled toward my release. I wanted to feel him inside me, above me, behind me. When one of his fangs grazed across my sex, I gasped and opened my eyes.
No one hovered over me in my empty bedroom. Breathless, I sat up to make sure I was alone, my heart pounding against my chest. I stared at the foot of the bed, trying to see if Christian had fallen onto the floor.
It was so real.
I ripped the sheet away in disbelief. My skin still prickled where his whiskers had scratched my legs, where his kiss had branded me, where his touch had drawn out the most intense pleasure.
Flustered, I swung my legs over the edge and spotted a thermos on the bedside table.
“Still warm,” I murmured, wrapping my fingers around it.
Only Christian had ever brought coffee to my room. How long ago had he been in here? Had his very presence in the room triggered the dream? My cheeks flushed at the idea that I might have been moaning aloud in his presence. Even if he was down the hall, he must have gotten an earful.
After a few sips of java, I stood up, the soles of my feet chilled by the stone floor. According to my internal Mage clock, it was close to nine in the morning, so chances were good that breakfast was still on the table. I’d woken up a couple of hours earlier to take a quick shower and catch a ray of healing sunlight before going back to sleep. My leg didn’t hurt anymore, but my thoughts were nebulous after a late night of drinking, flashing, and painkillers.
I opened my armoire and slipped on a pair of jeans, a black hoodie, and my lace-up boots. Next, I brushed my teeth. I still had to clean them, but it was nice to know that immortals didn’t have to worry about things like cavities or tartar buildup. I couldn’t imagine going to the dentist for all eternity.
After living on the streets for so long, I’d grown accustomed to not brushing my hair, so I combed my fingers through it and headed downstairs. Old habits die hard, and I still got ready in the morning as if I were about to make a run for my life.
When I turned a corner, Wyatt smacked into me and gripped my arms, spinning us around.
“You scared the crazy out of me!” he huffed out, his knit cap askew.
“What’s the hurry? Did a freshy get in?”
He headed toward the stairs. “I’m as hungry as a hippopotamus.”
“For breakfast… or for Kira?”
Wyatt jogged ahead of me. “Mee-yow. Someone sounds jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Okeydokey!” He disappeared at the second landing, but I kept my slow pace.
It hadn’t escaped my attention that Wyatt had put on his nice jeans—the ones that always got him attention when we were out walking the streets. Instead of a T-shirt, he’d actually selected a grown-up shirt with buttons. Albeit the material was a brown plaid, but he’d still made an effort to look especially spiffy this morning.
Okay. So maybe I was little jealous. Kira’s entry into Keystone was greeted with enthusiasm and puppy-dog eyes, whereas mine had been trial by fire. Granted, she wasn’t a hostile rogue who’d killed men for sport, but what did we really know about her?
She probably couldn’t even boil water.
When I veered right and entered the dining area, my jaw nearly unhinged. Blue’s peregrine falcon was perched on the back of Viktor’s chair. Steel-grey feathers spread from her crown to her wings, horizontal markings running down her cream-colored breast. Bird or not, Blue had a gaze that could make the toughest of men shiver in their boots.
I scratched my neck. “Is she allowed to eat at the table like that?”
Viktor gestured me over. “Come and sit. I cannot force her animal to change if she does not want to. We also have an agreement to eat together, so she is welcome at our table in any form.”
“Just as long as she doesn’t poop on my plate,” Wyatt said, moving his dish a few inches away.
Blue’s falcon twisted her head toward Wyatt and gave him a baleful look.
When I strode up to the table, Claude’s nostrils twitched. He shifted in his seat from the opposite side and watched me. “What are you so frustrated about?”
My jaw set as I circled behind Christian’s chair and sat next to Viktor. “That I wasn’t born with perfect hair.”