Embrace the Night

5

“I’l be out in just a minute.”

Merek just grunted and leaned back against the foot of the hospital bed. Everyone else had gone to take care of business, and Chloe had needed to get ready to leave. Merek had been married before, had had several long-term girlfriends in his life; he knew what “just a minute” translated to in woman-speak. He figured he had a half an hour wait on his hands, at least.

He shook his head, snorted a laugh.

He was insane. That was the official diagnosis. He was completely and utterly insane. Selina had agreed with that assessment when he’d cal ed her that morning to let her know he was going on extended and indefinite leave. She’d also laughed her smoky laugh that this was al over a woman who nul ified his precognition. Growling a few choice curse words at her had only made his partner laugh harder.

Hanging up on her would have been satisfying, but the truth was . . . she was right.

Forty-eight hours ago, he’d never have imagined anything could convince him to put his career aside.

Just two days ago, he was a cynical workaholic cop who survived on caffeine and had no real life to speak of. He hadn’t wanted one. He’d put al that aside when his wife died. His work had been the only thing that got him through every day, so much so that a lot of days he hadn’t even bothered to go home.

Then again, he’d made sure the apartment had been emptied of anything that reminded him of the past.

When he’d moved to Seattle from Chicago, he’d gotten rid of every memento of his wife and family. Sold what he could and stored what he couldn’t, and then his place had been devoid of anything that would . . .

encourage him to stay.

He worked. That was al he did, al he cared about. His whole life was a driving need to keep as many people from going through what he’d been through as possible. It helped with the guilt, the sense of failure.

Not a lot, but it helped. Nothing else did, so he went with what worked for him.

And that meant his job. He enjoyed the chal enge, liked pitting his mind, body, and abilities against people who were trying to get away with shit. The adrenaline rush beat just about everything but ful penetration sex.

Sex and work just circled him right back around to Chloe. The only woman he’d ever lost control with to have sex at work. The only woman he’d ever been wil ing to give up work for. Brutal honesty had gotten him through the days and months after his best friend’s death, his parents’ accident, then his wife’s murder, and he had to ask himself if he was simply giving up one obsession to replace it with another.

He couldn’t imagine getting the craving for Chloe out of his blood, hadn’t been able to get her out of his head for two months, hadn’t been able to stop himself from going after her the day before. For once, he was grateful to have lost control. It might even be the first time he’d been grateful for such a thing. But if he hadn’t, he might have lost her permanently.

No. Just no. That was not an option he was wil ing to consider. Not now, not ever. Chloe dead.

Not on his watch. And for better or worse, he’d made certain she was his responsibility. Temporarily.

Someone like her, someone blank to his clairvoyance, could never be al owed to stay in his life as anything more than a temporary duty. But while he had her, he would give up anything to defend her.

For a man who’d gone from having nothing but his work to hold his attention, he’d had some serious priority shifts in the last day. He now had an irresistible witch to protect, along with her familiar and her teenage werewolf godson. Without any aid from any other law enforcement agency or official. He—they— were on their own.

This was going to go great.

His bags were packed and loaded in his car. He’d done so without hesitation, the same way he’d looked up Chloe’s next of kin in her file and found Mildred Standish’s personal number. He’d cal ed and laid out the bare facts to the woman, hoping she had the same grit as her niece. From what he’d heard—and who hadn’t heard of Mil ie Standish?—he’d had a feeling Chloe was a chip off the old block. Seeing the women in the same room had only confirmed it for him. Without even trying, the women were a force of nature, sweeping in and changing everything in their path. Loyal, tough, smart, protective, and feisty as hel . It was a little scary that he could see exactly what Chloe would be like in a hundred years. It was even scarier that he liked the thought.

He didn’t want to think about what that meant.

“Al righty, then.” The door to the bathroom swung open, and Chloe stepped out, looking fresh and clean and so damn gorgeous he wanted to drag her to the floor, strip her naked, and take her hard until they were both panting. She grinned at him, smoothing a hand down the sleeve of her sweater. “What?”

“Nothing.” He checked his watch. Under ten minutes. And she’d even done her makeup. He was impressed. “You ready?”

“As I’l ever be. So, no. But since I don’t have a choice, let’s get this show on the road.” She dumped the used hospital gown on the bed. “Is al of my medical paperwork taken care of?”

“Yeah, you’ve been discharged. Mil ie handled it.”

Dimples flashed in Chloe’s cheeks. “Handy to have around, isn’t she?”

“You said it.” He shrugged and couldn’t help the smile that sprang to his lips. “That old witch is scary as hel , but as long as she likes me, I figure that’s just fine.”

“Yep.” Chloe scooped up her purse and led the way out of her room. “That’s the standard reaction to Mildred Standish. Until she decides she doesn’t like you. Then the correct reaction is to duck, cover, and run in a zigzag pattern as you try to escape the lightning bolts she sends shooting after you to fry your ass.”

He chuckled, put a hand on the smal of her back to steer her toward the parking garage and his car.

“There’s a nice visual.”

“Family gatherings are entertaining.” She gave a delicate shrug, lowering her voice as they left the Magickal ward of the hospital. “Mostly there’s just Mil ie and me, but when the extended Standish clan descends, it’s an Event. Capital E, Event. Especial y if Aunt Mil ie and her sister Amaranth dig out their stash of genuine Prohibition bootleg whiskey and start tel ing war stories.” She shot a glance over her shoulder at him, her eyes sparkling. “Then they have to prove who can cast the best spel s, and it turns into a proper witches’ duel, because we do it right in our family, but a witches’ duel when you’re soused ends up with . . . um . . . special results. Funny, but special.”

He snorted, but enjoyed the feel of her skin under his fingertips as he held her arm to help her into his car.

The passenger side this time. “Cops get cal ed in for special things like that going wrong.”

Fastening her seatbelt as he slid behind the wheel, she gave another shrug. “It’s on private property—a lot of it—and they do have seconds in their duels, so we can keep things from getting out of hand.”

“You’ve been a second?” He couldn’t help a grin. The dynamic duo facing down a happy, drunken pair of witches had to be a sight to see. It was stupid, irresponsible, and foolish to engage in that kind of reckless use of magic, but he could picture the hilarity of the situation too clearly not to have to fight back a chuckle.

“For Mil ie, of course.” Chloe waved a dismissive hand through the air, the gesture reminiscent of her aunt. “Amaranth would never lower herself to asking the halfling, even though I’m more powerful than a lot of other witches and warlocks in the family. Luckily, being a second just means we know how to douse flames and reverse transformation spel s that make old women grow chin hairs and nose warts.”

Something in her voice made him cast a sharp glance at her face. “You’re a halfling?”

“Mom was a Normal. Grandfather Standish disowned my dad for marrying her.” She turned her head away from him to stare out the window as if she’d never before seen the streets that led to her house. “Of course, by the time my parents passed away, the old bastard was long dead, so no one could protest when Mil ie took me in and reinstated my father’s—and, therefore, my—inheritance.”

There was more to the story than that, he was sure, but he was also sure she wasn’t going to say more about it. He didn’t like her keeping things from him. He didn’t like that she tried to hold herself apart, stand alone, even though his brain said it was probably the best thing for al concerned. They didn’t have to get too deep with each other, even if they were sharing space for the next while. His instincts told his brain that this woman was his, and any distance between them was intolerable.

Temporarily. She was a case, a job, and anything more than that was temporary. She was important to him, because she created a void in his visions, because she was just her, but that didn’t mean she’d always be important. Just long enough for him to know she wasn’t in danger anymore. He hated that he had to keep reminding himself of the simple truth with this assignment.

How the hel had he gotten into this situation?

A pensive frown creased Merek’s forehead as he sat on her bed and watched her pack for their little trip.

AKA the relocation of her entire life. Better than being dead or tortured some more, so Chloe didn’t complain. She just stuffed her life into the two suitcases Merek said she was al owed to take. If she used enlarging spel s to fit a few extras in, that was her business. As he’d dictated, she left anything but sensible clothes behind. She put her foot down at no makeup, though.

He leaned back on his hands and crossed his ankles. “Why do you do what you do? You’re drugging yourself for your job, so you have to know how dangerous this werewolf project is. It’s controversial, at best.”

“Yeah, that is the best I’ve heard it cal ed. I don’t care much about how controversial it is. Magickal politics are Mil ie’s specialty, not mine.” She shrugged and looked away, trying not to notice how delicious his muscular form looked sprawled across her mattress. She cleared her throat and focused on his question, not his lickable body. “I’m doing it for a friend who passed away.”

“Alex’s mother, you said. A werewolf.”

“Yeah.” She swal owed past the lump that stil formed in her throat al these years later. Losing a loved one never real y stopped hurting. “Jaya Nemov. She was best friends with Tess and me in med school. Tess never knew about her or how she real y died, of course.”

“The ful moon Change.” Merek sat up, and the bedsprings squeaked under his weight. His gray eyes were serious and sympathetic al at once, making the lump in her throat expand. “I’m sorry you lost her.”

“Me, too. She was one of the best people I’ve ever met.” A sad smile curved her lips. “I guess that old Normal saying is right—the good die young.”

“Huh.” His eyebrow arched, and he pinched the crease in his slacks. “I’m going to live forever.”

“Me, too. Cantankerous witch that I am.”

He chuckled, and the rich, sensual sound made her want to jump him. She already liked him too much. He was strong and brave and sexy and protective, and he’d volunteered to put his life on hold just to help her and Alex. What kind of man did something like that? A good one. She liked him. She wanted him. And she wasn’t sure acting on that attraction again was good for either of them in the long run.

So, she jerked around and sorted through her shoes to col ect the most comfortable ones she owned.

Tossing them at her suitcase, she looked everywhere except at Merek as she searched her room for more things she couldn’t live without.

The mattress creaked again as Merek rose to his feet. Having him in her space was unnerving. As many times as she’d relived her night with him in her dreams, she’d never pictured him here. She’d just remembered how it was in his room, in his bed; she hadn’t added on to the fantasy. Now she didn’t have to fantasize. He was here, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. She had no idea if he’d decide she was stil too injured, or if that would just be an excuse to say he thought their doing anything again was a colossal mistake. She wasn’t even sure she disagreed with that logic. He was her bodyguard now, which changed their relationship, such as it was.

The mere thought of a relationship sent a chil down her spine. It was so much easier when it was just sex.

A one-night stand. She refused to let herself think about the fact that none of her other handful of lovers had ever stuck in her head the way he had. Her sex clenched and dampened at the memories parading in erotic detail through her mind, that first night and then the sheer excitement of his taking her against his desk.

Awareness rippled over her skin as he prowled around her room, big and armed and sexy and dangerous on every possible level. His intent gaze sliced into her, and she tried to stomp down on her reaction to him.

“Tel me about her.”

“Who, Jaya?” She swayed a bit on her feet, but forced herself to stuff her toiletries into a travel case.

“Yes, Jaya.” His eyebrows drew together as if in confusion. Then again, he had no idea where her thoughts had wandered. She rol ed her eyes at herself.

“She was . . . awesome.” She dropped onto her bed and organized everything into her two suitcases. It might al fit. With some magical help. If she kept talking, maybe Merek wouldn’t notice a few spel s buzzing through the air. “Jaya was one of those people who grabs onto life and lives every single second of it like it’s her last. She pul ed everyone else into this whirlwind of fun and energy. She was intense. You couldn’t help but have a good time when she was around.” Those bittersweet memories crashed into her al at once.

She swal owed and dropped her face into her hands, pressing her fingertips to her eyelids. “It wasn’t until years later that I figured out she lived every moment like it was her last because she knew it might be.”

His hard hand closed over her shoulder, more comfort than she’d thought possible in that simple gesture.

“She was sick? I thought wolves couldn’t—”

“Not sick, exactly.” Running her fingers through her hair, she fought the urge to pul him down to the mattress with her. “Her family had a history of dying during the Change. It was like her own personal Sword of Damocles hanging over her head. She pointed that intensity at finding a treatment for the Change, something to make it easier to survive, more control able. I sometimes wonder if she knew that her time was limited, if she somehow sensed that she wouldn’t live to see Alex grow up, but she wanted to make sure that she left behind a future brighter than the one she’d faced. I wonder if it was al to save him, rather than to save herself.”

He squeezed her shoulder, then slid his hand up and down her back. “She sounds like a hel of a woman.”

“She was. She was my best friend and she was just . . . beautiful inside and out. Alex has his father’s green eyes, but the bronze skin and dark hair are al Jaya. His face is even a male version of hers.” She grinned, final y able to meet his gaze as al the good times streamed through her mind. “Alex was just like her.”

“Alex?” The doubt was plain in Merek’s voice. “The kid is intense, yeah, but not—”

“Fun? No. Not anymore, anyway. He was there when she died. Al I know is that Ivan and Jaya fought that day. A big, rip-roaring shouting match and total relationship meltdown. It was a ful moon that night.” She seesawed her hand through the air. “Alex and Ivan completed the shift and Jaya . . . didn’t. Change can be so unpredictable, and wolf magic fluctuates so much at ful moon. More than most Magickals would guess, and far more than I realized before I started my research. Though some werewolves maintain control better than others, anything that throws a wolf off-balance can be the difference between control ing the ful moon shift and not. Jaya’s getting into a fight . . .”

“What did they fight about?”

“I don’t know. That’s al I’ve ever been able to drag out of Alex. He and his father never talk about her.

Absolutely never.” Her voice broke on that last sentence, and she cleared her throat. “It’s a shame, real y, because she was so wonderful. Her life should be celebrated. She should be remembered. ”

Merek sat down beside her, his hand stil warm and solid on her back. “You remember her.”

“Yeah. I do.” She gave a smal smile and sighed. “I hope Alex gets to the point that he can ask about her someday. It’d be criminal if the only thing he ever associates with her is fighting and a horrible death.”

He pul ed her close, tucking her against his chest. “If anyone can help him get there, it’s you.”

“Thanks.” She half laughed, half sighed. He had more faith in her than she did, but she let herself lean against him and absorb some of this strength. Just for a moment, she’d al ow herself the weakness. The desire to touch him and taste him was eclipsed only by the need to let him comfort and care for her. The feeling was powerful enough to scare her, so she did the only thing she could do—she ripped herself free of his arms and hurried to her closet to grab a Seattle Seahawks basebal cap she hadn’t worn in years.

He reached for her again when she tossed the hat into her suitcase, but she flinched away. Her hormones were rioting, and she didn’t trust herself to get near him. Not again. His expression flattened, and he stood to glare down at her. “What’s going on, Chloe?”

What was going on was that she wanted him so badly her hands shook like an addict looking for a fix.

She fisted her fingers at her sides. They were going to have to play nice for the next few weeks or months or however long it took Luca to wrap up this case with Smith—and she refused to think that he might never catch the guy—so she might as wel lay her chips on the table. Alex didn’t need a tense environment to live in, and his comfort and safety were more important to her than anything else. She met Merek’s gaze squarely. “Look, we’re going to be stuck together for a while, so you should know your bodyguard job duties don’t include being a gigolo. I appreciate your doing this for Alex and me, and I’m not going to jump you again like I did at the safe house. Your virtue, or whatever’s left of it, is safe with me. Not a single seduction spel wil I cast.”

“Wel , that’s a shame.” He moved around behind her, his breath ruffling the hair at her temple.

She shuddered, snapped her suitcases closed, and lifted them off the mattress. Merek reached around her, took the bags, and dropped them on the floor. Then his hands were on her, turning her to pul her to him, trapping her between his body and the bed.

“I thought I made this clear last night, but if not, al ow me to reiterate.” His hands slipped up to cup her face, his eyes a stormy gray. “I want you. I have wanted you from the second I laid eyes on you. I fucked you at work, for gods’ sake. The only reason I didn’t fuck you at the safe house when you pressed this sweet, soft little body against me was that you’d been tortured, and we were in an exposed position. Even then, it was a damn close cal . Because I want you, and I have wanted you since the moment I met you. And every single moment since, I’ve stil wanted you.”

“Me, too.” She swal owed, her pulse pounding in her ears as the simple, stark truth spil ed from her lips. “I —I dream about us, about that first night. Al the time.”

He groaned, his fingertips caressing her face, sliding along her cheekbones and down to her chin to force her to meet his gaze. “We have about a half an hour before Alex, Mil ie, and her chauffeur / bodyguard /

gigolo get here.” She huffed out a laugh, and he stepped even closer, his fingers cupping the back of her neck. “That’s not as much time as I’d like, but I’m wil ing if you are. I’m wil ing to continue this thing between us for as long as we’re together on this case.”

The half smile that tilted his lips melted any protest she might have made. She sighed. As if there would have been any protest anyway. The temptation to touch him whenever she could had been irresistible from the first.

“I’m wil ing,” she breathed. If he was, she was. She swayed toward him to close the negligible distance between them. Her breasts flattened against the hard wal of muscle that was his chest.

He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, a soft caress after the rough claiming in his office. She pressed closer, tempted beyond reason, beyond caution, beyond logic. His lips molded hers, sipping smal kisses until she moaned and deepened the contact herself, sweeping her tongue into his mouth. He tasted the same, like warm honey and hot man.

His hands settled on her hips, pul ing her tight to his groin to fit her against his thick cock. She arched closer, trying to get his erection right where she needed it. Frustration twisted inside her at the barriers of their clothing. She wanted his hard dick pushing into her. Right now. Her flesh burned, her core melting until she was wetter than she’d ever been in her life. His tongue twined with hers in a sinuous dance, their kisses growing wilder, rougher, but it wasn’t enough.

Bal ing her fingers in his shirt, she tried to communicate her urgency. He sucked her lower lip between his teeth and bit her gently. It did nothing to assuage her. Her nipples hardened to tight peaks, and she wanted his mouth on them, wanted him touching her bare skin. She broke her lips away from his and let her head fal back. Her fingers stil fisted in his shirt, and she wanted it gone. “Naked. ”

The word was more a ragged expression of utter need than a conscious spel , but the golden sparks of her magic answered anyway. Their clothes fel away, dropping to the floor at their feet.

“How the hel did you—” He choked on a startled laugh, but groaned when she rubbed her breasts against the crisp hair on his chest.

Her heart pounded in her ears, her blood rushing so fast she felt faint. “Touch me, Merek.”

“I am. I wil .” His lips moved down her throat until he could bite down on the sensitive tendon that connected shoulder and neck.

A strangled cry broke from her, need fisting her insides. She captured his hand and slipped it down her torso. He fol owed her lead, his palm sliding obediently over her skin until he dipped between her legs. “No, I mean touch me. ”

“Gods, ” he breathed. He pul ed back to meet her gaze, his eyes heavy-lidded and molten silver with lust.

The heel of his hand rubbed her clit, making her nerves jump at his touch. Both of their fingers pierced her core, stretched her. His voice became guttural. “You’re wet for me.”

“Yes,” she whispered. Her body arched into their hands, and she guided their movements within her drenched pussy, hot magic from both of them ratcheting up her pleasure. She was going to come; she could feel the clench and release of muscles deep within, building and building until she quivered on the edge of orgasm.

She snapped her fingers around his wrist and jerked his hand away. His eyes widened in surprise when she shoved him onto the bed on his back. After the pain and chaos of last night, she needed to be in control, needed to take, to ravish, to make him groan her name in that deep voice of his.

He seemed to understand because a slow, sexy smile curved his lips, and he licked her cream from his fingers before he tucked his hands behind his head. “I’m al yours, sweetheart. Enjoy.”

“I’m going to.” She let a fingertip drift down the centerline of his chest. “I hope you wil , too.”

“Oh, I guarantee it.” The heavy muscles in his arms, pecs, and abs flexed as he settled back against the pil ows.

Gods, he was gorgeous. She wanted her hands on him, her body rubbing against those hard angles, her sex fil ed by his long cock. Grinning, she leaned forward to lick his flat brown nipple. It tightened against her lips, and he hissed out a breath.

Hot power rushed through her that she could make this man react to her so strongly, that he was wil ing to let her use him for both their pleasure. It was headier than any magic she’d ever known. A shiver rippled along her nerves, and her pussy clenched in a helpless spasm. She grazed his nipple with the edge of her teeth and he jerked beneath her, groaning. The sound vibrated through his chest and against her lips.

Her hands moved over his skin, her fingers toying with his other nipple until it was a hard little nub like the one she teased with her mouth. Her other hand slipped down his stomach, her nails scraping a light circle around his navel that had him cursing between clenched teeth.

She hummed in pleasure at his lack of control. Not enough, though. She wanted more. Stroking over his muscular thighs, she touched him everywhere but where she knew he wanted. His hands came down to fist in the sheets, but he made no move to stop her, to take control away from her.

Glancing up at him, she saw that his eyes were pinched closed, a flush of lust running under his tanned flesh, his skin stretched tight across his sharp cheekbones. His teeth were bared in a grimace of what could have been pain if it weren’t for the harsh sound of need that ripped from his throat.

She fol owed the path of her fingers, kissed her way down his chest, sliding her tongue along the hard ridges of his abs, swirling around his bel y button. He sucked in a sharp breath, and she nipped at the taut flesh beneath his navel. His body went rigid, a shudder rippling through his muscles.

Beads of pre-cum slipped down his hard shaft. The ragged sound of his panting echoed in the room. She smiled against his skin, and final y put him out of his misery. A delicate lick at the head of his cock made him strangle on a choke, and the salty flavor of him burst over her tongue.

Her fingers curled around the base of his dick, stroking the soft flesh and the hardness within. She sucked him into her mouth, relaxing her throat to take as much of him as she could. Working him with her hand and her mouth, she had him gritting out swear words, his big body arching into her. It turned her on even more, made her breathing almost as rough as his. The scent of him, of her, of sweat and sex, intoxicated her. She didn’t know how much longer she could last—her own wetness slipped down the insides of her thighs, her pussy fisting on emptiness she wanted fil ed.

“Chloe,” he groaned, and the grin that tugged at her lips was smug.

She let him slip from her mouth, then blew a cool stream of air on his moist skin. “Yes. That’s my name.”

“Chloe!” His body jerked upward, and she heard the sheets rip in his hands.

“Say it again.”

“Sweetheart, at this point I’l beg if you want. Fuck me. I want to be inside you right now.” His voice strangled when she licked him from base to crown, pul ing him between her lips, scraping him lightly with her teeth. “Chloe!”

She could almost hear his self-control snap. His hard hands bit into her hips as he jerked her into place over him. His cock pressed for urgent entrance, and she pushed down as he shoved upward. They cried out as he was seated exactly where they both wanted him to be. He fil ed her so wel , his thick cock stretching her channel until she couldn’t hold back a low sob.

Tingles raced over her skin, and she knew she wouldn’t last long. A few thrusts, and she’d go flying over the edge. She almost whimpered at the mere thought. Sweat beaded at her temples to slip down her skin.

She rocked herself on him, taking his cock deep with each rol of her hips. She couldn’t stop, couldn’t slow down, couldn’t savor it. Now. She craved it, the release only he could give her. Now. Bracing her hands on his chest gained the leverage she needed to move faster, to take him deeper.

“Chloe,” he breathed her name like a prayer, his fingers clenching on her waist as he worked her on his cock.

Their skin slapped together with each movement, the crack of sound fil ing her bedroom. Gods, it was erotic. She couldn’t even draw enough breath to tel him. Her skin felt too hot and so tight she thought she might explode out of it. Contractions built deep within her, her inner muscles clenching around his dick in one long spasm.

He rotated his pelvis under her, and she splintered into orgasm. Throwing her head back, she screamed.

Her nails scored his chest, and a wave of magic she couldn’t contain rol ed from her, only to have Merek return it like a riptide that sucked her under. It was fire and ice and grew more powerful every time they touched. That should have scared her, would have, but she was too far gone to care about anything but the sensations whipping through her body. Her pussy fisted tight again and again, squeezing around his pounding cock.

“Merek,” she gasped. “Merek!”

A growl rumbled from him as his body bowed between her thighs. The hot pulse of his come fil ed her, and he shuddered beneath her. His hard hands held her down, the wide base of his cock stretching her.

Orgasm stil sent hard tremors through her, making a soft cry spil from her throat. A fierce smile bared his teeth as she clenched on him helplessly. “Just like that, sweetheart. Give me everything.”

She shouldn’t. She couldn’t. She had no choice. Her reaction to him always caught her by surprise, and the way she lost control around him only attracted her to him more. She liked that, wanted it. With the high stakes involved in her work, the only time she real y al owed herself to let loose the fetters on her self-control was in bed. And there she craved it. But leaning on any one person for her needs, her pleasure, was a bad thing. Gods, what a mess she was.

Folding in on him, she found herself caught securely against his broad chest. Her muscles felt limp, wrung out, spent. She relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever. Closing her eyes, she buried her nose in his throat. He smel ed so good. Like heat and man and honey, just like he tasted. She smiled at the contrast, but it fit him. His palms stroked in lazy circles on her back while their breathing evened out, their heart rates slowed, and the sweat dried on their skin. She yawned and nuzzled closer, the first tendrils of sleep tugging at her.

She jolted when he lifted her off of him and jackknifed in bed. “Damn it!”

“What?” She rubbed her eyes, trying to focus through the grogginess.

He groaned and rol ed off the bed and to his feet in one smooth motion. “Your aunt is going to be here in exactly one—”

The doorbel rang.

“That tel ing the future thing is kind of freaky sometimes.” She stretched against the mattress, arching her back to work out the kinks. He immediately closed his hands over her breasts, bending forward to kiss each one in turn. He sucked her nipples hard, biting at the tight crests. She squealed and laughed, shivering as renewed desire throbbed through her body. “Okay, okay! Freaky, but useful.”

“Sadly, yes.” His eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head, the cal used tips of his fingers stil stroking her nipples. “Mil ie’s about to use her key on the door.”

“Shit.” Chloe scrambled to her feet, pushing his hands away from her breasts, but that didn’t cover the creak of her front door swinging open. Scooping her clothes off the floor, she used a spel to shake out the wrinkles. “Hurry up and get dressed!”

His lips twitched as he watched her, but he obligingly reached for his garments. “What, you don’t have a spel to put the clothes back on?”

She snorted on a laugh. “I didn’t do it on purpose, so, no, I don’t have a counterspel handy. You’l just have to do it the Normal way.”

“That’s okay.” His voice was muffled when he pul ed his shirt over his head, then his tousled blond head popped into view again. “I’d rather have you take your clothes off for me than put them on.”

She laughed outright at that. “Shut up, Kingston!”

“Chloe?” Mil ie cal ed from outside the bedroom door.

“I’l bring out your bags.” Merek sat on the bed to lace his boots, jerking his chin to point Chloe out of the room. “You go head them off before they come in here and see the wreckage.”

Her gaze darted around. Gods, the bed was a disaster. Not one of her four pil ows was in sight, and the fitted sheet was ripped and bal ed in the middle of the mattress. The air reeked of sex, so much so that she had a feeling Alex would be able to smel it from out there. Hel , a stupid Normal would have been able to figure out what had been going on in here.

Jerking her clothes back on, she used a bit of magic to tidy herself, and prayed no one could sense she’d been freshly fucked. She wasn’t ashamed of what she’d done, but that didn’t mean she felt the need to advertise.

She stepped out of the bedroom and snapped the door shut behind her. Philip’s eyes narrowed; he slid his hands into his pockets, and let his gaze wander around the room as he looked anywhere but at Chloe.

Mil ie’s smile was smugly satisfied. She nodded in approval, but thankful y said nothing.

Alex’s eyebrows arched, and he didn’t bother to hide a grin. “Wel , then. I’m going to go make some coffee.”

He suited actions to words and strode into the kitchen.

Chloe sighed and went to scoop Ophelia into her cat carrier. She was not happy and distinctly uncooperative. Chloe glared down at her familiar. “Look, you either get in the carrier, which I know you have enough magic to unlatch any time you want, or I can leave you here as werewolf terrorist kibble. What’s it going to be?”

Ophelia gave her a slitted-eyed stare, an offended sniff, and turned with her tail waving in the air. She circled the carrier before she stepped in with the kind of queenly air reserved for Marie Antoinette going to the guil otine. Chloe rol ed her eyes, snapped the door shut, and engaged the latch. She had no idea how long the cat would deign to remain in there, but she was there for the moment, and that was al Chloe was going to worry about.

Merek walked out of her bedroom and set her suitcases beside Ophelia’s carrier. A thought occurred to Chloe, and she turned toward the kitchen. “Alex, you might want to pause on the coffee making. We can pick some up at the airport. They have Starbucks there.”

“I broke out the travel mugs.” He poked his head out of the kitchen. “This French press you have makes better stuff than Starbucks. Since we’re flying in Aunt Mil ie’s private plane, she said we could take it with us.

It’l be done before you load Ophelia and your suitcases in the car.”

“I’l take care of that.” Philip reached for the familiar’s carrier while Merek retained possession of Chloe’s bags. The two men sized each other up for a moment before Philip grunted. “You take good care of Mil ie’s girl, you hear? I’m not just talking about her safety.”

“Philip!” Chloe and Mil ie echoed, shock in their tone.

Of al the people Chloe would ever have imagined worrying about a man hurting her feelings, Mil ie’s brick house of a boy toy hadn’t come anywhere near the top of the list. He hadn’t even been on the list.

Mil ie recovered first. “Yes, wel . Philip has the right of it, but I think Detective Kingston is smart enough to understand that or I wouldn’t be sending Chloe and Alex with him.”

“Yes, ma’am. Sir.” Merek dipped a nod in Philip’s direction, and both of the men headed for the door.

Chloe shook her head, but had no idea what to say at that point. She just sighed, walked over to Mil ie, and let herself be pul ed into a warm hug. The older witch kissed her forehead. “Your detective wil check in with me once a week on a secure line, so I’l know you’re safe, even if I don’t know where you are. Philip arranged everything, including some discreet channels to keep us apprised of Agent Caval i’s investigation.” Mil ie’s arms tightened painful y. “If you don’t check in, I’l know you’re . . .” She let go, brushed her hands off. “You’l be fine. Merek is the best. I checked into him. Of course.”

“Of course.” Her aunt wouldn’t send her with anyone who wasn’t the best. Gods, Chloe was going to miss her. Even more than her work, which fed a craving few could understand, she was going to miss the people in her life. Mil ie. Tess. Even the normal y taciturn Philip.

B ut people were the most important thing. Mil ie had taught that lesson wel . The science Chloe developed was always geared toward helping people, improving their lives. Mil ie’s work in the political arena achieved the same ends, just with a different means.

It was ironic that she and Alex had to give up their entire lives, al their people except each other, in order to stay alive, but that was the way the cookie crumbled. It sucked; it wasn’t fair, but life wasn’t. It was just life, and she wanted to live a lot longer before she saw the end of it. She’d fight to her last breath to make sure Alex got the chance to do the same.

“Al right, kiddo. Let’s get this show on the road.”