Chapter 2
Night Stalkers with Secrets
Thad is next door, Gage is comfortably placed on his bed/my couch. He's been tirelessly reading over the girls'... journals. Journals definitely sounds less invasive.
"Anything worth reading?" I ask as I plop down beside him.
He rubs his eyes, pretending to be human for a second as he mocks a strained vision.
"Plenty of interesting, but nothing too helpful. Most of this is just girly stuff. I've been skipping through the dirty parts, if you know what I mean."
"Sure you have," I tease, and he lets a laugh escape.
Suddenly, my front door bursts open, flying off the hinges as it slams against the wall and clatters against the floor.
"What the fuck?" I screech.
Before Gage vaporizes me, Kane steps inside the doorway.
"What the hell are you still doing here?" he snarls. "I told you this house wasn't safe, damn it. Get the hell out of here!"
My whole body shivers, and Gage steps up to be in front of me.
"How did you just break through her spell barrier?"
Kane rolls his eyes, slapping everything off the small table by the doorway to create a dramatic shattering effect.
"The same way Castine will. She's not bound by magic, and thanks to her, neither am I. Do you really want to be here when she comes? Get her the hell out of here now. I can't kill Castine if she has freshly drained a witch... a mortal witch."
He turns to leave, and my whole body turns to rubber just before he's slammed into and knocked from the porch, tearing through my porch railing on the way down. I look out to see a smirking Thad as Kane rises to his feet.
He wipes his mouth, and his eyes flash blue once as a dark warning while he stares down the neighbor he only thought he knew.
"I should have guessed you were one of them, too," the night stalker snarls.
I step out to join Thad who keeps himself between Kane and me.
"Not one of them," he says before letting his eyes flash the yellow proof of a changer.
Kane lets out a laugh, and then he shakes his head.
"A light witch, a dark user, and a damn changer. Unbelievable. Fuck with me again, and I'll let you know what a mistake this whole charade really was."
"It wasn't a-" before I can finish, Thad leaps off the porch, hell bent on showing Kane he's not the average changer.
I expect to have to save Kane's life, since the sun is out and Thad is already too strong, but I'm shocked when Kane catches him midair and slams him to the ground. Thad starts to get up, but a dark, grim smile spreads over the night stalker's lips.
Thad starts gasping for air as Kane kneels before him, not having to touch him to nearly kill him where he lies.
"I warned you."
Gage throws his arms out, but Kane goes nowhere, remaining unaffected. How the hell is that possible? Without moving, he just laughs as he throws Gage's power back at him and knocks him to the ground, pinning him the same way Thad is pinned.
"You don't want to kill them. I've always been your intended target. Leave them alone and do what you want to with me."
He laughs again, an ominous roar ringing out that makes my chills form.
"You're nothing to worry about, Alyssa. Get out of here before I drain you myself. I won't let Castine use your power to fuel her fight against me. I mean it. Go."
He turns his back and walks away so casually, as if nothing just happened. I look around to see a few of my neighbors peering out, and I chant a memory spell to recant the last few minutes of their life.
When my eyes open, Thad and Gage are already rising to their feet, both of them coughing on the air finding their lungs.
"What the hell kind of night stalker can do that?" Thad growls, his usual playful tone banished.
"The kind we don't need to fuck with," I grumble. "Come inside. Get out of sight before the neighbors decide to come investigate."
He rubs his neck as does Gage, both of them questioning what the hell just happened. I've certainly never seen anything like it before, and if that's any inkling as to what I should expect from Castine, I obviously need to get going.
Gage appears with the rest of my stuff in tow as he drops my bags to the ground of the guestroom in his house.
"You can take the master, Alyssa. I don't mind swapping with you."
Sighing, I pull my knees to my chest while resting on the bed.
"The master is directly beside Kane's house. I don't want that view. This one is much better in that aspect. Thanks though. This will work until I can get the paperwork sorted out on that house you found me."
He shrugs, and then he plops down beside me. "So, you need to cast the spell. I can't do it. It could cripple you if I cast a protection spell using my magic and invite you in with your mortal form. I'll go out while you-"
"I've already done it. I did it while you were gone. Of course, I already said you could come in."
He smiles, and then he brushes my hair from my shoulder. "Are you sure it took?"
I see Thad walking outside, making his way toward the front, and I pull Gage's hand in mine to lead him out of the room.
"Let's find out."
He looks a little too excited, and we both eagerly await the proof of some results. The sound of a changer cursing rings out as Thad is launched backwards, almost too forcefully.
He thuds into the lake, splashing the water up and drenching himself. Gage bursts out laughing, his whole body shaking from the explosive release. I giggle a little as I walk to the door.
"Thad can come in."
Gage laughs harder as Thad emerges from the lake, soaked and furious. He throws his hands up, and Gage only laughs that much harder while pointing at me.
"You?" Thad asks in disbelief, a menacing grin covering his face.
"Thanks a lot, dark boy," I tease while narrowing my eyes at Gage.
Suddenly I'm drenched as Thad rips me up from the ground and presses his soaking wet body against mine. I squeal, though it does no good.
Gage rolls his eyes as he shuts the front door. Thad just drips his wet demise all over the floor while carrying my squirming body.
"Please stop," I laugh out, but instead, he pulls me closer until his lips are on mine.
"I think that's enough," Gage gripes, his tone stern and irritated.
"I think someone's jealous," Thad jokes while releasing me.
I just giggle lightly while pulling my wet clothes away from my body. "I need to change now."
"Yeah, you smell like wet dog," Gage quips, though it doesn't seem like harmless banter.
His eyes narrow at Thad who simply shrugs off the burning glare.
"I happen to like getting you wet," Thad teases, making my face flush all the more, and making Gage roll his eyes again while letting out a huff of distaste.
Shaking my head, I snap my fingers to dry my clothes and the damp pieces of my hair. Thad chuckles and holds his hands up.
"Do me?" he chirps, menace in his eyes.
He never stops with the innuendo, but I walk over and wave my hand to dry his clothes and hair as well.
"Much better," he says with a sigh. "So... now you're living next door to the night stalker who can't be barred by magic? Is that wise?"
Gage flops down on the couch and flips on the TV while bringing out his phone. "No, but it's better than staying in Castine's old home or right next door to there. She's got another place picked out. We're just waiting on the paperwork to run through."
Thad lets a derisive snort free. "It's funny how you keep referring to the two of you as a pair when you're obviously not together."
"Please don't start," I groan, not allowing Gage's witty retort to escape.
They both tighten their lips as a ruckus stirs outside close to the open window, allowing the sound to penetrate the soundproofed home. I rush over to view it without thinking about who it might be.
Kane is fighting with Zee, both of them shirtless in front of the lake. I realize quickly it's not a real fight - it's more of a training session.
My heart flutters in my chest as I stare at the perfection of the immortal body I never should have known so intimately. So many times I knew he was too perfect to be human. I knew a body that divine had to belong to an immortal, but I refused to acknowledge the obvious.
"He really wants Castine, doesn't he?" Thad says as he joins me on Gage's bed.
"Apparently so. What else do we know about her?"
Gage walks in to answer that. "She was blessed with more gifts than I can cipher, all of which were given to her by our kind. I'm not sure what the hell those assholes were thinking, but they made her too damn strong. Though Kane is obviously much stronger than your average night stalker, he still isn't strong enough to take her."
"We don't know that," Thad interjects. "What he did to us... I could tell he was holding back. If he hadn't been, that shit could have gotten ugly very fast."
Sighing, I drop back onto Gage's bed just as the sun disappears from the sky.
"I wish you had sniffed out his night stalker side," I grumble to Thad.
"I wish I had that ability. I can only smell night stalkers when we're both in changed form. When they're in their human facade, their scent is totally different. The same goes for everyone, including you. Your scent will be different when you hit the immortal change and then go all witchy. You'll still smell like you when you're playing human."
"Witchy?" I ask, grinning.
"Witchy," Thad repeats, shrugging. "I have to track in changed form, but the scent has to be strong. Lycans can track in human form and follow a faint trail, but like all of us, they can't sniff out fey power unless the fey is in changed form."
"So, basically it's the same as auras," I grumble.
"Auras?" he muses, tilting his head to the side. "I wouldn't know. Changers can't read auras. We can only feel the effects of what you put off."
He adjusts his pants, winking menacingly.
"Such an ass," Gage mumbles, and then he turns to me. "It's different from auras. You can't read a fey's power unless they drop their guard intentionally. Even if they're in changed form, you still can't read their aura unless they want you to. You can sometimes see their emotions, but only if it's a very extreme emotion. It's the same even with humans. Unless you've got an aura stain... like yours. Then everyone either sees it or feels it."
Great. A tainted aura. I almost forgot. Thad's crude gesture now makes a little more sense. I have to figure out how to cap this off.
"I wonder why my aura stain isn't affecting their coven," I say while motioning toward Kane's house. "None of them even seemed to notice it."
"You won't affect women unless they prefer women," Thad explains, a devilishly excited gleam to his eyes. "As for the lads, they should have felt it. It's likely they'd never admit it though. If they've never come into contact with a mortal bonded to an immortal, they wouldn't even know what it was."
"He knew," I mumble, self loathing digging its claws in. "That's why he did it, more than likely."
He only claimed to have not known I was a virgin. That slimy bastard. Gah! Why can't I just hate him.
Gage discreetly shifts, doing his best not to let me see how affected he is. This is terrible. I just wanted a normal life for a little while, and instead, I threw myself into the most ridiculous immortal drama I can imagine.
"I have to go get ready for the ball. I'll see you guys there," Thad says as he leans over and kisses my forehead.
I giggle a little when his lips quickly find mine in a surprise attack, and then he rushes out of the room before Gage can scold him.
"I really hate that guy," Gage grumbles while coming to drop down beside me. "He can't ever keep his hands off of you."
I glance at the dark user with all of his bad boy sex appeal dripping into place. His dark hair sweeps his brow, his metal circle taunts me from his lip, and his spiked eyebrow ring just adds to the devilish allure.
His tight, black T-shirt is too sexy with his dark denim jeans cut low on his hips. I sigh as I grip my head. This toxic aura of mine is a pain in the ass.
"He's just doing it to be funny. He's harmless enough. Besides, I've zapped him off me before, so I know he's not too immune to my mortal powers."
One of Gage's eyebrows cocks up, and a smile plays on his lips.
"I really wish I could've seen that."
I frown, thinking back to the time I did that. Everything was so different then.
"It was... He played a cruel prank. He made me laugh afterwards, per the usual."
He stares at the wall, his jaw clenching for some reason.
"He's not supposed to be touching you. If your dad found out he was constantly trying to get your pants off, he'd rip him inside out. You better hope he doesn't find out you were duped by Kane, unless you want to see him dead."
My heart burns with that possibility hovering over me. Dad's territorial like that. He thinks if someone fucks with me, it's because they're not scared enough. Though they don't know I'm his daughter, he still takes offense. His ego is a crushing factor in my life.
"Kane can take care of himself. Besides, Thad knows better than to tell my dad anything like that. How do you know so much about him?"
"Your father?" he asks, and I nod in response. "It's a long story. But if I know your identity, then you know I can be trusted. And I don't work for him, which puts me a step above dog boy."
I laugh a little and then I stand up to head to my new room. "I need to change. You better be right about this ball. I don't want a repeat of the useless party venture you dragged me to two nights ago."
He frowns. "Heath will pay for that shit. I won't be leaving you alone tonight."
Forcing a smile, I walk away. It's getting hard to be around Gage right now. My whole body is burning with desire and seeking an outlet for it. I wish I had known about mortal virgins bonding with immortal assholes before I slept with Kane. Though it wouldn't have done a bit of good since I didn't know what he was.
"Knock, knock," Gage says as he walks into the room.
I offer a smile as I motion to my form-fitted silver dress. It stops just below my rear, and it has one shoulder cut out while the other side has a long, tight sleeve that reaches my wrist.
"Wow," he accidentally releases, and then he clears his throat in an attempt to recover. "I mean... that's a... um... Where did you get that on such short notice?"
Shrugging, I murmur, "This is going to sound cliché, but I really did just have it lying around. My mom bought it for me a year ago, and I've never had anywhere to wear it."
He bites back a salacious grin as his eyes rake over me, taking me in, and making my aura burn against me as though it's materializing.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing I matched your mask by happy accident," he murmurs while pulling out a silver, glittery masquerade mask that has satin ties draping from the sides.
"You did good, dark boy. Care to tie me up?"
Oops. That made me sound like Thad and one of his dirty drops. Gage just laughs a little as he steps in behind me.
"Love to," he murmurs against my ear, the heat of his breath trickling down and settling on my neck.
I shiver as he lifts my blond, elegant curls up just enough to hide the strings as he ties the mask into place. When I turn around to face him, he looks completely different. Just seconds ago, he was wearing his jeans and T-shirt. Now he's wearing a black suit, black shirt, and black tie. His black mask covers a small portion of his face, allowing only his blues and his gorgeous mouth to be seen.
My mouth waters like a foolish girl who's never seen a boy in her life. His lips quirk up in a devilish grin as he gives me a wink.
"Ready to shake out some answers?"
"I'm ready to get drunk."
The intense moment of seduction is collapsed when my humorous tidbit reaches him, and he lets his laughter soar free.
"Then let's get to it."
It almost feels as though we're late, but we're right on time. This glorious wonder of a house is packed full of ritzy people with flashy attire. I'm glad I did have this dress handy. I wasn't prepared for the glam and gloss of Gatsby's era.
"Just stay with me. Thad should be here already, shaking down answers."
I nod as his arm wraps around my waist and guides me through the crowded room. After a couple of dances, I'm almost sweating from the intimate connection we've been forced to endure with the steady stream of slow songs.
"Drink?" he asks while loosening his tie, as though he's feeling it, too.
"What's up with this atmosphere?" I grumble, squirming uncomfortably.
"I can answer that," Thad interjects while handing both of us a glass full of some odd, foggy concoction.
His crisp blue shirt peeks out beneath his perfectly tailored suit, and his blue mask only adds to his appeal. Now I'm really sweating. What the hell? This can't be my aura.
I taste the drink to see it's a bit fruity, but it's not too over the top. I'm grateful for anything that might take the edge off.
"Well?" Gage prompts as we move to the other side of the room.
I start noticing several people devouring each other without discretion. One guy has a moaning girl pressed against the wall as his hand slips under her dress, making her gasp in ecstasy. I have to look away, feeling like a total pervert for ever having seen such an act of intimacy.
"This home belongs to a succubus and an incubus. The two are married, and they get off on making others... well, get off."
I start fanning myself as the desire to feel someone's touch becomes a heady sensation.
"I thought they just lured in prey with their seduction," I chime in, vocalizing my limited knowledge of our world.
"We are their prey. They feed off sexual energy. Right now, this place is fueling them like a buffet would a fat man."
Gage adjusts his pants, and then he guzzles his drink. "This is terrible. We'll never get anything accomplished in this air. We should go."
Thad shakes his head while pointing to the top of the stairs.
"I've got a meeting with Dulgar. He's a little unpredictable. Stick around. I might need a hand if he tries anything."
Gage takes a shaky breath, and then his eyes find mine again briefly before turning back to Thad.
"Why aren't you as affected?" he questions suspiciously.
"I took the edge off. You should probably do the same. There are plenty of willing women in here. I'll help out Alyssa."
For the first time in a while, that actually sounds gross. He just screwed another girl, and now he's flirting? Ew.
"Ha," I release sardonically, and he pulls me into his arms while casting a patronizing stare down to me.
"Don't be like that, pretty girl. It's just sex. You need to get it off the pedestal and put on a foot stool where it belongs."
I just laugh at his candor, and then he leans in to steal a kiss. I promptly push him away before those dirty lips reach mine, and his lips pucker in response.
"Fine then. I'll get on with my meeting."
Gage puffs out his frustration as we watch Thad leave us behind.
"I have got to get something stronger than this girly thing he brought over. You need more?" he asks while clanking around the ice in his cup.
"Please," I dramatically release, and he laughs while taking my glass and walking away.
Before he's even completely out of sight, familiar arms are wrapping around my waist with a rough, aggressive touch, and spinning me around to meet the green eyes behind a red mask.
Kane.
My heart patters heavily against my chest as he forces me into a dance in the center of the floor. I stare helplessly at his incredible body wrapped like a designer present. His black suit holds a touch of red at the pocket, and his blood red shirt matches his mask.
His dark hair sweeps over the upper rim of the mask as he stares down at me with a tense jaw and hostile eyes.
"What are you doing here? Do you know what this place is?" he whispers.
"Yeah. It's the home of a suc-"
He clamps his hand over my mouth to silence me, rolling his eyes as he does so.
"Not so loud. Why are you here?"
He releases his hold over my mouth, but I've tasted his touch, reveled in the feel of his skin on mine, and felt the need for more flowing through my veins. With this toxic air, I'm just a seduced puppet, and the lingering feelings I have for this devil are taunting me right now.
"We're looking for answers about the people who took my mother. What does it matter to you?" I strain out, trying not to sound as affected as I am.
His eyes look around, as if he's searching for something, and then I see the small bit of sweat forming on his brow. He's being affected, too?
"I'm here to find one of my friends. He has a lead on my sire. If you're looking for her, then you-"
"We're not. I'm telling you the truth. You're hurting me," I grumble as I try to escape his too-tight grip.
"Not the way you deserve to be hurt," he growls, genuine pain and anger in his eyes.
"Whatever. Let me go."
He pulls me tighter, and then I feel it... his desire for me. He can say whatever he wants to, but some magic apparently affects him because I feel it against me.
He curses under his breath as I lose myself in the moment, the air, and the desire encumbering me. My hand slides over his pants, and before I know it, I've slipped behind the waistband.
"Stop," he cautions, but I've already reached my prize, and damn it feels so good.
My lips go to his neck, and he groans slightly as I pull his firmness tighter into my hand, feeling the slick skin of his length. My tongue dances over his skin, and he pulls me tighter to him, lost in the moment himself.
One of his hands tangles in my hair while the other slides down to grip my rear through the silver material. As my hand slides up and down, his breaths grow harsher, more wanton.
His lips almost brush mine, but he stops himself.
"Damn it," he growls, and suddenly he rips free and vanishes from the dance floor, leaving me dizzy, confused, and utterly aroused.
"Alyssa?" Gage asks as he returns to see me swaying from side to side in an intoxicated haze on the dance floor.
I don't need alcohol. I feel so drunk already... or high. I'm not sure which would be a better depiction of my inebriated state.
"Shit. We've got to get you out of here."
He puts the glasses down on a nearby table, and then he returns to pull me away from the crowd. As we head down the quiet corridor, I lose all restraint and jerk the dark user to my clutches to end the burning inferno inside of me.
His lips are startled by mine, and the cool metal of his lip ring tastes good in my hungry mouth. He only fights me for a second before giving in and gripping my hips to jerk me to him.
The rough motion only heightens my desire, and he pushes me into a room off to the side as his hands scour my body through my tight little dress.
"Alyssa, this is not a good-"
I cut him off, my tongue pushing through his parted lips, and he responds by grabbing me under my rear and lifting me to drop me onto a bed. The satin slides under me, and I jerk Gage to be on top of me while wrapping my legs around his waist.
He groans as if he's conflicted, but I don't give him the opportunity to deny me as I push my hand down the front of his pants. He gasps as I touch him for the first time, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the wealth of the hardness hiding beneath his pants.
"Fuck," he murmurs against my lips.
"Yes," I say with a devious grin, and then I free him from the top of his pants before sliding my dress up to give him access to me, inviting him in.
I ache to feel him inside me right now. My heart pounds for it.
He slides between my legs, jerking my hips to meet his center as he starts to guide himself in. He hesitates, so I pull my dress up higher while peeling my underwear off. His soft lips find me instead of his firmness, and I gasp at the unexpected sensation between my legs.
"You taste too good," he murmurs, letting his breath stroke me in places only one man has ever touched before him.
I grab at his hair, pulling him closer to me as his tongue owns me. His teeth pull at a very sensitive spot, and I shiver under his touch. I feel the warmth of his finger slipping in, stimulating me all the more as his scandalous tongue flicks and swirls in all the right places.
With the heavy seduction from the air, the pent-up frustration from the weeks of being trapped with each other, and the aura burn I'm cursed with, it doesn't take long for me to fall over the edge.
I cry out, his name flowing through my lips like a prayer, as I shudder from head to toe.
His lips find mine as his hard piece of promise presses against my bare center. Just as he's about to take me in the way I'm desperate for, the door swings open, forcing Gage to spin around and pull himself together.
"You have got to be kidding me," Thad chuckles out, and I quickly shove my dress back into place, though I can't turn off the overwhelming need to be sated.
Propping up on my knees, I come to stand behind Gage, wrapping my arms around his middle and pulling him into me.
"Shit. We've got to get out of here before-"
"Before you fuck her?" Thad teases. "I agree. If anyone is going to-"
"Don't even say it," Gage grouses, waving a dismissive hand.
He turns back to me, but I feel like a lioness in attack mode as I pounce, throwing myself into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist before my lips cover his.
He groans as he starts carrying me out, and Thad snickers from behind us as Gage leads the way.
"I should have swapped places with you, it seems. I didn't get shit out of that meeting, but here you are all tangled up with the girl I've been baiting for months."
Gage slips his lips free from mine, and my lips and tongue start trailing up and down his neck as he continues carrying me out.
"You got nothing? No information?" he asks, though I can tell he's forcing himself to care.
"Oh, I got info. I just didn't get what you're getting. Damn it. Next time you do the talking and I'll keep Alyssa company."
"Drive my car. I can't do this anymore," Gage growls while walking into another room.
Excitement fills me when I think he's about to end my torture, but then I feel the dizzying proof we're vaporizing. The head rush comes, but I ignore it as my lips find his.
He doesn't deny me that. His lips attack with the same vigor, and then we're suddenly in his room, on his bed, and we're a tangled mess of limbs and passion as his weight pushes against me.
He rips my dress up, as his heavenly lips fall down the curve of my neck. I can feel him ready to explode against me, but I taste his hesitance to fully go through with it.
Flipping him to his back, I hop on top, taking his erection between my legs and grinding against it through the fabric of his pants. My hair falls over us like a veil as I lean down to kiss his groaning mouth. Using my magic, I strip his pants down low enough to free the divinity within.
I start to slide down on it, feeling his tip at my entrance, but he jerks me up and pins me to the bed.
"Not like this. I can't let you do this right now. Your head's not in the right place. Sleep," he says before kissing my lips, and with that spoken, one-word spell, my eyes seal shut and my dreams take the place of my fucked up reality.