Chapter Four

 

 

It was the knock, then the opening of the door that woke Tristan. His eyes popped open as he wondered if Enzo and Deja would forgive him for killing Ven?

“They won’t forgive you and why are you still in bed?”

“Suga, why do we have company?” Mira lifted her hand to her eyes blocking the sunshine coming from the door.

“Get out Ven, or they will have to swear vengeance on me because you will be dead.”

“Nope, not leaving.” He turned to face the door, then closed it. “Hurry up, looking at the door is boring, and we have to go.”

“I think that’s my cue suga, maybe we can hook up another time?” She didn’t really want to leave. They hadn’t gotten to round two.

“You stay. Ven is leaving.”

“Tristan, we have a house to look at, or do you want to keep sleeping with your mate in a hotel room?”

“Mate?”

“Wait… what?” She would have protested more, but Tristan was totally gray. She guessed she was good enough for a night of fun, but not forever after. Not that it mattered, she wasn’t looking for more than a good hard fuck.

“I’m out of here.”

“No, you’re not.” He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back onto the bed.

“Can’t the two of you talk about this later?”

“Ven,” Tristan growled. “This is why your parents let you leave!”

Mira laughed. Ven was allowing her to feel his emotions. He was enjoying himself at Tristan’s expense.

“Why don’t you ask her to come along?”

“Ven not another word out of you or I’m going to put you in a state of stasis that will take you a hundred years to work your way out of.”

Ven got quiet, and Mira worked on not laughing.

“I understand if you have to leave.”

“That’s not what I’m picking up from you.” His emotions were crawling over her skin. Part of him wanted to tuck her close keeping her away from the world. The other part was telling him to act correctly. The two parts of him felt alien. There was something about him that felt different. What she felt last night was intensified today. What intrigued her was the honest desire that overshadowed every emotion he was projecting. That was something she never encountered before.

“I want you to stay longer. Maybe I know why maybe I don’t.”

She looked at him. He became an emotionally clean slate; she wasn’t going to get anymore. His ability to masque his emotions intrigued her drawing her in. Common sense told her to back away. The sex was good. It was damn good. She had a life to get back to helping damaged kittens and strutting her stuff on stage.

Why can’t we have more? The small voice that lived in the back of her head asked.

She ignored it, but she couldn’t ignore Tristan or the fact that she didn’t want to leave his side.

“Sure, why not? I’m all for looking at houses.”

“I knew you would come.” She eyed Ven, who was still studying the door. She had a feeling he did know she was going to come along.

“Well hurry up, I sent Enigma One ahead of us. Who knows how they are terrifying our realtor?”

That seemed to get Tristan moving.

“Get dressed, those five in the city by themselves bothers me.” He started dressing.

Mira grabbed her clothes then decided if you can’t beat them, join them. She dressed while Ven watched the door and sighed loudly for effect.

“I have a feeling you’re a handful,” she told Ven as they walked out the door. His laughter followed her.

“Guess I’m driving.” Both Tristan and Ven went to her Jeep. She unlocked it; Ven gave her directions to a place that was on the edge of the city but looked like it was forgotten in time.

“I’ve never seen this place before.”

“It’s protected. Unless you know it’s here, you won’t see it. A lot like our home.”

She nodded since she didn’t know where their home was, she had nothing to compare it to. She pulled up a long driveway to find a house that seemed to spread out over a huge area.

“Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous?” Two sets of eyes looked at her blinking slowly. “You’ve never seen that television show where they take you through some of the most lavish houses on the planet?”

They both shook their heads.

“Alright, this place is so big that I can’t see where the house ends. It reminded me of the show.”

They climbed out of the Jeep to find the realtor sitting on the top step of the porch.

“Tina, why are you outside?” Ven asked her.

“Your friends came to look around. They’re here somewhere. They moved a little too fast for me. Then they were giving commands, are they ex-military? The next thing I know they told me to wait for you and they were gone.” She gave Ven a look of worry while she tried to project being in charge.

He sat by her taking her hand.

“They have that effect on people. They are ex-military. Their unit was one that went undercover, so they’re not used to polite society anymore.”

“They are one unit?”

“One unit, five males. Enigma One. They’ll want to check out the land to make sure it can be secured. Living so long having to watch their backs makes them paranoid.”

“I understand my brother-in-law came home from overseas. Some of the things he does now can be scary, but he loves my sister.”

“War changes people. Don’t worry about Enigma One they would never hurt you. Let me introduce you to Tristan and Mira.”

She shook both of their hands before leading them inside.

Mira took the time to wonder who Tristan and Ven were. Tina was terrified when they pulled up to the house. Ven had not only brought her back from the edge, but he made her feel compassion for the males that scared her earlier.

Tristan channeled power to Ven. It would have gone unnoticed if she wasn’t tuning into everything Tristan.

“The house is huge. I don’t want to scare you, but what it would take to heat or light this place is why no one lives here. I honestly don’t know what they were thinking when they built it,” Tina told them with a wry smile.

“What do you like about the house?” Mira asked her.

“I love the kitchen; it's a work of art. This living room is massive, but at times I see it filled with people. Then it becomes warm and inviting. Of course, there are great bedrooms here, and each one has its own en-suite. Can you ask for more?”

“No, it's just the cost that’s the problem,” Mira smiled at her.

“Exactly. Follow me to the kitchen.” It was large enough for several people to cook at the same time.

“There are two stoves!” Mira took off looking at the appliances and opening the cabinets. “I love this kitchen.”

“Do you cook?”

Mira turned around to find one of the males that she saw last night looking at her.

“Mira this is Cade. He’s the leader of Enigma One.” Tristan walked up behind her.

“I cook. Do you?”

“No, all of us have been in the ground for way too long.”

Thoughts of Tristan in the cemetery brought up images she wasn’t comfortable with.

“It’s a good thing you and your team are here now.” Three males smiled at her.

“I can’t wait for you to meet my mom,” Ven told her.

“We can secure the land. It will be a little tricky, but doable.”

Tristan and Ven nodded before they followed Tina on the rest of the house tour that took over two hours.

They ended the tour in the kitchen.

“It’s a great house,” Tina told them as they took a seat around the kitchen island.

“It needs some work,” Tristan told her.

“If you need the space you’ve been talking about, you won’t find a better house.”

“How much,” Ven asked.

Mira choked on the gum she wasn’t chewing when she heard the price.

Ven never batted an eye when he gave her a counter offer.

“The owner will never go for that.”

Tristan gave her a counteroffer lower than Ven’s.

Tina moved to stand between the two of them refusing to budge on the offer. Ven gave his counteroffer again. Tristan lowered his counteroffer. After ten minutes of haggling, Mira had enough.

“Stop! Tina doesn’t want to sell this place. I say we get a new agent find a different piece of land and buy that one.” Mira stood up and moved to the doorway.

“Wait, I need to make a call.” Tina stepped out of the kitchen.

“Did you hear how much the owner wants for this place?”

“It’s worth it,” Tristan said. Ven nodded his approval.

“Neither one of you looks like your rolling in money. I drove you here.”

They shrugged their shoulders and waited for Tina to come back in the room.

“The owner is willing to take Ven’s counteroffer. They will not go one cent less.” She glared at Tristan.

“We have a deal,” Ven told her before he stepped out of the room.

“Where did he go?” Tina asked.

“To free up the funds,” Tristan told her.

“Tristan talk to Declyn,” Ven said walking back into the room. He handed him his phone.

“Yes, no, of course. Let me handle them before we celebrate. No, doesn’t look like I’ll be going to ground after all. Don’t celebrate yet, nothing’s set in stone. Yes, he’s being Ven. Does he know how to be anything else? He knows how everyone feels about him. Yes, I’m keeping him safe.”

“I hate when you all talk about me like I’m eight.”

“I still remember when you were eight.” Tristan handed him the phone. “The money’s free, pay up, so we can get the keys.”

“You can’t get the keys today. There has to be a closing agreement, papers to sign,” Tina told them.

“Come with me, Tina.” She followed Ven out of the room.

“She’s right you know,” Mira told him.

“Maybe, but the first thing we learned on your planet is that money talks.”

Ven walked in with the keys. “I’ll sign the papers tomorrow, but we own the house.”

“Just how rich are you?” Mira looked between the two of them. They shrugged.

“We’ve never thought about it,” Tristan told her.

“When are you moving in?”

“Today, we need to go back to the hotel and check out. Will you take us back?”

“Of course. Maybe I can come see you here sometime.”

“Maybe or maybe you can spend the night and then tomorrow night and then…” Tristan walked up to her taking her into his arms.

“That’s a lot of maybe’s.”

“Then let’s just start with tonight.” He lowered his head.

“Ven,” she choked out.

“Is out on the porch waiting. I saw the perfect room for us.” He took her mouth in a kiss. She opened her lips to protest but ended up sucking on the tongue he sent searching. His taste hit her, and once again she was gone. The feel of his body and the taste of his mouth should be considered illegal.

“I could die happy kissing you.” She sighed into the kiss.

“I like how you taste too.” Her cheeks pinked. “Let’s go. If we’re gone too long Enigma One will start hunting us down.”

“Don’t they have names?”

“The leader is Cade. I’ll introduce you to the rest when they surface.”

“You know what I’m thinking?”

“What?” They walked through the house and onto the porch.

“You owe me breakfast and lunch.” They walked over to her Jeep.

“We can stop on the way to the hotel,” Ven said.

Mira slid into the driver’s seat and then stopped to gulp air.

“What’s wrong?” Tristan asked, he was sitting next to her.

“I felt pain, but it’s gone now. Buckle up.” She started the engine trying to ignore how Tristan and Ven were studying her.

“It sometimes happens when you tap into every emotion around you. Both of you are like a breath of fresh air. I get nothing from Ven unless he wants me to. Tristan your low-key and hard to read.”

The car swerved the minute they hit the main road. She gasped for breath unable to breathe. Mira’s foot hit the brake before they ran into a tree.

“Tina,” she said between gasps. “She’s petrified.”

Ven hopped out and pulled open Mira’s door. Tristan was there they put her in the back with him by her side. Ven took over driving.

“Which way?”

“Make a U-turn.”

He turned the car and was flying down the street in the opposite direction.

“Who taught him to drive?” Mira screamed her nails latching onto Tristan’s arm.

“His parents, do you see what I put up with.”

“How fast is he going? Wait, don’t tell me. Please, I just want to arrive alive.”

“It's not that bad,” Ven said over his shoulder.

“Eyes on the road.”

“Humans,” he said. “Where to Mira?”

“Right, make a right… now!”

Her Jeep went off-road. That’s why she bought it. All those commercials about going up and down hills and through large puddles of water appealed to her. But this was the first time her baby was going off-road. Why? Because she was a freaking city girl and proud of it.

The smooth concrete became bumpy as the shocks took on the bumps from dirt that was never supposed to be packed tight enough to make a road. She hung on tighter as pain lanced through her head, heart, and stomach.

“Someone’s hurting her.” Bile rose trying to gush out of her mouth. She lowered her head aware that Tristan had her in a hold that was unshakeable. Her eyes were closed, but her body was being pulled towards the highest concentration of pain.

“Make a left, she’s straight ahead.”

Ven made a left, then brought the Jeep to a sudden stop. Mira would have flown out the window without Tristan holding on to her.

“Stay here Mira, do not move.” Tristan laid her down in the seat before he left the Jeep.

She leaned up to get a look at the scene before her. A naked Tina was hanging from a tree by her wrists. In front of her were three men. Their shadows moved like they weren’t attached at all. Every time one of them touched her, she screamed.

They were killing her, but how? Mira could feel death coming for Tina.

“Mira.” One of the men pulled away to look at the Jeep. How did he know she was in there?

There was a roar then Tristan’s shape changed. He grew tall and hairy. His nose and mouth elongated into a snout.

Shit, this was a dream. She was still taking the damn happy drugs she tried to escape. Her life was nothing but a druggie dream. She opened her eyes again when had she shut them?

Tristan was still a monster, now so was Ven. It was the brightness of their eyes that said she knew who they were. One of the men… monsters came for Tristan. He turned and shredded him with impossibly long, sharp claws. There was a cry like a moan of pain and the men she thought she saw were gone.

She blinked trying to bring her eyes and the men back into focus. When she opened her eyes, how long had they been closed, Tristan and Ven were cutting Tina down. There was no sign of them being big hairy monsters. Had she imagined it? Was this area filled with swamp gas that made her hallucinate? She opened herself up to be able to feel their emotions. She sent out a probe something she would not normally do. All she encountered was the same feelings of last night. Ven felt secure, and Tristan offered her a safety she knew from her grandmother. These were not the emotions of monsters.

“She’s going to need a doctor,” Tristan said as he placed Tina in the back seat with them.

“She’s going to need more than that.” She would freak out later. Now Tina’s life lay in the balance. She placed her hand over Tina’s heart and forehead replacing what the monsters had stolen. If anyone ever found out what she could do she’d spend the rest of her life in a cage.

Something hurt Tina almost killing her. That part hadn’t been imagined.