Blue Moon Rising (The Patroness) (30 page)

“What are you smiling at?” I scowled, and started to clean his wounds.

“Several things, actually. The fact that this reminds me of the first day we met. Then I happened to notice you’re more and more nervous around me.” I snorted at that, not very lady-like but he ignored me and continued, “And if you had really meant the let’s-keep-it-professional-bullshit you shouldn’t gobble me up with your eyes like that.”

I didn’t grind my teeth. Instead I looked him directly into his now blue and laughing eyes, meeting the hot and dangerous challenge they were holding.

“Fine, I admit I’m attracted to you but I don’t want to act on it since you’ll soon go back to the States. Happy now?”

“You know, for some women that would be the exact same reason to act on it.”

“Well, hate to disappoint you but I’m not some women,” I countered while I saw to his wounds.

Suddenly he cupped my face in his hands and forced me to look at him again. His hands were wonderfully warm and abrasive, and at his touch a flash of heat went through me, all the way to my toes, tugging at all the right places.

“Do I look disappointed?” His voice was a whisper, an erotic caress.

I swallowed before I answered him huskily, “No.” He looked hungry.

His gaze raked over me, over my face, locking on my lips. “And you’re right, I’ll go back to the States. Tonight even. So please, Maiwenn let me take this with me.”

Delicious warmth spread through my body as he slowly lowered his head, giving me time to protest. I didn’t, I couldn’t.

Then his lips were on mine and everything else except for his shape and taste and scent ceased from existence. I opened up, and let him in. I groaned at his intoxicating taste of hot, dark man, and wound my arms around his neck to keep from drowning.

He angled his head to the side as his tongue swept past my teeth, and sank deep. Demanding total surrender he claimed me. Our tongues thrusting eager, he moaned low in his throat.

I pulled away and stared at him. He stared back at me. We were both heavily panting, surprised by the unexpected force of the heat and hunger. I licked my lips, and then bit it as his lingering taste flooded my system once more.

He groaned and his eyes, still fixed on my mouth, darkened with want. “Don’t do that.”

“Right.” Where did my brains go? Anyone seen my brains? When I was finally able to handle so much as a simple thought, I added, “Maybe we should go back outside before the others begin to wonder what’s taking us so long?”

He pulled his shirt over his head, and then grinned smugly. “Anybody takes a look at you and there won’t be any room left for wondering.”

I shot a glance at my reflection in the mirror. He was right. My face was flushed from desire, my skin was reddened from his whiskers and my lips were swollen from his kiss.

“Well, why don’t you go outside then, and I’ll be there in a sec.” I suggested and couldn’t stop a grin myself.

But when I came back outside Kylian was already gone, and it was a low and unexpectedly sharp stab to the gut.

Two weeks later...

A rebellious and really annoying ray of sunlight had found its way through a slit between my curtains and had decided to dance a cha-cha across my face. Half asleep I threw my pillow in the rough direction; only to have the curtains part a little wider.

“Oh, come on.” Groaning I sat up, all the while shaking Malo awake, who held his head high like the Sphinx and looked at me as if to say in very dignified manner ‘is-all-that-noise-really-necessary?’

“You know, you can go back to sleep if you want to, but I’m pretty sure there’s a can of food with your name on it in the kitchen.”

Malo hopped quickly off the bed, in ‘let’s-move-it’ modus now, but something had caught my attention. There was a letter lying on the pillow beside me. Frowning I took it, broke the blood red wax seal and pulled out a sheet of paper. I unfolded it, and gasped. It was a beautiful and masterly drawing, of me grinning and Kylian scowling. I felt a pang as I studied his face. I didn’t know what had been between him and me but I had thought we might have been able to find it out together. Then I noticed that there was something written in the left upper corner. “Opposites attract. Thank you for everything. We owe you. Romaric and Josianne.”

Utterly touched and smiling I kicked my covers away, got up to carefully pin the drawing onto the cork chart above my desk for the time being, and then padded into the kitchen.

Pauline was sitting at the counter and yawning into her cup of coffee. Music was on. Good. That meant it was a good day today. It had been two weeks since I’d gotten us out of the laboratory, but when the morning started without music I always knew her dreams had taken her back there.

So while U2 claimed ‘It’s a beautiful day’ I set out a little bowl of food for Malo, poured myself some coffee, and then settled down on a high stool beside Pauline.

“Morning,” she murmured, her voice a sleepy whisper.

“Good morning. What a beautiful day, huh? Want something to eat?”

She grimaced. “Ah, don’t mention food. I’m still full from Viviane’s dinner yesterday.”

I laughed. Yeah, in Viviane’s opinion it was food that healed every wound, not time. “Subject change, then. I’m off today, wanna do something?”

Pauline smiled. “Sure. What about the movies?”

“I can’t even remember the last time I went.”

“See, then it’s been too long.”

“You’re probably right. So the movies it is. Hey, but I also want to hear everything about your Chastel-thing.”

She hopped off the stool and said, “Deal. I’ll take a shower.”

“Oh, not so fast, Lady. Rules are rules.”

With a gentle groan she turned around and came back, holding out her fist. “One, two, ...”

“Three,” we called out in unison, and then she squealed and started jumping up and down. “I won, I won. Scissors beat paper. Ha, the shower is mine.”

Damn, but rules were rules, and so I sat down on our couch, enjoying my caffeine and the music.

The phone rang, but since I wasn’t in the mood for talking I let the machine answer it.

“Bonjour Mademoiselle Cadic”, said an unfamiliar male voice, “this is Commandant Moulin, from the police. With The Turn coming up and all I’m putting a special magical crime unit together for Paris, and I’d like to have you as head. The Council recommended you. Call me back under...”

Eyes wide I stared at my phone. The police wanted me? Not as a visitor in a cell but as an employee? I shook my head. What was the world coming to?

I would call him back, and politely decline. I liked my job as a P.I. just fine, and given my experience behind the bars accepting that offer might result in too big a shift in this realm.

The doorbell rang and pulled me out of my thoughts. I groaned. Why had to turn my lazy day into a busy one?

With a sigh I went to answer the door.

A tall, dark and dangerously handsome Kylian stood there. I slammed the door shut in his face. What the hell? Then I looked down at myself, and groaned again. I was wearing one of my oldest tops, gray of all colors, and even older green shorts. First Ro Sham Bo with Pauline, and now this. Destiny, the Fates, the gods, all the higher powers had obviously cuddled up together with the sole purpose to piss me off.

With yet another sigh I opened the door again. “What are doing here?”

“Good morning to you, too,” Kylian said and stepped past me to head for the living room.

“Sure, come on in,” I said dryly and closed the door firmly and followed him.

On my way I tried to lighten up a little, since, well okay, we’d kissed, but it had happened two weeks ago, no attachments, and he’d probably forgotten all about it anyway, and so could I – hopefully, sometime, in the near future.

“Want something to drink? Or a snack?”

“No, I’m fine. Thanks.”

Hands on my hips, I shrugged. “Okay, then let’s forget the courtesies and I’ll jump right to the most obvious and interesting question. What the hell are you doing here?”

He ignored me and asked instead, “How is everyone?”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

He grinned and asked again, “How is everyone?”

I shook my head but decided to go along with it. “Everyone’s fine. Mathieu is with the pack for now, learning to control his wolf. They say he’s doing great, so it’s luckily not the end Michel had hoped for. The ravens, Riva, Luc and Gabin are with them, too, trying to understand our world. And Pauline’s healing, slowly but gradually. It will take some time yet, but she’s strong and she’ll be alright.”

He cocked his head to the side. “And you, how are you?”

“I’m fine. What the hell are you doing here, Kylian?”

“Come on, how are you really?”

“Pissed off is what I am. Why are you here, tell me right now I’ll kick your bu
t
t right out the door!”

He chuckled and stepped closer, and his body heat sipped into me, making me dizzy. Then he reached out and touched my cheeks with his fingers, lightly, softly, but unbelievably blistering. I couldn’t breathe. “Now, how are you really doing?”

I stepped back. “I admit I’ll be even better as soon as I can get rid of this damn sling and you.”

He chuckled. “I’ll bet. Speaking of which, do you remember our bet?”

I frowned, trying to remember. “Sure, you said it was highly unlikely that the ravens were magical shapeshifting creatures we haven’t yet heard of. Is that why you’re here? The bet?”

He took a step towards me again, and I hit the wall with my back. “No, that’s not why I’m here, not really anyway.”  He leaned his head down and inhaled deeply, his whisper touching my ear, “But now that you mention it, I believe we agreed that the winner gets whatever he wants...” Turning his head, his lips softly brushed against mine. I didn’t know where to go, what to do. I was trapped and he was just so close, too close and too warm. Then his mouth closed on mine, and thought slipped away. It was a soft, sweet kiss that swirled right to my toes, but I finally got my hands up between us and pushed him back, breaking away.

“Y-You...What do you mean it’s not the reason? Why are you here, Kylian?” I felt like after waking up, when your mind had not yet caught up with the present.

He looked down at my hands, and we both knew that I had only pushed him away because he had let me. He ignored my question, didn’t say a word and stared at me, his gaze sliding over my eyes, my cheeks, my mouth, before he closed his eyes to nuzzle my neck and to inhale my scent deeply once again.

I didn’t know what to do. That guy was driving me crazy.

Then he stepped away from me, and calmly he opened the door beside me. He turned and when he looked back at me, mischief twinkled brightly in his eyes. That guy was enjoying himself a little too much for my comfort.

“I just dropped by to check on you, and to tell you that I’m looking forward to working with you again.”

Pretty sure I was missing something big here I tried to keep the hysteria down as I asked, “What are you talking about?”

Widely grinning he leaned down a little, his eyes twinkling directly into mine. “Well, I’d thought you’d have figured it out by now. I’m the new Chef de la Meute, the leader of the Parisian pack. See you around.”

The door closed behind him, and left me dumbstruck.

***

Turn the page for an excerpt from the all-new tale of Maiwenn and Kylian

THE HUNT IS ON

by Natalie Herzer

Coming
December 6, 2012
!

Paris, France

December 2012

Lightning struck, splitting a tree that was a little too close for comfort. Immediately another blinding flash followed to the right. The noise of tearing wood and cracking thunder deafening, and the scent of ozone was thick in the air.

The rogue vampire I had been following cowered, frantically searching the sky with glowing red eyes as if frightened he might be grilled next - and quickly decided to take off. Running for his life and obviously more terrified of the capricious weather than at the idea of being offed by the Patroness of Paris. Go figure. He wasn’t the first, and if this kept up I would have to put in more training sessions to keep in shape. My shoulders slumped and a sigh escaped my lips at the incredible truth of that thought. But that’s what it was like these days. If it had started to rain frogs, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

I snorted, shaking my head as I remembered the words of the US president when he had talked to the citizens of the world about the upcoming Turn. ‘We live in interesting times, full of change’, he’d said. Really nice way of sugarcoating impending doom.

I looked at the pitch-black sky above me that was boiling with a rage and flaring with violet-blue forks of lightning, and which seemed even more eerily as it stood in stark contrast with the orange halos coming from the streetlamps, flooding the otherwise dark and empty street below.