Bonded (3 page)

After wiping his hands on white
linen pants, there was a turn made, and a sweet smile split the face of the
figure that coworkers and neighbors knew as friend. As a person that they all looked
up to, that they could all turn to in a moment of need.

A visage that hid the face of a
deadly killer.

Plans were being made.
Wonderful, beautiful plans. It was time for the monster that dared to hit a
child and swear so violently to be made aware of just what the price was for
the vulgarity that he spewed. No one should ever be forced to listen to the
words of the beast. There was a reason for beings such as himself—they were
placed upon the land to rid humanity of the sins of impropriety.

* * * *

“We’ve found another one.
Psychic.” Helen Miramar turned in her seat to look at their leader, Mercury.
“The feds just tagged her as a high-priority asset.”

The look on Mercury’s face told
the story that everyone in the high-tech office knew—if the feds tagged you as
an HPA, then they wanted something from you. You had something the general
populace didn’t. And that typically gave them a lead to one of the vestal
virgins.

“Are you certain?” This had
Mercury’s attention, undivided and laser pointed at her. “Are you sure it isn’t
just another ruse?”

“As certain as you buying me
another vintage tee.”

“Again?” He brushed his hands
through his short blond hair in frustration as he studied his tech guru. If she
was betting a vintage T-shirt—
she loves
those stupid things
—then she had found what they were searching for. “All
right.” He turned. “A vintage it is. Give me the deets on her.”
Lingo
. He had been alive so long that
phrases came and went, and he knew them all.

Helen swiped her hands over the
glass surface of the desk, pulling up the information found on the woman in
question. “She’s been tagged not only by the FBI but also by the other alphabet
agencies, as well as local law enforcement. What’s really funny is that she has
an exotic pet license. I guess that would explain why there have been numerous
notations about a cat nipping at the agents. At first, I assumed it was a
tabby. Oh, no. It’s a freaking jaguar. At least the woman has taste.

“She’s single and lives alone
over the coffee shop that she runs during the daytime. She’s been brought in on
the toughest cases and somehow, someway, always finds a thin thread that leads
to the killer. She’s also been approached by people on the other side of the
law, and from all accounts…” Helen slid the screens so that the info was front
and center, “she’s sent them on their merry way. It’s said that there’s a
shrink in town who gets a lot of business because of kitty-cat fear.”

“So, she is one of the missing?
Could be that she’s one of the original lines?” Mercury asked and reached out
after putting on the special glove that would allow him to scan through the
files. “Dating back to the VV’s?”

“Could be.” Helen pulled up what
she could on the bloodline. “She has no record of birth, so it would take a
blood test to find out if she belonged to one of the lines of the thirteen
vestal virgins.” The goddess herself had blessed those lines, and the women
were every bit as powerful as the men that Mercury found and imbibed with power
via the medallions.

“I want everything on her.”
Mercury was flipping screen to screen, but stopped. “Who’s closest to her?” he
asked with a frown. “She’s too far for me to get to her fast enough, so who’s
closest?” Besides, the goddess tended to get bitchy when he went out, mostly
because he tended to get shot or stabbed when he did. It never failed.

“Looks like it is going to be…”
Helen paused and scanned, then cursed. “Damn. Well, you so aren’t going to like
this, boss,” she told him softly.

“Just tell me, dammit.” His
blood pressure began to rise.

“It’s Gaius.” Just saying the
man’s name made Helen shiver. “Never in my life have I met a more aloof and
terrifying man than him. And that’s saying something. I’ve been around the
block and back a time or two, but he scares the bejesus out of me.”

Helen was thirty years old and a
master hacker. Mercury had found her when she was only twelve because she had
hacked into his mainframe. From that moment on, she had worked for him.

She’d come a long way since
then—no longer the dirty and raggedy teen that Mercury had saved from the
streets. Hacking had been a way to put food in her belly and a roof over her
head, but now Mercury was proud to provide her with those in exchange for her
loyalty. She wasn’t a vestal virgin, but she was a friend to the cause and always
would be.

“Fuck,” Mercury swore, then
began to curse in many different languages, some that Helen must recognize and
others about which she would not have the first clue. Gaius was dominant with a
capital D, and though Mercury didn’t necessarily disagree with his preferences,
he wasn’t sure how one of the vestal virgins would take to it.

Chapter Three

Shaking off the last vestiges of
the dream that held him in its grasp, Gaius Alexander rubbed his hands to his
face. He sat on the side of the bed, then ran his fingers through his short,
ink-black hair and stood. Padding on silent feet to the large French doors, he
tossed them open and walked naked onto the marble balcony that faced the rear
of his property. Hands braced on the balustrade, he surveyed the land that he
owned, the small piece of paradise that he had earned through sweat, hard work,
and blood.

Even with all that he had
endured and survived, the nightmares still wouldn’t leave him alone and plagued
him night after night. Lifting his face to the moon, he looked over the
perfectly manicured grounds with the pristine white marble busts of the
original vestal virgins. All were women who were far more than what they seemed
on the surface. Goddesses, as his people had seen them, one and all. He smirked,
wondering just what history would think if he told them the truth of matters.

Before he blew his cover, or at
least the cover that he was sane, and called up the History Channel to offer an
in-depth interview with none other than Caligula, he was saved by the ringing
of his phone.

“What.” It wasn’t a question,
and it wasn’t a statement. It was more of a snarled command. The demand of a
man that had led others in battle and come out the victor. It was the voice of
a man that dared any to screw him around.

“Where?” he asked. When he was
told, he growled, “I got it.” His words were low and almost menacing as he shut
down the call.

Walking to his closet, Gaius
pulled out his clothing. Specially treated leathers went on first. He shrugged
into a silk shirt, tucked it in, then opened the second closet door. Looking
over the cache of weapons, he chose ones that would fit inside of the
particularly made holders on his pants, ones that no one would be the wiser of
unless they were running their hands over him very intimately. Which, since he
was not in the mood for play, wasn’t happening. After he strapped the weapons
onto his body, he pulled out his cell phone and scanned the full workup that
Helen and Mercury had created for the woman.

Then Gaius stepped into his
shit-kicker boots, complete with steel toes and switchblades that he could
trigger with a simple movement. Grabbing his long sword, he put it into the
holder on the back of his leather jacket and was off, long strides taking him
through his darkened home. A click of a remote had his weapons closet closing
and locking with ease.

In the garage, he looked at the
available vehicles and decided to go for speed and protection. As much as he
would love to take his bike, he knew that, in this instance, an actual car
would be necessary. He had been riding a horse since the day he had been born,
but Gaius found that he definitely enjoyed vehicles. The European ones were his
favorite for speed, but this had to be more than that. He climbed into the
heavily armored SUV and started toward the destination—the shop of the little
human who seemed to be on the radar of far too many people.

Once he got started on the road,
Gaius began to think about the woman he was going to retrieve. There was
something about her that called to him. Even now, he found himself pulling out
his iPhone and staring at an image of the beauty. There was something ethereal
about her.

His thumb stroked over her ebony
locks, and he found himself wanting to lose himself in her expressive, brown
eyes.

He stopped the SUV. He looked at
her again and let out a breath. If he didn’t know better, he would swear that
she was his. He had seen it happen before. Had seen some of his brethren
falling to the charms of their vestal virgins, and now he worried that would be
him. Gaius enjoyed being single. He enjoyed being able to sleep with who he
wanted, when he wanted.

Gaius began to think of the
other warriors that he had known who had found their other halves, their mates.
He groaned.
Son of a bitch, I’m mooning
over a woman I’ve never met
.

He felt his cock harden at just
the thought of sliding into her silken pussy. There was no way she was his. He
knew he would never be so blessed by the fates and that no woman would ever be
so cursed.

* * * *

When Emily woke, she knew that
times were changing. From her bed, she looked out the large window at the
clear, early morning sky and rubbed her temples. It was still dark out, and
moonless, a day where things that shouldn’t exist walked the earth. She knew it
just as she knew by touching a weapon or dead body just how the victim had died
and a general idea of who and what the killer was. She was different.

Dressing in a pair of jeans,
undershirt, and oversized sweater, she pulled on her boots before putting her
hair up in a high ponytail. Today was going to be one of those days where she
was going to need to be able to go at a drop of a hat. It was part and parcel
of being the person that she was. A woman that far too often felt what was
coming, even if she didn’t see it.

She could only do what she did
every day—open her shop and take care of the people that wandered in and spent
their hours there using the Wi-Fi she had readily available. Emily smiled. The
shop had been a whim for her. She’d purchased a cupcake store that had been
failing, bought it because she honestly loved the cupcakes, and even more than
that, the familial feel of the bakers and workers.

Emily thought of the people she
had purchased the shop from. The older couple was obviously totally in love and
had always worked together in the shop. They’d only had a couple of workers.
They’d taught Emily how to not only bake cupcakes but make scones as well as an
amazing array of teas.

She smiled as she went through
her morning ritual. She thought of how they had always seemed to brighten the
day when they were around. They hadn’t questioned her need to wear gloves but
had accepted it with ease, just as they had her. They’d taken her into their
home as a boarder, and she had enjoyed their hospitality, until they sold the
shop to her and moved away. That day had been bittersweet.

Once downstairs, she flipped the
sign to open and pulled on her gloves. It was better to protect herself from
the stray thoughts others left behind on objects from the start of the morning
instead of having to battle the headache and fatigue after.

Allowing Elmer out of his cage,
she gave him a pet, then pulled out a steak for the large cat. Closing off the
area where he would spend his day, she got started making the coffee and pies.
Fresh cookies would be baked all through the day, with most of them being given
to the children that came in and out of the shop all day long because they knew
that she would have cookies and treats for them to take for free.

With her cat taken care of and
the small nibbles that she served made, she took her normal seat and began to
work the puzzles at hand in her Sudoku book.

Her
mind wandered while she worked. She glanced over at Elmer
Fudd
, comforted by his presence.
Years ago, she had found poachers, who had killed off far more of the jaguars
than disease ever could. The man who’d run the preserve had been very grateful
to Emily, and because of the way that Elmer had automatically taken to her,
he’d gifted her the large cat so that she would always have a protector that
couldn’t be bought off with money.

From
the corner of her eye, Emily watched as Elmer
Fudd
padded
from his food bowls to lie at her feet behind the counter. She had to step over
him several times when customers came in to get tea and scones, but she didn’t
mind. She had done it more than once and would continue to do it because that
was just how she and Elmer worked together.

Finally,
she settled back in once more, with his large head perched on her foot as it so
often was when they were seated. She leaned down, scratched the back of the
jaguar’s ears, and smiled. She loved him. He was an integral part of her life,
and she was happy to have him in it.

* * * *

Gaius looked up at the building.
The sign in the lace-curtained window simply read, The Shoppe.
Opening himself to the universe, he
breathed in and out. There was a taste on the back of his tongue, something
spicy yet sweet that had him wanting more.

“Oh, now,” he said when his eyes
opened, bright and blue. A grin appeared on his face, a small scar making the
sly expression even more crooked. “It seems as if the little birdy does have
quite a bit of power.” He licked his lips. The anticipation of meeting the
woman who had plagued his thoughts and kept his cock hard had him moving
forward.

Without another moment’s
hesitation, Gaius walked into the shop, his long, leather-clad legs eating up
the short space between his SUV and the entrance. The closer he got, the more
he sampled a taste of the power that the little minx had at her fingertips.
Gaius’s fingers curled, the muscles on his arms flexing as he walked along
toward the shop.

He had to get in there. There
was a driving and desperate need to see her. To feel her, and more than that,
to taste her. He was confused and skeptical about this draw to her because he
had never felt it before, but he wanted to know more. He had certainly heard
about the pull that a warrior would feel toward his VV but he never dreamed
that he would have one. Life had pretty much given him the shit end of the
stick when he was alive so why would it offer him something so good now? There
had to be a catch because he didn’t believe in life giving people like him
happiness.

Opening the door, he was
assaulted with the scent of fresh coffee, a massive vice of his, as well as the
sweet smells of rolls and other types of dessert-style foods. What held him
captive, though, was the visage of the woman behind the counter. Her long hair
was the color of dark honey, shining as the light caught it. He watched the way
that she reached up and nervously pushed her hair behind her ear as she worked
on something before her.

She was stunning. That was the
one and only thing that Gaius could think. The woman was spectacular. She
wasn’t what one would call tall, not by a long shot, but she had the demeanor
of a queen. Her bearing, the way she looked at people, everything about her was
utter and sheer poetry in motion. The brown eyes that lifted from her book and
pinned him in place had him instantly harder.

For a moment the blood rushed
from all parts of his body and to his cock. All he could think of was drowning
in her gaze and nibbling on her perfect lips. He wanted her, all of her.

He took a moment to soak her in,
but it was more than her physical looks. It was her soul. The very soul of the
woman looked out at those around her, her chocolate-brown eyes taking in
everyone and everything at a glance. He was staring, but he couldn’t help
himself. The instant he’d seen her, his cock had become hard. But it was more
than that. It was a visceral reaction. A need and hunger that couldn’t be
denied.

The medallion that rested over
his heart began to heat. Warmth spread over his body, and his senses seemed to
come alive and tremble with their power. His eyesight, hearing, sense of
smell—all of it seemed to explode. Every sense that he had was amped up.

The medallion that was a part of
him practically sang from the knowledge that he was near her. He would later
think on why that was. For now, all he could do was listen to his medallion and
his heart and hope that his dick would calm down for a bit and let him actually
do his job.

For a moment he stood there,
transfixed by the sheer beauty that stood before him. Never before had someone
as spectacular as her crossed his path. Without another thought he approached
her. He saw the way that the few people looked at him, knew the effect he had
on people and wasn’t surprised when the first woman finished her drink and
left. His boots made a loud noise on the floor, which caused the remaining
couple to quickly stand and move out of the shop, something he was perfectly
fine with. He had been told before that he was intimidating when he was in
hunter mode as he was now.

Gaius watched Emily as he
approached her. He watched the way that her eyes widened. When she licked her
lips, he felt like he had been kicked in the gut. He wanted to kiss her
too-perfect lips. With everything inside of him, he wanted to pull her into his
arms and hold on to her, hold on to her for more than protection, because he
needed her. He, Gaius Julius Alexander, needed the woman more than he needed
his next breath.

Sweeping a look over her from
head to what he could see of her body, Gaius inventoried everything that was
calling to him. Rich, dark honey-colored hair, wary brown eyes, and youth. She
had the appearance of a Gypsy about her, with a hint of something more exotic.
There was some muscle on her, but the sort that highlighted her womanly curves
and thin frame rather than detracting from it. She was a goddess given form.

* * * *

Emily had watched the large man
come in. He towered over her five foot, four inch frame by at least a foot, and
oh, what a delicious foot it was! He was superb, his dark hair cut military
short on the sides and back, with dark skin and golden-brown eyes. She had to fight
herself to keep from biting a knuckle at how good he looked.
Damn, does he ever!