Lucca (3 page)

He inhaled again not caring the erotic
fragrance muddled his thoughts until all that mattered was finding
the source. He had to… He didn’t know what he had to do. He would
decide once he located where the distracting aroma originated.

Chapter Three

Juliet inserted the quarters into the slot
and pushed the lever. The washing machine jumped into motion, the
water filling the tub. She couldn’t wait until her washer and dryer
were delivered to the apartment and the Laundromat was a thing of
the past.

“Auntie Jules?” Owen had made himself at
home with his comic books on one of the seats lined against the
wall.

“Hmm?” She opened another machine to do a
load of whites.

“When will my father come to visit
again?”

Startled at his question, her hand slipped
and the lid to the washer slammed shut with a bang. She took a deep
breath before she faced him, bracing herself for an onslaught of
questions she couldn’t readily answer.

Owen’s pale strands looked almost white
against the healthy peach color of his skin. He tilted his head to
the side, the gesture reminding her of her sister Marie, his
mother, but his eyes were Raziel’s. They were the striking
silver-blue too bright to be anything other than angelic. Owen knew
his father was… different. They talked about Otherworldly beings,
but she hadn’t told him the whole truth.

Raziel wanted to be the one to tell him when
he was older. Owen would be ten next month. The Archangel needed to
tell him soon. “Your father will visit on your birthday.”

Owen’s right eyebrow rose in an arch,
another trait of her sisters. “Do you think he’ll remember?”

He better.
“He will.” She smiled
trying to reassure him. Owen looked like any normal boy his age,
all limbs and skinned up knees, but he wasn’t human. He was
Nephilim and he needed his father’s guidance when he went through
the
Awakening
, the time when he got his wings. Nephilim
matured anywhere between twelve and nineteen. Already the boney
nubs on Owen’s back had grown. It was rotten luck that Owen would
probably be an early bloomer. He was young and he needed to keep
his true-self hidden. She feared youth would make him forget and he
would reveal himself to the wrong person. “Your father
promised.”

Owen sniffled. His hand slid into his
pocket, pulling out a Kleenex to blow his nose. His chronic runny
nose proved another sign the change was coming.

“Auntie Jules?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a guy staring at us.” He pointed
toward the front door.

Her brows furrowed as she turned to see what
her nephew meant. Sure enough a man stood just outside the door,
peering in at them with intent purpose. His broad shoulders and
wide chest were complimented by a narrow waist and lean hips. His
hair was worn long, scraping the collar of his shirt in luscious
waves of golden wheat. He looked like he’d been in a fight recently
and yet his chiseled features were too beautiful for the rugged
man.

His gaze leveled on her with such intensity,
it made her think he’d been looking for her and his search had
finally ended.

Her nerves danced and her stomach did a
quick somersault as the man’s hand went for the door handle and
pushed. She took a step forward to meet him. It was imperative she
found out what he wanted.
You. He wants you.
The words
whispered in her ear.

“Auntie Jules, do you know them?”

Them? That sobered her and she halted her
steps. She hadn’t noticed the other man there until now. Her gaze
shifted over him. Tall, lean and with auburn hair. “Nephilim.”

Chapter Four

Lucca had passed by the shops of the strip
mall, halting in front of the Laundromat. He inhaled again and his
body shuddered with pleasure, his pulse quickening at the sensation
that swamped his body. “Dear Lord.” The fragrance came from within
the Laundromat. His brows furrowed in disbelief. The scent couldn’t
be laundry detergent, could it? If so, he wanted a bottle or two to
take home.

The white walls of the Laundromat made the
place look large and clean. Dryers lined against two walls and the
washers were down the middle of the room, eight in all, four in a
row lined back to back.

One quick sweep, told him only two humans
were in there. His gaze landed first on a boy who was about nine or
ten years old. He was a human male with light hair, a towhead as
human’s would call the shade that looked like moonlight. Then his
gaze focused on the female standing beside him, perhaps the boy’s
mother. The female’s locks were a warm color kissed by the sun,
making the strands a light reddish blonde. She wore it back away
from her face with one of those clippy things he’d seen so many
females wear when the weather turned warm, but the majority of the
length cascaded down her back in waves of sunshine. The jeans and
T-shirt were nothing special, but she might as well have been
clothed in fine threads befitting royalty. The cloth flowed over
her skin as if they’d been tailored to the way she moved,
flattering all her curves.

“It’s her.” His voice came out in a hoarse
whisper even he didn’t recognize. The scent wafted off of the
female and he must know why it drew him. Why she’d chosen to wear
it like a calling card.

Gideon had caught up to him and stood beside
him now. His heavy gaze locked onto him. No doubt wondering what
held him captive. No longer one of the Watchers, he didn’t need to
explain his motives. The Watchers left him on his own. They wanted
him to interact with humans, learn to respect them. What a better
way to do so than by introducing himself to this female. Then he’d
find out where she bought the perfume she’d doused herself with and
be done with her. His hand gripped the handle of the door, but
Gideon’s words halted him.

“What are you doing?” Gideon followed his
line of vision. “Do you know her?”

He didn’t, but he planned on rectifying it.
He pushed open the door and entered. He closed his eyes as the
intoxicating fragrance poured over him in waves of ecstasy, making
him dizzy with lust. “Dear Lord.” His eyelids popped open and his
gaze riveted to the human female. He wanted her, needed her. The
thought consumed him, taking over every other thought.

The female stared back at him. Her eyes, the
lovely shade of green wavered over him, assessing the situation. He
could see the warrior response in the depths of her eyes.
Should
she flee or fight?
Her back stiffened and her chin rose in
defiance. He noticed her hand moving to the back of her shirt.
Dagger? No, this was the twenty-first century. She most likely
packed a gun. It didn’t matter. He had to reach her, touch her to
prove she was no illusion.

He moved with purpose, ignoring Gideon who
had entered behind him, ordering him to stand down.

What an odd demand. They weren’t on a
battlefield.

Reaching the woman, he leaned near and
inhaled the featherlike remnants of pine. “Rosemary.” Soothing,
cool… Mint hit his senses next before a sweeter, smoother fragrance
teased him. The combination of all three at once proved his
undoing. His gaze swept over her. He wanted to kiss her…every inch
of her. His eyes narrowed with suspicion, wondering if the woman
enchanted him. “What are you?” His voice was raw with emotion.

Her lovely arched brows drew together. He
could sense her uneasiness and she jerked away, but didn’t run.
“Did you just sniff my hair?” she asked.

Even her smooth and musical voice enticed
him. “What enchantment have you cast? The scent, the perfume you
wear, what is it?”

Her frown deepened and her gaze wavered over
his shoulder. Probably looking at Gideon for an explanation, but
when none came, her gaze met his again. “I’m not wearing any
perfume.”

“You lie,” he spat, not believing her.

Gideon placed a firm hand on his shoulder,
gripping it tight in warning. “You’ll have to excuse my friend. His
medication has him—”

“I’m not on medication,” he snapped. He
caught sight of the young boy staring up at him with wide eyes. The
child moved closer to the female, wrapping his small arms around
her and leaning against her side. The action was not so much as if
the boy feared Lucca, but to show him, he would protect the
woman.

Brave lad.

“He’s not himself,” Gideon insisted and
squeezed his shoulder again, a warning he couldn’t fathom. “He
means no harm. Do you, Lucca?”

Harm?
Lucca was taken aback. Of
course he didn’t mean any harm. He just wanted to … ravish her. The
disturbing fact unsettled him. His pulse quickened at the prospect,
the blood flowing to the part of his anatomy that was more than
willing to make it a reality. He had no control over the feeling
coursing through his body, as if some entity had possessed him. He
cursed under his breath and backed away. Turning in a whirl, he
strode out of the Laundromat before he did something he regretted.
The thought of picking up the woman and throwing her over his
shoulder crossed his mind.

Once outside, he leaned against the side of
the building and closed his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts.
When Gideon opened the door to join him, he pushed away from the
wall and took off at a brisk walk.

Gideon kept pace, refusing to keep his mouth
shut. “Well thank you Gideon for saving my arse.”

Gideon’s sarcastic edge didn’t help his
mood.

“No one asked you to step in.” Who was the
woman? Where did she come from, and why in the hell did he want to
take her? As his mind cleared, he recalled the woman’s T-shirt. The
decal, advertised
Shakespeare in the Park
, a theatrical
group that performed the plays at the
Garden Grove
Amphitheatre
. Did she belong to the group? To his annoyance,
Gideon still trailed him.

“No?” Gideon wasn’t going to let his actions
slide. “You don’t think I should have interfered. If I hadn’t the
woman would have called 9-1-1 and we’d be having this conversation
in the back of a squad car. So do you mind telling me what that was
all about? You scared the woman and her boy with your wolf-like
gaze as if you were on the hunt and the woman was the prey.”

Lucca ran his fingers through his hair,
pulling the long strands away from his face.
Wolf-like gaze?
Prey?
His behavior proved startling enough, but to have Gideon
recap it for him only made it worse. The woman and the boy were
frightened. Yeah, he was a little shaken himself. Gideon wanted to
know why he went
all predator
back there. Well, he didn’t
have an answer. It was like some button had been pushed, activating
the human side of his emotions, making him as irrational as they
were. Even now, he had to fight the urge to go back to the woman
and drag her out of the Laundromat and make her his. “The
female…”

“Yes? The female what?”

Lucca glanced at Gideon. “Her scent was like
an aphrodisiac. You picked up her scent, didn’t you?” Hell if he
had, Lucca knew without a doubt he would have fought Gideon to keep
him away from her.

Gideon frowned, obviously thinking he’d lost
his mind. Hell, he thought he’d lost his mind.

“Were you attracted to her?” he asked
carefully.

“Attracted?” He almost laughed. His lustful
thoughts went beyond the causal attraction.
Obsessed
, fit
better.

“Yeah, attracted like you have the hots for
her,” Gideon went on.

Lucca glanced at him, wondering if the
Watcher mocked him, but the guy looked serious. “Hots for her. Is
this a human term you’ve picked up?”

Gideon’s chuckle grated on his nerves. “You
need to keep up with the times man, this is the twenty-first
century. Learn the lingo. The
hots
means you find her
pretty. You want to—”

“I get the gist of it,” he interrupted him,
not wanting to continue this conversation, but Gideon never knew
when to shut up.

“So, do you?”

Lucca’s brows furrowed. “She has a comely
way about her, but…”

“You hesitate. Why?”

“It was her scent that drew me.” He looked
at Gideon now, weighing his statement and wondering if he
understood. Gideon liked the human realm and lived among them
easily enough. Maybe this was a common happening. Gideon tugged on
his arm, halting their steps. At this rate, he’d never arrive
home.

“You were drawn in by her scent?” Gideon
moved closer and lowered his voice as if he feared someone would
overhear the conversation. “That’s why you went all stalker-like
back there?”

A quick glance around them, told Lucca
whispering wasn’t necessary. A woman and her two children walked
toward their car with ice cream cones in their hands. Two men
dressed in polo shirts and nice slacks headed in the opposite
direction. Their attire and their slick back hair told him they
were looking to get lucky. Most likely their destination would lead
them to World’s End. Not a preternatural being in sight and he
didn’t sense one lurking in the shadows, but he didn’t begrudge
Gideon his
I-gotta-secret-to-tell
covert operation. Finally,
the overdone production played out, and Gideon revealed what he
knew.

“It’s rumored that Eli found his mate by her
scent.”

Lucca snorted and took a step back. He
wasn’t sniffing for a soul mate. There had to be another … more
logical explanation. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Gideon lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “The
elders are looking into it. They’re recording any information Eli
can provide. Ryden, Eli’s mate—”

“I know who she is.”

Gideon ignored the interruption. “Ryden has
agreed to be tested. See if being mated to Eli has changed her in
any way.”

Lucca rubbed the tense muscles in the back
of his neck. “What do you mean changed her?”

“The elders are interested to know if we
take human mates if the mate’s lifespan will increase. You know
like other shifters and their mates. The bonding ritual tends to
make the human mate live longer, almost as long as the shifter
they’re bonded to.”