Savannah Past Midnight (20 page)

“I still can’t believe the power of that dickhead
vampire. Crazy shit. Wait, there was a woman who came at the end,
right? Or was I hallucinating?”

“Yes, you’re right. My maker Katerina saved us. We
all thought she was dead.”

“So what happened?”

“Severin just traced her back from our place in
Spain. She’s out in the kitchen with everyone now. We’re all pretty
much in a state of shock as to why she chose to stage a nearly
two-hundred-year-long vanishing act. She is a seer, something along
the lines of a psychic. Turns out her visions included Severin and
Calla taking down her nemesis Valdon on their own. It’s also no
secret that she was growing exhausted by her crazy maker’s
relentless attempts to possess and control her. She wanted to be
certain that she didn’t interfere with fate in any way so she faked
her own death. She loathed him with a passion that’s difficult to
explain. Thankfully, Ambrose turned you before it was too late, and
believe me, we were right down to the wire with your mortality.

“That’s some seriously heavy shit, wildcat. My head
is swimming just trying to keep up. Wait, please tell me that I’m
gonna get the opportunity to hunt down that shifty fucker Tristan,
right? That asshole’s number is called.”

She leans in and drops a kiss on my forehead. “Sorry,
cowboy, but Katerina arranged a lovely front row seat at sunrise
for him on the rooftop of one of Savannah’s tallest buildings.
According to Katerina, she watched in glee from the shadows of a
stairwell and wants to return to the exact spot after sunset
tonight to retrieve a sample of his ashes. She has a uniquely dark
sense of humor and doesn’t take lightly to people disrespecting her
family.”

“Good. He deserves to relive that shit on replay for
a hundred years straight. Never wanted to get anyone opposite me in
the ring as badly as I did that snake.”

“I’m relieved that’s he’s nothing but a memory now. I
regret that I ever listened to his lies about Severin trying to
control me. He was so conniving, even giving examples of how much
stronger and independent I could be without Severin’s influence. It
was all total bullshit. Look, it’s understandable that you would
find this new life is bizarre and hard to comprehend, but seeing as
we don’t age and are incredibly difficult to kill, you have an
infinite number of years to unravel it all.”

“Infinite, huh? So long as we’re together, then that
works for me.”

“Good, because I would never have been able to give
you up, Colton. You’re absolutely the most tenacious, inscrutable
and exceptionally gorgeous man I’ve
ever
met and you
captured my heart that night you came to my rescue in
Sub-Zero.”

“Shit, woman, I would’ve chased you down to the ends
of the earth if it meant I’d get the chance to spend more time with
you. Climb on up here. Need you closer to me. C’mere.”

The sexy little blue dress she’s changed into hikes
up higher, putting her long silky legs on display as she straddles
me.

“That’s it. Very nice. Now give me those lips. I’ve
missed them, almost painfully to be honest.”

Her hair surrounds us as she hovers close, taking my
face in both of her palms to whisper playfully, “We can’t have you
in pain, cowboy. That’s not allowed.”

“Not at all.”

I’m silenced as her lips meet mine, and just like my
enhanced vision, the sensation of our skin touching is noticeably
heightened and a new level of strength begins to surge through my
once ravaged body. She wastes no time speeding up the tempo. Her
tongue pushes in, seeking, exploring ….

“Oh!”

She squeals in delight as I flip her beneath me,
dropping my head down at an angle to take charge, branding her lips
with a proprietary kiss. When we’re both nearly drunk on each
other’s taste and scent, I pull back.

“Captured your heart, huh? I like that. A lot, in
fact.”

Her eyes are gleaming as she nods slowly. The tender
expression in them tells me all I need to know.

“Wildcat, I knew that I was falling hard for you the
night you drove off on your cycle and I was left standin’ alone on
my front porch like some lost puppy dog, my chest burning,
wonderin’ if I’d ever be lucky enough to see you again.”

“Oh, Colton.”

“Hush.”

I slide my hand up under her hair, my fingers
pressing against her soft neck, bringing her close until her right
ear is brushing my lips. Quietly I tell her what I’ve wanted her to
know for so long now. “I love you, Cosette. Always.”

Her fingertips trace my cheeks, and she covers my
mouth with endless kisses, each one punctuated with five simple
words said in the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard in my entire life,
“I love you too, Colton.”

“
Y
o, Colton. You got the nail
gun over there with you?”

Glancing down around my feet I tag it from the
concrete floor with a, “Yup, right here.”

I walk it over the twenty or so feet and hand it to
Case, the massive vampire who definitely would have given me the
shakes if I’d ever fought him as a human. He’s hunched down, doing
some final tweaks on the base of one of the corner posts of the new
boxing ring. He reaches back, his thick tribal tats snaking out
from beneath the neckline of his shirt. He takes the tool from me,
grunting his thanks.

After the transition into my new life I began
thinking long and hard about what I wanted for my future. I decided
to partner with Case and my human buddy Alex to purchase the
rundown warehouse that I used to fight in illegally. It took about
three weeks of grueling work and a wad of cash to get the thing up
to code as a top notch training center where fighters could train,
spar and hold legal fights. Case and I are silent partners, for
obvious reasons, with Alex running the day-to-day activities—a task
he is perfectly suited for. We’ve chosen not to reveal what we are
to him, and as far as he knows, I’m either busy working on my house
during the daylight hours or spendin’ time with my girl.

“Fierce ring,” Case says. “You gonna miss fightin’ in
matches here?”

I shake my head. “Nah, I’m holdin’ out hope that I’ll
run across another prime asshole of Tristan’s caliber one day.
Then
I’ll let loose.”

His voice is gravelly. “Yeah, those types always seem
to show up outta nowhere to fuck around where they don’t belong.
Just be patient. You’ll get that fight you’re craving, no doubt.
Too bad the remainder of Tristan’s men and their wolves pulled a
disappearing act before we could nail ’em. I’m guessing they’ll lay
low if they have any brain cells. If not, you’ll get first dibs
when they resurface. I’m sure word has spread about the slaughter
that Katerina rained down on Tristan’s little empire. By the way,
been meaning to ask, how’d your first couple of feedings go? Didn’t
kill any humans, did you?”

I grin. “Nope. Cosette made certain that I had a
clear idea of what the fuck I was doing before I ever went there.
But shit, it was tempting to not stop, you know what I’m
sayin’?”

“Fuck yeah, I do. It gets easier with time, though.
You’ll learn to pace yourself. Good thing you have your head on
straight. It’ll come in handy when you’re forced to make rapid-fire
decisions.”

He does a once over of his work, and seemingly
satisfied, stands and move closer to me, glancing over his shoulder
at Cosette and Kiana, who are arranging a seating area in the
nearby entryway. Quietly he says, “Glad you stepped in when you
did. Severin was a fuckin’ wreck with the wedge that had been
driven between him and Cosette. Couldn’t mention her name without
him gettin’ all worked up. Thought those two would never get past
their differences—both as stubborn as they come. You showing up
really helped out with what seemed like a deadlocked situation.
Just wanted you to know.”

“Appreciate it, Case. I’d do anything for her.”

“Yeah, and he knows it, too. We all do. Makes it
easier with her living down here in Savannah. Tension is gone and
that’s a good thing.”

“Glad to hear it. By the way, is Katerina still
around? Haven’t heard much since I met her soon after I was
turned.”

He shakes his head, a rare smile passing over his
lips. “That’s one curious fucking female. She had a long private
discussion with Severin and then,
bam
, took right off again.
Guessin’ she’s got her own thing goin’ on somewhere else, and just
made it a priority to step in when Cosette needed her. None of my
business, but I’m sure she’ll show up again. She’s a badass,
though, pretty much the only vampire I’d fuckin’ run from in a
fight and that’s no lie.”

“Yeah, still puzzled how she took down all those
guards along
with
Tristan without getting’ so much as a
scratch. Crazy shit.”

Impatient, Kiana calls out, “Hey, babe. You promised
that we’d check out that waterfront rooftop bar over at the
Bohemian hotel before we headed back to Charleston tonight. You
about ready to go?”

Case holds up his hand to Kiana. “Two seconds.”

I take the nail gun from him and lift my chin.
“Thanks for helping out this weekend, appreciate it. You both get
going. Heard there’s a good band playing up there tonight.”

“You two are coming along later, right?”

I grin deviously. “Not a chance. Have a little
surprise planned.”

“Damn. Enough said.”

His large palm lands on my shoulder before he turns
to stride out of the warehouse, Kiana drawn close to his side.

Cosette crosses the newly laid concrete floor. When
she reaches the ring she leans forward on the lowest rope, looking
up at me through sexy lashes with spectacular eyes that always seem
to slay me. “So, did you finally come up with a name?”

I beam at her. “Yeah.”

“And …?”

“Central Training Center.”

“Like it, cowboy—clean and direct. The others are
into it?”

“Yup. It was across the board our top choice.”

“The opening next Saturday night should be exciting.
Especially with the fight you have scheduled. I’m sure it will be
packed to the rafters in here.”

“Looking forward to it. Alex got the occupancy
license we’ve been waiting on from the county so everything’s right
on track.”

“Perfect. So, what else can I help out with? I assume
there’s more work to do; otherwise we’d be with Kiana and Case,
right?”

“Nope. Assumed
wrong
, my sexy wildcat. Climb
on up here.” I reach down for her hand to help her as she ducks
under the royal blue rope.

Those inquisitive eyes narrow suspiciously. “What are
you—”

I cut her off with a hard kiss, gripping her waist
and pulling her into me until our bodies are flush against each
other. As our tongues begin to spar, I focus and trace us back to
our house.

I can’t wait to see her reaction to what I have
planned tonight.

***

We bounce twice on the plush bed and I let out a
laugh against his lips, saying sexily, “Couldn’t wait any longer?
You know, I’m beginning to worry about your insatiable sexual
urges, cowboy.”

“You’ve nailed that sweetheart, ’cuz I’m definitely
insatiable for that body you have going on.
Mmm
.”

He rolls us fast so I’m trapped like a butterfly by
his formidable strength.

His gaze is piercing as he whispers down to me,
“Reach into my back pocket.” He drops his head to nip my chin
lightly with his teeth.

“Ooh, you know how I adore surprises! Now what have
you done?” I eye him suspiciously.

With narrowed eyes, he calls my bluff, “Just look and
see woman.”

I love it when he’s direct like this. I flash him a
bright smile as my hand glides across his lower back, then farther
down to his faded jeans until it passes over a small lump in his
right pocket.

I eye him carefully, trying to see if he’ll give me
any indication of what he’s up to. He’s his usual cool, collected
self, but his stare is heated. Clearly he’s very interested in my
reaction.

Using my thumb and index finger I reach in and slowly
pull out the metal object. From the feel of it I’ve determined that
it’s a ring, but when I lift my arm to bring it around his shoulder
I gasp in astonishment.

“Colton, oh, It … it’s magnificent.”

I struggle to speak as I stare at the exquisite,
Georgian-era vintage cocktail ring. The rectangular shaped center
stone is a vibrant sapphire. I’m mesmerized by the lush cobalt hue
that seems to catch prisms of light with the slightest movement of
my fingers. It’s nestled between two pear-shaped diamonds whose
points drop down along the shimmering gold band.

He clears his throat, “You like it?”

I drag my eyes away from the exquisitely crafted work
of art to meet his. “Thank you, I absolutely love it. It’s the most
stunning ring I’ve ever seen.”

He looks pleased. “Good. Wanted something from your
time, you know, to be symbolic and all. It was important to me that
you have something to remind you of our bond whenever we’re apart.
Found an estate jewelry dealer online in Atlanta, had them keep an
eye out for me. When they located what I had in mind I arranged to
have it shipped. Here, let’s see how it looks on you.”

He takes the ring and slowly slips it onto my finger.
Dropping a kiss down onto the center of the stone, he murmurs,
“Perfect fit.”

“Yes. Like us.”

“Exactly. I love you, Cosette. You own my entire
heart and always will. You’re not someone I could ever have dreamed
up or even hoped for.”

“You’re my world, Colton. I’d be so lost without
you.”

“Hey, you’ll never be without me, babydoll, not
ever.”

Licking my lips I whisper, “Let me
show
you
how much you mean to me.”

His body instantly stiffens at my innuendo, his eager
sex pressing urgently into the crevice of my parted legs. His eyes
flash to black and even though I’ve seen it happen often now, the
effect is still intoxicating, and dampness floods my core.