Sex Symbol (18 page)

“Did you see your mom’s best friend killed?” I asked softly.

“Yes. I was never the same.”

Poor Oz. At least now I could better understand the way he was. But my numbness would wear off in a few hours and his had lasted for most of his life.

“Would you like some coffee, Oz?”

“Sure.” He took the towel I offered and wrapped it around his shoulders. “Eramus is still outside if you want to talk to him.”

Did I want to talk to him? I wasn’t angry. Shaken and confused, but not angry. Tonight was not his fault. While I stood there thinking it over Justina said, “He saved your life, Lucy. That’s got to be worth something.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that he told you his secret, risked rejection—”

“And possible lynching around here,” Chase cut in.

“When he didn’t have to.”

I nodded. “You’re right. I was just thinking the same thing.”

The beach towel still lying on the table was intended for Eramus. He was so big, none of my other towels would do much good. I tucked the towel underneath my arm and slipped on some shoes on my way outside.

Eramus was standing on the porch, staring out at the rain. His chest was bare and still glistening with moisture. My breath caught at the sight. I’d never seen anything so gorgeous—or so deadly. His feet were also bare and I wondered why he wasn’t shivering. Then I remembered how hot his skin had felt.

I was starting to get used to seeing him in wet jeans, or so I thought. He moved just a little, just enough to make his thigh flex and my heart leapt in a way that proved me wrong.

“There’s a tropical depression moving through.”

His deep voice warmed me like a fire through the cold. I watched as his breath fogged, unsure what to say. The porch creaked as I moved toward him. Though the sound was barely audible above the rain, I was sure he heard.

“You’ll freeze out here,” I said softly, handing him the towel.

His smile was faint. Only a slight curl of his sensuous mouth. “Let me show you something, Lucy.”

Eramus moved to the edge of the porch and stretched his arm out into the cold rain. At first nothing happened, but in a moment steam began to rise from his skin.

“Feel me,” he said, pulling his arm back out of the rain.

No sexier words had ever been spoken. Eramus turned around and for the first time I was fully aware of how small I was next to him. He towered over me. Though he could easily have done me harm, I saw him not as a threat but as a guardian. I put my hands against his stomach and he gasped.

“You’re cold,” he said softly.

“And you’re burning up.”

“My temperature runs higher even after a partial transformation. I stayed out here to cool off. After what you’ve seen tonight…I understand if you don’t want to be with me—just don’t be afraid.”

Eramus wrapped the towel around his shoulders and blotted his chest dry before reaching for me. Falling into his arms was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. It surprised me when I felt him stiffen just a little. My first thought was that he was injured and I’d made it worse by hugging him.

“Are you hurt?”

“No.” He smiled down at me and my knees felt weak. “I just didn’t expect…” His words trailed off. He didn’t have to say it. I knew what he meant. He didn’t expect me to want to be close to him after what had just happened.

His heat burned against my skin, thawing me from the dampness and the chill. I hated to ruin the moment, but there was something I needed to know.

“Do you know what he was talking about? About a mark?”

“Yes.” His voice was soft, but there was a graveness to his tone. “Sometimes a werewolf’s mate is marked with their blood. It’s like marking their territory. Do you understand?”

“I think so. You’re saying that Nick believes I’ve come in contact somehow with werewolf blood.”

“Alpha werewolf,” he corrected. “Those are the only ones allowed to use the mark.”

“So this mark is used on their mates? What is it then, some kind of sex symbol? They just mark the one they want to fuck?!”

Eramus nodded.

Oh, that wasn’t scary at all! What the hell was I supposed to do? This got stranger and stranger by the minute.

“Well, I’d like to think I’d notice something like that,” I snapped. Immediately I regretted my tone. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh. But what you’re saying is terrifying. How would they mark me?”

Eramus shook his head. “It’s hard to say. I’ve never come across a case where the mark was actually used. I’ve only read about it.”

Well, that was just great. “Where? Can I read this too?”

He sighed. “That’s one of the books I lost in the storm.”

“Shit. How was it done before, in the book? Do you remember?”

His brows knit in concentration. Under different circumstances the expression would have been endearing. But at the moment I was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to remember and I’d be shit out of luck on finding out the truth.

“You’d have to consume the blood, or so the book said. It would have to be taken from the alpha when he was in human form.”

“Why human form?”

“Because then he couldn’t infect you.”

I was certain that I hadn’t drunk anyone’s blood. At least, not to my knowledge. If something like that had happened, someone must have slipped it to me. I looked up at him, already regretting what I was about to say.

“Have you marked me, Eramus?”

“No. I wouldn’t do that.” He answered without hesitation and that made me feel a lot better.

“Then what he said can’t be true. I haven’t been around any other werewolves.”

He ran a hand through his hair, biting his lower lip in thought. Damn he was so sexy without even trying.

“Have you received a blood transfusion recently?” he asked.

“No.”

“Ever?”

“Never in my life.”

“Have you noticed any change in your…appetites?”

“You mean sexually?” Where was he going with this?

“I mean anything.”

Vivid images flashed through my mind. I remembered the way I’d been with Ozzy, biting his neck, asking him to choke me. That wasn’t like me.

“Um, I was different with Ozzy.”

Damn, this was hard to say. Even though Eramus seemed fine with the conversation, I was not.

“Different how?”

“It was like I was wild.”

I didn’t know what else to say. That was the best way I could sum up my behavior. I was wild that night. It was like something took over me and took from Ozzy exactly what I needed.

“How long had it been?”

His question was gentle and spoken as softly as possible.

“Seven months.”

The look he gave me was kind, but his sexy smile gave away his thoughts.

“I’d say that’s enough to make anyone wild.”

That was nice of him to say. I reached up to touch his hair and Eramus bent down to accommodate. It was almost to his shoulders. Looking at him was enough to make anyone wild if you ask me.

We stood there for what felt like the longest time. The rain seemed to wash away all thoughts except Eramus. There was nothing to keep my mind and my body from him. Maybe if I closed my eyes it could wash away the rest of this night, taking away all but the man who stood before me. I knew this night would always be a fond memory. Not what had happened with Nick, but what was happening now. This moment would live forever in my mind. Even if Eramus disappeared and I never saw him again, nothing could erase what I felt right then. A part of me would always remain in the rain with him. It still does to this day.

His chest against my face was the only thing real. All of the numbness from before slipped away and as Eramus held me tighter I started to cry.

“I’ve never seen anyone killed before,” I whispered against his chest.

“Nick was very disturbed. What he said about the mark could have been an empty threat.”

He stroked my back and I let his touch soothe me enough to stop crying.

“You mean he read the same book? I’m sorry, but Nick doesn’t strike me as a scholar.”

I pulled back to look at him and the truth was in his eyes. Eramus didn’t think he’d read the same book either.

“It’s possible that he heard someone else mention the mark.”

Eramus pulled me close again and kissed the top of my head. My throat felt tight and for a second my vision was misty again. His feelings were obvious by the way he touched me. How could he care so much in such a short time?

As soon as the question crossed my mind I knew that I felt the same. Something pulled me to him like a magnet. Maybe there was something of the wolf in me? Was that so bad? I liked being next to him, of that I was certain. The fact that my life would be endangered because of this…I suspected as much. In that moment I also knew that it was absolutely worth the risk.

“Thank you for saving my life again.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t drink my tea tonight.”

I laughed softly.

“I can stay with you tonight, if you want me to.”

I knew he meant to comfort me, but my heart raced at very thought of him spending the night.

“I think it might be a good idea if everyone stayed here tonight,” he added. “Especially after what Chase said about Justina’s neighbor. It’d be best if none of us were around when the police find her.”

“How did you know about that?”

“I can hear through walls, remember?” His grin was wicked as he added, “And I can hear how fast your heart is beating now. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to ravish you with all your friends in the house.”

“Oh, really? And why not?”

“I wouldn’t want your screams to keep them up.”

My startled gasp was lost against his lips. I moaned as he lifted me to him, crushing me against one of the porch posts with the force. I didn’t hear the door opening behind us.

“Oh, Jesus, this looks like a bad time. I can come back.”

Chase was already on his way back in when Eramus lowered me down saying, “No, come back. What is it?”

“Look, I’m sorry to, um…” He made an awkward gesture to the two of us. “Anyway, Justina was wondering if we could stay here tonight.”

“Sure. That’s what we were just talking about.”

Chase put his hands on his hips. “Really? ’Cause it didn’t look like you were talking about anything.”

“Body language,” Eramus teased.

“I speak that too,” Chase said boldly. “Would you like an interpretation of what I just saw?”

“No.” My tone was a little too firm and they both laughed.

Once we were back inside everyone took turns drying their clothes in the laundry room down the hall. Chase mixed us some drinks, because we could all use one, and we ended up camping out in my living room.

The only one who didn’t stay was Ozzy. He said that it was very important to take care of Nick’s remains now. That sounded reasonable to me.

*

A few weeks passed. The death of Justina’s poor neighbor was chalked up as a robbery gone wrong. I think the authorities were trying to cover up how bad it really was. No details were ever released other than she’d been murdered. But we all knew what Chase had seen that night and were thankful we hadn’t witnessed it too. When Charlie came by the shop I asked him if there were any suspects, just to test the waters. I’ve never seen a man turn so pale so fast. He said they had no idea who could do such a thing and hoped to never find out.

Eramus and I had started dating. Nothing extreme, just dinner and a movie type stuff. As hot as things were between us he seemed intent on taking it slow. That was sweet, but I wanted him so badly I could taste it. What he was didn’t matter to me, just so long as he was mine.

As for that crap about a mark, nothing else had been said. Nick had mentioned a pack, which also scared the hell out of me. That meant there were a lot more werewolves around than I’d first thought. I hadn’t had the nerve to ask Eramus about it yet.

Ozzy seemed fine. Not that he ever appeared to have a problem. He still came over about once a week and had breakfast with me. So did Justina. Usually on the same day, though it was never planned. Nick’s death had been awful, but she looked better each day. I think that every day she woke up and realized she didn’t have to be afraid anymore helped her to heal.

We’d also hired another girl to help run the shop. Her name was Jenny and so far it was working out. Technically, that meant I could take the day off, but Thursdays were when we got our flower deliveries and I wanted to be there to receive them.

One of the best things about owning your own business is that you can wear whatever you like. I like jeans, therefore I wear them almost every day. I paired them with a black t-shirt that I tucked in and a black belt. I planned to put on a matching blazer before going into town. The weather had remained unseasonably cool. Sure it was October which meant snow already in lots of places. But this was Mississippi. You could break a sweat around here just walking outside. Though the weather had had a few ups and downs in the past few weeks, it stayed fairly cool. That was fine by me. I’m a jeans and sweaters kind of girl.

I’d just finished my makeup when someone knocked on the door. My hair would have to wait. I took a minute to fluff my long red curls before slipping on bedroom shoes and going downstairs. Ever since Nick showed up I actually took the time to look through the peephole before answering the door. Ozzy was standing there with his middle finger held high enough that I could see it.

“Good morning to you too,” I said, opening the door.

He smiled. “I think you’re being paranoid and I like to tease you, that’s all.”

“You here for breakfast?”

“Always.”

Oz and I had fallen back into our comfortable routine easier than I thought. Once I got used to the idea, it really didn’t bother me that he was a killer for hire. That probably said bad things about me, but I didn’t really care. I was dating a werewolf, it wasn’t like I had the right to say someone else was strange.

“Wait ‘til a werewolf shows up at your door, asking to you to just step aside while he kills someone, then we’ll talk about paranoid.”