Siren's Serenade (The Wiccan Haus) (4 page)

She sighed looking at Rekkus before speaking again. “I did apologize.”

“That might have been the world’s least heartfelt apology in history. But you came a long way today in making up for that escapade. I’m going to see what is going on in that cunning brain of his.”

“Better you than me.”

“You can say that again.”

Serena tilted her head. “Better you than me.”

Cyrus laughed, patting her shoulder before walking away. “It’s just a saying, Serena. You didn’t really have to repeat it.”

“But…”

Watching the lower lip protrude from her mouth in a beautiful pout, Kaleb felt his cock harden; he cursed the running pants that did nothing to conceal his present state. With the blood leaving his brain for parts far lower, he had a hard time focusing on the conversation that had just happened. Nothing about it made sense. But perhaps things were just off from what they seemed. She said she had not
sensed
anything in the water—perhaps she was in a small raft or just on shore with sonar working when the other woman was swimming. That could possibly explain her speed on the scene and the speed she had going back if she hadn’t fought the rip current to begin with.

“Thank you for saving her.” Her voice floated over him like the ocean breeze.

Obviously he wasn’t a very good spy. Stepping fully out of the doorway, Kaleb shrugged and gave his standard answer, uncomfortable with hero worship. “It’s what I do.”

She cocked her head to the left, as if confused by his statement and trying to work it out in her head. Her voice held a hint of an accent, but he couldn’t place it. Not that he was an expert in dialects. Kaleb was lucky he could tell the difference from Alaskans and Texans, to tell the truth.

“I rescue people for a living. I’m a rescue swimmer with the Coast Guard.”

“Ah. You ride in one of the big white boats?”

“No, actually I am assigned to a helicopter. Or was.”

“Helicopter?”

It was his turn to tilt his head to the side and look at her confused. “You know a helicopter, flies in the air, can hover above the land or water?”

“Oh, right.” She smiled and laughed, making him almost forget their strange conversation. “Not every man would have helped her, so thank you.”

“If I hadn’t been there, you would have managed on your own. I’ve never met a swimmer as fast as you.”

“My mother would say I learned to swim before I could stand.”

“Crawl…the saying is learned to swim before you learned to crawl.”

“That too.” Again with the smile. Damn, this woman hit him right in the solar plexus.

“So, what’s the verdict, Cyrus?” Sage asked, coming from the cabin with Ms. Davis. Dana smiled at them as she helped Sage escort the woman to the waiting golf cart.

Cyrus said something else to Rekkus before turning to his sibling. “No one senses anything. Probably just a freak rip current. We’ll keep an eye on it.”

“Well then, as long as everyone stays close to shore, we should be all set. Dinner is being served.” She turned to Kaleb and Serena. “Do you two want a ride or would you prefer to walk?”

Serena looked at him, waiting. Like her decision hinged on his. “I think I’ll walk.”

“Me too.”

“Excellent,” Sage answered before yelling for Cyrus who walked back from the water’s edge. But it was Rekkus’s reaction—a near-growl—that brought Kaleb up short; that was the second time he had heard the man make that inhuman sound.

“It’s not excellent, damn it. Sage, you knock it off. Serena, I’m warning you.”

“Consider me warned. I am on my best behavior.”

Had Kaleb not been walking so close to them, he would have missed the “You’d better be.”

“Dana, please do something with your mate,” Sage said with a laugh.

“I try, but even I have my limits.”

“I’m right here, ladies,” Rekkus grumbled before letting Dana pull him back into the cabin.

Getting behind the wheel of the golf cart, Sage winked at them. “Ignore Rekkus. It’s good for him to not have someone jump at his commands. Okay, you two, see you up in the main dining room in twenty minutes.”

What the hell was this place, and how would he find out? Kaleb’s determination to discover its secrets doubled. That was if his body would let him focus on anything other than the goddess next to him.

“So do you work here, or are you a guest?”

“I’m a regular guest here. This is my fifth visit to the Haus.”

“Fifth?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, and you’re here because you want to be?”

“Of course. Aren’t you?”

“I was ordered here.”

Serena stopped walking. “Ordered by whom?”

“My superiors.”

Serena sighed. The action filled her lungs and pushing her breasts up. Kaleb’s fingers itched to reach up and touch her; this lust she encouraged in him was driving him insane. He could not remember ever wanting someone this much. It wasn’t just her beauty or her sex appeal; there was something else, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“My superior is the reason I’m here too, but somehow I doubt your superior is your mother.”

“Um no, and if I called him that I’d find myself scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush.”

“Why would you do that?”

“That is the ultimate question.” He chuckled, moving toward the Haus as it came into sight through the trees. “Would you like to join me for dinner?”

“Yes.” No delay, no thought, just a simple yes.

“Okay, let me go change I’ll meet you in the lobby in ten.”

“Ten?”

“Ten minutes? Where are you from?”

She blushed then turned away. “My home is a bit secluded.”

He rubbed his hands together, stalling for time; he didn’t want to leave, but really wanted to get into his own clothes. “Be right back”

Serena bit her lip and watched him jog away. Kaleb was like no one she had ever met. She had had very little interaction with humans—men especially, for the obvious reasons—but she couldn’t stay away from this one. He pulled her like a siren’s song. Moving up to the main desk, she rang the bell. When no one came, she rang again.

“Serena?”

“Myron, what’s a
helicopter?”

“Helicopter?”

“You don’t know either?”

“Of course I know, but why the sudden interest in flying machines?”

“Please, can you tell me?”

“Come around here. It’s better if I show you.”

Serena had never been behind the desk before. She had seen people sitting at the funny box Myron took her to, but didn’t know what it was or why anyone could find it so interesting. “If you’re asking about the helicopter, I assume you are interested in Kaleb, our Coast Guard hottie.”

She nodded. Just thinking about him made her mouth go dry. With a few clicks of the bright-colored shell-like item on the desk, a moving picture appeared on the box and it showed a flying machine. “He jumps from those?”

“I gather.”

Serena watched the
videos,
as Myron called them, and was so enthralled with what the Coast Guard did, she didn’t notice Kaleb coming back. “You ready for dinner?”

Looking up from the
computer
, Serena smiled. Nodding, she got up, but stopped when she saw Myron giving her a funny look. “My cards can read you.”

“What?”

“I can read you.”

“What are they saying?”

“Stay away from the lake.”

Serena grimaced. “Is that the cards or Rekkus speaking?”

Myron placed the cards again. “It’s the cards, though Rekkus would say the same thing.”

“Very well.”

“Really. Stay away from the lake. Oh, and have fun.”

What did she mean? Serena looked at the gypsy’s face but couldn’t understand why the woman would be smiling. Walking around the desk, Serena took the hand Kaleb offered her. Her fingers touch his warm rough ones, and she felt a shimmer of electricity run down her spine. “No one’s ever asked me to join them for dinner before.”

“You must be joking.”

“No, that isn’t a joke. I always eat alone.” It was true; no one would eat with her. The vamps wanted nothing to do with her. The shifters, once they had smelled Rekkus’s scent on her, had backed away, assuming the alpha on the island had laid his claim. And although he hadn’t, she had been secretly relieved to be left alone. Having the shifters sniff her was not something she enjoyed. The few elves, changelings, and fae on the island when she visited had such a deep-seated hatred of the merfolk that they had been downright rude in their interactions. Not that she blamed them; ever since the mermen had disappeared, leaving the mermaids to take lives to procreate, only vampires had been truly safe from the mermaids’ songs.

The humans, though interested, had been unable to cross the dark green section of the dining room. Which left her to eat alone. Because, although humans might not know what she was, a Para could sense her a league away.

“Well then, the men here must be blind or stupid.” Pulling her hand up to his mouth, Kaleb kissed her knuckles. The odd gesture left Serena short of breath.

They were late as they entered the full dining room, but there had been no way to prevent it. Saving the woman was more important, and Serena had been willing to risk the wrath of Sarka to do it. No wrath in sight, though, and the only thing Serena could think about was how she would be able to eat with this strange lump in her throat.

The wait staff didn’t even blink when they brought her meal to her. She ate her fish raw, but tonight they had disguised her usual fare as something they called
sushi
. And she had to admit she found it delicious.

“What I wouldn’t give for a steak,” Kaleb muttered, pushing the green leaves on his plate around with a fork.

“Why not order one? I know Rekkus has steaks brought to the island for the shif—for the Shifter brothers.”

“I was informed I need to ‘clear my auras and cleanse my inner being.’”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Not sure how much of this green shit I can take.”

“You want some of my sushi?”

“No offense, but no thank you. I would actually rather drink one of Sage’s shakes than eat that.” He wrinkled his nose. It was so cute and out of place on his handsome face, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Come on and try it. It’s quite delicious.” She lifted the seaweed wrap to his lips. “What are you, duck?”

“Duck? I think you mean ‘chicken,’ and no, I just like my meat cooked.”

“Your loss.” She smiled, shoving the whole piece into her mouth with glee.

“What class do you have tonight?”

“I don’t take classes. I have private meetings with the siblings when they say I need to.” She didn’t add it was because she had started singing at a class and had put a spell on all the men that had taken days to wear off.

“How did you get that lucky? I have to see Trixie; she’s supposed to teach me to breathe. I guarantee you
that
is something I’ve never had trouble with.” He took another bite of salad. “Come with me.”

“To class? I can’t, but I would love to meet you after.” Serena wanted to get back on that computer. She needed to know more about his world, about where he was from.

“It’s a date.”

Serena smiled and vowed to ask Myron what a date was.

Chapter Three

B
REATHING
C
LASS
W
ENT
about as well as Kaleb thought it would. He wasn’t into the whole “find your chi” thing, and he definitely wasn’t into finding his inner self. His inner self said he wasn’t crazy. He knew what he saw. No matter what anyone else said, he
knew
that. That same voice had just come a little too late in telling him to shut his fucking trap.