To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (138 page)

The question made me blink, but Varthan answered easily enough. “I have a residence off the coast of Denmark, but I have a newly acquired property in the area as well.”

“That’s great. Dazzle will live with you then?”

My jaw dropped.

“That has always been the plan,” Varthan said smoothly. “But more than that, we are hoping you would also be inclined to join us.”

“Pepper…Varthan…” I didn’t know who I should tell off first.

My stepmother sent me a wry smile. “Did you really think I wouldn’t learn our home’s been repossessed?”

The words rendered me speechless.

“It took a while, I admit, but I did find out about it.” She sighed heavily. “I also thought it was better I didn’t let you know I was aware of it – knowing you, it would have stressed you more if you knew I was aware of how tough things were the past several months.”

I stared hard at her with unblinking eyes, not wanting to cry. “Who knew you’d be such a liar?” I wanted to say it as a joke, but it came out all choked up.

“I know how your mind works, my darling. It would have hurt you if you thought you were making me worry and I didn’t want you to think that. And I never thought that way because I trust you. I knew that the best way I could help you was to believe in you and that we’ll make things work.”

She grasped my hand.

I squeezed her hand in return but a second later, I was hugging her tightly, too. It was the only way I could tell her how much her trust meant to me. Pepper was right. I wouldn’t have been able to focus on surviving if I knew she had been worrying about me.

When I pulled away with a sniff, my eyes were aching with unshed tears. Varthan said behind me, “There is nothing to worry about any longer. You will both live with me, and anything and everything Dazzle or you will need, I will provide.”

“You must be joking. I don’t want to sleep here!”

          It wasn’t because the room was ugly. It was not. It was the opposite. It was huge, about as large as a regular-sized home in Suburbia, and breathtakingly beautiful, with its own en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet and a private balcony that had its own Jacuzzi.

          But…

          Sleeping in this room meant sharing it with Varthan, and I was
not
having that.

          “Where will you sleep then? In Pepper’s bedroom? Wouldn’t she be suspicious if you do that? Do you think she will be comfortable living here if she knew I was not your boyfriend?”

         
Boyfriend
sounded so wrong when Varthan said it like that. He made the word sound childish and beneath him, made it like his role as a Draugar held more importance in my life than a boyfriend ever could.

          ‘What about a guestroom---”

          “There is
no
guestroom. There are no other rooms in this house but this one and Pepper’s.”

          “You did this deliberately, didn’t you?” I accused.

          He nodded.

          Oh my God. He wasn’t even going to lie about it?

          “Why?” I demanded. “You know I told you that you’re not going to take my…” I found myself stumbling over the word that I was supposed to say.

          “Your virginity?” Varthan supplied, his tone a lazy, arrogant murmur.

          I gritted my teeth. Varthan the Zombie, I was frightened of, Varthan the Gentleman I admit to being infatuated with, but Varthan the Asshole was someone I wanted to kill. I hated how smug he was acting, like everything was working the way he wanted it to be. And I hated it even more because nothing seemed to be working according to
my
plan.

          “What’s the point of all this?” I demanded.

          Varthan looked like he was going to answer me but then he shook his head, his lips compressing into a thin line instead.

          “You’re really not going to say anything?”

          “You should sleep in this room with me because it is the best way that I can keep you safe. The goblins are still after you.”

          I paled. His words totally made sense – so why did I suddenly feel hurt? Had I thought it was because he wanted me close? That he found me so desirable he wanted a chance to seduce me?

          God, I was such a loser for being so desperate.

          Varthan was frowning. “Dazzle---”

           “I’m going out,” I said abruptly, turning away.

          “No. It is not safe---” He caught my elbow from behind.

          I looked at him over my shoulder with a glare. “Elsine told me I have the power to keep you from following me.”

          He slowly released me at my words.

          “Don’t follow.” And because I was oh so very mature, I slammed the door shut behind me as I left.

****

“You look beautiful, Dazzle.” Was that a line? I still had on the plain buttoned-up shirt and jeans I had worn when I came from the airport. Since my exit had been so grand, I couldn’t bear swallowing a little of my pride just to return to the room to get changed.

          As if sensing my doubt, Quinn chuckled and said, “I mean it.” 

          I smiled weakly. I still had a hard time believing that I actually found the nerve to text Quinn out of the blue and ask him out. We had gotten to know each other from day one of Hailey’s European gig, but we had barely exchanged more than ten words in all that time. It was totally my fault, though – I had this alarming tendency to go the other direction, even bumping into walls and people, just to avoid being in the same room as him.

          Quinn was dressed in a red polo shirt and black jeans, and he looked absolutely hot like he always did. The music playing loudly inside the club had a fast and catchy beat, encouraging the dancers on the floor to go wild and heavy.

          When I still didn’t speak, Quinn said, “You were the one who sent the text, right? It’s not some kind of prank played on you and then you felt you had no choice but to show up when I said yes?”

          I shook my head quickly. “It was me!” Then I paused, realizing that could be misinterpreted in so many ways.

          Quinn grinned. “Good.” He moved closer towards me and I did my best not to shrink back. We were seated next to each other in one of the club’s VIP booths, and this was the closest I had ever gotten to him.

          The way he stared at me now made me swallow. If I was honest, I had to say it made me catch my breath, too. But somehow…the spark wasn’t as strong as it had been in the past. It was more like a flicker now, rather than the blazing lick of heat that tended to skitter over my spine whenever he was near.

          Quinn cupped my face.

          I stopped breathing.

          His head lowered.

          Oh God, he was going to kiss me. I was going to be kissed by
another
man beside Varthan. I closed my eyes, feeling like I wanted to cry and shriek and hold still all at the same time. I could do this. I could. I had to. Because…Varthan had. He freaking
deflowered
eight skat before me. How crazy was that?

          I could feel Quinn’s breath fanning my face now. It smelled as nice as the rest of him, and I inhaled instinctively. My fingers curled into fists. I could do this. It would be good. It should be good---

         
Nothing.

         
“Do you truly think I am going to let you kiss another when you are my woman?”

          My eyes snapped open, just in time to see Varthan’s furious face as he pulled me out of the booth from my side, his fingers gripping my wrist so tightly I winced. Seeing my reaction, he immediately loosened his hold without letting me go.

          Quinn stepped out of the booth almost as swiftly, his movement graceful and precise. I had to give him credit. He didn’t seem one bit intimidated even though Varthan was a lot taller and built more heavily than he was. Quinn was buffed, but Varthan had once been a Viking warrior. There was just no contest.

          “Do you know this guy?” Quinn asked quietly.

          I gave him a small nod before glaring at Varthan. “You’re embarrassing me.”

          A grim expression settled on his face at my words. “You will go home with me now.”

          Quinn jerked. “You’re living together?”

          “It’s not what you think---”

          “I am her boyfriend,” Varthan said at the same time.

          Quinn flinched. “Dazzle? Is this true?”

          “I…”

          The note of hesitation in my voice made him shake his head. He looked at Varthan, saying tightly, “I’m sorry. I’ve never made a habit of making a play at another man’s woman, and in this case I misunderstood.”

Quinn turned away and left without saying a word or even a glance at my direction. I couldn’t blame him. I wanted to run after him and apologize, but I had a feeling that was just going to make it worse.

“Are you happy now?” I gritted out.

“No.”

“Why are you here?” I asked with a hiss, turning to him so he could see how mad I was. He had no business shaming Quinn like that and I didn’t think any amount of apologizing could make up for what I had inadvertently caused to happen.

Varthan’s face was just as furious, his tone a growl as he demanded, “Why are
you
here? Do you truly not understand the magnitude of the danger you are in? Are you truly going to endanger yourself and risk hurting your stepmother and leaving her alone by carelessly gambling with your life just to meet that child?”

“He’s
not
a child!”

“He is,” Varthan snapped. “He has that look about him. I am willing to bet my life that he has not even made love to a woman.”

I gasped. “How can you say such lies?”

“I am not lying. If he had any experience, then he would have known what to do with a woman like you.”

“And I suppose---”

BAM.

In an incredibly swift movement, one where I suspected he used his Draugar powers for, Varthan had slid into the booth, pulling me down with him. When my body slammed down hard against his, one hand gripped my hair, using it to angle my head and inching it down towards his. Varthan’s other hand went around my waist, pulling me closer so I would be a snug fit over him.

Oh.

He was hard. That part of him was extremely, gulp-inducing, breathtakingly hard. But he didn’t give my mind a chance to dwell on it, not when his lips had reclaimed mine. Varthan kissed me hard, deeper than he had the first time our lips touched. His tongue was aggressive and possessive in the way it swept into my mouth, its tip caressing every inch.

He sucked on my tongue, shocking me because it was unexpected. But soon enough the shock was replaced by excitement and passion, and the more he sucked on my tongue the more I forgot about everything but him. Tentatively, I tried sucking on his tongue, too, and I was rewarded by his groan. The sound made me melt, my body sinking into him, my hands creeping up to grip his shoulders.

A part of me knew this wasn’t right. There were too many unanswered questions between us. Was he really attracted to me or was it something inevitable because I was his so-called chosen
skat
? And what about me? Did I really like him? Was this only infatuation or was it the beginning of something more?

I wanted to ask him that. I really wanted to, but all those questions vanished the moment he pulled me even closer to him, cupping one breast at the same time.

I moaned long and loud against his mouth, the sound swallowed by his kiss. I forgot the fact that we were in a public place, that there were hundreds of people around us, and that I had never done this before – that I was not the type to do this at all.

The feel of his hand cupping my breast was…incredible. The movements of his hand were so simple, squeezing, fondling, kneading, but somehow those movements were more than enough to make my body tremble with uncontrollable passion.