kate storm 04 - witches dont back down (20 page)

I heard him
humph
. "Sounded like something else." Then, "Ya need to chew your food thoroughly, Doll. You know that." Tiny nails scratched a few steps away then trotted back. "I thought ya weren't hungry."

"I found a chocolate bar in my underwear drawer."

"Oh."

I held my breath while Al obviously considered the possibilities of that being true. He didn't consider it for very long. "I'm going back to watch my show."

The nails tapped away and didn't come back.

I didn't know if I should be happy Al believed me or annoyed he thought I hid candy in my underwear drawer.

I hid it behind my Spell Book like any smart witch.

Ash squeezed my ass with his hands. "You're having trouble getting it out?"

Usually I was the one who fainted or melted or couldn't think straight after we made love. I would have enjoyed Ash's confusion from a few minutes ago a bit more if I wasn't so irked.

I poked Ash in the chest. "Didn't you hear him? Al almost caught us and he tried to break the door down. He could have been seriously injured."

Ash shifted my weight. His cock twitched several times.

"No. I didn't hear him. I saw you having a seizure."

I crossed my arms over my chest and let all my weight settle on his hands.

"I was not having a seizure. I was trying to let you know, without talking, that Al was at the door and I didn't want him to know what we'd been doing."

"It looked like a seizure to me." Ash cuddled me in closer. "And I rather enjoyed what we were doing."

His cock stopped jerking and started to grow.

I slumped against him.

"I did, too."

I wasn't even sure if my brain was working properly yet.

I'd gone from a near neurotic mess to a nuclear explosion so quickly there were gaps in my neurons and . . . And I felt damn good.

Incredible really.

All of my worries and fears seemed to have been blown completely away by Ash.

I wasn't worried about Nina Georgette. I wasn't worried about Morgause. I wasn't worried about whether or not I could face Morgause.

I was a little worried about Al. Or more specifically his shoulder. But I figured any damage he might have done trying to break down my door, I could fix with a quick spell.

Ash lifted my hips up a little bit and pulled me back down.

I looked up at him.

Scarlet-tipped, sapphire flames were edging down Ash's arms. He continued to hold my entire not-so-insignificant weight. We both had on the majority of our clothes. Ash's pants were opened and unzipped. As far as I could tell, he hadn't even lowered them. My pants were definitely destroyed, severely shredded in the center seam and my ass was completely naked.

It was the only part of my body that was bare.

I found that rather alarming now that I was thinking about it. And, unfortunately, visualizing it.

I gripped Ash's vest and lifted myself up. I meant to lift myself all the way up and off. I couldn't tell if it was my weight or the length of Ash's cock, but I didn't make it.

I slid back down and we both groaned.

"Do that again," Ash said.

I thought about Al in the other room. I thought about getting ready to go out.

I tried to be practical.

I failed. And at the same time I won.

I lifted myself up and down until my arms got tired and then Ash took over.

When I hit the sun this time I was almost ready for the explosion.

27. Got Fangs?

"
I see her." Ash nodded over the crowd. "Drake, Désirée and Phil are here, too."

I didn't try to peer over the top of the crowded bar. 1) I was too short. 2) I was sort of dragging my feet.

I needed to know if Morgan had found out anything about Morgause. Someone had to have seen her recently and I was finally ready to take her on.

Funny how amazing sex with the King of Demons can make a witch feel ten feet tall.

I was almost looking forward to facing Morgause now.

I was not looking forward to karaoke.

Got Fangs?
was packed.

Elbow to elbow packed.

Which was great in terms of finding out information. From what I could see, the majority of the HC population had decided to show up tonight.

It was awful in terms of singing karaoke. From what I could also see, everyone had their cell phones out.

Visions of viral videos and hateful comments danced across my mind. I shook them off. I had much more important things to deal with. I just hoped I could convince Morgan of that as well.

Morgan can be an incredibly stubborn vampire.

Ash moved forward, pulling on my hand, and I followed behind him like a raft trailing an ocean liner. The crowd moved, and in some cases dove, out of Ash's way. He stopped way too close to the karaoke stage and pulled me forward.

Sweet Spirits. Morgan had obviously conspired with Phil and my secretary.

They were all wearing black.

It's not a shock coming from Morgan or Drake or even Phil. Désirée Norma-Sue, however, tends to wear every shade of color in the extra-large crayon box except black.

They were planning a group song. I just knew it.

I refused to panic. I was going to face my worst enemy. I could handle a little karaoke.

"Hey, Chicky, where's Al?" Morgan stretched out one black leather boot and kicked a chair out for me. I sat down and grabbed the bottle waiting for me on the table.

"He's home watching wolf shows." Morgan raised a brow and I said, "Don't ask." I didn't want to get into it right now. Plus, Morgan is a vampire. She's breathtakingly beautiful, incredibly loyal and has no problems with blood or murder. She'd be delighted to help Al discover his inner beast.

"I don't want him getting hurt. He's safer at home." I paused, queried my stomach and my determination. All was good. "Should we start asking questions?"

I hated to be rude and abandon my friends and Ash right after we got there, but I had my priorities set. And the fairy singing Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" was winding down. I didn't know where we stood in line for karaoke.

Morgan waved a pale hand negligently. She somehow made the movement appear both aristocratic and as graceful as the gesture of a prima ballerina. "We're good, Kate. I've already got the answers we need."

I bolted upright.

"But first," she continued, "we need to have a toast."

A toast? What was Morgan talking about? If she had the information we needed, we . . .

I met her emerald green eyes. So bright they almost sparkled, Morgan's eyes were the crowning glory in the trifecta of her perfect coloring. Her red hair gleamed indoors and out, her pale skin shimmered like the palest glow of a moonbeam and her eyes always cast the brightest light. They were Morgan's North Star. Dazzling and brilliant, they had lured countless victims into her clutches. And after centuries of observing everything life had to offer, they were still somehow transparent.

Or at least I was able to read her.

I guess that's the way it is between best friends.

Sometimes you need the words and sometimes you don't.

Right now, I didn’t need any words.

Morgan was terrified.

She was terrified of Morgause. She didn't have any better idea than I did of how to stop her and she wanted to live.

A bit of a conundrum for a vampire, but she wanted it just the same.

Oddly, it reassured me.

I'm used to being the odd witch out. Used to being thought of as weak and unworthy.

Morgan is the epitome of everything I am not. Immortal. Strong. Confident. Bloodthirsty.

To know Morgan had the same doubts, the same fears, made mine seem not quite as scary.

In a weird way, Morgan's fear reassured me the same way Ash had when he'd taken me against the door.

We had life right now. A tangible force to fight for. And we'd live it the best way we could right up until it was over.

It didn't matter what Morgan wanted to toast. Whatever the toast was about wasn't insignificant. Our lives, and the little triumphs that made up our lives, were not insignificant. Morgause couldn't take them away from us.

I raised my beer bottle. "What are we toasting?"

She was right. My super smart UDBF. Celebrations of any sort needed to be recognized. No matter what.

Morgan raised her martini glass. It was filled to the top with blood and had a toothpick with three olives sticking sideways off the rim. "To the boys."

"Here, here." Désirée Norma-Sue lifted her martini glass as well. Hers was filled with a clear liquid. She had three olives as well, but speared with an umbrella toothpick. In bright yellow.

It took a minute for it to sink in.

The boys.

Frog warts. I'd been so caught up in all the drama of the afternoon, I'd forgotten.

Ash, Drake, Phil and Al had signed papers to start their own business.

Al should have been here.

Drake and Phil raised their beer bottles, beaming.

Ash raised his beer bottle next to me. We clinked bottles. "I signed up for the online course." Ash grinned.

For a moment I was lost in his amber eyes. The pleasure, the pride and the sheer satisfaction in them.

Like Morgan, I could read him easily. And Ash was excited about the future.

Maybe we all were a little delusional. Maybe my unfortunate duck and dodge habit had worn off on them.

Or maybe we all would survive.

****

"
All right," I said. "Spill."

Morgan set down her bloody martini glass and picked up the toothpick. She bit down on one juicy olive and slid it off the end of the toothpick.

She chewed, swallowed, took a sip of her blood.

I tried not to drill my fingers over the top of the table.

Morgan leaned forward and whispered into my ear. "Morgause is in Virtue."

A chill ran down my spine freezing every muscle.

Okay. I know I said I was ready to face Morgause, but I didn't mean this exact moment. I meant I was ready to face her sometime soon.

The knowledge that Morgause was less than ten miles away from where we were caused my heart to speed up to a palpably critical level.

Ash picked up my hand and squeezed it. "Kate?"

I knew he heard my pulse pick up. I knew Drake and Désirée and Phil had as well.

They'd have to get used to it. I'd have to get used to it. Morgause was a helluva lot closer than I had thought.

I looked into Morgan's bright emerald eyes, shadowed by the echoes of a pain she'd carried for centuries. Ravaged by time and yet as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

I reached over and grabbed her hand, holding onto her as tightly as Ash was holding onto me.

"Morgause is in Virtue," I repeated it. Loudly. Loud enough for everyone to hear. Loud enough for it to echo around in my brain.

Désirée Norma-Sue stretched out her hand and placed it over mine and Morgan's.

"Oh. Shit."

She's not a fairy to mince words.

Phil tightened the arm he had over Désirée's shoulder. "What do we need to do?" His words rumbled over the table and into my sternum.

I didn't exactly know. Phase one of my loosely thought out plan involved finding Morgause. Now that we knew her general vicinity, I wasn't sure how to implement phase two of my plan: confront Morgause and defeat her.

Confronting her probably wouldn't be that hard. I imagined I'd open some door and she'd be waiting. Defeating her was something entirely different. After weeks of research, I still didn't have any idea how to go about it.

Morgan hadn't been able to find anything after centuries of research.

And none of it mattered now. It was either do or die.

"Kate!"

I jolted in my seat. I think I would have flown right off if I hadn't been holding hands with Ash and Morgan.

Ant Leroy jerked to a stop next to the table. "Damn girl, you know what you are doing! Don't sign me up for any more dates. I'm hooked." He pulled his date closer into his side. It was the shoe model. "I canceled my other date. I don't need anything more than Crissy here."

Ant Leroy leaned down and kissed Crissy. And kissed her. And added a lot of tongue. And kissed her some more.

I tried to keep myself together.

After several minutes, Ant Leroy came up for air. He clapped me on the shoulder. "Snake was right when he said you could pick a girl better than any dick."

If I hadn't been so freaked out, I would have been charmed by the crude compliment.

I glanced at Crissy. Her blue eyes were still slightly glazed from the kiss. She grinned, sloppy and off-balance and sweetly in love.

"We're up next." Ant Leroy nodded towards the Karaoke stage. "Thanks again." As they walked away, I noticed Crissy wore the exact same black heeled shoes with the red bow that was tattooed on Ant Leroy's forearm. Sweet Spirits, it had to be love at first sight.

Désirée Norma-Sue sighed. "You're a damn good matchmaker, Kate."

I watched Ant Leroy and Crissy and wanted to sigh, too. I really was a great matchmaker. And I wanted to keep finding matches for people.

I turned back to Désirée, opened my mouth and snapped it shut.

Désirée Norma-Sue looked as if she had just sucked hard on a lemon. Morgan's hand tensed in mine.

I locked my jaw. I didn't need to turn around to see who was behind me. I didn't have the patience or the fortitude to deal with Lana Jacobs right now. I was saving it all up for Morgause.

"Kate."

Lana sounded as if she'd swallowed her broom. And was still choking on the bristles.

I didn't have time for this. I needed to know if Morgan knew Morgause's exact location and if we could come up with a plan. Any plan.

I heard my clock ticking. Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

The seconds were counting down quicker and quicker.

"I know you heard me." Lana poked my shoulder. "Don't you want to know what I have to say?"

No. I really, really didn't.

Morgause could be on her way here right now. I looked at Ash's sin. He'd taken off his jacket the moment we sat down. His sin twisted and turned. The red flames glowed.