His eyes softened and he ran his thumb across my cheek. My body heat flared as his skin touched mine. A sensual hum settled low in my body and the universe opened up like it had a few minutes before, welcoming us in, whole and happy and perfect.
I did like cracking up when it felt like this. I really did.
“Focus, Penny Bristol, or we’ll both be lost,” he said, sliding his hand along my forearm before grabbing my hand. He kissed the tips of my fingers. “Though I don’t know how much more lost to you I could be.”
I smiled like a lunatic and fluttered my eyes as he leaned down to me. I savored the feeling of his soft lips and hard body. All too soon, he pulled away, letting his touch linger as he exhaled forcefully. “We need to secure this house before we…sleep.”
I felt feverish again, but in a good way. Hot and achy and desperate.
“Focus, love,” he said, and while he said it to me, I knew he really meant it for himself. I’d need to lead the way so he could get his mind back on track.
I totally didn’t want to, but I forced the delicious heat pulsing in my core to the back of my mind, where the headache had hung out lately. Except in these moments of oneness between Emery and me.
“Right,” I said, back to business with a husky, wispy sort of voice. “What’s next? Wait, should I be writing all this down?”
His smile didn’t help my newfound sense of clearheadedness. “Let’s head indoors and wait for Reagan. Whatever she sees will probably affect the ward and tripwires we set.”
He held the door open for me, and the first thing I heard was “I’ve seen better security at the local grocery store.”
“Ah nuts.” I back-pedaled into Emery. “Who thought it was a good idea to bring my mother?”
12
“Wait—” I held up a hand, my back against his front. He wasn’t letting me escape. I rounded on him. “She isn’t one of the core people, is she? Because working with her through text is probably the best strategy. You know this. Everyone knows this. I shouldn’t have to tell you.”
He slid his hands down my back, his touch annoyingly soothing.
“No.” I flared my elbows, shrugging off his hands. “Seriously, she has to go. She’ll harass me constantly about you sleeping in my room. You want me to check out the city with you? Good luck convincing her.”
“Come on, Penny Bristol, let’s say hi to the older half of the crew,” he teased.
I shook my head with my mouth downturned. “Don’t want to.” He turned me around and walked me forward. I was still shaking my head. “Don’t want to. I was really enjoying my freedom.”
The interior of the spacious house was as I remembered it—elegant, rustic, and perfectly decorated for the area. In the living room, Dizzy and Callie were sitting on the couch, their satchels at their feet. Across from them in the leather recliner, her fingers wrapped around the barrel of her shotgun, rocked my overbearing mother.
“Really? You have the shotgun out here?” I slouched as her eyes came around to me. The vampire she’d been berating about security scooted back to the wall, probably relieved to be spared the abuse.
“Have you seen what they have posing for security around here?” She scoured the vampire with another hard look. “Of course I have the shotgun handy.” Her gaze zipped over my shoulder. Reagan was as silent as an elder vampire, but I could feel her magic coming closer. Had she always been this stealthy, or was it another benefit from her bond? “What in the devil happened to your hair?”
“Reagan, now, I thought you were past losing your hair.” Dizzy clasped his hands over his pot belly and clucked his tongue. “You were clearly being too reckless. You’re lucky Callie brought the right supplies to fix you up.”
“It wasn’t me.” Reagan pointed at me. “Her fault.”
“Penny is very good, yes,” Dizzy said, “but she shouldn’t be surprising you with spells. You’ve had much more experience than she has.”
“She didn’t surprise me.” Reagan leaned against the doorframe. “She let it float toward me, nice and slow.” Dizzy and Callie’s expressions closed down into confusion. “She stole some magic from a goblin, and now she can nullify my magic. I couldn’t very well let her threaten me, could I? No, I could not. So I choked her to show her I wasn’t helpless.”
“Come again?” my mother said, inching forward in her seat to look around me and see Reagan.
“She picked up a new trick on a bounty hunting gig. She can now nullify my magic.” Reagan pushed away from the wall. “Or…she could. We haven’t had the chance to try it in the last twenty-four hours. The second the new trick fails, though, it is on.” She moved her finger through the air. “Anyone want a whiskey?”
Callie raised her hand. “How did she— Did you say goblin?” Callie shook her head. “I might need a couple shots to make sense of this.”
“I’ll have a whiskey as well.” My mother raised her hand.
“I see the double standards are in full effect,” I said as my mother adjusted the shotgun so she had a better hold on it. “Suddenly you’re a whiskey drinker, and I suppose you’ll harass me if I partake…”
“Nothing has changed, I’m just not hiding it from you anymore.” My mother waved me on. “Now, go help Reagan get drinks.”
My mouth dropped open, because I’d started walking without meaning to.
“No, no, Emery. You stay here,” my mother said as I left the room. Her tone was ominous.
I should’ve gone back and saved him, but…well, he was a big boy.
“My mother and Callie in the same house is going to be hell,” I said to Reagan as I entered the kitchen. “They fight as often as they get along. And when they get along, they won’t rest until everyone does what they say.”
Reagan chuckled and looked up from pouring the whiskey. “Nah, they’ll be fine. They can bitch to each other when we ignore their express desire that we stay here and out of trouble.”
I slipped onto a chair at the L-shaped island. “What are you planning?”
She took a deep breath and leaned a hand against the counter as Emery entered the kitchen behind me. With a flat expression, he tapped one of the empty glasses and slipped into the seat beside me.
“There’s beer in there.” Reagan jerked her head toward the fridge. “Or wine.”
“I need something stronger,” he said.
“That’s what’s great about dating a vampire.” Reagan went to the freezer and got out an ice cube tray with giant cubes. “All the in-laws are long since dead. He didn’t get so lucky, of course. You think Ms. Bristol is bad? Just think what it must be like when your girlfriend’s dad runs hell.” Reagan pushed a glass of whiskey at me.
I pushed it away again. Spiting my mother wasn’t worth the foul taste. “I thought the Underworld wasn’t hell?”
“Come on; this will help with the headache.” She pushed the glass back.
Emery’s head whipped around, his eyes now studying my face.
“Big mouth,” I mumbled. “But it’s fine.”
“Yeah, sure. Here. Maybe it’ll go down easier with ice.” She dropped one of the large cubes into my glass. Whiskey splashed. “I know how to tell when you’re hurt. I have to, or I might kick you too hard. Although…” She tilted her head. “No headache right now, huh?”
“No. It’s good.” The whiskey smell wafted toward my nose. I grimaced and pushed the glass to the side for Emery. “I’ll have wine or beer. Or water. Water would be a nice option once in a while. You know, so we don’t turn into alcoholics.”
“Says the sheltered girl with the mother who has secretly been drinking her whole life.” Reagan stilled, clearly thinking over what she’d said. “Yeah, good call. You’re probably right to be worried. Beer it is.”
“That’s not…” I let it go. A beer actually sounded good. Traveling in luxury with Darius was definitely awesome, but it still wore on a girl.