Addict (32 page)

“You’re alone?”

Gray’s brother opened the door at six p.m. the following evening, but he stayed inside, well within the confines of the house.

I was a bit startled. I’d expected Gray, or perhaps his butler, Syl. I’d decided to be magnanimous on the way over and not punch the little shit demon butler in the nose. He’d fed me fertility drugs in an attempt to remake
Rosemary’s Baby
Texas style. I decided to let it go because I didn’t have time for retribution. Instead of Gray or Syl, I got Matthew.

“Was I supposed to bring a friend?”

Matthew sighed. “Oh, aren’t you a sarcastic one? You know sarcasm really is a low form of humor.” He finally stepped out on to the porch, his eyes searching the grounds. When he was satisfied I hadn’t brought along an escort, he nodded. “I simply wanted to make sure the king hadn’t sent along a spy. He’s a damn tricky fellow.”

I was actually starting to warm up to the king. I’d spent the early afternoon holed up with the king and the academics going over the game plan. I was to keep my mouth shut, gather as much intelligence as I could, and get back out of Jack Frost’s house alive. Jamie was already set up. Frost was in a McMansion in North Dallas. The grounds were extensive, but Jamie had some good equipment. Even from the park across the street, he could cover parts of the place. I wouldn’t be allowed to bring in weapons, but I was hopeful that if I needed it, my shiny new demon hand would make an appearance.

“Are you going to let me in or are we going to stand out here freezing all night?” My toes were already going numb because I’d been told I had to wear stupid sex shoes. Why couldn’t men find Uggs more attractive?

The demon stared out as though not completely convinced we were alone. After a moment he seemed to remember his manners. “Of course, love. Come along. We have to do something about your appearance.”

I followed Matt inside. I hadn’t been in Gray’s home for months, but I couldn’t tell that he’d changed anything. “What’s wrong with my appearance?”

I looked fine. I was sure of it because I totally hadn’t dressed myself or done my own hair and makeup. I’d gone to the experts. It made me long for the days when my job consisted of hanging around outside of strip clubs and roach motels trying to catch cheating spouses. No one gave a shit what I wore there. I’d also been able to drink beer on the job.

Liv had picked out the black cocktail dress from the closet of clothes Marcus had ordered for me. The queen and her bestie, a werewolf named Neil, had come down to help prepare me for my evening out with a duke of Hell and a captain of industry. The wolf was insistent that my hair needed help. I’d sat patiently as he painstakingly straightened it. He and the queen had been perfectly pleasant companions, but it was easier for them to talk to Liv than me. I didn’t know a lot about court gossip, and even less about kids. I stayed quiet and thought about the upcoming night. Though it hurt me to admit it, I thought about Gray.

Marcus was staying at my side, but I had to wonder for how long. He was looking for something I could never give him. Marcus might care deeply for me, but he would always long for that elusive woman who would complete his life. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to let him go. I would have to eventually, but I needed him so badly now.

Marcus and I had an expiration date. I didn’t believe him about the whole “I would want a wolf one day” thing. I would be alone again.

“You look like you’re going to an elegant restaurant.” The demon eyed me critically. “You look quite the lady. I’m sure my brother will be thrilled. Unfortunately, you’re not going as my brother’s fiancée. You’re going as his love slave. This won’t do.”

I leaned forward, frowning at him the whole time. “I am not parading around Dallas again in a thong.”

“Of course not, darling. Little love slaves aren’t allowed to wear panties.” He smiled brightly as though I’d told a terrific joke. “Come along. I, of course, am prepared for the situation.”

I followed the demon through the hallway and toward the back bedroom. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the hall.

“Where have you been today?” The demon breathed deeply.

“Home,” I replied. The demon stood close and leaned over. He picked up a section of my hair and smelled it. “Stop that.”

He was insistent. He pulled my hand into his and brought it to his nose. I allowed the intimacy because this was something I worried about. If demons could smell vampire on me, I was in trouble. That first night at the club, I’d kept my distance from Winter. I wouldn’t be able to do that tonight. “I stayed away from Marcus. I took a long shower and then he didn’t touch me. He hasn’t even fed today. There’s no way you can smell him.”

The demon ran his nose along my hands and then back to my hair. “It’s not the vampire, love. Hush. I want to enjoy this. You spent time with a werewolf.”

He could smell Neil Roberts on me? “Damn it. Does that mean I have to shower again? Do you have any idea how long it took to straighten my hair?”

I did not want to go through that again. If they shoved me in a shower for smelling too wolfie, they would have to deal with my waves.

“Dear, I wasn’t complaining. You smell delightful. It makes me wish we didn’t have to do what we have to do. My brother’s scent will overwhelm this sweetness in a heartbeat.”

Gray chose that moment to walk out of his den. He was dressed in cutoff sweat pants, track shoes, and nothing else. A fine sheen of sweat covered his utterly perfect body, and I had to stop myself from drooling. He’d obviously just gotten off his treadmill. Usually Gray liked to run outside. I was sure the snow on the ground made it hard. He pulled the earbuds out of his ears and smiled brightly. He looked even hotter than he had months ago. The military cut he’d had then made him look tougher, but there was something about the way his hair curled now that made me sigh.

“You look amazing, Kelsey.” My heart skipped a beat at the appreciative tone of his voice. I told myself I hadn’t dressed to impress him.

 “She’s far too elegant.” Matthew frowned at his brother. “She has to change.”

Gray’s eyes were warm as they rolled over me. I didn’t like to think about the parts of me that were heating up. How did he do this to me? “Of course. She’s dressed all wrong for the mission. But she’s lovely and that should be acknowledged, brother.”

Matthew inclined his head. It seemed formal to me. I didn’t understand demon protocols. “I honor her, brother.”

“I thank you.” Gray’s face flushed when he turned back to me. “Come on, Kelsey. We need to get you ready. We don’t have much time before the limo picks us up. Did you drive?”

He reached for my hand. I held back. “I took a cab. And I thought I was ready. Gray, I’m not walking around naked.”

His smile was slightly shy and did strange things to my insides. “I bought you a slave collar. Does that count?”

“Asshole.” I slapped at his perfectly cut chest.

He laughed. “From you, babe, that’s a term of endearment.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled away from him. He was too comfortable. I was a bundle of raw nerves and he was laughing. “What’s wrong with you, Gray? This is serious.”

His lips tugged up in a rueful half smile. His hands cupped my shoulders. “But we’re going in together, Kelsey mine. Everything’s going to be okay.”

He tried to lead me on. I knew where we were going. I remembered where the bedroom was. “Gray, is this some sort of trick? I’m here to back you up. I’m here because this situation is beyond serious. I don’t have time to play games.”

“No games, Kelsey. You can’t go in like that. People would talk.”

I noticed the young man from the sex club sitting at Gray’s bar. He was quiet. His big blue eyes took in the room with a sort of fatalistic acceptance. There was no curiosity there. He was simply waiting for the next thing to happen to him. I wondered briefly what his childhood had been like. I bet it had been even crappier than mine. All thoughts of Matthew’s slave’s shitty lot in life fled when I realized he was wearing a perfectly respectable cashmere sweater. Sure the pants were leather, but they covered him up.

“Why does Matt’s boy toy get to be all dressed and I don’t?”

Matt laughed. He ran a hand possessively through the young man’s platinum curls. “Oh, dear, he certainly won’t be so clothed when we get to the duke’s. How cruel are you? Do you want him to be cold? He would look very silly getting into the limo wearing nothing but leather short shorts and his collar.” Matt petted his boy toy. “Don’t worry, puppy. I’ll take care of you. I won’t let the mean girl hurt you.”

My eyes rolled. “Yes, I want to hurt the passive victim. Actually, I think I spent time with his twin earlier. It’s weird. He looks just like this werewolf…”

I was cut off when Gray pulled me firmly down the hall.

“Let’s not talk about that.” Gray seemed eager to put some distance between us and the other couple. I heard Matt talking softly to the blond as we walked into Gray’s enormous bedroom. “My brother had a relationship with a wolf a couple of years back. They lived together for a long time. Don’t bring it up unless you’re willing to listen to him moan about his long-lost love.”

“Okay, I give, Sloane.” He had a goofy grin on his face. It was making me crazy. “Why are you so happy? Don’t bullshit me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.” His eyes were that deep purple they got when he was serious. You can tell a lot about a demon by looking in their eyes, at least the half demons you can. “I had a long talk with my brother last night, that’s all.”

“About what?” I had a suspicion.

“You.” And it was confirmed. “I didn’t understand the whole Hunter trainer relationship. Now I do.” He looked smug, but sadly, smug suited him. “You don’t love Vorenus.”

“I never said I did.” I wanted him so much it felt like love. My life would be infinitely easier if I loved Marcus. Why couldn’t what I felt for Marcus be love?

“You need him. You’re drawn to him because you need a trainer. But you won’t need him forever. You’re strong, Kels. So strong. You’ll be on your own before we know it.”

I backed away from him. It was hard not to look at the big bed that dominated the room, but I was determined to ignore it. It was the first place Gray and I had made love. It was the first place where someone had loved me enough to take care of me. “Hugo Wells married one of his Hunters.”

It was stupid, but I held on to that piece of history like a plate of armor. It could work. Marcus said he loved me. We could have a life. I would grow old and he would stay the same. I would die and he would go on.

I would be a sidenote in his history.

Gray shrugged and took away the option of ignoring the bed. He threw his body on it and grinned up at me. “Hugo Wells isn’t your trainer. Vorenus is. Tell me something, Kelsey mine. Has that vampire of yours had any prophetic visions about you lately?”

Gray’s power as a demon went beyond his ability to change forms and his strength. He had power that allowed him to see things the rest of us can’t. Gray was the culmination of centuries of his father’s attempts to breed the power into his line. Gray could touch an object and sometimes he would get a vision. From what I understood, it was sometimes the past, most often the future. Gray had first seen me in a hotel room in Dallas. He’d taken a suite at a hotel and when he lay down on the bed, he was suddenly transported to his wedding night. I played the role of the not-so-blushing bride. According to Gray, our wedding night was hot. Or it was going to be.

“Of course not,” I replied. Marcus wasn’t a prophet. “Why? Have you had another one?”

Gray wasn’t a prophet either. He couldn’t truly control his powers. A true prophet was an extremely rare thing.

He shook his head. “No, baby. Just the one. But I believe it, more now than ever.”

I felt my eyebrows come together. It wasn’t attractive. It gave me a deep crease in my forehead, but I couldn’t help it. “I haven’t given you any reason to, Sloane. I’m committed to Marcus.”

“Two weeks ago, I would have sworn you would never speak to me again. But you did. I would have bet my life that you wouldn’t work with me again. But you are. And I definitely knew you would never walk into my bedroom again. Here you are, Kelsey.”

“I don’t have to stay.”

Gray sat up. He chuckled to himself. “It’s easy to forget how prickly you can be. I suppose I put you on a pedestal the last few months. It’s good to see your stubborn side again.”

I wasn’t aware I had another side besides the stubborn one. “Sloane, if you spend one more minute on our non-relationship, I’ll call Marcus and he’ll come get me. He’s sitting with his phone in hand praying I’ll make that call.”

Gray held his hands up in defeat. “Understood. On to business then. So Vorenus doesn’t want you anywhere near the duke. Any new reasons?”

“We got attacked last night.”

Gray sat up straight. The playful look in his eyes was completely gone, and the Texas Ranger was back in the building. “They attacked at Ether?”

“They attacked in my uncle’s home. They were bouncers from the club.”

Gray ran a hand through his hair. “That’s one of the most secure buildings in the city. Winter has spread the drug a lot farther than I thought. This is bad, Kelsey. Are they dead? Did they manage to hurt anyone?”

“My niece got the scare of a lifetime, but otherwise Quinn and I took care of them. I killed my guy, but Quinn’s lived. Henri scanned his brain. It’s the same thing as the first victim. The frontal lobe is damaged. We can’t give him vamp blood. His own werewolf healing power isn’t fixing the problem, so Sharpe wants to try something.”

“Demon blood.” Gray was sharp as a tack. His eyes glanced down at my arm. “I know it was a different issue, but it worked on you.”

“Better than you think, Sloane.” I quickly gave him a rundown of my ability to change. He stared at the arm with an odd smile on his face. “Zack thinks it’ll go back to normal. I mean, if you consider having a wolf claw pop out of a perfectly human hand normal.”

“Can I see it?”

“No,” I said crossly. I didn’t want to see it again. I certainly didn’t want my ex-honey to see my freaky demon arm. “I’m not even sure I can do it again. It took the king’s influence to make it go back to normal.”