Echo, Mine (6 page)

“Yesss.” Kira rubbed her hands in glee.
“Finally. Lead on, my friend. Your very own fashionista is here.
Let’s go get you all dolled up for this evening’s seduction—”

The door opened and Týr strolled in. His
pale hair a total windblown mess, a smile brought out his masculine
dimples. Big and gorgeous, that was Týr. “Echo, could I—” His gaze
shifted to Kira, his pleasant tone dissipating like mist.
“Fluffy.”

Kira smiled sweetly, but her tone could cut
stone. “Visigoth.”

Echo had to bite back her smile. Yeah, no
love lost there. Scowling, Týr opened his mouth to say something
then shut it and glanced back to Echo. “Can I have a minute?”

“Sure.” She followed him out.

Three minutes later, Echo
stood frozen in the foyer
like one of the many armored
statues there,
staring at Tyr.
Floored at what
he’d just revealed.
“You're kidding me, right? What
do you mean Aethan refuses to go to the club?”

“No, I'm not. Look, if he simply didn't like
the club, then that’s okay—but after what happened last fall, we
cannot even mention Anarchy to him. I just thought you should
know.”

“Because I was there with Jon? But it meant
nothing. I wasn't actually with him. It was Kira’s birthday!”

Týr shrugged.

Her heart clipped painfully. She had no idea
Aethan still felt that way, or that the incident with Jon had upset
him so much. She had to put that right, tonight.

A date.

Urias
. Aethan rubbed his jaw. He
tended to avoid humans unless absolutely necessary—like while doing
a mind sweep or occasionally healing one. Now a date. His mate had
wanted that, he’d seen it in her eyes, and he had no freaking clue.
At all. He’d make damn sure her twenty-fourth birthday was one
she’d never forget.

He headed for the stairs, impatient to get
the evening started. Echo had gone up over a half hour ago to
change. His mate’s idea of dressing was to throw on a pair of
jeans. What happened to the fifteen minutes?

He jogged upstairs and strode into their
quarters. Sensing Echo in the dressing room, he made his way there
and stopped dead. His heart lurched painfully.

With her hair back to that choppy way she
favored, she looked so much like her old self. He hadn't realized
how much he’d missed a style he’d once thought the worst haircut
ever.

She wore a short black skirt and a
sleeveless burgundy top that molded to her chest. She looked sleek,
hot, and so goddamn sexy.

Spying him through the floor-length mirror,
she pivoted. Her face flushed in excitement. “I'm almost
ready.”

She’d done something to her gorgeous
bi-colored eyes, lined them in black, making them even more
striking. Her lips shone with a hint of gloss.

He took a step toward her, wanting to put
his mouth on hers—savor her—

A throat cleared. Kira sat on the wooden
chest, grinning at him.

Dammit!
He should have sensed that
Echo wasn’t alone. He was a warrior with heightened senses for
hellssake! But his mate had twisted his mind into a rope of
knots.

Echo closed the space between them, went on
her toes, and lightly kissed him.

“A few more minutes.” She stroked his chest
then calmly turned back to her friend, leaving him with a taste of
strawberries and warm, sensual female. And a damn hard cock. Blood
pounded in his head, and every molecule in him fired up, wanting to
haul her into the bedroom.

“You sure this skirt length’s fine?” she
asked Kira.

Then his sexy as sin mate ran her hands over
the hips of her skirt, and his blood lit like a powered furnace.
That matte, black piece of material she called a skirt stopped
mid-thigh, revealing miles of toned, tan skin.

“Or these boots won’t work.” She stuck out
her leg to look at the high-heel.

And he looked too. Black leather. Was she
trying to kill him? Fuck! He wanted her legs wrapped around his
waist with those damn boots on. He recalled the last time she’d
worn them, their
first
time together…in front of the bedroom
fireplace…

Shit. Better to get out now or this dinner
wasn’t happening. He didn’t want to ruin this date Echo was looking
forward to. He grasped her hand and yanked her to him. A small gasp
left her, her eyes widening in surprise at his aggression.

“Kira, get Hedori to take you back home, and
have a nice trip to Seattle,” he said. “C’mon, mate of mine, let’s
do this date.”

***

Two hours later, Echo glanced around the
trendy restaurant overlooking the beach that Aethan had taken her
to in the Hamptons.

The sounds of cutlery tinkled against china,
and soft voices drifted within the little place. With its wooden
walls, plant-filled interior, and friendly wait-staff, she liked
the restaurant’s laid-back atmosphere compared to the city’s hectic
pace and crowded dining rooms. Despite the place being full, it
didn't give off a crowded vibe.

Dinner had been wonderful. Aethan had
settled for a steak while she’d chosen seafood. Now that her tummy
was satiated, she ignored her dessert plate with the lush
strawberries and two tiny side bowls—one with melted chocolate and
the other whipped cream. She wasn't a lover of sweets, but Aethan
had insisted she’d try some.

Aethan sipped his coffee, his gaze on her
like it had been most of the evening. He hadn’t bothered looking
around the place, but she was aware he’d probably scanned the area
for trouble. She took in the restaurant and found several more
gazes on them.

Yes, people would stare.

Some discreetly, and others not so much,
considering whom she was sitting with—over six and a half feet of
sculpted, gorgeous man. It didn't bother her though because Aethan
was hers. And taunting him in the dressing room had been a stroke
of fast thinking on her part. For the first time in weeks, his eyes
had burned with pure desire, not a hint of fear or worry.

Tormenting Aethan was turning out to be so
much fun. As long as the evening moved along in the direction she
wanted, she would be happy. With a contented sigh, she looked out
the window with its scenic view of the tranquil, moonlit sea and
white sands. The dark water undulated like gray jelly, occasionally
broken by the foamy white waves crashing on the shore.

“The night’s been perfect. So
calm…peaceful.”

“We just had dinner.” Aethan pointed out in
an amused tone. “It’s barely started. And you haven’t eaten your
fruit, yet.”

Wrinkling her nose, Echo pulled her gaze
from the beach to smile at him. Her breath caught. It always did
when she looked at him.

Tenderness shone in those stormy gray eyes
that could turn white in a moment when his deadly power surfaced.
He’d left his hair loose tonight, the way she liked it. The lights
in the restaurant highlighted the multi-toned dark blue strands. It
fell down in a silky sweep to brush the shoulders of his dark-gray
dress shirt, his only concession to semi-formal date-wear.

The leather pants he usually wore while on
patrol stayed. To him, they were a barrier, cutting down on some of
the injuries that often occurred on the job. To her, they looked
sexy as hell.

She rested her arms on the white,
damask-covered table. “I'm so glad you could take a night off.”

Aethan leaned back in his chair, his brow
creasing. “We’ve always had that option, we just didn't utilize
it.” His gaze held hers. Warm. Tender. “There was no need to
before.”

Understanding struck. “Until me.”

“Until you.”

She smiled. “Then I'm glad you’ve taken it.
I like this. You, me, here.”

He covered her hand on the table. “We both
needed this. At the castle, you're always busy, training with
Hedori, lessons with that idiot Lore—”

“Lore’s not so bad, Aethan. Just don’t react
to his taunting. You know those angels will take their enjoyment
anyway they can. As for the training, it’s important to me, but you
could always change your mind and teach me yourself, you know.”

“I don’t think I’d be a good trainer for
you. Besides…” His gaze skimmed over her face, a sensual glint in
his eyes. “Every time I have you under me, on the floor, I get
distracted.”

She swallowed. While that may have been true
once, Aethan no longer made love to her on the spur of the moment,
except in bed. She appreciated his care and consideration, but
dammit, she was tired of the gentleness. She wanted the man who had
a voracious, no-holds-barred appetite when it came to sex—she
wanted the downpour—the thunderstorm. She wanted all that back.

Her gaze lingered on the untouched
strawberries…she wasn’t hungry, but she’d use whatever weapons she
had. Before tonight was over, Aethan would have no idea what hit
him. That iron will of his would be nothing but a puddle of raw
desire.

“Fine,” she said, taking a sip of her drink
before he cottoned onto her plan and armed up. “I guess Hedori will
have to do. But I'm giving you fair warning, Aethan. I’m going to
ask one of the others to spar with me, too. I need to learn to
fight with different opponents. Týr is vicious. I like his style.”
Setting her glass down, she hid a smile as Aethan narrowed his
eyes. “And Blaéz, he’s real brutal, fights like a street
fighter—truly amazing. As for Dagan…” She frowned then shrugged. “I
haven’t really seen him fight. Guess I’ll find out soon
enough.”

“They won't fight you.”

“Why not? Ugh, Aethan, you didn't?” She gave
him a disgusted look. “Did you warn them off?”

A faint smile touched his mouth. “No. I
haven’t. But they won't.”

Dammit, they were all alike. Just because
she’d woken from a long coma didn’t mean she was helpless.
Scowling, she drummed her fingers on the table.

His smile deepened. “And here I thought we’d
left work back at the castle.”

She stopped her irate tapping. He was right.
This was a date, and she had only one objective for tonight.
Him.

“Just be patient, Echo. Once you’ve had a
little more time to adjust, and gain your strength, I’ll teach you,
and then you can kick all their asses.”

The sincerity in his gaze cooled her
annoyance. She nodded, her attention veering back to the table
farther down.

All through dinner, she’d been unable to
stop herself from watching the family with two young children at
the next table. The father oversaw one while the mother tended to
the other. Laughter and love surrounded them, and a pang hit her.
She’d never known her parents and sometimes she wished she had
siblings, too. It would have made her horrible childhood more
bearable. Of course, that was all wishful longing. She was an only
child, and her parents had died in a shoot-out mugging, which she’d
mercifully escaped when she was four years old.

Aethan glanced over his shoulder then
reached across the table and covered her hand. “What is it?”

Meeting his concerned gaze, she smiled.
Warmth eased the pangs. She was lucky. She had him, and he filled
the empty space in her heart. “It’s nothing, just thinking how much
I love you.”

His features softened. He brought her hand
to his lips. “And I, you. Always.”

A rush of emotions—tenderness and love
constricted her chest. Before she started sniveling, she reached
for her drink, but he swiped the glass from her. “Hey—”

Aethan dumbfounded her as he knocked back
the rest of her G&T. Her brows drew together. “You don’t
drink.”

“I do when it’s your
third
one. You
need liquid courage for something,
me'morae
?”

“No,
my love
.” She wrinkled her nose.
Well, she did need courage.

She picked up a plump strawberry and stared
at it. With a mental shrug, she dipped the fruit into the melted
chocolate and licked the gooeyness, before biting into the
succulent flesh. Juices squirted into her mouth.

“Wow.” She chewed and swallowed, then took
another bite. “This is delicious—a bit messy, but really
delicious—I should have this more often.”

Ignoring the napkin, she swiped the trace of
chocolate from her lip with her index finger and sucked it. Aware
Aethan followed her every movement, she tightened her lips around
her finger and slowly slipped it free. He stared at her mouth, his
expression taking on a darker intensity. Her breath caught in her
throat and her heart thundered in her ears.

Slowly he set the glass down, his eyes gone
liquid silver. A tick beat wildly in his jaw. “C'mon, let’s get the
hell out of here.”

“I haven’t finish my fruit—”

A barely concealed snarl was her response.
Echo hid her smile as he ushered her fast out of the restaurant, a
hand on her lower back. She’d read that certain fruits could be
used in seduction, but she’d never really believed it, until
now.

Then she lost her smile. Darn, she still had
to broach him about the conversation she’d had earlier with Týr.
About Jon. She’d decided to wait until dinner was over. There was
no point in upsetting Aethan and spoiling their first date. But she
had to put that
situation
right, even if it did cause a
little dent in her seduction plans.

Before he took the path to the parking lot,
she quickly stopped him with her palm on his chest. The scent of
the cool brackish air drifted around them. “Let’s take a walk on
the beach.”

“The beach?” The soft lights from the
restaurant highlighted his taut features. “You're not dressed for
the beach—”

“Says the man who wore leathers for our
night out. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and danced backwards, or
tried to. But moving Aethan was like moving a wall.

Letting go of him, she spun around and
walked down the paved, sandy pathway, knowing he’d follow. At the
end of the short footpath, she stopped. The sounds of crashing
waves soothed her nerves. She stepped on the sand and wobbled as it
gave way. A short laugh escaped her. Not wanting to end up with a
sprained ankle, she unzipped her boot and stumbled as she tried to
tug it off. Aethan’s warm, calloused fingers grasped her upper arm
and steadied her.