Mating Call (12 page)

SE watched the little transparent hummingbird as it fluttered and hopped from one of her hands to the other. He couldn’t believe she was able to gleam a
nagual
. A person or object was one thing, but a spirit was pure energy. She probably didn’t even realize it, but her power was still growing and fast. The only question was why.

Holy crap.
Evy had never been so nervous in her whole freaking life. “Do I look okay?”

Troy walked up behind her and looked at her reflection in the mirror over the sink. “Don’t even ask me that or we aren’t gonna make it to dinner.”

“I just have jeans and a couple of sweaters Helen leant me.”

He ran his lips gently along her temple. “It’s not black tie, Ev. Mary will pick up some things for you tomorrow.” He took her brush from her hand. “You’re gonna be a bald Seer if you keep brushing like that.”

He intertwined his fingers with hers and led her out to the hallway.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so nervous.”

“They’ll be nervous, too. Five minutes and it’ll feel like you’ve always been there.”

“Ya think?”

“I know.”

They walked down the main stairway and stopped just outside the drawing room.

She looked up in to his eyes. “Oh, man. You don’t think they’ll bow again? I almost peed my pants.”

He chuckled and put his arm around her. “Nah.”

Everyone started to stand as they came in. Troy motioned quickly for them all to sit down. He walked to the far side of the long table near Richard and Adriana. He pulled out a chair for her next to Ana who was holding Baby Maya.

“Hi,” Ana said. “Do you wanna hold her? She’s very good.”

Evy smiled. “I’d love it.”

“Welcome, Evy,” Adriana practically sang.

“Thank you. Wow, she is a good baby.”

X passed the meat platter. “Congrats, my brother.”

“Thanks.” Jesus Christ. They were having meatloaf.
Hello? You’re. Mated. To. The. Seer.
Did they make a Hallmark Card for that shit? He turned and looked at her. No, he wasn’t. He was mated to Evy. He still could hardly believe it.

Viktor looked over at Evy from across the table. “So, Evy, right?”

“Yes. And you’re?”

“Viktor. I’m Dimitri’s brother.” He pointed him out.

His brother sighed. “A fact I try to forget every day, Evy.”

“You can read the future, right? Which am I about to pick up next, the meatloaf or a slice of bread?”

Evy rolled her eyes. “Bread.”

“Wow. She’s good.”

She shook her head. “No, you just asked X for the butter.”

“Oh, right, right.”

As everyone laughed, Troy couldn’t help but smile. Make that four minutes.

At the end of the meal, Geoffrey and Mary brought in a huge birthday cake.

Evy covered her mouth and turned to him. “Oh, no. You guys didn’t have to. Did you know about this?”

He grinned. “Possibly.”

“Thank you, everyone.”

Adriana smiled. “It was our pleasure, Evy. Oh! Your candles!”

She leaned over and blew out first the two, then the zero. She smiled as everyone started to clap and whistle.

By the time they were done with cake and coffee, it was after ten. The brothers on duty had left almost an hour ago and baby Maya was sound asleep at her father’s shoulder. Evy stood and started to help stack the dessert plates.

Mary swept into the room like magic. “Oh, you don’t need to do that.”

“I don’t mind. I used to do it at home all—”

Suddenly the plate in her hand fell to the table. Evy gasped and closed her eyes.

Troy headed right for her.

“Troy, wait,” Richard said. “I think she’s having a vision. Interrupting it might be dangerous.”

A wind came up around her, blowing her long waves. She stretched her arm out in front of her, as if trying to touch something. Ten seconds later it ended just as abruptly as it had begun.

Troy gently took his mate by the shoulders and sat her down. She was trembling. “Ev, are you okay?”

She slowly nodded her head. “I think so. Wait. When did the brothers leave for duty?”

Reyn looked at his watch. “Almost an hour ago.”

“The one with dark wavy hair? What’s his name?”

“Pax?” James asked.

“Yes. He’s going to be hurt.”

“I thought he was on last night,” Reyn said.

Richard started to pace back and forth. “Dammit. He was, but he offered to take my duty tonight.”

James cursed and dematerialized.

One thing James had never really excelled at was sensing someone while gleaming. But he knew Pax’s energy as well as his own and it didn’t take him long to find him. He landed on the rooftop of an apartment building in Back Bay. He looked down below him and found Pax and SE running down the alley after two
hellions
. Where the fuck were their shifters? He turned to the left and from his vantage point, he could see the two Toltec soldiers waiting up ahead to ambush the brothers.

He gleamed two roofs over and leaned over the edge. “It’s a trap! Pax!”

Too late. As soon as he heard gunfire, James gleamed behind Pax and forced him to the ground.

One minute Pax was running full out after two mutants, the next he was tonguing the fucking asphalt. He heard two shots and then SE was standing over him.

“You alright?”

Pax shook his head and stood up. “Yeah, I’m good. James, what the fuck was all that about? James?”

He turned. James was lying face down in the winter slush. Pax rolled the male on his side. “Oh, my God. He’s been hit.”

SE pulled out his cell. “I’ll get X and secure the perimeter.”

Pax wrapped the male in his jacket and held him in his lap while they waited for X. He probably materialized on the scene within two or three minutes, but it felt like forever. “Stay with me, James. Don’t you die. Don’t you leave me here.”

X threw down his pack. “Where’s he hit?”

He looked up at the brother. He was sure his eyes were glowing, but he couldn’t give a shit. “In the chest. It looks bad.”

“Okay. Dimitri and Ana are on their way with the truck. Let me have a look.”

For some reason Pax’s arms and legs wouldn’t take orders from his brain.

“Pax, you need to move for me now.”

A low growl came from Pax’s chest.

Finally, X just pulled him off.

Once they got James back to the compound, he immediately went into surgery. Everyone was crammed into the hallway waiting for some kind of word. Pax stared at the hallway tile. He felt numb. All he could think about was that stupid fight he’d had with James.
What a coward.
The truth of it was that the male was right. When Pax shoved him against the wall it was because he’d intended to kiss him. He’d stopped himself, but that didn’t change anything. And he wasn’t the only one who knew it. James did, too. Is that why he’d done this?
Oh, God.

Diesel grabbed his crutches. “Hey, you wanna take a walk? I need the stretch.”

Pax nodded and they walked down the hallway and into the gym. He put his hands behind his head and paced back and forth.

“Pax stop.”

“No.”

Diesel put out his crutch. “You’re gonna drive yourself crazy.”

“I only know how to do what I’m doing, Dies.”

“Look at me. Pax.” His best friend put his hand against his neck. “You’re gonna make it through this, but
not this way
. It didn’t work after Luis died and it’s not working now, man.”

“I just keep going over and over it in my head and I can’t figure out why he would do this, you know? He threw himself into live fire and took a bullet for me. Do you know what the last thing I said to him was? I accused him of having a crush on me. Like, he was some kid. He had the audacity to care about me and what did I do? I shamed him for it. Anything but having to deal with those feelings again. How fucking sick is that.”

“Look, blaming yourself isn’t going to bring Luis back and it’s not going to get James through surgery either.”

“I know. It’s just…everyone who cares about me keeps dying at my feet.”

Diesel took him by the neck and pulled him close. “Look, I know how you feel. I used to think I was straight up snake bit. But you’re wrong. I’m still here, man.”

A few minutes later as they walked at Diesel’s pace back to the surgical ward, they met Troy and Evy as they came off the elevator.

Pax stopped. “What’s she doing here?”

Troy looked him straight in the eye. “What?”

He looked down at the female. “You did this.”

Diesel put his body between the two males. “Pax! Troy, go.”

Troy threw up his hands. “Are you serious?”

“I know it’s not right, bro, but you gotta do me a solid here.”

The female put her hand on her mate’s chest then took his hand. “It’s okay. Come on.”

Pax could sense the menace coming off the mated male, but there was no way he was going to back down from a fight. Not then. Not with the adrenaline pumping through his system. As they got back in the elevator, Pax looked the female in the eye.

She met his gaze head on.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Troy walked up the back stairs to the mansion’s second floor. He shook his head. James was still in surgery. Man, if they lost the brother it was gonna crush Pax. He didn’t have all the deets on their relationship, but Pax’s feelings were so strong outside the ward Troy had to block them out. He wasn’t down with the shit he’d pulled with Evy, but he understood it. Anyway, she seemed to be handlin’ it.

Or not.

When he opened the door and walked into their room, he found Evy leaning against the wall wearing just one of his T-shirts. She was looking at the moon through the window like she was fixated on it. He didn’t even think she realized he was there. The sadness on her face was bad enough, but the sorrow in her heart was devastating. He went over and rubbed her shoulder.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Her eyes were still focused on the moon.

“I brought you an extra piece of cake.”

I brought you an extra piece of cake?
He rolled his eyes. “Evy, what happened to James isn’t your fault.”

“Just yesterday he was right here in this room. Then I find out I’m the Seer and now he’s in surgery fighting for his life.”

“But maybe it would’ve been Pax if James wasn’t there. A lot of shit came together to make this happen.”

“Blood. There was so much blood.” She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.

“I know this is hard. We’re at war, Ev.” He stroked her arm lightly. Jesus, she’d been put through so much, so fast. He was startin’ to wish he’d never brought her here.

She turned her head and looked into his eyes. “What if I’m not good enough? What if I use my power wrong and hurt people? What if….”

He brushed her hair back. “Shhh. There’s no way you could ever do that, babe. You were chosen because you’re special. Believe me.”

Tears started to fall down her cheeks. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Please, don’t cry. Don’t cry.” He framed her face with his hands and kissed them away one at a time. His lips grazed the corner of her mouth and she licked at them lightly with her tongue. A chill went down his back. He was suddenly very aware that she was different somehow. Everything about his Evy was there, but there was something else. More. He could sense it. Power roiled within her. He let his tongue slip inside to meet hers, tasting her sweetness. It was richer. Intoxicating.

“Ev,” he moaned.

She broke off the kiss. He instantly followed, but when he leaned in again, she took him by the jaw and held him back.

Her eyes changed color, taking on a pearlescent shimmer. “Growl for me.”

“What?”

“Do it.” She brought his head down and ran her tongue sensually along his mouth.

A low, lupine growl rumbled through his chest. She popped the buttons along the front of his shirt. He let it fall to the floor and she ran her hands along his bare chest. Her touch against his skin made him crazed with hunger. He pushed his body against her ‘til there was no room between them. Hard against soft.

Suddenly, he felt his second soul awaken inside him and his shock was mirrored in Evy’s own surprised face. His eyes welled up. “You can feel me?”

She nodded and smiled. He’d never expected to have that gift between them when she was human. But it never mattered to him. She’d already given him so much. He had no idea what his
nagual
was connected to, but at the moment, he couldn’t give a shit. She walked away and slipped his t-shirt off. His heart thundered in his chest. She turned and stood naked in the moonlight as it poured into the room. Its radiance reflected off her curves in some places and hugged them in others. He’d never seen anything so beautiful.

She came toward him, and he watched her mouth, licking his lips with anticipation. She leaned up as he looked down at her, his eyes heavy lidded. He closed them, but all he felt was the warmth of her breath on his cheek before he realized she was headed somewhere else. He panicked and caught her part way down. As he lifted her chin he was vaguely aware that his hand was trembling. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes and that was all it took to calm him. This wasn’t just anyone. This was Evy.

His Evy.

He let go of her chin with a soft stroke and gave himself up to her completely.

Evy forgot whatever nerves she had and took charge of the situation, placing one hand on her mate’s stomach and gently pushing him back. She looked up at those glowing eyes of his and watched him as she took him into her mouth. His abs tightened under her hand and he slammed his head back against the wall. A glorious howl left his throat, the chords in his strong neck in sharp relief. It was the most incredible sound she’d ever heard. All at once, she couldn’t get enough of him. She licked at his most delicate skin, letting her tongue swirl along his shaft as she did. There was something so unexpectedly erotic about it. Maybe it was that he trusted her. But once she found his rhythm, she drove him fiercely, his breath coming in short bursts, his powerful thighs flexing at her sides.