Creature of Habit (Book 3) (4 page)

Chapter 7

Amelia

“Are you kidding me?” Grant asked, standing in the doorway of the living room. Disgust was etched in the perfect features of his face.

“I asked him to shift. I wanted to see it,” I explained.

“That has nothing to do with the fact there’s a cat sleeping on my chair. My antique Adrian Pearsall.” In a swift move he tossed the now-awake cat into the air.

Adam, the cat, flew several feet and then shifted mid-air from the mid-sized gray cat to an over-sized man.  I cringed, expecting him to crash into the far wall, but he landed smoothly on all-fours, teeth bared in a hiss.

His arms bulged (beneath his still intact clothing—must be part of the magic) and I looked back at Grant to find him in a similar pose, chest puffed in rage. Jumping from my seat, I stood between them.

“Stop! No. Absolutely not!” I yelled. “Grant, it’s my fault Adam shifted into cat form. And, well, cats love to sleep on expensive furniture. It’s not a big deal.”

Grant calmed, moving to a less offensive position. Adam mirrored his pose. He reached for his coat (draped over the edge of what I now knew as an
antique
Adrian Pearsall chair) and tugged it on.

“Yes, well sorry about that,” Grant said, the hard lines in his face softening. “Everything go smoothly tonight?”

“Not a peep,” I replied. “Thank you for staying with me, Adam.”

Adam gave me a hard look, clearly still convinced I was out of my mind for being here in the first place. “If you need anything, let us know,” he said, more to me than Grant.

“We will,” I said.

Grant and I followed him to the door. The instant he left I sighed and said, “Really?”

“I apologize,” he said immediately. “That was childish and reactionary, something that seems to have overtaken me lately.”

“Just a little.” I reached for him and pulled him close. On closer inspection he looked tired. Tense. “How did the meeting go?”

“The Council isn’t happy with how I’m handling things.”

“Like the massacre at the camp ground? I can see where they’d have a problem with that.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You heard about that?”

“Yes. Sounded like it was terrible.”

He shook his head and averted his eyes. “You have no idea.”

“No,” I agreed. Irritation flared once again. “How could I since you didn’t tell me anything about it?”

He stepped forward and buried his head against my neck. “I won’t lie to you, Amelia, but you can’t keep me from trying to protect you from the vicious side of this life if I can. The images from last night? I’d give anything to have them wiped away.”

“I understand,” I whispered.

He moved to kiss me, jaw strong, tongue desperate. The relief I felt when his mouth met mine was instantaneous.

“As much as I’d like to continue this,” he said, coming in once more and licking my bottom lip, “we need to get on the road back to the house. Tomorrow is a big day. I’ll fill you in once we get to the car.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “Are you going after Caleb?”

He rubbed his hair. “We’ve got forty-eight hours to end this. I plan on doing it in less than twenty-four.”

“Just like that? After all this time?”

The resolve in his violet eyes was clear. “Just like that.”

Chapter 8

Grant

Back in Black Mountain, Amelia went to my room while I plotted the next day with Ryan and Elijah, who had finally come home.  He needed the night to get his head back in the game.

“Do you think he’ll be ready?” I asked Miles. We observed Elijah and Ryan spar in the training room.  It was a good match up. Elijah could come after Ryan with full force, channel all his rage, and never fully take the bigger man down.

“Like the rest of us, I’m not sure he has much choice,” he said.

I started back up the stairs. “Where are Noor and Xavier?”

“Genevieve is touring them through the territory, visiting each of the crime scenes. It should take them most of the night.”

“Then what?”

“Then hopefully they’ll leave.”

I frowned. “How likely is that?”

“I don’t think they’ll stick around—not now.  Neither will want to get their hands dirty if it comes to it. They’re more apt to send in a clean-up crew if necessary.”

I paused in the living room, zeroing in on the faint pulse of Amelia’s heartbeat floors above. “Noor caught me alone earlier,” I told him. “She made some interesting comments.”

Miles laughed. “I can only imagine.”

“Why didn’t you tell me The Council had such an interest in me?” I asked.

“I’m not sure ‘The Council’ does,” he said. “But Noor? She typically has her own agenda.”

I try to catch his eye, figure out what he was attempting to say. “What kind of agenda?”

He shrugged.

“Great,” I muttered, scratching my chin.

“Don’t let it bother you, Grant. Noor isn’t a threat. If anything, she’s just another distraction. I suggest you ignore her for the time being. I suspect, if anything, you simply fascinate her.” He smiled, knowing everything he just said would do nothing to assuage my concerns. “Go find Amelia. Spend the evening with her.”

“Thank you,” I said, hoping the two words could convey all that I owed him.

He nodded and disappeared back down to the training room with the others. I turned the opposite direction, toward the living creature waiting for me upstairs.

~*~

Thump, thump, thump… pounded the soles of my feet, bounding up the stairs, skipping three steps at once.

Thump, thump, thump
… beat the pulse of her heart, calling me three floors away, like a beacon, guiding me home.

Pushing the door open quietly, I found Amelia upstairs, in my old room, hunched over the laptop. The keys clicked against her fingers and she was aided only by a small desk lamp on the top of the wide, sleek desk, facing the huge window that overlooked the river behind the house. The room was angled oddly, with dormer alcoves and a slanted ceiling, but the tall windows made it feel bigger than one would expect.

The laptop hummed with life, casting a bluish glow that tinted and haloed her face, giving her an ethereal feeling. She was nothing less than a goddess, a heart thumping, blood pumping, breath-taking goddess.

I sucked in the familiar smell of the room, faint traces of the past, books and fabric, mingling now with my favorite scent: Amelia. She smelled like soap and lemon, warmth and blood. I darted my tongue in the air and tasted my own lingering trace on her, some residing deeper than others, and I felt a compulsion to be with her urgently and completely. Time rushed past us, slipping away quickly, and I needed her before… before they tried to separate us. Before day broke and the Shifters arrived.

I wanted my own stink on her before we separated. I needed to make her mine once more.

I closed the door with a click, causing her to tilt her head my way, glancing over her shoulder. I moved across the room, at my own speed, running my fingers under her hair, twisting it into a bunch and inhaled her, deep and delicious.

"Grant!" she gasped, surprised.  Her heart hammered in excitement. I continued to use my speed to my advantage, whirling her desk chair around with my foot, never letting my hands leave her face. I planted my lips on hers, pushing my own air into her mouth. I wanted to sustain her, as she sustained me.

Animals marked their territory in a variety of ways. Dogs and cats sprayed urine, bears flaunted their size by scarring trees with their claws, while deer and antelope rubbed their fur on trees and leaves. Each had a way of leaving their scent and odor for other creatures to find. Vampires do the same. I wanted the animals to know she was mine. I wanted Caleb to understand who he was challenging when he dared to threaten her. I needed the Shifters to appreciate her value. Amelia's connection to me had to be undeniable and known immediately to anyone that crossed her path.

Dropping to my knees, I pulled her down off the chair. "I need you," I muttered between kisses, groping her body. I was afraid for a moment she would run, overwhelmed by my aggression, but instead she came at me with vigor, pulling my shirt at the collar. The buttons strained and I reached for her wrists and yanked, pulling it apart. The plastic circles rained to the ground, disappearing into the carpet.

Bare-chested, I removed her shirt over her head and impatiently tore off the straps of her bra, one string at a time. I nudged her to the floor, where she sprawled, her elbows cushioned by the soft cotton loops of the carpet.

“God, you’re beautiful,” I said, tugging her pants past her knees. I kissed her knees and licked her inner thighs as she kicked them off her feet. Her pale skin glowed in the dim light and I ran my hands over every, single, inch of her. Then I lifted her hips, opening her body to mine.

Mine.

My body shook and she made a feral sound like an animal. A small cat perhaps, purring under my touch, mewling as I teased. My inner beast reared, hard and strained, wanting to be in her, on her, all over her.

"Mine,” I choked, the words splitting the air in two, deep and guttural. Amelia responded with her teeth and nails, clamping the former on my chest, moaning as she attempted to bury them hard and sharp into my flesh. Her nails scraped down my back, digging at my indestructible skin.

Splayed on the floor below me, Amelia tilted her hips in the air, bending her knees and spreading her thighs wide across the plush carpet. Her breaths were quick and fragrant, coating the air with a heady perfume that made me dizzy. I fought against the familiar desire as she reached for my buckle, tugging frantically at the leather with shaking hands. Taking her hands in mine, I licked her palms, covering her with my scent before thumbing my button and removing the final barrier between us.

"Now," she demanded, running her hands over my thighs, dipping them under my erection. Her fingers lingered on the sensitive skin.

My cock had a mind of its own, looking for its territory, its home and Amelia reached for it—guiding me with confidence. With one solid push I was in: ice covered in warmth, hard wrapped in soft, death swallowed by life. I paused, eyes closed, struggling for composure. The need to push my way closer was overwhelming. I was strong. I could tear her in two with one thrust. My body wanted it, my dick, raging, begged for it. The animal deep inside taunted and baited and dared me to push the limits.

I cracked an eye and saw her under me, red-faced and intent, eyes wide and filled with love and trust, and before I could tell her to stop, to let me breath in a feeble attempt to control my urges, she welcomed me in further, daring me to meet the challenge of her body, her humanness. Amelia lay beneath me. My lover, friend, and mate.

Focusing on her eyes, I realized my fingers were clenched in the threads of the carpet and I shook them loose, coils of thread dropping to the ground. I forced myself to relax, concentrating on the woman below me, her love and presence. I needed balance, a place between the monster and the man. With my eyes pinned to hers, I placed my hands over her hips, my thumbs gently covering tender spots of her flesh and met her movement. The words, "I love you," tumbled from my lips as I began to pound into her rhythmically.

“And I you,” she whispered, her eyelids closing. I marveled at her tiny nose scrunching with concentration. I leaned over to lick her puffy red lips and felt the slap of her breasts as they met my chest. As her warmth clenched around me, my body reacted with force to each movement, every roll of her hips, eliciting a deep groan of pleasure that I buried in the top of her head.

I pulled away from Amelia, who was breathing heavily, her body still pulsating beneath me. “Are you okay?” I asked, always afraid.

She astonished me by opening her eyes and giving me a lazy grin before she ran the back of her hand over her forehead, and asked, "What was that?"

I rolled to my side, reaching my hand out and resting my palm over her thundering heart. I didn't want to tell her about our plan for tomorrow. I didn't want to leave her. I wanted us to hole up here or at my house or in a cave in the mountains or across the world in a tiny hut in the middle of the jungle. But I couldn't and Miles was right. I had to help my family and I had to make hard choices.

I kissed her lips softy, making up for the harshness from before, and rubbed the side of her stomach with my finger. "That was me desperate. And afraid. That was me wanting you so badly and not knowing the right way to show it."

She tilted her head in confusion, her eyes narrowing, and propped up on her elbows. "Why are you desperate and afraid? And Grant that was perfect. Just unexpected, that's all," she said, and kissed me solidly on the lips, once again assuring me with nothing more than her words and her touch.

Chapter 9

Amelia

I lay on my side, my elbow pressed into the soft carpet, and watched the angel next to me. As always, he struggled with his demons. Resting my hand on the emptiness of my lower belly, I missed him already, even though he was across from me. I'd never felt closer yet farther from someone before. Now that I had experienced him inside of me there was no comparison.

"Promise we'll do that again," I asked, tracing the contours of his chest. There was something about our lovemaking that was thrilling. It wasn't quite the declaration of love from our first time, yet it was more than just sex. There was more of Grant this time, raw and instinctive. I craved that side of him.

He glanced to the side, and I watched as his mouth smiled, but his eyes remained tight. "I promise."

I held onto his words like a contract, binding and unbreakable.

We dressed quickly, Grant helping me with my clothing, his speedy fingers buttoning and tugging and zipping faster than mine. He smoothed my hair and rubbed my cheek and kissed my lips every time he had the chance. I watched him disappear into the closet across the room and come back out smoothing his hands over a clean shirt.

“I found something while you were downstairs,” I said.

“About Caleb?”

“No, Sebastian.”

He frowned. “What is it?”

“I was going over the police reports—hoping something would pop up about Caleb or Olivia. Instead a bulletin pinged from some keywords I entered.” I walked over to the computer and pointed at the screen.  “A man was seen fighting with another man near the train tracks in West Virginia. Two railroad workers witnessed the altercation and thought it was probably two homeless men. Apparently they’re common in the area. When the rail workers got closer one man lit the other on fire.”

“Gruesome,” Grant said. “But I’m not following.”

“Well, it seems the body that caught on fire? Completely incinerated. Nothing left but ash. The other man got away, but not before the worker was able to give a description.”

“What did he look like?”

I looked at Grant. “He specifically said the man’s features were blurry and hard to make out. But that a sudden horn sounded from one of the trains, surprising everyone. While the man burned to death, his attacker’s face shone in the light—his very scarred face.”

“You think it was Sebastian?” he asked.

“Yeah, I do,” I said. “The way the guy described the blurriness? That’s what it was like when Sebastian fought those vampires with me the other night. It was like looking through some kind of distorted glass.”

He rubbed his head. “Why would he kill someone? Bass isn’t the type to look for trouble.”

“He wasn’t human was he?”

“No, the way the body ignited… sounds like a vampire. There’s usually little evidence of a body when we’re burned.”

“Maybe,” I said, looking for the right words, “maybe he’s had a breakdown or something.”

“It’s possible,” he agreed. “Don’t say anything to Ryan about this—not yet. We’ve got to get through the next twenty-four hours and then we can deal with Sebastian.”

“Okay.”

His phone rang and he quickly pulled it from his pocket.

"Ryan," he answered with raised eyebrows. Speak of the devil.

I watched as his jaw clenched and tightened. I couldn't hear the words on the other end, but Ryan was speaking quickly and excitedly about something. I tugged on his belt, hoping he'd give me some kind of sign.

"Stay there. We'll meet you as soon as we can get there," he said, and listened once more, his fingers rested on my collarbone and he began rubbing the smooth skin over the bone.

"No, don't go after him. Once we reach you we can all fan out and follow his trail. I don't want to risk losing anyone else," Grant ordered, his voice full of authority. "Call Miles and tell him." He put the phone away, wrapping his steel arms solidly around my shoulders. All the tension we'd worked to remove was back, seeping into his muscles.

"What happened?" I asked, almost afraid to know.

"Ryan and Elijah were in the woods, hunting," he explained, his chin resting on the top of my head.

“I thought they’d come back already?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “That was my discrete way of saying they gave us a little privacy.”

“Oh.”

Oh.

"Right. Anyway, Ryan picked up the trail of a herd of antelope when Elijah took off, in the opposite direction. Ryan thought he had a line on other prey but when he couldn't locate him, he caught the trail himself and realized it wasn't food Elijah was after."

I pulled my head back to see Grant's face, hoping seeing him would make his words clearer, but instead all I found was his beautiful face twisted in distress. "What was it? What did he smell?" I ran my fingers down his cheek.

He uttered the one name I never would have guessed, "Olivia."

"Olivia?" I questioned, shocked by this news.

"I don't know what it means. It could be her or just a trap. Caleb has proven he loves to play games," he explained, his eyes flashing with anger.

I watched as he turned from me and walked to the window, his hand running through his hair with agitation. He paused, and I could see his refection in the black glass. His eyes were closed in thought.

"I'm going to help look for him," he told me from across the room, his back facing me.

"Okay," I said, fear automatically twisting in my stomach.

He walked back over to me and his jaw clenched, making the definition sharper. "Miles and I talked about it earlier. Everyone agrees splitting up may be the best way to get Caleb to show his face. We need to divide and weaken his gang.”

The feeling in my stomach tightened, but I kept my face composed and said, "If he thinks it's best, I guess you should." It was a lie. The thought of Grant leaving my side again completely freaked me out. Grant saw through my façade immediately, my traitorous voice and panicked heart having quivered enough to give me away.

Grant ran his thumb up my arm and nestled it in the crease of my elbow, rubbing gently before kissing the same spot. "You won't be here alone."

"Adam?" I asked, feeling a little better but noticed Grant stiffen at his name.

“Yes, and probably a couple others. It’s likely there will be an attempt this time.” He watched for my reaction carefully. “I wouldn’t leave you alone if I had another choice.”

"I know. Obviously the Shifters have powers but will they really be effective against more than one vampire?" I asked. I thought about Joe in the parking garage and the flock of birds that took him down. The crease in Grant’s forehead didn’t help my worry.

"I think it has to be this way. The Council has made it clear the situation with Caleb has to come to an end immediately. We have to make our move to get Olivia back now.”

“I understand.”

“I promise you'll be safe. The Shifters are born to fight vampires and have evolved to defend their territory against our kind. If Ryan and Elijah have really caught onto Olivia’s scent then it all could be moot. We may end this before it begins. And you being here is probably the safest place you can be, and as much as I hate to say it, being away from me is probably better anyway." Grant stretched his fingers over mine, enclosing my small hands with his larger ones.

I shook my head and found his troubled eyes. "No, being away from you will never be the better option." I sighed and rested my head on his chest.  He wrapped his long arms around me and pulled me close against his body. I inhaled the fresh clean scent of his shirt. "But if you and Miles agree, then I'm okay with it."

We held one another for a minute, our bodies tight with tension, neither wanting to let go. I wanted to weld my body to his, fuse our arms and legs and hips and cheeks. I wanted the moments before, back when was Grant on me, in me and all around me. I looked up to see him studying me intently and was struck with a realization.

"You came up here because you knew you were leaving. That's where that came from," I accused, motioning to the floor, now understanding his desperation and fervor.

He met my words with a look of defiant guilt. "I don't want to leave you," he mumbled, sheepishly. "I'm not sure when I'll be back."

I crawled off his lap and reached for his arms, pretending to lug him off the floor. "You have to. But the sooner you go, the faster you'll be back. I have faith in you all. You will find Olivia and destroy Caleb and you and I will live happily ever after." I forced myself to push through the pain and worry. Grant needed to focus, for his family and for his own safety. "I would never want your concern for me to outweigh your family commitment."

“You are my family, Amelia.”

His hand grazed my arm, ghosting down until he settled his fingers over my wrist, over my pulse. His eyes held mine lovingly, but I saw his eyebrow twitch and his head shift slightly upward.

"What?" I whispered, now able to read Grant's movements.

He walked across the room, dragging me behind him. "It's Genevieve," he said, and opened the door, coming face to face with her.

“The Council?” he asked.

“They’re gone. On a flight back to Europe.”

“Good,” he said, the tension leaving his shoulders. “Do you need something?”

Without a glance in my direction, she spoke to Grant so fast I had a hard time understanding her. "I found the jeweler that designed the brooch. The letter H is for Halle, a designer in Louisiana, New Orleans, specifically," she said, thrusting some paperwork at Grant. "They're closed now but had quite a thriving business in the early 1900s, through the depression."

Grant's forehead creased. "Anything else?"

"Since they are closed and the piece was made so long ago, there’s obviously no direct information to gather, but I found a description in an antique jeweler's guide. Apparently this type of brooch with an initial was popular for debutantes. It was common to use the initial from a girl's surname."

"You mean girls in big white dresses and gloves?" I asked, envisioning movies I'd seen.

They both nodded and Grant said, "Thank you, Genevieve. Ryan just called and he needs our help." He turned towards me. "Do you think you could do some research on this while we're gone?"

"Of course," I replied, feeling the tightening in my stomach return at the thought of him leaving.

Grant packed up my laptop, and we traveled down to the main floor, where the others waited for us. Grant glanced towards the front door and scowled slightly, and I realized there were people on the porch.

"Who's out there?" I asked.

Grant clenched his jaw and shot Miles, who was walking towards the door, a look. "Adam and another man I haven’t met.”

"Amelia," Miles called and motioned me towards him. I walked across the room and he continued, "You know Adam. This is David. They are going to stay with you while we meet the others."

I nodded and took in the second Shifter. He was a bit younger than Adam, but had the same blue eyes and dark skin, like the rest of the people from Lost Cove. He gave me a genuine smile, lacking the smug smirk Adam wore so easily. "Nice to meet you, Amelia,” he said.

Adam strode into the room with the same confident stride as the last time I saw him. “David is going to patrol the cabin and grounds,” he announced. “We’ll have Shifters covering the perimeter, and I'll stay inside with you."

"I've got some work to take care of so whatever you want to do is fine," I said, feeling Grant's eyes boring into the side of my head. Adam shrugged and walked into the living room, plopping himself down on the couch, and picked up a magazine on the coffee table.

I felt him move forward a step, but I placed a hand on his chest, stopping him. “It’s fine,” I said, ignoring the rumbling growl in his chest.

To my surprise, Miles and Genevieve both came over and gave me a quick hug before leaving to meet the other Shifters outside, leaving me and Grant alone.

"Good luck," I called after them, wishing I could do something to help. More and more, I realized it sucked being a lowly human in a world of super-skilled, supernatural heavyweights.

Grant circled his arms around my waist and pulled me close. "Look, I'll be back as soon as I can. Keep your phone nearby and call me if you need anything. Please don't hesitate." He glanced over my shoulder towards Adam and leaned into my ear. In a tight whisper he said, "Down the main hall, third door on the left, under the stairs, is a door that goes to the training room. At the bottom of the stairs there is a hidden door to the right, behind the camping gear. If anything happens, you go directly there and wait for me. It’s a safe room. There are rations and supplies to hold you over until I can get back."

"Grant, I don't think—“ I started, and he pressed his fingers to my lips.

"Promise me," he demanded, looking at me with concerned eyes.

I nodded and kissed his fingertips. "I promise."

He rested his forehead on mine and hugged me tightly before kissing me softly on the lips, whispering, "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said in return, looping my fingers around his back.