Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (21 page)

I laughed as he set me away from him and studied my face, taking my lips captive.

The thought entered my head that this would lead to sex. Here we were, in my house, Trent was naked and kissing me. It seemed like time stood still as I weighed the question of to have sex or not to have sex. Was I ready? I wasn’t sure.

I’d only had sex once and it had been with an exchange student in the tenth grade…in the back of my mom’s station wagon. And it had been quick and painful—the guy basically pumping in me like a horny Chihuahua on your leg. Then he’d jerked as if he’d been shot, screamed something in Italian, and collapsed on my chest. It took me a good six months to redevelop a liking for Italian food.

It’s difficult to try and weigh a situation at the same time you’re kissing someone. Finally, I made the decision that I wasn’t ready. I didn’t love Trent and the stupid truth was that I was saving myself for someone I loved. Not marriage…I’d just settle for love. That was good enough for me.

“Are you nervous? You’re shaking,” he said as his lips seared the flesh behind my ear.

There was no use in lying. “Yes,” I responded as he pulled me closer to him. “I’m just not ready.”

“We don’t have to do this, Jolie.”

I smiled, silently appreciating the fact that he was making this easy on me.

“Can you do something about some clothes for me then?” he asked with a chuckle.

I smiled and imagined him in a pair of khakis, nothing else. I opened my eyes and he stoo before me, inspecting the pants with appreciation.

“Not bad. How’s the quality?”

I laughed. “Pretty good. I could give Banana Republic a run for their money.”

He kissed me again. The heat from his naked chest seemed to emanate through me, insulating me from the cold draftiness of my house.

“Can I stay here tonight?” he asked. A bolt of lightning lit the sky followed by a round of thunder. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought Trent had choreographed the whole thing.

“Of course, you can even sleep in my bed… as long as you behave yourself,” I added with a smile.

THIRTEEN

It sounded like a brigade of soldiers was pounding on my front door. So much for sleeping in.

“Damn it,” I snapped and smiled apologetically at Trent who lounged in my bed. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’m counting on it.”

I threw my pink robe over my Victoria’s Secret pjs and hurried into the living room. It could be one of two people, Christa or Rand. Dear God, please let it be Christa. Flipping on the outside light, I found Rand standing on my doorstep, rain trailing down the harsh planes of his face.

He was the last person I wanted to see. I pulled the robe closer around myself and wished I’d closed my bedroom door, not wanting to draw any attention to the half-naked man currently lying on my bed. Cracking the front door open, I poked my head out, wondering what in the hell could be the matter. Before I could say a word, he took the liberty of pushing the door wide and stepped over my feet.

“What the bloody hell happened to you, Jolie? I took a walk through the grounds and found this.” He held up a piece of tattered blouse. It was the one I’d been wearing before turning into my animal form had shredded it to bits.

I didn’t get a chance to wonder why Rand had decided to take a walk on my side of the woods, which was at least two miles from his property and in the pouring rain, no less.

“I got into a little trouble and had to call on my fox.”

If I could’ve paid someone five hundred dollars to clear Rand out of my living room, I would’ve gladly paid it. Crap, I would’ve paid a thousand. And in pounds…

“What sort of trouble?” he asked with raised brow and narrowed eyes.

“Werewolf trouble,” Trent answered, strolling toward us, still dressed only in his pants.

My stomach dropped at the sight of him. Why couldn’t he have stayed in my bedroom and mindeis own damned business? I shook my head and faced Rand again, noting the surprise that registered in his eyes.

Even though Rand had a good four inches or more on him, Trent seemed just as dangerous. Rand’s nostrils flared slightly and his hands curled into fists. He looked so incredibly angry, it wouldn’t have surprised me if steam had come out of his ears. Angry or not, he was quickly deducing what had just gone on—with Trent standing half-naked and me in my pjs and robe, it wasn’t difficult to guess. His aura began to tinge with purple.

I wanted to tell him that nothing had happened, that we’d just slept in the same bed, but I knew I couldn’t. Besides, my love life was none of his concern. Let him think Trent and I had had sex, maybe it might even be the impetus we both needed to truly consider one another as only employee and employer.

“I see,” he said, clearing his throat. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

I hazarded a glance at Trent and he wore his smugness as if it were the newest in men’s cologne. His arrogance irritated me, and I dropped my gaze to the ground, not especially thrilled with meeting the ire in Rand’s face either.

“I’m alright, Rand. The wolf was after Trent, not me,” I said apologetically, realizing that I wasn’t apologizing so much for the fact that Rand had found my blouse, but more so, for the situation. Then I chided myself for acting in the least bit repentant. I didn’t owe Rand any sort of apology.

“Then why did you have to shape shift?” he asked with tight lips.

“The wolf was after me, as she said,” Trent answered and Rand’s body was tight. “But upon seeing our little witch here, I imagine he decided it’d make Bella extra proud if he brought her back as well.”

Trent draped a casual arm around me, and I instinctively leaned further away. Rand flinched at the mention of me as their “little witch,” but didn’t miss a beat before he was on to his next question.

“And the wolf? Is it dead?” His gaze rested on me even though Trent had assumed the role of responder.

“No, Trent let him get away,” I said and shrugged out of Trent’s hold, grabbing Plum as she lazily walked past Rand. The cat was so surprised, she didn’t even get the chance to meow in resistance.

The purple in Rand’s aura had now usurped the blue. “You bloody well let him get away?” he repeated, and by the tone of his voice, I supposed letting the wolf go hadn’t been what he wanted to hear. “Now he’ll return to Bella and tell her where Jolie lives.”

Trent took a seat on the arm of the sofa, one side of his mouth quirked in a smile like he thought he was Elvis or something. “I wanted the wolf to deliver a message—if he comes after me or Jolie again, I’ll come after Bella.”

Apparently, Trent thought that was a good rebuttal as he wore a certain defiance that stretched from his narrowed eyes to his crossed arms. It sounded dumb to me. I figured it sounded really dumb to Rand.

Rand laughed, and the laugh said that Trent a dumbass by all measures. “You could never defeat Bella, she’s too strong for you. What a foolish…”

Before this became wolf vs. warlock, I thought I should intervene. “It’s done, Rand, and Bella would’ve found out where we were inevitably. You said so yourself.”

“I didn’t imagine it would be this quick,” he snapped and then paused before turning toward me. “Jolie, may I have a word with you please?” His gaze returned to the barely-clad Trent. “In private?”

“Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of me. She’s my woman,” Trent answered in a constricted tone, his face taking on a reddish hue. The cat started complaining, probably because I was holding her too tight, but I made no motion to release her. My thoughts were still trying to digest what Trent had just said. His woman? It reminded me of something Tarzan would say.

After the initial shock wore away, I was left to ponder it. We’d never discussed our relationship. I guess it made sense though—we’d only been dating each other—well, again, that was a guess. I’d only been dating him and hoped he wasn’t dating anyone else. Maybe I was his woman? His Jane?

The news didn’t sit well with Rand who, at this point, was fuming, his ears beet red. The cat continued to undulate in my arms, but I paid her no heed.

“For Christ’s sake, let the bloody cat go!” Rand all but yelled.

Shocked, I put the cat down, and she retreated to the far corner of the room, looking at me like I was the worst of pet owners. Rand’s murderous gaze returned to Trent.

“Regardless of what she is to you, she is first and foremost my employee, and our business doesn’t involve you.”

Before Trent had the opportunity for rebuttal, I stepped between the two of them and faced Trent. “I’ll just be a second. If it’s work related, it’s important.”

Even though he didn’t look happy about it, he nodded, his eyes never leaving Rand’s. I took Rand’s hand—more so to remove him from my house than as a show of affection. I led him back outside where the rain had begun to let up and now just bathed the ground in a light dew.

“Did you have to be so rude?” I asked as soon as we were alone.

“Rude? I wasn’t being rude. I was concerned for your safety and…”

“Well, regardless, you weren’t friendly,” I interrupted, wrapping my arms around myself. England was damn cold.

“And what the hell were you doing traipsing through the forest in the rain anyway?”

The anger melted out of his gaze and was replaced with a cold embarrassment as he seemed to struggle to find an excuse. “I was taking a walk.”

I shook my head as a smile played with my lips. “In the middle of the pouring rain? I’ve never seen you take a walk before…”

“Yes, I decided to get some fresh air!” he interrupted, and his voice was back to being angry—I guessed he wasn’t comfortable with the fact that I could see through his alibi like a pair of shorts with a hole.

“Okay, okay.”

Rand looked like he was about to argue, but then thought better of it and swallowed the sentiment. “It’s true what he said—that you’re…his?”

Ah yes, that meant he caught on to the “Me Tarzan, you my woman” conversation. It was a good question and one I hadn’t really decided myself. It would’ve been nice had Trent consulted me, but I guess I didn’t object to being his girlfriend, or his woman as the case may be.

“Well, I guess so, I mean we never talked about it, but I guess it’s true.”

Rand was quiet for a moment, and then his expression turned into one a librarian would give a noisy child. “Then you have disregarded my advice that the wolf can’t be trusted. He’s bloody well put your life in jeopardy…”

“Bella would’ve come after me anyway,” I muttered even though I doubted the intelligence of Trent’s actions, myself.

“Jolie,” he looked away, and his jaw was tight. He faced me again, and I could tell it was taking his entire wherewithal not to scream at me. “Sometimes you are so stubborn.”

I laughed, but it was a hollow and caustic sound. “I’m stubborn? You, Rand, are the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.”

He sighed in what I figured was frustration. “There’s no use arguing with you. I hope you just keep your eyes open and don’t trust him.” When it appeared I was going to bicker with him, he intercepted. “Anyway, I’m sorry I disturbed you as I didn’t think you had company.”

He turned on his heel and started to walk away. I was about to call after him, to attempt to reconcile any damage I’d done, but I realized it was fruitless. I needed to let Rand go. He needed to know I was with someone else. But watching him walk down the driveway, I didn’t feel especially good about my decision.

#

One week later and it seemed Bella’s preparations for a unionized front of otherworldly creatures was coming down to the wire. Now, it wasn’t just werewolves who were seeking refuge in England—a multitude of creatures sought haven in the neutrality of Europe.

Every time I turned around, I heard news of a new pack of wolves or a group of vampires—a gaggle of vampires?—making their home in Rand’s territory. The fairies still kept to themselves, playing it as neutral as Switzerland, and I hadn’t learned of any demons who were heading this way.

Trent and I sat across from two werewolves who’d escaped from the U.S. to join ranks with Trent. In a matter of days, Trent’s pack had tripled in size. While the new numbers had pleased him to no end, I hadn’t been as excited. My time with Trent was rare enough as it was, and now he was so busy, I felt like I didn’t even have a boyfrind.

The two wolves with whom we were having dinner were old friends of Trent’s, from a pack he’d known since childhood. They were a brother and sister, Jeffrey and Anne, both dark in hair and eyes and nice looking. Anne had a heart shaped face with a bit of a wide nose and large looming eyes. Her dark hair fell down to her waist and like most wolves, it was thick and luxurious. Jeffrey also shared the same thick and dark hair and though his wasn’t quite as long as his sister’s, it still graced his shoulders and required a band to keep it out of his face.

From the look of it, Anne seemed to be harboring quite the affection for Trent—it was there in the way she watched him with her doe eyes and how she giggled after everything he said, funny or not. I wasn’t jealous, maybe a little bit, but only by the fact that she knew him far better than I did. That and she was spending a lot more time with him than I was. Of course, it was all in the name of building a solid pack, but still…I didn’t have to like it.

“How many more wolves are migrating over?” I asked as I sipped my drink, feigning interest in the conversation. My mind was swimming with thoughts more along the line of this woman, her relationship with Trent and exactly how well acquainted she was with him.

Trent faced me, and his hand went to my thigh, squeezing it.

Take that werewolf girl
, I thought, and then got annoyed with myself for being so petty.

“We have no way of knowing until they get here, but it seems they’re either siding with Bella or seeking refuge here. There’s no in between,” Jeffrey said.

“Meanwhile the Lurkers have struck again,” Trent said with a frown.

I watched a fire ignite behind Anne’s eyes as she watched him. I would’ve bet fifty bucks she had no idea what he’d just said. I could almost read her thoughts and they all centered around what a catch Trent was, now that he was leader of a very large pack.

“They were the group of humans sworn to destroy all creatures of the Underworld?” I asked, forcing my eyes from Anne, lest she notice the anger that sparked in their depths.

Trent nodded, his arm going around my shoulders.

“Great, more good news,” I muttered, playing with the ice in my glass.

“Where?” Jeffrey asked, ignoring my comment.

“Arizona. They killed two vampires,” Anne finished. Wow, so she had been paying attention. I guess I’d have to eat humble pie.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to separate ourselves from Bella’s forces when there seems to be a larger threat looming above us?” I asked. Even though I didn’t have the warm fuzzies about Bella and recognized her for the witch (ha ha) she was, it seemed a dangerous proposition to separate ourselves when the Lurkers could attack again at any time. We would be much stronger as a collective force.

“Of course it isn’t the best situation, but we don’t have an alternative. Bella’s made her inteions clear and she’s playing by her rules. We’ll have to face her and then the Lurkers,” Jeffrey said.

Luckily, it seemed the Lurkers weren’t organized in their attacks. They were more guerilla warfare style, taking out random creatures here and there with no military precision whatsoever. Not that I was up on military tactics at all…only a few years ago I’d learned guerilla warfare had nothing to do with monkeys.