Hierarchy (22 page)

She decided it probably wasn’t him, but then she didn’t think it was her. Nanna was gone. Nanna had reached her through the spell she’d woven before her death, but there hadn’t been anything to indicate that she was still nearby, watching over her, beyond that spell.

She lifted her head on a sudden thought and glanced around at the room.

The house?

Was that just too absurd?

* * * *

Hopefulness surged through Bronwyn when she heard a car slow in front of her house and then turn in. Drying her hands on a dishtowel, she rushed to the front of her apartment and peered out of her window. She hoped it was either Luke or one of her
132 former boarders returning. She was so shocked to see that it was her own car parked in her driveway that moments passed before she could drag her gaze from the stranger in the driver’s seat to the dark sedan that had parked behind her car.

Uneasiness flickered through her the moment it dawned on her that they were either cops or FBI, which amounted to the same thing.

She’d hoped she’d seen the last of them, but she hadn’t really believed that she had.

There didn’t seem to be much point in hiding in the house and hoping they’d go away. Releasing a huff of breath, she dropped the towel and went out onto the front porch to head them off.

Oddly enough, the two agents—a tall, dark haired man and a tall brown haired woman—stopped in almost the same spot that Luke, Constantine, and Caleb had halted the night they’d discovered the house was enveloped in a protection spell.

A look of shock washed over them. They turned to look at one another questioningly.

Frowning uneasily, Bronwyn moved to the edge of the porch and sat down. “Can I help you?” she asked ungraciously.

The agents turned to study her speculatively. It was the man who spoke. “I’m Special Agent Carl Monks and this is my partner, Special Agent Killian Smith.”

Bronwyn nodded, waiting.

Monks gestured toward her car. “We came to return your property.”

“I see that.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “And to apologize on behalf of the agency for what happened.”

Bronwyn unbent slightly, but she didn’t believe it for a moment. “And?”

Monks and Smith exchanged another look. “If we could come in and speak with you for a few minutes?”

In spite of everything, Bronwyn felt a touch of amusement. “I don’t know, can you?”

Frustration flickered over Monks’ face. “Apparently not,” he said wryly. “If you’d invite us in …?”

Bronwyn lifted her brows, studying them curiously. “You certainly aren’t vampires or you wouldn’t be out in the daylight. Are you two some kind of paranormals I haven’t heard about?”

Excitement flickered through Monks’ eyes. Smith’s merely hardened with suspicion. “Funny you should ask that ….”

“You don’t look amused.”

He looked disconcerted. “I was hoping bringing the car would be sort of a peace offering and you’d agree to talk.”

Bronwyn gave him a sour look. “You thought bringing me my own property, which your people
stole
, was going to make me feel friendly?”

“Actually, it was the PD that impounded it—as evidence.”

“Evidence that I don’t have a lot of money?” Bronwyn asked dryly. “Because that’s the only thing they could’ve determined from rifling through my belongings.”

“You aren’t going to let us through this … whatever it is, are you?”

Relief filled her that he’d finally confirmed her suspicions. “Oh, I’ve got nothing
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to do with it. I think it’s the house. It doesn’t seem to trust that you aren’t a threat to me.”

He seemed to consider the situation for several moments. Bronwyn was actually surprised that he hadn’t even questioned her statement, let alone scoffed at it. “What if we leave the guns in the car?”

Bronwyn shrugged. “I suppose you could try it, but I don’t really think it’s the guns. You two don’t have any paranormal abilities?”

“Just our wits,” Smith said dryly when she finally spoke up.

Bronwyn smiled at her. “You aren’t armed very well, then, are you?”

Smith looked thoroughly pissed off when that sank in. She turned to her partner.

“This is a waste of time.”

He shrugged when she stalked off and got into the black sedan. “I’d just like to tie up a few loose ends if you’re willing to talk.”

“What do you want to know?”

“What sort of paranormal activity are we dealing with in the city?”

“What makes you think you’re dealing with any sort of paranormal activity at all?

Or that it’s confined to one city, for that matter?”

“So it isn’t just localized?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“What happened to you in the city? I know you were in protective custody,” he continued before she could counter his question with another question. “I also know that something happened that was about as far from ‘normal’ gang activity as it could get.”

“Really? What do you think happened then?”

“Witnesses claimed to have seen some sort of monsters leaping from rooftop to roof. And I have to tell you that I don’t believe for a minute it was just gang members that wreaked the destruction I saw.”

“Well, I didn’t see anything like that,” she said firmly.

“So what happened?”

She shrugged. “I don’t really know. It was dark. I don’t see well at night. The agents left and I left.”

“The female inside with you said she remembered a man. She didn’t actually remember anything else, but she remembered his eyes—and she saw something else that scared the wits out of her.”

“Poor thing! She wasn’t actually hurt, though?”

“Not unless you consider that she had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized for it being hurt.”

“That’s awful! But she’ll be alright?”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m thinking the ‘man’ she saw wasn’t a man at all. He was a vampire and he mesmerized her—and that’s why she doesn’t remember anything but his ‘intense’ gaze. I also believe that the ‘monsters’ that managed to live through a hail of bullets and still overcome nearly a dozen agents were werewolves. And the one that made off with you, jumping such unbelievable distances was also a werewolf.”

Bronwyn managed a scoffing laugh. “Really? You don’t actually believe in werewolves and vampires?”

“I actually do,” he said coolly. “And I’m not the only one. We’re actually considering forming a special team to deal with these ‘creatures’ that seem to consider
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that our laws don’t apply to them and do pretty much whatever they please
when
they please.”

Bronwyn shook her head and rose. “Men! They always want to be in control of everything!”

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It was
really
unfortunate that she didn’t know how to weave spells, Bronwyn thought irritably. Between Luke, Constantine, and the snooping FBI agent, she had to stay holed up in her boarding house for nearly a week to avoid them. She supposed she should’ve been happy that she at least didn’t have to hide from Caleb, but she was almost as unhappy about that as she was that she couldn’t leave her house without running the risk of being waylaid by the others.

Despite the fact that she’d made sure her house was well stocked, she’d begun to think the siege would last until she ran out of food. After a few days, though, they were more conspicuous by their absence than their presence.

She decided to wait a few more days before venturing out—just in case. She couldn’t stay in the house forever, though.

Constantine was actually the easiest to avoid. She was usually inside at night anyway and he couldn’t go outside during the day without risking painful burns.

Of course, she thought ruefully, that wouldn’t stop him from sending some of his minions to grab her. There were plenty of them, vampire hopefuls, willing to do just about anything if there was a chance they would be rewarded by being converted.

She hadn’t considered that possibility, though, until she came out of the grocery store burdened with two grocery bags. She was grabbed and tossed into the back of a van before she could manage more than a yelp of surprise.

True panic didn’t set in, however, until they bound her, gagged her, and pulled a bag over her head.

She was pretty sure that Luke wouldn’t have gone to such lengths, even if he
did
think she was beginning to wield magic.

It seemed a little extreme for the cops or the FBI.

She’d begun to fear that some really bad people had kidnapped her for purposes she just didn’t want to consider long before the ride ended and the two men who’d grabbed her hauled her from the van and carried her inside. She thought she heard them pass other people, but she didn’t hear any music to indicate that she’d been taken to the club.

Finally, she felt herself lowered and felt the yield of a mattress beneath her.

Relief flooded her, at least momentarily, when she heard Constantine’s voice.

“What the bloody hell?”

The bag was snatched off her head, taking several stray hairs with it. She squinted her eyes, both from the sudden light and the sting of pulled hair.

“You …
morons!
” Constantine roared. “If you’ve hurt her, you will be
begging
me for death long before I allow it!”

He settled beside her on the bed, removed her binding and the gag with such a minimum of effort that she knew he’d used his powers, and then he searched her carefully with his hands.

“I’m not hurt,” she managed to say. “Don’t kill them. Let me!”

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Amusement flickered in Constantine’s eyes briefly but vanished almost as quickly. He turned to survey the two men now cowering near the door and trying to get up the nerve to attempt an escape. “Out! I’ll deal with you two later!”

Bronwyn sat up, rubbing her wrists. “You
sent
them to kidnap me?” she demanded, outraged.

His anger was defensive. “I wouldn’t have had to if you were the least bit reasonable,” he said coolly, “though why I should expect you to be, I can’t imagine. You never have been!”

Bronwyn glared at him. “I’m
completely
reasonable!”

“Yes! I saw that in the way you’ve been holed up in that bloody enchanted boarding house of yours for weeks on end, refusing to even speak to me!”

Bronwyn sniffed. “There is no point in talking to you. Besides, the damned FBI were snooping around … and Luke.”

“I notice you didn’t mention the Raja,” he said dryly. “Or were you just hiding out from the rest of us?”

“I wasn’t hiding out, damn it!”

“Exactly what would you call it, then?”

She considered it sulkily. “Weariness of the fight,” she said finally, her shoulders slumping.

He studied her for several moments in silence and finally grasped her shoulders, carrying her down onto the mattress and settling his chest against hers. “You could always surrender,” he murmured, dipping his head to suck tiny bites along her throat.

A shiver skated through her. “I want to ….”

“But?”

She studied his gaze earnestly when he lifted his head. “Do you care about me at all?” she asked a little wistfully.

His gaze flickered over her face. “I hope you don’t think that I would tolerate Luky Lycans’ antics for five minutes if I didn’t,” he said wryly, adding in a gentler tone,

“I adore you. You’re going to be the mother of my child.”

Bronwyn rolled her eyes and uttered a disgusted huff, but a lump of misery had collected in her throat and made it hard to swallow.

“Why am I not surprised?” he muttered. “You’ve never believed any compliment I ever gave you. Why should I expect you to believe anything I say? I’m damned if I can understand why you don’t, though. What motive would I have to lie?”

Bronwyn looked at him doubtfully. “Seduction?”

He frowned thoughtfully for a moment. “Ah. I see your point. It would be something you were used to, or at least had encountered,” he said dryly. “I have always relied upon my powers to enthrall, however, on the rare occasion when … ah …

inventiveness was necessary to achieve my goal. I never found lying essential for seduction. You might consider that.”

He rolled off of her. Capturing her gaze as he stood beside the bed, he removed his clothes, dropping each article without regard for where they fell. When he was naked, he climbed in beside her again and settled on his back, tucking his arms behind his head. “Behold me—totally at your mercy,” he murmured.

Bronwyn stared at him blankly for a moment before she recalled their last conversation.

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She allowed her gaze to wander his length.

She
had
promised.

Sitting up decisively, she removed her clothing. When she’d pushed her shoes off and skimmed out of her jeans, she straddled his thighs, holding his gaze as she peeled her shirt and bra off.

Her belly went weightless as she gazed up his length. As slender as he was, he wasn’t skinny by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, he was lean muscle all over.

She stroked his washboard abs lightly, studying his cock as it rose at her first touch and strained toward her. As cocks went, she thought his was quite possibly the most beautiful one she’d ever seen—not that she’d seen many—but it was definitely pleasing to behold, a thick, smooth shaft topped by a rounded head in perfect proportion to the shaft.

She curled the fingers of both hands around his member, stroking slowly up and down for several moments before she removed one hand to lightly massage his scrotum.

When she looked up at his face, his eyes were half closed, glittering with rising desire.

Releasing his cock, she leaned over him, propping herself on her hands while she explored his throat and chest with her lips, her tongue and light nips of her teeth. She didn’t linger long anywhere, but worked a steady path downward, inching her hips along his thighs, until she reached her goal again. His cock lifted, nudging her chin, as if begging for attention.

She smiled inwardly and teased him a little longer by nibbling his belly before she took him into her mouth. His hips rose from the bed when her mouth closed over the head of his cock. She sucked only the tip for several moments, holding the shaft with one hand to guide it, teasing him by tracing the ridge where the head met the shaft with her tongue.

His hands settled on her head, his fingers tangling momentarily in her hair before he seemed to recall he’d offered to give himself up to her mercy. He dropped his hands to the bed on either side of his hips.

She took him deeply into her mouth then, sucking hard as she withdrew. His fingers curled into claws and dug into the mattress. An involuntary grunt escaped him.

Shivers of excitement tingled through her. Her belly clenched, warm moisture flowing into her passage.

Warming to her task, Bronwyn settled lower, balancing on her belly so that she could use both hands and her mouth, using her mouth to add heat and moisture while she stroked his cock rhythmically from root to tip with her hands, making certain she applied enough pressure all the way around to stimulate every nerve ending.

He began to shift restlessly beneath her, pumping his hips in counter several times before he recalled his promise, clawing at the sheets while he tried to remain still for her.

His rising fever fed hers. Her focus shifted abruptly from pleasing him to pleasing herself and she worked his flesh more feverishly, trying to pull him toward release.

Abruptly, he released a pent up growl and jackknifed upright. Grabbing her, he bore her down on the bed and surged into her in one desperate motion. She gasped as their bodies connected, lifting her hips to meet his next thrust.

His cock glided through her hot, wet passage to her core, setting off tremors of pleasure within her that made her gasp and clutch at him a little frantically. He either caught the desperation of her touch or he was so nearly mindless with his own pursuit he
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couldn’t prevent himself from setting a desperate pace. It was immaterial. She came within moments, and he followed her before her climax had hit its peak and begun to subside.

He was still panting for breath when he pushed himself away from her to study her face. Apparently satisfied, he moved to the bed beside her, dragging her against his length. “That was a bloody near thing,” he muttered wryly.

Bronwyn smiled against his chest. “Damned straight! I thought I was going to come before you could get inside of me.”

He froze for a moment and finally chuckled. “You are an atrocious liar, Bronwyn Williams! If my performance had been any worse, you would’ve been well within your rights to boot me out of your bed.”

“It isn’t my bed,” she murmured.

“Splitting hairs.”

She lifted her head, folding her hands on his chest and propping her chin on them.

“You might give me a little credit, you know.”

His lifted his brows at her. “I’ll give you a lot of credit for nearly bringing us to disaster. A few moments more and I would’ve been done and you would’ve been outdone.”

“What makes you think I would’ve been outdone?” she murmured, smiling at him.

He sent her a curious look. Lifting a hand, he smoothed her hair and then stroked a strand behind her ear. “
I
would’ve been outdone. You have no idea how badly I want to make love to you with everything I have, everything that I am. I love the look of ecstasy on your face when I’m making love to you, and yet it’s so fleeting. If I could, I would make love to you all night long, hold you at the very peak of rapture endlessly, give you more ecstasy than you can imagine.”

Bronwyn felt a shiver rake through her. “It can’t be better than what I feel with you now.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps not—but not as fleeting either.”

She shook her head at him, but leaned forward to kiss his shoulder. “That’s what seconds are for.”

He rolled to face her, nudging her off of his chest and onto her side. Bending his arm, he propped his head in his hand and studied her for a long moment. “Seconds?”

She smiled. “Mmmhmm.”

“This holds promise,” he murmured, settling his free hand at her waist and coasting it over her hip.

He made love to her more leisurely, bringing them both to culmination once more only after they’d teased and caressed each other endlessly. When they’d finally caught their breath, he asked with a trace of amusement. “Is there any such thing as thirds?”

Bronwyn groaned.

Constantine chuckled, popping her ass playfully. “Maybe I should feed you?”

She perked up a little at that, and then gasped in dismay. “My groceries! I’d just come out of the grocery store when they grabbed me.”

Constantine’s good humor vanished. “Not to worry. They won’t make that mistake again—in fact any.”

“You aren’t really going to … do anything awful to them, are you?” she asked,
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her expression troubled.

He looked at her in surprise and displeasure and finally rolled from the bed to get dressed. “You should get dressed. I want to feed you before I take you home and it’s getting close to dawn.”

Bronwyn found the bathroom to clean up before she dressed. By the time she’d emerged Constantine was dressed and waiting. He gathered her close for a moment before he led her from the room. “What do you think I should do to them?” he asked with the air of someone running out of patience.

“Fire them for incompetence,” she said promptly.

He sent her a strange look and finally shrugged. He chuckled as he escorted her upstairs, however, and she felt a little uneasy about that.

She discovered to her surprise they’d been in the basement of the restaurant he’d taken her to before. That explained why she hadn’t heard anything indicating it to be the club, since it wasn’t, and she was still surprised that she hadn’t heard the guests he must have had when she’d been brought in.