Oracle Seeing (The Phoenix Files Book 2) (11 page)

Could life and fate be that cruel?

“Let me hold back the storm, Avalon.”

“Nathaniel.”

He followed and dropped to his knees in front of her. He knew she was aware of where he was, simply by how she stared down at him. Nate took her hand in his. “I love you. I need you in my life.”

“You wanted a big wedding, Nathaniel.”

“
NO
! I wanted that for you. I simply wanted you, Avi. I’ve only always wanted you. Please be my wife and elope with me tonight.”

“No, Nathaniel. I can’t elope with you and marry you tonight.”

His heart crushed in his chest.

The woman he loved was having his baby, and now she wouldn’t marry him.

What the hell?

His aura morphed, and Avalon was ready to fix what was broken.

She knelt before him. “I want a wedding. I have my dress. Maura and I picked it out and it’s gorgeous. I want to walk down the aisle toward you. I want to take my vows in front of everyone. I’ve already begun writing them,” she admitted, tapping her head. “They’re what every girl dreams of, even me.”

He started breathing again.

She wasn’t putting the kybosh on a wedding—simply explaining what she really wanted. Nate would listen and make sure she got it.

“When I was locked away for all those years, I dreamt of you. I didn’t know it would be you, but I knew I wanted a wedding if I ever got the chance. I knew that this one thing would be mine, and I wouldn’t be different anymore. I could have that one normalcy in my life. I’d have a man who loved me, and my wedding day.”

He touched her stomach. “Avi.”

“Let’s do it when we get home. Let’s have it at Fire Bay. I want everyone there we love. I don’t need the universe, or a fancy place. I want you, me, and our child.”

“You can have anything you want. If you want to walk down that aisle, Avi, then I want that for you. If you want the cake, the music, and the dancing, then I want that too.”

She did.

Avalon wanted it all. She also wanted it where their hearts lived, and that was their home.

Yet, in that moment, there was only one thing she was really focused on, and it was the man before her. He was sweet, gentle, protective, and her sexy older man.

He was also the father of her child.

Avalon had one request.

“Make love to me, Nathaniel. I want to feel your mouth against mine, your body protecting me, and the love we always share when we touch.”

“Avalon, I’ve missed you.”

“I’m sorry you thought I didn’t want you anymore. There really was a lot on my mind. Now I’m free.”

He understood.

He was too.

Scooping her up, he carried her to their bed. Together, they tumbled to the mattress in a tangle of limbs and her hair. Whenever they came together, it was always like this.

That heat.

That need.

It overwhelmed them.

As Nate left kisses across her neck and throat, Avalon tugged at his clothes, trying to get him free. She had him out of his shirt and her hands in his pants before he realized it.

“Oh God! Never stop,” he begged. “I love when you touch me, Avi. It chases away all the fears.”

Now he got why she was holding Lucian’s hand. She did the same for him, just on a more intimate level.

Avalon was feeling wild, crazy, and so very free.

“I want to be on top,” she said, rolling with him. When she found herself perched across his hips, her laughter filled the room. Shaking out her long red hair, she got ready to enjoy their celebration.

Nate watched the love of his life. It gave him peace.

She was back.

His Avalon had returned to him.

“Well now what?” he asked, staring up at her.

She knew what she wanted.

Avalon needed to taste him. Sliding backward, she found the top of his jeans with her fingers and flicked her wrist.

Nate moaned.

She was really good at this. His fiancée had perfected this skill beyond his expectations. In a short time, she’d learned everything she could about pleasing him.

She definitely knew how to drive him insane.

As she pulled him free of his pants, he couldn’t look away. When the tip of her tongue caressed the head of his dick, he whispered her name, like it was some spell.

Then he closed his eyes and buckled up for one hell of a ride. Avalon’s mouth was making short work of his control. With very little effort, she managed to make him beg like a horny teenager.

“Jesus! More. Give me more! I never want a day without this,” he said, as she worked him hard. He swore he was going to write her a sonnet as soon as his eyes uncrossed, and he could string coherent words together.

Then she squeezed his balls, and he nearly came. It took everything he had to hold on.

“AVALON!
Who taught you that?”

He popped free of her mouth and she started laughing. “Maura told me to try it.”

“I’ll tell her thank you later.”

And he would.

She went back to work. Touching her fiancé drove Avalon crazy. She was heated up herself.

This was amazing.

It never got boring or old. Each day they were together, it was a beautiful thing. Touching him fed something in her.

The stress was gone.

Avalon simply had to grow a baby, get married, stop a killer, and get home alive.

All in a day’s work.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he muttered, pulling the sweater from her body. Beneath, she was wearing a sweet pink bra.

It was innocent.

It was Avalon.

Yeah, before she began one hell of a blowjob. She was going to be the death of him if she kept it up. His heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to explode in his chest.

It wasn’t about the sex.

It was about the love.

“You need to ride me. I need to be in you,” he muttered. “If I can’t feel myself buried in you, I’m going to lose my mind.”

She didn’t hesitate.

Instead, she stood and slowly started stripping.

He watched, mesmerized at the way she was seducing him.

“Maura gave you a lot more lessons than you’ve let on, hasn’t she?”

“Yes, is it working? I told her I needed to spice things up, and since I can’t Google things like this, I needed someone to teach me.”

Was it working?

Hell yeah, it was.

Nate was barely in control. To prove it, he held nothing back. “I swear to God, Avi, I’m going to hold you down, bury myself in you, and fuck you for hours.”

She giggled, falling back onto the bed. She loved when he was all riled up and talked dirty to her. It proved how far gone he really was.

The second she hit the bed, Nate rolled, pinning her beneath him.

It looked like he was going to make good with his promise. She couldn’t move.

“I want you.”

“Then have me.”

It was as simple as that.

As he pressed her into the mattress with his body, he used his free hand to tug down his jeans. Nate wasn’t completely naked, but it would have to do. He needed her now and didn’t want to take the time to get undressed.

They had celebrating to do.

He wanted his fiancée.

“Hurry, Nathaniel! I can’t wait!”

He definitely felt the same way.

As Avalon’s legs wrapped around his now bare hips, he found his way to Heaven. He didn’t hesitate. Instead, he slid home, claiming the woman he loved.

“Oh God!” she shouted, as he filled her.

Nate didn’t hold anything back. With the love of his life, he never would. Slowly, he began working himself in and out of her body, trying to bring them both to the edge. With each stroke, he became wilder, crazier, and filled with more need. Truth be told, he wanted to fall with her, and he wanted Avalon screaming his name.

God!

He loved the way his name sounded mingled with her breathy gasps of pleasure. He drove into her, refusing to slow down.

As her nails found their way into his shoulders, her body bowed beneath his in the age-old dance.

They were one.

They were forever meant to be.

“Harder!” she begged, holding onto him for dear life.

That alone made him wild.

He loved how Avalon could be sweet, a minx, or insane. She was a wild card, and he always looked forward to when they fell into bed.

When she tugged him down, whispering in his ear, he nearly came right then and there.

Did she just say…?

She kept talking, and with each dirty innuendo and sexy fantasy, he got closer and closer to the release. When she told him what she wanted next time, he lost it.

Nate exploded apart, taking Avalon with him over the edge. It was the hottest thing she’d ever said in bed while they were making love.

He would never forget it.

How could he?

Mere words made him cum like a twenty-year-old frat boy.

Hallelujah.

Today was a damn good day in Nate Carter’s world, and it was all because of Avalon.

As they floated back to reality, they silently laid there, twined around each other.

When Avalon saw his aura still burning hot, she knew that he was still tongue tied and dwelling on what she’d said during sex.

“Too much?” she asked, cuddling against him.

He laughed.

Yeah, that was never going to be a problem.

“You’re out of control. Who told you to say those things?” he asked.

“I came up with them myself. Did I do them right?”

Nate stared down at her beneath him. “Avalon, you could never do them wrong. That was so damn hot.”

She kissed him. “Wait until you see what Maura bought me to use on you.”

“A Taser?” he asked, running his fingers over her very flat stomach where the tiny little life was just beginning to grow. With the Marine, he wouldn’t be shocked.

“No, they’re really slutty panties. I don’t get why you’d even bother wearing panties without crotches, but she said they’d work.”

He stared at her trying to figure out if she was serious or if she was yanking his chain.

“Will they work or is she messing with me? With Maura, it’s really hard to tell.”

He started laughing. “I love you.”

“That didn’t answer my question.”

He was well aware. “I guess you’ll have to try them out and see how it goes, now won’t you? The best part of learning new things, Avalon, is testing out the theory.”

She grinned. “Maybe later?”

“You have them here?” He looked around, wondering where she’d stashed them.

“Maybe.”

“How slutty is slutty?” he asked.

“Very. She described them, and I feel dirty just owning them.”

“Dirty can be good.”

She giggled. “Then I’ll be dirty.”

He laughed, and then he cuddled closer to the woman he loved. “Avalon Miller, you’re the most amazing woman in the world, and I’m going to be lucky to have you as my wife.”

“Promise you’ll always feel that way about me, Nathaniel? Even when we’re old?”

He almost pointed out that he was old, but then why ruin the moment. Maybe forty was the new thirty, even for men.

“With the last breath in my body, you’ll still be my only reason to go on. You’ll always own my heart.”

That was all she had to hear.

Avalon was set.

She had her man.

She had her freedom, and she was going to give birth to their child.

It didn’t get any better than that.

Chapter Five

Thursday Early

Morning

Graymoor

It was the screech of alarms going off that woke everyone in the large, old manor. It reverberated through the walls, making the place shake with the sound of what could be likened to an air raid siren.

As they stumbled out of their rooms, Jagger and Maura were already dressed, holding guns, and ready to get down to business.

Luke wasn’t that far behind as he tugged on his boots, and then zipped up his fly.

In the hall, they all met at the top of the stairs. Lucian was heading their way, and he looked concerned.

“What the hell is that?” Nate asked, keeping Avalon tucked closely to his side. She was dressed like an apparition and he wanted to keep an eye on her.

Lucian was shocked.

This had never happened before.

“That’s the alarm. Someone has tried to get over the gate. They’ve tripped it.”

That was all the team had to hear.

The shit had just got real.

Nate went into work mode. This is what they did best—protection.

“Luke, you, Maura, and Jagger find out what’s going on. I’ll stay here with Lucian and Avalon. I’ll keep them safe.”

“I can handle my own problems,” Lucian stated. He lifted his shirt, and they could see the butt of a gun sticking out from the band of his pants.

Yeah, Nate didn’t give a damn. Most shootings happened when a gun owner accidentally shot himself, or someone they knew.

He wasn’t risking it.

The fact that the man had a loaded gun pointed at his junk didn’t help ease his concerns. That was the one place you
NEVER
tucked a loaded gun.

“Go!” he ordered, ignoring the man.

They took off, running down the stairs, into the grand hall, and right for whatever danger was lurking outside the home.

Avalon was shaking.

“Are you cold?” Nate asked, running his hand up and down her arm.

“A little.”

“We can take her into the den. I can light a fire. These old houses get cold and drafty,” Lucian offered.

Nate held her hand, even though she didn’t need it. She was obviously using Lucian’s eyes again. She navigated the stairs without a problem.

“Does this happen often?” she asked, once they were in the den.

“I think it’s only happened one other time, and that was when some kids had heard about me, and they want to find the monster at Graymoor Manor.”

What could they say to that?

Lucian Monroe was hell bent on believing he was nothing more than a beast. Now wasn’t the time to argue. They had bigger issues.

“Would you like some brandy?” he offered. “It might warm you up quicker. It’s going to take me some time to get the fire started.”

That intrigued her.

“I’ve never had brandy,” she admitted. “That might be nice.”

Yeah, over Nate’s dead body.

“No, she’s going to pass.”

They both looked over.

“Nathaniel, I don’t think…”

“Alcohol is bad for pregnant women, Avalon. You can’t drink until after you deliver our child. Then you can have brandy if you want it.”

She felt horrible.

This was what she was talking about earlier. How did she not know she couldn’t drink?

“I’m sorry,” she offered.

“About?” Nate asked, watching the windows and doors for any sign of trouble.

“I didn’t know.”

“That you were pregnant?” Lucian asked, confused by the whole thing.

“No, about not being able to have alcohol.”

Avalon thought about it. She was glad Nate was around to help her. She was going to need him a lot in the future until she learned everything she could.

Avalon wondered if there were baby books in Braille.

“I never knew that. Thank you, Nate.”

At first, he wasn’t sure how she was going to react to him telling her about the booze. With Avalon, it could go either way. She might see it as her not knowing enough, or as some information to squirrel away as she learned.

“I’ve got your back, Avi.”

She smiled brightly at him. “I never had a doubt.”

Nate relaxed. It looked like she wasn’t going to take his correction the wrong way. So far, so good. There were no pregnancy hormones to be seen.

“Congrats on the pregnancy,” Lucian said, pouring himself some brandy. “Would you care for some?” he asked the man.

When Nate shook his head, he took a seat not far from Avalon.

“Thank you. We just found out. Graymoor isn’t a bad place after all, Lucian. It’ll be the place we’ll always think about when we remember how we learned of our pregnancy.”

“I’m glad it could bring someone peace.”

Apparently, it didn’t work with his bloodline—only complete strangers.

Why wasn’t he shocked?

As Nate was about to make a comment, his phone rang. He checked the display. “It’s Luke. Give me a second.”

He listened to the man tell him what they’d found. It didn’t sound good. This was a very bad sign. The only thing that kept him from flipping his shit was that Avalon was not a target, and being stuck behind the walls of the house was a good thing.

It was pretty secure, despite what had just happened.

“Send it over,” he said, before he hung up the phone.

Lucian was watching him. His one blue eye tracked him as he paced back and forth. The other eye was covered by the black patch.

“What’s wrong?”

“The killer’s been here.”

He sighed. “Well, this is going to be bad. I can already tell, just from the tone of your voice.”

Yeah, he could say that again.

“Can you look at this picture and tell me if it’s the victim you saw last night in your vision?”

“Sure.”

He handed him the phone.

“Is that Dale Plunkett?”

Lucian didn’t have to look at it long. He recognized the man, despite the damage.

“It’s him. Where did they find him?”

“Check the next picture.”

Lucian flipped to the next photo. Despite knowing what had been done to him, the bigger shot still stole his breath.

This killer was sick.

He’d never seen anything quite like this before, and that was saying a lot—considering what he had done for a living.

Hanging, arms stretched out, legs dangling beneath him, was Dale Plunkett. He’d been crucified on Lucian’s front gate.

He’d been right.

“Yeah, this is really bad.”

“We have to call in the law. The good news is we can make our presence known. The bad news is the sheriff is going to want to talk to you. The killer just pulled you into this, not us.”

He was aware.

That’s what concerned him. He was going to have to face Bishop. It was sad that she was his big fear. This killer had really screwed him over. In fact, this had gone from bad to worse in the span of a second.

“Are you okay?” Avalon asked, seeing his aura change. It had gone from greens to red.

He was thinking about someone.

“Yeah, I’m great.”

Lucian thought back to the vision he’d had earlier as he lay on his bed. It had been of Bishop.

She said she was coming to save him.

Was this part of it?

It looked like they were going to find out if it was going to come true. It was funny.

He was no longer afraid of the media, the body hanging on his tall wrought iron gate, or a killer.

He was afraid of Bishop.

He knew that she had the power to hurt him.

Again
.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

When she pulled up, she was met with one hell of a surprise. There were two Feds standing there with her deputies. They were talking to Alonzo Garcia about what was going on at the scene. As Bishop Killion got out of her vehicle, she could hear her deputy spilling his guts.

The only reason she didn’t bust him down to boot shining was because she was so damn glad to see the FBI.

Oh, and suspicious.

She didn’t call them in, and she knew Silas Reed wouldn’t usurp her authority and do it either. At this time of the night, the mayor was asleep in bed, dreaming of his whiskey and sexy women.

She had to play this just right. Dealing with the FBI could be tricky.

“Here’s the sheriff,” she heard the deputy say, so she took that as her cue to do her thing. While she wanted the FBI’s help, she wasn’t turning over jurisdiction.

It wasn’t happening.

She had a lot to prove.

Bishop was a female in a man’s world, and all eyes would be on her. In fact, they’d be measuring her against her father and how he would have handled it.

As she approached, the two Feds turned, and they weren’t smiling.

Great.

She probably got cranky agents. Like this could get any more difficult. This place was the
LAST
place she wanted to be. It was damp, late, and Graymoor.

Bishop knew who lived behind the gates. She’d tried to reach him before, only to be turned away. That was years ago, and she’d given up.

Then she had the dream.

Shit!

Shit!

Shit!

Bishop really hated when things like this came true. She believed in gifts because her family had one, but she didn’t have to like it. Right about now, she should be handing the control over and going home.

Dealing with Lucian Monroe was like trying to fight an uphill battle wearing lead boots. You got nowhere fast. She knew because she’d already suited up for this battle once before.

Needless to say, he’d won.

She’d walked away to lick her wounds.

“Hello, Sheriff,” the taller man offered, holding out his hand.

Bishop checked him out. He had dark wavy hair, and icy blue eyes. He was very handsome, and she hoped he didn’t try to use that to manipulate her.

She’d kick his ass.

“Hello, and you are?”

“I’m Director Nathaniel Carter, and I work for the FBI.” He and Luke flipped open their badges. “This is my partner, Special Agent Lucas Mars. We’re here to help out.”

She started laughing.

They looked at her.

“Alonzo, secure the perimeter. We have media heading this way, and if they get a shot, you get one, and I’m not talking about whiskey or tequila.”

He took off running like she’d make good on her threat. That told the Feds all they needed to know about her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Director, but I don’t believe I called you. So, unless the FBI has some crystal ball or a psychic on staff, do either of you care to tell me what you’re really doing here?”

Oh, if she only knew how right she was.

This is where he had to be careful. While Avalon was inside and safe, they couldn’t let word of her escape. It would alert the higher ups, who would alert the President.

They had to play this just right.

“We were called by our friend Lucian. He needed some help.”

She stared at him. “Really? Your friend Lucian?”

“Yes. He mentioned the killing that happened last night, the one with the judge, and when his alarm went off tonight, he called us. I don’t live far from Ravenswood.”

Her bullshit detector was going off.

“Are we talking about the same Lucian? Tall man, scar on his face?”

And sexy.

She still thought he was a handsome, cold devil. Bishop knew that no matter how much time passed, she’d still feel the same about him.

“Yes, that’s him.”

“Great. I’ll talk to him. I’m sure he’ll settle this and tell me exactly what you’ve just told me.”

Nate knew that wasn’t going to be a problem. He could hear Maura, at that moment, briefing Lucian. They were all mic’d up, and they could play hardball if need be.

“Maybe we should handle this here,” Luke offered.

She smiled at him. “Yeah, my coroner is on her way. She’ll handle the body, and I’ll handle the man in the big house. Since the gate is open, I’ll just stop in and say hello.”

She couldn’t believe after all this time, she was actually going to get behind the gate and close to the man. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.