Nevermore (Crossbreed Series Book 6)

After brushing my teeth, I gargled with minty mouthwash and watched Christian in the bathroom mirror. He was toweling off his wet torso and arms after our steamy shower. I used to think the best way to wake up was a little hot coffee. But as it turns out, it’s gripping a towel bar with Christian kneeling in front of me and my leg draped over his shoulder.

He came up behind me and kissed my neck while pulling my hips against him. “I could get used to sleeping if this is what I have to wake up to.”

I spat mouthwash into the sink. “Sorry if you got bored lying there all night.”

“On the contrary, watching you sleep is highly arousing,” he said, still kissing my neck. “You make a little moan in the back of your throat whenever you roll over. Gets me hard every time.”

I turned on my heel when I felt his fingers slide beneath the latch of my bra. “We had a nice night, but it’s time to face the music. You need to get dressed. Viktor’s probably waiting for us, and I want to get this over with before I get an ulcer.”

“Immortals don’t get ulcers.”

“I’ll be the first.”

Christian cupped my face in his hands and gently stroked my cheeks with his thumbs. I melted a little when he held me in his rapt gaze. “About our conversation last night, I do have one rule I’ll ask of you.”

“What’s that? Morning showers?”

He centered his eyes on mine. “You can never compare yourself to other women.”

“Who says I do?”

“Don’t be daft. You’re always asking what I like in a woman, and whether you realize it or not, you’re comparing yourself to them. And I especially don’t want you comparing yourself to her. Lenore is not what I desire. If you want to know the kind of woman I fantasize about, you need only look in the mirror.”

“Even with my torn jeans and slutty dresses?”

“Especially with your slutty dresses. And don’t forget the big knickers.”

I choked out a laugh. “I’m never going to live those down, am I?”

“As far as I’m concerned, your fanny is holy ground. Anything that shields it is mine enemy.”

I squeezed his ass. “You’re funny. Now go get dressed.”

While Christian swaggered off to his bedroom, I finished towel drying my hair and put on a pair of jeans. I thought about packing my bags in case Viktor had already made up his mind and had a Vampire waiting down there to scrub our memories, but I decided to trust that if Viktor had come to that decision, he would give us an opportunity to gather our things and make plans. I didn’t want to wind up back on the streets, so I’d have to call Crush and tell him to find me so we could have that conversation all over again about him being a trusted human.

What worried me most was Christian. With his memory of Keystone erased, he’d be alone, and Lenore would seize that opportunity like a fox in a henhouse.

Or would she?

I still couldn’t figure out her angle, and she didn’t strike me as the type who disclosed her plans, assuming she had any. It was possible that she had none and simply liked screwing people over as a hobby.

After slipping on a maroon long-sleeve shirt that hugged my body, I sat down on the bed and put on my boots. My heart was pounding, and I took a few deep breaths to calm down. Talk about bad timing. I still had to pay off General. If Viktor wanted us out, would he let me tie up loose ends? I couldn’t afford to have a memory wipe before settling my father’s debt. If only Christian had pulled me aside before showing off his new tattoo last night.

Deciding not to wait for Christian, I flashed down the hall and descended the stairs. When I reached the dining room, I stared at an empty table. Kira had set out the plates, but there wasn’t a soul in sight, not even in the gathering room.

“Hello?” I turned on my heel and headed into the main foyer, cocking my head to see if I could hear something. They might have been upstairs in Wyatt’s office, but that would be unusual at this hour in the morning.

Gem appeared at the end of the front hall that led to the east wing. She waved her hand and then disappeared.

I flashed to the end of the hall and veered left. The sun poured through the blue windows along the right-hand wall, and I was reminded of my first day at Keystone. What the hell were they doing back here? The only place I could think of they might be was in Shepherd’s room, but when I turned down his hall, his bedroom door was closed. I followed the sound of voices to the room on the end and discovered everyone milling about in what I thought was a storage room.

When I reached the threshold, I leaned against the doorjamb. “Wow. This looks amazing.”

“Shep did it,” Wyatt said. “Didn’t even invite me to help.”

“You mean watch.” Shepherd stood up from the chair on the right and circled the bed. “I don’t need a supervisor.”

Viktor faced the window overlooking the courtyard, but I couldn’t see his reflection in the glass to read his expression. Blue and Gem were lounging on the bed while the others were just standing around, gaping at the décor. Shepherd had done an outstanding job at converting this into a livable space for a child. It was drastically different in comparison to the previous room Hunter had lived in. So much personality, color, and whimsy.

“You should put moons and stars on the ceiling,” Wyatt suggested, hands on his hips. “You can get those glow-in-the-dark things.”

“Or the tiny twinkle lights,” Gem added. “They’re easy to tape up there. I’d help, but I’m vertically challenged.”

Across the room, Shepherd leaned against the bookshelf, his arm resting over the top. “Everything in here has to run on batteries. I thought about solar lights, but I’m not sure how much sun he’ll get through the windows in the afternoon. I don’t want candles in here. Fire hazard and all that.”

“Where’s the kid?” I asked.

Claude gestured to the floor. When I drifted farther in and peered over the bed, I spied Hunter lying on his stomach across a blue rug. He flipped the page in a book and marveled at a pirate ship.

“Claude, you’re gonna break that thing,” Shepherd said. “Get out.”

Claude stood up from the bucket seat, and it stuck to his ass for a second before dislodging and toppling over. “Maybe you need to put more chairs in here. It’s a little unfurnished.”

Shepherd gave him a reproachful look. “This isn’t a hangout. And nobody comes in here without knocking first. We all have privacy, and he deserves the same respect. This is his domain, not ours. I just bought what he needed to get him started, but it’s up to him to decide if he wants more chairs or a motherfucking swing.”

Wyatt looked up at the ceiling. “A swing would be kickass. I wonder if I could put one in my room. Or a hammock.”

All eyes steered to the doorway. Christian’s black Henley shirt was unbuttoned, as usual, and perhaps it was the panty-dropping smile on his face that left no question as to how we’d spent our night.

I looked around unapologetically.

Viktor finally turned away from the window, hands tucked in the pockets of his olive chinos. The grey ribbed sweater over his shirt was a little disheveled at the bottom, but he always had that college-professor look. Never just a T-shirt and jeans. Maybe it was a psychological tactic to make us feel like his pupils.

It worked.

Christian studiously avoided his gaze, but it wasn’t disrespectful or disingenuous. In fact, quite the opposite. A Vampire avoiding eye contact was a way of assuring someone they weren’t going to charm them.

Viktor jingled a few coins in his pocket. “I have slept on this and given it much consideration. I created the rule about intimate relations to prevent conflict between partners. Relationships change things in a way that cannot be undone. Jealousy, anger, rejection—I do not wish to have these emotions in my house. They are destructive. Changes to our group are like a butterfly on an ocean. What is that saying?”

“The chaos theory,” Niko answered from his spot near the window.

“Da. Chaos. Butterflies. You understand my meaning.” Viktor scratched the back of his neck. “Shepherd is a good example. You see how the events came together? But I can no longer control the wave. I have given him the decision to either ride it or swim away.”

“The decision’s made,” Shepherd announced. “Hunter stays.”

Viktor’s accent thickened a little. “There is no rush to decide.”

Shepherd shifted his stance. “That’s the final word. I appreciate the choice, but I don’t need more time to think about what’s right.”

Viktor nodded but looked blindsided by the additional news. “As I have given Shepherd a chance, I shall also give you two a chance. I created rules to protect us and keep us bonded as a team. But if this relationship—what you two have—becomes destructive to this organization, I will remove you. I cannot set a rule for you to stay together forever, so if you two should separate, you must come to me with any issues you are unable to resolve. If I see you cannot work together as partners, I might be able to switch assignments. But you still must work together as a team. All of you. There must always be a resolution to any conflict.”

I cleared my throat, startled that we were actually staying. “You won’t have to worry about that, Viktor. I can’t guarantee what’ll happen, but I can promise you that if anything changes, you’ll be the first to know. Keystone is important enough to both of us that we can put aside our problems to get the job done. We were at each other’s throats when you first hired me on, and we did just fine.”

“She’s got a point,” Wyatt remarked, hands in his jean pockets. “She even went looking for Christian’s grave after you kicked her out. Remember? If Raven hadn’t found him, he’d still be in a crypt, singing the bottles of beer on a wall song.”

Blue stood up, and the heels of her knee-high boots tapped on the floor. “Does this mean they stay?”

“More importantly,” Wyatt interjected, putting his arm around Blue, “does this mean the rule is obsolete?”

Blue knocked his arm off. “Do that again and I’ll cut off your hand with my tomahawk.”

“That’s not the hand I need anyhow.” He crossed the room to stand near Christian.

Viktor sighed. “I fear by making an exception to one rule that no one will respect any of the rules.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Blue gripped his arm. “You have good intentions with your rules, and you’re a wise enough leader to consider when exceptions are appropriate. We respect you for not treating us like soldiers.”

“So this means we stay?” I asked, needing to hear the words come out of his mouth.

“I have too much invested to lose you for such a frivolous infraction. Yes, you stay. But heed my warning. If your relationship crumbles, I will not see Keystone crumble with it.”

I flew back on the bed and bounced against the mattress. “Oh, thank God. My life flashed before my eyes.” I covered my face for a second before sitting up. “Just so everyone here knows, my father’s in serious debt. And before you ask, it’s not because he squandered his money. I’m helping him pay off the jackass who decided that stealing his truck and beating him senseless was good incentive to make him pay up.”

Claude frowned and set his shoulders back. “What? He hurt your father?”

“Almost killed him. He’s human, so I can’t take any chances with something else happening.” I looked to Viktor. “Scrubbing my memory would have been bad timing. Don’t worry—I’m taking care of everything.”

“With your savings?” he asked, a reproachful look in his eyes.

“No. I’m selling something valuable that’ll cover it. I just thought you guys should know what’s going on and one reason I’ve been away so long. My father spent his entire life taking care of others, and now it’s my turn to take care of him. If I look stressed out, it’s not because something’s brewing between Christian and me. We’re fine.”

Viktor stroked his beard. “Is this a… How you say?” Viktor said a Russian word and looked at Gem.

“Loan shark,” she answered.

While crossing the room, he turned and wagged his finger at me. “You be careful with those people. They are as dangerous as the criminals we catch. Pay the debt and cut ties as soon as you can. They have a way of digging in their heels when they see money, and if he knows you work with an organization, he might suspect you have access to a fortune.”

Had I mentioned Keystone to General? I couldn’t remember. But with time running out, I needed to find out if Lenore had any information on the auction.

Shepherd held out his hand. “Come on, little man. Let’s get you some chow.”

It was endearing to see Shepherd’s soft side. He’d always been an intimidating guy who didn’t say much. He basically lived in the gym so he could look like a fighter. But when he held Hunter’s little hand and led him out of the room, I realized that nobody was who they seemed to be.

While everyone filed out behind him, I stood up and pulled Viktor aside.

“Thanks, Viktor. I feel like you keep giving me second chances, so I hope I’m not letting you down. We really didn’t mean for this to happen.”

He patted my cheek. “One never means for love to happen.”

“I sure as hell didn’t. Especially not with a Vamp.”

Christian squared his shoulders. “When will you stop using that infernal word?”

“The day it stops bothering you?”

Viktor chuckled. “Good to see nothing has changed. Come and let us dine together so I can explain all the sex rules.”