Page 20 of April's Fool (Northarbor Coven Book 2)

Sweetwater

Amorandes

“Sir, you need to wake up.”

Groggily, I lifted my head. “What?” I whispered, trying not to wake my lover. Damon sprawled out, half lying on top of me. Carefully, I slid out from under him.

The sun, less intense than the human sun, was high in the sky. The light filtered through the shaded windows, bathing Damon in light. His formerly pale skin was now dotted with freckles and a hint of a golden tan. Our sun didn’t burn him the same as the human one did, for which I was grateful. I wouldn’t want anything in my home harming Damon.

I tiptoed to the door, aware of a pleasant ache in my muscles and ass from the second and third rounds we had gone the night before. Exhaustion was the only thing keeping us from each other. I yearned for Damon with an intensity that scared me.

Quietly, I unlocked the door and eased it open. “What?” I took a breath, my eyes closing as I fought for patience. “Sorry, that was rude. What can I help you with?”

“Sir, your phone must be on silent. The Alpha from the Sweetwater pack has been trying to contact you. There’s an auction for the heat club, Heatwave, today. Apparently, you were interested in buying it?” The words came out as a question and I sensed a lot of judgment there. I needed Gregoris back.

“Yes. I am buying it. It’s a fantastic opportunity for demons and shifters alike.”

“You have an hour to get there. They have sent a picture of an area where you can open a portal. Then they will take you to the club in time for the auction.”

“Fantastic, thank you!” I turned to gather my clothes. “What are we going to do about Damon? Should I wake him? He could come.”

“The young sir will be fine here until we return. There’s no time for the both of you to get ready. Plus, the human is untested. I want to do some training with him before we use him as security for you. Just ask him to stay in the rooms.”

Keren’s severe expression prevented me from arguing in favor of Damon joining us. I knew he would be an asset. He saw things differently to supernaturals. Plus, he had this natural charm that was ideal for setting people at ease. The Alpha had already met Damon and likely would prefer him to the gruff Keren .

I frowned. “That’s not very fair to Damon. I’ll contact Cody and ask someone to come get Damon. I’ll leave a gem so he can use a portal. Oh! Maybe Barr could take him back to the castle.” I swear I saw Keren roll his eyes at my planning.

“Sir, you are running short on time.” Now his patience was wearing thin. I was in for a scolding if I didn’t get a move on.

“Give me fifteen minutes.”

Quickly, I rushed through a shower, irrationally disappointed that Damon wasn’t there to share the hot water with me.

Damon had packed clothing for both of us. Sadly, none aside from the underwear was appropriate for what I was going to do. Last night’s suit would have to do. I was grateful I had taken Damon out to a nice place for dinner. Both of us had dressed for the occasion.

Our antics ruined my tie, so I borrowed Damon’s, which looked decidedly less crumpled.

Fully dressed, I went to the bed to rouse my lover. I needed a better term for him. Mate would be good, though it was far too soon to lay claim to the human.

“Damon, you need to wake up.”

His eyes snapped open, taking me in. “Everything okay?”

“I’ve got to head to Sweetwater. Heatwave is up for auction today.” I straightened as he got out of bed .

“Give me a few minutes and I’ll come with you.” He paused his journey to the bathroom, his ass looking delectable. It was a shame he didn’t like to bottom. I sensed trauma there, so I wasn’t going to push the issue.

“Hey, is that my tie?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“I thought my lover wouldn’t mind me borrowing it after we wrecked mine.”

“Fair enough.”

Damon was at the bathroom door when Keren’s voice came through the door clearly. “The pack is expecting just the two of us. Someone will collect you, Master Damon.”

His face fell at my bodyguard’s careless words. Perhaps the old demon should be in retirement. If I couldn’t have Gregoris, then perhaps I needed someone younger, more like-minded to me.

Mama would sort it. I’d tell her he upset Damon.

“Right.” Damon slumped against the doorway.

I rushed to his side, cupped his cheek, and kissed him. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. Just be quick, okay? Cody promised the rule was done.” He gave a suggestive leer, complete with wiggled eyebrows.

My laugh burst free. I couldn’t help hugging him tight enough to make him squeak. Another kiss, then I broke free. “I’ve left a gem to pay for a portal back to Toth’s. There’s a guild a few streets over. Do not fly with whoever comes to get you. From now on, you only fly with me, okay?”

Unable to stand the look on his face, I darted forward for another kiss. His lips were addictive.

“Be safe.”

Damon smiled. “Come back soon.”

“Promise!”

The area around the hotel was a no portal zone while the renovations I’d ordered were being done at the back of the hotel. Inconvenient, yet nothing to get in a tizzy over. Keren was not in the mood to deal with delays, though.

He didn’t have to say a word. His hulking presence with his own personal rain-cloud was bad enough.

“Keren, we’ll get there in plenty of time. I didn’t take that long to get ready.”

“I abhor lateness,” he growled, “so I told you we had less time than we actually needed. Do you need to return home or to Toth’s castle before the meeting for anything? We have time for you to prepare.”

“Relax. There’s nothing I need. I just need to make my bids when it’s time. The shifter council and the pack have both agreed that should I bid the highest, I won’t be barred from buying the club.”

His steps faltered. “That was a possibility?”

“Yes. There was concern that demons could cause problems to the shifters. Then I explained the intricacies of how we feed and gave proof of other demon owned clubs in Europe.” Demons were more accepted in Europe for some reason. They had protections under law that prevented witch contracts and bindings. There were also anti-discrimination laws in place we didn’t have in the US. “Once they saw how it worked, they actually seemed excited about it.”

“So today is a formality?”

“Well, no. There are other bidders. Independent shifters, other packs from surrounding areas. The council is sick of running it, so they are glad someone wants to take it off their hands.” My feet slowed as a scent caught my attention. “I’m starving. Can we get breakfast first?”

That time, Keren did roll his eyes. “Of course, Sir.”

The bakery we entered was small, with just a handful of tables, all of them packed with the lunch-time rush. We really had slept late.

While we waited to place our orders, I messaged Damon to tell him that Keren had tricked me, Mama to tell her I needed a better guard, then my darling boy to tell him someone needed to come get Damon while I went to the auction.

Mama: Of course, Sweetheart. Poor Keren should be relaxing, not dealing with troublesome demonkin. He was a temporary measure. Let me figure something out.

Rude, though as long as I got my way, I didn’t really care what she said. I knew I wasn’t that much of a hassle for a bodyguard. Gregoris had been with me for over a century, after all.

Damon: Keren sucks, and not in the good way.

That earned a snort from me and a side eye from Keren.

Cody: I’ll ask Toth if he can go, if there isn’t anyone to spare. He was busy with something, but I’ll get him to go. Maybe we both could fly.

Keren ordered for me, which was just overbearing in the extreme, further cementing my dislike. I much preferred him when he was just Gregoris’ grandpa. He made it worse with what he’d ordered. I didn’t want a black coffee; I wanted a chai latte. At least he had the decency to order me a pastry. Perhaps my stomach grumbling was bothering him .

I sent Cody a reply:

Me: If you can’t get Toth, call the hotel and see if Barr is free. I’ll give him another gem if he can take Damon back safely. It’s quite a long flight for new wings.

There was a weird feeling in my gut. I texted Damon back and asked him to only go with Toth, or Barr, if Toth was unavailable. It didn’t immediately go on read, so I assumed he was in the shower.

By the time I put my phone in my pocket, our order was ready. We took it outside to a bench and ate in silence. The city moved around us, bringing a smile to my face. I was proud of where I came from and hoped after Damon had seen more of it he would be willing to settle here, somewhere close to Cody so I could spend plenty of time with my son, yet somewhere where we had our own space, and most importantly, privacy.

“Ready, Sir?”

I stood, brushing the crumbs from my pants. “Sure. I’m excited to see the pack grounds.” He said nothing, just waited for me to be ready.

Working with Keren, we drew the portal easily, with little drain on our magic, not that I had an issue with that thanks to Damon, and stepped through to Sweetwater.

Immediately, we were surrounded by shifters and elves readying themselves for a fight. Some were in their animal forms, poised to strike. I stood still, though I let the portal go, as did Keren. Holding my hands out, I showed I wasn’t a threat. I knew how some people acted when faced with one of us, so I made sure to safely tuck away all of my demon features. They still looked nervous at our appearance in the middle of the compound.

“Stand down!” a familiar voice ordered. Alpha Blake came forward to stand a few steps away. “Welcome, Mori.” He gave me a quick smile. “Keren, I presume?”

We made our greetings and introductions while the guards surrounding us relaxed. Alpha Blake praised them for their quick action and restraint. They returned to their stations.

“Thank you for inviting us here to prepare for the auction, Alpha Blake.”

“Please, just call me Blake when we are in private. Hearing Alpha all the time gives me a headache,” Blake joked.

I could imagine there was a lot of stress managing such a diverse pack, especially with the addition of the elves who were living there long term as they researched the reason for and long-term effects of the beta sickness which had ravaged the Sweetwater pack.

Blake led us to the main house, a short distance from where we had opened our portal. Once safely inside his office, there was the offer of refreshments. I absolutely couldn’t refuse even after the recent pastry, I was still famished! I also had to fuss over the babies. They had so many! After I’d eaten a scone, I just had to go compliment the cook, Winter, who was a darling man with talent in the kitchen. His loyalty to the pack was admirable in the face of my bribes. He denied me every time. I wanted him for Cody’s home, or one of my hotels.

My presence in the pack house appeared to amuse Blake. I was glad to cut the tension between us all, as it would make the next couple of hours go much more smoothly. Plus, I also wanted a good working relationship with the young alpha. He had come to help Cody when he hadn’t even met him, so I owed him.

Shifters were fascinating to me. I wanted to see all their different forms, experience a pack run, see all the babies. Their tight pack bonds were just so lovely, not too dissimilar from demon culture.

After going over what to expect, we got into a truck to drive in to Sweetwater and Heatwave, the club where the auction was going to be held.

There were only a few people there when we arrived and were ushered inside. I immediately liked the vibe of the place, though the decor would need some updating. Damon would have to tour the premises when I acquired the club to check for security concerns. From what I had been told, the club had been closed temporarily after abuses by alphas over an omega. That obviously couldn’t happen anymore. This was supposed to be a place of safety and sanctuary for omegas in heat. If they didn’t have an alpha to mate with, they could come here to find one, or use some of the beta shifters on staff.

In all honesty, with our magic, we could create a knot, so omegas might prefer to take their heats with a demon. Plenty of incubi would love to help a shifter in heat.

Blake’s assistant, Dakota, was happy to make a list for me of things that either needed to be repaired or replaced throughout the club. He even gave me some useful suggestions as a former patron of the club. Dakota was now settled with a mate, a baby, and two older children, one being the Alpha Mate, Kade. He spoke with so much love for his family.

People trickled into the club as the time for the auction drew nearer. The auctioneer set up her equipment, laptop and microphone at the ready.

A hush came over the crowd as the auctioneer called the lot out. She gave a brief description of the building, the business, and certain responsibilities that entailed with owning a heat club. Then it got under way .

Quickly, it was apparent they weren’t expecting me to have the funds necessary to buy the club. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a problem later on.

Naturally, I was the highest bidder. When I wanted something, I went for it. Dakota, Blake and Blake’s brother, Axel, clapped their hands enthusiastically for me, while the rest made a token gesture.

I had just signed the paperwork, assuring the auctioneer on behalf of the seller that I would pay within the next week, when there was a prickle of magic.

“Portal!” Keren yelled, pushing Blake behind him and next to me.

Seconds later a portal opened, and a frantic-looking Barr ran through behind a sheepish-looking Damon.

“Hey, did you miss me?”