Page 11

Hazel

Liam watered my houseplants as I disappeared into my bedroom to pack a bag. After spending time in their loft, my little home with its white walls and generic furniture seemed so characterless.

The only thing I’d done after inheriting it was rip out all the dated wallpaper and paint everything white.

It hadn’t felt right to keep my grandparents’ furniture when I didn’t remember them well, so I’d kept only the pieces I thought would restore well and went with cheap particle board stuff for the rest. I never did end up restoring those pieces, even though it had already been years.

To be honest, I sometimes wondered if I’d only kept them because I wanted to know more about my lost childhood and thought the secrets were hidden in them somehow, like I’d look at that old dresser one day and all my memories would come flooding back.

Realizing that my parents had kept a big secret like Darlington and magic from me made me question who I really was. And The Wall hadn’t helped.

“I think that’s it,” I said, checking once again that my charger and my laptop were both in the bag.

I’d thrown in several changes of clothes, making sure the pieces were both comfortable and not too raggedy, a challenge considering I usually lived in sweatpants and T-shirts when I wasn’t in my uniform.

My only saving grace was that I actually had an extensive collection of cute bras and underwear.

It stemmed from the fact that I wore a uniform almost every day.

It was the only thing I could have fun with.

Nothing super sexy or strappy. No thongs or wired pushup bras that would make doing my job difficult.

But they were still cute. I got away with lace here and there, and I particularly liked the set with the heart-shaped candies and “Eat Me” written all over them.

They weren’t something people would expect under my tough exterior, and I liked being secretly unpredictable.

Cute undergarments were my little secret.

Liam had forced Seth to drive the long way around to my house on the other side of town, taking a giant detour around The Breach. He seemed to think that getting too close to it would put Seth at risk.

During my ride home, I’d gotten caught up with all the events since yesterday.

After realizing that The Breach had called in magic users, Chief moved some things around and spared more of the force to guard it.

The police and the EA put out a joint warning that any male magic user must stay at least a one-mile radius away from the epicenter and was offering to pay for hotel stays for anyone affected.

Except that hadn’t stopped more brainwashed men from showing up. Last I heard, they were setting up an emergency detention center because they were expecting more.

It had gotten bigger than a few EA enforcers and a handful of police officers could handle.

For the first time since Darlington opened itself up to the world, we found we needed help from outside.

There were just too many here working on the force who had magical abilities of some sort.

Even Hayes and I had a family history of magic.

Apparently, Granddad had the ability to nullify magic to a degree, and that had been why he’d been so good at the job. Chief was sure I had some of that too, even though no one could detect it.

The shifters on our force who didn’t have magic-casting abilities were still allowed on the scene, at least for now.

They’d tried sending a drone, but the moment the drone had gone through, it had stopped transmitting any data. They couldn’t even get it to come back. The second drone had been tied to a cord, and while they’d retrieved it by hauling it back, it too had no viable recording.

The only good news was that The Breach hadn’t grown since this morning.

Chief was adamant that I didn’t think too much about it and focused on healing. Mike also was dealing with headaches from hell, and he didn’t have a wizard to take the edge off, though he’d assured me that painkillers did the job.

“Alright. Phone, laptop, clothes, keys, wallet, toothbrush...” I listed the things already in my duffel bag. “I think I’m ready to go.”

“Great! Let’s get our Babygirl some sun and surf,” Liam said.

“Sun and surf?” I asked, trying my best to ignore the fact that he’d added “our” to Babygirl this time. “We’re nowhere near an ocean.”

“The lake will do,” Seth said. “I swear it helps with the hangovers.”

I still had no idea what the two had in mind, but decided it was best to just go with the flow.

Seth owned a yacht. A freaking yacht. This had to be working-for-Desmon money and not for the EA money because if it was EA money, then I was changing careers. Like now.

It wasn’t one of those monstrosities the super-rich had, but one sized perfectly for a few friends to enjoy the late spring air.

There were two rooms below deck and a galley in the salon above deck that was enclosed in glass.

Seth and I were currently lounging on the built-in couch on the terrace under a large umbrella, and Liam was in the galley fixing us both a drink.

The thing that stood out most between Seth’s boat and the others at the marina was the finishing. This thing looked like it belonged in a Lovecraftian horror. It was glossy black with dark wood details and burgundy-red upholstery. It also had extra details like spikes and metal scrollwork.

“Did you know Seth wanted to name it the Demeter at first?” Liam had said when we boarded.

“Why does that sound familiar?” I’d asked.

“That’s the ship that brought Dracula to England.”

“Ah.” That made sense.

Seth currently looked for all the world like he could be a vampire from that era, that was if you ignored the piercings and the spiky platinum-blond hair.

He had a billowy silk shirt on, similar to the one I’d worn yesterday as a nightie, but he’d left most of the buttons unbuttoned.

I could see his nipple piercing right through the shirt.

Liam was wearing a sailor suit, complete with a collar, cap, and tie.

And I could swear that every time either Seth or I looked at him, it got skimpier.

Currently it was sleeveless, and I was admiring his thick, tanned biceps.

His pants were pretty tight too, and Seth was eyeing his well-formed glutes.

Seth had ended up naming his baby the Revenge , like the pirate ship, which I didn’t think was any better than the Demeter . But with the lake breeze in my hair, I wasn’t going to be picky.

At first, I thought that the rocking on the boat would make things worse, but it didn’t. Seth was right; the lake breeze and sunshine were making everything better. Or maybe it was being around the two of them. I couldn’t really tell.

Liam returned with a tray of drinks, his shorts looking a little shorter and tighter than when he’d left. They highlighted a very distinct bulge at the front.

“An iced tea for our Babygirl,” he said, placing the tray down on the table in front of us. “A gin and tonic for my sexy wizard. And a fire rush for me.”

I eyed his drink warily. It was glowing like it was on fire from within. And it smelled slightly sulfuric, though there was still a hint of lime and chili.

“What exactly is that?”

“It’s a demon special. A bit of brimstone, a touch of lava, nothing special, some lime. But not for mortals.”

I looked over into the salon to make sure he hadn’t set the galley on fire. He hadn’t.

As I reached for my iced tea, Liam took the opportunity to shove me over a bit and squeeze in between Seth and me. He had both arms draped possessively over us by the time I brought the straw to my mouth.

I promptly gagged and almost spat out my drink.

“Holy crap!” I exclaimed after forcing myself to down the mouthful of sickly-sweet syrup. “How much sugar did you put in this thing?”

“The same I would if I made it for Seth?”

I glared across Liam’s lap to Seth, who shrugged. “It’s best this way for the magical hangover.”

I sighed. “Well, your advice hasn’t steered me wrong so far, so I’ll drink it. But I’m sending you the dental bill.”

After putting down the glass, Liam pulled me close to rest my head on his chest, which he’d conveniently made super soft like a cushion.

Seeing the perfectly formed pecs squish down was so weird.

Seth leaned against the other side of him, his head just inches from mine.

My brain tried for about two seconds to feel weird again about being a part of something so intimate with these two, but firm fingers came up to massage my scalp, chasing the sentiment away.

“Do you know what this yacht is missing?” Liam asked.

“What?” Seth’s hands disappeared under Liam’s shirt.

“A hot tub. So we can do whatever the hell we want under the bubbles, right here on the deck, and not get any complaints.”

“Complaints?”

“Yeah. Some of the other boaters are stuck up and old-fashioned.”

Seth had that right. I’d felt a bit self-conscious back at the pier.

Despite being a weekday and not yet summer, the Mermaid’s Quay Marina was a hotbed of activity.

Everyone was eager to get their boats out with today’s warm weather.

I guess Wednesday was just any other day when you were rich enough.

We’d garnered several raised brows and questioning looks. And despite everyone else’s clothes looking casual, I somehow felt underdressed.

“It doesn’t help that some of them are my father’s friends.

My father’s yacht is docked here too. I was willing to give up golf to avoid him, but I love boating, so we deal with it.

Archie, a guy I went to school with, complained to the marina office about Liam and me being lewd.

Said he had pictures. So I demanded to see the pictures and it was us kissing, standing on the deck fully dressed. ”

Liam snorted. “Don’t worry, we got back at him. Somehow, pictures of him and his mistress banging on his boat ended up being sent anonymously to his wife. I wonder how that happened.” He twiddled his thumbs.

“A lot more goes on out here than kissing. He’s just a bigot.”

“Yeah, he had no problem when I looked like this.” Liam changed and suddenly, my head was pillowed against a soft but generous bosom barely held in by a string bikini.

My jaw dropped. But of course, Liam could take a female form; demons could be any form they wanted.

“I quite like this form too.” Seth reached to cup his... er, her, breast. “What do you think, Hazy Daisy?”

I blinked. Liam’s masculine features had softened, but it was still his face. I had to admit, he was just as sexy as a woman.

“He... or is that she now? Liam’s still hot. I’d do her.” I frowned. “Wait, now I’m confused.”

Seth chuckled. “Don’t overthink it. I wonder if adding you to the mix makes it better or worse for the people here.”

“Probably worse,” I said.

Liam chuckled, the feminine sound turning masculine as he changed back. “Did you know that before I knew that he liked me just the way I was, this was how I’d first convinced Seth to explore with me?”

“Oh, really?” I splayed my hands over Liam’s abs, which were showing now because the top had shrunk so much.

“Yup.”

“You need to tell me everything,” I said, ready to hear all the juicy details.