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CHAPTER ONE

Everything happens for a reason, I thought as Cross spooned me on his king-size bed. Sure, it sucked that someone had vandalized the house Vena and I shared, but I didn’t mind where I was now. His new room was quiet and dark, and it tempted me to go back to sleep for a little longer.

“Are you ready to wake up?” Cross asked softly.

“Is it time to wake up?”

“You can sleep as long as you’d like, but it’s past ten, and Vena’s called twice. She’s worried about your concussion. And you have some messages from Shepard and your parents.”

I sighed. “Then it’s time to get up. If I don’t answer Vena soon, she’ll break down the door.”

He quietly got out of bed and used the remote to open the window shades just enough to see without blinding me. Which was a good thing, or I would have missed an incredible view. Cross wore blue athletic shorts low on his hips, nicely showing his V-pack.

His hungry amber gaze raked over me as he returned to settle in beside me and toy with the ends of my long sunny-blonde hair.

“She would find breaking into this room incredibly difficult,” Cross said. “There’s a reason it’s so quiet in here. The room is not only soundproofed but nearly impenetrable when locked. That’s why there’s a doorbell outside the room. It’s the only way anyone can disturb us, excluding our phones.”

The level of security didn’t surprise me. He took my safety seriously.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“I did. Really well, actually.”

“How is your head?”

I reached up to touch the spot I’d hit on the doorframe when Vivian had yanked me from the car. The mild concussion I’d gained from the experience was much better than the bite the vampire had wanted to give me.

“A bit achy, but nothing I’d medicate.”

Cross kissed my cheek and handed me my phone. I called Vena first. The last thing I needed was for her to test the impenetrable door.

“I’m alive,” I said when she answered. “No headache. No need to worry.”

“Pfft. I wasn’t worried.”

“Yes, she was,” Anchor said in the background.

“What are you doing?” she asked me. “Anything that my virgin eyes can’t witness.”

I snorted. “Is there anything your eyes haven’t witnessed?”

“Yeah, you getting dirty with Cross. It’s like the book being better than the movie. I think my imagination is making it way hotter than reality.”

“Unlikely,” Cross said beside me, proving he could hear.

I flushed and shook my head at both of them.

“If you don’t need anything else, I’m hanging up.”

“Wait,” she said quickly. “There was a reason I’m asking about your sex life. Can we come over?”

“Of course. But why?”

Vena never did something without a reason.

“Distraction. Anchor needs a break.”

“Too much information, Vena,” I said, thinking about poor Anchor’s curse and Vena’s subsequent attempts to wear out the curse.

She chuckled. “Be there in twenty.”

I hung up and checked my messages.

My parents had sent another group of pictures from the cruise they’d “won” when the chaos in D.C. began. It looked like they were having fun and oblivious to what was happening back home.

Please let them stay safe.

While I knew I had Cross, Shepard, and the entire D.C. pack to call on, it still comforted me that my family was out of Orphia’s reach.

I responded with a cheerful text, stating that I hoped they were having fun, then checked Shepard’s text.

His simply said that he was still dealing with the aftermath of last night and that he would see me later. The message was abrupt for him.

“Did you talk to Shepard?” I asked Cross.

“Yes. An hour ago. He’s still coordinating the cleanup at the nest locations his people raided last night. With so many vampires turned to dust, the police are struggling to identify them. They want to know how many were in the missing person's count.”

I shook my head at the senseless deaths. Although I knew the pack didn’t have a choice, I wondered if the people that the vampires had turned had understood their chances of surviving the change and being hunted.

Cross smoothed back my hair and kissed my forehead. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m wondering how many of the vampires who died had wanted to be a part of Orphia’s army and how many were innocent victims—like the two you spared?”

“I think most of the newly turned vampires were like those two than not. If they’d truly embraced the night life, they wouldn’t have run into the sun to meet their end.”

“Adriel did.”

Cross studied me, and I saw a glint of never-ending loneliness in his gaze.

“Adriel was tired and knew there was no hope for him. Shepard and his people would have never let him go after everything he did.”

“And you? Would you have let him go?”

“No. To protect you, I would kill every vampire in existence.”

Did he count himself in that number? I hoped not.

He smiled suddenly, like the loneliness had never existed, and playfully tugged my hair.

“If you want a shower before Vena gets here, you better hurry.”

With a groan, I threw back the covers and got out of bed.

Cross’ bathroom was a slice of heaven. Twice as big as my old bedroom, it had a fully tiled wet room type shower and soaker tub to one side and a long vanity with a lower makeup station and chair near the door. It was the stuff out of home decor magazines. He’d obviously spared no expense. While I liked to be thrifty, I couldn’t complain that he had made his second-floor apartment so luxurious.

I glanced in the large mirror above the vanity and winced at my reflection. My tangled blonde hair made the dark circles under my grey eyes more noticeable. It wasn’t a good look.

Cross stepped into view behind me. “You’re beautiful.”

I snorted. “Hardly. But thank you.”

He leaned in to kiss my neck. “You’ll always be beautiful to me, Everly.”

The only beautiful person in this room was Cross. With his dark hair, which had a touch of auburn, and classic features, he was handsome. Add his tall, athletic physique and the expensively tailored suits he favored, and he was eye candy.

I didn’t know how I got so lucky to gain his interest—or Shepard’s—but I wouldn’t change anything. Not even all the unwanted attention I’d gained after falling into the cave and waking Cross from his self-imposed hibernation.

My gaze shifted to the expensive ruby and silver necklace around my neck. A gift from Cross, the necklace held a protection spell from a powerful half-fae. It should have protected me from Vivian the night before, but it hadn’t stopped him from grabbing me.

“How was Vivian able to touch me with this on?” I thought back to that moment. “Something under his veil had glowed red. Do you think he has a way to counter protective charms now?”

“I’m not sure. Shepard and I were wondering the same thing when we talked earlier. For Vivian to have a charm that overrides yours would mean a powerful fae made it. Shepard’s going to speak to the liaison about it. We’ll need Hugh to ask Effora.”

At his mention of the fae Queen, I withheld an eye roll. Getting any information from her would be nearly impossible. The only thing she cared about was being fed sexual lust.

Cross took a brush from a side drawer and carefully began untangling my hair.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find out information soon. Meanwhile, you can relax and recover. I believe I’ve acquired your necessities.” He nodded toward the makeup vanity and the toothbrush holder. “A personal shopper replaced most of your wardrobe, but let me know if you find something missing or want something else.”

“You bought clothes for me?”

“As tempting as it would be to watch you go about your day dressed in nothing, I thought you might not be receptive to that level of inhibition.”

I turned to hug him. “You didn’t have to buy me clothes. You could have asked Vena to drop off a bag of clothes from Shepard’s.”

“You’ve lost everything, Everly. Let me take care of you. I enjoy spoiling you.”

“Fine. I’ll allow moderate spoiling. But just until I figure out what I’m doing with my summer now that Blur’s closed.”

“Of course. Would you like to see your clothes?”

Curious, I continued past the shower to check the massive closet that was nearly the size of the guest rooms. It had built-in shelves and drawers and was filled with outfits that were exactly what I would have picked out for myself.

I almost asked him when he had time to hire the shopper since the vandalism had only happened a few days ago, but I already knew the answer. The man didn’t sleep and had enough money to pay people to do whatever he needed. Apparently, that meant a midnight personal shopper as well.

When I didn’t respond, he said, “If you’d rather move your clothes into one of the other bedrooms, you can. While I prefer you to stay in this room, I will leave it to you to decide. I’m just happy you’re here.”

“I’m fine with the location—at least for now. The clothes are nice too. Thank you.” I hugged him again and kissed his cheek. “I need a shower and food before Vena descends.”

He followed me back into the bathroom and started the fancy shower. It didn’t have the confusing user panel that Shepard’s had, but it did have multiple shower heads and instant hot water.

He left the bathroom, giving me privacy as I showered quickly. When I turned off the water, though, he was there with a thick, fluffy towel. I didn’t miss how his gaze swept over me or the dark veins that erupted around his eyes.

Feeling playful, I said, “I like your shower, but it would have been even better if you’d joined me.”

“I was tempted but didn’t think it wise before Vena’s arrival.”

“If you tell Vena her visit stopped you from having your way with me, she might leave fast. I wouldn’t mind a second shower.”

The veining around his eyes grew even darker along with the eyes themselves. He should have looked terrifying like that, but he didn’t. He looked incredibly handsome and hungry. For me. But not in the usual vampire way. Yes, he craved my blood, but he craved me more. Just me.

“Are you teasing me, Everly?” he asked, his voice low and smooth, a seductive purr.

“What will you do if I am?”

“Spend the day thinking of everything I want to do to you once we’re alone again.”

“Hmm. If that’s the case, I think I might be teasing you.”

His mouth tilted in the corner, his signature sexy smile as he toweled my top half dry. Before he could go lower, I stole the towel from him.

“Why don’t you get me something to wear while I finish up in here?”

He pretended to pout, zipped in and out of the closet, and left me alone to dry. When I stepped out of the bathroom and saw the lacy matching panty set he’d left out on the bed, I shook my head. The wrap skirt and tank top were cute, though.

I dressed quickly and toweled my hair one more time before leaving the bedroom. As I walked down the hall, the faint sound of hammering and sawing teased my ears.

When I reached the kitchen, I noticed the door to the first-floor stairs was open, as was the door to the rooftop, the origin of the noise.

Cross stood in front of the stove, making something that was smelling really good. I peeked around him at the mushroom and spinach omelette. My stomach growled loudly, and he grinned.

“Sit. This will be ready in a minute.”

“Are you going to make one for Vena?”

“Not a chance.”

I laughed and sat at the kitchen island.

While I ate, he told me about the swift progress the construction crews had made. The second floor was complete, except for the furnishings and decor. The first floor was mostly complete, and the third floor was less than halfway finished.

I finished the omelette before Vena’s voice rang out below.

“Holy crap! This place is amazing.”

Her footfalls echoed up the stairs. When she reached the second floor, she abruptly stopped and looked around. Wearing jean shorts and a tank top with her long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, she looked relatively unscathed from the previous day’s events. Just a few scratches on her upper arm from Adriel.

“Damn, Cross,” she said. “Money definitely talks. This place looks even better than I imagined. Except for the old-person plastic wrap on the furniture. That’s not staying, right?”

“Vena, it’s new furniture,” I said as I took the plate to the dishwasher that still had the plastic film to protect the stainless steel. “It hasn’t been unwrapped yet.”

“I love unwrapping things, especially when it’s new or Anchor.”

“Speaking of your giant boy toy, where is he?” Cross teased.

Anchor’s voice came from the stairs. “He’s right here.” A moment later, the towering werewolf who’d claimed Vena’s heart appeared. “The changes in this building are extraordinary. I can’t believe this used to be a strip club.”

I shivered at the memory of the old vampire nest, Juicy—a feeding ground the vampires had run under the guise of a strip club. Thankfully, Cross had removed any trace of the old place.

“As requested, here is the list of books.” Vena dug in her shorts pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. “You might need to pad the budget. Some of those are rare.”

He took the paper and glanced at what she’d written. “This won’t fill the shelves.”

“Not entirely. But blank space is perfect for decorations. Like…we can memorialize Everly’s favorite kitchen implements. Her first mixing bowl. Her grandma’s rolling pin. Her mom’s spatula.” She looked at Anchor. “We were spanked with it. It didn’t actually hurt. Bet I’d feel a titillating sting if you were holding the handle.”

“Vena,” I said in warning.

She grinned at me. “We could have a lit-up spot for your favorite whisk.”

“Not my whisk,” I said.

Even though I knew her reason for not wanting to fill the shelves with books had nothing to do with decorations and everything to do with her overspending, I still saw merit in it.

“I like the idea, though,” I added.

“Tell me what decor you’d like in the space, and I’ll get it,” Cross said.

Vena nodded and hurried me toward the first-floor door. “I’ll point out some spaces that would be great for decorative items.”

I allowed her to usher me downstairs, where people were still working. The progress struck me again when I saw painted walls, bookshelves, and finished floors covered by protective paper. A crew assembled kitchen equipment in the main area, and another installed all the kitchen appliances and fixtures. Even the display case was already there, protected by moving blankets.

Cross’ attention to detail was more than I had imagined from the blueprints he had shown us…just days ago?

“Do you see anything that needs to be changed?” Cross asked from behind me. I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“It’s perfect.”

“It’ll be perfect when we get books in here,” Vena said.

Ignoring her, I glanced up at Cross. “This looks nearly finished. How long until the contractors are out of here?”

“Not long at all. The bathrooms are almost ready, and the tables and chairs will arrive in a few days. The contractors are finishing their work on the third floor, but that should be done in a few days as well. We could open next week if we have everything in place.”

“Next week?”

He saw my panic and rubbed my back in response. “There is no timetable on this. I simply want it finished for when you’re ready. Let me know what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”

“I need fluffy pancakes and lots of bacon,” Vena called out from the commercial kitchen.

“Which reminds me, I need to make an order for grocery delivery for us,” Cross said. “I bought a few odds and ends to get us through, but nothing you might require for baking.”

“We require chocolate,” Vena said, detaching me from Cross. “Focus, Everly. We need decorating ideas. You’re the go-to for that unless you want shrunken heads and poisoned tribal arrows.”

I cringed. “Growing up with horrible archeology gifts from your parents doesn’t excuse your atrocious decorating skills.”

Vena’s phone and mine pinged with an incoming message, distracting her from a rebuttal.

“No, don’t look,” I said. “Every time we both get a message lately, it’s not good news.”

She laughed and pulled out her phone.

“It’s from Miles. He wants to know where the book is.”

“What book?” I asked, having a bad feeling it was the one we found and re-hid in Grandpa Hunter’s old desk.

Her phone pinged again. “Mom says his part in what happened at the dwarf mountain is eating at him. He needs to research the importance of the rings to understand why he was used to kill Prince Hakon.”

She gave me a look that confirmed my fear.

“He wants the book Grandma and Grandpa Hunter hid.”