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CHAPTER FOUR

Before I even opened my eyes, I felt how I was wrapped around Cross’ side like a tree-hugging monkey. My head rested on his chest as he lazily ran his fingers through my hair. It felt so good, and I didn’t want to move until I realized I’d drooled on him a little.

I quickly wiped my face and Cross’ bare chest. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. You’re adorable when you sleep.”

“Drooling is only adorable when you’re a baby, and even then, I have some issues with it.”

He laughed softly and kissed the top of my head. “Still adorable.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s nine o’clock.”

“So late?” I thought I would have woken up earlier since I’d gone to bed by eleven.

“You can sleep more if you want.”

I shook my head, my lips brushing against his skin, and I grinned at his slight shiver. “Your eyes just did the black veiny thing, didn’t they?”

“Maybe.”

I smiled. I loved seeing his eyes turn black. It had been a little freaky at first when I hadn’t known him, but now it was like seeing the subtle blush on Shepard. Those little “tells” gave me more information about their mood than words.

Cross continued stroking my hair and lulling me back to sleep. So I rolled away before succumbing and groped for the remote I knew was on the nightstand. When the curtains opened enough to see him, he pouted as if I’d taken away his favorite toy.

“I’ll make breakfast,” he said.

“You don’t have to.”

“I know. I want to.” He kissed my forehead and left the bedroom, wearing only his shorts. It was a pleasant view.

Sighing, I went to the bathroom to shower. Once I was finished, I put on a cute top with a sparkly cupcake on it and matching shorts.

“I love these clothes,” I said to Cross when I found him in the kitchen. “And I love seeing you cooking.”

For someone who had once thought cooking was for servants, he seemed at home in the kitchen now.

“I love your clothes, too.” A sexy smile played on his lips. “And I like taking them off you as well.”

A memory of last night popped into my head. I tried not to blush but failed, and his eyes flashed black.

“I’ll happily do an encore performance,” he said.

“Focus on breakfast. What are you making?” I peeked over the island counter but couldn’t make it out. “I smell sausage.”

He nodded. “Eggs over easy, toast, sausage, and a special extra.”

“What’s the special?”

He plated the food and walked it over to me, kissing me on the lips. “That is.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I said with a laugh.

“Only with you. Have a seat, or would you like me to feed you standing up?”

I took the plate from him and settled at the table. “I can feed myself.”

While I did, I watched him check the news on his phone. He glanced at an article about a fae death before quickly scrolling past it.

“Anything new happen since last night?” I asked.

“Pro-vampire groups have been popping up and pulling people to their cause. The number of werewolf anti-fans is growing, too.”

“How’s Shepard doing? Have you talked to him?”

“He’s fine at the moment but weary of the attention the wolves are receiving. Thankfully, his pack is relatively unknown.”

I sent Shepard a quick message letting him know I was thinking of him and told him to let me know if he needed anything. Then, I read the messages on my phone while I ate.

Piper had replied to the group that they were having a great time. She included a photo of her pretending to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa from falling. However, she must have been standing in the shadow of a tree or something because the lighting was off. Still, it was a cute picture. I responded, wishing them a fun trip and asking her to send more pictures when she had time.

“I think there is a problem at Blur,” Cross said. “This just posted a moment ago.”

He showed me a video of protesters outside of Blur. At the bottom of the video was a banner stating, “Blur, a D.C. nightclub owned and operated by werewolves.”

“So much for his pack being unknown,” I said.

The people were peacefully protesting with signs that read, “Werewolves wear sheep’s clothing.” “Wolves kill first. No questions asked.” “Leave D.C., killers.” And more. All of it against werewolves.

“Do you think the protesters truly believe werewolves are bad, or are they thralled humans being controlled by Orphia or Vivian or whatever vampire to stir up trouble?”

Cross considered the question and the video.

“That is an excellent question, and one I can only answer if I go there in person.”

“Is it safe?”

He kissed my forehead. “I love it when you worry about me, Everly.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“It’s safe enough for me. With the ring I wear, very little can harm me.”

“Okay. Then you can go.”

He chuckled and called Vena on speaker.

“Hey, money-man, did you get my books yet?” she asked.

I shook my head at her as Cross answered, “I’ve acquired most of them. However, that’s not why I’m calling. I need you and Anchor to stay with Everly.”

“Where?” she asked.

“At the new place,” I said.

“We really need to brainstorm a name for it besides the new place,” she said.

“Agreed,” Cross said. “How soon can you be here to discuss business names?”

“Anchor and I are already in the neighborhood. We can be there in five.”

Five minutes later, her voice rang out from below. “Would you eat at a place called Beaver?”

She appeared at the open door. Anchor was a step behind her, frowning and flushed.

“You’re adorable when you’re embarrassed,” Vena said when she looked back at him. “For the record, I didn’t ask him if he liked eating beaver, just if he’d eat at a place called Beaver.”

“Yeah, I’m with Anchor on this,” I said. “Doesn’t make it any better.”

“Will you be able to watch over the pair of them on your own, or should you call someone else over for backup?” Cross asked Anchor.

“You make it sound like we’re children,” Vena complained.

Anchor picked Vena up, carried her to the island, and sat her on a chair. She didn’t complain, though.

“I’ve got this,” Anchor said to Cross. “She’ll promise me her best behavior today.”

“I will?” she asked innocently.

“You will.” He leaned toward her face, and I watched my friend’s anticipation visibly climb. “I’d eat at a place called Beaver.”

Cross chuckled as Vena started promising to be the model of best behavior.

“You’ve got about ten minutes before she forgets her promise,” I said to Cross as he hugged me.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“I will. And you keep me updated. Shepard hasn’t messaged me back yet, and I’m worried.”

Cross kissed my forehead and blurred out the door.

“What’s going on?” Vena asked.

I showed her the video that Cross had shown me. Anchor frowned when the video ended and stepped away to call someone.

“Orphia’s actually doing what she said, isn’t she?” Vena said.

“Seems like it.”

“If I were Effora, I’d start worrying,” Vena said, smiling. “Maybe she’ll cooperate now. I overheard Shepard talking to Hugh about her yesterday. She’s been ghosting both of them. According to her little underlings, it’s because she’s sick. Hugh seemed to buy it. I don’t.

“Now, about Beaver. It’s spelled out. An acronym. B.E.A.V.E.R. Get it?”

Anchor shot her a look from across the room as he spoke quietly into the phone.

It took me a second to figure it out. “We’re not naming this place Brodier, Everly, and Vena’s eating retreat,” I said. “Ever. We need something classy yet catchy that will embody what we’re trying to do: bring all the races together.”

Vena nodded slowly.

“What about Bites and Delights? Vampires and werewolves bite. Fae and a few other otherworlders delight. Plus, humans will be delighted with a bite of your creations.”

“I actually like it,” I said.

Vena grinned. “Don’t sound so surprised. I have amazing ideas all the time.”

“Our opinions often differ on what’s amazing,” I said dryly as I pulled out my phone and quickly searched for any businesses in the area with that name. “It looks like we can actually use it. When Cross gets back, we’ll see what he thinks.”

“He’ll go with it if you want it.”

“What I want is a thriving business. The wrong name could end that dream before it becomes a reality. Cross won’t set us up for failure by agreeing to an awful name.”

She picked up her phone and sent a message. Hers pinged a second later, and she lifted it to show me she’d messaged the name suggestion to Cross. He’d already agreed it was fitting.

“Done. Now let’s go shopping for ‘Bites and Delights’ decor,” she said, hopping off her stool.

“Cross said he would get it.”

“Cross is busy dealing with stuff we can’t. So let’s deal with stuff we can so he doesn’t have to.”

“Ugh, you’re making all sorts of sense today,” I said.

“Again, you shouldn’t be so surprised.”

Anchor hung up and hurried over to set his hands on Vena’s shoulders.

“We’re not going anywhere.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“Cross said to stay here.”

“No, he didn’t. He said to watch over Everly. He also asked if you needed backup. At no point did he say the human he adored more than his immortal life was under house arrest. Also, stating facts doesn’t mean I’m misbehaving.”

I snorted as Anchor shook his head at her.

“Let’s go,” I said, grabbing my purse before she could bring up the reward she expected for her model behavior.

“Are we taking your fancy wheels?” she asked.

“You mean the company vehicle that Cross bought?”

“Yes, your fancy wheels.” She grinned.

I rolled my eyes at her sassiness, and we headed downstairs to the company vehicle.

Anchor followed us but stopped at the door, blocking our path outside. “I need both of you together.”

“Of course we’ll be together,” Vena said.

He shook his head. “No. I need you joined at the hip. No going down different aisles or like how you shop at the market and leapfrog to different stalls. I need eyes on both of you at the same time.”

I nodded in agreement.

“Vena, I’m looking at you,” he said.

“I’ll stick to Ev like troll boogers. Let’s go!”

Once we got in the bright red SUV, we agreed to go to a store that wasn’t too far away and should have most of what we needed. The gourmet kitchen store had fun decorations that would enhance Bites and Delights.

I smiled at the name. Now that we had one picked out, the business felt more real. I couldn’t wait until I flipped the open sign on the door. Or should it be a lit sign? Maybe something more sophisticated, like carved wood?

As soon as I parked and exited the SUV, Vena was at my side. She even wrapped her arm around my shoulders and steered me into the brightly lit store. Something about a well-lit kitchen store made me want to skip into it with a large basket.

I immediately wanted to veer to the cookware to admire the shiny beauties, but I didn’t want to get distracted or waste time. Instead, I went to the other side, where I saw porcelain cakes and donuts, tiny menu chalkboards, and wooden signs with painted sayings.

“This place is making me hungry,” Vena said.

“I’ll feed you when we get home.”

Vena didn’t stray from my side even once as I picked out things. Thankfully, Anchor had the foresight to grab a cart and follow behind us. He looked like a large, muscular bodyguard strolling through the aisles with a dainty cart.

“Why do they have a butt plug here?” Vena asked.

I glanced at what she was holding. “It’s a handheld lime juicer.”

She eyed it with a little too much interest. “I need it.”

“Put the innocent juicer down.”

She waggled the juicer at Anchor. “Attempt number 795?”

He flushed slightly. “Put it down.”

Vena snorted and put it back.

Her phone played a sinister sound, and I gave her a questioning look.

“It’s an alert.”

“Obviously. But what for? Are you still following that one guy who made you mad three years ago?”

“Harvey Dently will get what’s coming to him, and I’m going to be ready with a haughty laugh.”

Anchor raised a questioning brow.

“But no, this alert is for Orphia.” She released me from her strangling arm-hold and looked at her phone. “It’s another video.”

My stomach roiled. “I don’t think I can watch it.”

“It looks fine,” she said as she pressed play. “Look. It’s just a bunch of people hanging out and playing cards.”

Large men busted down the door and infiltrated the room. Based on the way they sprouted fur and attacked the card players, the card players weren’t just people. They were vampires who hadn’t had time to say anything or blur away before they died. It was just a card game, door-breaking, and almost-instant death.

It was over so quickly that I didn’t even have time to close my eyes before the video cut over to a shot of Orphia. She looked different in this video. Her expression was forlorn instead of cold.

“The killing needs to stop,” she said. “Werewolves are extinguishing innocent lives. As you just saw, they didn’t stop to ask if the people they killed had ever harmed anyone. If they had asked, they would have learned they hadn’t. Their source of nourishment—human blood—was ethically secured from volunteer donors who were well-compensated for their compassion and generosity.

“The werewolves are desperate to silence vampires, a race that has always existed alongside humans. And why? We don’t kill like werewolves do. Yet, we’re hated because we need blood to survive.

“We aren’t new. We’re simply more unjustly hated than the other races. You’ve been told vampires are bad and werewolves are good, so you’ve turned a blind eye to what’s really happening.

“The werewolves need human women to survive, while we only need blood. Why is it more acceptable to humanity to surrender women to breed the next generation of killers than for a vampire to pay for a donated bag of blood?

“Our voices have been suppressed. We need you and your voice blended with ours to be heard. Speak to your local representative about how you feel vampires are being treated. It’s time we all learn to coexist and stop the senseless killing of the innocent.”

The video ended, and Vena snorted. “What a load of shit.”

“ We know it is, but how many people will believe it?”

“A lot,” Anchor said, looking troubled.

I patted his arm, and Vena batted my hand away.

“Touch your own men.”

“I did, right before you showed up.”

She pretended to clutch her imaginary pearls, and I grinned.

“How many shelves need decorations?” I asked, steering us back on topic and away from the horrid video. “Do we have enough?”

“Between decorations and potted plants, I think we do. It’s going to look really good. Just you wait and see.”

Her phone rang as Anchor ushered us toward the checkout.

When Vena answered, I listened to her half of the conversation as Anchor placed our purchases on the counter. The cashier scanned the items and took the card Cross had given me for business purchases. Vena hung up the phone and looped her arm through mine as Anchor collected the bags.

“Miles?” I guessed as we walked toward the door.

“Yeah. He talked to Mom and Dad. Grandma and Grandpa were quiet about what they were working on before disappearing. All they told my parents was that a private broker contacted them to find a relic that could influence all creatures. My grandparents declined my parents’ offer to help them research, which they thought was odd, but they were busy working on another project and were distracted.

“After Miles explained to them what Cross had told us about the book and the portals, Mom and Dad agree there’s likely a connection between what Grandma and Grandpa were looking for and the vampires.

“They want to head back to the mountain to talk to Curran. He might have answers, and Miles wants to apologize again.”

“King Curran? How can he help?” I asked, struggling to keep up.

“Mom and Dad saw some books in the royal library—really old books about otherworlders. Even if they can’t find information about the relic my grandparents were looking for, maybe they can find more information about vampires and their curse.”

“Because what’s cursed can maybe be uncursed?” I guessed.

“Exactly. If we can uncurse vampires, there’d be nothing to worry about anymore.”