Primal Cravings (13 page)

“They’re Dark Angels. I think they can take care of themselves. Dee said she thought they could use the help of a werewolf, so Harry is the only one who has—”

“My darling vampire hunter, you don’t get it, do you?”

He ran fingers through her curly dark hair while she gave him a puzzled look.

“I take it you don’t mean we’re going to help them save the world?”

“In a way, we are. Check my shoulders, darling? Tell me if I’ve grown a pair of little fluffy cupid wings.”

She peered closely at Laurent’s shoulders. “Yes. I do see wings.”

“Pink or white?”

“Black leather.”

“Thank goodness—badness—I haven’t completely shed my evil ways.”

He pressed his forehead against hers, and they shared a laugh, then a kiss.

“What do you mean, cupid?” Eden asked when their lips parted. “I think that pair have more important things to do than have a romance at the moment.”

“I’m sure they’re intent on doing their duty, but since they aren’t able to think straight I don’t believe they can perform that duty. What causes a Prime to go crazycuckoo, my darling?”

“They’re bonding?”

“You betcha.”

“Oh, the poor things! I mean, eventually it will be wonderful, but if it’s the instant WHAM kind—“

“Not everyone can have it as easy as we did,” Laurent agreed. “We met. I tried to con you. You tried to kill me.”

“We fell in love, had a baby, got married, and the psychic bond itself crept up on us while life happened,” she added.

“It’s hitting Piper and McCoy like a ton of bricks. How can they save the world in their condition? World-saving needs to be done by people with clearer heads. They are both working hard to keep it together, but psychicbiology cannot be denied after a point. I made that word up.”

“Which they’ve reached?”

Laurent nodded. “Last night, while undercover in a dangerous place, he tried to kill me for talking to McCoy. He totally forgot everything but her being
his
.”

“Why were you talking to McCoy?”

“It was only business,” he replied to her surge of jealousy. After all, they
were
bonded, too. “Business we need to keep the two away from for a little while. What can we do to keep them together but out of danger?”

“There is one very legitimate thing I can think of to keep them from doing anything dangerous together at least until tomorrow.”

He hugged her. “You are so clever.”

“And why are you suddenly so interested in the romantic problems of a pair of Dark Angels?”

“Partially because I do owe them for their help. Mostly….” He touched his forehead, indicating telepathy rather than a telephone. “Got a call from Sister Sidonie when McCoy checked in with the Dark Angels to tell them she and Piper were heading our way. Sid asked me to keep an eye on them.”

“Then we shall,” Eden said.

She was fond of Sidonie. Eden missed her friend who’d left the Bleythin Agency. Even though it was to be with the werewolf she loved.

Before they returned to the main office, Laurent said, “One more thing. Piper is an adopted Family Prime. You might want to check out his genealogy.”

Vampire hunters kept detailed records of all the vampire family trees they could find. She didn’t think Piper’s ancestry was any of her business if he was now one of the good guys. She also knew Laurent must have a reason for this suggestion about Piper, but figured he wanted her to find out for herself.

She made sure both of their clothes and hair were in place, and they went back to join the bonding pair.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“They’re talking about us in there,” Piper said.

“I don’t have to be psychic to figure that out,” Dee answered. She looked toward the closed door. “They’re fooling around in there, too, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Piper growled. The other couple’s sexual energy screamed around him. “Primes are shameless.”

Dee cleared her throat. She couldn’t look at the Prime as she blushed. He wasn’t the only one reacting to the awareness of vampire sex. “Yeah, well.”

She had a fleeting longing to leap over the desk and grab Piper, drag him to the floor and—

She sat at the desk and got out her smartphone. “I’m going to check in with Leon Sacher’s family, see if they’ve picked up any energy traces from the Wizard of Oxnard.”

Piper pulled up a chair from another empty desk. He flipped open the laptop he’d taken from his go bag. “I wonder if there’s a pattern to the earthquakes. If we can trace their origin to a central point.”

“Good thought,” Dee said.

“Where do I find information on earthquakes?”

“Sorry,” Dee said. “I’m a physicist not a geologist.”

Behind her, Eden said, “I thought you were in the Craft.”

Dee looked at the couple who’d come back into the room. They were holding hands.

“Even a witch needs a day job. I figure it’ll be good having an academic career to fall back on if the supernatural commando thing doesn’t work out,” Dee said.

“I went into computers myself,” Eden said. “Perhaps I can help with the search you mentioned,” she said to Piper. “Earthquake activity, is it?”

Dee gave the woman a back-off look, but managed not to snarl at her.

“Thank you,” Piper answered.

Dee’s head turned sharply toward Piper. Since when did Yakov Piper thank a female, especially a mortal one?

Okay, that was jealousy talking, wasn’t it? Oh, good goddess! She ought to apologize to Eden, who was already bonded, making her totally unavailable.

Piper handed over the thumb drive he’d taken from Sacher’s place. “This belongs to a wizard who is either a victim or one of the bad guys. Could you see what’s on it, Mrs. Wolf?” he added her married title ever so politely, with a glance at Laurent.

“No problem,” Eden said. “You’re going to need to take some time off work to go shopping anyway.”

“I beg your pardon?” Dee asked.

“What are you talking about?” Piper demanded.

Good. He was back to being his grumpy self.

“You can’t present yourselves to Lady Juanita looking like that,” Eden said. “Not at her Solstice celebration tonight, certainly. You’ll need a party dress, Dee. And a suit, Jake.”

“I have no interest in—” Piper started.

“Eden’s right,” Laurent said. “You’re in Clan Wolf territory now. You know how strict Clans can be about who they allow in their territory. You’re going to have to present yourself to the Clan Matri and make nice. Bring a present.”

“Oh, for—”

“Crying out loud,” Eden finished for Piper. “I know. But Lady Juanita is very old school.”

“And not all that certain the Dark Angels are such a good idea,” Laurent added. “It would be better to be diplomatic and pay the Matri of Clan Wolf a courtesy call.”

Piper glared at Dee. “Whose idea was it to come here?”

“Besides, it’ll be a great party,” Laurent said.

Eden gestured toward the door. “Go on. The sooner you give in to the inevitable, the sooner you can get back to work.”

Dee gave Eden a suspicious look. She didn’t argue. Clan vampires did have some pretty strict rules. “We might as well get this over with,” she told Piper.

“You just like to shop,” he said.

She did. He’d noticed?

“Add some makeup. Get your hair done,” Laurent said. “You’d look hot in spike heels.”

“I can’t run in them,” Piper said. He tossed the car keys to Dee. “You know where to find stores. Follow your instinct.”

This was not Dee’s first time in San Diego. “Come along. I know exactly where to go.”

* * *

“How are we going to justify this on our expense report?” Piper asked as Dee pulled into a space in the parking lot of a Spanish-style building.

The other cars in the lot were the expensive sorts of rides that made their black SUV look like a piece of cheap junk. The sign over the shop door read Pret-a-Porter. The store specialized in the off-the-rack lines of all the couture designers, for men and women alike. There would be questions when they turned in the expense account, but Dee knew her own finances couldn’t handle the cost of the sort of dress needed for a party at a Clan Matri’s place.

“We’ll follow Laurent’s advice, and call it a diplomatic meeting,” she suggested.

He’d sulked the whole way here, and she didn’t blame him. He sat in the passenger seat with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Except, every now and then she’d caught him sneaking a glance at her that wasn’t sulky, but— Well, lust shot through her every time she caught his gaze on her, or even when she imagined he was looking at her. Pretty much all the time, she had to admit.

The looks she snuck at him might have caused the same reaction in him, but he wasn’t the one who needed to keep his attention on driving. If her closeness left him simmering there was nothing she could do about it with her attention—mostly—on the traffic.

Now that they’d arrived they could at least get away from each other for a while, since the men’s and women’s sections were on different sides of the store. They got out of the car.

“Looks like a bridal shop,” Piper said as they approached the door.

His comment confused her for a moment, then Dee remembered. “The Houston op! When you ended up in a fire fight in a mall.”

“I, personally, crashed through the wedding shop window. I was not responsible for the fire.”

She laughed. “I wish I’d been there.”

“During a hurricane?”

“I was stuck negotiating with the Corbett twins, data mining in exchange for forgetfulness potions.”

One of the Corbetts’ security specialties was keeping mortals from remembering supernatural incidents they’d witnessed. Not all people could have their memories altered telepathically, but a combination of telepathy and magic was more effective. Negotiating a trade of her expertise for their skills in support of the Dark Angels hadn’t been the hard part of the meeting. The partying afterwards had nearly killed Dee. She’d never known anyone who could put away the vodka like the Corbetts.

She wondered if they might be related to the crazy guy she and Piper had encountered at the detective agency.

Dee gave Piper a sardonic look when he opened the door for her.

“Practicing for meeting a Matri,” he told her.

“Good idea.”

Dee cherished the way the saleswoman in the shop entrance looked them over and managed, just barely, to hide her appalled reaction to the scruffy pair who had just entered her domain. It was less than a second before the woman put on a smile and handled it like a pro as she greeted them. A salesman was summoned to take charge of Piper, and the saleslady led Dee to another section of the store, one Dee decided to call Heaven on an Expense Account.

It didn’t take Dee long to find a party outfit, even though she enjoyed the luxury of trying on several exquisite dresses. Black wasn’t to her taste, it was far too common among the supernatural crowd. Red was right out with her hair and complexion. White would have been too conspicuous in the sea of LBDs at the party. The perfect dress was royal blue. She added jewelry and shoes to her purchases, then went across to the male side of the house to see how the salesman was doing turning Piper into a civilized-looking male in Armani off-the-rack.

Dee came to a stunned halt in the doorway of the men’s section. A hot shiver went through her, a hungry smile covered her face, and she couldn’t help the long, appreciative whistle.

Piper was standing in front of a three-sided mirror. She saw him from the back and a trio of glorious reflections. Frankly, black suited vampires, and a vampire in a well-tailored black suit was a sight to behold indeed.

When she wolf-whistled, Piper turned his head her way, and smirked. “Bond,” he said. “James Bond.”

Well, she was certainly shaken, and stirred.

In her imagination, Dee moved across the room, slinky and confident. She took hold of his black silk tie and used it to draw him to her, a slow, sexy pull into a quick promise of a kiss. She put her hand on his chest, comparing the cool crispness of the shirt fabric against the heat of skin beneath. She ran her hands inside his jacket, pushed it off his arms and onto the floor. Black wool pooled at his feet while he stood very still, his big brown eyes gazing into hers. She worked off his tie. She felt her way down the front of his shirt, popping one button at a time.

When she reached his belt his hand came around her wrist. Piper raised her hand to his lips. Their gazes were still locked. He turned her palm up. His lips touched—

She realized this was no daydream when his fangs penetrated the soft skin of her hand.

Of course, now it was too late to do anything but enjoy the sensation rushing through her.

* * *

Never fantasize around a telepath,
Jake thought at McCoy as he hooked an arm around her waist.

As he kissed up her arm to her throat, he turned them so he could watch her in the mirrors. Together they sank onto the thick gold carpet before the glass. He watched her face as he caressed her, watched his hands on her breasts, teasing her nipples.

She was gorgeous. Ripe and ready and gorgeous. Had he realized how gorgeous she was before? He watched her reflections as he made quick, frantic love to her. Her expression was luminous, her movements wild and sensuous. There was no time for more than a taste of pleasure, but the sight of her burned into his mind, his memory, his soul.

Burning. Fire licked all around them, bright as the sun, burning through the glass. Reaching for them.

As his own pleasure peaked the burning glass melted from the triple frames. A stream of lava flowed toward them. He shouted in completion and fear. The world went black before he could drag Dee from danger.

* * *

“Jake! Piper! Are you awake? Get off me. You weigh a ton.”

She lay on her stomach with him on top of her. Her bare breasts pressed against the deep carpet pile. She pushed up, and Piper rolled off her with a moan. She spun around, adjusting her clothing as he groaned and opened his eyes. He didn’t look at her, but past her at the mirrors behind her. She looked around wildly. At least they were alone in the showroom.