Nights Embrace (Others of Seattle) (17 page)

“Stable? What the fuck are you talking about now?”

She sighed. “You need to learn to pleasure the women you fuck. Truly pleasure them, or you’re going to die. Their pleasure is your biggest form of sustenance. So get to pleasuring.”

* * * *

The more Sorcha told her, the more questions Roxy had. There was nothing to give her a reference for his actual age. Nothing to tell her where exactly he grew up. Nothing but the last ten years or so of his life. Sorcha only gave her general facts which stayed away from anything in further in his past.

The door opened, and as much as she wanted to be mad, she was happy to have him
home. She craved his warmth, his nearness, his touch. Her gaze locked with Trevor’s and all the irritation at not knowing a single solid detail slid into oblivion.

Trevor smiled back as he closed the distance.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” he greeted.

Without thinking, she stood and met him halfway. His mouth descended on hers, his tongue sliding against her
s as everything fell away. His hands wrapped around her, pulling her closer.

“Should we leave?” Joey asked with a boisterous laugh.

Roxy pulled away, ducking her gaze. She wasn’t used to making out with anyone in front of others, yet she couldn’t seem to stop herself with Trevor.

“Sorry,” Roxy uttered,
staring off in the emptiest corner of the condo.

Trevor squeezed her tight before setting her back.
“Hungry?”

“Yeah, actually, I am.”

“Good. I’ll make us dinner. Do you mind if Sorcha and Joey stay?”

“Sure, that’s fine.”
Sort of
. She wanted to talk to Trevor, but wasn’t sure what to ask. She wanted him to trust her with everything, but had the feeling he was holding something back. They were so new she understood, to a degree.

He frowned as he took a step back.
“What’s wrong? What is it?”

Roxy shook her head.
“Nothing.”

His eyes narrowed but he let it go for the moment.
“All right.”

Sorcha pulled her back to the couch,
to chatter about whose story she was working on next.

William seet
hed as he dropped into his chair. His mate sat across the room, glaring back him. They had been fighting over their method of travel for weeks. Their arguments ended with blood and bruises that faded all too quickly.

Like an ice queen, Kathryn sat there with her white hair falling around her long flowing white dress.
Her dazzling silver eyes pierced through him. Her voice left a chill in the air. “We should take a ship. It’s so much safer than a plane.”

“You lost
your chance for a ship when you started this argument, Kathryn. We are out of time. Your favorite pet and her mate are about to wreck my chances of making things right with my daughter.”

“Fiona is a waste of time. She loathes the very air you breathe.”

“No, not Fiona. You do remember Evelyn Nightshade, don’t you?”

“The woman who left yo
u when she caught you with your true mate?” Kathryn laughed coldly. “I’ll never forget the storm she caused when she tore through your house, shredding every last possession.”

“Aye, her,” he growled. Evelyn had been the most passionate woman he had ever had the pleasure of knowing. If it hadn’t been for his mate bond to Kathryn, he would have kept her forever.

“What about her?”

“She’s dead and gone, but my children lived.”

Kathryn shot to her feet, storming toward him. “Why do you insist on spawning these brats? How many have you produced, none of which who’ve shared even an ounce of your power?”

His gaze turned steely. “
Eventually I will succeed in growing our pack with more like us.” What he really meant was more like him. He needed someone who thought things through before acting. And what he learned about his daughter was promising. Michael Nights inherited no power from either of his parents. However, Roxana Nights had untapped potential according to one of his sources. He only wished he could have found them when they were still children. Perhaps Michael could have developed talent as well.

Kathryn’s eyes sparkled in evil humor. “And what makes you think your precious whore said a single kind word about you
to them? She was pregnant when she walked out on you. She obviously didn’t value your skill in fatherhood.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t persuade her
. As long as we get there soon, we can help her see how much stronger she could be if we train her.”

Kathryn’s eyes narrowed. “No planes.”

“Too late, we’re already booked, my love.” His lips twisted into a show of regret. “If we don’t move now, her mate will keep her from us.”

She blinked slowly. “Don’t tell me your little snot nosed brat fell for the one man who hates you worse than your own daughter.”

“They are mated. Which makes going to them all the more important. We only have a short window of time.”

“Very well. Just remember, I don’t expect your plan to work.” With that she left the room.

Kathryn had every right to doubt. They nearly had Fiona convinced centuries ago, but love made her turn her back. Later she attempted to kill Kathryn with the very magic William had taught her.

Fiona
somehow managed to sever the tie Kathryn had to her own magic. His mate now required blood rituals to keep her beast, and to have access to any magic, but it paled in comparison to what she once wielded.

Through their mate bond, his power had
also been corrupted, though not severed. William also performed the blood rituals to keep from losing all of his own power.

He called Dina for an update. She answered quickly.
“Yes, William?”

“
What have you found out about Roxana Nights?”

Dina took a deep breath, and tried not to scream.
“I want to kill the bitch. Trevor would suffer so much more. Isn’t that what you want?”

William slammed his hand into the desk.
“You will not kill her. We need her.”

“
Why?” she asked defiantly

His smile turned cruel
as he plotted Roxana’s fate. “Tomorrow is the full moon. After they leave, and they always leave early, find a way to snatch her. I want you to take her to wherever Trevor’s clan is heading, and I want you to infect her when he’s close enough to get there, but not fast enough to stop you. You need to be smart though, Dina. You need to leave before he has a chance to find you. You aren’t strong enough to stand against Trevor and his clan.”

“Fuck you, William. I’ll do it, but only because I have a
feeling Trevor hasn’t told her.”

“I can
influence her better after the change. She’ll have no choice but to accept my offer. Fiona will only ever offer to show her what she deems fair and just. I can give Roxana all the power in the world in exchange for her obedience.”

“Fine, tomorrow I’ll do it. I’m going to enjoy breaking that bitch.
I want to watch what it does to Trevor.”

“
Don’t be caught, and don’t do anything that won’t heal,” he warned. “Roxana is my daughter, and she will become a part of this pack. Do I make myself clear?”

“As glass,” she hung up. William couldn’t wait
to see what his youngest daughter was capable of. Perhaps something good would finally come of his life’s work.

* * * *

Trevor locked the door after Joey and Sorcha left. He turned back to where she sat on the couch. “Now that I have you all to myself, what would you like to do?”

“Talk, but I think I could be persuaded to massage your back for a kiss.”

He stalked toward her, pulling his shirt off as he went. He dropped it on the coffee table as he sank down in front of her and took a slow kiss before turning to face away from her.

Looking over his shoulder at her, he
offered, “I’ll reciprocate.”

She laughed, low and seductive.
“Oh, Trevor, you already spoil me.”

“No more than you deserve
.”

Rolling her eyes, she shifted to kneel behind him
. She started at his neck and worked her way across his broad shoulders. Roxy found a knot with her thumbs and dug in to work it out.

“Harder,
” he groaned. “You won’t break me,” he teased.

With a giggle, she pressed harder, using her
knuckles and strength.

“That’s so good.” His head rolled forward. “Where’d you learn to do
that?”

“My mom
was a massage therapist. She taught me a few things.”

“Where is she?”

“Gone. She passed away a few years ago. It was cancer.” Her eyes closed as she held back the pain. Her mom decided it was her time, and she didn’t allow anyone to treat her.

“I’m sorry,” he looked back at her. “What about your father?”

Anger bubbled up. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath before answering. “Don’t know. Don’t care. Asshole cheated on my mom when she was pregnant with me, so my mom walked out. We never heard from him again.”

Trevor turned, catching her hand
s and kissed each. “You’ve not had a good example of what a real man will do for his woman, have you?”

“No, I suppose not,” she answered, staring into his eyes.
It was getting harder to hang on to her doubt. But, before she could let it all go, she had questions that needed answers.

She took a deep breath and tackled the biggest.
“I need you to promise not to blame Sorcha,” she warned.

His eyes narrowed, but he nodded.
“Done.”

Taking a leap of faith, she started.
“I want to know why you felt it was a good idea to
not
tell me about your birthday tomorrow. The answer is important.”

He let out a breath
, his expression softening. “You were already upset about my trip. I didn’t want you to think my birthday was connected to the hunting. It’s not. I don’t want to go, but I can’t get out of it.”

She smiled weakly, but didn
’t say a word.

“Besides, the only thing I want for my birthday, I have.”

“What’s that?” she asked softly.

“You. You’re the very best of everything I could ask for. I don’t want anything else.
So there was no reason for you to feel like you need to get me a gift beyond you being here with me.”

She melted right there.
“Okay, I get that. One more question. Why don’t you like your birthday?”

He whispered,
“My sister died on my birthday.”

“Oh, Trevor. I’m sorry I asked.”

“Don’t be. You needed to know. It was years ago, and I found someone who wipes the pain away.”

She leaned back against the arm of the couch.
“You don’t look like the pain is gone.”

“It’s momentary, and not nearly as crushing with you in front of me, reminding me there are some very good reasons to
embrace life.” More questions sprouted, but she swept them back. He was too melancholy to delve deeper. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to forget his birthday after his admission.

“Come back here,” she
ordered, settling back against the armrest in an upright position. “I wasn’t done with your back.”

“I can’t have a turn?” he asked softly.

“Not yet.”

He turned around
, leaning back against her. She went back to work on his shoulders and sides.

“Tell me how to prove to you I won’t hurt you, Roxy,” he
implored.

“Keep doing what you’re doing, Trevor. You’re putting my fears aside. I
need honesty, and…” she trailed off with a sigh. “It’s too soon to ask.”

As if he read her mind, he answered,
“You already have my love. It might be too soon, but I swear to you I’ve fallen deeper than I knew possible. I don’t care how fast it is. It’s right.”

“
I can say the same.”

Trevor’s warm embrace was home. Roxy opened her eyes to find him still sleeping peacefully, holding her close. Never had she felt so cherished.

An idea popped into her head. It was his birthday, and she could do something for him. She didn’t have to buy him anything, but maybe she could give him a few good memories to dull the pain that went with his birthday
.

Moving down his body, she pressed kisses along his torso. Trevor let out a sigh, but didn
’t wake. She settled between his thighs and licked his half-erect length. A sleepy moan rumbled from his lips as her hand wrapped around his base to angle him.

She explored his blunt tip with her tongue before tracing the ridge of his crown. His taste was heady, arousing her in ways that surprised her. Her mouth closed over him as she sucked him deep.

“Roxy,” he murmured, “oh, god, Roxy come here.”

Looking up at him, she stopped for a
second. “I’m not done yet. It’s my turn to taste you.”

He opened his mouth to argue and she arched one brow as she took as much of him into her mouth
as she could. Trevor let out a ragged moan. She took great pleasure in his response.

“Please, need you now, love,” he groaned.

She didn’t stop, couldn’t. His sounds were driving her crazy, pushing her further. Running her nails over his balls, she pulled him as deep as she could.

His fingers threaded into her hair.
“I’m close, come here,” he begged.

She growle
d, “No,” and went right back to wringing every ounce of pleasure she could from Trevor.

His moan rumbled through her as he found his release. Once he stilled, she climbed back up his body to curl against him.

“God, Roxy. You should have stopped.”

Frowning, she sat up.
“You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that. I still have your taste in my mouth.”

“Oh, I did,
A Chroí
.” He pulled her back down, and wrapped her in his arms.

His phone buzzed, and he groaned as he reached back to grab it.
“Oh great,” he griped. “Everyone will be here in ten. We don’t have time for me to repay your outstanding wakeup call.” He stole a quick kiss before rolling from the bed.

“Shower with me?” she asked as she climbed to her feet.

“Aye, that we can do, though I need more than ten minutes for what I want.” He sighed. “I’ll make time before I leave tonight.”

“Why do you sound as if you have the whole day planned?”

“After you fell asleep, I got a text. I couldn’t go right back to sleep, so I did a little research. What do you think about exploring Vashon?”

She smiled as he
turned on the shower. The bathroom was far too elaborate, done in marble. She moved behind him, running her fingers over the snout of the dark wolf tattooed on his back.

He shivered under her touch.
“Mmm, that feels good.”

“So do you, but get in
the shower, birthday boy.”

He spun around and caught her
at the waist to pull her into the shower with him. “Is that what prompted this morning?” he asked with a cocked brow.

“What? Am I not supposed to
want to go down on you? ‘Cause I have news for you. I thoroughly enjoyed getting you off.”

He chuckled.
“I suppose that’s fair. I do love making you come.”

“Well, we have plenty of time for
more, later. It’s not my fault you didn’t tell your friends to wait until a reasonable hour to show up.”

“Damn, I wish I had thought of that.” He honestly pouted.

“Too late now.”

* * * *

Trevor hurried to wash and rinse off. Being that close to her wet and naked wasn’t helping his desire in the slightest. Not to mention her cherry blossoms in the rain scent was thick in the air.

He stepped
onto the mat and grabbed a towel. “I’ll keep them all from busting into our room before you’re ready.”

She groaned, her eyes turning up
to the ceiling. “I won’t be long.” With that, she tipped her head back to wash out the shampoo.

It took every ounce of will he possessed to walk from the bathroom
. He dressed himself in jeans and a t-shirt. From there he moved to the kitchen and started coffee. He needed to stay busy, otherwise, he was going back in there to make love to her, and damn his clan.

Roxy came out a few minutes later and found him leaning against the counter. She sauntered over with a smile.
“Why the frown?”

He grumbled
, “I want to call them and tell them not to bother. If I thought it would stop them, I would have done it already.”

Her laugh
was light, and he had to smile at the sound.

Then Sorcha burst through the door singing
“Happy Birthday” at the top of her lungs. Everyone else followed.

Roxy
leaned into him, singing as well. And after they were done she whispered in his ear. “To new, happier, memories for your birthday.”

“Mmm
.” He took a quick taste of her mouth. “With you, that’s guaranteed. I wish I wasn’t going anywhere tonight.”

“It is what it is.” She gave him a beautiful smile and he pulled her closer.

Shane interrupted with, “We brought breakfast.”

* * * *

Once Roxy pushed her plate away, Sorcha bounced up. “Come on, Rox. Let’s ditch these guys. They can meet us at the Jitterhouse after they finish.”

Roxy turned to Trevor who gave her a nod, his mouth quirking up in a
happy smile. “We won’t be far behind. Go on, love.”

She shivered at the endearment. There was no doubt in her mind that he meant it, and she felt the same. That didn
’t mean she was ready to admit it. It was so fast, and she didn’t understand how she could have developed real feelings so quickly.

“You sure?” Roxy asked softly, not really wanting to leave Trevor’s side. That in itself was a little scary, but it didn’t deter her from
wanting him.

“Go on. I won’t be long,” he promised with a soft kiss.

“All right.” She stood and Sorcha immediately grabbed her arm, pulling her out the door.

“Won’t kill you to spend ten minutes away from your man. Sheesh,” Sorcha teased.

“I’m coming, aren’t I?” Roxy quipped.

“Reluctantly.” One of Sorcha’s scarlet brow
s arched in challenge.

“Yeah, well if you all didn’t show up at the ass crack of dawn
, I would be busy giving Trevor a few extra happy birthday memories.”

“Oh,” she frowned
, turning to Roxy with a pout. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

Roxy lifted a shoulder in a shrug.
“Yes, well, it’s okay. I’ll have the rest of the morning, and part of the afternoon to do what I want.”

“You
’re trying to replace his old memories?” The question was more curious than anything.

“The past is important. I don’t want to wipe out what happened, but I want to give him a reason to enjoy future birthdays.”

“Damn, he got lucky. Hot, talented and smart.” Sorcha giggled. “I swear, I was wondering if Trevor was ever going to find a mate. Until you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look at a woman and really see her.”

“Oh, was he a man-whore?” Roxy
blurted out, suppressing a wince.

“No, not at all
.” Sorcha rubbed her chin. “Didn’t mean to give that impression. I mean he wasn’t celibate. However, he needs some level of trust before he takes a woman to bed. Not that I’ve seen it happen more than a handful of times in the years I’ve known him.”

Roxy could live with that. She had
only been with a handful of men, and none of them important after Jordan. Turning down the street to the cafe, she said, “Good. He’s been amazing, and I can’t see him being that kind of jerk.”

“Oh, he’s not at all,” Sorcha answered.

They stepped into the Jitterhouse. Sorcha took in her surroundings, a grin spreading on her face.

The radio was
tuned to 107.7 The End. Skylar sat at the counter reading a book, one of Roxy’s books, probably for the hundredth time.

Sorcha’s eyes narrowed at Skyl
ar and her head cocked. “Trevor said you and the barista are close. Does she always read your books?”

Roxy snorted.
“Not always. She loves as many authors as I do. I do seem to be on her read-on-repeat list though.”

“Can’t say I blame her.” Sorcha grinned. She hurried over to the counter. “Don’t you love Armand?”

“Oh my god, yes. I want to ride him like a rollercoaster.”

Roxy
complained. “Okay, before you go getting hot and bothered about the men in my head, can I get my espresso on ice?”

Sorcha pouted.
“Really? You don’t get off on writing these studs of yours?”

“What I do while I’m writing is top secret.” She was blushing.

“Ooh, a dirty girl,” Sorcha snickered. “I knew I loved you for a reason.”

“You should see her Tumblr feed,”
Skylar added.

Roxy crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes.
“Seriously, can we get to the coffee making?”

“I think I need to see this Tumblr feed,” Sorcha winked.

“What? Joey not enough to keep you satisfied?”

“Oh, he’s got that covered, but
window shopping never hurt no one,” Sorcha retorted.

Sighing heavily, Roxy pulled out her phone and
brought up the feed. She handed it over and Sorcha’s eyes bugged out.

“For the record? I rarely look at it. Usually only when I’m checking to make sure my blog posted to it.”

“Mmhmm,” Skylar murmured. “Or when you’re desperately looking for inspiration on some hot studly hero.”

“Yeah, well I have plenty of that in Trevor, so I doubt Tumblr
will keep my interest much.”

“I don’t know, Rox. These pictures and gifs? Damn, I want to go find Joey.”

Skylar pushed the Americano on ice over and looked longingly at Roxy’s phone still in Sorcha’s hand. “Mmm, yeah, I love Tyler and all that. I still want to look at hot sexy men.”

Roxy swiped her phone and cleared the screen.
“What do you drink Sorcha?”

“Irish Cream Mocha.”

“Right on,” Skylar acknowledged and went to work.

* * * *

Joey started to clear the table. He gave Trevor a grin. “Good thing we didn’t surprise her with your birthday.”

“Sorcha took care of that. I’m glad she did.”

“Good.” Shane told him. “I get the impression she won’t appreciate lies. So be careful if you’re waiting much longer to explain everything. She needs to know. Especially since Boyd and Dina seem to have targeted her.”

“How did you tell Siobhan? How did she
take the news?”

Siobhan leaned forward and caught his attention.
“He shifted the night after I met him. Before I freaked out, he shifted back and talked to me for hours, and hours, answering every question I had.”

“And you didn’t freak
?”

“
A little at first. That’s to be expected. However, you’ve read her stories. I think, after the shock wears off, she’ll embrace it.”

Fiona
joined the conversation with a soft but warm smile. “Her magic is bleeding through. Sometime tomorrow I should talk to her. Today, you should enjoy her before we have to go.”

Trevor grinned.
“Oh, I intend to. I’m taking her to Vashon Island to get away from all of you, and to keep her away from everything else.”

Joey tapped his fingers on the table.
“Are you sure she’ll be safe here? I know it’s safer than her place, but you know Dina and Boyd.”

“They’re on their own. I haven’t seen any sign of another wolf
since we got here,” Trevor said.

“Neither have I,” Shane responded. “Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be cautious. The city isn’t so huge it’s i
mpossible to find someone, but it’s also too large to know everyone.”

“And don’t forget, there is no way to know where Boyd and Dina will go for their shift.”

Fiona shook her head. “They aren’t stupid enough to stay here in Seattle. They will leave the city.” There was still worry on Fiona’s face. “Your place is warded, Trevor. She’ll be safe here if she stays.”

“I don’t see any reason she won’t.” Trevor shrugged.
“They haven’t found me yet, so she’s safest here.”

* * * *

Isadora strolled in with Toryn. Roxy shuddered as she snagged Sorcha’s arm and dragged her to a table. She lifted her hand in a wave, but didn’t think she could manage a kind word to Isa.