Redemption: Alchemy Series Book #4 (16 page)

I was trying to keep up appearances but my hands were shaking, my gaze on him.

He swept me up in his arms, leaning down and kissing me before he started to walk.

"Get a room," I heard Burrom yell in the background as we left.

Chapter  Twelve

We've All Got Our
Kryptonite

"Jo!"

I woke up to Cormac repeating my name. I was laid out on the couch in the penthouse. Oh no, I must have actually passed out on the way up here.

"I'm awake. There's no reason to keep shaking so vigorously," I said as Cormac's hands gripped my shoulders.

"How do you feel?" He stopped the movement but his hands remained in a tight grip on my shoulders.

"Like I drank too much." I pushed myself up and he finally loosened his hold. I looked around, expecting to find more eyes on me but it was only Cormac and Burrom in the room.

Cormac turned on Burrom. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"I didn't do this! And you better watch who you're talking to like that, because I'm the one that had her back when you disappeared."

"Yeah, I heard about that. And just so you know, I don't care what the hell you are, you start to lose your usefulness and I'll take you out. Watch your step."

"Just try it."

The two of them had an odd relationship. I didn't know quite how long they'd known each other, but I was guessing it was decades. I knew they wouldn't actually hurt each other. And even though I didn't think either one would ever admit it, they liked each other. It wasn't a bromance exactly
, but more of a "deep down you're not so bad and I won't kill you kind of way."

"Guys, when you're done bickering with each other, I think I might have an idea what actually happened."

They both whipped around back to me. "What?" they said in unison.

"I could see it." I was amazed myself thinking back. I'd felt almost high at the time and I didn't think I could truly describe the beauty or the heady feeling I'd gotten from it.

"See what?" Cormac asked.

"The magic." I looked at Burrom. "You know how you thought I was a sort of vessel or divining rod for the magic? When we closed the holes, especially the one in New York, I pulled energy from the other Keepers. Well, when I was fighting tonight, I tried to pull it to me from the atmosphere and it worked."

Feeling better, the excitement of what had just happened poured through me. I stood, and paced the room unable to sit still. They both watched me as the pieces fell into place in my mind. "It was crazy. After a certain point, I could see it. The magic, I could actually see its brilliant colors, swirling in the air. I could watch it enter my body."

"But what happened? Why did you collapse?" Cormac asked. He grabbed a napkin from the bar area. Walking over to where I was walking in circles. "Hold still."

"What?"

He tilted my head and pressed the napkin near my ear. When he pulled it back, there was blood on it and he looked like he wanted to punch Burrom again.

"A couple drops of blood aren't a big deal." I grabbed the bloodied napkin and tossed it in the trash. "I just overloaded. I didn't know there was a limit to how much I could pull in. I'll go lighter next time."

"Maybe you just need to get used to it?" Burrom asked, focusing more on the potential as I was than the ramifications.

"Or maybe it will kill her next time." Cormac shoved Burrom on the shoulder. It wasn't hard enough to push him over, but a warning none the less.

"But it might not." Burrom moved a hand to shove Cormac back but then paused it mid air before dropping it, leaving Cormac untouched.

"You've got more blood coming from your ears," Cormac said.

I reached my hand up and lowered it to find my fingers were red.

"Don't you get it? You're still bleeding. This isn't something to play around with." His fingers cupped my chin as his eyes roved over my face.

I pulled away from him and the concern I saw. "But who knows what I could do? The senator is coming. We can't leave anything on the table." I walked as far as I could away from Cormac before I uttered my next words. "I sent him a message, telling him I want a meeting. He's expecting me in five days."

"To the senator? When did you do that?" I knew what Cormac was really thinking though. How did I get it past his spies?

"Right after I told everyone I wanted a meeting."

"I can't believe you did that. What about the 'this is a democracy' speech? I guess that only pertained to me?"

I'd known he was going to be pissed but he'd get over it. What choice did he have? I hadn't left him with any.

"Who'd you send?"

"It doesn't matter," I said, evading the question.

He turned to a too-quiet Burrom. "You delivered it."

"I thought it was a sound idea."

"Yes, because you don't give a shit if she dies."

"No, I'm just a pragmatist. Of course I care if she dies. It might be my ass on the line with her."

Cormac stared at him with such anger I wasn't surprised when Burrom made an excuse of wanting to stay out of our fight and left the penthouse.

"I'm going with you," Cormac said.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?"

"It's just a hunch, but the entire time you were gone, there seemed to be a certain amiable peace between me and the senator. I think this recent turmoil has something to do with you coming back."

"Then he won't know I'm there. You aren't going in alone."

I knew I wasn't going to be able to deter and I didn't want to. This is what I'd been angling for the entire time.

"Fine. We’ll get a group together. You handle the intel and I'll be the distraction."

Chapter Thirteen

Awkward Exits

"I don't like this." Cormac punched the stone of the wall as he paced the room. He'd been periodically punching things all day and I'd been graciously not commenting on it.

"I've got to go." I ducked just as a chip of stone came flying my way.

He didn't say anything else but he was pacing. I hated when he paced. It made me nervous, surprisingly more than the punching of random items.

He paused and crossed his arms, and just when I thought he was going to start in with a new tirade of why I shouldn't, he surprised me and said, "I know."

That was easier than I'd expected. I looked back down at the maps on the table I was studying. Unfortunately, just because a monster was preparing for war on us, it didn't mean we could stop daily functions. Well, technically we could stop but we'd also not eat and that wasn't getting a lot of votes.

But it was really hard to focus with everything going on and Cormac pacing around like a powder keg with a lit fuse. Every one of my senses was attuned to him. I knew the instant his path changed from where he'd been wearing holes in the floor to across the room where I was standing at the table I liked to use as my desk.

I tried my darnedest to ignore him, but when his features softened from frustration to a new emotion, it was pretty difficult.

"I warned you about those looks," I said as I could see the pride in his eyes.

"How long do you plan on sleeping on the couch?"

He took a step closer and picked up a lock of my hair in his hands, splaying it in his fingers and then running it down the length of my arm. I'd wished I’d thrown on a sweatshirt instead of the tank top but the fireplace didn't come with a thermostat and I'd added too many logs again.

I wanted to pull back but that would mean he was affecting me. He was, but I could pretend.

"Depends. How long do you plan on occupying the bed while you pretend to sleep? And could you fake snore a little more quietly?"

His deep laughter filled the penthouse and the masculine sound sent a shiver through me.

He leaned a hip on the table as he perused me.

It was getting harder to fake nonchalance when I saw the look in his eyes change from pride to something a lot hotter. His stare was so intense that if he kept it up, I didn't think he'd have to do much more than that and I'd be hopping into bed with him. As it was, every day that passed I started to forget why I was even mad.

"I'm really impressed with the way you stepped up."

"Thank you." I instantly thought of the rules I'd made up in my head for Cormac management. Don't smile. You do not need his approval. Do not encourage speaking when he is looking at you like that. There were other rules, but I couldn't seem to remember them anymore.

"How long do you think it's going to take for you to get past being angry at me for leaving?"

"I'm not angry." Don't engage. Don't admit to anger.

His left hand moved deeper into my hair and started to massage the back of my head. Then it moved down to my neck to do the same. Contact made. We were about to hit def con five.

"Liar," he said teasingly.

Resist the dimples. Do not look at the dimples. They are defects. Shit, must ignore the dents.

"Think what you want." I was trying to keep myself so concentrated on the maps in front of me I didn't see his next move coming until I was pulled in between his legs.

"I need to work," I said, turning my head to the side, not thinking of the clear opening I was providing until I felt his lips skimming along my collar bone, working a slow path across.

"Then work," he whispered, his hands roving along my back, massaging all the strength from my body. "Go ahead." His mouth moved up to my jaw line as I realized his grip was anything but tight. I could have easily removed myself from his embrace.

"
Sure
. Until I try to move." Did either of us believe what I'd just said? His hands were barely a feather on me now, gliding up and down my arms and then down my back, feather light over my hips. 

Both his hands moved into my hair as he turned my face to meet his. "Pretend whatever you want." The words feathered against my lips just before he kissed me.

Three long months without this and getting a taste of him brought it all back. I knew contact was going to be my undoing. I wrapped my arms tightly around him, pulling him closer, and a tsunami of need unleashed between us.

An arm wrapped around my waist as his other hand pulled my leg up to wrap around him. My hands gripped his hair, bringing his mouth to mine.

My head fell back as his hand grabbed my ass and fitted me perfectly to him.

Then the door slammed shut.

"Shit. I didn't lock the door."

"Whoa, sorry," Dark said as he stepped in the doorway to the living room before we'd even separated.

I jumped back quickly, putting a healthy distance between him and me.

"No, it's fine. What's up?" I said, looking anywhere but
at Cormac, who was looking only at me.

"Just wanted to know if you worked out the scouting schedules yet?"

"Yeah, I've got most of it done. It's on the table," I said, pointing to where Cormac still leaned. "You can let everyone know what the schedule is. I've got to go make a run and talk to Colleen. See you guys later." I would've run from the room if I thought I could've pulled it off without looking ridiculous. As it was, I was bordering on awkward with my fast walk.

I didn't breathe right until I hit the stairwell and there were no footsteps behind me. I flew down the stairs, trying to put as much space between Cormac and me as I could.

"Jo?" I didn't recognize the voice coming from behind me but I did remember the face when I turned. He wasn't overly handsome, with a very plain shade of brown hair but with enough scars running across his face to make him memorable. It was one of the wolves I didn't have much interaction with. He used to hang around with Rogo a lot, before he lost his head.

I stopped to talk to him, not alarmed at all being alone with one wolf in the stairwell. I could take him down easily.

"Yes?" I asked as I waited for him to speak.

"I've been wanting to talk to you." I could hear the nervousness in his voice but that wasn't surprising. There were three categories of people these days. The ones that hated me but were still respectful
, because they didn't want to get booted. The ones that feared me because nobody was really sure exactly what I was, and the ones that liked me. They were mostly
changed
and made up the smallest percentage.

"What's up?"

"I'd like to get in on some of the scouting rounds."

Every creature immune to rippers wanted to be on scouting duty now. It was a license to steal. I didn't know what percentage I lost off the top but I'd accepted it as an unavoidable expense. I only had so many honest people and it was either take the loss or work the few good ones into the ground.