Seduced in Shadow (8 page)

Her tongue flicked out to tease his and longing sizzled across his skin as his
bassadone
magic rose to her desire. Wrapping his arms around her, he drew her toward him, breathing in her scent.

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Seduced in Shadow

His hands tunneled under her shirt to get to bare skin, warm and silky. Arching into him, she pressed those gorgeous breasts against him, her rising hips calling to him—

“Son of a bitch,” Justin swore. “What the hell is going on?”

Ellie gasped and drew back, eyes blinking at her brother’s voice.

What was it about Antonin that made her lose all her inhibitions? It wasn’t just that he was gorgeous. No, there was something in his eyes, something in the way he looked at her. As if she was the most beautiful woman in the world and he couldn’t get enough of her.

“Antonin, you son of a bitch. I’m gonna kill you.” Her brother’s voice sounded again.

She glanced over Antonin’s shoulder, her eyes widening at the expression on Justin’s face.

He looked ready to crush something, probably Antonin. His blue eyes seemed brighter than normal. So bright, they practically glowed… No, not practically glowed.

They
did
glow as if they were lit from within.

A pit opened in her stomach and she felt as if her body was being sucked into it from the inside out.

“Justin, I do not think it would be wise to hurt Antonin.” The woman standing behind her brother laid her hand on his arm. “And I don’t think your sister is being made to do anything against her will.”

“Red—” Justin addressed the woman.

“Justin.” Ellie’s voice finally returned. “Shut up.”

Luckily for her brother, he did. Though he didn’t look happy about it.

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Reluctantly Ellie eased out of Antonin’s embrace. For a few seconds, he tried to hold her there but she caught his gaze and shook her head. When she stood up, she held out her hand to the other woman.

“Hello. I’m Fiorella Johannson.”

The redhead’s mouth turned up slightly at the corners and Ellie had to hand it to her brother. The woman was gorgeous. “I’m Scarlata. I’ve heard much about you from Justin. It’s very nice to meet you finally.”

“Nice to meet you too. And since you seem to be the only one here with any sense, would you please tell me what’s going on?”

Scarlata’s smile widened and her laugh sounded like the low growl of a big cat.

“Unfortunately it’s your brother who is going to have to do that.”

Ellie turned to Justin, who continued to glare at Antonin, now standing by her side.

“Justin, you better spill the beans now. I’ve had just about enough of not knowing what’s going on.”

Grudgingly Justin shifted his gaze to her. “Are you okay?”

Folding her arms across her chest, Ellie felt a little underdressed for the first time in Antonin’s boxers and t-shirt. But she couldn’t let that bother her now. “I’m fine. Spill.

Now. I want answers.”

Justin’s jaw clenched and Ellie thought for sure he was going to crack his teeth.

Finally he took a deep breath. “Do you remember the stories Dad used to tell us when we were kids? About fairies…” At that Scarlata huffed and Justin sent her a sweet smile that made Ellie’s eyebrows lift. “And satyrs and dryads…and elves?”

She knew where he was going with this but she only nodded. She’d been over this with Antonin already.

“Well, they’re not just stories. They’re real.” Justin closed the short distance between them and put his hands on her shoulders, a grin finally appearing on his 60

Seduced in Shadow

handsome face. “I’ve seen things in the past few months, Ellie. A whole world out there that you would never know existed. And we’re part of it.”

A tickle of unease started in her stomach and Ellie had a sneaking suspicion she wasn’t going to like what was coming next. “How so?”

“Through Dad.”

She shook her head. “Dad’s dead, Justin. I don’t have a clue why his stories would affect us now.” Ellie waited for Justin to continue. When he didn’t, she prompted,

“Come on, just spit it out.”

Her brother grimaced. “Scarlata’s a
folletta
and Antonin’s a
linchetto
.”

“So Antonin told me. Are you going to explain what the hell that means to me?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Justin said, “Red, honey, would you…”

Ellie shifted her gaze to Scarlata and felt her entire body become one huge mass of gooseflesh when she saw what appeared to be pink wings behind the woman’s back.

“Are they… I mean…”

Scarlata turned so she could see that, yes indeed, the wings were attached to her body. They were sticking out above Scarlata’s halter top. Ellie blinked a couple of times and in between one blink and the next, the wings were gone. Only an outline of them, like a tattoo, remained on the woman’s skin.

The goose bumps faded and that pit was back in her stomach. With an effort, Ellie forced herself to nod and look at Justin. She
could
handle this. She was going to be fine.

Her brother shifted his gaze back to Antonin and his expression visibly hardened again.
Oh please.
Ellie rolled her eyes. Justin had to get over his habit of treating her like a child. He had to get used to the fact that she was an adult and she could do whatever and whomever she pleased.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Ellie gave her brother the look she saved for when he was being bossy. “I’ve already seen Antonin’s ears, Justin. And he’s told me a little.” Very little. But really, if that woman had wings that disappeared at will, well, 61

Stephanie Julian

then Antonin’s ears weren’t that big a deal. At least that was what she kept telling herself. In truth, Ellie was quite proud of how calmly she was handling this. The old Ellie would have been stuck in a panic attack already. But here she was, discussing elves and fairies as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Ellie.” Antonin’s voice sounded in her ear and, for a second, she wanted to melt back into him, wanted to return to his bedroom, shut the door and pretend none of this had happened. But that would be pulling an ostrich and if she really were an adult then she would have to deal with this crazy mess.

Justin practically bared his teeth. “Back off, An—”

“Justin, stop acting like an idiot.” Ellie moved back just a hairsbreadth toward Antonin. It was enough to feel the heat of his body and catch the faint scent of his skin.

“You back off. I’m not ten anymore.”

“I like your sister, Justin,” the redhead with the wings said with a smile. “She doesn’t take your shit either.”

“Fucking hell,” came a deep masculine voice from the kitchen, “could you please hurry the fuck up? We don’t have all day, people.”

Ellie had to lean to the right to see around Justin. What she saw in the arch between the kitchen and the dining room made her brain shudder to a halt like a frozen computer that needed to be rebooted.

And when it did, memories started to re-form in her brain like the words to a favorite childhood book she’d long forgotten. Memories that seemed almost as if they were hazy pictures from someone else’s life.

“Sal, Goddammit,” Justin said. “I told you to stay out of this.”

Ellie barely registered anything because she was so busy trying to sort through long-forgotten pieces of her past.

“We don’t have time for the easy way now, kid,” Sal said. “The
Mal
have got men on the move and they’re heading this way.”

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Antonin felt panic hit him like a blow to the gut. “How do they know where we are? No one knows about this place.”

The four-foot
salbinelli
named Salvatorus shook his head, his curly black hair framing scowling Mediterranean features. He was built like a linebacker, except for the fact that his lower body was that of a goat and he had small black horns on his head.

“I just know they’re headed this way. Maybe they don’t know jack about this house and it’s just a coincidence. But then I don’t really believe in those. Hey, Antonin, your girl’s looking kinda spacey.”

“Ellie?” Antonin looked at her.

Already on the move, Ellie paid no attention to Antonin. She slid past Justin and Scarlata and sank down onto her knees in front of Sal.

She didn’t say anything, just sat there and stared. Antonin brushed past Justin to stand by her side, ready to tackle Sal if the horny little bastard so much as looked at Ellie the wrong way.

But Sal just smiled.

“How ya doin’, babe? Nice to see ya,” the
salbinelli
said.

After about thirty seconds, Ellie nodded and the dazed look left her face, replaced by a smile. “It’s nice to see you again too,” she said. “It’s been a very long time.”

“Yeah, it has.” Sal nodded, his smile growing. “Must be going on fifteen, sixteen years.”

Ellie’s smile grew larger. “I was five, so it’s more like twenty years.”

“You’ve met?” Justin’s incredulous tone didn’t appear to register with his sister because she didn’t bother to answer.

“You’ve grown into a beauty, little Fia,” Sal said, raising one meaty hand to pat her cheek.

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Stephanie Julian

Antonin nearly hit the guy before he realized it was more of a fatherly gesture.

Luckily he checked himself before he did. Sal probably would have pummeled him into the ground. The guy might only be four feet high but he packed a wallop in his punches.

Justin shook his head. “What the hell are you two talking about?”

“And you haven’t aged a day,” Ellie continued her conversation with Sal. “I missed seeing you after those few months. I cried for weeks.”

“Hell, now. I am sorry about that, Little Flower,” Sal said. “Couldn’t be helped though. When I got back from my trip, you were too old. You would have had too many questions.”

“And I guess being able to talk to animals was enough for one girl.” Ellie shook her head, still smiling.

“What?” Justin practically shouted as he started pacing. “Oh no fucking way.

Would someone
please
tell me what the hell is going on?”

Finally Ellie turned to her brother, but not before giving Antonin a small private smile that lit a fire in his gut.

“Grab a seat, big brother. I think you’re going to need it.”

* * * * *

“So you can talk to animals?” Justin said. “And you’ve been able to since you were a kid? And Dad knew?
And
you met Sal when you were a kid?”

“Yeah,” Ellie said, still so amazed at the sight of her old friend that she couldn’t get the grin off her face. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

Justin snorted, drumming his fingers on the dining room table they all sat around.

“Amazing. Right. So you weren’t surprised by Antonin then?”

“No, he definitely was a shock.” She shook her head, hoping like hell she wasn’t blushing bright red. “I was little more than a baby when I met Sal, Justin. And even now I can’t remember exactly what happened back then. I mean, can you remember 64

Seduced in Shadow

things you did when you were five? I’m sure everything seems normal to a child that age, because they don’t know any better. And who would’ve believed me if I’d told them I met someone named Sal who was half-man and half-goat?”

“We only met a few times,” Sal added with a smile. “Your dad was careful about that kind of stuff.”

That kind of stuff?
“What does that mean?” Ellie asked. “How did you know Dad anyway?”

Sal only stared at her so she looked at her brother, who just sat there, shaking his head. “Ellie, I think you better listen.”

“So are you finally going to tell me what’s going on?” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Justin her best glare.

“Yeah, we are,” Sal said. “Bonnini’s men are in the city and it’s not gonna be long before they hone in on Justin. You and Scary have to get back to Florida. And, Antonin, you need to take Ellie—”

“No way.” Justin waved a hand over the table. “Ellie goes with me.”

“Not gonna happen.” Sal shook his head. “We need to keep you two separated, split Bonnini’s focus.”

“Daniel Bonnini?” Ellie asked. The people around her nodded. “The man we both used to work for? What did you do, Justin? Why would I need a bodyguard to protect me against a Fortune 500 business owner? Somebody please tell me what the hell’s going on?” She practically shouted the last words and everyone looked at her but still no one answered. And the panic creeped in. “Okay, that’s it. I need to know what else is going on. Right now. What aren’t you telling me?”

Ellie looked into the face of each person at the table. Sal looked at Justin and raised his eyebrows. Scarlata looked at Justin. Justin took a deep breath. And Antonin…

Antonin held out his hand to her. Ellie took it without a second thought, holding on to him as if he was a lifeline and she was drowning.

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Then Antonin turned to Justin. “Tell her. Now.”

Justin sighed, his angry mouth a straight line. “It’s about Dad. Well, he’s… It’s kind of… He’s really…special—”

“You make it sound as if I have brain damage, son,” a voice sounded out of nowhere. “Why don’t you let me take this from here?”

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Ellie knew she was losing her mind because the voice of her dead father was coming from behind her in the living room.

“Sorry I’m late. Couldn’t be helped. I know you were trying to stall, Justin. This really shouldn’t have been your situation to handle. It’s mine.”

Ellie turned slowly so she wouldn’t lose the tenuous grip she held on reality at the moment. She also held on to Antonin as if he was the only one who could save her.

What, or rather who, she saw in the living room pushed her over the edge.

“Hello, Fiorella. How are you, princess?”

Her father stood there. Her dead father. Exactly as she remembered him from her childhood. He’d died when she was fifteen. Ten years ago. Her parents had already been divorced for five years but she and her dad had been close. Not as close as she and her mom, which she’d always attributed to the girl thing, but she’d loved her dad with all her heart. She still missed him.