Piled into my apartment’s small kitchen were two cats, two faeries, one guardian and a partridge in a pear tree. Okay, maybe not the partridge, but I feared my apartment was nearing its maximum legal capacity. Merri and Pippin continued to stare at Lex, as though they found his every move intriguing. Crazy cats. I was half tempted to get out their catnip mice so they’d go do something else, but that would require moving, and I was just too damn depressed and exhausted to do anything but sit. I didn’t want to do anything at all.
It was dark and raining outside. Though it seemed to us as though only minutes had passed, hours had flown by during our time in Faerie, which is about par for the course. I made a few phone calls to Mac’s family and confirmed it was his flight that’d crashed. They promised to let me know when the memorial service would be. I felt numb and helpless, knowing there was nothing I could do but wait for my chance to say goodbye to my friend. First Maureen and now Mac-I had no one left, aside from my faerie cousins, who were doing their best to distract me. Especially Portia, who was opposed to negative emotions of any sort and was determined to keep my spirits up.
“You’re doing good, Kitty,” Portia congratulated. “There should only be one more test from the Council too. Piece of cake.”
“Do you two know why Lex was brought with me for it?” I asked.
“Well, he’s your guardian, silly.” Portia rolled her eyes at me as though it should’ve been obvious.
Confused, I turned toward Lex. “Does that make any sense to you?”
“I haven’t heard of it happening before, but I’m not exactly an expert on the subject. This situation isn’t normal to begin with. There’ve been a few attempts to kill off the competition in the past, but usually they’re subtle about it instead of outright puttin’ a price on your head.” He shrugged unknowingly. “Maybe Cecelia thought it’d be rude to separate us.”
“Anything’s possible at this point. I’m glad you were there.” I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done if Lex hadn’t been there, if I hadn’t had him to comfort me and calm me down when I heard about Mac’s death. I glanced at Tybalt, noticing he was strangely quiet on this subject. Well, if he had something to say I’m sure he’d speak up, so I decided to move on. “We’re going to talk to your other contact tomorrow morning?”
“Right. We could probably see him now, but it’s not safe for you to be out at this hour.”
“I won’t argue with that, I’ve had enough drama for one day. Who’s this contact of yours? It didn’t sound like you were eager to talk to this person when Pete brought it up.”
“That’s because it won’t be cheap-he sells information for a high price. I try to avoid dealin’ with him unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Another librarian?” Many librarians, like Mac, prefer the free exchange of information, but there are those who prefer to barter and those who prefer to charge outright.
“In a way. We’ll worry about that tomorrow. Now, we have two problems to deal with tonight. Food and entertainment.”
I smiled, the first real smile I’d had all day-apparently Lex had the same plan of distraction as my faerie cousins. “Well normally I’d say we should order some pizza, but I’m afraid the poor delivery guy wouldn’t make it here in one piece.”
“Agreed.” Lex nodded.
“You want food? I can make food,” Portia offered. A feast popped into existence atop my kitchen table, a stunning array of dishes crammed together, and I swear I heard the table’s legs groan under the weight.
“I wish my cousins were this handy,” Lex commented, impressed. “You must be great at parties.”
The selection was mainly made up of foods I like, the sort of greasy, fried American fare we serve at the Three Willows. Though I didn’t have an appetite I forced myself to eat, knowing I needed to keep my magical strength up. Portia regaled us with lively tales of the past exploits of the Silverleaf clan during dinner, and I was grateful for it. When we’d stuffed ourselves full, Portia made everything disappear as easily as she’d conjured it, and we moved into the living room.
For the entertainment portion of our evening Lex bravely-or perhaps foolishly-decided to teach the faeries how to play Texas hold ’ em poker. The only cards I own are Tarot cards, but he’d brought a deck of playing cards with him in his gym bag, and we used pretzels and chocolates as poker chips. The man displayed the patience of a saint as he tutored my cousins in the basics of the game-I’d learned it when we’d dated, though we’d bet clothing instead of snacks.
Tybalt was enthralled, but Portia was slow to warm to the idea until she figured out how to cheat by magically marking the cards. Poker ended soon after that, and we turned to the Game Show Network for entertainment. Few things are quite as entertaining as watching millennia-old frost faeries shout “No deal, Howie!” at your television screen.
It was a welcome break, and I could almost imagine this was a normal night of fun with my cousins. The addition of Lex didn’t hurt, but it added to the strangeness. He was acting like the Lex I remembered-funny, caring, charming. I wanted to stay angry with him, but having him stand steadfast by my side today made that difficult. He was there when I needed him, which felt weird after what had occurred between us in the past.
A little after midnight I kicked the faeries out and sent them home so Lex and I could get a good night’s sleep before our big day tomorrow. Not that I predicted being able to sleep with the cold dread that’d settled into my stomach, but I was willing to give it a try. I gathered up the empty drinking glasses and the bag of chips we’d devoured, and brought them into the kitchen. When I returned to the living room for the second round of mess, I found the lights had been switched off. Barely visible, Lex stood at the window, staring into the night as he held the curtains aside.
“You need to see this.”
“What is it?”
“Might want to put your shields up in case they try to take a shot at you,” he advised as I crossed the room. With a deep breath I put my shields in place, feeling the energy snap around me and then continue its new odd habit of stretching to include Lex.
“How are you doing that?” I looked up at him, confused.
“Doin’ what?”
“You keep getting through my shields.”
“Huh. Probably ’cause your subconscious knows I’m not going to harm you, so there’s no need to keep me out. Those vamps outside, on the other hand, they’re probably not here to play cards.” Lex pointed into the darkness, and I looked out the window.
“I don’t see anything.” Squinting, I pushed my glasses up on my nose and strained to see what he indicated. My eyes slowly adjusted to the rainy night. The streetlights had been doused, and this time it wasn’t my fault.
“There.” Stepping close to me, he gestured again. “Two in gangways across the street, one behind that oak tree.” Following Lex’s lead, I managed to spot three figures hiding in the shadows, and they were definitely not my neighbors.
“What are they doing?” I asked, my voice dropping to a tense whisper.
“Waitin’. They can’t get in, so they’re waitin’ for us to come out. Sooner or later they’ll get impatient and figure out a way to force their way in. In fact, I’m surprised they haven’t tried to set your building on fire and smoke us out.”
“They can’t, I have a ward against that too. Fire here can’t grow any bigger than a stove burner.”
“Damn, you are good. Still, with those vultures outside it’s not safe here anymore, Cat. You’ll have to stay somewhere else from now on.” With his point made, he let the curtains fall back into place, plunging the room into darkness, with only the light from the kitchen to see by.
“You’re right,” I reluctantly agreed.
“You could come stay with me.”
“With you?” Surprised by the suggestion, I turned to look up at him. We were standing so close I could feel the heat of his body and the light brush of his breath against my face. Nervous, I took a deep breath and unintentionally inhaled the familiar, unique scent of him. My heartbeat drowned out the steady patter of rain against the windows. With an amazing display of willpower I resisted the urge to bolt, knowing I’d only trip over something (like the cats that were still standing guard over Lex) and break my neck. Instead I took a slow step backward. “Why, you think it’d be easier to babysit me on your own turf?”
“I’m not babysitting you. Really, I’m protecting them from you,” he teased. Grinning, he reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair that’d escaped from my braid back into place behind my ear.
“Thanks, that makes me feel so much better,” I joked, a blush heating my face.
“I try. But seriously, Cat, I’ll be here as long as you need me.” Lex looked down at me, seeming sincere, and I shook my head at him.
“Don’t, Lex. You’re only here on orders. You’ll be gone and on to the next as soon as this assignment is over.”
“What if I don’t want that?”
“What if I do? I’m all for the life-saving thing, but I don’t want you in my life again.”
“Are you sure of that?”
Scowling, I took a steadying breath and prepared to launch into an explanation of the myriad reasons why I wasn’t about to go through another round of heartbreak with him, but before I could speak he leaned down and brushed a kiss across my lips.
A warm tingling suffused my body as soon as our lips met, the sort of electric reaction I usually associate with casting magic, but much, much better. He was hesitant at first, probably afraid I’d slap him or zot him with a spell, but when I didn’t object he slowly began to deepen the kiss. My knees went weak as my good sense vanished, and I slipped my arms around him to steady myself. Lex held me close as he continued to kiss me, and I leaned into him. I’d forgotten how well we fit together. He sighed, as though my lips were delicious and he savored them.
“This is a bad idea,” I murmured.
“No, this is a good idea.” Lex nudged me back toward the couch, and I sat down in a less-than-graceful flop. Next he joined me and drew me into his arms.
“Oh yeah? How?” My hormones were obviously happy to see him, but I still had a little bit of brainpower left, enough to be skeptical of the situation.
“Because letting you go was a bad idea. I don’t want to make that mistake again.” His voice was low and strained, and I wished it wasn’t so dark so I could see his expression. I sighed, a mix of old pain and new uncertainty, but he kissed me again and I stopped arguing.
I relaxed into the embrace, returning the kiss passionately. I felt better instantly-safe, warm, desired. Lex stroked my braided hair and let his hand rest at the small of my back. I ran my own hands up and down his back, debating whether or not it would be a good idea to tug his shirt off, but then I felt him unhooking my bra. My pulse jumped, and my magic decided to take that opportunity to wreak havoc on a pair of unsuspecting table lamps. With an electric sizzle followed by two sharp pops the light bulbs flashed and exploded. Startled, we jumped apart, the mood broken. We stared at each other, and I felt a guilty blush heat my face.
“Cat-” he started, and I held a hand up to stop him before he could say anything further.
“I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to get some new bulbs, and we’re going to pretend that never happened.” Thoroughly irritated with myself, I retreated to the kitchen, fumbling to rehook my bra as I went.
“Don’t worry about the lamps, we can fix them tomorrow. Cat, please talk to me.” He paused, hovering in the doorway.
“No. Nothing’s changed between us, I still can’t trust you.” And apparently I can’t trust myself with you either. Rummaging through the cabinets, I banged doors open and shut as I looked for light bulbs. I was sure I had them somewhere.
“Is that why you ignored my advice in the test today? You don’t trust my judgment?” Lex asked, sounding more than a bit offended. The change in subject threw me.
“No. I couldn’t kill the shifter, not when I could help it. Or her, rather,” I corrected. Hadn’t been expecting that one, considering the few shifters I’d met at the café had all been men. “The imp had to go though, ’cause I figured that while you might be able to remove the wild magic from a shifter, you can’t un-imp an imp.”
“That shifter has a death warrant out on her.”
“And were any of her crimes committed before she was infected?” I pointed out, and he shook his head. “I didn’t think so. See, you haven’t changed, you’re still Mr. By-the-Book. The first time I screw up something as Titania you’ll go running off to rat me out to the faerie council, because you can’t risk jeopardizing your position as a guardian. Well I learned that lesson, and I’m not eager to repeat it.”
“I didn’t have a choice, Cat.”
“Yes, you did. I told you about the attack in confidence, because I was scared and I needed comforting from the man I loved, and you had to go all Law and Order on me and turn me in.” Slamming a cabinet shut, I crouched and started looking through the clutter under the sink.
“You’re not bein’ fair. I’m not the bad guy here. You caused harm with your magic, and yeah, I couldn’t let it go, but I never dreamed the witches’ council would treat you so unfair. I tried to convince them to change their minds. I even testified on your behalf, just like Maureen did.”
“You did?” Pausing in my search, I turned and looked up at him in surprise. I didn’t know he’d tried to help me. I always thought he’d testified against me, that he’d washed his hands of me when he’d found out I wasn’t a law-abiding citizen.
“Course I did. I would’ve told you about it, ’cept you weren’t speakin’ to me at the time.”
“Oh.” Feeling numb, I tried to convince myself it didn’t change how I felt about him. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the package of bulbs behind a bag full of plastic grocery bags. Reaching back, I grabbed them and then got to my feet. Crossing the room, I handed the bulbs to Lex.
“I never meant to hurt you, Cat.”
“And now you want to pick up where we left off, like nothing ever happened?”
“Somehow I doubt you’d ever let me forget,” he replied dryly. “I’d like you to forgive me, though, and give me a second chance.”
Lex stared down at me as he waited for my reply, and it felt as though he was looking right through me. Did I want to try again with Lex? The physical attraction was obviously still there, but was that enough? I could hear Mac’s words nagging at me in the back of my head: What happened to you wasn’t Lex’s fault. You don’t think it killed him to do it?
“I don’t know if this’ll work. I’m not ready to make any promises, but…I suppose we could try.”
Lex nodded, appearing to accept my reply. Reaching around me, he gently lobbed the box of light bulbs onto the kitchen table, where it landed with a soft bump. He turned his attention back to me, and I caressed his cheek, running my fingers along the stubble of his jaw and down the side of his neck. I slid the tie out of his hair and let it fall around his shoulders, and then I grinned.
“Then again, I’m not sure this is a good idea. I always hated that your hair is nicer than mine,” I teased.
Lex laughed, and the sound made my stomach flutter. I squeaked in surprise as he picked me up and carried me into my bedroom. The stomach flutter kicked into high gear again, but it was replaced by a rush of heat as Lex set me back on my feet and kissed me. I clung to him, this time deciding not to hesitate about pulling his T-shirt off. He tossed the garment to the side and reached for mine, which joined his on the floor, along with my bra. His hands skimmed up my sides and cupped my breasts, and my knees nearly buckled as he ran his thumbs over my nipples. I moaned and grabbed hold of his waist for balance, and he kissed me again.
My hands moved to the fly of his jeans, and then I paused. “Oh, shoot.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Lex asked, frowning.
“Condoms. I don’t have any. Well, I do, but they’re four years old, they can’t still be good. Damn it.”
“Four years, huh?”
“Yeah, I haven’t… I haven’t been with anyone, not since we broke up.” Sheepish, I blushed red enough to glow in the dark-I hadn’t meant to admit to that. It made me sound like an idiot girl who’d been pining for him all this time.
“No one else seemed right?” he asked quietly.
“How’d you kn-? Wait, you haven’t either?”
“I had a few dates here and there, but it never went anywhere. After awhile, I figured out that I kept comparin’ them to you, and no one measured up.”
“Really?” I could hardly believe it. Sure, I hadn’t been interested in anyone, but I’d only had a handful of relationships before Lex, so it wasn’t much of a change. Lex, on the other hand, had plenty of girlfriends before he met me, so I figured he’d moved on.
“Really. I do have some in my bag though.” I raised my eyebrows at that, and he grinned. “Wishful thinking, I guess. Was hopin’ there might come a time when I wouldn’t have to sleep on your couch. I also brought a first-aid kit, in case things went the other way and you decided to stab me or light me on fire.”
Shaking my head in amusement, I laughed. “Always good to be prepared.”
“I’ll be right back.”
While Lex was gone, I wriggled out of my jeans and panties, and then turned down the air conditioner so it was a little less chilly. I barely noticed the room’s temperature though, my entire body warm and tingly now. Nudging the covers aside, I sat on the edge of the mattress, waiting.
When Lex returned he set the box of condoms on the nightstand, and I again reached to undo his jeans. I stripped him, and I only had a moment to admire the sight of his gorgeous body before he joined me on the bed. We kissed each other hungrily as we slid beneath the thin blanket-eagerness was wearing away our patience. My hands roamed over him, reacquainting myself with the feel of his lean muscles. Lex’d acquired a few new scars since we’d last been together, and I wondered how he’d gotten them-I’d ask about them later.
He lowered his head to my breasts, and my back arched as he ran his tongue over one nipple and sucked it into his mouth. I moaned his name, running my fingers through his hair. Impatient, I guided his face back up to mine for a long, lingering kiss. “Lex, please,” I murmured. My hips ground against the hard length of him, leaving little doubt as to what I was asking for. Kneeling above me, he reached for the nightstand, and after a few moments we were ready.
Lex kissed me again as he entered me, and I gasped, holding him tight. His pace was fast and frantic as he thrust into me. Later we’d have time for tenderness, but now our rhythm was all raw heat and need. Moaning, I clung to him as I climaxed, but he didn’t slow, allowing me no time to recover. Instead, he continued to kiss me, my lips almost bruised from the force. Lex moved to my neck, trailing kisses up and down my throat and then murmuring my name against my ear. I shuddered, feeling another wave of pleasure building.
“Don’t stop,” I nearly shouted. I felt him come the same time as I did, both our bodies shaking from the force of it. I held him close, and the scrape of his stubble rubbed against the skin of my throat as we regained our breath.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too, sugar.”