Garmor smiled as he stared at the circle of elders. It
was done. The problems that had arisen with the humans Mandy and Michelle
had been wiped clean. The other powers had voted to take them back as far as
they could in the timeline of life while still leaving enough room to alter
tiny details about their lives.
Unfortunately, the furthest they could go was a little
over a year ago but that didn’t matter. They were able to tweak events even
further past that, giving the girls fresh starts. No longer would they be
tied down to their mistakes. Now, they had a clean slate.
Garmor stood slowly, ready to head back to his home and
savor the feel of victory over his long time advisory Muir.
Jody shook his head no and motioned for Garmor to be
seated. Garmor watched, uneasy as Pavel, the elder from the catshifter
tribes whispered something in Jody’s ear. Jody’s eyes widened. “That cannot
be.”
“What?” Garmor asked, voicing the question he knew the
others had as well.
Jody cleared his throat and stood. “It has come to my
attention that our plan did not go as smoothly as we had hoped.”
There was a collective gasp and then complete and utter
silence as Jody stared out and around the room full of elders. “Muir managed
to bind Mandy to him, giving her even more of his power, his essence.”
“No,” Faro, the elder to the creatures of the dark said
as he slammed his fist down on the white marble, circular meeting table.
“That is not possible. We acted quickly. How did he know to do such a
thing?”
Garmor glanced around the room and stopped when his
gaze fell upon Tru. She blinked innocently and offered a soft smile. It was
then Garmor knew she had somehow managed to alert Muir of the elders plans.
He had no proof and to accuse another elder of interfering in a matter
such as this and being wrong could lead to expulsion or even death.
“It is not known what prompted Muir to do what he did
but the fact remains that he did.” Jody grit his teeth. “By doing so he had
altered our plan to remove the others from Mandy and Michelle’s lives.
Granted, the relationships are different now but they are not completely out
of their lives. The extent at which they know each other in this new reality
remains to be seen but it is safe to say that they either know one another
or will cross paths. Let us hope that they simply move in different
directions and follow the destiny we originally laid out for them.”
“We?” Tru said, sharply. “We did not lay out a
destiny for either of them. They were part of the group that we left to
chance. If certain someone’s,” she cast an angry look in Garmor’s direction,
“did not take an interest in the chosen ones then none of this would be an
issue now.”
“Do you have a point, Tur?” Garmor asked, doing his
best not to send a lightning bolt directly at her. The damn pixie would most
likely send it hurdling back at him so he didn’t bother. “I wonder how it
was Muir knew to act so quickly.”
“Hmm,” she shrugged, “I have no idea. I can tell you
that we’ve exhausted our ability to interfere magikally with their lives
now. From here on out we either leave them alone or find ourselves subject
to the laws and rules of humans.”
That sounded like a threat if Garmor ever heard one. He
narrowed his gaze on her and nodded, accepting the challenge. “I have not
walked among humans for centuries. Perhaps, it is time I started again.”
“I think the fresh air will do us all well,” Tru said,
clearly refusing to back down.
~*****~
Mandy blinked several times and the bright light
dimmed, leaving her staring at a tiny lantern on a circle table. Looking
around, she found herself sitting outside a small coffee shop with a pile of
decorating books spread out before her. For a moment she couldn’t understand
why she was there or how she’d even come to be there.
The chiffon summer dress she had on varied in color
from shades of avocado green to a light blue giving it even more of an airy
feel. It criss-crossed in the front emphasizing her cleavage to the point it
was slightly obscene. She glanced down, taking note of the green slip-on
thongs she wore and smiled when she realized they were Prada.
For some odd reason, Mandy had feared that something
major had happened—a huge change perhaps. Now, finding herself outside of
her favorite coffee shop and wearing shoes to die for, she took a calmly
breath and relaxed a bit.
Armando. The name popped into her head but she
didn’t recognize it.
“Yes?”
Looking up, Mandy found a tall, toned man with long
black hair staring down at her. His sapphire blue eyes locked on her, making
her heart skip a beat. His full rose-colored lips seemed to call to her and
it took every ounce of her not to hop up and press her mouth to his. As if
that wasn’t enough to drive her mad already, he clearly had a sense of style
that could rival her own.
From the navy, white and gray striped, three-button
Valentino suit to the light blue dress shirt and matching tie beneath it,
the man looked like a high society socialite. Calling him a high roller
would indicate that something about was off, a bit smarmy. Nothing about the
man reminded Mandy of that. No. He was the real deal—a gentleman but he was
also something else. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.
“Yes, what?” she asked, unsure why he had
stopped to begin with. She wasn’t on the prowl tonight.
“You called my name,” he said, a clear Italian accent
coming through.
Of course he’d have an accent. Why not?
Mandy thought about it and then shook her head. “I
didn’t say your name. I don’t even know who you are, buddy.”
A slow smile spread over his handsome face. “I see. It
appears I am hearing things in my old age.”
“Old age?” She snorted. “What are you, all of
thirty-five?”
“Give or take several centuries,” he mused.
Mandy stiffened and accidentally sent her cup of coffee
tumbling over. The sexy man in front her had the books lifted before the
coffee could even reach them. Shocked by his speed and with the knowledge of
his age, Mandy stared up at him. He was something. Whatever it was, he
wasn’t human.
Thankfully, that didn’t bother her that much. She’d
grown up surrounded by supernaturals of all sorts. Hell, she’d even dated a
werewolf for some time. He’d broken her heart but that was beside the point.
The sexy, suave man before her glanced down at the
spilled coffee still holding an armful of design books and chuckled.
“Kitten, I do not wish to sound rude but do you think you wipe that up so I
could set these down?”
“Kitten?” she asked, unsure why the man would call her
that.
His brow furrowed. “My apologizes. I…”
Mandy shrugged. “No big deal. Normally people call me a
bitch. That’s an interesting twist.”
“One you could get used to?” he asked, catching her a
bit off guard.
“Umm, you’re welcome to join me if you want but I
should warn you that if I decide to take you home, it will be for the night
and that’s it.”
The man’s blue eyes widened. “I see. Are you this
forward with every man you meet?”
“No, only the ones I entertain fucking.” She smiled and
headed towards the coffee shop for napkins. Stopping, she looked back at
him. “Aside from suave and sexy, what do people call you?”
“Armando,” he answered, his accent thick. “And besides
Kitten, what do you wish to be called?”
Mandy licked her lower lip and lowered her green gaze
on him, hoping her ability to work the opposite sex applied to him as well.
He shifted awkwardly and put the books in front of his pants. She bit back a
laugh. Yep, it worked.
My, my, what are we hiding in there?
Armando’s cheeks flushed and the look he gave her made
Mandy wonder if she’d asked that out loud. Sure that she hadn’t, she simply
stared at him. “My name’s Mandy but I have to say that Kitten has a certain
ring to it.”
~*****~
Michelle stared at the strobe light a moment before
looking away and blinking several times. Slightly disorientated, she put her
hand out to steady herself. Something roared and she jumped backwards,
clutching her chest as she went. Her hand ran over something firm and she
looked down to find herself holding a camera.
“Michelle, you okay? I swear that Samsen will not eat
you alive. He is tame. I assure you of this.”
Turning, Michelle found Conner, the man who had hired
her for his latest project, standing there with a sexy smile on his face.
Adjusting her shutter speed to compensate for her now shaky hands, Michelle
took her position to continue shooting close-ups of the Bengal tiger before
her. “Sorry about that. I just sort of zoned out a moment. I’m back now.
Where were we?”
Conner moved towards her slowly, his long white-blond
hair blew with the breeze, drawing attention to his narrow waist. His
muscular upper body seemed to ripple beneath the emerald green silk shirt he
wore. The black slacks he had on hugged him in all the right places, giving
Michelle a wonderful view of all that he had to offer.
Suddenly a bit nervous, Michelle fiddled with her
ponytail and double checked that her gray Wisconsin tee-shirt was free from
coffee stains. Being well-known for her ability to drop just about anything
down the front of herself, she was never too sure. Happy to find that she
was free from anything embarrassing, she chanced a glance at him.
“You look lovely, Michelle.”
Her eyes widened. “Umm, uhh, thanks.”
“Shall we continue on?” he asked, unbuttoning his shirt
slowly.
Michelle’s jaw dropped as Conner reveled more and more
of his tawny chest. “That’s probably enough.”
Right. Naked would be great, idiot. Why are you
telling him to stop undressing?
That was a good question. One Michelle didn’t have an
answer for. As Conner continued to unbutton his shirt, even going as far as
to remove it, Michelle’s insides tightened. The man was to die for. She
couldn’t stop her hungry gaze from soaking him up.
Shifting awkwardly, Michelle closed her eyes to gather
her bearings. An image of being wrapped in sheets, above a man with gray
eyes hit her, instantly making her inner thighs tightened and her body burn
with need.
Someone touched her upper arm, sending pleasure
shooting throughout her. Gasping, she opened her eyes to find herself
staring up at Conner. He smiled and brushed her cheek lightly with the back
of his hand. “If this is too much for you, we can take a break.”
“Too much? Umm, no. It’s not too much. What gave you
the idea it was too much?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as
she felt.
Oh, gods, this is too much.
~*****~
“So, you are an artist, interesting,” Armando said,
watching the young beauty across the table from him. He had been running
late for a meeting with his business partner and best friend, Dmitri but it
had faded in importance next to getting to know more about Mandy. The
various chains of nightclubs, restaurants that they owned will still be
there another day. Tonight he wanted to take time for himself. Something he
rarely, if ever, did.
Mandy nodded as she continued to flip through the
decorating books. According to her, she was looking for just the right
inspiration to do her living room. She purchased a Victorian home that had a
gothic feel to it. Why he was so interested was beyond him. He paid people
to decorate his home. Mandy seemed to be a strong women, not one who liked
to let go of control.
“So, what is your latest project?” he asked, doing his
best to keep the conversation going. She was dressed to bring a man to his
knees but seemed to have little interest in doing much more than leafing
through the books. That or she was incredibly good at hiding her emotions.
“A client came to me and asked me to do a portrait of
his penis.” She smiled. “That’s my latest. How about you?”
“How about me?” Armando sat back in the seat, unsure
how to respond to that. Of course he wanted to unveil himself to her but it
was neither proper nor acceptable to allow her to do a painting depicting
his penis. “I am…umm…I think I will have to pass, though the offer is most
gracious.”
Mandy’s dark brows drew together and her nose wrinkled.
“What offer?”
“You mean you were not offering to paint my…?”
She bit her lips instantly and did her best to hold her
laughter in. “Sweetheart, I just wondered what it is that you do. Say the
word and drop your trousers if you want ol’ Willy there captured in all his
glory. I don’t mind.”
“Ol’ Willy?”
“Right,” Mandy winked, “You are certainly not a Willy.
No. You’re more of a Stallion.”
“St-all-ion?” he muttered, his throat suddenly very
dry. Taking a deep breath in, Armando pushed down the foreign feelings of
uncertainty and fought hard to find his normal suave exterior. The second he
latched onto it he knew it was only an act. The creature before him seemed
to make him a babbling fool. That intrigued him. “Ah, an Italian Stallion I
hope.”
“Cute, but you didn’t answer my question,” she said, as
she began to gather her books up.
Leaning forward, Mandy provided Armando with a view
straight down her thin dress. The swells of her tanned breasts called to him
on a primitive level and he fought hard to keep the demon within caged.
Never before had he had this response to a woman and he wasn’t sure he liked
it.
Perhaps it was best to leave well enough alone and head
his own way. Peeking at her lush body once more, Armando found his mind
wandering to thoughts of taking her and making love to her on a sofa that
he’d never seen before and countless nights of finding solace in her warm
body. They seemed so real but that was impossible. He’d never laid eyes on
her prior to this evening. Why did he feel so connected with her?
“It was nice to meet you, Armando,” Mandy said, books
in hand and standing next to him.
He’d been so engrossed in the idea of being in her that
he hadn’t notice her get up. That was rare. No. That never happened. Shaken
by his sudden case of déjà vu, Armando rose slowly and locked gazes with
Mandy. “It was a pleasure, Mandy. I was wondering if you might want to…”
She winked and shook her head. “I get the feeling
you’re not a one night stander and unless you become a card carrying member
of the club, we’ve got nothing more to talk about than decorating and
coffee.”
She certainly was brass. That much was for sure.
Armando did his best to keep his expression neutral when what he really
wanted to do was laugh. “Then I dare say I am all ears when needed. Should
you require the company of a male that you do not wish to use and discard, I
can be found at the…”
Her cell phone rang a second before he was able to tell
her that he could be found at one of his many clubs most nights of the week.
Armando watched as she brought her tiny pink phone towards her lips.
“Muir, how did he manage to get out again?” she asked,
huffing slightly.
Jealousy tore through Armando as he heard her talking
with another man. He had no right to feel as he did and he knew it. Still,
it hurt to know that she had someone in her life.
“I’m not about to run home to help you find him. He
needs to be put on a lease.” She clicked her heeled thongs on the ground and
rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. But I want to win the neighbor of the year
award.”
