A Shadow of Crows Page 7

  I paused, realizing we were just going around in circles.

  “Okay, I’m going home for the night. You’re going to get an early night’s sleep so you can meet Danielle tomorrow. We have a lot to do at the office, so we just go through the motions and deal with whatever comes our way until the shock wears off.”

  He looked ready to protest, but finally acquiesced. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”

  I bit my lip, wondering whether to ask the last question on my mind for the night. “Does Myrna know about me? Are you going to tell Danielle about me?”

  He nodded, still looking bleak. “Trust me, I didn’t keep our relationship secret. But I think you’d better wait before coming over to visit. I need to see where I stand with…my daughter. Give me a little time with her before I introduce you. But I’ve already told Myrna I’m in love with you.” He hesitated, then asked, “You believe me, right?”

  I studied his face. Herne was a gorgeous man, with long silken hair and eyes that shimmered with magic. And right now, all those eyes were saying to me was that he was telling the truth. I had two choices: I could believe him, or not. I chose the former.

  “I believe you. I trust you, even though I’m nervous. But I believe you love me.”

  “Thank you,” he whispered, pulling me in for a long, warm kiss. The fire of his lips against mine stirred my hunger for him, but I thought it might be too soon. There was too much at stake right now. Sex could so easily muddy the whole evening. I kissed him long and hard, though, before gently disentangling myself.

  “I’d better go, I guess.”

  “Stay? I need you.” The panic in his voice told me he wasn’t faking it. The man was scared out of his wits. “I don’t know how to be a father. I don’t know if I even want to be, but that option’s off the table. Ember, how am I going to do this? What do I tell her when she asks why I wasn’t there for her?”

  I pressed my fingers to his lips. “Shush. I can’t answer that. You’ll know what to do when the time comes. Meanwhile…” I straddled his lap. Muddy or not, maybe this was what we needed. I reached down and clasped his belt buckle, slowly unbuckling it. He said nothing as I unzipped his jeans.

  Herne fumbled with my top, pulling it off me as I undid my bra and dropped it to the side. He leaned forward and nuzzled my breasts, then took my right nipple in his lips and began to suck, licking till it was hard and stiff. His arms were around my waist, and I rose on my knees, leaning forward as I pressed against him. Herne began to unzip my jeans, and between me kicking and him pulling, I was free of them.

  “I’m on my period,” I whispered.

  “I don’t care,” he whispered back.

  “I’ll be right back.” I jumped up, padding into the powder room to get ready for him.

  When I returned, he was naked, laying on the sofa. A family of deer were staring in the window at him. The vision of my lover, the King Stag of the Woodland, watching the doe and her fawns was too perfect, too beautiful. I caught my breath as a last shaft of sunlight broke through the heavy clouds and shone into the room, illuminating Herne.

  Caught by the light, he closed his eyes, leaning his head back, and I slowly moved to stand over him. He was aroused—his cock fully erect, and he looked every inch the god he was. I slowly straddled him, lowering myself onto him, feeling him spread me wide with his girth. As I moaned, cupping my breasts, he took hold of my hips and guided me down.

  We made love, slow and hard and deep, in silence—unusual for both of us—with only the deer watching us. The evening wore on, and we rested for a bit, then made love again and it felt like we were the only two people in the universe. We didn’t speak, just rested in each other’s arms, drinking mead as we kissed and cuddled until near midnight.

  Finally, I dressed as he watched.

  “You aren’t going to leave me, are you?” he asked, a plaintive note in his voice.

  I stared at him. “If I were going to leave you, I wouldn’t be here with you, naked. But you—you won’t forget me, will you?”

  He shook his head. “Never. The moment I met you, I couldn’t get you off my mind. I still can’t. I think about you day and night, Ember.”

  A sudden chill ran up my spine. Now that you’ve met me, you’ll never forget me. That was part of my Leannan Sidhe heritage. Had I managed to bewitch a god? But I left that thought unspoken. We had more than enough to deal with for now, and I didn’t want to add to the worry.

  I kissed him again, then headed out the door. As I started my car, I wondered just how this was going to play out. More than a little afraid to find out, I drove the distance home in silence, not even wanting to hear myself think.

  Chapter 6

  ANGEL WAS ASLEEP by the time I got home, so I tiptoed past her bedroom to my own and curled up with Mr. Rumblebutt. Mr. R. seemed to recognize that I needed him because he purred me to sleep. He was still stretched out beside me when I woke up.

  I slowly got out of bed, groaning from too much mead the night before, and the aftereffects of the emotional hangover I had developed. I crossed to the window, opening it and leaning on the sill as I stared out at the overcast day. The screen was covered with raindrops, and a striped orb weaver spider had spun its web in the upper right corner outside of the window screen.

  The abundant rain of the autumn had turned our yard into a brilliant jungle. My house sat on two lots, half of which was given over to feral gardens that we were in the process of taming. Angel rented from me, and the arrangement moved like clockwork.

  Shivering, I pulled my robe tighter around me. The temperature had dropped into the low forties during the night and the chill felt good against my skin. It also did wonders in waking me up. I breathed in a long, slow breath, then frowned. I felt tight, and realized that I hadn’t gotten to the gym enough lately. Most of my time was spent at work and with Herne. I glanced at the clock and made the decision to pencil in more workouts. Then, shutting the window so Mr. R. couldn’t claw his way through the screen, I headed downstairs.

  Angel was in the kitchen, still in her robe, making breakfast. Bacon sizzled in a pan, and she was scrambling eggs in the small skillet. I smelled cinnamon buns heating in the oven. Angel made batches of buns and rolls and froze them, popping them into the oven to bake when we needed them. There was fresh-squeezed orange juice on the table and what looked like a super-strong latte, along with a vase of freshly picked mums from our tangled garden.

  “You have bad news for me?” I asked, staring at the spread.

  “No, but just in case your evening went south, I thought I’d greet you with a good breakfast,” she said, dividing the eggs and bacon on the plates, and handed them to me. I carried them over to the table as she took the cinnamon rolls out of the oven and transferred them to a plate.

  As we settled in to eat, she said, “Well, was it as bad as you were worried about?”

  “Yes and no. In a way, this has nothing to do with me. But who am I kidding? This is going to affect my relationship with Herne. There’s no two ways about it.” I paused, taking a bite of bacon to fortify myself. “Herne just found out he’s a father. Of an Amazon, no less.”

  Angel’s jaw dropped. She quickly shook her head, blinking. “Father? He has a child? Is she a baby? Has he been two-timing you?”

  “No, nothing like that. She’s the equivalent of a teenager, apparently. She’s twice my age, but apparently the gods age on a different scale. With Herne as her father, Danielle’s going to age far more slowly than I will.” I paused, not wanting to dwell on age. Angel was human, and unless we found a way to prevent it, her lifetime would be a blink of the eye compared to mine.

  “How do you feel about that?” Angel asked, forking a mouthful of eggs.

  I shrugged. “How am I supposed to feel? I’m not overjoyed, I’ll tell you that. Truth is, I don’t know how I feel. Except his daughter is coming to live with him for a few weeks, starting today, and that complicates matters even m
ore.”

  Angel stared at me for a moment, then motioned to my latte. “Drink up.”

  I did, letting myself linger over the steaming mug of joy juice. After a few minutes, I let out a long sigh. “How can I be mad at him? He didn’t know. And I can’t justify being angry at Myrna. She just wants her daughter to know her father. I feel like I’m caught between a rock and a hard place, Angel. My feelings don’t matter when it comes to this situation, but my feelings matter to me. I guess I’ll just have to see how this plays out. Meanwhile, I’ve decided to call in sick today. I can’t face going to the office right now.”

  “You want company? I’ll ditch work, too.” Angel grinned. “It will be good for them to realize just how important we are. I’ve revamped that damned filing system until it finally works, I’ve upgraded all of the forms, and I know where the bodies are hid.”

  At that, I laughed. “Angel, you’re the glue that holds it all together. You know what? Yeah, take the day off. Talia can call us if an emergency comes up. I’ll buzz her and give her the heads up. Let Herne deal with Myrna and Danielle. Without me there, it will be less awkward if Myrna decides to drop off the girl at the office.”

  Angel pushed the plate of cinnamon rolls toward me. “Eat. We’ll go shopping. The rain’s supposed to break today. If the sun decides to show its face, we can work in the garden this afternoon.”

  Feeling a little better, I finished my breakfast and latte, and then called Talia to tell her that, barring emergencies, not to expect either Angel or me.

  Talia was silent for a moment, then said, “It’s because of Myrna, isn’t it? Herne told me what happened when he came in this morning.”

  “He’s already there?” Usually he arrived at the office a few minutes before the rest of us, but we still had an hour before we were supposed to be there. “Why are you there so early?”

  “I’m attempting to pinpoint Ulstair’s financial transactions the past week. I’m getting some flack from my usual sources, but I’ll make them talk. Anyway, Herne was here when I arrived. He’s leaving around three. He told me all about Danielle and how she’s staying with him for a while. How are you doing, sugar?” Talia wasn’t a coddler, but when a friend of hers was upset, she definitely held out her shoulder.

  I wasn’t sure what to tell her. “I’m not exactly sure. I think I need to take the day and just relax and let the news settle.”

  “That’s probably a good idea. Viktor can watch the front desk for Angel—I assume she’s going to hang out with you and keep you from stewing?”

  “Yeah. Thanks, Talia. I know I’m letting my personal life interfere with my business but...”

  “But how can you help it when you’re dating the boss? Don’t sweat it. Go shopping. Watch a movie. Pamper yourself. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I set my phone down, looking over at Angel. “She knows, so everybody will know. At least I don’t have to deal with a lot of concerned looks and questions today. And Herne can handle his business with Myrna without me around to complicate matters.”

  I still wasn’t happy, but the relief of not having to go into work settled in and I picked up a feather toy and began playing with Mr. Rumblebutt, who had finished his breakfast. He looked at me, then at Angel, almost suspiciously. We weren’t supposed to be around during the day.

  “So, what do you want to do today?” Angel asked, clearing the table. I followed her, carrying the leftover cinnamon rolls, and rinsed the dishes while she stacked them in the dishwasher.

  “You mentioned shopping. Why don’t we go hunting for a new table and chairs? This one’s too small to throw any really good dinner parties. It fit in my condo, but not here.” I poked at the utilitarian table, frowning.

  “I can get behind that. Let’s go dress and plan out our day. The shops won’t open for another hour or so.” Angel gave me a little shove toward the stairs. “Come on. Get dolled up. We might as well look our best if we’re going to gallivant around the town.”

  Laughing, I followed her up the stairs.

  WE STARTED AT the Tandy Court Mall, named after the original developer, Robert Tandy, who was a werewolf. He had wanted a place where both humans and Cryptos would feel welcome, and there was a wide mix of shops there, everything from Full Moon Magic, a witchcraft shop, to McBride’s Clothes for Shifters, which had easy-on and off clothing, to Filbert’s Stationery, an office supply store, to Treadwell’s Furnishings.

  Angel and I headed straight to the furniture store. We had slowly been replacing some of our furniture, and filling out gaps. All my furniture had been condo size—small condo size at that—while Angel’s belongings had burned up in a fire.

  “What about this?” Angel motioned to a highly polished light oak table and chair set. The table legs were rounded, and they looked hand-turned, though I knew they weren’t. But the grain of the wood showed through the stain in a gorgeous pattern of swirls and rings. The chairs were ladder-back, with black microsuede seats. I settled myself at the table to get the feel for it.

  “This is nice, and at least Mr. Rumblebutt’s fur won’t show up too much. Black cat, black seats.” I glanced around the shop. There were a lot of beautiful sets here, and I realized that I had no clue what kind of style I wanted my house to be. Right now, it was an eclectic mishmash of ragtag finds I had pulled together over the years.

  “You look confused.” Angel set her purse on the table. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just realized I have no clue, other than the colors we painted the house, what I want my home to look like. This is a pretty table, but I’ll be replacing a lot of furniture over the next year or so and I don’t want to end up with another throw-together decorating scheme.” I paused, looking around at the other table and chair sets. “What should I do?”

  “Well, before you buy anything, let’s walk around the store and get an idea for what else you like. Maybe a theme will come through.” Angel motioned for me to stand up. “Come on. We’ll figure it out.”

  An hour later, I had seen more furnishings than I ever wanted to. I had a better idea, though, of what I liked, and Angel and I agreed to hold off on buying anything while I let everything settle in my mind.

  “Whatever you keep coming back to will tell us what you like. We can go to other stores, too. There are a lot of furniture stores in Seattle,” Angel said.

  “Maybe this weekend. Meanwhile, let’s actually buy something. I need new boots for the autumn.” I stared down at my feet. My boots were still good, but they were looking a little worn.

  “You do not need new boots. You want new boots. At least be honest about it,” Angel said, with a laugh. “And I want new shoes, too. Let’s go shopping.”

  The shoe venture turned out to be a lot more successful than our table excursion. I came away with three pairs of boots and a pair of slippers, and Angel walked out of the store with two pairs of boots, a new pair of sneakers, and some kitten heel pumps. We stopped in at the Fountain, an old-fashioned soda fountain, for root beer floats, before heading out to the car.

  “What do you want to do next?” Angel asked.

  “I thought I might work out in the garden. The sun is starting to break through.” I pointed to the clouds, which were thinning out. “This afternoon, maybe we can watch a movie.”

  “That sounds like a good plan. Let’s stop on the way home and grab a couple pizzas for dinner.” Angel looped her arm through mine as we sauntered toward the door.

  “I’ll have to eat early,” I said. “I have my meeting with Marilee tonight at eight.”

  Marilee was guiding me through the Cruharach, introducing me to both of my heritages. I had encountered the Leannan Sidhe side of me, inherited from my mother. And tonight, I was scheduled to face the Autumn Stalker side—my father’s heritage. I had to embrace both before I could integrate their powers during the Cruharach. Marilee couldn’t tell me exactly how they would blend, given the two sides were at war with one another, though how much of that
was genetic and how much was societal, I wasn’t sure.

  “Do you think you should go through with this, right on top of Herne’s news?” Angel asked, settling into the passenger seat, since I had driven.

  I shrugged, fastening my seat belt. “I don’t think I have a choice. I’m into the Cruharach already, and nothing’s going to stop it—not even my boyfriend finding out he’s a father.” As I pulled out of the parking lot, easing onto the street, Angel darted a look in the rearview mirror.

  “Do you see the car following us? Whoever it is, they were parked a few spots over at the mall. I noticed because the car has a dent in its front bumper that looks pretty bad.”

  I glanced up at the mirror. Sure enough, there was a car keeping pace with us. It was a red Camaro, and there was one person in it, but I couldn’t make out whether it was a man or a woman. “Maybe they’re just going in the same direction.”

  We were coming up on Pizza-Paparazzi, our favorite pizza joint.

  “We’ll find out if they’re following us or not.” I flicked on the turn signal. Then, checking to make sure the way was clear, I made a left turn into the mini-mall and parked in front of the pizza place. I waited for a moment. The red Camaro turned into the lot and parked at another store. I frowned.

  “I’ll go get the pizzas and then, I might just head over in their direction. Watch to see if the driver goes into that dry cleaning shop. If so, it’s probably just coincidence.” I unbuckled my seat belt and headed into the store. After I picked up two ready-to-bake pizzas—one with pepperoni and extra cheese, the other a Hawaiian pizza—I wandered back to the car and set them in the backseat next to our packages.

  “Did the driver get out of the car?”

  “No, whoever it is is still sitting there.” Angel shook her head. “I have an uncomfortable feeling that this isn’t going to be good.”

  “I’m going over there.”