Page 105 of Soul Sucker

She smiled at him. “Can I have both?”

His answering grin showed the sharp points of his canines. “Is that a promise?” He held the beer high over his head. “A kiss if you want the beer.”

Ella considered him. He wasn’t called Big Jim for nothing. He was at least six-four with hands and feet and, allegedly, other parts of his anatomy to size. She stood on tiptoe and put a hand on his shoulder to balance. He smelled of tobacco and mint. He obligingly bent his head and she allowed her mouth to brush his before kissing him properly. He tasted just fine and had some skills, but she drew back and studied his mouth.

“Can I have my beer now?”

He laughed and handed it over. “That was nice. Want to do it again?”

She held up the beer. “Maybe after I’ve drunk this, okay?”

He blew her a kiss and she walked over to the window, ostensibly to look outside, but really needing some space. Big Jim was the third guy she’d kissed in the past hour, and none of them had made her feel remotely sexy. She popped the can and drank thirstily. Maybe she needed to be drunk to do this properly. Or maybe, she couldn’t do it anymore because none of the males were Vadim Morosov…

She finished the rest of her beer. And what did that prove? That Vadim’s magic was strong enough to bind her to him, or that they were truly mated by Otherworld and no one else would do it for her anymore? She turned back to Big Jim, who was still lounging by the refrigerator handing out beer and advice to random partygoers. “Ready for another round, princess?” he asked. “You know the price now, right?”

“I do. Pucker up, baby.”

He grinned and bent down to her level. She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and kissed him slowly until he started to kiss her back, his hand on her ass, drawing her closer. A sudden terrible coldness surrounded her and the hairs on the back of her neck bristled. She wasn’t the only one who was affected. Everyone in the small kitchen seemed to freeze into place. Ella slowly released Big Jim and turned around.

Vadim stood by the doorway, immaculate in his dark business suit, his expression cool, his hand fisted at his side.

“Jeez,” muttered Big Jim. “Who’s that?”

“Oh, that’s Morosov. He works with me.” She flicked a defiant glance at Vadim. “I didn’t know you were planning on coming to this party. You could’ve tagged along with me and Liz.”

“If I’d known that was what you planned, I would’ve done so.” Vadim walked over to her, his blue eyes like ice. No one else moved. “Unfortunately, I was under the mistaken impression that you’d gone home early with a headache.”

Big Jim shook his finger at Ella. “Naughty.”

She shrugged. “He doesn’t own me.”

“That’s correct but I am supposed to be guarding you.” He raised his cool gaze to Big Jim, who immediately held up both his hands and stepped back from Ella. “Any of these males could be a threat to you.”

Ella squared up to him. With her high heels she came up to his autocratic nose. “I know these guys. They’re Doug’s pack. I trust them all.”

“So I saw.”

She met his gaze and then wished she hadn’t. “I’m fine. If you’re so worried about my safety that you had to chase me down, you can go and wait in the hallway. I’ll find you when I’m ready to leave.”

“Shit,” Big Jim breathed in her ear. “You’ve got some balls. That is one scary powerful dude.”

“I don’t think so.”

Vadim took hold of her elbow.

The next moment they were alone somewhere in complete darkness. It was still close to the party because she could hear the music. She could smell a faint scent of Big Jim and wondered if they’d ended up in his bedroom at the top of the house.

“Don’t play games with me. Take me back, right now.”

Vadim didn’t say anything but stepped so close that she could feel every furious, vibrating inch of him from head to toe. Something soft touched her cheek and she realized the air was full of swirling black feathers.

“Why did you kiss that male?”

“What is it to you?”

He let out a very controlled breath. “We’re mated.”

“So you say.”

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