Page 64 of The Paranormal Investigation Bureau
It was a huge eye-opener—my first reaction had been to punch him in the face and leave. Then, I took five seconds and realized I kind of liked it. I asked him to do it again, just to be sure. Yeah, I was totally into it.
Arden’s pupils blew out, and he looked a little dangerous.
“Shit. Really? Did you like it?”
Arden was just so sweet. He thought this would be a no-go for me, and I’d refuse to even explore it because he was into kink. He looked like he had been holding his breath, waiting for me to answer. All I knew about him was what I’d read in gossip mags, and what I’d gleaned from hanging out with him. I wasn’t totally on board with getting claimed by a gryphon just yet, but I wasn’t opposed to the idea of getting to know him better. And I enjoyed snuggling with him. I wanted to do it again. He smelled amazing. I moved closer to him. Arden flung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer.
“Full disclosure, Arden. I liked it, but I’ve never fully explored that side of myself. I have trust issues because of Derrick.”
“Trust is pivotal in the lifestyle, Beyla. Even at the clubs. I don’t scene with someone new until trust is there on both sides. The dungeons have rigorous vetting processes. Sometimes yes, bad people slip through the cracks, but it’s rare, and they always get banned. I enjoy holding you, and I’d love to claim you, but I know we aren’t there yet. All I’m thinking about right now is snuggling, not tossing you over my knee, or spanking that perky ass of yours.”
“Can I make a confession too?”
“Sure.”
“It was sexy as fuck when you had your gryphon half out and threatened to rip Bellatrix apart to protect Bevan. It was even sexier when you threatened Marsden next. Shit, Arden, honestly… I don’t think I’ve ever been that turned on in my life.”
Arden chuckled and squeezed me.
“Something tells me if I pulled that exact same thing, and I was defending you and not Bevan, you’d kick my ass.”
Kaine made damn sure I could always take care of myself. I took his training seriously, because I never wanted to feel as helpless as I did the night I was abandoned with two broken feet. I didn’t just join the bureau to find out what happened to my stupid ex-boyfriend, I wanted to catch guys like him and throw their asses in jail. I haven’t needed anyone to fight for me since Kaine adopted me.
I grabbed Arden and kissed him. He tasted like Bevan’s moonshine, and he could certainly kiss. I pulled away and caressed his stubble.
“Honestly? The idea isn’t offensive. If Bellatrix came at me, there are several different ways I could lay her out. I could steal something from her dance bag, since she’s the only one without a lock on it now, and curse her from my apartment. There weren’t any in the bureau, but they have trained me to fight Unseelie. The idea of you having my six as psychotically as possible, well, that is kind of nice.”
“What are you going to do if you find the asshole that broke your feet? Humans fear the supernatural. They’ve banded together and murdered us before. Fuck, they’ve even murdered their own for just suspecting they were like us. You might not have known you were a witch, but other people did. He’s probably long dead.”
“Kaine would have roasted his ass alive if he hadn’t disappeared. He swears it wasn’t him. The bureau doesn’t look into human affairs, but he’s asked around for me. Kaine is pretty fucking famous for catching a serial killer ya know, and for helping stop a war with Hell. If he asked someone if they killed a human for hurting me, they’d tell him, especially since they saw how protective of me he was. He wouldn’t have busted them for it.”
“It still reeks of the paranormal. If a human lays a finger on one of us now, they pay for it.”
“His parents are still sniffing around and harassing me about it. The human cops have moved it to a cold case file, but they keep hiring private investigators. One of them stopped me when I was trying to buy steaks for dinner, clearly in the hopes that my story would change. Youhave nothad a steak until it’s been cooked with dragon fire by the way. That was right before I left. Kaine offered to make steaks for passing my exams at the bureau. They’ve done several searches and digs since then. They haven’t found a body.”
“There are several supernatural species that have gifts that make disposing of a corpse really easy. Some are criminals, and damn good at it.”
“Yeah, but none that knew me well enough to avenge me.”
“It’s a pickle. Now that you have it, are you really going to leave all this for that shit head?”
“I would love dancing here if it weren’t for Bellatrix and her crew. Marsden is something else. It would be nice to stay if all the drama is gone. I’d miss all of you.”
There. That was the first time I’d said it out loud. I reallywouldlike to stay if all the pettiness was gone. The friends I’d made so far were great, and I didn’t want to leave them behind.
“Oh, my fuck! Just bone already!” Nyx yelled from the hallway.
I laughed and buried my face in Arden’s chest. But, of course, she was spying. Arden was her best friend. Nyx was probably making damn sure I didn’t hurt him.
“I’m going to strangle you, Nyx!” Arden yelled.
“Well, that’s not a completely horrible idea…” I murmured.
Yeah, I was still a little turned on from rehearsal. Arden had looked magnificent with his wings out like that. I hadn’t gotten laid in a long time, and needed to work out some frustrations with this situation.
“Seriously?” Arden growled.
“You’re here. I’m here. We’re both frustrated with the situation. You’re going to stay the night anyway… so yes, I’m totally serious.”
