Between Imminent Fates (The Immortal Accords #12)

Bonus Chapter Two

Toni

SWEAT DRIPPED FROM HER temple to pebble on the floor. Toni’s hands made minute adjustments to compensate for balance, all of it organic and second nature. The pose would have been difficult, had she been human, but it’d been nearly four years since she’d stopped aging.

Her attention was trained on the woman next to her, the vampire grinning ear to ear as she finally mastered the crow position.

“You’ve got it, Andie!”

A round of giggles compromised Andie’s balance, however, and when she toppled to the floor, her infectious laughter bubbled without inhibition. “Stupid pose. If only I’d attempted it sooner.”

“And plow through all the hard work I’ve put you through?” Screwing her nose up, Toni muttered, “Nah.”

Andie smoothed a hand over her short blonde hair. “You’re a drill sergeant, but a good one.”

Chuckling, Toni released her feet into plank pose, then did a sun salutation for good measure. Andie practiced them alongside her, mirroring the movements as they had for the last five years.

Andie had quickly become her best friend, filling the void left by her family’s deaths. Drake’s security chief was a staple in their lives, and though she had made fast friends with multiple members in their House, Andie held a special place in her heart.

Yawning, the security chief covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she came out of plank. “Looks like I’d better get a move on. We still on for the show tonight?”

“Of course! Moulin Rouge is unmissable. Besides, I’ve dragged Drake to it too many times and I’m certain he could sing the chorus of every song should he choose to.”

“It’s a shame karaoke isn’t my strong suit.”

Beaming at her husband as he walked into the studio behind them, Toni leapt to her feet. Andie waved once before making a soundless getaway and leaving the two of them alone.

Every time Toni looked at Drake, she fell a little further in love with him. Those warm, earthy brown eyes caressed her with a look that heated her inside and out, the familiarity of his features soothing something within her. Once so fleeting, his debonair grin was warm and engaging, crafted purely for her.

Wrapping her in her arms, his possessive kiss stopped her in her tracks.

The vampire raised her from the ground with one powerful lift, and she locked her legs around his waist in a dance as old as their courtship. She dissolved into him as she worshipped his mouth, her fingers combing through his hair. Desire took over as though it’d been ages since they last saw each other.

In truth, it’d been only a few hours ago, but it didn’t matter. His kiss was intoxicating, an all-encompassing need that seldom left her. Claiming him with the same ferocity that he did her, Toni savored every taste of his lips.

Satisfied for the moment, Toni retreated. “Good day at the office, poncho?”

Drake gently set her on her feet before they walked into their family room. “We did what we needed to.” Then, a frown. “Saw Nina there.”

“Really? What was she doing here in the city? Is she staying?”

“No, she left only a few minutes after I found her. Doing research, I’d guess, but she wouldn’t say anything further.” Drake’s gaze turned inward, as if the oddness of the visit was washing over him anew. With a shrug, he banished the confusion from his perfectly sculpted features. “Have you eaten?”

“Was just about to.”

“Liar.”

Drake tailed her into the once-sparse kitchen. It was now filled with gadgets and appliances Toni had never once thought to own. Vampires of House D’Ancouer were exceptionally pleased to gift her the one thing they had no need of: food.

Though Toni had no idea how she’d won their favor, she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

As she pulled leftovers out of the fridge, she caught sight of Drake’s raised eyebrow. The man, having never had to pinch pennies himself, had never understood her reasoning behind eating reheated food, and made it a point every time she did so.

“Hush. I happen to like leftover casserole. It gets better as the flavors blend.”

Drake didn’t say a word, he simply grabbed a plate from the cabinet. He dutifully handed it to her as she spooned a portion onto the ceramic surface.

“What did Nina have to say?”

Perching on a stool along the island, Drake sighed. “She believes as we do: that we need to take Key at her word. Though I heard it from her that night on Oahu, I have to say, it’s a relief to hear her repeat it without Key breathing over our shoulders.”

“I’m sure.”

Toni slid onto the stool next to him, shoveling a forkful of broccoli casserole into her mouth. The savory taste exploded on her tongue, and she was instantly thankful she’d never have to worry about gaining weight.

Immortality had its perks.

“How are you feeling about it, doll? I know we’ve talked about it, but you’ve been pretty closed off about what Key is expecting you to do.”

Suddenly, her appetite vanished. “I’m scared, Drake. What if we screw up? What if I can’t be what they need me to be? My fire is getting better, but what if I can’t control it the way Key’s foreseen? What if I’m the reason we fail?”

Her husband allowed her to voice her fears unchecked. His only recourse was to gently coil an arm around her waist. Pulling her into his chest, she followed her wandering mind down the rabbit hole.

“You’re brilliant, Toni, and I’ve no doubt in your abilities. Have faith in yourself.” Drake’s lips found her forehead. “I do.”

She pulled out of the protective circle of his arms to give him a dry look. “Drake, I’m a yoga instructor, not a military strategist. Not all of us have eight hundred years of experience on our side.”

“Rub it in, why don’t you?”

His mouth was hooked on one side, and Toni knew she’d already lost the fight. Sighing, she force-fed herself another few bites of casserole before deeming it a lost cause.

“Look, tomorrow we’ll go through the documents that Key’s provided and ensure we know what we’re going to be expected to do.”

Drake was competing for sainthood, and he didn’t even know it. Patting his hand, she reminded him, “I’m going to a show with Andie.”

“Not for the whole night.”

Winking, the glint in his eyes made Toni shiver in anticipation. When she looked away, and saw the binder across the island that was Key’s magnum opus.

“Right, not the whole night,” she replied. “We don’t know where it’s to take place yet, right?”

“No, but I’m certain Key will tell us with time.”

Exasperated, Toni eyed her husband. Drake’s gaze was already growing glassy, his blinking becoming more lethargic as the sun rose higher in the sky. Taking pity on him, she gently linked her fingers through his and tugged him toward their bedroom.

“Come on, sleepy.”

Drake, for once, put up no resistance. As she walked them into their newly remodeled space, she pushed the vampire onto the foot of their bed. Then, she gently unbuttoned his white dress shirt, exposing the tawny skin beneath.

While she’d love to sample the perfection that was her husband, she knew it could wait for when they were both fully awake.

Toni grabbed the remote on Drake’s side table as he turned and crawled towards their pillows, gracelessly flopping down onto the mattress. Their blackout curtains swept over the windows along the edge of the room, successfully blotting out the rising light, while Toni slipped into her nightshirt and snuggled in beside him.

Ten minutes later, his arms were possessively curled around her waist, the man fast asleep. Toni, however, contemplated what the last few days had brought.

Their world had catastrophically shifted. Only a month ago, she’d been debating the cost of opening her own yoga studio in downtown New York City. Now, she was avidly studying a three-ring binder chalk full of information to prevent their total annihilation.

At times like these, she coveted Drake’s ability to give in to the sun and to sleep dreamlessly. Such rest would not take her.