19. Reese
Chapter 19
Reese
I woke to find Wolf gone from the bed and his side cool.
“Wolfie?” I called out in a sultry voice. I wouldn’t mind another round if he was up for it, and I suspected he would be.
He didn’t reply.
Sliding from the bed, I stuffed my feet into my fuzzy slippers and slipped on my robe. I slunk to the bathroom, but didn’t find him there. But then, vampires didn’t pee as far as I knew. This wasn’t something we’d taken time to discuss, but he’d mentioned that his internal organs didn’t function in the same way as a human’s.
I slipped into the hall, but he wasn’t there either.
I remained in place, straining to hear any hint of sound in the quiet house. The fresh scent of the sea drifted through the air on a cool breeze coming from somewhere below. My heart thumped at a furious pace, my mind suddenly spinning with worry. I didn't call out Wolf's name again; something told me to stay silent, to move carefully.
With my robe wrapped tighter around me, I padded down the stairs, the wood creaking under my weight. Each step jerked through my senses, and my teeth chattered. I scanned the shadowy corners of the foyer below, struggling to pick up the faintest whispers of my vampire lover.
Sweat coiled down my spine as I made my way to the kitchen where moonlight streamed in through the windows, sending long, eerie shadows across the floor. The back door was closed, the room appearing as I'd left it. I moved on, my fear a living thing inside me, but my determination to find out what was going on stronger. I had to find Wolf, to discover what had pulled him away from our warm bed.
He wasn’t in the living room or dining room either.
Everything remained undisturbed in the foyer, the silence pressing in around me. That left only my office on the first floor. With a jagged swallow, I crept toward the open doorway, my pulse a furious thud in my ears.
After stepping into the room, I flicked on the light, the sudden brightness making me squint. Wolf stood naked in the middle of the room, his fangs and claws extended and his body rigid. His gaze was locked on the floor by his feet, his expression unreadable.
Following his gaze, my breath snagged in my throat. A toddler-sized china doll lay askew on the floor, its glassy eyes staring blankly at the floor, a bit of the frilly pink hem of her dress gouging up toward the ceiling. Her porcelain skin was eerily smooth, her pink lips parted as if in mid-speech. An antique, the doll was the kind of thing you'd find in a collector's shop, not the sort of possession I'd ever owned. Since the prior owner cleaned out the place, the doll hadn't been left behind.
“Wolf?” I whispered, my eyes darting between him and the doll. “What's going on?”
He didn't answer right away, his gaze still fixed on the doll. When he finally spoke, his voice came out low and strained. “I heard a noise. When I came to investigate, I found someone inside your house. They got away.” He lifted stark eyes my way. “I followed them out the back door, but they got ahead on the stairs. By the time I mistified to where they'd stepped out onto the beach, they were gone.”
“Magic again?”
“A witch, since they found a way to escape, they didn’t touch my wires, and there’s nothing on my cameras.”
“And the doll?”
“I tripped over something inside your office while chasing them, and it felt wrong, so I came back after making sure your home was secure to find it lying here on the floor.”
I stepped closer, my gaze on the toy. “It's just an antique plaything, right?” Though there was something about it that made my skin crawl. “Something a little girl from long ago may have cherished. Or a collector.” I'd never understood the lure. “Where did it come from?”
Wolf shook his head, his eyes dark with concern. “I don't know.”
I knelt down beside the doll, my hand reaching out to touch its cold, lifeless face. The instant my skin made contact, a shiver ripped up my arm, and I snatched my hand back as if burned.
“This is creepy.” Easing away, I stood and wrapped my arms around my waist. “Really creepy.”
Wolf's jaw remained set in a hard line. “I agree. We need to find out how it got here.”
“And why it's here at all.” My mind raced with possibilities, none of them comforting. “Do you think this is connected to everything else?”
“Perhaps.”
Trying to steady my nerves, I sucked in a few deep breaths and shot them back out. “Okay. So, what do we do now?”
“One moment.” He closed his eyes and hummed an odd, rhythmic tune before going silent. His eyes opened again. “I tried to draw Jolene out, but she didn’t respond.”
“Do you think she left the doll?”
“I don’t know.” He moved toward me, his hands reaching out to grip my shoulders. “We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise. But for now, let's get some rest. We can deal with it in the morning.”
“We'll just leave it there?” At least, down here, it couldn't stare at me . . .
“Let me bag it up and take it to your car. I'll put it in the trunk.”
“Good idea.” Chills wracked my frame. “I don't want it inside my house.”
He eased around me and went to the kitchen, returning with a black garbage bag. Stooped down beside it, he laid his palm on the doll’s chest. His eyelids slipped closed, and he remained frozen before he lifted his hand. “Magic. I'd swear it.”
“Good or bad?”
“Anyone who would leave something like this in your office is up to no good, but I don't sense anything malicious from the doll itself. Just . . .” He frowned. “Maybe in the way it was left here.”
“Should we cut it open and see if there's something inside?”
His lips curled up in one corner. “Vicious thing, aren't you?”
“It's a doll, not a living child.”
He eased it onto its back and palpated its cloth covered torso before shaking his head. “I don't feel or sense anything. I'll take it to the historical society tomorrow to see if they can tell me something about it. I've lived a long time, but I never played with dolls.”
My jittery laugh rang out. “No girlfriends with little sisters who might've cuddled dolls like this?”
“I never dated.”
That was a stunning declaration. “Not in thousands and thousands of years, Wolfie?” How I found the will to tease him was beyond me.
“Reese, darling. I'm not that old.”
“To you, no. Everyone else? Way old.” My grin slipped out, but it faded much too fast. All that time, and he'd never been with anyone special? What did that mean for us?
Even he must feel spooked about the doll because he opened the garbage bag and used the side to slip it into the depths, not touching it with his hands again. He secured the top with a thick knot and straightened. “I won't be long.”
I jerked out a nod. “Make sure you wash your hands when you come back inside.”
I woke the next morning to find Wolf sitting in the squishy chair parked in the corner of my bedroom, dressed in his signature dark pants with a white button-up shirt and a red tie, his cape secured loosely around his shoulders. He held a wine glass with rich dark liquid, the blood sparkling like garnet jewels in the early morning light.
Seeing me staring, he drained the glass. With a snap of his fingers, it disappeared. His fangs retracted, and he gave me a sweet smile.
“How long have you been up?” I asked, my voice croaky.
“Not long.”
“Breakfast is over, however,” I quipped.
“Unless you want to offer me dessert.”
I slid the covers back and stretched, savoring how he watched me with heat growing in his eyes. “What do you think, Wolfie? Are you up for some early morning exercise?”
He mistified, appearing in my bed completely naked, his arms wrapping around me.
“Neat trick with your clothing,” I said. “Can you do that for anyone else or only yourself?”
“I could do it for you.”
“No need to peel off my underwear, then.”
“I could rip through them with my fangs if you prefer.”
Oh, yes, I liked that idea. “Keep that thought in mind for later. For now, it’s time you showed me all you have to offer.”
“I thought I did so last night.”
Frowning, I tapped my chin as if I was in deep thought. “I think you might’ve, but I seem to have forgotten. Could you refresh my memory?”
With a growl, he tugged me closer and claimed my mouth in a steamy kiss.
His urgency left me breathless. His hands roamed my body, tracing the curves of my waist before sliding up to cup my breasts. I moaned into the kiss, pressing myself into his palms, the heat of his touch searing all the way to my soul.
His tongue delved into my mouth, exploring, tasting, claiming. I responded with equal excitement, my hands tangling in his thick, dark hair, pulling him closer as if I could somehow meld us into one being. His hardness nudged my thigh, a reminder of what was to come.
He broke the kiss, his lips trailing a fiery path down my neck, nipping and sucking my skin. I bowed my spine, a whimper escaping my lips as he continued driving me out of my mind.
His gaze raked over me, a growl of appreciation rumbling in his chest. “You're so sweet and tempting. I need you.”
“I’m yours.” I explored the contours of his shoulders, tracing the lines of muscle rippling across his chest. He was all hard planes and angles, his skin smooth. Cool, but not cold. I pressed a kiss right over his heart, where it beat steady and strong.
Our mouths met again in a slow, languid dance. Wolf took his time, exploring my lips as he was determined to memorize my taste. He cupped my face, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs, making me feel cherished. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, deepening our kiss.
He kissed me until I was writhing beneath him, everything inside me humming with anticipation. When he finally broke away, he left me breathless, wanting more.
His trailed kisses along my jawline, nipping gently before moving across my neck. He kissed every bit of me as if it was sacred ground, lingering on the pulse throbbing in my neck and at the hollow of my collarbone.
As he reached my belly, he paused, looking up at me with dark, intense eyes, before he kissed me again, his tongue dipping into my navel, making me gasp. Then he glided lower, gently parting my thighs. I let out a shaky breath, opening myself up to him completely.
When he placed his mouth on my clit, I nearly exploded. This wasn't the first time he'd loved me like this, but it still felt new. Maybe it always would. His insistence stoked the fire inside me while denying me release. He explored me with his tongue, his lips, his breath hot on my most sensitive spot.
“Wolf.” I dug my nails into the sheets as waves of heat coasted over me. Whenever I got close, he pulled back, leaving me teetering on the brink.
“Not yet.” His voice came out a low rumble. “I want to savor you. I want to make this last.”
This was exquisite torture, the most intense bliss I'd ever known.