Chapter 22
twenty-two
KAT
Jonah beat us there.
Liv attempted to elbow me in the side when she saw him leaned up against the balcony's railing with a drink in his hand, but Callum blocked her.
She went straight to his side, moving much faster than I had any desire to.
Jonah's grin when he saw us made me simultaneously more certain and less confident about what a hookup between them might mean. He hadn't really smiled like that since everything went down with Gwen, and Liv genuinely looked excited.
The situation could so easily get messy.
Jonah ditched his drink on the railing and took Liv's hand, waving in our direction in greeting but not coming over to talk to us. Liv was the one who invited him, so I wasn't surprised that she was his priority. She basically vibrated with energy the whole way to the dance floor.
The music was outrageously loud, like always, and it suited the pair of them just fine. They moved together smoothly, dancing and grinding like they'd done so a million times before.
Jonah had been a bartender when Gwen and I met him at a nightclub not much different than this one. As far as I knew, he hadn't been back to one since his and Gwen's engagement was called off. They had both always loved dancing, so honestly, I was glad to see him having a good time.
We joined them on the dance floor for a while. When the music slowed down, Callum and I swayed together. His lips brushed my cheek, then my throat, after I tipped my head to the side to give him better access.
And to peek past him so I could see our friends.
"Stop looking at them. They're fine."
"Are you giving me orders again?" I aimed for teasing, but I think he could tell I was worried. If either of them developed feelings for each other...
"They both know that they'll have to be civil after whatever happens between them. They're aware that our connection is permanent."
"Liv didn't seem sure about this. I think she's only doing it to try to move on from Niall."
"Niall was the first man she really loved. Moving on will take time. She'll have a better idea as far as how she feels about being with someone other than the shapeshifter after this."
"Wait, Niall's a shapeshifter?"
"He is."
Shapeshifters were like werewolves, but at the same time, completely different.
They were rare, as far as I knew. Unlike weres, they didn't have an animal within them. They were the animal. Well, the animals. According to the stories I'd heard, they could shift into any kind of beast they'd seen up close, unless it was of a magical origin, like a dragon.
"I didn't know there was one in Rumor. What happened between them? She told me to ask you."
"Niall's twin brother is a spellcaster, like their mother. The spellcaster who originally fucked up the wards and caused the rain. When he attempted to fix it, the spell went sideways."
"Sideways how?"
"It was draining her energy too severely. The spellcaster was unconscious, and he couldn’t cut it off. Liv told Niall he’d have to kill his brother to end the spell and keep her alive. He didn’t listen. By some stroke of luck, it didn’t kill either Liv or the caster, but the damage was done."
"Holy shit. That's a lot."
"The situation was gray enough that we didn’t kill him for it. Niall disagrees with Liv as far as how the situation went down, but she won't talk about it."
The music changed, and I glanced over at my sister’s ex-fiancé and Liv again.
"Kitten, they're still fine." He sounded more amused than anything else.
"I was only checking to see if they look like they'd care if we took a break. I'm tired of dancing."
"They won't." Callum was leading me off the floor before he finished what he was going to say. I thought he was leading me to the couch or the private room, but he led me straight to the staircase that led off the balcony without a backward glance.
"She wanted us to stay until she figured out what to do," I said, craning my neck to look past him.
"She gave me the nod half an hour ago."
He knew her a hell of a lot better than I did, so I had no problem taking his word for it.
"Are you sure you're done dancing?" I asked.
"Kitten, I was done before we got here. I can make it all night with your body pressed against mine, but I would rather have that anywhere other than here."
"Not just anywhere. There must be some place worse than this."
"Like..."
"I don't know. A coat closet?"
"At least that would be quiet."
"Good point."
We cleared the bottom of the stairs, and Callum pulled me closer as we headed for the doors that led out. With the strobe lights bouncing color off every gleaming surface and the music pounding in my ears, I was suddenly desperate to be outside, despite the rain.
We stepped out into the drizzle, but my mate's ice umbrella of sorts worked pretty well. I guess he'd had a lot of time to perfect it, since it had been raining in rumor for an entire century.
We were driving away moments later, and my gaze lingered on an ice cream shop as we drove past it.
My stomach rumbled.
I suddenly wanted chocolate. Fiercely.
"Can you stop at my cafe on Ivy?"
"Yeah." He glanced over at me. "What for?"
"We get this killer chocolate cake delivered to that location and a few others."
He glanced again. "You want that every time you're approaching heat."
"And other times."
But mostly when I was approaching heat.
"You usually have about a week after the chocolate craving starts before the actual heat starts. And three days after it starts before you need me."
"You shouldn't know that," I stated.
"I bribed a few of your employees at the locations you frequent. The baristas will tell me anything for a couple hundred bucks."
I shook my head. "You are such a stalker."
"I never claimed to be anything else, Kitten. If you're going to be stalked by anyone, it should be your mate."
"Would I even know if anyone else was stalking me? I had no idea you were, outside of obviously getting tipped off by a shifter about my heat." Shifters were the only ones who could tell when someone was going into heat. Our scents changed slightly when we were nearing it.
Jonah usually texted me when my scent started to change, but if the change had just begun, he wouldn’t have picked up on it in the crowded club.
"If anyone else tried to stalk you, they would be dead." Callum didn't seem affected at all by the words, and I couldn't help but eye him.
"You're not just saying that, are you?"
"Of course not."
Callum didn't really just say things.
"How true is what the media says about you?" I asked.
"That depends which media you're referring to, and what they say."
"They said you tortured someone a few days ago." I was still checking the news.
"They were right. My pain magic does serve a purpose sometimes."
I studied him. He'd made it clear that he would never hurt me. I was pretty sure that meant I could ask him anything without retaliation, but I didn't really want to test it out.
"If you have questions, ask them." Callum didn't look bothered by the prospect.
"Why did you do it?"
"He was a vampire who forced a spellcaster to let a group of new immortals in through Rumor's wards with mental magic.
I needed to know who they were and why they wanted in.
When the vampire eventually broke, Liv, Dare, and I tracked the newcomers down and made sure they weren't a risk to the city. "
"You let them stay?"
"After roughing them up so they were aware of what will happen if they ever attempt to break our rules again."
There weren't many rules in Rumor.
Don't kill anyone without an acceptable reason—of which there were plenty.
Don't steal from anyone who could retaliate against you in any way—which was most of us, even werewolves.
And don't threaten or harm a spellcaster. That was the most important one.
Threatening the spellcasters was punishable by death in every case. Like the fae, without the spellcasters, our wards would eventually fail.
"I assume you killed the vampire after you got your answers."
"I did. While his desperation to protect his friends was understandable, there are legal ways to get them into the city. We won't risk the spellcasters."
They were rare, and I didn't want the city to fall any more than anyone else did.
The one thing every immortal in Rumor had in common was our dependence on those wards. And immortality, obviously.
"You torture other people too," I said.
"Mostly rapists. I enjoy breaking anyone who would hurt someone in that way, and the outlet eases the intensity of my power. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No. I think torture and death are fair punishments for rape."
"Indeed."
Callum parked in front of my cafe, but neither of us opened our doors. The conversation didn't quite feel over.
"So you don't torture anyone just because you feel like it, or for fun?" I asked.
"No."
"Then that's all I need to know."
Callum squeezed my thigh lightly before opening his door. He grabbed my door as I stepped out of the vehicle, taking my hand and shutting the car behind me.
The cafe had closed a few hours ago, so the lights were off and the parking lot was empty other than us. He'd parked near the back door, where the keypad entry was.
I had spent the extra money so I wouldn't have to worry about keys for each of the locations. The system kept track of every person whose code was entered, as well, so I knew who had come in at what time if I ever needed the information.
Callum watched me type the code.
"You already know it, don't you?" I asked.
"Yes."
Of course he did.
I didn't think it really mattered. He was the one who bankrolled the first cafe, anyway, so it wasn't like he would've risked hurting my business by giving it out.
If he did break in, he would probably only do it to get to the apartment I kept above the cafe. And none of my stuff had ever gone missing.
We went into the kitchen, and after confirming that he wanted a slice, I dished up two pieces of cake. On a normal day, I would've wanted to sit in my café to eat it, but I was itching to go into my apartment.
Callum didn't seem surprised at all when I led him up the stairs in the back and typed my code again, opening the door.
"How early do you start building your nest?" he asked.
"I'm surprised you don't know already."
"I never had cameras inside your home. That seemed too intrusive."
It definitely would've been.
I was positive he had one outside the door, though. If he was trying to make sure I didn't take anyone home with me, that was kind of unavoidable.
"Where's your camera out here?" I asked.
He gestured to the fake plant I'd put in the short space between my door and the top of the stairs, in an attempt to bring a little nature in. "You put those everywhere. It's incredibly easy to hide small cameras in them."
"You're disturbed."
"Unquestionably."
I opened the door. "Who were you stalking before me?"
"No one. I had to learn the art after I met you. It was that or abducting you before your magic settled, which would've been unacceptable."
"Would your presence have really messed with my magic?
"Without a doubt. I'm far too powerful for it not to. It could've affected your connection with Sable and your ability to shift."
I believed him. Given what had gone down since I turned twenty-five, and the intensity of his pain, I didn't think there was any way he would've stayed away from me if the consequences were avoidable.
Inside the apartment, Callum grabbed a set of forks while I carried our cake to the couch. I left the plates on the cushions while I pulled a blanket out of my room, taking it to the couch with me.
It was comforting, even if the smell wasn't quite right.
"We can stay here tonight, if you want," Callum said.
I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose at the thought. "No."
He looked faintly amused. "Why not?"
"You know why not."
"Humor me."
I picked up my plate, sitting back down. He handed the fork over, and I dug into the cake. "It doesn't smell right in here anymore. When we sealed the bond, my own scent stopped being the one I'll need around me during heat. Yours is what matters, and the mansion smells like you."
"Your mansion."
I shot him a confused look.
"I lived at the end of Fae Row before. Next door to Liv. I bought and moved to yours for the windows, so you could see the forest at all times, and decorated the interior to your taste. The title to the home is in your name."
My forehead creased further. "You have a second mansion?"
"No. I gave my old place to Darius when I moved to yours. He moves around a lot, in an effort to dull his magic's cost."
"Then the one we're living at is ours, not mine."
"I've always considered it yours."
"But you consider me yours," I countered.
"You are mine."
"Then logically, the house is yours too. We're arguing about semantics at this point. Let's just eat."
Callum had a few bites of his cake while I killed mine quickly. My blanket was wrapped around my shoulders, and I kicked off my shoes as I ate. When I turned on the couch, getting comfortable, he cautiously pulled my feet onto his lap and drape a hand over the top of both, lightly.
After my plate was empty, I eyed Callum's.
His lips were tilted upward, just a little, as he cut a piece of the cake and handed me the fork.
"That's yours," I protested, weakly.
"I'd rather share."
I reluctantly took the fork, and ate the cake before handing it back.
We were both quiet as we made our way through the rest of the slice. He gave me most of it, and every time I tried to argue, he denied wanting more.
"I ate most of yours," I said with a sigh, settling back against the couch. "I can get you another slice."
"I'll order us a whole cake for the house, Kitten. Don't worry about it."
"I'm itching to be home. Are you ready?"
"I am."
We headed out.
I grabbed another piece of cake for Callum on the way—and when we got home, he fed that to me too, still wearing the small smile that I wouldn't have recognized as happiness at all if I hadn't spent so much time with him.
Sable was still snoring, so I put on my favorite set of lingerie from one of my last heats, and climbed into bed with him.
We'd never spent the night together in our human forms, and there was no denying how good his skin felt against mine as we snuggled up.
Or as he slipped his hand into my shorts and played with my clit.
Or as he filled me with his fingers.
Or as he came all over my ass, forcing us to abandon our clothes and sleep naked.
I was totally thawing him.