Chapter 2 #2
Caleb grunted. He waited for us to pass a couple of businessmen in cold weather gear before asking, “What about vampires? Can they set wards?”
I nodded. “Blood wards. They’re more permanent than ours, but they degrade over time.
” I stopped as a bus hissed past, its headlights sweeping the pavement.
The entrance to Moray Tower glowed just ahead of us.
I’d seriously neglected his magical education.
Of course, I’d spent the first month we were together lying to him.
I’d been desperate to hide him from the Council, and I’d evaded any questions that risked exposing my deceit.
Now that we’d started talking about wards, I owed him a deeper explanation.
“The Fae can create wards, too,” I said, “but their power is tied to the natural world. They don’t just wield magic. They are magic.”
He frowned. “So they’re the most powerful?”
“Technically, yes. Before the Iron Age, humans worshipped the Fae as gods. They ruled everything. Then iron overtook bronze. The witches saw an opening and seized it, incorporating iron into their spells. The Fae can’t tolerate it.
Even small amounts of exposure weaken them, so they retreated to Undersomm. ”
“I remember that word,” Caleb said. The wind picked up, and he hunched his shoulders. “You said nobody enjoys their time in Undersomm.”
“I’ve never heard anyone dispute that.” Some of the stories were hair-raising, to say the least. “Most of the Fae are older than you can wrap your mind around. They ruled the world for millennia and then got supplanted by iron and the witches. A lot of them are still angry about it.”
Caleb snorted. “Isn’t Undersomm their own private plane or whatever? Can’t they just be happy with ruling that?”
I knew my smile was wry. “History is full of stories about powerful people who didn’t know when to stop. The Fae are fascinating. Terrifying but fascinating. I have some great books on the German pantheon—”
“Of course you do.”
“—if you’re interested.”
The wind sent another spray of icy mist under my collar, but I barely noticed. The big, golden man in front of me banished the cold, the spark of mischief in his blue eyes holding me captive. “I’ve already met a Viking,” he said. “It didn’t go great.”
He meant Ulfrik. I stepped closer, and the white cloud of my breath mingled with his as I murmured, “Fair enough, but it brought you to me.”
His heartbeat picked up, and his wolf stirred in his eyes. “That’s an excellent point, Jesse. I guess you could say Ulfrik did us both a favor.”
My god, the way he said my name. Low and smoky, lust curled around every syllable. He knew what it did to me, so of course he did it as often as possible.
Desire pumped through my veins, urging me to yank him close and kiss him again. It was gratifying as hell to know he didn’t resent being turned. That he wanted the life he’d been given because it meant a life with me.
But we stood on Sterling’s doorstep. We also had to figure out how Ulfrik had returned from the dead.
I tipped my head toward Moray Tower. “Remember what we talked about. Let me handle Sterling.”
Caleb gave me a mild look. “I’d do the whole Scout’s Honor thing but they kicked me out of Boy Scouts. I don’t want to get into a Stolen Valor situation.”
Laughter threatening, I palmed his shoulder and pushed him toward the entrance. “I’ll take you at your word.”
The ward’s pressure eased the moment we stepped into the tower’s lobby. Slate-gray marble, modern furniture, and discreet lighting gave an impression of understated wealth. The scent of juniper and iron seasoned the air.
Our footsteps echoed softly. The young woman at the front desk lifted her head and smiled as we approached.
“Go right on up, Mr. van der Meer. Mr. Moray is expecting you.”
“Thank you,” I said, motioning Caleb toward the bank of elevators.
The scent of juniper thickened as we passed the receptionist, who wasn’t really a receptionist and almost certainly wasn’t the only witch in the lobby.
Sterling’s security was just as discreet and expensive as the rest of his building.
The elevator door slid shut with a whisper, enclosing Caleb and me in a sleek metal box. I caught his eye and flicked my gaze to the barely perceptible camera tucked in the corner.
Seconds later, we stepped onto the fortieth floor. The outer office was empty, the reception desk deserted. A pair of polished walnut doors dominated the wall beside it. One was ajar, revealing a generous sliver of the office beyond.
A cracking sound drifted out, followed by a low, feminine moan.
Caleb halted at my side, his attention fixed on the doors.
Through the gap, a woman sprawled on her back, her nude body taking up the surface of Sterling’s desk.
Her arms were bound above her head, and her knees were drawn to her shoulders and secured with thin red ropes.
More ropes crisscrossed her skin, running under her round breasts and forming a spiderweb pattern on her thighs.
Her hair was the same lurid color, the long waves cascading over the desk’s edge until the ends nearly brushed the plush carpet.
Her pink nipples were erect, and her chest heaved, thrusting her breasts higher.
Sterling stood over her, fully dressed in tailored trousers and a crisp white shirt. Gold cufflinks winked at his wrists, and his thick dark-blond hair showed the merest hints of silver at the temples. Every strand stayed in place as he brought a crop down on the woman’s splayed pussy.
She jerked, then cried out. Everything between her legs was red and glistening.
Sweat sheened her shoulders. More sweat darkened the hair at her temples.
Sterling had been at it for a while. The redhead curled her polished toenails, then released a warbled sob.
A single tear streaked from her eye to the curve of her ear.
Sterling looked up, his green eyes instantly finding mine through the gap in the door.
“Jesse,” he said in his boarding school accent. “Have a seat. I won’t be a minute.”
The door drifted shut on its own, closing with the same whisper as the elevator.
Caleb turned to me with disbelief etched on his face. He’d seen me use telekinesis, so Sterling’s display of magic hadn’t rattled him. No, his shock came from the other display.
“Come on,” I muttered, guiding him to a small sofa. Magazines were artfully fanned on the table in front of it.
The sharp slap of the crop drifted through the door in a steady rhythm, every blow punctuated by the woman’s cries. A moment later, they spiraled higher. The faint creak of wood joined them, along with Sterling’s masculine grunts.
Caleb stared at the door with his jaw set. After a second, he looked at me and mouthed, “He’s fucking his secretary.”
I motioned for him to drop it.
Nostrils flared, he tossed another incredulous look at the door before turning back to me. “This is rude as shit.”
The noises stopped. Silence reigned, and I released a slow breath. I couldn’t argue with Caleb’s assessment. But Sterling didn’t do anything without purpose. He’d refused to change his plans to accommodate us, and now he made us wait until he finished.
The office door opened, and the woman emerged fully clothed and flawless, her yellow dress plastered to her curves.
Her makeup was heavy but well-done, and her shock of red hair fell almost to her waist. She swept past us without a glance in our direction, moving swiftly to the elevator on black stilettos that could have doubled as daggers.
She’d worn the same outfit when she read the weather earlier in the evening.
Caleb sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes widening as he watched the woman enter the elevator.
Sterling appeared in the doorway, his blond waves immaculate. His green eyes warmed as he pulled the door wider and waved us to our feet.
“Apologies for the delay, gentlemen. Please, come in.” He turned and strode toward his desk.
I brushed my fingers over Caleb’s before following. The scent of juniper filled the office, which showed no signs of the previous activities. The red ropes were gone, the desk’s surface pristine. Sterling waited for us to sit before resuming his own seat. Then he favored Caleb with a smooth smile.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Caleb. I’ve long wondered what it would take to bring a Dom like Jesse to his knees. You must be a spectacular submissive.”
In my mind, my wolf bared its teeth. I rested a hand on the arm of my chair. In the corner of my vision, Caleb bristled, instantly transformed into the hard-shelled college jock he’d been when I met him.
“I’m not submissive,” he said.
Sterling looked between us, his green eyes crinkling at the corners, before settling his gaze on me. “And a brat.” He released a low chuckle. “I love knowing this.”
“Stefanos sent us,” I said, managing to keep the growl out of my voice. “I assume you have information.”
His smile fled. He leaned forward and pressed a button on the phone next to a closed laptop. “Come in here, please,” he said. “And bring the documents.”
“Yes, sir,” a man’s voice said through the speaker.
Sterling released the button and sat back, his expression pleasant once more. “It’ll just be a moment.”
I nodded.
He looked at Caleb. “Are you enjoying London?”
“It rains a lot,” Caleb said. “And the weather woman on TV tonight said more is coming.”
Sterling’s lips curved in a slow smile. The undercurrent of iron thickened in the air, overpowering the juniper. “You’ll have to buy an umbrella.”