“What made you suspect a Lilin?” Adele asked Chris. “There are many reasons why human girls go missing.”
“Last night, Jordan fought an Incubus who was trying to abduct a teenage girl. He had the mark of a Lilin.”
“Did the Incubus escape?”
“Unfortunately.”
Adele wore a troubled expression. “The Lilin will know you are onto him, and that will make him a very dangerous adversary.”
Chris rubbed his jaw. “I know. Can you tell us anything else?”
She thought for a moment. “A Lilin spends a lot of time searching for acceptable females, but he doesn’t start collecting them until he is less than a month from the peak of his fertile cycle. You have four weeks, maybe less, to find them before he begins breeding. And he’ll guard them like they are the crown jewels, so the lair will not be easy to find.”
“We already have our people on that.”
“Good.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear, and I could have sworn her hand shook.
“I appreciate your discretion in this,” she said to Chris. “I like my life here, and I’d hate to have to leave it because I made an enemy of a Lilin.”
Chris stood, and I followed suit.
“You have my word that we’ll tell no one outside our own people about your involvement,” he told her.
We said our goodbyes and left the office. On the main floor, I started for the exit, not wanting to linger here longer than I had to. I was inexperienced, but wasn’t a prude by any means, and I had no problem with the risqué action taking place everywhere I looked. To each his own.
What I didn’t like was the effect Adele’s magic had on me, and it had hit me full force again the second we left her office. The slightest brush of Chris’s hand against my arm as we descended the stairs had sent heat unfurling in my belly. How much of it was the bond and how much was Adele’s magic, I didn’t know, but the intensity of it scared me. Even during my girlish crush on Chris, I’d never experienced anything like this sudden desire for him.
“In a hurry?”
I stopped just past the dance floor and looked back at Chris, who gave me a smile that did funny things to my stomach.
“We’re finished here, aren’t we?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could.
He closed the distance between us. “Business, yes, but it would be a shame to leave without having at least one dance.”
I glanced sideways at the gyrating couples on the floor and found it suddenly hard to swallow. “I don’t feel like dancing.”
The corner of his mouth lifted, making one of his dimples appear. “Afraid you’ll like it?”
“No,” I shot back as a little thrill went through me.
“Liar.”
I scowled at him and turned back to the exit.
“Coward.”
I stopped walking and closed my eyes, gritting my teeth at the amusement lacing that single word. If I left now, he’d think it was because I couldn’t handle being that close to him. It was true, but I didn’t want him knowing that.
“Fine.” I spun to face him again. “One dance, that’s it.”
“One is all I need,” he murmured as he took my hand in his and led me onto the dance floor.
Heat emanated from his touch, and my body felt warm even before he stopped and tugged me toward him. My breath hitched, and I could hear my own heartbeat above the music as his arms came around my waist.
I put my hands on his shoulders, feeling the muscles ripple beneath his shirt as we began to move to the slow, sensual music. Unable to meet his eyes, I looked over his shoulder and tried not to think about the way his hips brushed against mine or the tickle of his breath on the side of my neck. When one of his hands slid lower, almost touching my backside, every nerve ending in my body tingled and I smothered a gasp.
“Breathe, Beth.” Chris’s lips grazed the shell of my ear, sending a delicious shiver through me. “Although, I wouldn’t mind having to do CPR if necessary.”
I huffed and leaned back to look at him. Big mistake. Heat blazed in his eyes, and his full lips were curved into a heart-melting smile that left me breathless. I’d never been immune to his smiles, but the combination of his closeness and the succubus’s magic pulsing around us made it impossible to think of anything else but tasting his lips.
“So, have you known Adele long?” I asked in an attempt to distract myself.
Chris’s mouth twitched as if he’d read my mind. “About twenty years or so. She’s one of our most reliable contacts here.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“All Succubi are.”
Without warning, he dipped me. When we came back up, our faces were mere inches apart.
Moisture flooded my mouth, and I swallowed. Oh, God. If this dance didn’t end soon, I was going to kiss him. Or worse, jump him.
No, no, no. I can’t give in. It’s exactly what he wants.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Sara and Jordan since you came to LA,” he said casually, as if he had no clue about the turmoil inside of me.
“Yes, I like them a lot,” I managed to say, hating the breathy way my voice came out.
“I’m happy to hear that. You couldn’t ask for better friends.”
I smiled. “I have Mason, too.”
The muscles of his jaw tightened, and I felt his fingers flex on my waist. His voice was gruffer when he spoke.
“How long have you and he been friends?”
“Since we started training together, about six years. I had other friends at Longstone, but I was always closest to Mason.”
“How close?”
The possessiveness in his tone should have angered me, but it only made my stomach flutter wildly.
I met his gaze squarely. “He’s my best friend. We tried dating once, but we decided we were better off as friends.”
“Good.” He pulled me closer until my chest was pressed against his harder one. His forehead touched mine as we swayed to the hypnotic beat, and I could feel his breath mingling with mine. If I moved my face a little closer, our lips would meet.
The music changed, jolting me from the spell Chris had woven around me. I stepped back, and he hesitated a moment before he released me. My knees wobbled slightly, and I was sure my face bore a telltale flush as I moved to put much needed distance between us.
“Thanks for the dance,” I said, surprised that my voice sounded normal.
He gave me a satisfied smile. “My pleasure. We’ll have to do that again.”
His expression was cocky, but the tenderness in his eyes silenced the little retort on the tip of my tongue.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
I nodded and started for the door again, jerking in surprise when Chris clasped my hand in his. I tried to tug free, but he was having none of it. Expelling a sigh of resignation, I left the club hand in hand with him. I’d let him have this one, but that was it.
Chris
I sighed loudly and laid down the wrench I’d been holding for at least five minutes while I’d stared off into nothing. It had been like this all day, and I’d had to leave the house to get away from Nikolas’s knowing smirk.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that dance with Beth last night, and my thoughts were bordering on obsessive. Even now, my body warmed at the memory of holding her and feeling her resistance to me slowly crumble. She’d held back at first, but I’d felt her relax against me after a few minutes, and I’d caught her looking at my mouth. It had taken all my willpower not to close that tiny gap between us and finally taste her lips.
I let out a sound of frustration and began to gather my tools since it was useless trying to work on my bike now. Was it normal for bonded males to lose the ability to focus on anything but their mate? I had a whole new level of respect for Nikolas, who’d managed it for months. Months. Christ, I would lose my damn mind if I had to wait that long.
My phone rang as I cleaned my hands with a rag. Glad for a reprieve, I picked up the phone and smiled when I saw my mother’s name on the screen. I hadn’t spoken to either of my parents since I’d left Germany weeks ago. I’d wanted to call and tell them about Beth, but I’d held out because I didn’t know where I stood with her.