“Hey.” Kelly tried to sound sultry as she sashayed up to the handsome guard.
No one she'd set her eyes on had ever been able to resist her—and she was proud of the fact she'd never had to use magic to attract them. She was used to getting what she wanted. If the intense vibe she'd sensed from this dude meant anything, he wanted her too. Slipping in a bit closer, she laid her hand on his bulging arm and waited for him to respond.
When he looked up, his eyes were hard, his expression sharp. She immediately snatched her hand back, realizing the intensity radiating off him might not be lust at all. He genuinely seemed pissed at her.
“Timely as ever,” he snapped. He barely looked at her, sweeping his eyes up and then back to the floor.
How could he possibly know she was usually—okay, always—late, and what the hell had she ever done to him that would justify his snarkiness? She'd never met him before the baby shower, she was sure of that. No way would she forget a guy this cute, especially if he’d resisted her advances this way.
“Um, do I know you?” she asked, extending her hand to him. “I'm Kelly.”
The guard looked down at it as if it was covered in dog crap. “Ronun,” he growled, ignoring her hand.
That name sounded familiar, and then it hit her. “Ronun Fluevog?”
He blinked in surprise, before she could ask any more questions, a striking older warlock appeared at the open door. He wasn’t good-looking like the security guard, but he carried a tremendous amount of presence.
“You must be Owyn!”
Ignoring the surly guard, Kelly stepped forward, eagerly holding out her hand to shake. He stared at her hand for a moment, then looked up to her face. His serious expression slowly strangled her smile. She probably shouldn’t have used his first name.
“You're Miss Holloway, I presume?”
“That’s me. I’m so pleased to meet you!”
Kelly put on her brightest smile and pushed her enthusiasm to the limit. She wanted to make a good impression and her particular brand of charm rarely failed.
“You’re late.”
His expression remained implacable. He just…stared at her. The guard shifted and Kelly frowned, sure that she could see a smile twitching on his lips. His full, kissable lips.
“Yeah, about that,” she said hesitantly. “I had to coordinate moving and then I got lost and this witch stopped me in the hall—”
“Miss Holloway,” he interrupted. “I’m not interested in your excuses. Apologize, so we can get to work.”
Apologize?
“Um…”
“Miss Holloway.”
It was a statement—a command, really. He didn’t raise his voice, didn’t get angry. He simply remained in the doorway, a point of resistance she could not overcome with her bubbly personality and charm. Her stomach twisted in her gut. She'd relied on charm her whole life. If it wasn’t going to work on him, she might be in real trouble.
“I’m sorry,” she said, the words coming out a bit like a question.
Owyn's stern expression softened, though, and he gave her a curt nod.
“Good. I’m here to help you, Kelly, not the other way around. I want you to understand I’m working in your best interests. That being said, I have important work to do and I can’t waste time running around after you. Plenty of people would love this position. Remember that.”
“Okay,” she said, in a small voice. “I’m sorry.” She really was.
“Excellent.” Owyn waved a hand as he stepped aside, inviting her in. “We should get started.”
Four
Kelly left the Judiciary with a heavy sigh. The first day of any job was exhausting, but it had been a rough night. It wasn’t like she’d had to do any heavy lifting or tiring, boring work like filing. Just the fact that she had to keep her mouth shut and listen was rough enough for Kelly.
She sighed again as she picked her way down the dark path to get to her car. It had been a long night, and it wasn’t over yet. Technically, it was morning now, but a party girl like Kelly said it was still party time so long as the sun hadn’t yet come out.
The roads were deserted as she headed toward her old place. All she really wanted was to sleep, but she couldn’t do that without her bed. She figured it would be easy enough to move the mattress herself and leave the rest until she had Ryan’s help.
It didn't take long for her to realize she'd underestimated the task. The mattress was big and soft, making it hard to move. A bit of heaving and shoving quickly proved that she was going to need magic for this. Now that she’d come this far, she wasn’t going to give up. She needed some sleep, dammit!
It was obvious the huge thing wouldn't fit out the window, so she had to navigate the stairs backward so she could maintain eye contact while levitating the mattress down the steps. When she got it to the car, she set it down gently on the roof, locking it in place with a thought.
A couple of times on the way back to Hollow House, she forgot about keeping it still and almost lost it on the corners. That was what she got for being a speed demon in her old clunker. She was relieved to pull up in the massive driveway and lift the thing through the wide main doors.
I’ll just whisk it upstairs and then I can finally lie down! It felt strange to be awake at this ungodly hour and be completely sober. Normally, when she saw the wrong side of the dawn, she was still stuck in full-time party mode.
She stifled a yawn as she came into the foyer, losing her focus for a moment. The mattress suddenly fell, slamming into the hardwood floor, raising an enormous dust cloud.
“What the hell?” she whispered.
She looked around suspiciously, but she was the only one in the room. The yawn must have broken the spell. She shook her head then stretched out her hand, trying to lift the mattress again. It remained stubbornly on the floor.
Just as she looked around herself again, all the drawers in a nearby cabinet opened and slammed shut again loudly. Books shot out from shelves and statues rocked as if a firm hand was trying to knock them over.
“Hey!” she yelled. “What’s the deal?”
The commotion settled but didn’t stop. The little ripple of energy which flowed around the room, teasing the furniture, had the air of a child caught deep in a tantrum. Kelly frowned as she tried to magic the mattress again, but it was no good. The thing was grounded.
Swearing in fury, she grabbed one end and tried valiantly to shove it up the stairs. After a lot of shoving and panting—and more swearing—she’d made it up a few steps before swearing even more as she fell into a heap on top of the mattress. She sighed in defeat. There'd be no rest for her anytime soon.
“What are you doing?”
Kelly squealed in surprise at the unfamiliar voice and jumped to her feet. Spinning around to face the entrance to the kitchen, she was more than surprised to see a tall, strapping vampire watching her. He was utterly gorgeous, with high cheekbones, electric blue eyes, and thick waves of hair that looked dark in the half-light. The most striking thing about him was his lack of a shirt. His arms were folded over his bare chest, barely obscuring the view of his bulging pecs and rippling abs. Snug black leather pants showed off his muscular legs and narrow hips. Even though he was facing her, Kelly suspected his ass was just as hot as the rest of him.