Chapter Twenty-Eight

Can you put the dog out? I didn't know he was on fire.

Oliver slowly shifted his legs, hoping Eva wouldn't notice, but of course she did.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

He sat sprawled in front of the flickering fireplace with his back to the settee and her fitting perfectly between his legs, leaning back against his chest—absolute perfection. Her hair occasionally flitted up to tickle his nose while the fireplace flickered in the mostly dark room, and a slight smell of brimstone mixed with lavender floated through the air.

"I'm perfect, my love," he lied as he kissed the top of her head. But despite the discomfort, the moment was perfect as he squeezed her gently with his arms wrapped around her waist, attempting to settle her in closer.

His heart thumped slowly, strongly, against her. It's a myth that vampire hearts didn't beat. Even though it's no longer necessary, a vampire"s heart continued to flicker from memory. Perhaps after many more centuries the impulse for it to pretend to pump blood through a body would fade, the synapsis urges would dissipate, but for now it beat for her.

A low growl escaped Baby Boy, who had easily doubled in size since his rescue. Despite the growth spurt, he still believed he could easily fit across Eva's lap. And technically he did fit, sort of, as long as Oliver's legs braced either side of Eva, supporting both her and the beast while Baby Boy's back side remained on the floor. The young hellhound put up with Oliver's support as long as he didn't move. Oliver refused to fight a dog for Eva's affection, so they'd reached a happy middle ground of sorts during visits.

"Hush now, sweetie." Eva continued caressing the hellhound's ears and neck as he let out a huff and settled down deeper against her. The hound was maturing, losing more of his soft puppy fuzz. With each visit, more wiry, coarse hair replaced the soft fur, but he had yet to lose the puppy glee at seeing her. Several puppy teeth had been replaced by adult incisors, and unfortunately his breath only continued to reek of stronger brimstone the older he got. Eva didn't appear to notice as she snuggled with him, and Oliver wasn't going to be the one to complain; not if she was happy.

Never in a million years would Oliver have imagined that he would be sharing the love of his immortal life with a spoiled hellhound. A hellhound who apparently was growing faster than most thanks to all the nurturing Eva gave him whenever he snuck away from his family for a visit. A bit of his health, Oliver suspected, was also due to Eva's succubus energy that fed the pup every visit. Just as she didn't understand or control how she fed, the same worked in reverse. The demon part of her fed, but the human part of her? Her humanity is what gave energy to others without thought or care.

The fire snapped and crackled, lulling them into a peaceful bliss until Baby Boy's head shot up. His ears snapped forward, and the previously relaxed puppy switched into predator mode as he listened for something they couldn't hear. With a huff he stood, stretching across both their bodies, while Oliver suppressed a groan of relief. Eva had no such pride and let out a discernible moan as she wiggled her legs when the hound's weight lifted off her.

Wide awake with ears twitching, he turned to give a full lick goodbye across Eva's cheek, then met Oliver's eyes for a long moment. With a huff that Oliver dared not translate, the beast turned and jumped into the fireplace, disappearing in the blink of an eye with an audible snap.

"Mama has called," Eva observed dryly as she continued shaking the pins and needles out of her legs. "Nice to know he still listens, sometimes." Neither of them knew how he got back and forth from the demon plane to their home, and Malth, the only person Oliver knew who might know the answer to that, had disappeared as quickly and quietly as he'd appeared to assist in Eva's rescue.

According to Delta, who was still vacationing in Eva's Ohio home, the pup also continued to show up periodically in Eva's back yard with Apollo mysteriously alongside. Not that she could see him, but there were signs, Delta had grumbled, big steaming piles of signs. As much as Delta grumbled, Oliver also knew she kept large dog treats on hand to stay on the beast"s good side.

Just a few days after Eva had returned to Oliver's home, the pup had shown up in the living room by passing yet again all sorts of security, all wiggles and shakes, excited to see Eva. He continued to show up randomly and unannounced, sometimes staying for a few minutes and other times a few hours, before being called back home.

"I worry each time might be the last time he visits," Eva admitted once she settled back into Oliver's embrace. Her ability to love so deeply was one of the things he loved about her. Despite losing so much, she never stopped loving.

"Understandable." Hesitating, Oliver added, "But you don't see what I see. When I first saw that a hellhound had attached itself to you, it scared me. All we know about these creatures is what little we've been told and even less what we've observed. But now I know that they have a great love and loyalty to family. He considers you a part of his family and, well, we've seen firsthand what these creatures will do for family." He suppressed a shudder as the memory of what they would do for their family flickered through him. "They will fight daylight itself to be there for those they love."

With her back to him, Oliver sensed the smile that crossed Eva's face at his words. Since she'd come back to him, their bond had only grown stronger, and sometimes he could barely distinguish her emotions from his own, especially when they reflected and amplified.

"How do you always know the right things to say?"

"It's the truth. The truth is always right." Settling down, they continued watching the fireplace flicker as they each radiated comfort and contentedness. The shadows moved along the walls, dancing to the soft music flowing through the room. Leaning down into her shoulder, Oliver whispered into Eva's ear, "Would you be ready to try something new?"

After a long breath, Eva responded with a cautious, "What? I mean, is there anything left to try?"

Oliver's chest shook with silent laughter as Eva leaned forward to turn and look at him. "Well, seriously? And don't laugh at me. Not all of us have lived over a hundred years." Her words were punctuated with her own laughter.

"So much more, my love. But taking your mind out of the bedroom, I actually meant would you like to travel? I know that England was a dream, but I think I can do one better and add a few more countries and continents over . . . let"s say the next year or so?"

Her passport had arrived without fanfare a week ago. With a smile, she had opened it, holding it close before sliding it away in a drawer for some day.

"Shut the door! Can you really take that much time off work? I mean, would you?"

"I am Boss Man, after all, and what"s the use in hiring the best people in the industry if you can't trust them to do their jobs?"

Oliver could feel Eva's excitement rise and then sputter before she responded, "What about Ravyn? We've only solved half the mystery. Whoever is out there for her is still out there."

Sighing, Oliver admitted, "I've done all I can for now. It's just a waiting game until the so-called ‘master' makes another mistake. Whoever it is has been quiet the last few weeks." He didn't add that they were certainly regrouping from their recent losses and could very well be planning something for tomorrow or two years from now. But as Ravyn reminded him, they couldn't put their lives on hold or the creature won. Necromancy had brought back the old mage briefly, but a failsafe had been put into place and once one question had been asked, the creature's head had shrieked with laughter even as it melted into a pile of putrid sludge.

Another dead end.

"I want to show you the world. You've been stagnant long enough, and it's selfish of me to just want to wrap you up and keep you to myself," Oliver admitted.

"I love being here with you. I love Baby Boy's visits."

"Yes, but you'll love being out there with me as well. Your book is finished, and your fans aren't expecting another one for a bit, so we have the time now."

"My fans wouldn't be satisfied even if I released a book every week," Eva admitted.

Oliver sensed she was warming to the idea. His Eva wasn't open to immediate change, but he knew her well enough that once she mulled an idea over, even if it were only for a few minutes, she would jump in feet first.

He nodded solemnly, agreeing. "Nothing satisfies those unruly masses, never happy. Besides, maybe you'll find some inspiration out there in the world."

"That sounds . . . That . . . it actually sounds pretty freaking great." Nodding more to herself than Oliver, she added, "But I really need to see a huge windmill." Fanning her arms, she gestured wildly in explanation.

"Anything you want, but a windmill? Why a windmill?"

"Because I'm a huge fan?" While she laughed at her joke, Oliver groaned. "What? Not my best work? Don't worry, I've been collecting travel puns for years. I'm sure I'll find one more to your liking.

"Do you have an itinerary planned or will we just wing it? If we fly, it will be air-mazing. It's a-boat time . . ."

"Definitely time for a distraction!" Oliver roared with his own laughter as he wrapped his arms around a gasping Eva before standing, lifting her off the ground.

"Wait, wait, ohhhh, the pilot thickens," she gasped out before he covered her mouth with his own, drowning in the feeling of her against him. Gripping her hips, he pulled her closer, and she responded by wrapping her legs around him, happily allowing the distraction he offered as he edged closer to her heated core.

With a growl, he pulled back his mouth before promising, "Tomorrow. We leave tomorrow." He nipped at her full lower lip, savoring the drop of her intoxicating blood on the tip of his tongue, as she arched fully against him, feeding as well once again on his desire. "Don't pack. We can shop for what we need or just have someone else pick it out and deliver it. I don't want to waste another day."