Chapter 3

I blinkedmy eyes open to sunlight that danced along pale skin and auburn locks of hair.

Shit.

My gaze met Cross' amused one.

"What are you doing here?" I asked softly. "There is a wolf on the other side of the door."

"Your watchdog left at the first ray of light," Cross said as his fingers brushed my cheek, a thumb grazing the bottom of my lip.

The touch was distracting and displayed a degree of affection I hadn't known we'd reached.

"Quite eagerly, too," Cross added as if he wasn't turning my world upside down with his current level of attention. "Nearly sprinted from the house."

I cleared my throat and tried to focus. "Good. It'd be better if you didn't cross paths." Then, I groaned when I realized I'd have to de-vampire the house again.

"We need to find you a place to live," I said.

"I was just going to suggest that," he said. "There'd be no interference from the mutts that keep lingering here, then."

"They aren't interfering with anything. They're trying to keep us safe."

I carefully dislodged Cross' touch and set his hand on my blanket with a pat.

He smirked.

Before I could leave the bed, he caught my wrist and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. The same spot he'd kissed the day before when I met him by my car. The same spot Shepard had kissed.

"Better," he said.

Rather than asking what he meant and possibly hearing something I wasn't ready to hear, I got out of bed and grabbed shorts and one of my favorite print shirts.

"Cupcakes are muffins that believe in miracles," Cross read the shirt over my shoulder.

His lips were precariously close to my neck, making me want to shiver. But not in a bad way. I trusted Cross and considered him a friend. A really good-looking friend who I'd seen shirtless in the shower.

As soon as I had the thought, my mind shied away from it, and I focused instead on how I hadn't really been keeping up on my end of the deal to help him in today's world. He had the money and the clothes, but he really needed a place to stay.

If he continued showing up here, I'd never get rid of Anchor, and I'd have to deal with Vena and her V.

"Start thinking about where you'd like to live," I said. "We'll start looking at options today. I don't have to be at work until later this afternoon."

I hurried to the bathroom and locked the door. Not that locking things seemed to matter when it came to Cross. The man could get into any place he wanted to, and with the way my thoughts had wanted to veer, I was afraid the next place might be my pants.

Think about cupcakes, I said as I scoured my teeth and ran a brush through my blonde hair.

It didn't work.

The cut on my cheek, which I'd earned by falling into Cross' cave almost a week ago, was almost healed. The one on my hand that I'd gotten while at Juicy's three days ago looked just as old, thanks to Cross' help. And the one on my arm from the morning before looked the same.

I could remember the feel of his lips on my skin. The light suction as he drank from me.

Three times now. What did that mean? Was that why I liked him?

"What's taking so long?" Vena asked as she knocked on the door. "And why was I greeted by a vampire on our couch instead of my plaything?"

Dressed, I opened the door.

"First, Anchor isn't a toy. And second, he fled at dawn because of your jacked-up hormones."

"You're a bit cranky this morning. Is the Crimson Tide coming in?"

"No. This has nothing to do with that and everything to do with you teasing Anchor until he had to run away."

Vena slipped her arms around me, hugging me like she would a teddy bear. "But if he hadn't run, he would have met Cross, right? See how good I am? I'll make breakfast. How's that?"

"Bad. I don't want burnt food."

"I only burn things because I start thinking about something else. I promise I'll stay focused."

"How about if I make breakfast, and you help Cross find a few homes we can look at today?"

"Today?"

I nodded. "Yes. He needs a place, and you need a distraction."

The front door opened.

We hurried to the dining room and found Cross bending down to pick up something off the ground outside. When he turned, he was holding a black cat by the scruff of its neck. His expression as he stared at it was pure revulsion.

"Don't eat it," I said, hurrying to grab the cat.

"I prefer my food clean and not–" he leaned in a little and sniffed at it "–digging around garbage cans."

I took the cat from him. It started purring the instant it was in my arms.

"I think this is the same cat from Blur," I said. It was hard to tell since black cats tended to look alike, but my gut feeling told me it was the same cat. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

Cross moved to take it back, but I turned toward the kitchen.

"Everly, there is something concerning about that cat," he said as he followed me.

"The fact that he's homeless and hungry?"

"No. His scent."

"Yeah, Buzz already mentioned it smells like a vampire."

"The same vampire scent I found at Juicy. Everly, you do not want his vampire to track him to your house."

"If he was going to track him, he would have done so by now."

Cross moved faster than I could see, stealing the cat from my arms and moving to the back door to toss it outside. The cat yowled as it landed safely, and I scowled at Cross.

"Did you not learn your lesson, Everly?" he asked, frowning back at me. "Vampires will track their possessions. Simply because the creature roams does not mean it is not a kept pet."

"I'm siding with Cross on this one," Vena said before I could retort. "We've had too many run-ins with vampires to take in a vampire's stray. That's just asking for it."

"You don't know it belongs to a vampire. One might have just stopped to pet it."

Vena gave me a disbelieving look before glancing at Cross. "Would a vampire have any issue with feeding on a cat?"

"It's not a preferred source of nourishment. However, you are right that vampires are not overly affectionate and are unlikely to stop to pet a stray cat."

"Fine," I said. "I'll let the poor thing starve on our doorstep."

I went to the kitchen and started fixing our breakfast while Vena leaned against the counter and asked Cross questions about what kind of place he was looking for.

"House or apartment?"

"I have no preference," he said. "I will not spend much time there."

"So, a creepy basement?"

He gave her a dry look.

"Well, I don't know your style."

He looked around our home. "Spacious. Clean. Preferably not close to railroad tracks, but I will overlook the noise as long as it's close to here."

"Here?" she asked. "Why?"

"I still need access to Everly…and my money."

She gave him a considering look.

"Okay. Close to here." She scrolled through her phone as I flipped the cinnamon swirl pancakes I'd made. "There's actually something two blocks over," she said. Two bedrooms, one bath. It's a year lease, which is typical for the area." She stated the rental price, which wasn't horrible considering how much sat in my bank account. "I'll make an appointment to see it."

She drifted out to the living room, and Cross took her place close to me.

"You have a soft heart for animals, don't you?" he asked, watching me.

"Yeah, I do. I always wanted a pet growing up."

"Is that why you favor the wolves?"

I almost laughed.

"No. And I wouldn't say I favor them. They're nice, and they've helped out when there was trouble. Like family," I said, echoing Shepard's words.

Cross made a humming sound.

"Good news," Vena said, coming back to the kitchen. "The landlady is nearby, and we can check it out in an hour."

We quickly ate our breakfast, discreetly dropped off Miles' car, and went to see the place. Like our house, it wasn't much. The landlady, an older woman who looked like she was in her seventies, eyed the three of us.

"You all living together?" she asked. "You're not swingers, are you?"

Vena nearly died on her choked laugh.

"No," I said. "We're friends."

"Hm. So, who's living here?" she asked.

I opened my mouth to say it would be Cross and realized the rental couldn't go under his name. She'd likely want his information to do a background and credit check.

"I'll be the primary resident."

She looked me over then glanced at Cross.

"That mean he's going to be staying over a lot?"

"When was the roof last replaced?" Vena asked, looking up at the shingles. "It looks pretty old."

Properly distracted, they started talking about the house, and Vena very politely drove the conversation to indicate that it wouldn't work for us. When all three of us were in the car again, Vena shook her head.

"We're going to have a hard time with rentals, I think," she said. "If the landlords see you staying there night after night, they're going to want you on the lease."

"Which means Cross would need an ID of some sort," I said, already understanding her line of thought.

"The best solution is to have your sugar mama buy you a house," Vena said with a grin at Cross.

She went back to her phone and searched for nearby homes for sale. We drove past almost a half a dozen, but none of them looked worth the money.

"He has the funds to fix them up, though," Vena pointed out.

I glanced at Cross. "It's your call, but if it were my money, I wouldn't do it. You'd be sticking in more money than it's worth in these neighborhoods. It'd be different if we were looking closer to downtown."

"How far away is downtown?" he asked.

"With how fast you can move, does it really matter?" Vena asked. She talked him into checking out places closer to downtown until we worked our way close enough to a restaurant she liked.

"I'm hungry. You should buy us lunch for all the help we've given," she said. "You know how Everly likes her sweets."

I almost snorted at her attempt to wheedle him until he agreed.

"You don't need to buy us lunch. We can just go home and–"

"Is that how friends treat each other? Rejection and abandonment?" Vena asked with a shake of her head at me. "Cross needs us to show him around. When was the last time you went to a restaurant, Cross? You probably want to see how it's done, right?"

He looked at me. "Vena is correct. There is much I still do not know."

I glanced between the two of them and gave in. "Where do you want to go for lunch?"

Vena wrapped her arm around me. "I know the perfect place."

The perfect place ended up being a five-star restaurant that she knew we couldn't afford.

"You're taking advantage of the situation," I whispered to her as she pulled me to the front door.

"When will we ever get the chance to come here? And remember the dessert selection you were drooling over on their website only a few months ago? Chocolat au crumble de fraises, la madeleine au truffle, black diamond lush, luxe--"

"Stop. You had me at chocolat. But Cross has to agree to the prices first. It's not fair to take advantage of him like this."

When I turned, I found him standing nearly on top of us.

"You heard that?" I asked.

He nodded. "You are not taking advantage of me, Everly. If the food here calls to you, I am willing to accommodate your desires."

Vena yanked me inside and over to a man who sneered at my t-shirt. But then his gaze lit when he saw Cross, who, after his recent makeover, looked like a cologne ad with his fitted suit, shirt collar unbuttoned, and styled auburn hair cut short on the sides.

He really did look amazing.

Vena snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Come on. The snooty guy is seating us."

Cross placed his hand on my lower back, guiding me to the table near the window that overlooked the bustling downtown street. From the view, I saw boutique shops and more restaurants. All high-end. Vena and I were so out of place.

Picking up the menu, sans prices, I looked for something that might not cost as much. Maybe a side salad and a glass of water.

Vena had other plans. She ordered the Gruyère and Crab Palmers, Beef Spiedini, and Kobe Steak with Matsutake Mushrooms.

When the server left with our order, I kicked her under the table.

"What?" she asked.

"Kobe steak? Matsutake mushrooms? Do you realize how much those cost?"

"No. But I ordered water instead of a drink."

Cross reached across the table and placed his hand on mine. "It's okay, Everly. Allow me to repay you for all the help you've given me."

"See?" Vena said. "He's thanking us. Be grateful."

"I said I was repaying Everly," Cross said. "Which is why you'll share your meal with her since she only ordered a side salad."

"Because you've already repaid me. If not for you, Vena and I would still be trapped at that club or wouldn't have found Miles. Actually, I think Vena and I are still in your debt."

Vena picked up her phone.

"Let's get back to finding you a place to live," she said, eyeing Cross. "That way, I can earn my lunch. I'm sure there are a lot of condos in the area."

"Condos?" he questioned.

"Like an apartment, but you own it," I said.

While Vena scrolled through her phone, tsking and muttering under her breath about steak, I wondered what kind of place would suit Cross. He seemed like a private kind of guy who wouldn't appreciate a condo or apartment next to a bunch of people. And a house seemed too domestic for him.

"Cross, is there anything you want to do with your time? Hobbies? A business? It might help us narrow down the search."

"There are a few things I'd like to do with my time," he said with the barest of smirks aimed directly at me. Heat sizzled down to my toes. "But, no. There is nothing in this new world that holds my attention except for a fleeting curiosity."

"What did you use to do before?"

He smirked again, and I had a feeling it was nothing that I wanted to know about.

"I did own one thing that nearly made my unlimited time bearable," he said.

"What was it?"

"A gentleman's club."

Vena glanced up. "Is that code for strip club? You know…with naked female entertainers?"

Cross shook his head. "No, it was for drinks, smoking, and gambling. A club member could acquire a room to sleep, if he should want, and an occasional courtesan might accompany the gentleman to the room for a shared evening."

"Prostitution isn't legal in D.C.," Vena said.

"I have no interest in prostitutes or courtesans," he said. "I'm merely answering Everly's question. I used to distract myself from the endless passage of time with the discreet management of a gentleman's club."

"How long ago was that?" I asked.

His gaze held mine as he answered. "Sixteen ninety-three."

Vena swore under her breath and, forgetting her phone, leaned in to ask, "How old are you?"

"Thirty-two."

She snorted and returned to her phone search.

"There are a number of condos in the downtown area, but I'm not sure you'll like having neighbors paying attention to when you're coming and going. And whatever company you keep. What's your budget?"

He glanced at me, and I shook my head slightly. "I have no idea what you want to spend."

"I'll pay whatever is necessary to secure a permanent residence near here but with fewer neighbors interested in my business."

Vena tapped her fingers on the table. "We'll come up with something. I'll broaden my search under the assumption that you don't mind parting with another coin."

He nodded, and the waiter arrived with the first course. Vena stared at Cross as he lifted his spoon to try the soup he'd ordered.

"I didn't think you'd actually eat it," she said.

"Like sleep, it's unnecessary. However, sitting and watching my dining companion eat would have made her uncomfortable. Are you enjoying the salad, Everly? Would you prefer my soup?"

I wasn't sure if he was asking to get rid of the soup or because he felt bad I'd only ordered the salad. Either way, if he was willing to part with it, I was willing to eat it. I quickly nodded and almost moaned at the decadence of the French onion soup.

While we ate, he asked questions about dining out, favorite spots, what made them our favorites, and when most people dined. It was a relaxing conversation that didn't seem overly vampire-y, just curious.

Cross offered me his plate when the main course arrived. Like Vena, he'd ordered a steak. I accepted half, which had Vena smirking.

"Don't let her fool you, Cross. She's not just saving you money. She's saving room for dessert. You've seen how she is. She craves sugar as much as you crave–"

I kicked her under the table, and Cross smiled slightly.

When the waiter returned, Cross ordered every dessert they currently offered.

I was in heaven until it was time to stand and walk. My stomach hurt, and I knew I'd suffer from my gluttony at work later. But I had so many ideas to add to my pastry notebook, thanks to his generosity.

Before we made it to the door, Cross stopped me.

"You have another watchdog. I will leave you here and speak with you again in the morning."

"Feel free to use that fancy new phone she got you," Vena said. "It'd make our lives easier, and I wouldn't need to keep traumatizing Anchor."

Cross shot her a look then disappeared.

"Like you'd stop traumatizing Anchor," I said. "You had your underwear under your pillow before we even got home last night."

She grinned unrepentantly as we left together.

"Will you look at that," Vena said softly, glancing around the street. "Mr. California is here."

I followed her gaze and saw MC leaning against a building across the street. He still wore the jeans that prominently displayed his beaver basher.

He nodded to us, and I offered a smile back.

"I'm pretty sure that's not what MC stands for," I said quietly, hoping the sound of traffic would drown out our conversation.

"Half the fun is trying to guess," Vena said. "Muff-munching Champion? Maximum Capacity? That could apply to anything that tries to accommodate what he's packing."

"If you spend too much time guessing, he might think you're interested," I warned her.

"It's hard not to be interested in his super-sized muscled self. Just think of the workout."

I elbowed her as I wrapped my arm around hers and continued to the car.

"Remember the trouble we just got out of, and try not to throw us back into more."

"Fine. You're right. It's still early yet," she said. "Let's stop and check on Miles. Maybe he'll have some alternative housing ideas."

Her phone buzzed with a message on the way to the car, and she made a happy sound when she read it.

"My parents are extending their trip by a few days. No specifics, but more time is good."

"Why?"

"Seriously? We're sandwiched between wolves and vampires, Miles was already kidnapped by one, and we have the other staying on our couch at night. Do you really think my parents won't notice something's up when they're back?"

I made a face, knowing she was right. The extra days would give us time to make sure Miles was okay or get him help. It wouldn't help with our other problem, though.

I loved her parents. They were great and super supportive of their kids. However, they also frequented the Shadow Trade as much as Miles and loved to pop in for unannounced visits. The likelihood of them running into Cross or a wolf guard was pretty high. Especially if Cross and the wolves were following us. Something I'd thought we would avoid because of the tracking app. Shepard had used it yesterday. Why send someone today?

"Do you think it's weird that MC was outside of the restaurant?" I asked once we were in the car.

She shrugged. "Not really. They came here to help Shepard and his pack, right? But, now that you mention it, Shepard is overly protective of you. I would have thought he'd send Anchor or Doc. Maybe Buzz."

As I pulled into traffic, I glanced back in the mirror and saw MC still leaning against the wall. He hadn't moved, but he was still watching us as he grew smaller with distance.

"I got it!" Vena said.

"Got what?"

"Remember how Cross said he owned a club."

I nodded, not wanting to think about the courtesans. "What about it?"

"He said he liked it because it distracted him from his long, boring life."

"And?"

"He can be a club owner again. Juicy's available, right?"

"No. That's a horrible idea." I shivered, remembering getting trapped there and the bloody aftermath. "Shepard said they'd destroyed the place to ensure the vampires wouldn"t come back. Plus, can you imagine the clean up? No way."

"Cross won't care about blood and bodies. He's the one that made the mess, anyway."

She was right. But he'd only made the mess because he'd had to come and save us.

"I bet we could get that building cheap," she said. "No one would want to go in there after that bloodbath, and when Cross buys the place, I can get a finder's fee."

I rolled my eyes at her. "You forget one thing."

"What?"

"Shepard said Juicy is under his watch now. He'd never let Cross stay there."

Vena frowned. "But it's a perfect place. He can have his club on the first floor, and he can live on the top floor. He'll be so busy with renovations and starting the club up that we won't have to see fangs ever again. It's a win-win."

It was my turn to frown. "Unless he has papers to make himself a legal citizen, he'll still need me. The building would be under my name. I'd be the one responsible for permits and business registration and–"

"I'll talk to Shepard about Juicy tonight," she said.

"Are you even listening, Vena? No. No Juicy. No talking to Shepard. I don't want him to know about Cross. Shepard's on a mission to get rid of all the vampires. It won't matter to him that Cross isn't like the others. I'm not throwing Cross to the wolves like that."

"Just by being near you, he's already involved with the wolves because you are."

I didn't want to think about it now. "Let's go see Miles. Maybe he can help us think of a place for Cross. It will give him something to do. He's got to be bored by now."

As we drove to Miles' apartment, Vena spoke more about the building Juicy had been in and its potential.

"Maybe you should rethink treasure hunting as your career and go into real estate," I said.

"I just see the value in it."

I parked outside of Miles' apartment building and glanced at the vehicles, not spotting anyone I knew.

A message buzzed on my phone from Shepard.

Shepard: I see you're at Miles' place. Problem?

Me: Nope. Just stopping to check in on him. Where's his guard? Truck's empty.

Shepard: Inside watching for signs of unusual behavior. Call me right away if you think there is any.