Chapter 2

2

R om sipped on his coffee and checked his watch again. Laverna was already twenty minutes late. He signaled to one of the waitresses to bring him a refill.

It was a favorite place of his, tucked away down a side alley where tourists rarely ventured. Underneath him, through layers of sediment and rubble, lay the remains of a small temple that had once been dedicated to him. It gave him a little boost every time he sat there, and he felt like he needed it in order to deal with Laverna. That was if she ever turned up.

He glanced down the alley where he had parked his Ferrari just to make sure it was still there. It was a previous model to the one Laverna had taken the night before.

It hadn't surprised him that she had taken it. It was where she had left it, right on the spot where they had first met, that had been the surprise.

Maybe she had thought he wouldn't notice. Like he would ever be able to forget that day.

Laverna had a right to be angry for his tardiness the day before, but Rom couldn't tell her the truth as to why he had made her wait.

His wolf was on the surface again, not sleeping as he always did when it wasn't a full moon. He had tasted her in the bathhouse, and it had taken until dusk the next day to get it under control enough to leave the villa.

Rom had taken one look at her in all of her pissed-off glory, and all his hard work to leash his beast had been for naught.

Rom ran a hand over his face. That fucking red dress .

It hadn't been anything expensive or elaborate. Just a simple cotton sundress she could've picked up for ten euro at a market stall.

The sight of her in it shouldn't have sent him straight into despair, but Laverna rarely wore dresses, even when they had been a requirement for women. When she did wear one, it was for a special occasion.

That was why it confused him when she had been wearing one and waiting for him. His wolf wasn't confused. It wanted to bend her over the nearest surface and take her in it. Laverna had either worn it for him or to torture him. Either way, she had succeeded in knocking all his sanity out of his head.

It had been a relief when Laverna had sent him and Claudius off to look at the bodies because he couldn't handle looking at her in all that red a second longer.

If things weren't bad enough, she then stole his favorite car.

It had smelled so much like her when he got it back that his wolf had lashed out to punish him for upsetting her. Now, the Ferrari needed a whole new dashboard because it was ruined from claw marks. Not to mention what he had done to his driver's side door.

Rom pinched the bridge of his nose. Fuck, that woman was going to make him snap one day, and he hated to think what was going to happen when he did.

The scent of myrrh and sex and ancient sacred things hit him before Laverna came around the corner of the alley. She was in jeans with the knees shredded, mud-slicked boots, and a men's button-up shirt, the buttons undone low enough to show off the black lace bra she was wearing. Her hair was loose and curls tangled, making her look like she had just rolled out of bed after a good time. Rom's jaw clenched at the thought.

"Decided to turn up, did you?" he asked, looking pointedly at his watch.

Laverna sat down on the chair opposite him. Her smirk was a red slash of sensual defiance. "You really want to pick a fight with me about tardiness after yesterday, Romulus?"

He was saved from replying with the appearance of the waitress coming back with his coffee. She looked curiously between them. They didn't seem a likely pair with his bespoke designer clothing while she looked like she was aiming for shabby chic at best.

Rom was positive Laverna hadn't brushed her hair for the meeting either, and somehow, she still was more beautiful than any of the women around her. The wildness of her was more attractive than any expensive clothing or hairstyles.

Laverna ordered herself fruit and pastries, coffee and juice. The waitress nodded and backed away from the table with a nervous smile. Whatever energy they were putting out, it was enough for humans to feel it.

"Hungry?" he couldn't resist asking.

Laverna smiled like a cat. "I had a big night. I used a lot of energy. What did you find on the bodies? Anything interesting? Or are you wasting my time like you did yesterday?"

"Yesterday I had an unforeseen emergency." I wanted to pin you down and lick you again , his wolf said unhelpfully. Rom cleared his throat. "If you had stayed around long enough last night, I would have been able to apologize and tell you that for myself."

Laverna shrugged. "I had places to go and people to do."

The handle of the mug he was holding broke off with a plink , and he caught the cup just before it showered the table in coffee. It splashed on his hand, scalding him a little.

"Fuck," he muttered. He put the cup down and wiped the spilled coffee off his hand.

The waitress immediately came back over with fresh coffee and double checked nothing else needed wiping.

"He's fine," Laverna said flatly, making the waitress flush and hurry away.

"She's only doing her job."

Laverna gave him an unimpressed stare. "Falling all over you is not her job."

Rom smirked. "Don't be jealous."

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped back. "Is there a point to me being here, or do you want to just waste my time some more? I have a murderer to hunt. I don't have time to fuck about."

Rom leaned forward in his chair and kept his voice low, "The markings on the body were strange. Definitely animal, but not any of my wolves. There was no scent on them anywhere that was a beast, which is odd in and of itself. There was, however, a lingering aura of magic."

Laverna let out a breath. "Fuck. You sensed that too? I was hoping it was just my imagination."

A different waitress arrived with Laverna's breakfast, and Rom lifted a brow. "You might want to check that latte for spit."

Laverna shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time I had a girl's spit in my mouth, Romulus. What else did you pick up from the bodies?"

Rom unclenched his jaw. He really needed to get his irrational jealousy under control. "I think the magic on them was to wipe out all other identifying markers. I haven`t seen that kind of magic since we dealt with the witches in…shit, when was that?"

"30 B.C.E." Laverna scowled into the apricot-filled cornetto she was tearing into like she hadn't eaten in a week. "I fucking hate witches."

Rom bit back his smile. "I remember. The bodies were wiped of scents, but if you take me out to the site where they were found, then I might be able to pick up something more useful."

"I suppose if Claudius isn't busy, I can show him," Laverna said, going back to her breakfast.

"Not Claudius. Me."

"Since when do you do your own dirty work?" she said, raising a crooked eyebrow.

"Since witches are involved, and you almost cut my dick off, thinking I would kill your people. It made it personal. So I will personally deal with it. With you. Until we are done," Rom replied, the growl of the wolf in his voice. It really didn't want her anywhere near Claudius or anyone else, for that matter.

"I haven't agreed to that," she said, starting on her other pastry. "How about I take you out there, and if you find something useful, I will consider joining forces. If not, I will find the killer on my own. I don't need your big nose in my business more than necessary."

"You never know. You might enjoy my nose right up in your business if you gave it a try sometime," he said, unable to resist jabbing at her.

"I'm not in the mood for your hostile flirting today, Romulus." Laverna shot him a threatening glare and went back to her breakfast.

Rom noticed the red in her cheeks but didn't push it. It really was so cute when she tried to be tough with him. She was the only one who had ever been able to get away with running roughshod all over him. His wolves were smart enough never to mention it.

"If witches are involved, I think it would be better to combine forces regardless. They are always bad for business, and the city has had enough drama dealing with Bellona's fiasco," Rom said and sipped his coffee. "I have to say that I'm surprised you got out of it so unscathed. Bellona must really like you because I saw what she did to everyone else."

"The kidnapping was a mistake, and she knew it. She's not talking to me, but I'm hoping she will get over it soon," Laverna replied. She sounded sad, and the wolf inside of him clawed at him to comfort her.

"I'm sure she will. You barely scratched him."

"That's what I said! She didn't see it that way. Honestly, I think it was the cross thing that set her off."

Rom choked on his coffee. "You put him on a cross? Laverna ..." He didn't want to think about Bellona vaporizing her for the insult. If it had been anyone else, she probably would have.

"I know . But he was a wriggler, and I couldn't have him wandering off in the catacombs and getting lost! We never would have found him again," Laverna pointed out with a scowl. "Don't you dare judge me! Wait, who am I kidding? All you do is judge me."

"That's not true," he said softly.

Laverna wiped her fingers on her napkin and tossed it on her empty plate. "I don't care if it is. Let's get this over with, shall we?" she said, storming back down the alley toward his car.

"Your girlfriend seems like a handful," the cashier said when he paid a few moments later.

Rom tapped his card against the machine and managed to smile. "You don't know the half of it."