Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

Freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes, Faith ventured out into the main area of the suite, checking out the amenities. The moment she found a small laundry room, stocked with detergent and other cleaning supplies, she decided to take advantage of the opportunity to wash her clothing. She’d been on the road for days and hadn’t had a chance to wash anything since she’d started out on her journey.

She’d have to go down to her car and get the rest of her dirty clothes from her trunk, but just washing the things she’d been wearing was a good start for now. For one thing, it would be a test for herself to make sure she understood the complicated equipment, which looked like it was a lot more state-of-the-art than the old stuff she was used to. There were a lot of different settings, and she muddled through as best she could, hoping she had everything set right for a small load of mixed colors.

Colt found her in the laundry room just as she pushed the button to start the wash cycle. She looked up to find him smiling at her.

“How domestic,” he observed, that quirky smile on his face that drew her so easily. “Looks like they spared no expense on this building.” He looked around at the equipment and setup, whistling softly.

“I can do your laundry too, if you want,” she offered.

He moved fully into the little room and stood in front of her. “I can do my own wash, but it’s kind of you to offer. But I’m housebroken and used to doing chores for myself. I don’t expect you to do laundry.”

He took both of her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. The gesture was so gentle and romantic, it made her knees weak.

“In fact,” he said, letting her hands go and moving toward the door. She was drawn to follow, as if he was a magnet, pulling her along. “I’d be happy to do my share of the household tasks if we’re here for any length of time. I’m pretty good at cooking and even cleaning. You learn how to keep things tidy in the service, and I have a killer chili recipe. We can get the ingredients tomorrow if you want to try it.”

“I’d like that,” she said, smiling at him. “If we have time.”

And just like that, the intimate and sort of fun mood was shattered. Faith hadn’t felt an uptick in urgency since arriving in Houston, but rather a sense of waiting and satisfaction that she’d arrived in time. In time for what, she didn’t exactly know, but the feeling that there was something big coming hadn’t changed. She just didn’t know if it would be today, tomorrow, or the next day. She was in limbo until whatever was going to happen started to happen.

Then, all bets were off. She’d be busy, and so would Colt. There would be no time to make chili and relax in this luxurious apartment. They would be busy surviving and killing demons to protect others from the danger.

The apartment’s doorbell sounded, and Colt went to answer the door. He peered out the peephole first, then unlocked and opened the door. Gavin came in, holding two big shopping bags, which he deposited in the kitchen. The main area of the apartment was more or less open concept, so the kitchen was tucked into a corner near the entrance and looked out onto the dining area, which was separated only by the furniture from the living area.

The kitchen island created a barrier between the kitchen proper and the large dining table beyond it that could easily seat six. Likewise, a long couch with a narrow console table running the length of its back seemed to mark the line between dining and living areas. Faith went to the end cabinet that had a glass front and held tableware. She got out plates and glasses while Gavin unpacked the bags, and Colt helped set the food, in its aluminum serving dishes on the kitchen island, setting it up like a buffet.

When Gavin finished doling out the containers, he stood back and folded the bags the stuff had come in. Placing them on the counter, he turned to look at Faith and Colt.

“Well, I’ve got a virtual meeting in about fifteen minutes, so I’m going to have to leave you to your dinner. If you need anything, I’m just across the hall,” he said and headed for the door.

“Thanks for getting the food,” Faith said politely as Gavin left.

Colt followed behind the other man and locked the apartment door behind him, then turned back to the kitchen and the food that was sending up heavenly aromas.

Faith went over to the kitchen island and started opening the containers. There were several meat dishes including lemon chicken, pork chops, and steak. She took a little bit of chicken and put it on her plate, then went to the side dishes and a small salad platter. She took a little bit of everything and snagged a can of soda pop on her way to the table.

Colt, she noticed, loaded his plate with every kind of meat on offer and just a little bit of the other dishes. Well, he was a lion, after all. It made sense that he’d be a Grade-A carnivore.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, taking the edge off what Faith now realized had been hunger. It had been a while since their hasty meal on the interstate, and a lot had happened since arriving. Eventually, with the worst of her hunger assuaged a little, they started chatting about all sorts of things. Faith kept the conversation casual, just getting to know the kinds of things he liked a bit more.

Unlike their earlier meal, they could talk freely in this apartment. No topic was really off limits. Feeling bold after a while, she broached a subject that had been on her mind since their surprising meeting with the Kinkaid Alpha.

“So, your mother was a Rollins?” Faith asked, trying to sound casual. She had heard of the Rollins mages. Some of them had been very wicked, indeed.

“Uh,” he coughed a little as surprise made him suck in air as he was eating, “yeah. Mom was a Rollins. Dad was the Kinkaid. That’s just about all I know, though. I’m the youngest, and I didn’t get as much time with them as my brothers did.” He was silent a moment before he went on. “I remember my mother holding little orbs of light in her hands to entertain me when I was little. She used to sort of juggle them and make them glow different colors.” He shook his head, as if embarrassed by the admission. “I guess I was easy to entertain when I was a kid.”

“My mother did the same thing,” she told him, feeling for the boy who’d lost his mother so young. “Like this, right?”

She lifted her hand and thought the light orb into being, then tossed it lightly into the air. It floated like a soap bubble, crossing the few feet between them, and he reached out to catch it reflexively. She was surprised when it didn’t dissipate, but seemed to stick to his palm and even grow a little, changing color from the pale lavender she’d created to a shimmering gold, like the color of a lion’s pelt, she thought.

“Oh, wow. You do have magic,” she breathed, watching the orb glow happily golden in his palm. He seemed both fascinated and a little alarmed as he watched it too.

“I do?” He seemed shocked, and the bubble popped out of existence. His gaze shot to hers.

“Sure. You just caught the orb and changed it with your will. That’s how I started learning magic at my mother’s knee. Children’s games that get you to start using your innate magic without it feeling like schoolwork.” She smiled at him. “If your mother had lived, she would have recognized your abilities when they started to appear, and she would have started to train you, like mine did for me.”

He was silent a long moment, a faraway look in his eyes. Finally, he spoke, and his words broke her heart for him a little.

“That would have been nice,” was all he said.

She reached out to cover his hand with hers on the table. Turning his hand over, she placed a magical flower that she’d constructed out of her will in his palm.

“For you,” she told him. “Now, try to turn it into something else.”

She’d given him a pink dogwood flower, a favorite image in her mind from the tree outside her childhood home. In his hand, it became a beautiful red rose, which he handed back to her. Her breath caught. Not only did he have a lot more magic than she’d realized, but he was a natural. And a romantic. Her heart melted a little more for him.

She took the red rose and wished it was real and not an ephemeral thing of magic and will. She wanted to keep it forever, but like all things magical, it would eventually fade back to the earth. And that was okay. She would have the memory of this moment in her heart forever.

“You should train your power,” she told him, trying to get back on track.

They’d only known each other a few hours, but already, she felt closer to him than she had to anyone in a very, very long time. Maybe it was their somewhat shared background. Maybe it was that she felt safe with him when she hadn’t felt the need for safety since discovering her power. Maybe it was that he was so strong yet treated her so tenderly.

And maybe, it was the fact that her life was on the line as never before, now that the Demon War had begun.

“I’ve never really thought about it before,” he replied slowly. “I didn’t think I had any magic besides the stuff that makes shifting possible. Shifter magic. That’s all I thought I had.”

“Yet your mother was a powerful mage. What little I know of the Rollins family tells me that the magic in their line is powerful and tempting. Much like that in my own family. I don’t think it skips generations. I think maybe you and your brothers might have untapped potential you’re not fully aware of right now,” she said, feeling earnest about the topic.

Her instincts told her that this was something the brothers—and particularly Colt—would need to think hard about. And train. They really needed to train their magic. They’d need it as the war between good and evil continued.

“It’s definitely something to think about,” he replied. “Do you think I could make one of those light orbs?” His gaze was guarded, but she thought she saw a flicker of hope there.

Gently, she walked him through how to call the magic and shape it to his will, just like her mother had done for her all those years ago. He got it right away, and soon, he was juggling light orbs of different colors and lobbing them playfully in her direction as she caught them and threw them back, laughing.

She felt carefree as a child in those moments and was grateful for the break from the seriousness of the past few days. She’d been on the road, fighting monsters out of nightmare for days, and she was clean and surrounded by luxury she had never anticipated. With a man that drew her like no other and the night ahead of them, filled with possibilities.

Dare she take a walk on the wild side with Colt? How could she not? She might face a monster that could kill her tomorrow, and she didn’t want to face death with the regret of not taking the chance to experience Colt’s lovemaking and the closeness she craved with him.

Was it out of character for her to jump into bed with a man she’d only just met? You bet it was! Then again, fighting demons was something new too. She’d been studying for a while, but actually facing them was altogether new and very alarming, even though she was well prepared for the battle.

He was still juggling the light orbs when he spontaneously changed them all into flowers and directed them gently at her. Showering her in colorful blooms that dissipated against her skin with little tingles of his magic. It was like a hundred little kisses all over her face and arms. Her breath caught at the lovely sensations.

She had to clear her throat before she spoke. He was watching her with that half-lidded look that heated her blood.

“You’re a natural at magic, Colt,” she said, her voice huskier than she’d expected.

“If you say so,” he replied, tilting his head to the side, as if he couldn’t quite believe her assertion.

“Like I said, you should train your magic. It would be another weapon in your arsenal,” she urged.

“Huh.” He seemed to consider her words more closely. “A smart warrior never neglects a possible advantage. I guess you could be right about the magic. But where does an adult shifter get training for magic? If Mom had lived, she could’ve taught me, like you said, but I don’t know of any magic schools for overage beginners who go furry at will.” He chuckled, and she knew he was deflecting a bit, but she also knew she was right about his need to learn what he could do.

“Well, for now, I can show you some things,” she offered. “And you have connections with one of the most powerful covens in the world, through your brothers and their mates. I’m sure you could find further training there. You should tell your brothers. They might have hidden talents, just like you, and they could start the process rolling there on Long Island, with the coven.”

He seemed to think about that, then sighed and sat back in his chair. “That’s actually a good plan, though I’m not sure either of my brothers inherited any magic from Mom. Then again, I didn’t realize I had until you told me. It’s just never come up before. We never thought about the possibility.”

“You guys had other things on your mind, I’m sure. But now that your lives are becoming steadier—your brothers have settled down, and you’re no longer in the military—you should all look into the possibility.” She felt very strongly about this. Almost as if it was one of the knowings she sometimes got.

“All right. Next time I report in, I’ll mention it. I think my new sisters-in-law could be of some assistance.”

“Good.” That settled, Faith looked at the table and the empty plates. “Now, I’m going to clean this place up and put away the leftovers.”

“I’ll help,” Colt offered immediately, rising from his chair and collecting her plate as well as his. “I’m housebroken, remember?” His gaze held humor, and she had to chuckle.

“I remember.” She let him take the dishes to the sink and headed instead for the kitchen island where the leftovers were sitting in their little containers.

She resealed the boxes and tubs, then took them to the refrigerator. With both of them on cleanup, it didn’t take long.

“Do you want some coffee or tea?” Colt asked, locating coffee filters and tea bags in one of the kitchen cabinets.

“Coffee, please,” she replied, opening the fridge and looking inside as she stored the rest of the leftovers. “There’s dessert here. A selection of pretty little confections to choose from,” Faith told him, pulling a plastic box with a clear top from the refrigerator. Gavin must have stored it there for them to find. The little bite-sized desserts looked amazing.

“Good, bring them out, and we can have them with our coffee,” he said companionably. “Want to sit on the couch over there and get the weather report for tomorrow while we’re at it? I could use a bit of time to unwind. It’s been a big day.”

“Sounds good.” It was really too early to go to sleep, and she didn’t want to sequester herself in her bedroom. She liked the idea of spending more time with Colt.

Once they were seated on the sectional sofa with cups of coffee and the container of sweets on the low table in front of them, Colt put the weather report on the giant television. Faith took one of the pretty, sinfully sweet confections and nibbled on it before she spoke.

“You know, in the distant past, our families were allies.” She revealed the one bit of history she knew but had not told the Alpha. She felt protective of Colt and wanted him to know. He could decide what to tell the others.

He looked at her over the rim of his cup as he sipped his black coffee. He put it back on the table very deliberately before he spoke.

“Do I really want to hear the details? Was the alliance on the good side? Or the dark side?”