I glanced around. My sisters appeared relaxed, as if they’d woken from a good, long sleep. Yet their physical appearances couldn’t mask the smell of their apprehension. “What did you do to us, Misha?” I demanded.
Misha swam to the ledge and rested his muscular arms against the dock, beads of water cascading down his masculine face. All he needed was a bottle of Gucci cologne at his side and the photo shoot was good to go.
“Are you angry, my love?” he asked.
“Just tell us what you did, damn it!” Taran yelled.
Misha leaped onto the dock in one smooth motion. And suddenly, Taran didn’t seem so irate anymore. Droplets of water glistened and streaked down his freshly regenerated physique as he stalked toward me, a perfect replica of man and Greek god.
Taran, dear, unapologetic Taran, fixed her eyes on Misha’s backside, mesmerized by the tightening and relaxing of muscle as he walked. I don’t even think girlfriend blinked.
Emme and Shayna stumbled backward, knocked off balance by the might of Misha’s corporeal hotness. Yet if my sisters’ actions made them prudes, they should have hailed me as their queen. At least they kept their eyes open. I buried my face in my hand like a displaced virgin at a nudist colony. Shrinkage, for sure, was not an issue for Misha.
He chuckled. Not that I could blame him. When it came to the male species, there was no cure for my supreme dorkiness. Even sweet little Emme had more experience than I did.
Misha placed his hands on my shoulders and spoke softly—mostly, I suspected, to hold in his amusement. “You were attacked without cause. My desire was merely to invigorate your spirits. Please forgive me, ladies, if I offended.”
“Oh, no. No. Not at all,” my smooth-as-sandpaper sisters insisted all at once.
The mounting number of naked studs I’d seen tonight had reached exorbitant heights…not that I was complaining or anything, but my lack of sexual encounters hindered my ability to respond with confidence. I’d been dropped into unfamiliar territory, without food or a compass, and with a bare-ass lothario for a tour guide. Hell, most women would have flipped.
My tigress flicked her tail with excitement, wondering what was next. Between the bare bodies and the brawls, this was her idea of a fun night. Me, I’d rather have spent the evening consuming large quantities of buffalo wings.
Despite my beast’s growing anticipation, she allowed me to draw from her courage. I dropped my hand and shrugged Misha off, focusing on his face like life, death, and a shipload of preschoolers depended on it. “Misha, I—”
“Oh, my goodness,” Emme whispered. “Look at the house.”
What I saw made me step back. Tahoe’s light blue sparks slowly dissipated over where Misha’s house had suffered the most damage. The terrace stood tall, grand, and whole above the fully restored beam. The loud creaking sound I’d heard must have been the wooden planks repositioning. I blinked. Even the cracked floor-to-ceiling windows had been repaired.
A vampire appeared in front of the dining window with a bucket, a towel, and a bottle of Windex. She plucked something that resembled an ear from the glass, pausing to squint at it before tossing it into her pail. In the library, two vampires pointed to the bloodstains on the cappuccino-colored walls. They seemed to be arguing about what kind of blood it was. The taller of the two sampled it with his tongue. Werecat, he mouthed. The other went for a taste until she noticed Misha watching. They noticeably paled before grabbing their mops and resuming their cleaning.
I faced Misha. “You combined Tahoe’s magic with your own.”
He nodded. “The energy I gathered will last me a few days at best, but it comes with a price. When Tahoe demands its return, I will be left weakened and possibly comatose for a period of time.”
“Is that wise, dude?” Shayna asked. “I mean, what if another master challenges you while you’re vulnerable?”
Misha glanced in Shayna’s direction. “Considering my fate will be decided at the rise of the next moon, young miss, it’s unlikely an issue I will have to deal with.”
Taran scoffed. “Then why not conserve your energy instead of wasting it on home improvements?”
Misha regarded her slowly. “I own many houses throughout the world, dear Taran. Yet this is my home.” He looked back at me. “Should I survive, I would like something beautiful to return to.”
My eyes widened; I hoped he didn’t mean me. “Um. We need to go,” I said quickly. “I’ll call you in a few hours.”
Misha kissed the back of my hand before backing away and gracefully slipping into the water. My sisters exchanged glances, but failed to comment. They hustled up the small incline toward the front of the house, hurrying to get the hell out of vamp turf.