“Gentlemen.” He nodded.
Damian spoke first. “Devon, Ren. Good to see you both. Giselle, you’re looking bitchy, I mean beautiful, as always.”
“Bite me, asshole.”
“Hmmmm, I think I’ll pass, babe. Wasn’t so great the first time.”
Dev jumped in. “Knock it off. We have more important matters to discuss here than whatever the fuck went on between you two that neither of you will let go.”
Damian just laughed. If he were here in person, Dev was sure he’d be on the floor with a dagger in his heart about now. Bastard better watch his six when he gets here. Giselle was the meanest bitch he’d ever met. But she was also one of the most loyal.
Romaric spoke up in his usual get-down-to-business manner. Dev liked and respected Rom, but the guy needed to get the cob dug out of his ass. Or get laid more. “Let’s move this along. I have business to tend to before I am to be there by tomorrow at nightfall.”
They spent the next half hour rehashing what they all knew about the missing girls in their Regents. In total, twenty-eight girls had gone missing in the last three weeks. There were likely more they weren’t aware of yet. They’d all come to the same conclusion that Xavier had resurfaced, ramping up whatever sick plan was rattling around in the twisted gray matter that functioned as a brain.
“One more thing you should know before you arrive tomorrow. I have found my Moira. Her name is Kate Martin. She’s here at the house and she doesn’t know of our kind yet, so keep your mouths shut. I’ll see you all tomorrow evening.” He cut the video before anyone had a chance to respond.
“Giselle, a word,” he said as everyone made a move to depart.
When they were alone, he continued, “You will give Kate the respect she deserves. If you treat her like the dirt under your boot again, you’ll answer to me. Understood?”
She nodded curtly. “Yes, my lord.”
“That’s all.” She left without another word.
He was looking forward to tomorrow when he’d spend as much time with Kate as possible before he had to spend the night strategizing on how they could find Xavier this time. Find and destroy. It felt even more urgent now that he’d found his Moira. If Xavier found out about Kate, she’d be in even more danger.
He was even desperate enough to bring in Esmeralda and he and the witch weren’t on the best of terms. His rejections of her advances over the years had bruised her pretty, fragile ego. Never trust a witch. Use them, yes. Trust them, hell to the no. And while Esmeralda was stunning, regardless of what anyone thought, he had more discriminating tastes than that. Esmeralda probably wouldn’t take too kindly to Kate, so he planned to keep her as far away from Kate as possible. Better safe than sorry.
Dev’s urgency to kill Xavier now had much more driving it than revenge. He had a new family to protect and he wouldn’t fail—couldn’t fail—this time.
Chapter 17
Kate
She woke feeling refreshed. The gods had blessed her, because she’d thankfully had a rare night of dreamless sleep. She looked at the clock to see she’d slept until 8:30 a.m. Crap! She had class to teach in an hour, which she’d yet to find a replacement for. She quickly grabbed her cell and called into the office. Ten minutes later she’d posted a cancellation for today’s classes and due to a ‘family illness’ found replacements for the next several days, just in case. She really had no idea how long it would be before the threat to her safety had passed.
Not knowing what the plan for today was, she decided to shower and was half way to the bathroom when a knock sounded at her door. Looking down at the skimpy tank and shorts she generally slept in, she wished she’d thought of bringing a robe.
When she opened the door, famished eyes raked her slowly from head to toe. Her nipples pebbled underneath the thin fabric. Dev’s eyes lingered on them for what seemed like minutes before they traveled further down her bare legs. His perusal back up was just as agonizingly and deliciously slow.
His eyes finally met hers. The desire engulfing them was palpable.
“Good morning,” he rasped.
She fought to catch her breath. “Hi.”
“Sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you.” She suddenly remembered she’d just rolled out of bed. Frantically running her fingers through her hair, she attempted to tame her long locks.
“Morning looks good on you, Kate,” he said.
Needing to put a bit of distance between them so she could gather her wits and thoughts, and rid herself of toxic morning breath, she asked, “So what’s the plan for today?”