Creatus

him anyway? Why are you drawn to him?”

She shrugged. Honestly, she didn’t know, and now that Derrick had made his decision to move on, her heart should feel free to pursue other men, but she didn’t feel as if their relationship was real. There was still a chance. If Kristina were out of the picture—

“Victoria…” Jonas’ voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She hated the name Victoria. It sounded weak. Derrick had only said it when he was mad at her or when he pleaded with her.

“Stop it, Victoria. Look at me,” Jonas demanded.

Vic huffed out a breath. “What?”

“Stop thinking about him. He’s on his honeymoon in Mount Washington.”

She whipped her head to him. “How do you know where they went?”

“My brother and I overheard them. They were going to get married in Manchester, and then he said there was a nice place he’d take her. Where else would they have gone?” He stopped, obviously taking in her hurt expression. “Oh, that’s right. You two used to ski there. I forgot.”

She bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. “You forgot nothing, you twerp. Besides, it wasn’t just the two of us. We all went there as a group.”

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. Jonas could be so maddening sometimes. “Yeah, but I seem to recall Derrick and you curled up on the chairs outside by the fire pit.”

Vic punched him in the shoulder. “Only because he was drunk. We only succumbed to our desires when he was drunk…” she trailed off, her heart wrenching. He hadn’t used her, she knew. They had used each other. They were the right choice for each other. He would have chosen her if it weren’t for Kristina.

Jonas grabbed her fist and clutched it between his hands. “And you call me a twerp. Come on, Victoria. Let’s get out of here. I don’t need a drink to want you. What are we waiting for anyway? The rogue isn’t going to strike. You heard Derrick; he’s after him.”

She sighed. “It’s not going to happen, Jonas.”

“Why the hell not? Who else you pining for? Michael?”

A burst flew out of her mouth. “What on earth would give you that idea? We’re just friends. We’d kill each other as a couple. We hate each other’s quirks more than I hate Derrick. And I hate Derrick a lot right now,” she emphasized.

Still holding onto her fist, he pulled her toward him. “Michael doesn’t hate you. Not even close. He’s wanted you since we were in high school. We’ve both wanted you since we were teenagers. But you can’t seem to imagine yourself with anyone but Derrick. If you could just see—”

Vic pulled her hand free. As much as she wanted to flee, she couldn’t make herself leave, but she didn’t feel comfortable with him holding her hand. She knew she had to forget Derrick. And she had always liked Jonas… but Michael? She’d never seen it. She’d actually always thought Ryan was interested in her.

Seeming to witness her emotions, Jonas moved closer.

No, she couldn’t. She shot her hand up in front of her, creating a barrier. “I’ll think about it, Jonas. I really will. But I’m not ready.”

He threw his head back, sighing dramatically. Always so melodramatic. Maybe that was what she liked about Derrick. He was a steady rock, rarely easy to upset. In fact, the only time she’d ever seen him upset was over Kristina. It was Derrick’s passion she admired—craved. Her soul longed for a man to want her like that. The other men were moody, irritable, childish.

Jonas, she rolled his name around in her head. He’d always been in the back of her mind. She’d always found him attractive. But somehow, she’d never pictured him as a husband, as him wanting anything other than a fling. Of course, that was common for creatus men. If they didn’t take things too seriously, they didn’t risk falling. Even though they all wanted to find the perfect partner, they were still men, and they still liked to play.

“I’m sorry,” she said, patting his hand platonically, letting him know she wasn’t against his touch entirely.

Jonas had been leaning back, his eyes shuttered, but he opened one eye and smiled. “It’s okay,” he said, turning his hand over so hers rested in his. His thumb made a small circle on the back of her hand, and Vic was surprised to feel a faint flutter inside her. Jonas exhaled a deep breath and stared into her soul. His eyes looked lighter than before, almost a deep dark hazel as he studied her. And though he had the silky raven hair, his and Ry’s had more curl than most creatus. He moved his hand up her arm and she didn’t move this time. “But I really thought we had something before I left. My brother said you mentioned me in the meeting, said you were going to come find me. Was that just to get Derrick riled up?”

She nodded. “I was going to call you, but yes, I was trying to rile him up.”

Without warning, Jonas hopped to his feet, huffing out a breath as he marched away. “See ya ’round, Victoria,” he drawled in that seductive southern tone that she’d always liked. Few creatus had accents, but Jonas’ family had lived in South Carolina before moving here. She remembered the first time she’d seen him when they were in middle school. A new boy, someone who hadn’t known her since she was a toddler. She’d been intrigued from the first time she’d cast her eyes on him, even though he’d paid her little notice. Typical of boys and girls that age, regardless of the species.

“Wait!” Vic jumped up and landed in front of him, blocking his exit to the stairwell. “Don’t leave.”

He shifted on his feet. “Why? It’s obvious that there’s nothing for me here, as I’d hoped.”

Vic leaned in, her eyes closing, hoping he wouldn’t embarrass her by leaving her hanging.

Immediately, Jonas wrapped his arms around her, tugging her to his chest. She’d always known he was strong, and for a second, she realized he was too strong. If she’d wanted to escape his embrace, it didn’t feel as if she could. His heart pounded loudly in his chest, a rare occurrence. Most creatus were experts at hiding their emotions. His mouth clamped over hers, demanding and powerful, taking what he wanted. At first, his forcefulness surprised her, and she wanted to retract, but then his lips softened, coaxing her to join in the kiss.

Seemingly without her consent, her body melted against his, accepting him, reveling in the feeling that a man wanted her, really desired her.

But then, Michael popped into her head. They’d been best friends since they were children. Even as she kissed Jonas, moving her hands through his silky hair, traveling over his muscular arms, she couldn’t get the image of Michael out of her mind.

Michael’s words from the other day that he wanted a strong woman rang through her head. Had he meant her? Had Michael wanted her?

Chapter Thirty

“Anything?” Derrick asked Michael over the phone.

“Nothing. Not even an attack on a human.” Michael was obviously tapping away on his iPhone as he used the earpiece because the annoying tap came through the phone like a bass drum. His brother knew he hated it, but he never put the phone down; he was an addict. “Of course, we patrolled the city well,” he continued. “I’m starting to wonder if maybe you’re correct. Maybe it is someone we know, and they are just looking to destroy you.”

“My bet’s on Jonas, Michael. You need to see what he’s been doing the last few years.”

“He just got back a couple of days ago; these have been going on for weeks,” Michael protested. “We’ve been best friends since he and his brother and mom moved here. Heck we spent more time in high school together than you or I, Derrick.”

Derrick inhaled a deep breath, not wanting to argue. “I know, Bro, but people change. And just because he hasn’t been hanging out at family gatherings doesn’t mean he hasn’t been in town. Ry could have just been looking for an opening to get him back inside family matters.”

“I’ll do some research. I already tracked down everyone who’s left in the last ten years, so I’ll work on that today.” Michael stopped talking for a second and then chuckled. “You know, you sound pretty chipper, considering all that’s going on. So, everything’s good? You two warm and cozy up there?”

“Actually, it’s freezing.”