“Holy fanatical fruitcakes, all of this points to this cult being unhinged,” Poppy exclaims, her wings fluttering wildly as she flits about the room.
All the while, Timbra has remained quiet as she flips from file to file. Without another word, the three of us get busy bouncing ideas off one another as search after search fails to pull up any additional information on the New Raven Order. I have no idea as to how long we’ve been at it when Poppy asks, “Could we be going at this the wrong way? Maybe, we should brainstorm different search words or try to figure out how to access the darknet. What do you think?”
About that time, I hear the back door open and bang shut. A commotion from the kitchen draws my attention from my useless search on the web. What’s surprising, is that I hear low chuckles and a semblance of camaraderie. I make my way back into the kitchen and watch from the shadows of the hall to see that the three turn to look at one another as Lachlan asks, “You guys want a beer? I see the fridge is fully stocked.” My eyebrows shoot right up as I hear low laughing and back-slapping. Then the TV is turned on and I hear distant commentating of a game. All three males are talking and for the first time, they are getting along.
Shaking my head, I turn back to the study and give the girls an intense look. “Mum and Da think that the original members of The New Raven Order defected from Faerie the day that our parents put an end to The Morrígna’s manipulations. This order could very well be over two hundred years old here in The Mortal Realm. So maybe searching -”
“You’re overthinking it.” I hear from the doorway. I watch as Daxell saunters into the room. Even with a split lip, a bruised jaw, and the semblance of a black eye, he’s sexy. My brother follows and then Sam, both of which look no better than Dax. The one unexpected twist is that the three look like BFF’s. What the hell happened after we came inside?
“I take it that the three of you have come to terms?”
Lachlan casually sits on the edge of the desk and says, “We worked it out and we’ve come to an understanding. Isn’t that right, Dax?”
Dax grimaces, but nods, “Yes, we did.”
Narrowing my eyes, I take Dax’s hand in my own and pull him with me. Over my shoulder, I say, “Give us a minute.” I pull Dax back into the kitchen where a recorded basketball game is playing on the 3D TV screen. “What type of understanding?” I demand as I open the refrigerator and grab a bottle of dwarf sparkling ale and uncork the carafe. The only understanding that I can think of is that Dax would agree to leave me alone and that has me pissed the hell off. Turning, I stumble backward because Dax is just that close into my personal space. His arms wrap around me steadying me and I place the bottle in my hand on the counter beside us. Suddenly nervous, I murmur, “What are you doing?”
His lips twitch, “I’m steadying you.” His voice is low and seductive as his hand comes up to tuck a wayward strand of hair back behind my twitchy elven ear. He leans down and whispers, “This is what you wanted, right? Me, getting to know you, and vice versa.”
Suddenly my mouth is dry, and I stutter, “Y… yes.” My hands land on his chest, and oh sweet baby Jesus he feels better than he looks. My knees feel week and I’m struggling to not land in a heaping tangle of limbs on the floor.
Dax grins an almost wicked smirk as he pulls me flush against his hard body, and murmurs, “Are you sure, LJ? Because my demon is playing for keeps and we haven’t even tasted you yet.” He pulls my earlobe into his mouth and sucks gently before his nose moves down below my ear to trace my neck to my collarbone, where he inhales deeply before placing a gentle kiss there. Those two simple actions have me all but melting in a puddle of goo at his feet. Dax pulls back, his eyes twinkling, and asks, “Well?”
“Uhm… What?”
He chuckles, and repeats his question, jogging my memory, “I asked if you were sure about this.”
I smile before biting down on my lower lip and stretching up on my tiptoes, I reach up and run my thumb over his split lip that already looks as though it's well on its way to being healed, and I kiss the corner of his mouth and say, “I am if you are, demon boy.”
I step back just as Lachlan walks into the kitchen, he shakes his head when he sees the two of us standing close together and says, “I guess I’m going to have to get used to this. Just remember what we discussed.” My brother pins Daxell with a serious look before saying, “Come on, we may have a lead.”
I grab my ale off of the granite countertop and look up to Dax and wink as I take his hand, “Come on, big guy. Let’s go
