Lost Paradise Read online

  That was sad but true. Devlin’s charisma was captivating, at least when he wasn’t being annoying, and he was breathtaking to behold.

  “There were some women that Danial had, that Devlin seduced,” Lash hissed, as an afterthought. “I was only around for the last one, before you. It was about seventy some years ago, or so.”

  “What happened?” I prodded.

  His flat eyes held mine, unblinking. “It’s not dinner conversation,” he hissed curtly. “And our food’s here, so let’s eat.”

  Deciding it wasn’t worth it to push, I dug in. My eel was delicious, and Lash seemed to enjoy his platter. As we ate, we stuck to safer topics, like Hayden’s gardens. “Can you show me around on Friday morning? The snow’s melted some.”

  “Sure,” he hissed. “Just meet me in the kitchen at eight, like usual. Dress in warm clothes.”

  That reminded me to ask him, “Do you have any mending? Any clothes that need seams fixed, or tears patched?”

  Lash choked on his water. He swallowed quickly, then had some more water. “Why? Are you going to mend them?” he hissed finally.

  “I’m teaching Serena to sew,” I said patiently. “Devlin asked me to teach her. I told her to ask her lovers if they have anything that’s ripped or torn, to get some clothes to practice on in real time and—”

  “And you’re asking yours?” he finished with a grin, his flat eyes meeting mine.

  That was it. With a scathing look for him, I got up, walked to the counter, and handed them my credit card. “We’re ready to leave, please.”

  As the hostess handing it back with the bill to sign, Lash sauntered up. I signed it, then handed it to her with a forced smile.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said stiffly, pushing the door open hard. “Please take me home.”

  * * * *

  We didn’t speak the whole trip back, or while carrying in our sushi to Hayden’s fridge. But when I went to leave the kitchen, Lash stood in front of me, blocking the exit.

  “I’m sorry if I said something I shouldn’t,” he said quietly. “I’m not always sure how to act around you; where to draw the line between teasing and offending. If I offend you, just say so and I’ll apologize.”

  Why wasn’t he being a jerk and telling me the bug up my ass was my problem? “It’s okay. Forget it.”

  “How long will the sushi last?” he asked. “A day?”

  “We should eat it by Thursday at the latest. It’s not good to let it go too long.”

  “Will you join me then in eating some tomorrow?” Lash hissed formally. “Around nine, before you start teaching Serena, or filing?”

  I froze. There was enough sushi to have for lunch with Theo, and still have enough left over to eat dinner with Lash later on. The problem wasn’t that; it was that something else was starting here. I’d heard a different note in Lash’s tone just now.

  He faced me, waiting silently.

  My surety crumbled; we’d always met for lunch the days I was at Hayden. I’d thought nothing of it, so why was dinner such a big deal then? Maybe I was seeing something where there was nothing. “Sure,” I said, giving him a smile. “Sounds good.”

  Lash gave me a nod, then stepped aside. “Goodnight.”

  I walked past him, grabbed the bag of new clothes, and went upstairs. Clipping off the tags, I put them in the drawer Devlin had cleared out for me and then hung the duster at the edge of his closet, shoving some of his clothes to one side to make it fit.

  I was tempted to get dressed in some of the clothes to show Devlin what I’d bought, but nixed the idea. He’d said he would be exhausted when he got home. Instead, I got in the Jacuzzi and relaxed, letting my mind drift.

  When I climbed into bed at eleven, Dev was still not home. Phantom, whom I’d not seen all day, jumped up on the bed and joined me, curling up at the bottom. At about midnight, Devlin came in, waking me.

  “You and Phantom look so sweet,” he murmured. “Let me shower, Love, and I’ll come right back,” he said warmly.

  I said something unintelligible in response, then rolled over and went back to sleep.

  When he came into bed, he woke me again. “Lash said you got dinner out,” he said softly, stroking my shoulders. “Did you eat enough?”

  “Plenty,” I whispered sleepily.

  “Are you feeling okay?” he said with concern. “Everything is as it should be?”

  “I’m fine,” I said, yawning loudly. “I’m all good.”

  “I love you, Sar,” he whispered. “I...”

  * * * *

  I woke up to find Devlin on my chest, dead to the world. A look at the clock confirmed it was late morning. Sigh. I’d have to get moving fast if I wanted to meet Theo for lunch.

  I looked down at Devlin, then brushed a lock of his hair back from his handsome face. We were curled together so comfortably that lunch and Theo were just going to have to wait. Settling back down, I promptly went back to sleep.

  The next thing I knew, Devlin was shaking me. “Sar, wake up,” he said loudly.

  “I’m awake,” I said sleepily.

  Devlin let me go. I turned away from him, pulled the covers around me, and closed my eyes again.

  Devlin turned me back toward him, then grasped my middle, pulling me up into a sitting position. “Danial hasn’t been loving you, has he?” he said softly. “You haven’t been with him at all except for last weekend with him and me.”

  “No,” I replied with a yawn, wondering why it mattered. “He and I didn’t before, when I was pregnant. He doesn’t want to endanger—”

  “Kiss me,” Devlin said, then brought his lips hard against mine. Hungrily, he opened his mouth, licking me with his tongue.

  My brain went from idle to sixty in a split second as my arms went around him, my mouth opening on his, the taste of sweet maple sugar intoxicating.

  Something had changed. Dev’s blood wasn’t just sweet to me; I couldn’t get enough of it. I kissed him harder, wanting more. Devlin groaned, then tried to pull away.

  “Please, Dev, give me more!” I said hungrily. He groaned for a second time, then kissed me harder, the sweet taste again flooding my tongue.

  God, it was so good! It was wonderful, better than sex, better than love, better that anything!

  “Stop, Sar. Stop!” Devlin said urgently. He pried me off, pushing me back. As I went limp in his hands, he laid me back on the bed.

  I lied there motionless, tired but fulfilled, as if we had just made love for hours and I’d finally gotten release. I stretched out full length, then sighed, letting all my muscles go limp. Devlin sat beside me watching me with affection and smoothing my hair away from my face. Blissful, I dropped back to sleep.

  * * * *

  I awoke, stretched, then looked over at the clock. God, why had I slept so long? It was nearly eight! Pushing back the covers, I got up, grabbing for my clothes. Lash was going to wonder what the hell had happened to me.

  “Feeling better?” Devlin queried softly from behind me.

  I turned and faced him, the clothes falling from my grasp to the floor as everything clicked into place. “Was I colder?”

  “Yes,” Devlin said, crossing the room to embrace me. “I thought maybe I was imagining it last night, that you were just tired. But when you wouldn’t wake up for me this morning, I knew you needed my blood.”

  I clung to him like a life raft. “I might not have woken up.”

  “No, Love, you were not bad off,” he soothed gently. “But do tell Danial he must share blood with you when you go to him, that he is to watch you carefully. If you seem sleepy or cooler, he has to give it to you immediately.”

  “I will.” I wasn’t likely to forget, with how close to dying I’d come last fall.

  “I’ll call him tonight, in between meetings, to tell him what happened. He may not know how—”

  “He does,” I assured. “Don’t worry.”

  “I always worry about you when you’re apart
from me,” Dev said softly, cuddling me against him. “I understand now why Danial always called you every night, and why he calls here if you forget to check in.”

  “I love you,” I said suddenly. “I fell asleep before you finished saying it last night.”

  “I know,” Devlin said, laughing. “I was miffed you missed my heart’s outpouring. I’ll have to speak it again in the morning.” He gave me a kiss, and got up, beginning to dress.

  When I got to the kitchen with Devlin in tow, Lash was already there, waiting for me. “Theo called,” he said. “I told him you’d call him back when you woke up.”

  I nodded my thanks as Titus walked into the kitchen. “Ready?” Titus rumbled, his red eyes on Devlin. Devlin gave me a final kiss, and then disappeared with Titus.

  “Are you hungry for dinner?” Lash said hesitantly.

  Hell yes; it was quarter to nine. “Let me call Theo and Danial first,” I responded. “Devlin needed to give me blood and I need to remind Danial to do the same on Saturday.”

  “Take your time,” Lash said, nodding. “I’ll wait here in the kitchen.”

  I took that to mean I should use the upstairs phone. Trooping back upstairs, I called Theo. “Have you found out anything?”

  “Nothing yet,” Theo said angrily. “But it has to be Tasha’s father. His name is Karl. I’ve got the names of the men he hired, but not their base of operations.” He paused. “I’ve got no news on Robert.”

  “Is everything else okay?”

  “The dogs are fine, and Janice and Ivan are enjoying our best wine,” Theo said, a smile in his voice. “Other than that, nothing’s new.”

  “Want me to come and meet you for lunch tomorrow?” I asked hesitantly.

  “I was hoping you would come to see me today,” Theo said softly. “Danial is missing you, too.”

  “I would have come today,” I replied quickly. “But I was getting sick again—”

  “What happened?” Theo asked loudly. “Are you okay? What—?”

  “I needed more of the virus,” I said quickly. “Dev gave me some of his blood.”

  Theo didn’t make a sound.

  “I’m okay now. But Danial needs to do the same for me on Saturday night.”

  “I’ll put him on, after we’re done. He’s hovering right here, anyway.”

  “I am not hovering,” Danial said with irritation. “I heard you say she was sick from the other room, so I came to see what was the matter—”

  “Just take the phone,” Theo said, laughing. “You’re going to hover until you do—”

  “Ass,” Danial muttered, then took the phone. “Hi, Sar. Are you sure you’re fine?”

  Faintly, I heard Theo call out, “I love you, Sar.”

  “Tell him I love him,” I said to Danial.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me you love me, too?” Danial said teasingly.

  “Yes, but at the end of the conversation, like usual,” I said, half annoyed and half amused.

  “Why not now and again later?” Danial teased.

  “I love you,” I said. “Now tell him.”

  Danial passed on the message, then said, “I’ll give you some when I see you Saturday. Dev called me a few minutes ago to tell me what happened and what to do.”

  “Good,” I said. My stomach growled loudly. “Have a good night, Danial.”

  “Why are you hurrying off?” Danial asked sharply. “Devlin is gone.”

  “I’m hungry,” I retorted grumpily. “I haven’t eaten in twenty four hours. Lash is waiting for me downstairs, maybe eating my sushi right this minute.”

  “Go rescue your sushi then,” Danial said, mollified. “But first tell me you love me again.”

  “I love you again,” I said, then burst out laughing.

  “I love you again, too,” he said, then hung up chuckling.

  Content and satisfied, I put the phone back in its cradle. Things weren’t so bad. Maybe I was finally finding a balance in my weird life.

  I went downstairs to find Lash right where I’d left him. “Shall we eat here, or in the dining room?” I asked.

  “Want to watch a movie with me while we eat?” Lash hissed tentatively, his flat eyes staring intently.

  For the second time, I felt a sense of danger, that there was a deeper meaning here that was going to lead to trouble. Again, I brushed it aside, telling myself that this was no big deal. “Sure. But I should check to make sure Serena didn’t expect me.”

  “I’m sleeping days now, since I have to watch you nights,” Lash interrupted with a grin. “That means the bears had to guard Dev and you all day en masse, which means Serena is going to be up all night. She’s not going to have any time or energy for baking or anything else.”

  I blinked at him, getting his meaning. “Ah. When will Devlin be home?”

  “Not till at least one,” Lash said angrily. “Maybe later.”

  “Why are you so angry?” I said bluntly. “Don’t lie and tell me you’re not.”

  “Because he bitches that you aren’t here so much most of the time. Now that you are, he’s not here taking advantage of it.”

  “He’s working. I don’t mind, Lash. He told me he was going to be busy this week—”

  Lash looked at me as if he was going to tell me something, then hissed sarcastically, “Then you’re a saint.”

  “Why don’t we eat, put in a few hours downstairs, and then watch something?” I offered. “I’m not going to want to work after I get comfortable.”

  Lash nodded. “Sure.”

  The sushi was just as good that night as it had been the previous evening. Lash ate twice as much as I did, but that was to be expected. Weres had big appetites, if Theo was typical. After putting our dishes in the dishwasher, we headed downstairs.

  * * * *

  After a few hours of work, I looked around and congratulated myself. The room was looking much bigger. Half the boxes had been put into the filing cabinets. Devlin’s file of personal paperwork was stuffed, so I’d started another under it, but Titus had taken care of the paper trash. Everything was shaping up nicely. It was time for a reward.

  “Ready to go up?”

  Lash looked up from his usual slouched position in the chair, then closed the Bible he was reading. “Yes, unless you want me to read to you.”

  “What are you on?”

  He shot me a grin. “Song of Solomon.”

  If he quoted me some of that, he’d raise The Lust for sure. “Movie, please.”

  He walked upstairs with me. “Do you like art movies?” he asked.

  I looked at him curiously. “Like foreign films?”

  “Sorry. I meant movies made from graphic novels.” He paused, as if ill at ease. “I’ve always liked Sin City.”

  I looked at him in shock, and then hugged him. He embraced me, then gently pushed me back. “What was that for?” he hissed.

  It was obvious what he was hoping it was for, but I was too thrilled to care. “Because it’s one of my favorite movies,” I said excitedly, a genuine smile on my face. “Theo likes it now, but he had no idea who Frank Miller was before the movie came out.”

  Lash was incredulous. “How could he not know Miller in the business we’re both in?”

  “Forget that,” I said eagerly. “Have you read A Dame to Kill For?”

  “Of course,” Lash hissed eagerly. “And To Hell and Back, as well as the compilations and the other stories.”

  Here was a kindred soul, albeit in an odd package. “So have I.”

  “I have the unedited version on DVD,” Lash offered, brandishing it. “Yes or no?”

  “Put it on now,” I ordered, flopping on the couch.

  The next two hours of movie was bliss. But the two hours following were even better. I talked to Lash about how the comics had been brought to life. We compared notes on the parts of the stories that were missing from the film, like Hartigan’s talk with Eileen, or Marv’s trip home to his mom’s house where he gets his gun, Gladys, and then
on Miller’s other works in the series that hadn’t been in the film.

  “He did an excellent job though,” I said finally with admiration. “You can only include so much of a long book in a movie.”

  “Not always true. What about 300?” Lash hissed

  I nodded. “You’re right. They added onto that tale when they made the movie. And yes, I read the comics, when they first came out,” I added proudly.

  “We can watch that tomorrow, if you want,” Lash offered.

  “Sure,” I said happily. “What are your thoughts on South Park?”

  “What is South Park?” Lash hissed in confusion.

  “Stay right there,” I instructed, then teleported. The living room at my home was quiet and empty as I walked quickly to my TV. Grabbing the DVD of classic episodes, I teleported back to Lash. “This is South Park,” I said, handing it to him.

  He examined it. “It’s a comedy?” he said disdainfully. “I don’t like comedies.”

  “You’ll like this one,” I assured. “Put it on and see. If you don’t like it, I’ll pay for another sushi outing.”

  Lash handed it back to me. “Tomorrow I’ll watch some with you, and reserve judgment till then,” he said, a faint smile on his lips. “The night’s almost over.”

  He was right. Where had the time gone? “Okay,” I replied, “Tomorrow.”

  “Goodnight,” Lash said, then walked out.

  I went upstairs, and took a quick shower. When Devlin came home, I was waiting for him in bed, asleep.

  * * * *

  I was emerging from the shower around eleven the next morning when I ran into Devlin. “When will you be back from lunch?” he asked crankily.

  Either Theo had called asking where I was, or Lash had listened in last night. “I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour, two tops.”

  “I’ll be waiting here for you,” he said, yawning. “No rush.”

  Then why make a big deal when I’d be back? “I’ll see you then—”

  “Wait,” Devlin commanded, his eyes narrowing suddenly. “Why is your choker off?”

  “Damn it,” I said, going to my side of the bed and rummaging under the sheets. Grasping the cool metal, I held it out to him. “It fell off twice yesterday when we were shopping. I wanted to have you take it to whomever you got it from. Something must be defective.”