Birds of a Feather Read online

I just breathed her in and skimmed my nose down her throat, appreciating the sweetness of fae and rose and lemon. A hint of lemon and citrus had become part of her. “You’re a terrible minx, you know that?”

  Surprise gave way to a sly smile on her face. “Who? Me?”

  “Yes, you.” I punctuated the words by tweaking her nipple. It beaded tight beneath her shirt, and she arched toward my hand, pushing the full breast into my palm.

  As much as I wanted to have it in my mouth, I knew if I undressed her, I wouldn’t want to stop. I also knew if I wasn’t the responsible one, Sky wouldn’t deny me what I wanted, even if it wasn’t the right time to deepen our bond.

  There had to be a compromise, a way to meet in the middle and provide a little of what we both wanted, even if I’d be putting myself through hell to have it.

  “You trust me?”

  “Of course I do.”

  I hooked my fingers in the band of her galaxy-print leggings and yanked them down. They landed somewhere behind me, and I took a moment to simply admire the view. Months ago, the last time I saw her panties, the color had been pink. Tonight, she wore a silk, lace-trimmed thong. Teal was suddenly my new favorite color, the shade a gorgeous contrast against her tawny skin.

  Before better sense could sway me, I dipped down and placed a kiss right in the center of the silky triangle. Sky jolted in place, her hands fisting into the covers. Fuck that. I wanted them in my hair, and I was determined to get them there. I kissed her again, then tugged the thong aside and lapped against her bare skin with my tongue. Just a small, teasing taste.

  “Gabe, I thought you said we couldn’t…couldn’t…” Her words trailed into a low moan and her hips bucked.

  I delivered another decadent, slow lick before glancing up from between her thighs. “Let’s just say I subscribe to the Bill Clinton philosophy. Technically, oral isn’t sexual intercourse.”

  “But—”

  “Do you want me to stop?” I would if she asked.

  “No.”

  Thank God. “Want my tongue inside you? Wanna feel my lips around your clit?”

  “Yes.” The word shuddered out of her. “Please don’t stop.”

  Wish. Fucking. Granted.

  I treated that tender little bundle of nerves like it was a jewel to be worshipped, barely applying pressure at first, just teasing until she became a squirming, writhing mess on the bed, gasping and bucking with her hips. Every cry from her lips etched itself onto my heart. Her responsive body bowed up from the mattress more than once, and each time she seemed on the verge of release I pulled back and slowed down, keeping her on the edge.

  The taste of her drove me wild, turning my dick harder than an iron spike inside my shorts. Going no further became a true test of my endurance and willpower, because man, I’d love nothing better than to drive inside her.

  Her hands delved into my hair and pulled. “Gabe, please.”

  “Please what?”

  “I…I need to come. I need to.”

  “I’m not convinced.”

  “Gaaaaaabe!” she wailed.

  “Hm?” Playing dumb, I traced my tongue down her slit and avoided the precise place she wanted it, savoring the exquisite taste of her. I didn’t know if it was because Sky was a fae or what, but she was like licking candy, and I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of her.

  This girl? Wrecking me. Fucking wrecking me every day I had to resist the incredible draw between us because I wanted to respect the time she needed to decide if, at the fucking age of twenty, she wanted to commit to spending the rest of her life with a shifter destined to die before she even got her first gray hair.

  “Please!”

  Teasing her gave me the biggest power trip. I slid a finger between her folds, and her muscles greedily clenched around it. Adding a second dragged a long, pleading moan from her. When I kissed the swollen pearl above them, her hold on my hair tightened, tugging at my scalp.

  Aw, yes.

  Dragging this out shouldn’t have brought me so much damned delight, but it did. Teasing her was worth the misery and self-inflicted torture, because I loved every breathy moan, whimper, and cry for more.

  Her knees bent and her toes pressed against the bed. She writhed, lifting her hips, grinding against my mouth, panting like a wildcat in heat until I surrendered and gave her what she wanted—delivering a series of pulsing sucks that sent her careening over the edge into climax. She clamped around my fingers harder than I thought possible, and the promise of that one day surrounding my dick was all I needed. With my other hand, I stroked off quick and fast, spilling on the blanket and not caring.

  I had no doubt in my mind that the room next to us heard her squeal. Hell, I hoped they had. I hoped the whole damn floor heard us. Skylar didn’t hold a single sound back and I loved that about her. Loved knowing I’d brought her to a state of total, uncontrolled bliss.

  When the last tremor shuddered through her, and her limbs were lax against the bed, I kissed my way up to her throat. Warm color remained in her cheeks, and strands of her hair clung to her damp brows.

  “Feel better?”

  The only sound she managed to make was a quiet little grunt that boosted my ego tenfold. Once I cleaned up the mess with a damp towel from our bathroom, I stretched out beside Sky and dragged her into my arms. She mumbled something incoherent against my shoulder, but I didn’t bother to try to decipher her drowsy words. Instead, I took satisfaction in delivering an orgasm that put my girlfriend out like a light.

  I found a babysitter for Thursday afternoon when I went down to the front desk to ask around. When I mentioned wanting someone to watch her during the evenings, the clerk offered to keep her himself, promising to baby her as much as his own birds.

  After bonding with a fellow conure lover, I retrieved Ama from our room and left her with Devon at the hotel’s office.

  “Sunset bedtime?” he asked.

  “Yep. Thanks again for keeping her. I feel like an ass leaving her up there alone all afternoon.”

  “Say no more, dude. I got you. She’ll be in safe hands here.”

  We set her standing perch behind the counter with him, and Ama scooted onto it without complaint. She let me kiss her goodbye. When I walked away, she was chatting happily with her new friend.

  That night, we spent hours doing the grunt work that Thib and Aya were too experienced to bother with. While they visited Charlotte Aguillard’s lawyer, we interviewed the late baroness’s acquaintances and tried to build a picture of who would want her dead among her many relationships. Just in case the obvious answer wasn’t the two dudes right in front of us.

  We couldn’t land a conviction in the Sanguine Court without more than circumstantial evidence. They had to know that.

  Jacoby and Aguillard both supplied us with a list of names, and we called in staff from her estate, speaking to everyone, from the maid responsible for fluffing her casket pillows to the chef who prepared her meals seven days a week. None of them had a single unfavorable word to utter about their deceased employer or each other.

  In fact, everyone appeared to be in mourning, either wearing black or sitting before us puffy-eyed and solemn. Apparently some kind of vampiric Mother Teresa had been slain.

  A few hours into our shift, Uncle Hiroto called us all together in the homicide investigations office. The place looked like the stereotypical office from a network cop show, a bunch of chairs in front of a desk and a projector screen. One wall displayed a map of New Orleans and its surrounding areas.

  “There’s been a new development in the Aguillard case. Her lawyer was a dead end. Literally.” My uncle sat heavily on the desk at the front of the room and rubbed his face, actually resembling his eighty-two years.

  “Sentinels Thibodeaux and Sato found her deceased at her office less than ten minutes ago. Cases may not be related, but I’m going to err on the side of caution and go with my gut instinct. We have a conspiracy on our hands, and someone is cleaning house to tidy up loose ends.
”

  “Aw shit,” a werewolf muttered behind me. “What do we know so far?”

  “Thibodeaux says it looks like a professional job. Neat and clean, no mess.”

  A slender battlemage one row ahead of me dragged her finger down her mobile phone screen. “Had to be a professional hit. Natalia Wallace is one of our kind. Talented enchantress. Someone knew what they were doing to take her out.”

  The other battlemage present groaned. “Which means we’re looking for one of our kind, Jolene. Sato just sent a few photos of the crime scene to me. Natalia’s wards were obliterated.”

  Murmurs filled the room. Hiroto gave it a minute before he raised a hand for silence. “Sentinel Fujimoto and Junior Sentinel Corazzi have already started taking statements from the baroness’s staff. We’re going to take the list of names they’ve collected and start going through each one, looking for anyone who has the motive or the capability. I want footage pulled from every camera in a two-block radius around the law office. Wallace and Autry, I want you on that.”

  “Got it, boss.”

  “Landry, call in Slade and join Thib on scene. You two have the best noses in the department and I want you there with him before the trail goes cold.”

  “Sure thing, Chief.”

  He continued passing out assignments until the room emptied, everyone gone but him, Skylar, and me.

  “What do you need us to do?” I asked.

  “Finish up the final interviews, please. There’s a particularly nervous maid I’d like you to spend time with, Skylar. The poor thing looks like she’s afraid we’ll devour her, and between all of us, you’ll have the best luck with her.”

  “Of course. Where is she?”

  “Conference room three.”

  “I’m on it.” She cast me a quick smile before heading off on her task. If anyone could get a scared woman to open up, it was Skylar. She had a way with people, when she stopped trying to deny her faerie heritage.

  “As for you, Gabriel, come with me.”

  Uncle Hiroto led the way to his office. He poured tea for us both from the electric kettle he kept behind his desk and passed me a small cup. “I understand Skylar’s birthday is tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, about that.” Dread knotted in my chest. Of all my great-uncles, Hiroto was the coolest and the one least tied to tradition. What he thought meant a lot to me. Now that we had another murder on his hands, I hated the idea of taking off on him. “Would it be all right if we came in late? I booked reservations weeks ago for our dinner on the Creole Prince.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  My heart plummeted into my stomach like a lead weight, and I opened my mouth to argue, only to snap it shut again. Dammit, I was willingly offering my time to help during my summer vacation. A few hours seemed so small a thing to ask for.

  “You will take the entire night off.”

  The relieved breath whistled out of me. “Thank you, Uncle Hiroto.”

  He dipped his head. “I wouldn’t consider anything else. You and Skylar have been an invaluable asset to this field office since your arrival. I appreciate it greatly.” Hiroto paused a breath then tilted his head. “I also assume you mean to claim her soon, don’t you?”

  Did everyone see it?

  It was such a pivotal part of shifter culture, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. “Already claimed. Just waiting for her to accept it now.”

  “Ah. I thought so. I can see the possessiveness in you whenever she’s near.”

  Tension tightened between my shoulder blades. With the exception of Rodrigo and my siblings, everyone else thought I was heading toward a monumental fuck-up. “Are you going to tell me it’s a mistake, too?”

  “How would I know if such is a mistake or not? It’s never been done.” He shrugged and lifted one hand to his left breast. “What matters is what you feel here. Follow that and you will be fine.”

  “I’m not sure my folks will agree when they find out.”

  He snorted. “They won’t hear it from me. I don’t know about your mother, but your father is a wise man. I trust he will come to his senses.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Hiroto.”

  “Go on now. Once Skylar completes her work, you’re both welcome to take off. Enjoy the time away, and we’ll see you Sunday evening.”

  And since I didn’t need to be told twice, I scurried my ass out the door.

  9

  A Birthday Surprise

  The whole reason I drove Skylar to New Orleans was to have some quality alone time away from authority figures before subjecting our relationship to the scrutiny of my family in Texas. I’d wanted to spoil her, but NOLA’s big vampire problems threw a wrench in all my plans.

  We caught a movie Friday night, slept in late, and had brunch delivered to the room. I surprised her with mimosas, Bananas Foster pancakes, praline bacon, and scrambled eggs.

  “Happy birthday, Sky.”

  “This looks delicious. Thank you.”

  She looked amazing, hair tousled and eyes sleepy, but I kept that thought wisely to myself. Because my thoughts veered along the lines of letting breakfast get cold. Thankfully for both of us, she dug right into her meal.

  “This is how all birthdays should start,” Sky said when she’d swiped the last bit of caramel from her plate with her finger.

  I chuckled at her euphoric expression. “The day is yours up until dinner, so what would you like to do? The zoo? There are some swamp tours we might be able to get on last minute.”

  “I think I’m good staying out of the gator infested swamp, thanks.”

  The sheer disdain in her voice made me laugh. “What about petting a penguin at the aquarium?”

  “Tempting, until I think of all the kids I’d have to fight with for my turn.”

  “I thought all fae were supposed to love children?”

  “Hey, I love kids. Most of the time. But today I just want some quiet time with you. Besides, after that meal, you’d have to roll me through the attractions.” To emphasize her point, she fell back on the bed in a wide sprawl.

  “Come on, we can at least walk around. Enjoy some sunshine, soak up some joy from happy tourists.”

  “You make a valid point. Fine, gimme twenty minutes.”

  Unlike my ex, when Sky said twenty minutes, that’s exactly what she meant.

  “All right, where to?” I held open the door and gestured out to the sidewalk ahead of me.

  “There’s a Voodoo Museum.”

  I narrowed my eyes and slanted my gaze at her. “Do you remember what happened the last time we were at a museum together?”

  “Oh come on, you can’t blame those terracotta warriors on me,” she groaned. A pair of life-sized terracotta sculptures from the Qin Dynasty had animated and attacked her.

  “I dunno. Imagine all the creepy, shrunken-headed dolls we might come face to face with.”

  “You’re a big—”

  The trilling ring of her cellphone saved me from her mock fury. She stuck her tongue at me instead and accepted the call.

  “Hello? Yes, this is Skylar. Who’s—” Her frown twisted into a startled gape. “Cassidy? Slow down, girl, what happened?”

  “Cassidy from the café?” I asked.

  She nodded and activated the speakerphone so I could hear the conversation.

  “—goodness I got through,” Cassidy said in a rush. It sounded like she was whispering, and she was afraid. “No one answered at that number on the card you gave me.”

  “It’s okay. Tell me where you are and I can help you.”

  “I’m at home.” Her voice shook. “Someone followed me from work and they’re outside, I know it.”

  It didn’t matter that it was broad daylight. Danger lurked at any time of the day, and terror laced her voice. I leaned in, phone in hand, and pulled up a map. “Give us your address, we’ll be right over.”

  As she stuttered the address, I put input it into GPS and plotted our course. Too far to walk and we didn’t have time to
hail a cab. Seeming to read my thoughts, Skylar met my gaze then pointed skyward. We’d have to fly. She took my phone and held it in hand, summoning her wings while I shifted. Gasps and awed cries came from every direction as people stopped and stared. Before onlookers could swarm us and ask a thousand questions, we both took off.

  “Hold on Cassidy, we’ll be there soon.”

  “Please hurry, I hear them at the door. They’re—” Cassidy screamed and the line went dead. I swooped beside Sky to look at the map. Only a few more miles.

  “Call it in.”

  “Right.” Careful not to drop either phone, she tucked mine away into Neverspace and dialed the field office on hers. The moment someone answered, she relayed our destination and the situation.

  Cassidy lived across the river in a typical suburban neighborhood. First to arrive on-scene, we circled overhead first, but nothing looked out of place. Even so, an uneasy feeling wormed through my chest. I didn’t smell the blood until we landed, and by then it was too late to stop Sky. She hurried to the open door and drew her wand.

  “Cassidy? You home?”

  In addition to my gun, I kept silver knuckles in my pocket and always had a cross on hand. I drew the SIG, passed her the crucifix, and led the way inside.

  We found her in the kitchen.

  Cassidy’s body sprawled in a blood pool. Her throat gaped open, torn viciously and clumsily, but it didn’t look like she’d gone down without a fight. A butcher’s knife wasn’t far from her hand, and four other blades were scattered across the room. One was stuck in the wall, like she’d tried throwing it.

  Brave girl.

  Too bad bravery hadn’t saved her.

  “Careful, Sky, don’t touch anything. We don’t want to contaminate any evidence.”

  “Evidence? What evidence? There’s no one here.”

  I took her by the shoulders and held her gaze. “I know you’re upset, but we need to look at this objectively, without emotion getting in the way. She was bitten. Everything in this room is evidence right now.”

  Sky nodded and wiped her face. A moment passed, but then she was calm and reserved, though from the occasional tremble in her shoulders, I knew it was a mask. “There’s too much blood on the floor.”