Grave Omen (Raina Kirkland Book 3) Read online

  It wasn’t until the sun was rising at eight in the morning that I finally crawled into bed. Fresh out of the shower, my hair was still wet and my eyes burned for sleep. I snuggled my face against the pillows, thankful that Damon had put up light blocking drapes to cover the floor to ceiling windows. Speaking of Damon, he should have been home a while ago… I thought I was beyond exhausted when I came to bed, but instead I found myself lying on my back and thinking about him and how angry he would be with me for taking Katie on a job. I stared at the ceiling for a long time. I don’t know when, but at some point I fell asleep.

  (Dream…)

  I was on my side, feeling lethargic. My skin felt warm and sensitive. I wanted to be touched. Slowly I reached my hand in my shirt and caressed my breasts. So soft. My nipples were already hard. I stroked my other hand down my stomach and tucked my fingers under my waistband and slid them over soft hairs and into velvet skin. I rolled over onto my back and with my other hand I lifted my shirt and bared my breasts, large and round. Lips soon found their way around my nipples, followed by a gentle tongue and then hands. I wasn’t shocked by it. It was Damon and this sort of thing happened often. I would wake up just as he was crawling into bed and I usually woke up feeling randy.

  “Good morning,” I whispered. He didn’t respond. He simply moved his lips to my other breast as one of his strong hands joined my hand under the waistband of my pajamas to massage my most sensitive area. The sensation of it brought a moan from my lips and my hips gyrated against his touch. “Damon,” I said. He moved up from my breasts and kissed me fiercely. I kissed him back with equal hunger as my hands abandoned my own body for his. They explored every familiar curve and dip. I cupped his bulge and found it long and very solid. He grunted sensually at my touch and I smiled and massaged his hardness.

  He spread my legs and pressed himself again me, our mouths still serenading each other. The feel of him between my legs, of his manhood hard against me was enough to make me rake my nails down his back, not hard enough to hurt, not yet.

  He sat up and looked down at me. I arched my back to pull my shirt completely off and I heard him exhale sharply. He was only wearing his pajama bottoms; his chest was bare and smooth. I craved the feel of it against mine. I sat up and kissed him, pressing my breasts against his warm chest, my arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled my bottoms down and began massaging me again, and again my hips responded to his deep rhythmic touch. With one hand he caressed me and with the other he held my hair in his hands, tight to the scalp for better control.

  When cold hands gripped my hips from behind, I jumped with shock. I broke from the kiss and looked behind me to find Mato naked and smiling. His skin was luminescent in the darkness. I began to question if this was really happening. It had to be a dream.

  “Mato?” I questioned with my eyes wide, taking in his seductive glowing eyes, his long black hair cascading over his chest and shoulders. Damon brought my attention back to him with a sharp pull of my hair. He forced me to look at him and he kissed me passionately, eating at my lips. I felt Mato move closer, pressing the length of his body against my back. He was cold and my whole body tensed.

  With Damon’s lips on mine, Mato pushed aside my hair and nuzzled into my neck, taking in my scent. Damon pulled away from our kiss just as Mato’s teeth sank into my neck. The pain of it made me gasp, and I grabbed for Damon, but he was gone. Mato pulled me down with his teeth in my neck. Gently he laid me down, feeding all the while. I could have fought him, I could have stopped what he was doing, but I didn’t want to. This was just a dream and I missed his feel, his taste, his scent. I even missed the pain of his teeth in my flesh.

  I felt movement on the bed and then Damon’s soft smooth skin was gliding between my legs. I looked down the line of my curvy body and though I couldn’t see him in the dark, I could feel his fingers caressing me, entering me slowly; one finger, then two. I held my breast and moaned with the intoxicating mix of pleasure and pain. Mato released my neck and licked the wound with his soft warm tongue. I could feel his body growing warm beside me, warm with my blood. I turned my head and kissed him. I drank what blood still remained on his tongue and it tasted like the sweetest thing. I couldn’t get enough. I explored his mouth. My hands were deep in his dark hair, holding his lips to mine.

  Damon licked me, a long lingering stroke with his tongue that made me wither. He wrapped his arms around my thighs and licked me again, forcing me to release a moan into Mato’s kiss. He nibbled, sucked and flicked his tongue until I broke from the kiss and screamed with pleasure.

  “Damon,” said Mato, and even his voice made me moan with pleasure.

  Damon moved from between my legs and came to kneel beside my head. He was hard and I wanted that hardness inside me. I wanted to feel his smooth inhuman skin. I wanted to return to him the pleasure he gave to me. Releasing Mato’s hair I turned to Damon and I wrapped my fingers around the length of him, so soft and warm. I looked up at his face, but saw nothing but his parted mouth as I took him into mine, slowly gliding him over my tongue. At first I simply enjoyed the feel of him in my mouth; I simply played around the curves. But, when Damon made a low guttural sound I was compelled to take more of him inside me. I rolled over and propped myself up on my hands and knees and took in as much as I could, twisting and sucking and being very careful of the delicate tissue, so sensitive yet so hard.

  Mato’s finger found me wet as he approached me from behind. He put one hand on my hip while the other was stroking me gently. He slid his finger in and out of me, but I wanted something larger, longer and more satisfying. I whimpered around Damon’s girth, arching my back inward, begging with my body for his hardness. Mato took his finger out of me. He ran his hands down my nakedness, caressing my curves and landing his hands on my hips. He didn’t enter me. Instead he slid the length of him against my velvet skin, stoking me, making me arch my back further. I was pleading, begging for him to enter me, but he left me wanting.

  I took out my frustrations on Damon, sucking him, stroking him with my tongue faster. I took more of him in and he grabbed my hair in a tight hold and moved his hips against my mouth. Grunting, his pace quickened. It was becoming harder not to gag, but I knew he would soon release himself. His rhythm became forceful but irregular and then his release came, so warm. He let go of my hair and sat back, fully satisfied.

  It was in that moment that Mato chose to enter me. I was beyond ready, but he still grunted as he fought to fill me. I moaned and gyrated against him. It was what my body had been craving and now that I finally had it I wanted it fast and hard and on my terms. His movements were slow and sensual, but I had something else in mind. I sat up on my knees, forcing him out of me and I turned around. Damon was still warm at my back as I embraced Mato. I kissed him as I guided him onto his back, straddling him in the process. I lowered myself onto him, enjoying the feel of his length entering me more deeply than before. I sat up and rode him slowly at first, staring down at his beautiful face, but soon my pace quickened. My breasts danced with the vigor of my efforts. I fought for every deep penetration as my legs shook. I could feel Damon watching us, smiling. I was close, so close to my release but I was shaking too much to bring it.

  “Kiss me,” Mato said.

  I bent down and took in the taste of his kiss. He grabbed my arms and rolled us, forcing me onto my back with him still inside me, but I was shaking, still shaking, and then I was only shaking and he was gone…

  I opened my eyes, not remembering having closed them. The sun, dulled by overcast, was coming through the window and Damon was standing over me and shaking my shoulders.

  “Raina, wake up. Your mother is on the phone.” I glared up at his darkness with narrow eyes and a deep frown. I was normally a morning person, but that was such a dream! It was amazing but I hated myself for it. “I know you’re tired, honey, but she’s called twice. She wants to speak to you.”

  I rolled over, giving him my back because I was still reeling from the feel o
f Mato inside me. We only made love once years ago, but my body still remembered him, it still craved him. Damn it. I felt nauseous and for a moment, I thought I was going to be sick.

  “I need to wake up,” I said in a hushed voice. I cleared my throat. “Tell her I’ll call her back.” I heard him relay the message, and then he snuggled in against me, spooning my back. “She asked that you call her as soon as possible.”

  I nodded. “What time is it?” I asked with my head turned. He smiled and kissed me. It was a gentle kiss.

  “It’s almost one in the afternoon,” he said softly. I felt guilty for my dream, even as it began to fade from my memory, leaving me with only snippets here and there, and a cringing sense of shame. As Damon pulled me into his embrace, my guilt only deepened. But it was just a dream, I kept telling myself…sure, just a damn dream.

  MOM’S REQUESTS

  I WAS FRESHLY showered and dressed when I met Katie and Damon in the kitchen. Katie was having a very late breakfast. She was unusually quiet as she poured her cereal. When she finally looked up at me, her eyes were puffy and red from crying herself to sleep. I told Damon about last night’s crime scene before I jumped in the shower. I would have told him sooner, but we were cuddling and I didn’t want to ruin it. Looking at him now, I could tell he was angry with me for taking her along last night. I was angry at myself. I gave him a nod and downcast eyes. He was right. She wasn’t cut out for my line of work. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I was. I was angry and depressed most of the time; always on edge, always tired and waking up with cramps, nightmares, massive heartburn; not to mention the weight gain. I didn’t like what I did. I didn’t enjoy my job—hunting and killing. This wasn’t me. I didn’t accept most of the marks that came my way. If I had it my way, I wouldn’t accept any of them, not even one. But I did have one weakness, children. I was fully incapable of ignoring any case involving young ones, and I paid the physical and emotional toll for it.

  I left Damon and Katie to their awkwardly silent breakfast to call my mother from the privacy of the library. The library was a long room just off the foyer, with floor to ceiling shelves full of books and strange artifacts. I had two black chairs in front of my desk and a lovely red love seat just in front of the tall windows. It was my favorite place to sit and just escape into a good book. With a defeated huff, I took a seat at my computer and dialed Mom’s home phone.

  It rang only once and the first thing out of her mouth was “Are you free today?” It caught me off guard; no ‘hello,’ or ‘hey,’ or anything.

  “I—don’t know, yes,” I said, trying to catch up and think ahead at the same time.

  “Great, is there a way you can pick up one of your cousins from the airport? He’s been waiting there for over an hour now.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Everett Guthrie, curse that boy,” she said. “The shuttle service I hired to take the family from the airport to the hotel refused to let him in any of their vans.” Her words were sharp with anger, but her irritation was probably directed more at my third cousin, Everett, than at the shuttle service. He was the black sheep of his family. I’ll just say this; Everett was a very proud wizard who dressed as loudly as he spoke. He wasn’t into black magic or even grey magic. He was actually one of the sweetest men I’d ever met, always putting the needs of others before his own. He was the type of guy I could see myself being best friends with. But sadly, he lived three-thousand miles away most of the time and I was never very good at long distance relationships.

  “Can’t he take a taxi?” I asked.

  “No, we tried that. The driver took one look at him and drove away. You know, I can’t blame them; it’s as if he’s asking people to mistake him for a warlock. I honestly don’t know how he got on the plane at all.”

  I ignored her comments about Everett’s sense of style. She was both right and wrong. On the one hand, people should be free to dress as they like. On the other hand, people will always judge you by your looks because experience has taught them what a safe person looks like, and what a dangerous person looks like.

  “So, taxi’s and shuttles are out, what’s in?”

  “That’s why I’m calling you,” she said. “Fauna has to come with me to get everything ready at the hotel, and Tristan is at work. I could call Ruy, but—”

  “Oh, fine,” I interrupted her. “I’ll go.”

  “Great! He should be waiting in the main terminal at SeaTac.”

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll send Katie or Damon to pick up Thomas.”

  “Perfect!” she said, and her voice was all sorts of happy. I rolled my eyes. I hated SeaTac airport. It was a madhouse of confusion for me. They were always doing construction on some part of the terminal. I didn’t understand why they felt the need to move things around all the time.

  “Also, I talked to Ruy about the wedding last night. He says that you can attend on one condition.”

  Oh goody, I had to do something I didn’t like in order to attend a wedding I didn’t want to go to. Goddess damn him for caving. After that amazing dream I had this morning, I really didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to see Mato again if I could help it. I was still attracted to him, obviously. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I knew what I truly wanted, what my libido desired more than anything was to have both of them at once. But, not only was that never going to happen, it made me feel so much like a hypocrite. I dumped Mato for wanting other women in addition to me, and now I couldn’t stop thinking about having two men; about feeling both of their bodies pressed against mine. The idea of having both of them in the same room was a scary one and an awkward one.

  “Raina?” Mom said, bringing me back to the conversation. Had my mind wandered off at the thought of Mato and Damon? …Yup. Totally.

  “Yeah?” I said, blushing like mad. I was glad she couldn’t see it.

  She paused for a moment. “The terms are that you stop training Katie as a bounty hunter. He and I both firmly disagree with it. She’s too fragile and far too young. I know she’s adamant, but darling, she doesn’t really know what she wants. Have her go to school for a time and explore the world before she dooms herself to such a hard life style.”

  I nodded thoughtfully with my eyes on my desk. “Last night I would have argued with you. I did, actually. But after seeing her reaction to what we saw last night, I don’t think I can continue training her in good conscience. Hell, I don’t think she’s going to want to continue either.”

  “Well, now that that bit of nastiness is over with, I guess I’m waiting for Damon or Katie to come and get Thomas and then I’ll see you at the hotel when you drop off Everett.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Please tell them to hurry. I need to get to the hotel as soon as possible.”

  “I will.”

  “Thank you, Raina. I really am happy you’ll be there, at my wedding,” she said before she hung up.

  EVERETT

  THE CLOUDS WERE dark and low in the sky, heavy with the rain that was pouring down on us. We drove amidst all the taxis and shuttle vans that were dropping off people at the curb near the entrance to SeaTac’s main terminal. People who were picking people up were not allowed to park there. The only reason I was driving through there was because I missed the entrance to the parking structure for the second time. No one would let me merge into the lane I needed to get in. Just as I suspected, the entire airport was a madhouse of hurried people, impolite and uncaring as usual.

  Damon opted to pick up Thomas alone. He said something about wanting more father and son time. Katie didn’t want to be home alone, so she came with me but she was still being quiet. She plugged her ears with music and sat quietly beside me the entire way, only taking the headphones out when I began cursing at the airport traffic.

  “Would it really cost them so much time just to let me in so that we can fucking park!?” I ranted as we came around the loopy roads for the third time. “Goddess!” I shouted as I tried to move over, but the car in the left lane sped
up. If I kept merging I’d be sideswiped. What the hell was his issue? “Fuck this!” I slammed my foot on the gas pedal and pulled the steering wheel hard to the left. If the guy really wanted to get in an accident over letting me over, fine by me. Forced to slam on his brakes, he honked his horn and flashed his headlights at me. I didn’t give a shit. I was finally in the parking lane but I had to pull my steering wheel hard right to straighten out and ended up fish tailing it a bit. It was a maneuver I wouldn’t have done with Thomas in the car.

  I smiled bitterly and looked at Katie. Her eyes were wide and she was holding onto the bar over the door, fittingly nicknamed the Oh-shit-handle.

  “Sorry,” I said through my smile.

  “It’s okay.” She seemed so sad.

  I slowed as we approached the parking structure and drove through the gate. Driving up and up a spirally concrete road gave me a feeling of nausea, both for the circular movement and our climbing height. It was no secret that I feared heights; even just a few stories up I felt a deep seated dread fill me. It made me sweaty and nervous. I parked the car as close as I could get to the sky bridge that would let us walk over all the taxis and shuttles at the curb and enter the fourth floor of the main terminal.

  “Did you want to wait here?” I asked Katie as I grabbed up my purse.

  “No-no, I’ll come with you,” she stammered.

  Inside the terminal I closed my eyes tight as we rode the escalator to the fifth floor, where all the shops were located.

  “Is he waiting for us at a particular place, a gift shop or restaurant?” I heard Katie ask.

  “No,” I said. I stepped off the escalator with my eyes glued to the floor and took a few steps away from it before looking up. The décor of SeaTac was very Washington State. There was beautiful local metal art work and a huge mural of Mount Rainier. There were totem poles and carvings of fish on the walls. As we walked the crescent shaped building we found a tall water fountain in the middle and the heavenly scent of coffee throughout.