Gravity (Mageri Series: Book 4) Read online

  “What was that about?” I asked, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

  Logan angrily drank a swig of beer and put his arm over the back of my chair. “That was a Sensor. He swirled his finger in her drink and spiked it.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I see it all the time,” he said, scanning the crowd. “People shouldn’t use their abilities to take advantage of others.”

  “How very noble of you, Mr. Cross.” Not being sarcastic either, but I didn’t have to explain myself because he could scent that kind of thing.

  A sexy song rolled through the club and Logan slid his eyes over to mine. A little tension built up before Christian moved in and took a seat.

  Novis suddenly announced, “Justus is here.”

  “Feck me,” Christian exclaimed in his Irish lilt, twisting around in his chair.

  Justus walked through the door and heads turned. What I immediately noticed was the bow tie. Not the large goofy-looking ones I’d seen on weathermen, but vintage. Only Justus could work a bow tie and make it the sexiest fashion statement imaginable.

  Christian snorted. “I haven’t seen him wear that tie in a hundred years or so. He thought he was the cat’s meow when he went prowling about town in that thing. Jaysus, that dolt really kept it all these years.”

  “So what if he wants to look good?” I said in his defense.

  “He only wears that when he means business. Down to business,” Christian said, twirling his finger at me in a small circle. “Lady business.”

  “I get it.”

  Everyone rose from the table except for Sunny and Knox. As I moved around my chair, a woman on the dance floor snagged my attention. Her arms waved in the air and the lights switched to azure blue. She was captivating, dancing with a man who moved like a lion closing in for the kill.

  “Oh. My. God.” I spoke to Sunny but never took my eyes off the dancing woman. “What have you done to Page?”

  Novis turned a curious eye and watched her sway to the music. He concealed a grin and said, “Gentlemen and lady, shall we? I’d like to have my dinner in private quarters. There’s too much noise and smoke for me to enjoy a good meal.”

  ***

  The walls in our private room were impenetrable, blocking out all the noise in the club. Almost all Breed clubs had private rooms that were soundproof from a Vampire’s ears. Christian tested it before we went in. It wasn’t uncommon to use the rooms for a private party or a meal, so few people gave a second thought when someone made a reservation. Asymmetrical chairs the color of the Atlantic Ocean curved around like a horseshoe. Trays of hors d’oeuvres covered the black table sitting low to the ground. If not for the sconces illuminating the black walls, the room would have been depressingly dark.

  We chose to sit at a round wooden table with leather-seated barstools. There weren’t enough stools for Christian to join us, so he paced about the room and gave us a rundown of his trip. Sunny and Knox remained outside as they were not part of these private matters.

  “So that’s all Grady told you?” I sighed with disappointment.

  Christian peeled off his leather gloves and stuffed them in his coat pockets before plopping down in a blue chair in the seating area. He had used his Vampire charm to extract information from the man who had taken my mother, years ago, to the fertility lab where I was made.

  “Not quite.” Christian ruffled his disheveled brown hair. His smile looked more like an invisible hook was tugging at the corner of his mouth. He still hadn’t grown fond of shaving and always sported a scruff that wanted to be a beard when it grew up. “Your Grady knew nothing of the experiments initially. He really did like your mum.”

  Novis sipped on a cup of coffee while Logan pulled his loose hair away from his shoulders and tied it with a band. Logan had gone as protection but wasn’t privy to the interrogation that Christian held with Grady.

  Christian went on. “The poor bastard had no clue his woman would be the first offered up in the experiments until they baited him. They promised the child would be his.”

  “His? A Mage can’t have children, can they?” I looked at Novis and he shook his head with absolute certainty.

  “They told him otherwise, and his curiosity and need to procreate got the better of him.” He shrugged indifferently. “I suppose dear ol’ mum was in for a shock.”

  “So he met my mom and it was love at first sight?”

  Christian scratched his short beard and threw his feet on the coffee table with a thud, his dirty black shoes disgustingly close to a cheese tray. “I think he’s been tampered. Em… scrubbed. Something’s missing I couldn’t get from him. I suppose it may have to do with how they met; perhaps it was arranged or he was given a list of women to find and they erased those memories. Maybe he kept your mom in hiding before he gave her up. He liked her, but he obviously didn’t love her. Grady was your spark daddy,” Christian said with a dark chuckle. “When you were conceived, it was known from the start you would be female. Grady said it had something to do with how they created the embryo—Breed magic and all that shite. That was to his disappointment, and he washed his hands of it.”

  “Because I was a girl?” I dropped my eyes to the table. “So I have an actual father, but…”

  “Not quite, lass. You’re not paying attention. Grady put his light in you, but he wasn’t positive if he was your sperm da. You have mixed DNA. Hell, Silver, you’re a fecking cocktail.” He snorted and swayed his feet left and right on the table.

  “Can we not laugh at my genetic flaws and my father disowning me because I’m a girl?”

  It shouldn’t have mattered, but it did.

  “You’re not a flaw,” Novis assured me. “Grady provided us the location of one of their labs. They kept in contact with him over the years because of his involvement. That’s why we suspect his mind has been tampered with and selectively erased. Perhaps they thought that Abigail, your mother, would one day try to contact him. They wanted to find you, study you. You were their first patient.”

  “Where’s the lab?” I tapped my boot on the rung of the chair.

  “Simon is there as we speak,” Novis said, gliding his finger along his bottom lip. “He’s doing what he does best. We might find out who’s coming and going from that location.”

  Justus always had an opinion and his silence bothered me. I nudged him with my shoulder. “What’s up?”

  He lifted his cobalt eyes to Novis and pushed his unopened beer to the center of the table. “She has a father… who is a Mage?”

  Their eyes met and shared an enigmatic moment.

  The light from a Mage was as unique as a fingerprint, and even if that’s the only thing I acquired from Grady, part of him lived within me and that’s what they saw.

  One thing that didn’t escape my attention throughout our conversation was that across the table, Logan’s face was painted with disappointment. I knew he wanted confirmation that I had Chitah blood in me. This would validate his claim as kindred spirit and more importantly, he could officially claim me in front of his elders. Chitah laws only granted us partial rights because I was a Mage, therefore we would never be protected by their laws since they did not legally recognize the pairing.

  “Logan?”

  He startled me when he abruptly stood up and pressed his fingertips against the wooden surface.

  “Your Mage father is despicable,” he said with restrained anger, his lips peeled back. “Only a worthless male abandons his young. Among Chitahs, it is the greatest privilege to have a female child. They are the givers of life and unite the family; it is an honor to bring a female child into the world.” He struck his chest with a closed fist.

  Logan’s words weighted down the conversation.

  Justus placed his hand across my back with a light pat before easing out of his chair. Either he was being supportive, or he actually approved of Logan coming to my defense.

  An unexpected emotion surfaced—guilt. I’d never be able to mother his chi
ldren if he stayed with me. In the end, he would want a family, and that was something I couldn’t give him. Nothing held more importance among his kind. I touched my brow and turned my head away.

  Logan inhaled a slow breath, reading all the emotions in the room. Immediately, he strode around the table and leaned in close, brushing my hair away from my ear. “I meant what I said, Little Raven. I would have you no other way,” he whispered.

  ***

  After the meeting, we rejoined Sunny and Knox in the dance room. Levi sat to the left of them, scarfing down a messy chilidog with cheese fries.

  “Love these,” he said with a mouthful of food. “You guys want me to order a round?”

  My stomach turned at the quantity of chili sliding off the dog as he shoved it into his mouth.

  “I’ll pass,” I said, taking the chair next to his. Novis sat beside Sunny, across the table from me, folding his arms. I couldn’t help but notice a melancholy expression on his face.

  Knox abruptly stood up and lifted Sunny’s hand, pulling her out of her seat. They made their way to the dance floor, exchanging flirtatious looks.

  “Now this I have to see,” I said, pivoting around in my chair. Simon would just have to get the recap of the night that the Red Door came down because Knox was breakdancing. I was sorry he was missing this.

  Knox slipped his strong arm around Sunny’s lower waist and stood still while she danced around him.

  Typical.

  “Did your ex leave?” Logan asked his brother.

  I turned around and reached for Sunny’s bottle of soda to keep an eye on it.

  Levi wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and licked his thumb. “Doubtful, but he never had all the right moves anyhow, so I won’t have to worry about him showing up back here,” he said with a private snort.

  “Who broke it off?” I tried to be sensitive, as I didn’t know how serious they were.

  He took another wide bite of his chilidog and scrunched his nose. “I can’t deal with Shifters who are wolves. They’re too damn territorial. Maybe I need to find me a cat, or a bear.” Levi wiped his hands on the napkin and smiled. “Dollars to donuts if I had me a bear, then I’d at least get the perk of a winter vacation while he’s hibernating.”

  We laughed and clinked our glasses together.

  “Excuse me,” a man said behind my left shoulder. “Would you care to dance?”

  Wow. Awkward with Logan right beside me. “Um, no thanks,” I declined, glancing up at him.

  But he wasn’t looking at me.

  “Hell yeah,” Levi nearly shouted, shoving his plate forward and standing up.

  I turned my blushing cheeks to Logan. “Well, that was embarrassing. I guess I don’t have the touch anymore.”

  He lifted my chin with the crook of his finger. “You shouldn’t rely on others to validate your worth as a woman. If it makes you feel any better, three males tried to approach you.”

  “Tried?”

  His lips eased into a grin as he stroked my bottom lip with his thumb. “I stared them down and they changed their minds. You are a desirable female, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to watch any man grind with you on that floor.”

  I lightly bit his finger and smiled. “Next time, let them ask me. A woman likes to feel a little fuss over her once in a while. I’m not interested in dancing with anyone tonight.”

  His brow arched. “Is that so, Little Raven?”

  Chapter 5

  Jack Daniels may have been a strong drink, but it only took one shot of Green Dragon for Page La Croix to loosen up. She rarely got out, so it felt great to let go of her inhibitions and dance. No stress, no work, no obligations. Just music.

  Few people really considered the life of a Relic, knowing that their purpose was only one of servitude. Yet the knowledge that thrived within her made it difficult to walk away from a life that she was born to live.

  Page should have never let Sunny talk her into the second shot. Being new to the club, Sunny had no clue just how legendary Green Dragon was.

  Slater had tried to call her five times, so she turned off her phone. He had always been a control freak, scheduling appointments for her and deciding how to divvy up their clientele. It was as if she had no mind of her own around him. Page knew some Relics had it worse, so she was apprehensive about requesting a new partner.

  The music vibrated through her body like a massage, and it didn’t matter that she was dancing with a complete stranger. In fact, that made it better. He didn’t know anything about her problems, and he didn’t care. He also had a phenomenal smile—although she was too busy having an out-of-body experience to dwell on it.

  “I’m a Shifter,” he said against her ear. “You?”

  “Relic,” she said proudly, throwing her hands in the air and turning around.

  Her black snow boots with thick tread on the bottom were great for winter, but not for dancing. Her feet were beginning to hurt.

  Snow boots or not, Page was having a blast. Except the man behind her enjoyed his position a little too much; she should have known better than to turn her back on a Shifter, and based on his reaction, he was probably a wolf. It was an open invitation to his kind, and his arm hooked around her waist.

  The crowd ahead of them began to part as someone made their way through. Flashes of colored lights sprayed across a sea of moving bodies until the only thing in her line of vision was that cantankerous Mage.

  De Gradi.

  That man rubbed her the wrong way with his arrogance and aristocratic lifestyle. Most of the older ones were like that, Remi being an exception—to a degree. He’s the one who asked a favor of her to treat Silver after the Chitah attack. Remi was a Gemini and because of his dangerous nature, he was forced to close off his emotions, but in no way did he have a superiority complex.

  Unlike De Gradi, who charged at her like a bull. Or maybe it seemed that way because she was drunker than a skunk.

  “Is everything all right?” he asked in a controlled voice, threatening the man behind her with his stare.

  Her eyes hooded and she smiled. “Peachy.” The Shifter’s hand tightened around her waist and Justus engaged in a staring match with him.

  “Is Silver here yet?” Page wondered aloud.

  “We have a table. Come with me,” he said, offering his arm.

  But Page wasn’t ready to sit down. How often did she get to go out on the town and wind up dancing with a handsome man? Almost never.

  “Let me finish out the song.”

  She shuddered when the man blew against her neck and tugged her short hair. If it’s one thing she didn’t like, it was a man getting overly familiar with her.

  “Dance is over,” she announced over her shoulder. “It was lovely.”

  “Not done,” he said, still moving.

  Justus caught the man’s wrist and twisted his arm away from her. “You’re done.”

  Page outstretched her arms. “No violence,” she slurred. “I can smell the testosterone brewing, gentlemen.”

  A couple of hiccups made her pause, but the sickly feeling subsided and she turned around to face her dance partner. He had a golden tan and midnight eyes, and was watching her in a ravenous manner that made her uncomfortable. Most Shifters sought out their own kind, but they were notoriously territorial when it came to another man encroaching on their prize, regardless of what Breed she was.

  Time for a new tactic. “I’d love for you to meet my two kids,” she blurted out.

  His eyes widened.

  Page smirked. “They’re five and two. They’d just adore you.”

  The Shifter took a few steps back and shook his head, walking away. Page knew how to get rid of persistent men through logic, not so much experience. Most Shifters didn’t like women who had borne another man’s child. They wanted to claim and conquer their women without any male competition. Children meant there was a father in the picture they wouldn’t be able to get rid of.

  Her feet were hot and she wi
ggled her toes and frowned. Page turned back around and saw a wide-eyed Justus staring down at her. Wide, beautiful eyes. They glimmered in contrast with his shaven, lightly stubbled head and hard features. His gaze was like finding a blue diamond in a war zone.

  “I don’t have kids, so don’t look so appalled,” she grumbled, waving a hand. Then she blew through her lips making a sound similar to a horse, followed by a snort and chuckle. What a joke. If he only knew.

  “I think you should sit down, Page. You’re… inebriated.”

  Page laughed so hard she bent over, clutching her side. A woman accidentally bumped into her and almost knocked her down before Justus caught Page by the arm.

  “I’m having fun,” she argued, standing up straight. “I’m also tired of men thinking they can boss me around, so you can clip that tone with me right now. If you want me to sit down, then you’ll have to dance with me until I get tired enough to feel like sitting,” she said in a soft and playful voice. “Otherwise, take a walk, Mr. De Gradi. I’m busy having fun. Nothing here to see. Move along.”

  A beautiful blonde in a slinky green dress floated between them to talk to Justus, so Page closed her eyes and began to dance. Slow movements this time, going with the groove of a popular song. Small strands of hair stuck to her face from the heat, and her red button-up blouse had come down three buttons so that she could cool off.

  It felt strangely hotter, and the heat melted against her in a way that relaxed every muscle in her body—like being in a sauna. Page opened her eyes and gasped.

  Justus was dancing with her.

  Bow tie and all, that man could move his body in such a divine way that the gods would have watched in awe. Masculine, but not showy like the other men with all the bumping and grinding. He swayed with such a hypnotic and subtle rhythm that she couldn’t look away.

  Page touched the lapels of his suit jacket, peeling them back until it fell to the floor. His arm slid around her lower back and he reeled her hips in until their bodies were close but not touching. As sexual as his moves were, he kept a small buffer of air between them.