Page 4 of Ivory's Familiars

And there was nothing depressing about it.

CHAPTER THREE

Three hours later, Ivory had successfully shut up shop with no further incidents. She’d had to consciously force her thoughts away from the three mystery men a number of times throughout the night. And although she was a little embarrassed by how infatuated she was with them, it had also been a welcome distraction, taking her mind off her troubles. But as she neared the top of her stairs, her evening of reprieve was shattered. There, on her doorstep, was a small harmless looking package wrapped in brown paper. She approached it with trepidation, now uneasy about entering her own home – her sanctuary – the one place she had fought for single-mindedly for years. It was something she resented immensely and it pissed her off enough to have her stomping up the remaining two steps, and snatching up the parcel.

Almost every night for the last week, there had been a ‘gift’ waiting for her on her doorstep or in the mail. The surprises had been coming for a while now but lately they had been getting more frequent … and more disturbing. It had all started a few months ago – small things which seemed harmless at first. A bunch of flowers here, a box of chocolates there. At first, she had been quite taken by the gifts and her secret admirer. What girl didn’t like a bit of intrigue and romance? But after a few weeks, when the gifts kept coming with no name or return address, she had begun to feel a little uneasy. A secret admirer was one thing, but some anonymous creeper was another.

When a dozen white roses had shown up at the bar with no note for the third time, she had decided to bin the lot. Two days after she had thrown out the blooms, she had woken up to a small, neatly wrapped package on her doorstep. Feeling more curious than anything else, she had immediately removed the brown paper and opened the box – only to fling it halfway across the room. The box had been filled with decaying white rose petals and a note that read; ‘Bad Ivory’. To say it had freaked her out was an understatement. She had no doubt that her secret admirer had discovered she had disposed of his generous present, and that he wasn’t happy about it.

Libby had been outraged on her behalf when Ivory had explained the ongoing situation. But she had also been worried and had demanded she go to the police immediately. But Ivory had been reluctant to go to the police – a fact she couldn’t explain to Libby or anyone else. Her current name, bank accounts, tax file number, and identification photos were only five years old. Although they were well done, she couldn’t take the risk of them being found to be fraudulent. She loved it here – the bar was her dream and the three bedroom apartment above it had taken her months of renovations to make it perfect. It was her home.

So she had laughed it off, keeping the numerous other strange happenings to herself until about two weeks ago, when she had found a dead rabbit with a red bow tied around its neck in her letterbox. Dead flowers were one thing, but dead animals were another nightmare entirely. She had confessed to Libby that her admirer had never really gone away. After much swearing, ranting, and tears, Libby had suggested a bodyguard because it was clear Ivory had no intention of going to the police. Again, she had hesitated – she didn’t want anyone in her space. What if they discovered her secret? She wasn’t exactly running from anything, but she was most definitely hiding. Some might consider it cowardice to hide – she didn’t. She considered it smart. So in the interest of being smart once again, she had finally caved and called the bodyguard business Libby had researched and recommended. He was coming tomorrow.

Looking down at the brown package she held, she decided to leave it unopened until then. Let her bodyguard deal with it. That’s what she was paying him for after all. A quick check determined her front door remained secure – the match stick she placed in the doorjamb was still solidly in place. As far as security systems went, she knew it was a pretty shitty one. She had installed a state of the art electronic one inside, but she still liked to see the physical proof that no-one had touched her door.

Unlocking the door and disarming the alarm quickly, she simply leaned her head back against the solid wood. What she wouldn’t give to have three muscle-bound men keeping her company right now. Shaking her head over her wasted thoughts, she locked her deadbolt and secured her chain in place. She really wished she could have placed her own personal safety mechanisms around her apartment. Hell, she could probably even have searched out her creeper if she really tried. But then, that would expose her to the very people she was trying to hide from in the first place.

And it would expose her for what she truly was; a witch.

CHAPTER FOUR

Dawn broke cold and grey and just a little bit depressing, Ronan thought as he stretched his limbs, cramped from the tiny hotel bed. His feet were hanging off the end of the bed and his neck was stiff as hell. Cheap hotel beds were not made for men of their size and what made matters worse – he had drawn the short straw and had been forced into the single bed the evening before. Looking to his left, he saw that Seth and Vaughn were still nestled quite cosily together in the queen bed. Reminding himself he had been lucky enough to win the ‘rock off’ on their three previous jobs, he forced himself to stop pouting and get out of bed.

Ten minutes later, he had showered and shaved and was dressed for the day to meet their new client. Stopping in the doorway of the bathroom, he saw that the other two were yet to make a move.Lazy beasts, he thought, but it was with affection rather than rancour. If they could have, Ronan knew they would both sleep in till noon. A soft purr he recognised as Vaughn’s had him looking that way again. Vaughn was now awake, a rhythmic satisfied purr rumbling lazily in his chest as he stroked a calloused hand over Seth’s back. Ronan smiled; Vaughn’s biggest secret? He was a snuggler.

“Time to get up, boys,” he said, walking to the small desk and taking his phone off the charger. Their new client was supposed to email them with their meet-point today.

“Don’t wanna ...” came the muttered reply from Seth.

“What he said,” Vaughn followed up, neither making a move.

Ronan rolled his eyes. They went through the same routine every morning. They’d start moving soon enough, probably because one of them would grab the other one’s morning wood, but still …

Scrolling through his phone, he saw that they had an unopened email in their business inbox from more than an hour ago. Looks like their new client was an early riser; “Move it, fellas. We got our email,” he threw over his shoulder, opening the email at the same time. Their client suggested they meet at nine, and the location … “Huh.”

“Huh, what?” Seth asked, planting a kiss on the top of his head from behind.

“You’re never going to believe the address for the meet with our mysterious client,” he angled his phone so Seth could see it. A huge yawn and a creaking bed signalled Vaughn had also deigned to get up, and Ronan tapped at the address, bringing it to his attention as well.

“Hastings Lane? Why does that sound familiar?” Vaughn asked.

“Because it’s the address of the bar we were at last night,” Seth pointed out.

The bar with the sexy female proprietor, Ronan thought, without really knowing why. The woman was as plain as could be in the looks department. There was nothing particularly remarkable about her brown hair and eyes, and her body had been hidden behind practical clothes. But there was no denying he had felt an instant spark of attraction to the woman the moment he laid eyes on her. He had spent the better part of the night feeling guilty over his continued hardness, knowing for the first time in years, it hadn’t been the result of the two men sleeping so close. The time for sharing their bed with others had long passed. So why was he finding himself so enamoured with some strange woman he had met for all of two minutes? It didn’t make sense.

It was also the reason why he had ushered them all out of the bar last night so quickly. He hadn’t wanted to give away his thoughts by remaining in her presence any longer. Although, he had his suspicions regarding his partners anyway. He could have sworn he had seen lust shining in Seth’s eyes the evening before, as well as suppressed desire in Vaughn’s. None of them had said anything about it before going to bed, and although they had engaged in their usual nightly play, he couldn’t help feeling like they had all been holding back a little.

“It’s suspicious,” Vaughn stated, posture going on alert.

Seth patted him on the back, heading into the bathroom, “It’s a coincidence,” he corrected.

Vaughn just grunted, scowling at the address on the phone screen, “Coincidences are fucking suspicious.”

“You think everything is fucking something or other,” Seth retorted, his voice garbled from the toothbrush hanging from the corner of his mouth.

“And I’m always right,” Vaughn shouted back and Seth merely flipped him off to rinse his mouth, “Well I am, aren’t I?” his grumpy lover demanded.

Ronan shook his head. The two men were always bickering about something. Not that it concerned him. After all, it was all foreplay, “I’m not enabling you two.”

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