Page 18 of Viktor

“I’m very aware of the human police. But I am also very old. And this means I have instincts. And my instinct tells me that a demon is involved with humans. But for what purpose?”

“I don’t get why you’d get involved when you don’t have to.”

“Duty. Glory. Honor.”

“Sex?” Rafe laughed.

“Wrong. Sex is easy to find. I’ve had as much as I’ve wanted. But in thousands of years…I don’t have time to explain, except to say there’s more to it. Life can be…” He sighed, considering how he’d repudiated his humanity. “It can be many things. The years pass and many of us, we choose to forget, perhaps, what was important to us when we first entered this realm. And so, when there is a spark, a human who intrigues you, you make time to explore the magick. When you are intrigued, when you find an opportunity, you must seize it.”

“We all come by the magick one way or another.”

“Wolves are born with the magick.”

“Yeah, well. I’m no longer a wolf. Not a pure one anyway. I’m something else. I was made too.” Rafe paused reflectively and quickly changed the subject. “So, you’re not just trying to impress her with the jet? You know…so you can get laid?”

“I’m a gentleman.” Viktor stood. “She’s not accustomed to our ways. Not wolves. Not vampires. But I do believe she’s what I’d consider curious. I don’t want to scare her.”

Rafe raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“I have held her in my arms. I’ve looked into her eyes. And do you know what I see?”

“Do enlighten me, oh ancient one.”

“I see passion. Passion for friends. Passion for art. Her work. The sea. Passion for life. And I’m certain she’s intrigued with me as well.”

“I guess we’ll find out, lover boy.”

“You best respect your elders. Trust me, when I say, I know what I know.”

“Goddammit.” Smoke billowed up into the air, the high-pitched scream of the fire alarm piercing his ears. He reached up to the ceiling, switching it off. “Jesus, that thing is loud.”

Viktor grasped the burnt toast with a pair of tongs and tossed it in the sink. He stared at the eggs he’d seen Rafe cook many times yet had never paid attention to his recipe. He should have arranged to have food delivered but for some ungodly reason he’d grown determined to make it himself. Big mistake.

As Viktor reached for his cell phone, he smiled, hearing soft footsteps behind him. Waverly. He turned slowly, his eyes set on hers as she drew closer.

“So…um…” Waverly glanced at the charred bread, then to the eggs still in their carton. “What are you doing?”

“Ah, well, you see I was trying to…” For the first time in a thousand years, he suffered from an unfamiliar loss of words. Dressed in nothing but a white t-shirt, she brushed a lock of her golden hair away from her eyes. A beam of sunlight teased across her throat.

“Are you cooking?” A corner of her lips tugged upward as she sniffed the smoky air.

“You must be starving. The Ritz Carlton delivers…I can order you something from there.”

“Why?” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“So I can order breakfast. You’re human. You need to eat food.” Viktor began his text. But as she boldly brushed by him and peered into the bowl, his attention fell to Waverly.

“I can make the eggs.” She opened the egg carton and shrugged.

“No. I’ll order you something. I should have done it to begin with.”

“Don’t waste your money. It only takes a few minutes.” She reached for a frying pan hanging overhead.

“No, you really don’t have to—"

“I said I’d make breakfast.” She pointed the pan at him. “Sit.”

“Bossy thing, aren’t you?” Viktor gave a small chuckle, amused that this feisty beauty challenged him.