Free Passion Ignited by Katalyn Sage

Looking over at Gregory she popped up an
eyebrow. He was grinning at her again.
    “The coffee? Is it too hot?”
    “No. Why?” Why did she sound
guilty?
    “It’s boiling, Mistress,” he
answered.
    She looked down at the mug, noticing that the
coffee was in fact boiling. Setting it down, she stood from the
table. “I’m, uh…I’m going to go get ready for the
night.”
    Walking through the swinging doors, she ended
up in the foyer. Striding across it as quickly as she could, she
reached the bottom of the stairs and gripped the
handrail.
    “Going somewhere?”
    Nitro turned just as she was taking the first
step. Raider was glaring up at her as he walked from the hallway.
Yes, he was definitely letting his hair grow out. She could see the
different hues of color weaved in it. Letting her eyes travel
downward, she noticed that he wore a tight black turtleneck and
workout pants. He’d recently showered, the musk of his body wash
and cologne wrapping around her like a welcoming cocoon, and
effectively driving her senses wild. “That would be none of your
business, vampire.”
    Raider chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s the
problem with you, doll. You’re wrong. Everything that goes on here
is my business. It’s my job to keep everyone in this house
safe.”
    Her jaw clenched. She could feel her own eyes
burn at the mere mention of that nickname. She was no fucking doll.
She was a warrioress, not a pretty little plaything. “Bang up job
you’re doing then, old man. You allowed your leader to be injured,
and for that young man down in the basement to be beaten into a
coma. How about you not worry about my well-being? I’d rather not
end up in a hospital bed, or no longer breathing for that matter.”
She turned on her heels then and bolted up the stairs, leaving
Raider fuming in her wake.
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
    “Mmmm. Whatever that last drink was, bring
more.” Nitro called out to the waitress’ retreating form. She
reached over and grabbed Ash’s drink and gulped it down. “And more
of this.”
    “Enjoying yourself?” Garrick asked. He and the
twins were all relaxing at what appeared to be the local hotspot.
They’d had the night off, which was a nice change of pace from the
other nights. Although, Nitro had cursed up a storm when Raider had
told her she wouldn’t be fighting tonight. If he hadn’t known
better, he’d have sworn they were in some sort of fight.
    “You know, I really am. It’s great that we’re
not being babysat by that old stick in the mud. Like he really
thinks he needs to watch us. I’ve probably fought more demons than
he has,” she muttered angrily.
    The waitress chose that second to bring by a
tray of drinks. Nitro grabbed random ones and slammed them back,
with Ash and Garrick trying to grab whatever she hadn’t drank
yet.
    “Would you be a dear and bring more? I think
maybe double should do it next time.” Garrick smiled, offering the
waitress a one-hundred dollar tip.
    “Right away.” The waitress beamed at him,
blushing before she turned away.
    “Double, Garrick?” Nitro asked. Leaning over
the table, she narrowed her eyes on him, and oh, so seriously said,
“I think you have a drinking problem.”
    The two men shared a look before facing her
again. “So you were saying?” Ash asked. “I believe you were telling
us how you feel about Raider.”
    “Raider?” She laughed. “He’s an
ass-hat.”
    “Is that why he saved your ass last night?”
Garrick asked. “Or why you’re constantly looking at him? Don’t
think we haven’t noticed.”
    “And don’t think we haven’t noticed him
staring at you,” her brother added.
    “What is in this?” Nitro slurred,
sucking down the last of the drinks. Staring at the glass as if she
could manifest more, she said, “This is so good. You really should
try it.”
    Ash snorted. His sister was clearly
preoccupied with her fascination of alcoholic drinks—not to mention
she’d avoided talking about Raider as