Poison's Kiss (Deadly Beauties 2)

"Thad can come in."

Gage laughs harder as Thad emerges from the lake, soaked and furious. He throws his hands up, and Gage only laughs that much harder while pointing at me.

"You?" Thad asks in disbelief, a menacing grin covering his face.

"Thanks a lot, dark boy," I tease while narrowing my eyes at Gage.

Suddenly I'm drenched as Thad rips me up from the ground and presses his soaking wet body against mine. I squeal, though it does no good.

Gage rolls his eyes as he shuts the front door. Thad just drips his wet demise all over the floor while carrying my squirming body.

"Please stop," I laugh out, but instead, he pulls me closer until his lips are on mine.

"I think that's enough," Gage gripes, his tone stern and irritated.

"I think someone's jealous," Thad jokes while releasing me.

I just giggle lightly while pulling my wet clothes away from my body. "I need to change now."

"Yeah, you smell like wet dog," Gage quips, though it doesn't seem like harmless banter.

His eyes narrow at Thad who simply shrugs off the burning glare.

"I happen to like getting you wet," Thad teases, making my face flush all the more, and making Gage roll his eyes again while letting out a huff of distaste.

Shaking my head, I snap my fingers to dry my clothes and the damp pieces of my hair. Thad chuckles and holds his hands up.

"Do me?" he chirps, menace in his eyes.

He never stops with the innuendo, but I walk over and wave my hand to dry his clothes and hair as well.

"Much better," he says with a sigh. "So... now you're living next door to the night stalker who can't be barred by magic? Is that wise?"

Gage flops down on the couch and flips on the TV while bringing out his phone. "No, but it's better than staying in Castine's old home or right next door to there. She's got another place picked out. We're just waiting on the paperwork to run through."

Thad lets a derisive snort free. "It's funny how you keep referring to the two of you as a pair when you're obviously not together."

"Please don't start," I groan, not allowing Gage's witty retort to escape.

They both tighten their lips as a ruckus stirs outside close to the open window, allowing the sound to penetrate the soundproofed home. I rush over to view it without thinking about who it might be.

Kane is fighting with Zee, both of them shirtless in front of the lake. I realize quickly it's not a real fight - it's more of a training session.

My heart flutters in my chest as I stare at the perfection of the immortal body I never should have known so intimately. So many times I knew he was too perfect to be human. I knew a body that divine had to belong to an immortal, but I refused to acknowledge the o

bvious.

"He really wants Castine, doesn't he?" Thad says as he joins me on Gage's bed.

"Apparently so. What else do we know about her?"

Gage walks in to answer that. "She was blessed with more gifts than I can cipher, all of which were given to her by our kind. I'm not sure what the hell those assholes were thinking, but they made her too damn strong. Though Kane is obviously much stronger than your average night stalker, he still isn't strong enough to take her."

"We don't know that," Thad interjects. "What he did to us... I could tell he was holding back. If he hadn't been, that shit could have gotten ugly very fast."

Sighing, I drop back onto Gage's bed just as the sun disappears from the sky.

"I wish you had sniffed out his night stalker side," I grumble to Thad.