Authors: Carrie Ann Ryan
She pulled from his arms and walked naked around the room. He forced himself not to stare at her curves. This wasn’t the time.
“Lily, I’m not crazy. Neither are you. You’re a brownie. That’s why your skin is gold.”
“Just how do you know that, Shade?” She might sound mad, but the quiver in her voice told Shade that she was scared out of her mind.
He stood up and walked toward her. When she didn’t back away, he held her close.
“I’ve known about the supernatural for a while.” He didn’t want to tell her just how long he’d known and what he was just yet. She had enough to deal with. Honestly, he was scared to death about her reaction.
“What…how…I mean…” Her wide eyes looked ready to storm over and her chest heaved. “And you never told me about the supernaturals? Did you…did you know I was a brownie?”
“No, baby, I didn’t know. How was I supposed to bring the other stuff up in conversation?”
“Am I going to die?”
“No, Lily. This isn’t a disease.” Well, at least he hoped not.
“How am I supposed to go out in public?” She buried her face in his chest, and he held her closer.
“I’ll help you. You can learn to control your powers.”
“I don’t even know what a brownie is, Shade. Is this a dream?” She closed her eyes and pinched herself. “Damn.”
“No, not a dream.” He kissed her brow, rubbed the place where she’d pinched herself, and rocked her as they stood naked in her room. This wasn’t exactly how he’d imagined their post-coital bliss.
“Oh, God. The storm.”
“What do you mean?” He had his guesses as to what had happened to her, but he needed to hear it from her.
She gulped. “It was supposed to be a secret, but considering I’m standing here, naked in your arms and gold, I think I can tell you. The storm a few days ago…was it only a few days ago?” She shook her head, and he kissed her temple. “Lightning struck Dante’s Circle and shocked me, my six girlfriends, and Dante. We all were fine except for a few bumps and bruises.”
Dear God. He held her close, not wanting to let go. She could have been killed.
“Oh, no! My friends!”
“We’ll figure this out. Come on.”
He went to her drawers and pulled out a perfectly folded T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He found a matching pair of panties next to its bra and then helped her get dressed. Even though he tried his best to be clinical about it, he still ached when her nipples pebbled as he put on her bra. The goldfish hue to her skin just made her look more beautiful, and accentuated her green eyes. He groaned with desire, but continued to dress her. When she was ready, he pulled on his jeans and led her to her living room. He couldn’t think when they were standing next to the bed where they had made love.
He put the kettle on and found some tea bags in her alphabetized kitchen. When things calmed down, he would have to ask her what else she needed done so he didn’t mess up her system in the future.
Wait. Future? He shook his head. This wasn’t the time to think about that.
“What does this all mean, Shade?” She had sat on the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs, her posture much like the time when he had first spoken to her in the park.
“I don’t know yet. No matter what, I’ll protect you.”
“Protect me?” Her eyes widened, and she paled beneath the gold.
Dammit. He didn’t mean to scare her any more than she already was. However, if she was truly a human turned brownie—or an awakened brownie, that sounded better—she might be in danger. Not to mention the fact that the angelic council, if not all the councils, wanted her silenced. Something this big didn’t get swept under the rug.
“I only mean to do everything to make sure you’re all right,” he lied.
She looked into his eyes, and he felt like an ass. “Okay. Shade, this happened after…you know…” She blushed, and he wanted to kiss her again. “Did you do this to me?”
His heart fell to his stomach. “No. I mean, at least I don’t think so.” For all he knew, it could be his fault.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that this hasn’t happened before. At least, not to me.”
“What?”
“I’ve slept with both supernaturals and humans, but none of them have turned into a new form after sex.”
“I really don’t want to hear about you with other women right now.”
Shade grimaced. “Sorry. Let’s just calm down, okay?”
“Calm down? Look at all this dust! How am I supposed to stay clean, keep things clean? It’ll get everywhere!” Her chest heaved, and she got off the couch and started straightening the already straight furniture.
He took her hand and pulled her to his naked chest. “Lily, stop. We’ll find a way to fix this. I promise.”
She shook her head, and he took her lips. She melted into him, and he licked her tongue, loving her strawberry taste. He pulled back and pushed her hair from her face. “Shh, my Lily. We can make you look human. Just think about what you look like normally. Close your eyes. Shh. You can do it.”
Lily closed her eyes and let out a whimper then steeled herself. Good girl. He didn’t think he could deal with tears right now. Shade leaned forward and kissed her temples, her brows, and then her soft lips. Slowly, she turned back to her human form.
She opened her eyes, looked down, and they both exhaled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, my Lily.” He really needed to stop saying that. As much as he wanted her to be
his
Lily, he couldn’t even think about that.
“What are we going to do?”
“I need to go.”
“Go?” She pulled back, her eyes wide.
He leaned forward and kissed her nose. “I need to talk to someone who may know more about this, but don’t worry. I will be back.”
“Can I tell my friends? They may be affected, as well.”
Shaded sighed. This was getting more and more complicated, but he didn’t see another option. “Yes, but you all must keep this secret. Please. You have to promise me.”
She kissed his chin. “I promise. It will just be the eight of us and you.”
“Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He kissed her again, hard.
When he pulled back, she looked dazed, but he had to leave her before he made love to her again, he had more important things to do; at least that’s what he told himself. As he walked out, he looked over his shoulder one more time. She looked fragile, but strong. No matter what happened, she would be all right. She had to be. Shade didn’t want to think of another outcome. The green-eyed beauty had already settled into his heart, and he didn’t want to let her go.
Chapter 12
Later that day, Lily put her face under the spray as she fought to control her emotions. Her pale skin hadn’t returned to that gold color, and she could almost think everything was a dream.
She didn’t think it was.
She was a brownie.
Whatever that was.
She could have done a search on the Internet, but she was afraid of the answers. What if what she found out said she’d turn into a monster that killed people? Why hadn’t she asked Shade exactly what she was? Oh, yeah, she was too busy freaking out over the fact that she was gold. That wasn’t like her normally. She usually could step back and look at things analytically, but she couldn’t seem to do it then.
What was she going to do?
The water ran down her body, and she finished cleaning before turning it off and wrapping herself in a plush towel she loved. The mirror had steamed up, and she tugged a hand towel across it to clear it away. She’d have to clean it fully later since she’d just gotten towel particles all over it, and it would frustrate her…but what did it matter anymore?
Wow. Talk about an about-face.
Her reflection stared back at her, and she almost didn’t recognize herself. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed. Was it because of the shower? Her new…powers? Or Shade?
With all the craziness over the morning, her moments with Shade hadn’t fully settled in yet. Her body still tingled from his touch, and his taste was still heavy on her tongue.
Best. Sex. Ever.
And then she’d woken up, and her body had gone crazy.
It had all been a dream, right?
Not so much.
She pulled on her clothes, made her bed with sheets that still smelled of Shade, and picked up her phone to call Becca. Shade had told her she could tell her friends, and no matter what happened, she knew she’d need them by her side.
“Hey, Lily, how was your date?” Becca said when she picked up.
“Oh, it was great.”
Fantastic, actually
. “Can you call the troops and tell them to head over?”
“Is everything okay, Lily?”
She clutched the phone closed to her ear and fought not to cry. “I don’t think so. Just get everyone over here, okay? Bring breakfast.”
“You’re scaring me, hon. We’ll be right over with provisions.” Becca hung up, and Lily closed her eyes.
They’d be here soon, and everything would be all right. She swallowed hard and straightened her living room one more time, making sure her pillows were exactly even along the back of the couch.
She went to the kitchen, put on a pot of hot water for Nadie and her tea, and started coffee for the rest of the girls. Then she went to the fridge and pulled out some fresh fruit. She could have made something for breakfast for everyone, but, honestly, she didn’t have the energy. Nor the desire.
A sharp knock at the door startled her, and Lily went to open it. Faith stood in the doorway, a disgruntled look on her face and a box of doughnuts in her hand.
“Here.” She shoved the box into Lily’s hands, walked in the house, and looked around.
“Thanks for coming.” She closed the door and locked it twice.
“Where is he? Huh?” Faith snarled. “Did that ass hurt you?”
“What? Oh, God! No! Shade was amazing. This isn’t about him.”
“Really? Then what is this about?” She folded her arms over her chest and glared.
Another knock at the door saved Lily from having to say anything. She opened it, and the rest of her friends spilled in through the door with food in their hands, kissing her on the cheek.
“Well,” Faith started, “Lily says Shade didn’t hurt her and he was
amazing
.”
“Really?” Eliana asked. “How amazing?”
Lily blushed and bit her lip. “Well…” She so hadn’t wanted to divulge her night with Shade with the girls, though that seemed to be the thing to do. She had far more important things to talk about other than Shade’s chest, his thighs, his…yeah.
“Tell us!” Becca ordered.
“He took me to dinner.” Then he’d made her his dessert.
“And…” Amara urged.
“He took me to dinner and then a walk. Then we came back to my place and…”
“I knew it!” Faith danced around the kitchen. “So how was he? Don’t say amazing. We need another word.”
“I can’t think of anything else.” Lily smiled, thinking of the delicate ways he’d played with her body and the way she’d let him.
“Wow. No words, huh? Nice.” Jamie squeezed her hand and winked.
“That’s so sweet, Lily,” added Nadie.
Becca turned a kitchen chair around so she could straddle it. “That’s great. Really. But if everything was okay with Shade, then why did you call me and gather us here?”
This was the hard part. How could she break this to them? What eloquent way could she put everything so they would understand?
“Uh…well…I’m a brownie.”
And the award for lamest remark goes to… Lily.
The kitchen fell into silence and the girls blinked as one.
“A brownie,” Becca said.
“Yes. Last night I turned gold after I woke up, and it turns out I’m a brownie.”
“A brownie,” Amara repeated.
“Like the dessert?” Faith asked, a twitch on her lips.
“No, not like that. Like a gold woman.”
Nadie blinked rapidly and tilted her head. “How much did you have to drink last night?”
“Nothing, I promise. It’s true, guys.”
Jamie stood and walked over to kneel in front of Lily’s chair. “Lily,” she spoke softly, holding her friend’s hand. “It will be okay. We can get you help.”
Lily pulled her hand back and blew her bangs from her face. “Fine. Don’t believe me.”
“It’s not that we don’t believe you, dear,” Eliana said. “It’s just that, I mean, come on, Lily. A brownie?”
Lily shook her head. “I understand.” She stood and closed her eyes. Shade had told her to relax and envision herself as a human to become one, so it should work in reverse. Right?
She calmed, ignored the worried mumbles around her and shifted. Her body tingling and rolling with energy—like home.
The girls gasped, and Lily opened her eyes.
She looked at her hand. Her skin was covered in gold dust, and an energy thrummed through her.
She let out a deep breath. “It worked.”
“Oh, my God,” Faith said.
“Holy shit,” Becca exclaimed.
“How did this happen?” Amara asked.
Lily smiled and wrung her hands together. “I don’t know. I fell asleep after Shade and I made love, and when I woke up, I was like this.” She didn’t want to scare them and tell them that she’d had a seizure and felt like her whole body was on fire. No, that part didn’t need to come out.
“How did you know you were a brownie?” Jaime asked.
“Shade told me.”
“He just knew what that was?” Eliana asked.
“Yes, actually.”
“Odd, don’t you think?” Faith asked and gave Amara a look that Lily didn’t understand.
“Yes, it is. I really didn’t have time to think about what all of that meant, ya know. I was a little more preoccupied with being a freaking gold woman. Plus, he said he’d tell me more about it when he got back. He left to go talk to a friend who may know more about what happened.”
“Well, we want to know what happened as well, hon,” Nadie said.
“I know. We’ll figure this out. We have to,” Lily said.
“Can you…ya know….” Faith waved her hands in front of her. “I mean, can you turn back?”
“What?” Lily looked down at herself. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot.” She closed her eyes, focused on being human, and the energy eventually ebbed away.