“What am I doing out here?” I asked myself, knowing no one would hear me.
I was sitting on the balcony, watching the sunset turn the sky into a show of pinks, purples, reds, and oranges. I could see the mountains that lined the desert valley. Soaking in the last of the dying heat, I felt sluggish, thanks to the winter chill. Others thought the easy days in the fifties and sixties were a reason to move to Phoenix or spend their winters here. Snowbirds, everyone called them.
Personally, I wished I could move to Australia and spend my winter months in their desert in the middle of their summer. It would be nice to travel, to stay in warmer climates.
Lazily moving my finger over the trackpad of my laptop, I wondered what I was even doing, trying to chain two thoughts together. More research, probably. This was the problem with colder days. It was easy for me to get lethargic and lose my train of thought. I could have stayed inside with the heat on, but then I would get cabin fever. I didn’t do well when I didn’t see the sun on a daily basis.
Blinking slowly, I yawned and leaned back, giving up on whatever my task had been. It wasn’t like it was going to help me with anything I was working on. Nothing ever did.
I didn’t react when I heard the front door of my condo open and close. Heavy footsteps told me exactly who it was, tired as he came back from the building’s state-of-the-art gym. I knew he would pick right up after a shower, so I wasn’t concerned about how hard he worked himself. Raphael knew how far he could take his body, and now that he knew the full scope of the dangers in the supernatural world, he was beginning to cope better than when I met him. He worked hard every night to stay in perfect physical condition while I slowly researched everything I could on the mysteries that surrounded him.
My eyes drifted closed as the sun disappeared, leaving the chilly night. I didn’t open them again until the patio door opened, and his heavy footsteps announced his arrival. I could smell his shampoo and aftershave, some fancy brand I knew I was paying for. It was masculine as hell, a mix between musk, leather, and cedar. He had the whole damn set—shampoo, conditioner, aftershave, and cologne. It was a scent I both searched for and wanted to escape every time it drifted my way.
My fangs dropped, annoying me to no end. I tried my best to stay relaxed, not wanting to open my eyes and see the man who didn’t know he was my potential mate.
“Hey, Kaliya, taking a nap?” he asked, sitting down on a lounge chair close by.
“Considering it.” The laptop disappeared from under my hand. I didn’t try to get it back, focusing my attention on getting my fangs to lay back down. Luckily, they cooperated while he read what I had been looking at.
“‘Mygi was named for four supernatural healers from the vampires, witches, werewolves, and fae, using the first letter of each of their last names,’” he read softly. “I thought we already researched the origins of the company.”
“I did, but I’ve been stuck, and it seemed like something I could read over tonight,” I explained, yawning. “How was your workout?”
“Good. This place has a great gym. I was asked by one of the building managers, though, to bring up how hot you’ve been keeping the condo. You know you have the heat turned up to nearly ninety, right?” I could hear his annoyance.
“Yup.” I wasn’t concerned. The building manager knew I kept it hot when I was in residence, but I had never stayed at the condo longer than a couple of weeks at a time. Raphael and I had been living in it since early December. Cassius and Sorcha had been coming back from their honeymoon, and the repairs had finally been finished from the tossing Sinclair had given it, so I took the chance to run. Cassius had wanted me to stay longer because my main house was getting lengthier repairs, but I wanted to be back in my own space even though I didn’t get the solitude I truly craved.
I had a roommate, and he was sitting next to me. Solitude was probably something I was never truly going to get back, something I tried desperately to sort out my feelings