Chapter Forty-seven
Carly’s funeral service was in a lovely chapel decorated with pink tulips and white roses, Carly’s favorite flowers. Many friends got up to share stories. Maya spoke about a meeting where Carly helped her with her first shift, then gave her extra homework for talking back to one of the teachers at the school. I was surprised when Garrett talked to the group about some of their funnier childhood experiences. His face was drawn and I knew he felt badly they’d never reconciled their differences.
Rob told a story about a double date he’d gone on with Lynette and Carly and her boyfriend at the time. They’d spent a nice evening bowling, eating pizza, and drinking beer. Carly’s boyfriend had wanted to show off so he threw the bowling ball too hard and it actually made a hole in the back of the pin machine. They’d ducked out of the building pretty fast and Carly had reamed him out for getting drunk and not controlling himself around humans and then thrown him through his own windshield. They’d all walked home that night.
Outside after the service, many of the shifters spoke to Garrett and me about the duels. Most of them simply wanted to say thank you because they knew that the killing wouldn’t have stopped with Carly’s death. Some actually hugged us and offered us a free dinner at their restaurant or a free oil change or whatever they could afford to give us. They knew by now that my ley line magic had surpassed Maya’s, but it seemed more important to most of them that I was a healer. They seemed more trusting of Garrett, too, asking him about his cheetah background and also for advice on how to better protect their homes and families. Shifters were a peace-loving race, and Garrett’s bravery against Eleanor would allow this community to live in safety, at least until the next threat came along.
It occurred to me because of Eleanor, Garrett’s playful cheetah side had been forced to turn violent and seek out blood daily from humans or shifters to survive. As a newborn vampire, he’d been completely under her power, killing and possibly torturing innocents at her command. It must have taken him time to gather the strength to oppose her will and survive his own torture. This went on for over one hundred and twenty years.
Garrett’s surface emotions were clear to me: sadness over Carly, relief over my safety, and excitement over heading his own nest. But he kept some feelings behind his wall, feelings too hard for him to share. He was very good at control and not so great at trust. My inner healer stretched her muscles and grinned at the challenge.
As we were leaving, Sinc gave me a huge hug saying, “Shopping? Friday?”
“I’ll be pretty busy organizing things for the party. I was going to ask....”
“Of course I’ll help. I’m bringing the most delicious chocolate mousse cake. You’ll want to roll in it, it’s so good.” Visions of Sinc and Ethan covered in chocolate made me giggle.
Garrett hung his arm loosely over my shoulder. “What’s so funny?”
“It involves a chocolate mousse cake,” I wiped a tear from my eye.
“You two should try it.” Sinc winked and slunk away to Ethan.
I grinned. “That snow leopard mojo is powerful stuff.”
“Nothing’s better than cheetah.” He kissed my forehead and squeezed my hand
We spent the hour-long drive to meet with his new nest by going over party details. We’d decided to have the mating party at the Smith River Campgrounds and were able to rent the western campsite for the night. We’d be setting up six large barbeque grills, which Garrett’s cousin Aaron and his pack had agreed to man, and were also catering in pasta, veggies, the works. Beer and wine would be provided, but nothing stronger. Swimming was allowed in that section of the river so we’d also bought dozens of towels and blankets for drying off and relaxing under the stars. Several shifter volunteers who owned or worked in local bakeries were providing desserts.
We drove down a curving driveway and stopped in front of the double doors of a very large two-story brick house. “Francois and I have only spared the four who seemed the most willing to adapt to my rules. They’ve pledged loyalty to me and we’ve shared a few drops of blood in the usual ritual, so I’m connected to each of them more strongly than before.
“However, they’re in a dangerous state. Their nest mates have been executed and their maker is dead. They have a difficult path ahead of them. If you’re quiet, they’ll ignore you. If you have questions, we’ll speak mind to mind.” I nodded in understanding. “Thank you.” He kissed my hand, leading me up the front stairs and through the unlocked double doors.
Francois was there, looking elegant in a dark designer suit and rich purple silk shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He gave Garrett a friendly hug and took my formerly injured hand in his, kissing it gently. He looked a little less put together, some strain evident in his eyes. Eleanor’s death must have affected Francois as well.
His voice was sultry. “Bonsoir, Jacqueline. I’m so pleased to see you again.” Garrett laughed softly. Eleanor must have gotten her seductive powers from her maker. She’d used hers to lure in the innocent, but Francois seemed to use his as any charismatic, attractive man would.
“Thank you, Francois.” I smiled. “I see you’re as charming as ever.” Francois smiled widely in response and winked, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Garrett, never one to be outdone, arched an eyebrow and snaked his arm around my waist. I glanced at his adorable turned up smile and breathed in his delicious scent. It occurred to me Garrett had plenty of his own inherited seductive powers, which I’d willingly fallen prey to. I should make sure to thank Francois for passing on those as well.
He led us to a large room with two enormous couches, several plush armchairs and a grand piano placed near a picture window overlooking the ocean. The fireplace crackled, taking away the chill of the rainy night, and the cozy scent of burning logs blended well with the sweet scent of vampire.
Seated silently on one of the couches were a male and a female. Their expressions remained neutral, only their eyes moving as Garrett led me to an arm chair indicating with a tilt of his head I should sit. I did, never taking my gaze away from the couple. Garrett sat gracefully in the adjacent chair, resting his hand over mine.
He spoke with his usual tone of authority, the one he used when the team trained together. “Sasha, Yvette, this is Jacqueline Crawford Cuvier, my lifemate. Jackie, this is Sasha Vodinski and Yvette Blanc.”
I recognized them now from the duel, picturing them hissing and snarling. I was happy to see they wore more submissive expressions tonight. The duo glanced at me, maybe uncertain as to why I was present, quickly returning their attention to Garrett.
Sasha was blond with deep-set light blue eyes, sculpted cheekbones, and a strong jaw. He wore a sienna brown well-fitted suit, and a tan shirt, unbuttoned to mid chest. He was barefoot and very handsome. Yvette wore a low cut black silk dress with spike heels. She was lovely, with thick dark curly hair, very dark eyes and light mahogany shaded skin. These two felt old to me, near Garrett’s age, so the three of them must have been nest mates for a long time.
Two more vampires, both males, entered and sat on the second couch. Garrett introduced them as William Carlyle and Heinrich Schultz. William had red hair and blue eyes and very pale skin, and wore jeans and a button-down navy blue shirt. He was thin and had a slightly desperate look about him. My guess was he’d been turned recently. Heinrich was a huge man, very tall and broad with light brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a black muscle shirt, black jeans and a leather vest. He was definitely older than William but not as old as the other two.
Francois joined us, lowering his body elegantly into a third chair. “I informed your new nest they needn’t kneel before you.” Francois winked at me, so I was left wondering if the head of a nest was treated like a king or queen. I glanced at Garrett, but he was trying very hard not to laugh at Francois’ comment. Thank goodness.
Garrett began. “Francois and I believe you four have the strength and the desire to change your behavior. It’s going to rough at first, but I’m giving you a
new set of very clear rules to follow. You can ask any questions you like.” They glanced at each other first, then nodded in Garrett’s direction.
“There will be no killing. The only exception to this rule would be if you’re attacked by an enemy, or if I’ve given you permission to kill. I will not deny you the right to defend yourself. There will be no torture allowed except during interrogations to save innocent lives, and then only if I’ve ordered it and am present. You’ll feed daily from volunteer donors. No more hunting for innocents.”
“There are volunteer donors?” Heinrich looked skeptical.
“Yes, hundreds. Sex with your donor is allowed. You’re adults and I have no desire to police your private lives, but rape will never be tolerated. You will glamour your donor to protect them from the pain of the bite, but not to force them to do something against their will. After you’ve fed, I expect you to heal their wound and ensure they’ve returned to a healthy state.
“Eleanor kept you with her at all times unless you were hunting for victims, but when I feel you’re in control of your impulses I’ll allow you out. Vamp bars and clubs are the best place to find donors, but again, you must be careful not to feed too often from the same donor. It will weaken them too much, and addict them to your blood only. Those donors grow ill and often don’t recover.
“You’ll rest here during the day here. The bedroom windows have been blocked and the house will be guarded. When our grandsire returns to Paris, with his permission you may petition me to join his nest and accompany him. I’ll allow it as long as you don’t return to my territory—ever.”
“What if we want to stay in this area after Francois leaves?” Sasha asked in a lightly Slavic accent.
Garrett hesitated. “We’ll take this situation one day at a time and see how it goes. But understand this. You’ll live by my rules or you’ll be executed. This isn’t negotiable, although I promise to give you a fair hearing before making a decision. Do you have any questions?”
Heinrich spoke first. He had a slight German accent. Eleanor must have traveled the world. “Master, I don’t have a problem feeding from willing donors, but how do I control my cravings for violence?”
I hid my smile and sent to Garrett, “Master, huh?”
“Quiet, lowly shifter.” His mouth twitched, but he held onto the stern gaze he was directing at Heinrich. “The craving will lessen with time. If you’re interested, I could train you to fight with my team. You might save some lives in the process.”
Heinrich nodded, his shoulder muscles relaxing. “I was a soldier before I was changed and did well in battle. I accept your leadership, master.” The big one was surprisingly polite.
“I’d prefer you all call me Garrett.”
“Will you execute us if we slip up and harm a human? In the heat of feeding, I may—forget the new rules.” Sasha leaned forward, speaking softly.
“I remember what she did to you, Sash.” The tall blond frowned, turning a shade paler. “And I remember what she forced you to do to others in the nest. I’ll never torture you. I’ll never starve you or burn you or poison you to teach you a lesson. I’ll never force you to harm one of the others. That goes for all of you. I’m not Eleanor. If I decide to execute you, it will be fast and clean. I know you’ll make some mistakes. If your control is weak, ask Francois to stay with you when you feed. He can stop you if it goes too far.” Sasha nodded and relaxed back into the couch cushion, the lines of tension on his face smoothing out.
Yvette frowned. “When you killed Eleanor the severing of the bond was painful and isolating. I feel empty now.” She didn’t hide her grief. “She’s all we’ve known for so long.” She lifted her chin. “I’d like to go home again to France. I need the distraction of a large city. I don’t know if I can survive in this small town.”
“I felt the same pain when she died, but I’ll never regret killing her.” Garrett looked out the window at the tree-lined yard, lit brightly by moonlight. “This is the community where I live, where I’m happy.” He squeezed my hand. “If the new rules are followed, I’ll release you to Francois. He and I believe you can adjust, Yvette.” He scanned their faces. “I’m going out on a limb with all of you. Trust isn’t easy on either side, but you’ve known me for many years. My goal is to eventually release you. You’ll be able to stay or go as you please. But first I must be certain you’ll live by the rules I’ve devised, and not only when you’re in my territory.” He finally cracked a smile as he glanced in my direction. “I have family now. Ruling a nest was never part of my grand scheme.”
Suddenly I had everyone’s attention. I tapped into the lines for security and looked back at each of them. They turned away when they saw they had no ability to glamour me. I guess trying is something automatic with a vampire. I checked out their auras, all of them a nasty looking shade of gray. I’d have to mention that to Garrett later.
Yvette asked, “Is the shifter above us?” Her voice bordered on contempt.
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate. “Jackie is my lifemate and is under my protection. She killed Antoine who was above all of you in age and power. You won’t be able to glamour her, and I’m warning you now, if you decide to fuck with her, she’s more than capable of helping you meet final death.” His eyes flashed silver. “You’ll treat her with the same respect you show me or Francois.” Garrett rarely cursed, but hearing him talk me up to his nest made me feel pretty awesome.
Garrett turned to William. “Do you have any questions, Will?”
William had been sitting and staring at his shoes. Now he lifted his head to speak. “No, Garrett. I’m hungry is all.” His fangs were partially out and he was shaking slightly. “I’ll follow your rules. I just need to feed every day. Eleanor left me hungry a lot. You saw how it was with her.”
Francois stood. “I have lined up volunteers for tonight. They are waiting in your rooms. Talk to them first. Find out what they are willing to give. And please remember the rules. I’ll be available if you feel you need my help.”
They stood, nodded at Garrett, ignored me and left. I heard various doors opening and closing.
“Stay as long as you like. I am going to see to the others. I will call you later, Garrett. Bonsoir, Jacqueline.” When Francois moved into the next room, I got up and sat in Garrett’s lap hugging him tightly and nestling into the comfort of his long arms.
“I’m sorry if that upset you. I feel responsible for them.” He kissed my cheek.
“Why is Francois helping you? He’s acting like your assistant. And why didn’t he automatically take them on and make them part of his nest?”
“He feels responsible for Eleanor’s behavior. Also he gets bored easily. I think he’s having fun. He told me running my own nest would be good for me.”
He was staring into the fire. It had been a difficult evening for him. I had an idea. “Can I drive your car?”
“Yes, of course. Where are we going?” His forehead furrowed with curiosity.
“It’s a surprise.” I yanked him out of the chair and out the door to the car. I drove up into the Cascades and pulled off the main road and parked. We both jumped out and walked to the front.
“What now?” He was grinning like a cat with a bowl of cream.
I grabbed him by his belt and pulled him closer. “My cheetah wants to play. Let’s hunt.”
We undressed and shifted, spending the next two hours hunting, sharing kills and chasing each other. His handsome cheetah was stronger, so when he caught me he could pin me to the ground to nip at my nose and my ruff, but he rarely caught me. We collapsed near the car and transitioned back, laughing and happy. Garrett was still a little weak, so I let him feed from me, which led to other amazing moments. Finally we dressed and he drove us back to our home and to Samson, our furry companion.
Rebirth - Book 1 Rogues Shifter Series Page 47