I should have been more careful what I wished for, he mused to himself as the feel of her tongue on the back of his neck brought him back to the present. After a few minutes, she was asleep—her arm slung lazily over him. With agility, he moved it so as not to wake her, then slid from the rumpled bed. Once he was back in his robe, he left her bedroom as quietly as he could.
At the other end of the hall, the master bedroom, his domain, was quiet and clean. The darkness would have been total if not for the thin sliver of moonlight that seeped through the narrow opening of the heavy drapes. He reached for the lamp on the nightstand as he sat down on the soft bed, but he decided to leave the darkness all around him. Comfortable in his luxurious cave, Jason let his eyes adjust fully to the lack of light, then picked up his mobile.
Her name, as it blazed across the screen, caused his heart to tap hard in his chest. His excitement embarrassed him, but he redialed anyway.
“Well,” her voice calmed his excited heart, “way to make a girl wait.”
“Sorry,” Jason hummed then leaned back against the pillows. “I was tied up.”
Alex’s laugh made him wish she was next door, not three states away from his reach. “I’m sure you mean that literally.”
“I’m guessing you received Adam’s package?”
When Adam told him he had sent an actual uniform for the Tracker team to wear while on duty during this trip, he knew Alex wouldn’t allow it.
“Yes, we did, and no,” she sighed.
Jason laughed at the girlish response. “I figured as much. Is that the only reason you called—to tell Adam to go to hell?”
“No,” she replied. “I could have called his private line for that. I called to congratulate you.”
“On what?” he asked.
“Your engagement,” she replied. “Don’t you read your own press releases?”
“What are you talking about?” he replied as he tried to keep his voice calm.
“Umm, there’s an announcement on the dark web,” Alex said. “Jasper’s column.”
Jason turned on the light and shut his eyes as it hit them. He snatched up the tablet and reached the website quickly. There it was.
“So,” she cleared her throat, “when’s the big day?”
He chuckled because he didn’t know what else to do. “I, we haven’t set one yet. Look, Alex—”
“Hey,” she replied, “you don’t owe me any explanation. I mean, it was just sex, right?”
Jason felt a twinge of anger suddenly. Did he make any promises to her that he shouldn’t? Did she to him? He could have been slightly more forthcoming with her about his relationship with Nikki, but he never had to be before. But if he were being perfectly honest, his feelings for Alex were dangerous.
“Is that what you think?” he asked.
“What would you call it?” she giggled nervously. “You’re engaged. You should have told me before we got involved.”
“We weren’t engaged then,” he replied. “Not officially anyway.”
“Not officially? Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
He suddenly realized who put that item on the dark web—Adam.
“Nikki and I have an open relationship.” He’d hoped that would stave off the fight they were about to have, but it didn’t.
“Open to what?” Alex sniffed back. “Interpretation?”
Jason couldn’t help the slight chuckle at her retort. Alex did have a way with cutting through the bullshit, didn’t she?
“I care for her,” Jason continued. “I won’t lie about that—not to you. Nikki and Adam are my family. My feelings for her won’t change, but I have feelings for you too.”
The silence on the other end was deafening—painful. He could hear her breathing. When nothing came from her, he continued. “For the last hundred years I have worked my ass off to get to the top of this world, Alex. Nikki and Adam have been the driving force behind me, and I love them both, deeply. Our world, the mixing of races, it doesn’t bode well for anyone in my position to . . . Well, the Council expects certain things in return for its support. I agreed to their terms before I met you.”
“You don’t want to lose favor because of a human,” Alex replied. “I get it.”
“Do you?”
“This was a mistake,” she whispered, and Jason felt his heart drop.
“I know,” he whispered back, and it left a sour taste in his mouth. “I wish . . .”
“Don’t,” she interrupted. “Just makes this harder to do.”
“What? Wait!”
That was all he got out before she was gone. He showered and dressed, then headed for Adam’s office. With every step, Jason tried to clamp down the anger, but he knew by the time he reached the office it would be at a boiling point. It didn’t help that he kept going over the article in his head either.
Jasper Jake’s gossip blog was extremely popular with the supernatural set nowadays. He was the supernatural world’s equivalent of Perez Hilton. And, somehow, everything he wrote about came true. Jason rapped hard on Adam’s door then entered before he heard a reply.
“Have you seen this?” he asked as he dropped the device on the desk in Adam’s line of sight.
“Yes,” he replied as he pushed it back toward Jason. “I put it there.”
Jason swallowed enough bitter anger to choke a horse. As his sire, even now, Jason was obligated to show Adam respect. Even if it wasn’t always returned.
“Why?”
Without even a glance at Jason, Adam continued to stare at his giant monitor as if he wasn’t even there.
“Because it’s time. To everyone’s surprise, you have your seat in the Lower Chamber. Conner just notified us.”
Under different circumstances, Jason would have been overcome with delight at the news. But it didn’t matter because Adam had intentionally delivered the one-two punch so Jason wouldn’t start an argument.
One reason after another stood in the way of an official announcement of his engagement to Nikki. Over the past few months, he’d been inundated with email, and visits about this meeting. Once Alex entered his life, he wanted to delay it even longer. In the back of his mind he knew Adam would force his hand though.
“What has that got to do with making this public without my permission?”
As soon as the words escaped his lips, Jason begged them to come back. As Adam rose from the leather chair, his eyes burned through Jason.
“You really want me to answer that,” Adam said in a low tone of voice. “Or should I give you a chance to define ‘permission’ before I rip out your throat?”
He wasn’t going to apologize—Adam would lose his shit for sure if he did. Over the years, Jason had learned the hard way that Adam did not accept apologies. You made a mistake, you faced the consequence—period.
“The announcement should have come from Nikki and me. It may seem innocent to you, but this makes me look as if I can’t make any decisions without you, Adam. Not even when I marry. I worked my ass off to get that seat,” his voice rose. “No one handed that or anything else to me, ever!”
Adam’s right hand twitched with the sound of Jason’s shout. When he stepped away from the desk, Jason knew not to move a muscle. Adam pushed his hands into his pockets as he faced Jason fully.
“We had an agreement,” he stated calmly. “Once your appointment came through, you and Nikki would announce your engagement.”
“Had I known about one,” Jason replied, “I would have done the other.”
“Had you not been preoccupied with texting that . . . woman like a love-struck teenager, you might have noticed Conner’s email,” Adam proclaimed through gritted teeth.
Jason couldn’t stop the grin that emerged on his face. Now he knew what this was really about—Alex.
“Since when do you care who I take t
o my bed?” he continued to grin.
“Since it started to interfere with everything else,” Adam answered with a scowl.
“Like what?” Jason asked. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do. The meeting is set. I’m even meeting with Adelaide, as instructed.” He snapped his hand to his temple, clicked his heels together, and gave Adam a salute.
Again, he stopped himself from steppimg back when Adam moved forward. Now he could feel the immense power that always radiated off the Pure. It hummed against his skin now.
“Don’t say that like you’re doing me a favor,” Adam snapped at him. “Her vote helps us move forward. Helps you succeed! Don’t forget that!”
“I haven’t,” Jason snapped back. “But don’t you forget I’m not a child! I decide what happens in my private life—not you!”
“Careful,” Adam growled low.
“Or what? You’ll send me to my room without supper? You’ll rip my throat out? Do it! Better dust than a puppet on strings!”
“I am your sire, your maker! I gave you life eternal. You begged me to make you a vampire! You pledged to do as I instructed for a place in the Council, and you have it—because of me!” Adam barked.
“I agreed to follow the rules of business—and I did,” Jason hummed. “I sacrificed and fought hard for what I have. I played the game and won. I didn’t agree to have you control every aspect of my life.”
“I taught you that game,” Adam replied. “And I helped you in a fight or two, remember?”
“Yes, and I will be forever grateful, but I can handle this,” Jason stated.
“End it.”
“Why?”
Adam looked him in the eyes and Jason felt that power again. “Because I’m asking you to.”
“Do you think I’m the only member of the Council with a human lover?” Jason grinned. “I’m not naïve, Adam. Even the high and mighty Conner Gale has had a human or two.”
“That’s different,” Adam growled.
Jason began to let his confidence get the best of him. He leaned back against the desk, crossed his legs casually and smiled at his angry sire.
“Because I’m not of pure blood,” he sighed. “I wasn’t born a vampire.”
“Yes,” Adam answered as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You were not born but made! I said end this ridiculous tryst with that woman. You have too much to lose if you continue.”
“You mean you have too much to lose,” Jason said as he stood up straight again. “You have your precious reputation, of course. And there’s Conner’s favor to consider.”
“I don’t need Conner’s favor,” Adam snapped, “you do! End it!”
“No!” Jason barked with no thought as to the consequence. Before he blinked, Adam had Jason’s head between his solid hands. Out of instinct, he grabbed his wrists. The pressure on his ears lessened just a bit because of it.
“You can’t have her,” Adam growled in Jason’s face.
“I already have!”
His back slammed into the door before he could brace himself for the impact. Any harder and Adam would have put him through the heavy wooden door. It had been years since Adam had put his hands on Jason out of rage. Hard fought sparring matches were one thing. An all-out display of power was quite another—for Jason anyway.
Jason put everything he had into his punch. It landed squarely and snapped Adam’s head to the right. The loud crash of the crystal tumbler set as he slammed into it gave Jason a boost of confidence. His fist hurt like hell, but it was worth the healing of broken bone later. Before he could throw a jab, Adam’s paw of a left hand clamped around his neck. Jason dropped his fist in the bend of Adam’s arm, but that didn’t loosen Adam’s grip at all. In fact, it tightened.
“This is the Jason I know and love,” Adam hissed close to his face. “I’m done watching the other make a fool of himself over a human!”
Jason’s feet left the floor. Then his back slammed against the wall. This time what little air he had in his lungs jumped out and he slid to his knees. The taste of his own blood shot electricity through every limb. Back on his feet, two quick jabs sent Adam backward. He heard glass crunch under his feet as he got his balance again.
“Stop telling me what to do!” Jason barked as he delivered a swift and powerful roundhouse that caught Adam’s perfect chin. “Are you going to tell me what position to start with on my wedding night too?”
Adam smiled as he rubbed his chin, then licked at his bloody lip. “Do you want me to, or was that rhetorical?”
Jason had to laugh as he sat down on the edge of the desk and pulled in oxygen to fill his lungs. Adam tossed a bar towel at him. He grabbed a handful of ice and placed it in a towel for himself.
“Are we really fighting over her?” Adam moaned as he pressed the towel to his bruised chin.
Jason shook his head, but he was pretty sure they just had. His left hand throbbed and twitched as it began to heal. Blood, fresh and direct from the source, would speed it up.
“I need to take care of this,” Jason said as he stood up and held his hand to his chest. “Can we talk about this later?”
Adam followed him all the way to the winding staircase. Jason was wrapped in Adam’s arms before he could take another step.
“You are all I have, Jason,” he said in his ear, “you and Nikki. We can have everything we’ve ever desired if you would just trust me.”
“I do,” Jason answered, unable to pull free of Adam’s bear hug. Suddenly, Adam’s cold bloodied lips pressed to his cheek. Jason could smell Adam’s blood on his skin when he was pushed away.
Adam held Jason at arm’s length to look him in the eyes once more. Over the years, he’d accepted that Jason was the closest thing he had to a son. It only made sense for him to marry Nikki. They made more sense together than he and Alex.
Adam knew from the moment Jason laid eyes on Alex that there would be problems. Jason could never resist a woman who could take him or leave him. All of the women in Jason’s circle seemed to not be able to live without him. Alex seemed to not need anyone at all.
Jason was drawn to her arrogance and attitude. Nikki’s “definitive femininity” caught Jason’s eye, but Alex’s bold independence is what piqued his interest. Everything combined made Alexa Stone hard to compare to anyone else in his life.
Adam couldn’t deny Alex’s talent. He wouldn’t deny her differences, either. Something about her just wasn’t right. Both he and Conner agreed she had secrets, and vampires love secrets.
“Then end this relationship with Alex,” he sighed. “For your own good.”
He could see the question in Jason’s mind before it came from his lips.
“Her being human can’t be the only reason,” Jason sneered. “It never bothered you before.”
Adam released Jason and stepped back. He didn’t have the words to explain their suspicions. Conner noticed something when they met a few weeks ago. Something he couldn’t prove—not right now. So had Adam, but he had just thought it was his imagination. He and Conner couldn’t have imagined the same thing, could they?
When Jason spoke to Adam, his eyes were cast down. “Your plan worked—the announcement on the dark web. Alex already called to tell me we’re done. You win.”
“We all win,” Adam declared as he tried to take Jason in his embrace again. But Jason avoided Adam’s arms as he stepped back, bowed, and turned toward the staircase without another word.
Jason climbed the stairs in silence as Adam watched him disappear from view.
After he cleaned up the mess in his office, Adam showered, dressed, and left the house alone. The drive to Ashblood didn’t take long. His standing appointment was long overdue.
Chapter 4
Looking over the map of the new location for the meeting, Alex tried not to feel excited. It felt sort of stupid, but she was
amped about going on this mission now. After reviewing the original plan, it was decided that the castle wasn’t exactly a safe place for the meeting. There were too many caverns underneath to insure proper protection of the attendees and, logistically, it just sucked. And then the electrical fire kind of squashed that idea altogether, so they needed a new plan.
The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest became the new venue after a couple days of discussion with the Council. As the seat of the country’s government, it was easier to move around, spacious enough to accommodate all the attendees, and beautiful to boot. With long marble hallways and exquisitely decorated meeting rooms and offices, everything was already in place to host something of this magnitude. Best of all, it was close to all the hotels.
The team had to know every inch of the facilities and grounds by the time they landed.
When Ivy came out of the house with a drink in one hand and a bottled water in the other, Alex slipped the tablet back in the pack at her feet and pretended to study the pictures on Ivy’s laptop instead.
“You know,” Ivy hummed as she placed the water in front of Alex and sat down again, “you should maybe get a checkup before you leave, huh?”
“I’m good,” Alex shook her head as she looked over the wardrobe the team would wear during this assignment.
Their uniforms would be made from next generation fabrics that would adapt to almost any temperature. When their body temperatures rose above a certain level, the fabric would cool them. If it dropped, the fabric would warm them. Sebastian’s, of course, would have some design changes specific to the way his body worked, but everything was ready and working perfectly.
Body armor never looked so good. Cool leather jackets hid next generation Kevlar that would stop standard and modified ammo. Unless the odds were against them and someone hired a sniper, they were ready. They would be the best equipped bodyguards in the world.
“Are you nervous at all?” Ivy’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“A little, I guess,” Alex answered then turned the laptop in Ivy’s direction. “It’s been a long time.”
By Blood Sworn Page 4