“Isn’t that in essence who he’ll be to us anyway?” Asa asks. “We don’t know him now. We only have the distant past in common. He’ll be a weird guy who does magic until we get to know him better.”
“I remember those times,” Pat says. “Justin always was a bit of a prick way back when.”
Asa straightens and tosses the ball at Pat’s head. “Come on, man. Is that really fair? He was put in charge of us when we were little and our mom couldn’t be bothered. What we really needed was a babysitter to keep us in line, not a sibling too close in age to be respected.”
Jon shakes his head. “So that’s it? You guys have already accepted as truth that this guy is your brother?”
I look to Asa, whose expression remains stoically neutral, as usual, but I still feel as if I can read him like I used to as kids. And my gut is telling me, yeah… that’s it. We trust that it’s really him. Like Vivian said, Fate’s a funny bitch. Or something like that.
I smile at our alpha. “Yeah, pretty much. Acceptance is like that, you know? Kind of makes the quirky weird stuff that’s happened the past two years a little easier to handle.”
Asa clears his throat and directs his next question to Jon. “Speaking of quirky weird stuff, what were you babbling before the meeting—something about Rafe?”
“Oh, yeah,” I nod. “What the hell was that?”
Jon looks toward the closed door, probably weighing whether or not the couple is listening to us. By my guess, they’re upstairs now and we’ve got the sound-proofed, secure command center to keep our conversation private. We should be able to speak freely. “I think he’s gaining vampire traits—as in more strength and mad skills. Like he’s evolving to share more of Vivian’s traits.”
“Get out!” Pat says. “That would be some crazy-ass shit.” He smirks and burps, pleased with himself, then scrunches his face up in disbelief. “Come on. Be real.”
I snag the stress ball from the floor and aim it at Pat, who sees me and quiets. “Hold up, now. Don’t dismiss Jon out of hand. He’s known them for years. He would pick up on changes and inconsistencies a lot faster than we would.”
Asa leans back in his chair, looking like he’s contemplating what Jon said. “I think Jon may be on to something. I’ve noticed odd things along those lines, too. He’s incredibly fast while sparring—like he’s not fully human. And he hits like a freakin’ tank. But as I haven’t been here as long as you, I wasn’t positive he didn’t have the abilities before.”
Pat’s face takes on a pensive expression. “Okay, just for shits and giggles—what kind of other ‘Vivian’ traits is he manifesting, Jon?”
Jon rubs a hand on the table in a circle, not meeting our eyes. “I can’t be sure, but I think he’s developing the ability to mentally control humans.”
“Snap!” Pat exclaims. “No shit?”
I shoot Pat a look, and ask Jon, “How can he manifest a vampire ability if he hasn’t turned into a vampire yet?”
“My assumption is it’s due to the blood he drinks from her. And that maybe he’s been drinking more lately.”
“Is there like a limit on how much a human should drink?” I ask.
Jon shakes his head. “I have no idea. That’s out of my experience. I know there’s lots of cases of vampires becoming addicted to wereblood and the crazy behavior that can follow. But as far as how much a human bonded mate could safely consume and not become an addict? I haven’t a clue.”
Asa glances away, toward the desk, and I wonder if he’s thinking of Joanna, the crazed vampire he killed a few months ago, who wanted a steady stream of Vivian’s blood. She tried to convince him they should capture and slowly drain our master vamp to increase their power. Needless to say, Asa is quite loyal, if a little quick on the draw. She’s dead now due to her traitorous suggestion.
“We already know vamp blood can be addictive to vampires, too,” Asa responds. “That’s why the old ones are so careful with who they’ll share with and how often.”
“Should we be worried?” I press, tension tightening the muscles in my back and neck. “Should ‘we,’ meaning you, Jon, talk to Vivian about it?”
Jon shoots me a dirty look. “Oh, hell no. You really think me, or anyone, questioning an ancient vamp on what she does in private with her spouse is going to go over well?”
“Okay,” I concede, “good point. So, what do you suggest?”
“How about we all keep our eyes and ears open and you guys let me know if you’re ever worried about your safety, Rafe’s, or anyone else’s. I don’t claim to understand all the nuances of their relationship, and truth be told, I have no experience with other vampires and bonded mate pairings to compare, but I think he’s stable. As in, not likely to go bat shit and kill anyone.”
Pat perks up, sitting straighter in his chair. “Hey, I just thought of something. Could he be a ‘living-vampire’? Like a human-turned-vampire who hasn’t died yet? I think I saw that term in a book once.”
“Dude, you read?” I say with a grin. “I’m impressed.”
My buddy flips me the bird in response. “Fuck off, man. I read and shit.”
Jon appears thoughtful, ignoring our banter. “I don’t know. But the theory of a living vamp is as good as any.”
The sound of footsteps descending the old stairs reaches our enhanced hearing, soon followed by the slide of the concrete wall door, effectively ending the rest of our musings.
“Hi,” Rafe greets us, laden with a big box full of books and an old flatbed scanner. He looks around at our little gathering and smiles while shoving his burden onto a clear stretch of desktop. “You ready for the mail run tomorrow, Eric?”
Pat and I have been taking flying lessons from Drew, and the weekly trips down to Fairbanks to collect mail, specialty food supplies, and other deliveries, has been great for accumulating the required flight hours to complete our license.
“Yes, sir,” I reply as he draws a chair from the wall to join us. “The plane is already fueled up. We’ll do our last pre-flight checks tomorrow morning and be in the air around nine.”
Rafe picks up a book and examines the spine. “Good. Glad to hear it.” He sets it back down and begins attaching cables to the scanner. “How close are you two to being finished?”
“I’m about three quarters of the way done.” I look at Pat. “You’re about halfway?” He nods. “At the rate we’re going, we should both be fully licensed before the snow hits.”
“Great. That’ll come in handy when the tourist season starts again and we need pilots for supply runs.”
Jon edges toward the door. “I’ve got to get back to take care of the dogs, see you guys later.”
“Hey,” I say after looking around, “where is the pup? I didn’t see her leave.”
“Vivian called her up with us,” Rafe replies. “Jon, can you check on her, see if she needs to go out?”
Jon’s jaw clenches, and he takes a deep breath. “Sure. I’ll run her and put her back in the kennel.”
The werewolf quickly looks to Asa, his eyes widening, as if realizing what he said after the fact.
Rafe’s forehead creases. “I thought she was staying with Asa?”
“Uh, yeah,” my brother says without missing a beat. “But, er, uh, she’s been fine with the other dogs, too.” He refrains from saying anything else, as if it just occurred to him he might have stepped into the middle of an issue by talking about the new dog. I wonder what the issue might be.
Rafe picks up on it as well. “Am I missing something, guys?” He looks to each of us in turn, waiting for one of us to speak. “You know, regarding the dog?”
“No,” the three of us say all at once.
Sure, that wasn’t awkward or anything.
Asa tries to salvage the situation, as Jon looks like he’s ready to scream and run from the room. “I didn’t want to get too attached to her, knowing she’d be going back to her foster family soon anyway. So, it’s no big deal to me where she stays. How about you, J
on?”
“She’s a dog. She’ll be fine. I’ve got to go. Get the dogs squared away. Vivian is expecting me.” And with that, he walks out, effectively ending anymore conversation on the subject.
Geez, that’s certainly one way to avoid a topic.
Boss man looks toward us for a second longer before nodding and says, “Okay.” Then he returns his attention to the task at hand and begins to rifle through the old, musty books again. “Let’s get started on these. Okay with you, Asa?” My brother nods and Rafe’s gaze travels after Jon’s exit. “I need to head back upstairs for something and I’ll be back in a few.”
“Yeah, sounds great, boss. Catch you two later, bros.”
And with that, Pat and I are summarily dismissed. Well, it’s late anyway. Might as well go see what what’s on TV. Or maybe see who’s on duty in the kitchen. I could always eat.
CHAPTER FOUR
VIVIAN
Jon stopped in a moment ago, as requested, for me to read his mind on the list he saw in Buenos Aires, took one look at Asa’s dog curled up at my feet and called her out of the office, saying she needed to go out before bed and he’d be happy to take her out. Maybe he’s trying to get to know the animal a little better, I don’t know, and frankly, I’m a bit too on edge to worry about his issues over a new dog on the resort.
My foot jiggles against the desk, creating a thumping sound, as I contemplate how to handle the upcoming situation. I need to delicately pick my way through Jon’s mind, avoiding what he doesn’t want me to see, while trying to respect his privacy as best I can.
Rafe enters, and takes a seat on the edge of the desk, glancing at my jittery foot.
“Really, darling? You’re nervous about reading the mind of your werewolf servant?”
Frustration forms a grimace on my face before I purposefully push it away. “How can I not be? There’s got to be a reason why he hasn’t told us who he’s involved with and why. That means both of us need to give the man some space.” I smooth back my hair, tucking a loose tendril behind one ear, and will myself to stop worrying. “He’s fine. I know it. That means I need to back off. Love won’t blossom with a master vampire looking over your shoulder.”
“So… you are nervous.”
“Because it’s important, dammit! I need to uncover what he knows regarding that damn list they had, and yet somehow, still avoid everything he’s hiding that I desperately want to know. Trying not to reveal a private thought is worse than a bull in a china shop trying not to do damage, and is more like an innocent trying not to see boobs in a nudist colony.”
“Do what you’ve always done. Don’t anticipate trouble.” He rubs a broad hand over my shoulders. “You’ve got this. Go slow and easy. There’s no rush. We have all night.”
My mind drifts to our bedroom down the hall. “Hopefully, not all night. I’d like to get reacquainted with our bed soon.”
Rafe stills his hands and leans down to my ear. “Are you suggesting what I hope you’re suggesting, or are you in need of a restorative sleep?”
I reach up and clasp his hand on my right shoulder. “Are you up for it, old man?”
“Old—” he starts in, as a knock sounds at the door.
“Come in,” I call out, a smile spreading across my face. Jon opens the door and steps in, closing it behind him.
“I’m ready,” he says in a low tone. “Go easy on me,” he adds, with a smart-ass grin on his face.
“Puh-lease,” I say with emphasis, dragging the sounds out. “Like I’ve ever messed around in your head and hurt you before.”
He nods, traveling deeper into the room, to plop down on the soft leather couch. “True enough. You haven’t.” He winks at me. “Yet.”
I stand and shake out the last of the tension in my legs. I can do this. I can slip into his brain and avoid looking at his deep, personal memories. Why is this so hard? I’ve had to go into people’s heads all the time—for centuries—and plenty of them had secrets they wanted to keep from me, which I allowed. Just because you can read everything in a person’s head doesn’t mean you should.
Rafe projects privately to me, Yes, but you didn’t care about them or their petty secrets. This time you do. You care about the man and you care about who is tugging on his heart strings. You also care about his privacy. You respect him. You’ll do fine.
Thanks. I know I’m not myself lately. And self doubt is not usually in my wheel house. This is just another indicator of my being out of sorts after the silver torture.
And a clarification just occurred to me, easing my worry.
Jon hasn’t seen his new love interest the past few weeks while we were gone, so anything dealing with her physically would take place before he saw the list Rolando and Persephone had in Buenos Aires. Which means I should be safe to access his recent recollections.
Reluctant to delay any longer, I take a seat next to the joke-cracking, nervous werewolf. Unlike me, his nerves are broadcast through his scent and his poor attempts at humor. Even if he looks calm, cool, and collected, he stinks of sour anxiety and nerves. Granted, it’s a subtle stink, but any supe worth their salt would pick up on it.
“Relax, Jon. You know this won’t hurt.”
“Relax? Why wouldn’t I be relaxed?” He titters, a tiny awkward sound escaping him. “Of course, I’m relaxed.”
“Uh-huh,” Rafe says, taking my recently vacated seat behind the desk. “How about I’ll write down the names as you call them off?” He reaches for the lined yellow pad on the far side of the desk.
I settle back into the deep cushions of the couch and reach out a hand to clasp one of Jon’s. “Sit still. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Don’t try to guard your thoughts. I’ll do my best to respect your privacy.”
The jumpy werewolf nods, performing one last audible gulp before closing his eyes.
His warm fingers lie beneath my cooler ones, emitting a twitch before lying motionless.
I follow my own advice and take a deep breath, releasing it as I push my consciousness toward him, slipping easily into his familiar mind.
Instantly, I’m bombarded with images of the new dog Asa’s caring for, but they’re all tinged with anger and annoyance as well. Huh. I wouldn’t have thought an employee getting a dog without checking with him first would leave such a strong impression on his mind. Unwilling to waste time, I push past the recent images and plunge deeper, sliding back toward the night in Rolando’s apartment, where the evil dynamic-duo plundered my mind like a bunch of kids would a bowl of Halloween candy left out on a porch.
His memories of seeing me incapacitated and in pain are disturbing, as are his fear and emotions intertwined with the memory. I steel my resolve and slow down, examining each moment in a slower than real speed, so as not to miss the moment the list is visible to Jon’s eyes.
After a few minutes, my diligence pays off. I start rattling off names, hearing the scratch of pencil on paper indicating my husband is taking notes. The last name is no surprise; it’s Cy’s. And now that we know he tried to crack into Asa’s head the last time he was here, it means he’s in danger.
I pull my awareness back, and carefully extricate myself from his sense of self and his mind. The couch dips next to me and Rafe touches my thigh to ground me.
“You did well, hon. Forewarned is forearmed.”
I release Jon’s hand and pat Rafe’s hand resting on my leg. “Yes. It is. Let’s have a look at those names.”
“Did you get it?” Jon asks. “I think I drifted off to sleep for a little bit there.”
I give him a warm smile, grateful I was able to respect his privacy and not dig into his mind to discover who he’s been dating. “You done good, kid.”
Rafe hands the pad to me and I scan the names. “Dead. Dead. No clue on this one,” I say, pointing to a woman’s name I vaguely recall from two centuries ago. “Or these two. Another Dead. And as I’d feared, Cy Whitfield. Dammit. What are the chances they’ve already gone after him?”
&nb
sp; “Wouldn’t we have heard something from him if trouble came his way?” Jon asks.
Rafe taps the notebook on his knee, my earlier feelings of anxiety obviously passed to him now that the task is over and we have the data we needed. “Not necessarily. What if he was taken unawares?”
“Then we’d have heard from Cali,” I remind him.
“What if they were both taken?” Jon presses, unwilling to let it go.
I shrug. “There’s no way to know exactly what Persephone would have done—or if they wanted him dead or alive. Rather than sit here and guess what type of ill could have befallen my last turn, why not call him and warn him?”
“On it,” Rafe says while reaching for the phone. After he picks it up, he checks the clock on the wall. “Shit, it’s past dawn in New York. And I bet Cali isn’t awake either.” He hangs up and makes a note on his pad. “I’ll call him again later today, and if I don’t reach him, I’ll have Asa follow up.”
“Okay,” I say, releasing the tension inside me. “That’s at least a step in the right direction. Let’s get these other names to Asa and see what he can uncover.”
Rafe nods, taking his notebook with him when he stands. “Are you bringing food back here for Mariposa tonight, Jon?”
The werewolf immediately tenses and I have to hold back the urge to press him for what’s wrong. Why is he reacting so strongly whenever we mention this dog? What is he hiding? A thought occurs to me, but I dismiss it. We’ll just have to wait and see.
“Uh, I wasn’t planning on it,” he says. “It’s late. I’m sure Asa fed her before we even landed. I let her out before, to do her business. More than likely she’ll head back to the kennel with the other dogs. I’ll, uh, bring the food over tomorrow.”
And with that, he bolts out of the office. I don’t know what’s up with him, but since I haven’t been myself lately, it’s probably best we give him space and let him work it out on his own.
“That was weird,” Rafe says. “Should we be worried? The guys downstairs acted odd about the dog before.”
“Really? Huh. What about?”
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