Downs, Jana - Ravyn's Heart [Ravyn Warriors 2] (Siren Publishing Allure ManLove)

by Jana Downs

  “It’s been three days. Are you ever going to pick up the phone? Where are you? I was over at Alex’s yesterday, and everyone said you were gone, but you weren’t. I know you weren’t. Why won’t you talk to me? It’s just a phone call. You don’t even have to see me. Just…talk to me. Call me.” Beep.

  A great miserable sigh sounded. “Two weeks. I get it. I won’t call anymore. I’m sorry. Have a good life, Allasandro…. See you around.”

  Allasandro clutched his cell phone hard enough for the plastic to creak. The pain in the vampire’s voice cut at him. He didn’t know how much longer he could do this. He had stopped going out entirely. He’d stopped answering his cell phone. He’d stopped enjoying things. He felt like a part of his soul was missing.

  “Hey, Ally-cat,” Dageus greeted as he walked through the door. He was taking over from the night shift that Ally had worked. Dageus had warmed considerably over the past few days.

  “Hey.” His voice was hoarse. He hadn’t been sleeping well. Dageus searched his face for a moment.

  “You okay? You look…rough.” His best friend touched his cheek, worry creased his forehead. Ally shook it off. He reached up and rubbed his neck over the spot where Damian’s bite marks had healed. He felt empty. So damn empty.

  “I’m fine. Salvatore wants to uh…talk to you.” He rubbed his temples. He felt like his blood pressure was up or something.

  “Something important?”

  “Don’t know. He didn’t tell me what it was about. You still mad at me?” Ally wondered. He felt the bond between them thicken, and he experimentally reached out and gave it a push. It flared bright gold in his mind, and he felt his brother’s love echo back along the cord.

  “You know I forgive you, and I’m sorry I yelled at you.” Dageus gave him half a hug as Tony barked at him to get inside to start his shift. “We’ll talk later.” Ally nodded and shuffled off.

  * * * *

  “My lord?” Dageus called. Salvatore was nowhere in sight.

  “He’s in the bathroom,” Tony offered from this place on the other side of the fireplace. He pushed off the wall and walked up to the other Ravyn. “Heard you chitchatting with Allasandro. You two talking finally?”

  Dageus nodded. “Yeah. I know he didn’t mean to hurt me, and I overreacted to it. He was just being Ally-cat. Besides, he fixed it. Now Damian can find someone who he can love.”

  “That’s excellent news.” Salvatore added his voice to the conversation as he came out of the bathroom. “I’m glad you have made up with him because that is what I needed to talk to you about.” He motioned to the seat on the other side of his tea table. Dageus sat and nodded when Salvatore offered him tea. He was getting used to drinking the stuff with Alex around. Tony stood behind Salvatore’s chair, ever vigilant.

  “You were going to talk to me about Ally?” Dageus asked. It was unusual that Salvatore interfered in their individual tiffs. The Ravyns were grown men, and he allowed them to work out things amongst themselves.

  “Yes. I need the two of you to go on an errand for me, and I wanted to make sure you two were in accord so you could connect through the bond. The errand I’m talking about is rather dangerous, so I want you both prepared.” Salvatore took a sip from his cup.

  Now he had Dageus’s attention. The Ravyns didn’t often go on missions, and they certainly didn’t go now that Desmond, the King of Demontia and Salvatore’s sworn enemy, knew where they were. Salvatore was too vulnerable to be without the Ravyns for any length of time. The last mission they’d been on was when they’d first arrived on Earth and had to find lodgings for their Prince.

  “I’ve talked everything over with Anthony”—he nodded to Tony—“and we agreed that you and Allasandro are the best Ravyns suited for this mission.” Dageus wished Salvatore would just spit it out. He was making him nervous. “We need you two to go to the sacred caves in southern Demontia. Somewhere in the caves there is a package I need you to retrieve.” He extricated a piece of cloth out of his left jacket pocket and tossed it to Dageus. “Scent that.”

  Dageus snatched the cloth out of the air and immediately brought it to his nose. His nose was the best out of the bunch, and he was instantly assaulted by the smell of a demon. Deep plush orchids and fresh honey. An underlying hint of some sort of herb. Thyme? Maybe. It seemed old. Sage? That wasn’t quite right either. Probably an herb native to Demontia.

  “Who is this?” Dageus wondered. He knew he’d never smelled someone with this unique scent before.

  “His name is Theron. He’s the illegitimate son of my father’s brother.” Salvatore dropped the bomb without a hitch in his voice. Dageus’s mouth dropped open.

  “He’s your cousin? Like Desmond’s brother?” he asked incredulously.

  Salvatore nodded. “He is. He isn’t in line for the throne because he was never an acknowledged part of the royal family, but he’s recently reached out to me because Desmond is taking no chances with his throne. He’s sent Doves after him.”

  “How has he survived? Your father gave you specialized warriors to watch out for you after Desmond killed your uncle and stormed the palace. How has this kid lived that long?” Dageus wondered. The whole thing sounded suspicious to the Ravyn, and he knew Tony must be thinking the same thing because he felt the affirmation of his thoughts through his bond.

  “My uncle assigned him specialized warriors right before his death when Desmond was first showing signs of violent ambition. He called them Cranes. They took him to the East and hid him in a village there. It has worked only because Desmond’s most pressing focus for the past few centuries has been me. When I left Demontia, Desmond got even more paranoid, if that is possible. Long story short The Cranes are dead. All thirteen. He needs protection, and the leader of his Cranes sent me a message when the remaining Cranes dwindled down to him and one other. They managed to hide him in the caves with a knapsack with enough food to last two weeks. That’s how long you will have to find him and bring him here. You have the best nose out of the bunch, so you’ll be tracking him.”

  “By myself?” That didn’t seem like a normal mission to Dageus. Alex was not going to like this at all…

  “Of course not. That’s why I wanted to make sure you and Allasandro were all right. His mind is the strongest, and he’ll need that to reassure Theron that you are who you say you are. You’re strong together, and I trust the two of you to bring him here safe and sound. We’ll figure out what to do from then.”

  Dageus swallowed. This mission would be dangerous. They would be outnumbered, outgunned, and out of luck if the Doves found them before they found Theron. He glanced at Tony. The Leader of the Ravyns nodded to him. He must have agreed with Salvatore’s plan because he wasn’t raising his voice in argument, but he also knew that the leader of the Ravyns wasn’t too keen on the idea. He felt the discomfort down the bond.

  “When do we leave, my Prince?” Dageus asked, inclining his head in acknowledgement of his Prince’s command.

  “Tomorrow. Germany is coming to take over your shift now. Go spend the day with your vampire and try to relax. You’ll need your strength.” Salvatore paused. “Also, you could try and talk to Allasandro. He hasn’t been himself lately, and I’m sure your conversation would go a long way to relieving his mind about the state of your friendship.”

  Dageus nodded. “I’ll call him when Alex and I wake.” He stood and bowed to his Prince. “Thank you for your faith in me.” Salvatore reached out and petted Dageus’s bent head. Germany knocked on the door and was admitted to the room by Tony.

  “Go, my Ravyn. Enjoy your day off.”

  * * * *

  Allasandro wiped his mouth as he finished vomiting into the porcelain bowl in his set of rooms. He shuddered as his stomach rolled again. His grip on his cell phone tightened as he replayed the messages from Damian. The sound of the vampire’s voice soothed him for some reason. He was weakening. He didn’t know how much longer he could stay away from Damian at this point. The phone messag
es weren’t holding him over anymore.

  His forehead rested on the seat of the toilet, and he forced himself to breathe in and out. This didn’t feel like he’d lost a one-time fuck buddy. This felt like he’d lost his best friend. He wondered if Salvatore would let him borrow one of his discs of La Petite Morte’s performances that featured Damian.

  The knock on the bathroom door startled him from his misery. He staggered to his feet. “Hold on a minute!” he called. He twisted the knob of the sink and made like he was washing his hands. In actuality he was trying to drown himself in an effort to quiet his rioting stomach. He was lucky that most of the nausea had passed already.

  He swung open the door and was surprised to see Dageus standing there. “Hey,” he greeted, leaning against the doorframe. He knew he looked pale as a zombie and probably just as corpse-like in appearance. Dageus worried his bottom lip.

  “Hey, brother.” The other Ravyn looked him up and down. “You feeling okay? You look rough, and your wavelength feels a little sporadic.”

  “I’m sick to my stomach. I must’ve eaten something off,” Ally offered, tucking his phone into his pocket. He didn’t need to mention anything about Damian. Dageus would just get mad.

  “You’re having Bite Withdrawals,” Dageus stated, letting his gaze slide to Ally’s pocket where he’d hidden his cell phone.

  “What the hell is that?” Ally asked with a frown. He’d never heard of anything like that.

  “Bite Withdrawals are when a vampire drinks your blood during a particularly intimate moment. They tend to produce a special pheromone in their saliva that has an addictive quality. Most vampires as old as Damian have mastered the ability to control that release of chemicals, but he must’ve really lost control with you for it to have happened.” His green-and-gold eyes were filled with sympathy. “Alex has got carried away with me before and done that. It sucks. You must be really sensitive to be still feeling the effects. It usually lasts about a week.”

  Ally chose to ignore the whole conversation about Damian. “What are you doing here, brother? I thought you had guard duty this morning.”

  Dageus shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. “Right. Well, Salvatore has a mission for us tomorrow that I wanted to tell you about. We’re heading to Demontia in the morning, so try and get some sleep, okay? I’ll explain everything tomorrow morning.”

  “You have the night off? Spending it with Alex?” Ally wondered. He walked past his friend and into his bedroom. The familiar brown and teal décor always made him feel like he was staying at a fancy French hotel. Nothing in it was him. But, it was comfortable enough, so he didn’t complain.

  “Yeah. I already called him. We’re spending the day together in our room and then doing dinner out tonight. Figured we’d go shopping at the mall or something after.” His words were filled with warmth, and a bolt of jealousy nearly brought Ally to his knees. What happened to the days when Allasandro just needed a night out with a couple women to make his day complete? “It’s just the Withdrawals, Ally-cat,” Dageus said softly. “You’ll get back to normal soon.”

  Ally nodded but he really wasn’t so sure.

  * * * *

  Damian stared at the desk blankly, drumming his fingers on the wooden surface. He was getting no work done. The spreadsheets scattered across the polished expanse were days old. He never let the paperwork get this far behind. Santiago had put in yet another request for a repair for the third floor balcony of the theater. He needed to call his usual repair guys and get them working on that. But first he needed to do the spreadsheets so he’d know what his damn budget was, or else the accounts could get off and God knew what sort of disaster would follow after that. The vampire sighed loudly and gave up his attempt at getting actual work done.

  Instead, he swiveled his chair around and addressed the ugly gray metal file organizer behind his desk. He hadn’t looked in that thing in ages. It probably needed cleaning out. It could be just the thing to get his mind off of… Nope. Not thinking about the tightest ass he’d ever had. Not thinking about the delicious taste of his demon lover. His onetime demon lover. He would not be thinking about his name anytime soon. He’d made it painfully obvious that he didn’t want to see him anymore.

  He opened up the middle drawer on a whim and pulled it out. Stacks of manila folders greeted his eyes. Hmmm…these were pretty old. Ten years at least.

  “Huh.” These were files from Kal’s adoption. All these were personal files that he must’ve stuck in here for safekeeping. On impulse, he took one from the middle of the stack and flipped it open.

  He blinked as he read what was written there. He must’ve overlooked these during their move into the bigger apartment. He’d had a studio apartment back then with barely enough room for him and his own things. Forget the piles and piles of stuff that had come with a child. He smiled as he remembered the bright big green eyes of his son as he was brought into the house by the social workers. His best friend Emmet had passed away with his wife Diane at the hands of a rogue vampire only a few days before. They’d had no family, so the state had taken custody of the child until the will had been found. The funeral had just been that day, and Damian had organized it all. He had been in agony over the event, but the minute he’d seen that beautiful dark-haired child he’d felt a sense of purpose return to him.

  He bet Allasandro would be a great dad.

  Whoa. Where the hell had that thought come from? He’d never even thought of another man in that context. He’d been an idiot to give him his blood. Now he felt him. In his very cells, he felt him. This connection between them was more intense than it should’ve been. Everything was more intense between them than it should’ve been, and now, after a one-night stand, he was craving him like a man in the desert craving water.

  It was then he felt something in himself break. Like a rubber band stretched too far beyond its capacity, the connection between Allasandro and himself snapped. He clutched his chest in absolute agony. What the hell had just happened?

  Chapter Eleven

  “What do you mean he’s gone?” Damian demanded incredulously as the Prince of Demontia made his announcement. He’d come in after Damian had stormed into the house, demanding to see Allasandro immediately or else he was going to take the house down stone by stone. Some vampires had fled to fetch Alex, and the Ravyns had bristled around Salvatore like over protective bears over a cub.

  “As I’ve told you before, he’s gone on a mission for me to Demontia, and I’m not sure when he’ll be back. Time passes differently realm to realm, so I’m not sure of an exact time line.” Salvatore spoke in the same exasperated tone he usually reserved for Allasandro, who could be particularly obstinate at times. “Besides, I hardly think that is any of your business. From what I understand, you two do not have any sort of relationship that I am aware of.”

  Damian let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush. “I don’t give a damn what you’re aware of.” His heart was pounding, demanding he find Allasandro now. “I need to talk to him.” See him. Touch him. Take him. Make him mine.

  “As I’ve told you. He isn’t here.” Salvatore seemed to finally be getting annoyed with the impatient vampire. Good. Maybe then the idiotic Demon Prince would take Damian seriously.

  It was then Alex decided to walk in the front door. Relief was evident on Salvatore’s face. “Alexander, thank God! Please, tell your lunatic of a brother that Allasandro and Dageus have gone to Demontia and that we’re not harboring them under this roof just to annoy his insanity,” Salvatore pleaded, glaring at Damian. Damian’s eyes bored into his brother.

  The Master of Haven looked at his brother like he’d lost his mind. “He wasn’t lying to you, Damian. Dageus left just this morning. I’m sorry, brother. He isn’t here.”

  Damian’s whole body started trembling. Kalel and Allasandro. Gone. “I need to see them. Need to… Alex, please…” Unwanted tears filled his eyes, and he blinked rapidly to clear them. Alex was instantly before him,
sensing his stress.

  “Let’s go to my room, Damian,” he murmured in a soothing voice meant to comfort. “We can talk there.” Damian gave a staccato nod. In the next second they were gone.

  * * * *

  “Sit down, brother,” Alex demanded softly, pushing Damian into the plush couch that was opposite his bed. The room still smelled like his and Dageus’s lovemaking from this morning, but it couldn’t be helped. “Talk to me, Damian. The pain is written all over your face. Kal will be back. I promise. You know I wouldn’t let him out of my sight unless I was sure he would be safe.”

  “What about Allasandro? He…I never got to tell him… Gods, why are they both gone?” Damian was trembling hard against the soft expanse of cushion. Anxiety was a living, breathing creature inside of him.

  “If you were human, I’d say that you need to take a Prozac,” Alex joked, petting Damian’s head. It was unusual that his older brother was so emotional, but then, whenever the emotion involved his son, it was to be expected that he would break apart. They’d nearly lost him when they’d lost Kal.

  “I don’t need a Prozac. I need Allasandro back now. I need Kal to be home where he’s safe,” Damian snapped. Alex’s eyes narrowed.

  “Why do you care so much about the other Ravyn? I know you slept with him, but that used to mean very little to you. Do you like him, Damian? I mean as more than a one-night stand.”

  “Yes, I like him!” Damian glared. “What have I been saying all this time? Christ. The two people I care most about in the world were sent off to God knows where on some dangerous mission in a hostile land, and no one even informs me!”