by Joey W. Hill
No, we can't keep her. Sure, you’ll promise to feed and walk her. But I know who’ll end up taking care of her.
Rand curled a lip at him, that sneer that made Cai want to do all sorts of things to him, but as the wolf continued to look worried, he sighed.
"She'll be okay. And she knows she can call on us if ever she has need, right?"
Rand nodded. Daegan had emerged from the car with Gideon, and Cai and Rand followed them a few steps away, where they weren’t infringing on the family reunion. Rand spoke in a low voice.
“What happens when he…when he can’t be overlord anymore?”
“Lady Lyssa and the Council are very mindful of what is happening with Georg,” Daegan answered. “Though his illness has been concealed as much as possible, word is spreading. The Council has made it clear that any who act to inappropriately take his title from him will face Lyssa’s displeasure. When she transitions him out of the role, the Council will ensure he and his family are well protected.”
“Will Leona go with him?” Cai told himself not to ask, not to reveal he was as worried about the girl as Rand was. Overnight, they thought they were a pair of big brothers.
“Yes,” Daegan said, exchanging a glance with Gideon as if they’d discussed how much information could safely be risked with Cai and Rand. Cai felt oddly gratified that the decision was in their favor. “She loves her daughter dearly, but he is her Master. She cannot bear to be separated from him, and if she remained in our world, she would have to become bound to another vampire who might or might not have Dovia’s best interests at heart. Dovia will become heir to her father’s holdings and officially be designated Lyssa’s ward, for her protection, until she has the strength to hold those assets on her own.”
“From what I’ve seen of that girl’s strength of will, that’ll be about a minute or two from now,” Cai observed.
Gideon grunted an assent, his eyes glinting. “She’s one tough little lady. And look out, she’s coming back this way.”
“Probably to hug Rand one more time.” Cai started to retreat for the car, but Rand curled his fingers around his elbow, holding him. Cai shot him a scowl, but since the alternative was a juvenile wrestling match in front of Daegan and Gideon, he held his ground as if he meant to stay, rather than preferring to bolt like a rabbit.
Sure enough, Dovia hugged Rand, speaking softly in his ear. She had to stretch up on her toes to manage that, even with him bending over to accommodate her. But then she turned to Cai.
For a long moment they studied one another, a couple feet between them. Before he realized he was doing it, he’d run a light fingertip over the peach fuzz on one side of her head. She self-consciously followed the motion with her own hand, brushing his. “My parents wanted to thank you personally, but I knew you’d hate that, so I told them it was best to send a note.”
“Yeah. I’ll work on that address thing.”
“They haven’t thought of that yet, so you better make your escape while you can,” she said with a faint smile. While tinged with a sad tiredness, it held peace and relief, too. Reaching up, she slid a hand along his face. In involuntary reaction to being touched without his say-so, he gripped her wrist, but he didn’t push her away, and she didn’t stop stroking his cheek. Her legs trembled some, and suddenly Rand was behind her, steadying her with hands on her shoulders.
She kept her eyes on Cai. "You know what you told me, about not letting them take away my ability to love whomever I want to?”
“I think I said ‘fucking want to.’”
That faint smile came again, but it didn’t detract from the seriousness of her gaze. “You should take your own advice."
She tossed a meaningful look upward, indicating Rand, without letting the wolf see the look. Then she hugged Cai’s stiff body, gave him and Rand one more poignant smile, and returned to her parents, and her world.
Chapter Nineteen
As they were pulling out of the long drive, Cai’s thoughts were turning to where Daegan and Gideon could drop them. Daegan had other ideas.
When he sat back and surveyed Cai from head to toe, it was with an unsmiling look that instantly put Cai on guard.
“Lady Lyssa has requested”—the vampire said it with the type of stress that Cai immediately understood as required, commanded, get-your-ass-down-here or I’ll fuck it up good —“that you attend her at Council headquarters in Savannah before you depart. Her plane has been made available to us to shorten the trip, and she says once she has spoken to you, commended you on your help in this matter, that you can request any destination of your choosing.”
“But we have to see her first before we’re free to go.”
“She said you had an interest in Lord Graham’s status and whereabouts. She has that information.”
“She could text me. Or I’m sure I can find him on my own in another hundred years or so. Or he’ll be dead. I really don’t care if I’m the one who kills him. Dead is dead.” Not exactly true, but he wasn’t going to be bribed or baited. Or manipulated in any way. This was why getting in bed with Council vampires was like stepping into the mouth of a giant killer shark who promised not to bite.
“Cai,” Rand said. He was sitting next to Cai, his warmth and strength near. “You did an amazing thing. Let her say thank you. Let them thank you.”
“Having lots of friends and family is important to you. Not to me. I don’t need to do this. You can go in my stead like an ambassador or some damn thing. Maybe she’s going to give you a key to Vampire City. Don’t really care. It won’t mean anything. It never does.”
He knew their departure from Dovia’s had tripped his asshole switch, but he really didn’t deal well with good-byes and transitions. He thought of Dovia, standing there with her two parents, so straight and tall, because she couldn’t afford to be anything different. No matter how she’d been abused and raped. Then he thought of himself, nearly falling apart the first time Rand had fucking spooned with him.
“I’ll tell you what the plan is,” he said abruptly to Daegan. “Drop me off here at this convenience store coming up. Let Rand out wherever he wants to go so he can get back to Fane and his family where he belongs, and we all say how nice it was to meet one another, blah, blah, blah. Unless you want to drag my bloody body before her the same way Greenwald did.”
Daegan’s impassive expression showed no more reaction than if he’d been a brick wall. “She doesn’t require that. If you don’t wish to accept her gratitude, then I’ll do as you prefer. But I think you’ll want to hear what she has to say. A vampire can’t have too many allies in this world, and your actions in the past few days have won you quite a few.”
“You know what allies are? People who sucker you into thinking you can trust them, until they turn on you because something that’s better for them but worse for you happens and they don’t see the need for the alliance anymore.”
Is that how you see our alliance? Rand’s voice in his head had a deceptive calm to it, though the blue eyes were glinting ominously. Our mission together is done, so our bond is no longer necessary?
Cai had stepped in it, but he wasn’t backing down. No, it’s not. Just the simple truth. On second thought, we do need to go to the big fancy Council headquarters. The queen can pat me on the head for a job well done, and Lord Brian can separate us. You can be on your way. Go make a million puppies with Cilya, who looks at you like you’re a steak with a box of Milkbones and a squeaky toy on top.
Because he was. And Cilya and Rand would make beautiful pups. More simple, detestable truth.
Rand stared at Cai, then turned his attention to Daegan. “Will you ask Rasheed to stop the car, please?”
Daegan nodded. Rasheed pulled into the convenience store parking lot, pulling into the back, where there was a small natural area and a copse of trees to provide some privacy.
Ironically, Rand noted it was an area for travelers with pets, where they could take their dogs out to relieve themselves. Oh, he was about to rel
ieve himself all right. The shit was going to hit the fan. A very pain-in-the-ass, one-fanged fan.
He slid out of the limo and bent to look in at Cai. “You wanted to be let out,” Rand said pleasantly. “So get out of the fucking car.”
Cai’s attention snapped to him. Rand slammed the door before he could reach for it, and marched away toward the grassy area.
Inside the limo, Cai’s expression darkened. He turned the latch and shoved out, slamming the door with equal force. Fortunately, not a vampire’s force, or they would have had to explain why the limo was returned to the Savannah headquarters with a crumpled door that wouldn’t open.
Gideon stretched out his long legs and yawned. “That’s going to be an ugly conversation.”
“Hmm,” Daegan said. “First time I’ve heard the wolf curse like that.”
“Yeah, takes a bit to rile him. Reminds me of someone else I know.” Gideon moved to the spot the two had vacated. “I’ll keep an eye on them in case they need an intervention. Might draw some attention if they get into a fight.”
“Good thinking.” Daegan braced his shoe against the seat between Gideon’s spread knees, one toe under his thigh. Gideon’s hand naturally fell on his shin as a resting spot, fingers curled to stroke Daegan over the black slacks he was wearing. “While you do that,” the vampire said, “I’ll call Anwyn and give her an ETA she can pass on to Jacob.”
“Sounds like a plan. Though we might not know what the ETA is, until these two sort this out.”
“They’ll either stay here or come with us. Should be no more than a fifteen-minute difference either way.” Daegan’s lips quirked. “As Anwyn has pointed out, a disagreement between males rarely takes more than five or ten minutes to sort out, since it’s usually resolved with a shared beer or one knocking the other unconscious.”
“She says that like it’s something annoying. Why she thinks women chewing on a conflict for hours is the better way is beyond me. But it’s okay. She’s so damn hot when she puts her hands on her hips and lectures us on being male and therefore stupid, I’m not filing any complaints.”
Daegan smiled, a rare but brilliant gesture that caught Gideon’s attention as it always did, tripping his heart up a few notches. The vampire noticed as he always did, his eyes heating and his toe moving to stroke the inseam of Gideon’s jeans. It had Gideon thinking that it would be good to get to Lyssa’s Savannah estate sooner rather than later.
“Agreed, vampire hunter. While other vampires are less shy about these things, I would prefer to have you and Anwyn to myself when I get you bare-assed and at my mercy.”
Amen to that. Gideon assumed indifference, which he knew Daegan could read as a complete lie, but focused out the window, hoping these two got their shit together sooner than later. And didn’t knock one another unconscious to do it, but if they did, they could drag the bodies back into the vehicle and be on their way within the fifteen-minute range. Win-win.
Rand strode into the copse of trees, out of sight of the limo occupants. Cai beat him there, stepping in front of him to bring him up short and square off. “What’s got your panties in a bunch?” he demanded. “That I told the truth?”
Cai should have seen it coming. He could be in the guy’s mind, after all. Instead his head snapped back from a punch that was like being hit by a hammer. He stumbled and landed on his ass, though he was on his feet in a blink and had Rand shoved against a tree, pinned there with an arm on his throat and his one fang bared at him. But Rand’s teeth were already showing, his eyes blazing with an unexpected level of fury.
The shifter could have fought back, pit strength against strength, but he went with an even more devastating tactic. He used words, a flood of raw, honest feeling.
“No. You didn’t tell the truth. You spout this bullshit until it overflows on everyone around you. Great way to shove away those who care about you.”
“It’s like Dr. Phil and Captain Obvious had a baby. Thanks so much for the news flash.” Cai thrust away from him and stood back. “If only telling people why they act the way they do would actually change them. It doesn’t. People are the same assholes they always are, even when they try to act like enlightened, self-aware assholes. I don’t see the need to make the effort.”
“That’s what you want everyone to believe.” Rand snarled it. “So here’s a news flash for you. You saved a girl no one else could save. You saved my life, helped me see there are things worth living for again. You’ve protected me whenever I’m threatened. You’ve opened yourself up to me when you feel things you don’t want others to see.”
Rand moved in and clamped a hand on the back of his neck. Cai countered with a grip on his forearm, but Rand tightened his own hold so he’d have to cause harm to dislodge him. “You have trouble with people acknowledging that you can be a decent person, that’s fine. But do not, under any fucking circumstances, paint me as a traitorous backstabber to fortress yourself against betrayal, when you know that wall is already crumbling. I’ve done nothing to deserve that.”
You will, Cai thought desperately. But that was his shit, wasn’t it? Rand was right. Just because the male did deserve to be with a wolf family, wasn’t something that made him disloyal to Cai. This had never been about a Master-servant relationship, and hell, he didn’t even know what that was anyhow, did he? It had all been circumstances, need, choices limited to what would suit the mission objective. Keeping Rand alive, then getting Dovia back safe. Rand hadn’t chosen him, and who would, anyway?
This was his deal, his shit. He needed to step away from it. Appreciate the male while he could, and damn well treat him the way he deserved. Cai could do that.
Rand looked poised to fight some more. Cai knuckled the blood off his lip. Hell of a punch. He reached toward Rand’s face. The male tensed, as if expecting a wrestling move, but when Cai touched him, his eyes took on a wary, surprised look.
“I’m sorry,” Cai said. “I tend to have to say that a lot around you. You’ve been nothing but a true friend and comrade, Rand. The closest thing I had to that after I got with the Trads was Lodell, and to say that was a dysfunctional relationship doesn’t describe the half of it. You’re right. That shit spills over, but if you can believe it, I really don’t want you to be covered in it. I’m not good at any of this, never will be. But I do think you’re one of the best, most honorable males I’ve ever met. Even if you have a shedding issue I really think you need to address.”
Rand’s lips tightened. His expression warred with hurt and anger, exasperation, some resignation, and a tenderness Cai didn’t think he could bear to see. So he closed the distance between them and kissed the male, pushing him toward the tree until his back hit it. This time, when Rand’s hands gripped him like he would take Cai to the ground or back him off, Cai increased the strength of his hold. They could fight about it, or Rand could let him keep him against the tree as long as Cai damn well pleased.
As Cai leaned in, nuzzling Rand’s throat, he felt every part of his own body tighten when Rand made his decision. The wolf turned his head, gave him free access. Even pissed, the male responded to him, responded to his needs, and he could feel Rand’s wonder at that, a reaction that only added to his own.
“As long as we’re laying down ultimatums,” Cai said, “if you ever talk to me like that in front of other vampires again, I’ll fuck you in front of them just to underscore who’s got control here. You got me, wolf?”
Cai let him see it in his mind in nice visual detail, adding some lurid touches that proved the threat of discipline very much overlapped with his own personal fantasies involving Rand.
A quiver went through the shifter’s muscles. It made it even worse for Cai when he saw that the idea of Cai branding Rand in such a possessive way wasn’t entirely displeasing to his servant.
That knowledge also seemed to startle Rand, though. Maybe it was a vampire talent, revealing a servant’s deepest, darkest fantasies, and exploiting the hell out of them for mutual benefit. Cai had pic
ked up the hints from Lyssa, but hearing about it and being the direct beneficiary of it…no contest. He wanted to do it right here and now, but he had enough presence of mind to know it was hardly the time or place.
Plus, taking Rand down was a hard, ugly fight with no guarantee of victory, though he might have a slightly increased advantage because of Rand’s bum leg. Rand had stayed steady during their toe to toe, but Cai could detect the change in balance, the way he was bracing his weight more on the good leg.
He wouldn’t play dirty if he could help it. Fortunately, Rand’s hunger, held at bay for the past couple days while they took care of Dovia and put her first, came surging right up when Cai let himself feel the same need.
As he took Rand’s mouth, hard and hungry, and pushed against his body, feeling every powerful, equally hungry inch of it, he received a comparable response. He’d told Rand about the vampire libido. Cai hadn’t mentioned it could be stoked beyond that ten times ratio to about a hundred, when someone they considered theirs got in their face and challenged that same vampire. As a result, fuck it—he wasn’t going to deny himself.
He shoved Rand down onto his hands and knees, though he made sure it wasn’t a hard descent. Rand would say he was coddling him, but fuck it twice. Cai wasn’t going to do something worse to that leg. But he could unleash his more demanding side other ways.
“Shirt off and get the jeans off your ass, or I’ll tear them,” he said, sharp and short.
Rand pulled the shirt over his head. He’d barely gotten the zipper down on the jeans before Cai was on him, pulling the pants the rest of the way down to his muscled thighs. No underwear beneath, thank you Jesus.
Dropping to his knees behind him, Cai reached under Rand and captured his cock. A double thank you for the steel heat of it. Cai worked the shifter’s shaft with ruthless, stroking intent, giving Rand no time to take a breath, to grab onto anything but what the vampire would let him hold.