by N M Thorn
Cole turned on his heels and headed into the bathroom without any objections. He felt too drained to argue with her. Even more so, he didn’t want to speak about what had happened. So, he opened the shower, took his underwear off and stepped under the cool water without waiting for it to warm up. Leaning his back against the wall, he bowed his head to his chest and folded his arms, allowing the water to wash over his hair and run down his chest.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood like this, but when he felt a gentle touch to his arm, he flinched and opened his eyes. Ace stood in front of him, water plastering her black hair to her bare shoulders. Without her masculine boots and black clothes, she looked smaller and more delicate than usual. His lips parted as he gazed down at her, his mind getting fogged with desire for a heartbeat. Gathering his thoughts, he grunted and looked away from her.
“Ace, what are you doing here?” he asked, realizing how hoarse his voice sounded. “Damian should be back soon, and he’s not going to be happy to see you like this. I thought he made it clear—”
“He made clear what?” she asked, her finger trailing down his chest, barely touching his icy skin. “That I can’t be with you because you are my charge? It’s my problem. Not his.” She tilted her head, staring at him with a playful smirk. “What are you afraid of, Your Majesty? That your big brother will put you across his knee and spank you a few times for disobedience?” She tittered, her fingers moving down his stomach, making his muscles contract under her touch. “Or maybe that’s what you want, huh?” She moved her hand over his hip, cupping his backside. “I can do it too, you know. It would be a lot sexier though.”
He groaned and stepped to the side, away from her touch. “Damian is right, Ace,” he whispered, holding his hands down to cover himself. “If your Commander finds out, you’ll be in a world of trouble, and I don’t want to see you suffer. He is also right about your addiction to the pleasure of the vampire bite. I can’t do it to you—”
“I don’t need you to bite me to feel the pleasure of your... um... company, royal dumbass,” she whispered, pinning him against the wall with her hand. Her other hand slipped down under his crossed arms, cupping his groin. He hissed, closing his eyes, and as she started to stroke him gently, he tilted his head back, resting it against the slippery tiles. Too tired to resist, he let go, allowing her to have her way with him.
Cole wasn’t sure how much time had passed. He didn’t care. All he needed was a few minutes of oblivion and peace, and Ace gave it to him. Probably noticing his state, she didn’t ask any more questions, her hands gently toweling his body dry. Once she was done, he walked out of the shower and headed toward his closet to get dressed.
“Cole, what’s going on? I knocked, but no one answered, and your door was unlocked...”
Damian’s voice sounded behind him, and he spun around, coming face to face with his brother. An expression of concern on his face got replaced with that of shock as his eyes darted from Cole to Ace who was hopping on one foot in the doorway, struggling to pull her tight jeans over her damp skin. His golden-brown eyes darkened, and his face hardened.
“Ace, did you disobey my direct order?” Damian asked quietly.
He sounded flat and emotionless, but the iron tones of a Destiny Enforcer Commander were unmistakable in his voice. Cole took a step closer, but Damian’s eyes darted to him, pinning him in place.
“Get dressed, Cole,” he growled, pointing at the closet.
Damian made his way to Ace who finally managed to put her pants and shirt on and stood with her head bowed down. He seized her arm and pulled her toward the exit.
“I’m trying to protect my brother and you, Ace,” he muttered, his fingers digging deeper into her arm, undoubtedly leaving some bruising. “But you’re fighting me every step of the way. Don’t you get it? You put in a precarious situation not only yourself but also Cole.” He threw his hands up. “He’s a vampire, goddammit! It means he is blacklisted by the Destiny Council by default. Didn’t Moore teach you anything at all?”
She didn’t fight him, and the haunted look in her large eyes told Cole that she recognized the truth in Damian’s words but stubbornly refused to acknowledge it. Damian halted by the exit and pushed the door open.
“Do you want him to get blamed for seducing an inexperienced recruit?” He pointed at Cole. “And for getting you addicted to a vampire’s bite?” Damian stopped talking and shook his head, frowning. “If Moore finds out that Cole is my brother, he will throw you under the bus just to hurt me.” He glanced back at Cole, a pained expression crossing his face. “I’m sorry, brother, but whatever you two have must stop.”
“Dima, let’s—,” Cole started to say, but Damian grunted, his jaw tightening, and Cole fell silent, quickly deciding against his original idea.
“I’ll deal with you in a minute,” promised Damian, and Cole cringed inwardly, feeling like a teenager caught watching porn.
Turning back to Ace, Damian pushed her out of the room. “Go to the living room and stay there until I summon you. I still need you to shadow and protect my brother, but in a professional manner. With your clothes on, preferably.”
“Yes, Commander Blake,” she whispered, a blush creeping up to her cheeks.
As she bowed to him, Damian grunted and turned away from her, shutting the door in her face. Moving heavily, he walked to the bed and lowered himself, massaging the side of his neck. Cole grabbed a pair of track pants out of his closet and put them on. He didn’t bother with a shirt and sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the wall so he could face Damian.
“Don’t you think you were a little harsh with her?” he asked with reproach, examining his brother’s face.
“No, I don’t.” Damian leaned forward, staring at him from under his uneven black hair.
“But Damian—"
“You can’t be with her. Period. It will get you killed and her...” He bit his lip, burning Cole with his golden eyes. “I don’t even know what Moore will do if he finds out. She’s breaking every rule in the book. I’ve been doing this job for centuries, and trust me, it’s impossible for a Destiny Enforcer to have personal attachments. I learned that the hard way.”
“What do you mean—the hard way?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Why not? A long time ago, we had no secrets between us. You’re no longer no one, but you still refuse to tell me anything.” Cole dropped his hands in his lap, shaking his head. “Besides, just because something happened to you, it doesn’t mean Ace will—”
“This conversation is over,” Damian snapped, cutting the air with his hand. “We have a bigger problem to discuss.”
Realizing that this discussion was going nowhere fast, Cole changed the subject. “The Master Warden put me on house arrest,” he said, stretching his long legs in front of him. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
Damian raised his face and glanced at him. “Luc is right,” he said, his voice getting softer. “Until we find this necromancer, you can’t leave Paradise Manor.”
“Dima, I have to feed. I don’t need a lot of blood to sustain my energy, but I can’t go on without feeding for a long period of time. The thirst will turn me into a monster,” he said, averting his gaze. Talking about feeding with Damian wasn’t something he was comfortable with, and right now, he felt like a cornered animal with no way out. “I need to go home. I have a few blood bags stored there in case of emergency.”
“I know you need to feed.” A sad smile appeared on Damian’s face, quickly dwindling down. He got up and crossed the room, lowering to the floor next to him. “I’ll send Ace to your house to bring everything here. In the meantime, you can have mine.”
“Dima, I can’t... Last night I was hurt, and I had no choice but to feed on you... but I can’t do it again. I should have fed when I got home, but I didn’t think this would happen. I’m sorry...” He looked away, struggling to suppress the rising thirst. His brother was too close. He could h
ear his heartbeat, the sound of blood pumping through his veins, and it was hard for him in his condition not to react. “I’ll be fine. Let’s focus on finding the necromancer so I can get back to a normal life.”
“Define normal.” Damian looked at him sideways and tapped him on his shoulder, rising. “I’ll be right back.”
He walked out of the room and came back a few seconds later with an empty plastic cup in his hand. Lowering to the floor in front of Cole, he extended his arm, and one of his blazing daggers materialized in his hand.
“Damian, no,” Cole gasped, grabbing his wrist a moment too late.
In one sharp move, his brother cut his arm with his dagger and moved the cup under the incision, collecting the blood. He locked and unlocked his fingers a few times, increasing the flow. Cole hissed as the copper scent of blood invaded his nostrils, igniting his thirst with renewed strength. His fangs expanded despite the effort he put in to control his nature, and he pressed his hand over his mouth, staring at his brother with widened eyes. A few seconds later, the bleeding started to slow down, and Damian offered the cup with blood to him.
“Feed,” he said softly, and there was neither judgment nor disgust in his voice, just warmth. As Cole took the cup, Damian pressed his hand over the bleeding incision and turned around to rest his back against the wall, closing his eyes. “Feed, I’m not watching you.”
Cole brought the cup to his lips, and as the warm blood rushed down his throat, pacifying his relentless thirst, he finally relaxed.
“I was in love once.” His brother’s soft voice reached his ears, and he opened his eyes, glancing at him over the rim of his cup. Damian stared straight ahead, a tortured expression on his tense face. “She was a witch—a good witch, one of the Romani people. I loved her so much, Cole... I was willing to give up everything just to be with her.” He stopped talking, his fingers rubbing the edge of his leather bracelet.
“What happened?” Cole put the empty cup on the floor and turned in his direction slightly.
“I killed her,” whispered Damian. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, throwing a veiled gaze at him. “Not directly, of course. But if she hadn’t been with me, who knows, she could have still been alive. Gypsy witches have long lives.” He bit his lip and pulled his legs to his chest, folding his arms atop his bent knees. “They were after me... the monsters, you know... They tore her apart in front of my eyes, and with my full power of a Destiny Enforcer, I couldn’t do anything to protect her.” His voice turned into a hoarse whisper, and he dropped his head. “I hate rules, but there are some rules that are placed there for a good reason. A Destiny Enforcer cannot have personal attachments. Period. I fell in love, and by doing so, I drew a bullseye on her back.”
“When did it happen?” Cole stared at his brother, chills running down his back.
“Hundreds of years ago. The Carpathian Mountains, fifteenth century.” Damian shrugged. “I learned my lesson. Never again.”
“Five hundred years ago?” whispered Cole, horrified. “And you still carry this burden? Jesus Christ, brother! How can you live like this?”
“When it just happened, I couldn’t,” replied Damian after a momentary pause. “This is why I demanded to be discharged. Assuming the no one status was the only way they agreed to let me go. I’ve been alone ever since.”
“You haven’t been with a woman since then?”
“I didn’t say that.” Damian smirked. “Of course, I have. I’m not a monk. I just don’t allow myself to get attached. Besides, have you seen my back? What do you think happens when I undress?”
“I can’t imagine living like this...”
“I don’t see a Queen on your arm either, little brother?” Damian raised his eyebrows, tilting his head.
“A long story,” murmured Cole. His mind went back to his toxic relationship with the late Queen Roxana, and he shuddered. “Anyway, what’s your plan, big bro? I know you have something up your sleeve.”
“I wear a tank top, if you didn’t notice,” Damian murmured snidely.
“Ha-ha.” Cole rolled his eyes. “What’s the next step? I can’t stay here, imprisoned forever. I have a business to run and a Court to rule.”
“I hope to hear from Luc de la Crosse soon.” Damian got up, straightening his jeans. “Well, first, I’m going to send Ace to your house to bring some blood bags for you.” He headed toward the door and halted there with his hand on the handle. “After that, I’m going to go to a bar.”
“To a bar,” Cole parroted in disbelief. “Vodka is exactly what we need to find a necromancer. Why didn’t I think about that? Drink yourself to death, and the necromancer will be right there to take care of you.”
“Lighten up on your sarcasm, little bro.” Damian chuckled, but somehow laughter left his gaze as tense and uneasy as before, making Cole wonder if his brother knew how to let go and relax even for a moment. “I’m going to The Midnight Shift. It’s a sanctuary. All sorts of supernatural creeps—including yours truly—gather there. Someone may have heard something. So, stay here and keep up your level of sarcasm while I do my job, Dracula Junior.”
“Doofus,” murmured Cole, snickering.
Damian waved his hand and walked out of the room.
Cole made his way to the door and closed it, placing his hand against its cold surface. “Watch your back, brother mine...”
Chapter 9
~ Damian Blake ~
Damian turned around at the soft thud of the closed door and placed his palm against it. “For once, Cole, please listen to me and do as I say,” he whispered, a weight settling on his heart.
He made his way to the living room and stopped in the doorway, observing a peaceful view that didn’t match the gathering supernatural storm outside of the walls of Paradise Manor. While deep in the conversation with his brother, he hadn’t heard when Jamie had arrived, and now the young man was sparring with Ace in the limited space between the couch and the big-screen TV. It seemed like Ace had the upper hand since Jamie was sprawled on the floor, and she had her knee planted against his chest, her fist lingering a few inches away from his face.
Jamie didn’t fight her even though Damian could see a few ways he could have easily turned the situation around. Instead, he gazed up at her with googly eyes, his cheeks slightly flushed.
Oh, brother... Damian rolled his eyes. That’s all I need... A friggin’ love triangle in the making.
“Young love,” purred Gypsy, stretching her paws, her emerald eyes overflowing with more sarcasm than her tiny body could hold. She made a gagging noise as if she was ready to cough out a hairball. “Damian, please do something before I throw up.”
Damian gave her a heavy stare and cleared his throat to attract their attention. That worked like a charm. Ace jumped to her feet and spun around. As soon as she saw him, she gasped and dropped to one knee, pressing her fist to her chest. Jamie scrambled into a sitting position, grinning sheepishly at him.
“Get up, Ace,” Damian grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. “You disobey my direct orders, so stop kneeling and pretending that you respect me as a Commander. I have neither the time nor the desire to deal with that. After all, you’re reporting to Commander Moore. Not to me.”
She got up and opened her mouth to say something, embarrassment overflowing her brown eyes. “I’m sorry, Commander Blake. I truly am, but when it comes to Cole, I can’t—”
“I don’t want to hear any of your excuses.” He raised his hand, interrupting her. “If you want to help Cole, I need you to go to Brown’s estate and bring his blood bags here. I’m sure you know where he keeps them.”
“Yes, my lord,” she replied.
“Go now and take Jamie with you. Once you get the blood, come back to Paradise Manor and stay here until I return,” he added with a sigh. “From now on, no one goes anywhere alone. With the unrest in the Vampire Court and the tension between the vampires and werewolves, the left wing of Paradise Manor is probably the safest place in the enti
re state.”
Jamie got up. With all mirth gone from his eyes, the young man looked serious and alert, reminding him of the Guardians Order guard he once was.
“Damian, I should be going with you,” he said softly. “I know I’m not skilled enough as a wizard, but I’m learning, and I’m still a trained guard. I know how to do my job.”
Damian sighed, nibbling on his lip. “I know that, Jamie. And I appreciate the offer, but until I finish the investigation, I’m better off on my own.”
Jamie nodded and dropped his head, disappointment surrounding him like a heavy cloak. “I understand.”
“The truth is, I need you here, Jamie,” continued Damian, placing his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “My brother is in a lot more danger than anyone else in our small circle, and his life and safety mean a lot more to me than my own. I need you to be his guard. Please stay here with Ace. I’d feel so much better if I knew he was well protected. I’ll give you all the details when I return, but right now, I just need you to trust me and do as I say.”
“I trust you, Damian,” replied Jamie with a reproachful half-shrug. “I always have.”
“Good,” said Damian. “Then can I count on you as the Guardian to protect the King of the Arizona Vampire Court?”
Jamie lowered to one knee. “Yes, my lord. With my life.”
Cringing inwardly at the salutation and all the kneeling, Damian looked from Jamie to Ace. “Ace, can I count on you to fulfill your duty as a Destiny Enforcer? From this moment forward, can I trust you to obey my commands?”
“Yes, my lord,” replied Ace, lowering to one knee with her fist over her heart. “I’m yours to command.”
Yeah, right... She’s mine to command as long as she’s not in Cole’s bedroom. Damian suppressed the desire to roll his eyes. “Perfect, I count on both of you to do your jobs,” he said, observing them. Then he turned around and headed out of the room. Halting in the doorway, he glanced at them over his shoulder, and an uneven smirk turned the corner of his mouth up. “Stop kneeling and just do your friggin’ jobs. That’s all I need from you.”