Corinne studied him curiously for a moment and then replied, “Hell yeah. You are a 174 year old vampire with the rare power of fire and you got taken down by a mutant, rabid Chihuahua and a leprechaun with an axe. I’m sorry, but that’s the funniest thing I heard since finding out you slept with the succubus Queen of Acne and Boils. You are my entertainment. How can you expect me not to laugh at this? I can’t make this stuff up.”
Kaden took a deep breath, looked at Corinne’s joyous face, and he surrendered to the laughter that was waiting to surface. “That’s my boy,” Corinne praised. “Now come here and give me a hug.”
Kaden walked over to Corinne and embraced her. Although part of him wanted to throttle her for disturbing his pleasant dreams with this practical joke, he had to admit, it was pretty funny and he would have done the exact same thing if their roles had been reversed. That devilish streak is the one common trait he and Corinne bonded over. No one could appreciate their warped sense of humor but each other.
Corinne jumped on the bed and began typing furiously on her cell phone. “How did you find out?” Kaden asked.
“Julian, of course. He was concerned.”
Not likely Kaden thought. He watched as Corinne continued to type on her cellphone. “What are you doing?”
“Tweeting. ‘220 pound nephew loses hand to 3 pound super Chihuahua and we worry pit bulls are dangerous.’ Now I have to upload the pictures of this to my website to go with the video. Your mother is going to love this. Actually, she’ll be a little upset, but I’ll reassure her that you’re fine.”
Kaden had almost forgotten that Corinne had taken pictures. “Are you insane? You can’t tell anyone about this. Ignoring the extreme embarrassment you’re causing me, what if someone of the human kind discovers this? And what video are you talking about?”
“I’m not an idiot!” Kaden’s look of doubt bristled, but she dismissed his censure. “My website is very secure. It’s only accessible to those hundred or thousand or so vamps on my vampire network. Relax. It’s not like I’m putting this on Facebook.” Corinne faced a seething Kaden. All traces of humor erased from his now enraged face. “Don’t give me that evil burning eye look. I’m not afraid of you. You won’t hurt me no matter how much you want to. You can’t expect me–of all people–to ignore something like this. If you don’t want to be embarrassed, then don’t do embarrassing stuff. Don’t expect an ounce of sympathy from me. I told you when you were a child that your mouth would get you in trouble. Granted, I didn’t think trouble meant a dog the size of rat and one of Santa’s lost elves, but you never know. Hopefully, you will learn from this. Don’t mess with puppies with sharp teeth and little people.” Corinne erupted into laughter again.
Kaden stood there motionless like a statue watching his bemused aunt enjoy his misery. Although he could appreciate the humor of the situation, he was not in a laughing mood at the moment. “You never answered my question. What video?”
Corinne was hoping he would forget that little comment. Figures he wouldn’t. Kaden was too smart and much sharper than others gave him credit for. “Well, the whole incident was caught on the security camera. Julian secured a copy and forwarded it to your mother. Of course your mother is so not technically savvy and didn’t know how to open it so she allowed me. I made several copies and uploaded one to my site.”
Kaden stalked over to Corinne. He grabbed her by the shoulders so that they were face to face. “Take it down, Corinne. Otherwise, I promise you I will make you pay. I may not be able to hurt you, Auntie Dearest, but there are other ways to torture you. For instance, maybe it’s time I hung out with a certain lycan and shared some stories about your various escapades. Don’t forget how well I know you. How much of what I know do you want your little wolf to know?”
Corinne pushed him away and flopped on the bed. She looked so forlorn that Kaden forgot how angry he was at her. He sat next to her and clutched her hand. “What’s wrong Aunt Cori?” She shook her head as if to deny her pain, but Kaden would not let her hide. “Don’t tell me nothing. The only time I’ve seen you look this sad is when Mom nearly left us. What’s happened? Has that dog hurt you? I’ll kill him. I may not be able to defeat the elusive Chihuahua, but I will take on the wolf that hurts my family.”
Her shoulders relaxed easing some of the uncomfortable tension that surrounded them. After a few moments, Corinne shouted, “Men are such complicated, frustrating asses!”
Kaden could not deny that truth. He was certainly one of the men she described. “True, but let’s focus on the particular ass that’s got you so upset. We can deal with entire population later.”
Corinne stood up and started pacing the floor. Her boots scuffing Reysa’s cream colored carpet. He really needed to replace this carpet for Reysa.
“Lorenzo is making me crazy. I like him. What’s not to like? He’s gorgeous, sexy, and has the body of a Chippendale’s dancer. He’s smart, strong, loyal, a little too serious, but he’s a good man. He wants me and I want him. It should be perfect. We should be screwing our brains out and yet I’m here talking about it with my nephew rather than doing it.”
Kaden was already regretting opening up this conversation. The only thing worse than talking about his aunt’s sex life was his mother’s. Changing the subject was out of the question. Once Corinne got going, there would be no stopping her. The only option was to make this as painless as possible. “So why are you here and not with him?”
Corinne stopped pacing and thrust her hands in her hair as if she were going to yank it out from all the frustration. Corinne was always too playful and light hearted. Kaden was not used to seeing her racked with all this tension. He hated the effect this lycan was having on her.
“He thinks I’m his mate. Until I accept this, accept him, he doesn’t want us to be together in that way. Sort of like a no sex before marriage thing. Who demands something like this in this day and age? He’s like a Puritan. I thought the stuffy Victorian age was over. I have the worst luck ever. Only I would end up wanting a man that looks like a god, but acts like a monk.”
Kaden could not hide his shock. “Are you sure he’s a man? I don’t know any guy who would resist sex with a gorgeous woman until she agrees to mate with him.”
“Me either,” Corinne whined stomping her feet. “This is so annoying. I don’t want a mate right now. I just want to get laid. It’s been so long. I had to get away from your mother. It was torture staying at the house with her and Lucian. They are constantly going at it. It starts with a look, then a little touch and suddenly those two forget others are around and they are all over each other. It’s so frustrating when I have to go to bed alone every night because of Lorenzo and his stupid rules. I’m in the worst drought of my life, while your mother’s well is overflowing. I’m happy for her, believe me, but I want my fun too. My body is desperate for relief and that stupid wolf won’t relieve me.”
“TMI, Aunt Cori. First of all, never, ever, ever mention my mother and sex in the same sentence. That’s just horrifyingly gross on so many levels. Frankly, let’s limit how much we talk about your sex life or lack thereof as well.” Kaden shook his head trying to expunge from his mind the disgust from that unpleasant topic. “Look, forget the stuffy bastard. Find someone else. It’s not like you’ve ever had a hard time finding a dude. There are plenty of guys here at The Lore who would love to…satisfy your thirst. If he wants to be an uptight ass then forget him. You don’t need him.”
Corinne collapsed on the ground looking like a lost child. “That’s the problem. I think I do. I tried being with someone else. I was so angry with him for rejecting me that I started flirting with other guys, but it didn’t feel the same as it used to. It wasn’t fun anymore. My body only wanted him. I was so frustrated that I went back to New Paltz to find that sexy incubus Liam. He was hot and of course a sex demon so I figured my body wouldn’t resist that, but it did. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I need to say it.” Corinne wrapped her arms around her le
gs tightening them against her chest. “Liam and I started to do the deed, but I felt awful inside. There was no desire, just a tortuous guilt. Finally I pushed him away, but not before Lorenzo saw us kissing. He flipped out. He was so hurt. He charged after Liam, but Liam’s men were there and they used a tranquilizer to subdue Lorenzo. I brought him back to Julian’s. When he woke up, he no longer looked at me with desire or yearning. He looked at me like I was a whore. I could see the hate and disgust. It hurt me more than anything else. He barely spoke to me. He just told me that when I’m ready to grow up and face the truth to call him. He left. That was two weeks ago and I haven’t seen or spoken to him since.”
Corinne brushed the tears from her face. Kaden sat on the floor next to her and she crumbled in his arms. “I think Reysa’s my mate,” Kaden admitted. “I keep fighting it, denying it, but the words don’t change what I’m feeling. I want her so badly that my body aches for hers. She’s on my mind every moment I’m awake and she haunts my dreams. The last thing I ever wanted was a mate and I fear the last thing she wants is me as a mate. I couldn’t blame her. I don’t see how we could ever work, but I know that I will never want another. Somehow, I’m going to have to figure out a way to be worthy of her or die alone. I’ve watched my mother die a slow death year after year from being denied the love her heart craved. I hope that’s not my fate. Don’t let it be yours, Aunt Cori.”
“I never wanted a mate either. I never wanted to need someone so much. I like my independence. I don’t want to be imprisoned by love.”
“Yet here we are. The two people least likely to love have found our mates and are falling in love despite all of our efforts to ruin it. The thing is, Aunt Cori, Lorenzo is there waiting for you to let him in. The choice is yours. For me, it doesn’t really matter what I want. Reysa doesn’t want me as her mate. She has Christian and they have a family. There’s no room for me. She has a good life. I can’t make her life better. I could just make it worse. I don’t know how to make anyone happy. I just bring misery. She knows this. She’s not going to invite trouble into her life. She may allow me to warm her bed, but she’ll never allow me to warm her heart. To be honest, I wouldn’t know how.”
Corinne pulled away as she rose to her feet. “We are such a mess. I was so desperate that I sent Dr. Phil a letter. Maybe he could help me figure out what’s wrong with me. Why I can’t commit.”
“Dr. Phil’s not that good,” Kaden quipped.
“You may be right. I think we are both beyond professional help. The reality is we need to help ourselves. We’re the problem so we’re also the cure.”
Kaden stood up and walked over to the side of the bed to grab his boots. “I know a temporary fix. Booze. It helps me think.”
“Not me. It just makes me cry. What the hell though. Maybe a good cry is what I need.”
II
The stench of stale blood still surrounded The Lore despite all efforts to clean up the remains of the brutal attack by the young lycan. Reysa could not leave this dreaded site. Death had reached her hallowed grounds. The Lore was a place of peace for all immortals and now it was decimated with violence. There was no sanctuary from the emerging war. There was no escaping the blood and death of the battle to come. This was just the beginning of the immortal hell on earth that would destroy so many innocent lives.
Reysa, as a hybrid, could understand the desire to be free of the vampires and lycans. Even as a half-breed vampire, she was still treated like worthless trash, unworthy to grace the presence of the purebloods. Many times she was attacked and threatened by purists who thought her impure blood meant weakness. She had learned at a young age how to defend herself. Her skills with knives allowed her to fend off attackers and for those she could not handle alone, Christian was always there to finish the job. Through time, they learned to hone their skills and become the lethal weapons they were today. Rarely did they have to use their gifts. They wanted a life of peace. They wanted The Lore and now there could be no peace here any longer. Death was everywhere stalking them, haunting them all.
This obsession with the purity of blood had divided immortals and made enemies of those who should have been allies. Despite their differences, they were all truly the same yet they were destroying each other and all for what? Power? An illusory goal that has led to so much unnecessary slaughter and now she feared they had reached the point of no return. Blood would decide this war now.
Reysa’s cell phone buzzed. Alejandro had called to check in and make sure she was okay. Somehow he always knew when she needed his calming voice to comfort her. It was such a special gift he had; yet his own kind banished him because he was too different. He could shift into any cat instead of just the jaguars that were his tribe. This mutation should have seen has a blessing. A unique gift to be celebrated and admired, but rather Alejandro was seen as damaged. He wasn’t a true jaguar. The other cat clans rejected him as well. He wasn’t really one of them either. He didn’t belong. As soon as his parents were killed, his protectors lost, Alejandro was forced to leave the only home he had ever known at fourteen years of age. Like all of them, he survived.
Alejandro’s voice eased Reysa’s unsteady nerves. He updated her on his trip with Broderick to deliver the gruesome remains to the demons’ clan just outside of Phoenix, Arizona so they could be buried appropriately. Christian had volunteered to notify the neighboring lycans as it was likely this young pup was one of theirs. That poor boy was just a teenager. He hadn’t begun to live before his life ended by his own hands. There was no doubt that the lycan was infected. If it was not mescah, then it was something else as lethal.
After the call with Alejandro ended, Reysa forced herself to leave this empty alley and the death that marred this place behind. The focus had to be on keeping her family and friends safe. She could not afford any distractions including the gorgeous vampire that was temporarily living in her home. Kaden was a kind of trouble her life could not afford right now. There were duties and obligations that had to override any feelings she might have. The time was not right for a complicated relationship with a temperamental pureblood vampire with a penchant for trouble.
Reysa took a deep breath, gathering the strength to tell Kaden that this thing between them must end before they allow it to begin. There was too much at stake. Sacrifices had to be made and if her happiness was one of them, she could live with that as long as those she loved survived this war.
Reysa marched into The Lore hoping for a few more hours of quiet so she could concentrate on a strategy to keep her family safe. It was just late morning–too early for the club to be open and the perfect time for her to catch up on work she had neglected in her quest to find Yasmine. Yas. She was still missing and they were no closer to finding her than they were a month ago.
Reysa’s head began to throb and it got worse as she sensed him. Kaden was here. The last thing she wanted was to see him right now. She wasn’t ready to tell him the goodbye she knew she needed to say. It would be better to get it over with now. The more time passed the worse it would be, or rather, the more likely she would change her mind and give in to the desire her body begged her to seek.
She took a few steps and heard what sounded like a woman’s voice. Kaden was here with another woman? He was in her club with another woman? Rat bastard! Reysa knew her emotions were illogical, considering she was just about to dump him, but to know he was with someone else in her club left her skin boiling with rage. She stormed into the club, straight towards the bar where she sensed Kaden and his date. He noticed her immediately and smiled brightly until he caught a glimpse of the rage she was barely suppressing.
“Reysa, what’s wrong?” he asked as he cautiously approached her. Her eyes barely glanced in his direction as they remained focused on the woman at the bar.
He had never seen Reysa so angry, so jealous. Kaden tried to hide his smile as he realized that Reysa did not realize that was Corinne at the bar.
“Reysa!” Kaden called out to her again as he
reached for her arm. She snatched it away hard as if his touch was venomous.
Corinne finally snapped her head up and faced the simmering wrath of Reysa. “I know you,” Corinne slurred. “You’re Kaden’s girly-friend.”
Reysa’s anger quickly cooled off as she realized the other woman was just Kaden’s aunt who had obviously had too much to drink. Reysa tried to hide her embarrassment at her unusual display of jealousy, but Kaden’s annoyingly cute grin was a clear indication that he recognized her jealousy. Great. That would just make ending this thing between them even harder.
“What are you doing here, Kaden?” Reysa barked. She knew she should have corrected the “girly friend” assumption Corinne made, but her overreaction to seeing them together made it pointless for her to deny that she and Kaden were something. It was easier not to give it a label. One label in particular scared her too much to acknowledge. She couldn’t allow that. Her family and friends had to come first. They would not become casualties of this war because she was too distracted satisfying her own selfish needs.
“Corinne and I needed a drink so we decided to have our own little party.”
“You should have asked first,” Reysa reprimanded. “If the wrong person caught you here after hours, you would have been attacked. We take security seriously.”
“Then you shouldn’t have locks that are so easy to pick. Corinne was able to open the side door in about a minute.”
Reysa walked over to Corinne who looked like she didn’t have the strength to get up. “It’s good to see you again, Corinne.”
“You, too.” Corinne jumped up from her seat and leapt into Reysa’s arms crying on her shoulder. Apparently she had more strength in her than Reysa realized. “I’m sorry I picked your lock and I’m sorry I drank your scotch, and I’m sorry I’m crying all over your shirt.”
We Shall Rise Page 10