It made sense. If her whole psychic angle was a scam, then he wasn’t the first person she had taken in. She was good at reading people. Molding herself to what they wanted, so that she could get what she wanted.
Dane felt thicker than stone. His hands clenched so tight that his arms trembled. His jaw tightened and his flames roared.
By the time Rune appeared in the lobby, with a full backpack on her shoulder, he was almost ready to throw her in jail himself. He held back, reminding himself that his guesses were just guesses and that he had no evidence that she was using him or conning him. Or what had actually happened with Isaac; he knew sometimes that being fed on had an erotic effect on humans, and if Isaac had fed on her first, then her consent after was hardly real…
He was not going to assume. Either way, he had to keep his distance from this. Whether Rune was telling him the truth or lying, he had to stay calm. Because she was still consorting with a criminal while knowing he was a criminal. Just because she believed he hadn’t been involved in the bombings of central park didn’t mean that she shouldn’t have called the police.
She walked over to him slowly, twisting the hem of her shirt in her hands. “Dane, I—"
He didn’t want to hear her voice. Didn’t want to know what she had to say. He would not be able to stay calm if she tried to rationalize her actions. He wasn’t ready to hear her side of the story.
“You had better have a good story to tell the police,” he snapped at her. “They’ll be here soon and will want to know what you were doing in the presence of a terrorist.”
Rune’s jaw dropped. She started to say something, then stopped. Her shoulders hunched inward again, and she turned her face away. Dane turned away from her, too. His rage still burned, and all he could do at this moment was wait.
Chapter Six
Silver stakes weren’t enough. He had to make sure he had something else, in case the slippery devil got away from him again. Dane snarled as he loaded up on weapons, determinedly ignoring the fact that when he had burst into that hotel room, using what he had brought with him was the farthest thing from his mind. He had been so angry that he couldn’t think past the aggression and testosterone lacing his bloodstream.
He had left Rune with the police. She had made her bed and could lie in it. Whatever happened to her from here on out was none of his concern. He wasn’t going to be one of those men who pined after a woman when it was clear she wasn’t interested in him. Sure, he was disappointed, but he’d get over it. He knew plenty of other women who could help him with that.
But first, he had to take down Isaac once and for all.
The front door slammed open and the mellow scent of his youngest brother came wafting in moments before Keith was there.
“You should be in school,” Dane grunted.
Keith looked at the array of weapons and clenched his hands. “Don’t you think that’s a slightly overkill? You’re a dragon, what do you need a flamethrower for? Where did you even get one, anyway? Aren’t they illegal?”
The loan that Rainer gave him had come in quite handy, but Dane wasn’t going to tell his little brother that. “It’s in case I run out of fire myself. Vampires are bloody hard to kill.”
“So, you’re still going to kill him?”
There was a pleading note in Keith’s voice that set Dane’s teeth on edge. He snarled, quietly at first but then getting ever louder. He slammed the lid of a briefcase down and whirled on Keith. His brother clenched his hands and narrowed his eyes. The stubborn streak they all shared was coming forward, and Dane could have laughed. He often wished Keith was more proactive about things, and now he was standing against his brother.
“I am tired of you being against me, Keith. You know what he did, and you know what he has done. You act as though it’s all a misunderstanding, like I’m making a mistake?”
“I think you are.”
Dane growled again.
“Not about Isaac’s actions. But about his intentions.”
“Intentions count for nothing.” Dane grabbed a couple more stakes to slide into his belt.
“Intentions do matter!” Keith grabbed his wrist and Dane shook him off. “I also think it’s a mistake to kill him. Not for him, but for you. As angry as you are, if you kill him now you will regret it. You’ll look back on what you did, and you won’t know who you are. That’s not the person you are, you don’t go for the kill. You’re meant to protect people—”
“Sometimes attack is the only defense available.”
“But is that the case now?”
Dane glared at him. Keith’s shoulders slumped once more, and he bent his head. He stood like that while Dane finished gathering his supplies. When he headed for the door, though, Keith spoke again. His voice was quiet, ashamed, wavering.
“I think I know where he is.”
***
After several hours talking with the police and several more hours getting warnings and lectures, she was finally released. She made sure that the police knew about all the ways to get in contact with her, including her father’s and siblings’ numbers. She hadn’t realized that this was such a big deal and was eager to prove that she wasn’t in league with blowing up buildings.
She did have to help pay for the hotel’s repairs, which she thought was slightly unfair. After all, it was Dane who had caused that damage, not her. She didn’t argue the point, though. Not when she needed so badly to find a way to make it up to Dane. Even now, she could still sense his anger, betrayal, and confusion.
I fucked up, she texted her older sister, Maria, who had more experience with boyfriends and might be able to tell her what to do.
The reply came very soon. What did you do now?
Rune sighed as she rolled onto her back. This would be easier to say on the phone, but she didn’t want to have to hear her sister’s reproachful tone. She considered her apartment for a moment. Her roommates were out in the kitchen, laughing about something. They hadn’t even noticed she was gone. It didn’t speak that well to her relationship with them, she knew. But in many ways, she didn’t even care. She was here because rent was decent and there was a hot tub.
What’s wrong? Maria texted again.
Rune quickly typed up the basics, trying to keep it as brief as possible. No need to mention that Isaac Fisher, the infamous vampire, was the one she had slept with instead of the man she’d been dating for three months. Guilt cramped her stomach, but, impossibly, she still didn’t regret what she had done. No. It was more… Guilt for not telling Dane everything before this. Not telling him why she hadn’t slept with him yet.
Maria’s reply was short and sweet. Tell him.
With a groan, Rune buried her face in her pillows. They could take precautions. He’d understand her fears, wouldn’t he? Better than the lack of answers at the very least. If she told him about her fears about pregnancy, he’d be able to reassure her. He’d at least know why… What sort of reasons was he thinking up now for why she had never slept with him?
Hello? Maria typed.
Rune glanced at the phone and realized she hadn’t responded for ten minutes. Shaking her head, she sent a quick reply back. I’ll tell him. It might be too late now, though.
Just a couple of weeks ago, they had been walking through the park when they stopped to watch a group of kids playing. Dane had casually started talking about how he took care of his brothers as they were growing up and then added that he couldn’t wait for kids of his own. Since then, Rune had noticed the way he lit up around kids. The way he was always wanting to hold them and talk to them, the longing for fatherhood shining from his eyes.
Was that the real reason she couldn’t bring herself to tell him her fears?
He wanted kids. That was clear. He wanted to be a father more than anything, it seemed. Maybe not yet, but it was certainly something he had big plans for in the future. And Rune knew she didn’t fit into those plans. She wasn’t the type of girl who was going to be happy to get pregnant every
few years, to be thrilled with the news and to dedicate her whole soul to raising little Dane-Rune hybrids. She always thought she’d like to have a child or two someday, but that was far in the future and there was adopting.
They had talked about adoption once, when she hesitantly brought it up, and Dane had only said that he didn’t understand how people could give up their children. And that the system was broken, and the children were suffering for it. Rune hadn’t had the nerve to start talking about it again since then. It wasn’t like he said he wouldn’t adopt, but she didn’t think he would be open to adoption instead of having his own biological children.
Rune checked her phone again, sent a quick message to Maria saying she was going to shower, and then lay on the bed.
I didn’t tell him because I didn’t want him to start looking at me differently.
They were matched by Varton Kirk’s dating agency. It was surprising that it would match them, when they were such different people, but match them it did. Dane had looked at her like she could be his mate. And she had felt it, the sense that she could have a happily ever after with him. That things fit together perfectly, maybe with some missing pieces but that could be because of the secrets she was keeping from him.
Knowing that she was never going to let herself get pregnant, though… It would have changed the way he looked at her. And that happiness she had found with him, it could have gone away. It might have been the end of everything between them.
She snorted, angry at herself for wallowing over that. She had slept with Isaac. Sure, it wasn’t a betrayal in the sense that both agreed that it could happen for either of them, but right now the truth of why she hadn’t slept with Dane wasn’t what was pulling them apart.
Something beat inside of her. Hadn’t she felt the same draw toward Isaac that she did with Dane? The same sense that here was the possibility of her happily ever after? Was the universe just playing tricks on her? How could they both offer her that sort of happiness when they were so very, very different? Besides which… as much as she didn’t want to admit it, Isaac was a criminal. The police had been very clear about all the terrible things he had done. There was no happiness to be had with someone like that…
But why did her heart keep pulling her in both directions, as though they were the same destination?
Well, she wasn’t going to sit around moping. Rune threw back her blankets and grabbed her clothes off the floor. She had been so certain there was supposed to be a connection between her and Dane, and then her and Isaac.
The annoying thing about vibrations from the universe was that they rarely came with clear guidelines. In hindsight, it was entirely possible that the feelings she got with Isaac, that everything hinged on her next move, was about cutting off the path to Dane as much as it was opening up her path to Isaac. Now she was just a ball of muddled emotion, and she wanted some clarity, damn it!
If things were over between her and Dane, she would be devastated. She would be a sobbing wreck for however long it took for her to move past it. And she would curse herself for throwing away such a magnificent man for some criminal she’d barely met. Because Dane was… pretty darn perfect. Smart, funny, successful, protective, kind. He’d tracked her down in Chicago to rescue her! He had never pressured her about sex, even though she couldn’t give him any answers! And Isaac…
She didn’t know what sort of man he was. All she knew was that sense of the universe telling her that they could be happy together. What had she been thinking?
I wasn’t thinking. I was horny and I’ve blown it all!
Now, though, there was a definite tug at her. A pulse that matched the beating of her heart, telling her to go to Dane. The more she decided to do just that, the stronger that pulse became. Her heart lifted, thoughts of Isaac flitted across her mind. Maybe he and Dane were mortal enemies, but she knew he hadn’t been using her. He wanted a better life. And maybe that was the answer to the feeling that they could both bring her happiness!
Maybe she was meant to be the vehicle to help Dane help Isaac out of his criminal life. Maybe what was missing was the sense of completeness from Dane’s side. Maybe she needed to help him heal from his anger at whatever Isaac did to him.
The sense that she had to go to him was now more urgent than ever. She grabbed her bus pass and raced out the door, taking the steps down two at a time until she burst onto the street. She had already gotten on the bus and was patting her pockets before she realized that she hadn’t brought her wallet. She had no money. And, as she glanced at her feet, no shoes, either. The scuffed slippers spoke of other times when she had left the apartment like this.
Well, she thought as she leaned back in the seat. At least I’m wearing pants this time.
***
The last place Isaac wanted to return to was the Starlight Mountains. Back to Gregory. Back to his servitude. Back to where he was nothing but a weapon, unworthy even of thoughts of his own. But where else could he go? Gregory was getting impatient for answers, and it was only a matter of time before he sent more of his goons after him.
Isaac breathed evenly as he knelt before Gregory. The last time he had tried to escape, to break free and start something new for himself, he’d been betrayed. Someone had found out where he was and told Gregory. He’d been dragged back and starved for a week. Gregory always seemed to be able to track him down, always seemed to be able to find his hiding places and bring him back again and again.
In front of him, with their moans ringing in his ears, Gregory fucked two women. They were completely naked, though the king at least wore his shirt still. Isaac ground his teeth together, trying to block out the sounds and smell. At least he didn’t have to watch, with his face pressed into the floor as it was. Gregory was the kind to get a kick out of being watched, and Isaac felt ill just being in the same room. He would have delayed another hour if he had known what he’d have to witness. When he’d arrived, Gregory had called him to his quarters and told him to wait while he finished.
Isaac breathed through his mouth, trying not to think at all. How much longer was this going to take?
He hated the king with such a passion he could hardly stand it, but what could he do about it? All his attempts at freedom failed. He was only good for one purpose.
And in the end, Rune’s vision had confirmed that.
One of the women cried out sharply, and Isaac jerked upright. He was on his feet, ready to dash in and brain the king in a second. But the woman hadn’t called out in pain. The way her head lolled back as she dug her fingers into Gregory’s hair, her face lit with bliss, was proof of that. The other woman kissed along the king’s neck.
Isaac hurriedly dropped again, hoping that Gregory hadn’t noticed.
Unfortunately, he had. “Want to get in on this action, eh?”
Isaac pressed his forehead to the floor and said nothing.
“Does he have to be here?” one of the women said in a pouting tone. “He’s so boring and is always so gloomy. What’s the point if he’s not even going to watch?”
Gregory grunted and a sickly sucking sound announced he’d left the woman he had been in. She moaned in disappointment. But not as loudly as both women protested when Gregory spoke. “Get dressed, the both of you, and come back later.”
Isaac tensed. He dared to glance up and saw Gregory frowning down at him. He dropped his gaze again, but not before he saw that the king had not finished. A chill stole down his spine. Was Gregory going to punish him for not enjoying the spectacle? As the women dressed, with much pouting and pleading for just a little more, another thought crossed his mind.
What if Gregory had sent the women away so he could order Isaac to undress? What if he was slighted and thought that he would have to prove to Isaac that he’d enjoy himself?
Isaac could not say no, not to the king, if he wanted to live. His heart pounded hard as his mouth went dry. No. That wasn’t going to happen. Isaac had never known Gregory to show any interest in men, for one thing. For a
nother, if the king was really offended, he wouldn’t have had to send the two women away to punish Isaac.
Regardless of the sort of person he was, the king wasn’t that sort of man. He would not sexually abuse another person. He wouldn’t do that…
Isaac closed his eyes and prayed that he was right.
“Stand,” Gregory said lazily. “I suppose you have been waiting long enough.”
Isaac straightened. His knees were starting to feel bruised from kneeling on the stonework and his back ached from being hunched over. He kept his gaze on the floor, though, not only to prevent himself from glimpsing the king but also to show servitude.
He hated this. Hated everything about it. What he would like more than anything was to rip off Gregory’s head and throw his body into a fire. He could manage it, too, he knew that. Gregory wasn’t strong enough to fight him off.
What came after, though, would be a whole other story. For one thing, Isaac would be killed. The guards would destroy him in an instant. That wouldn’t be so bad, really, except for what would come after. Gregory had nobody to take his place. Unlike other kings, who considered it a necessity for political stability, Gregory thought a possible successor was a possible assassin. Anybody who came close to being capable of uniting the kingdom was exiled and executed.
Without the king, the Starlight Kingdom would fall into civil war. That would spill over its borders, causing chaos among the humans. The other governments would have to step in and forcibly put down the fighting in Starlight, and then they’d fight over the rights to rule it. It would only get worse from there and could trigger enough unrest and violence that the humans could decide to just nuke the vampire populations, as they had threatened to do before.
So, what was he to do? He couldn’t run, couldn’t hide, couldn’t fight back. He could always die, but that wasn’t a very appealing choice. He wasn’t afraid of death, but he certainly wasn’t ready to welcome it with open arms. There were so many things he wanted to see and experience.
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