CHAPTER THREE
K ai sat on the edge of the bed and slipped the leather jacket back on. It was too large for him, but it covered his shame, and that was all he needed. The doctor fixed him up, and he was feeling the improvements already.
The spell had done a number on his mind, but the confusion was fading. He remembered calling Tarek, but he hadn't been able to speak. He thought he was dying and there were things he wanted to say to him. He wanted to tell him that he was sorry for disappearing, but words had been impossible.
His brother must have convinced DuCane to send someone for him, which probably wasn't an easy sell.
Kai had a reputation, and it wasn't good or honorable.
Not everything said was true, but enough was true to keep the rumors going.
He took risks that others in his profession would not, and he lived for the adrenaline rush.
It was twisted, and he knew it, but it was his life.
It was the only way he knew how to live and how to feel.
He listened to the knock and knew instinctively who it was. "Come in." He said since he had no power to keep him out even if he wanted to. This was his jet and his rules for the time being, at least.
He hadn’t introduced himself, but he was a DuCane operative, and he worked in the field. The DuCane field workers were legendary for being ruthless and efficient. The guy would unload him as soon as possible; he wouldn't want to babysit some Relic hunter any longer than necessary.
"Here . . ." He said haltingly and handed him a wrapped sandwich and a bottled water. "Everything on board is pretty rich, and the doctor said to keep your diet bland until you feel better. That's basic chicken salad; it should go down easy enough. My name is Ramos Carver, by the way"
"Thanks, Ramos," Kai said and unwrapped the sandwich and started eating.
He was hungry, and the sandwich looked good, and it was good.
He finished it and downed half the bottle of water before anything more was said.
He noticed Ramos type something into his phone, and then a second sandwich showed up at the door.
“Have another.” He said with a grin and took a seat in the chair by the door. Kai eagerly ate the second sandwich and then finished his water.
“Did the doctor explain your condition?” Ramos asked.
"He said my injuries were negligible and should heal easily. He mentioned a spell that he counteracted, and I can feel my mind clearing and my control returning already."
"It was a truth spell." He stated and waited, but Kai didn't know what to say to that, so he simply nodded. "Who were they, and what information did they want from you, Kai?"
“I don’t know who they were, but I think they were hired and not acting for themselves. They thought that I had stolen a dagger. They called it Zephyra." Kai spoke slowly, being careful of every word. Clarity was important right now; he could see that Ramos was weighing every word.
“I told them I didn’t have Zephyra and that I was working a different contract.” He dropped his gaze to his hands. “The truth spell must have convinced them that I knew nothing, so they left me there in the warehouse to die, which is understandable. I probably would have done the same."
Kai felt a shift in the tension in the room; before it had been speculative, and now it was pointed and heavy.
Ramos took offense at something he'd said.
Kai had no idea what bothered him, so he didn't try to figure it out. He moved on with his explanation. "I had the Morrigan amulet and used it to get away, but I didn’t factor in that it takes payment immediately.”
“What was the payment?”
"Energy and life force, so it brought me to my hideout but left me unable to protect or defend myself. It was a bad move on my part."
“They took the amulet from you?”
"I don't know; I no longer have it, so I assume they took it." Kai looked at the door when there came another knock. Ramos told them to enter, and one of the vampire guards handed him a stack of clothing and then went back out and closed the door.
Ramos stood and placed them on the bed beside Kai. Kai noticed that he lingered for a moment longer than necessary and looked at Kai not with the same heaviness as before. He quickly stepped back, and the moment was gone, so it was probably nothing.
Kai slipped off the leather coat and handed it to him. Ramos had seen his scars, so it wasn’t like he had anything to hide. Ramos took the coat and continued to study Kai in a way that had him looking away.
"I'll leave you to get dressed." He said and turned and left the room.
Kai sat there and stared at the closed door after he'd left.
Ramos was a very striking individual, and his presence literally filled a room.
Kai picked up the clothing he had set next to him and took a deep breath, drawing in Ramos' scent that still clung to them.
He smelled like gun oil and sandalwood, and Kai had not been aware until now how much he loved that scent.
Ramos was attractive, and that was probably the only reason Kai felt a draw toward him.
It was a natural response to someone who looked as ruggedly gorgeous as Ramos Carver, especially after he had saved Kai's life.
It was just a physiological response, he told himself. It would fade soon enough.
The clothes were a little big, but he managed, and they covered him well enough that his scars did not show. Kai washed up in the attached bathroom and tried to make himself presentable for when he arrived in Mt. Pleasant.
He hadn’t seen or talked to Tarek in a very long time. He’d heard that he was now bonded to a vampire guard from Coven DuCane. He was pleased that he had found his grounding and had someone of his own, someone who would always be there for him.
Kai understood the meaning of a vampire bond, and there was nothing stronger in the paranormal world.
The life of a beloved was secure and the love everlasting.
Tarek was a lucky man, and Kai was very happy for him.
He planned to thank Tarek for his concern, convince him that everything was fine, and then leave as soon as possible.
He didn't want his brother involved or affected by the things he was dealing with.
Looking in the mirror, he saw a man running from life, from consequences, from reality.
He didn’t want to drag Tarek into anything, so he had to look healthy and well.
He could manage; he just needed to focus.
He did it often in the past; no one ever knew what he was truly feeling, not even those who had beaten him bloody.
His issues were his own, and his life was of his own making; no one owed him anything, especially not Tarek.
Not wanting to go out into the main area and become a focus of observation and judgment, Kai sat back down on the edge of the bed, picked up a water bottle, and took a long sip.
The treatments and pills the doctor had given him were really kicking in.
He was feeling much stronger and stabilized.
The sandwiches had hit the spot too, giving him energy and Clarity of mind.
After about twenty minutes, a guard came to his door and let him know they would be landing in about ten minutes.
Kai straightened his clothes and ran his fingers through his hair, bringing it under control, and splashed some cold water on his face.
He then went out into the main room, sat in one of the chairs, and buckled in.
His heart was beating fast, and he was not looking forward to dealing with Tarek or the DuCane people.
Lying was off the table since he'd be surrounded by vampires, so he had to manage his words and keep everything vague.
Fuck, he never should have called Tarek; it was a moment of sentimentality that was going to come back and bite him.
***
Ramos held the jacket against his chest in a grip that was too desperate and drank in the scent saturating it.
Kai was using a cloaking spell to hide himself and his scent; it was a normal thing for men like Kai to utilize.
He lived among the paranormal, and it was often imperative, in his line of work, that he hide his weaknesses beneath a cover.
No matter how skilled he was, the fact that he was human would make him a natural target.
He put the jacket on and wrapped himself in Kai’s scent of sunshine and sweetgrass.
Kai was important to him; Kai was very important.
He took a seat and looked at the door of the bedroom, wondering how he was going to handle this and where he expected it all to lead.
The moment Kai left the bedroom, he couldn't take his eyes off the guy.
Everything about him was magnified under the knowledge that this man was his beloved.
The blue eyes that mystified him now drew him in with the sadness and insecurity that had been so obvious, but he had written off as suspicious and calculating.
The thought brought a lift to the corner of his lips.
This man is bathed in fear and anxiety so deep that it has seeped into his bones and his blood. How had he missed so much?
He missed it because he refused to care about anyone.
He'd cut himself off from basic humanity to the point that he did not even recognize his beloved, nor did he see his suffering.
His heart clenched, and his breath was tight.
He watched Kai sit so carefully and eye everyone on the jet without uttering a word.
He was cautious, and like Ramos, he had cut himself off.
Ramos refused to feel because feelings were troublesome and muddied every situation; they held no value for him, and so he refused to participate.
They weren't necessary, and they weren't needed.
Kai cut them off because they were too overwhelming; his emotions were killing him, so he had to go cold to survive.
Ramos saw everything so clearly now that he was truly looking.