Chapter Twenty-Three #2
“Cyrus, that vampire who’s been harassing me has obviously taken note of you. I’m ninety-nine percent sure it was just a ruse to piss Ezio off, but please keep an eye out. If you’d like to stay at Casimir’s house with me, we’ll keep you safe.”
There’s only silence and I hesitate, thinking I’ve lost him. “Cyrus?”
“I have to go,” he says, voice tight.
“Cyrus, I’m saying you shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’m fine, alright? Just… I’m fine. Worry about yourself.” He sounds pissed, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because we keep dragging him into our messes.
“I won’t let him touch you,” Ezio says, voice quiet.
“I’m not… I’m just…” He falls quiet again.
“I’ll swing by and pick you up,” I assure him.
“I don’t need to be picked up. I’ll go to Casimir’s house once I’m done with my shift,” Cyrus says.
“Okay. Ezio would love to escort you.”
“Fine,” he says, sounding grudging, but isn’t that an improvement that he actually agreed?
As I stop at a red light, I see Ezio’s eyes have gone wide and his mouth is opening, sure to say something that will make Cyrus take it all back. So Iquickly clamp my hand over his mouth and end the call as fast as I can.
“You almost fucked it all up,” I inform him.
Ezio doesn’t care. “He… he wants me!”
“He doesn’t want you. He wants to use you as a body shield.”
“I don’t care,” he whispers. “He can have it all.”
“You are a questionable man,” I decide as I drive to the bar.
Ezio’s forgotten all about his car and the fact that Yorick had come out to threaten us into trying to keep him alive.
He only cares that Cyrus didn’t declare that he’d rather take on the vampire single-handedly to avoid seeing Ezio’s face.
“I have one question,” Ezio says.
“Why didn’t I tell Cyrus to go to your house? The look on your face is exactly why.”
He pats his face. “My face? What’s wrong with my face?”
“A lot,” I inform him as I pull into a parking spot.
I get out and head toward the back door a moment before it flies outward.
As in… off its hinges flying. And out with it goes Weston.
And while I try my absolute hardest not to say or do anything, watching Casimir step out with his sleeves rolled up and his eyes narrowed…
I’m ashamed to say it does something to my heart.
“I can literally smell your lust from here,” Ezio says.
“You can’t smell shit, now shut up,” I whisper as I hurry over. “Cas… what’s going on?”
Casimir looks over at me and immediately smiles. It’s such a pretty smile that I’m one hundred percent smitten.
Oh fuck… no! How did I become smitten?
“God, you two are sickeningly sweet together. Little can pull Casimir out of rage mode, yet all he has to do is look at you and he’s immediately calm,” Ezio announces for all to hear.
“He doesn’t like me like that!” I blurt out.
“What?” Ezio asks before I remember that we are pretending he does. “What? What?”
“Nothing! I’m just saying you’re making it more… cutesy than it is.”
Ezio’s scrutinizing eyes tell me that maybe he isn’t as airheaded as he makes us think he is. I hurry off, making sure that Casimir murders no one along the way. “Casimir, hon, love, snuggle bug, why are you chucking wolves through doors?” I ask.
Dad eyes the door as he steps out and I get prepared to try my best to defend Casimir, but Dad just sighs. “What the fuck did you think you were going to accomplish with that, Weston?”
“Fuck,” Weston growls as he gets up, and I press in close to Casimir to get a few details.
“May I ask what happened?” I whisper.
“Oh, he thought he could fight me for the territory. Terrance told him that was stupid and to take it outside. Which we did. Excuse me while I fight for my territory,” Casimir tells me.
“Wait,” I say.
Casimir glances over at me. “Yeah?”
“I wanna fight him.”
That pleases Casimir, if his smile has anything to say about it. “Ohhh?”
What the fuck am I saying? Do I seriously want to fight him? Okay… maybe a little!
Weston glowers at me. “I’m not fucking fighting you. I want to fight the territory leader.”
Casimir tips my chin up and just like that, he leans in, pressing his lips against mine.
Captivating my attention—and the attention of all the wolves wondering what the hell is going on.
Casimir pulls back and tosses a smirk Weston’s way as he says, “Oh no… I think I just lost my territory to this wolf. I guess you now have to fight him for it.” And it’s so fucking toying that I just want to trot off and make him mine…
NO! Just have sex. That’s all that is. Just lust. Yep. Lust is my final answer!!!
“Out into the woods,” Dad says with another sigh, and I hurry after Weston who is cussing up a storm. Honestly, I just need to get away from Casimir before my heart beats out of my chest and I make him hold my “clammy” hands again.
“So all I have to do is kiss Julian, and I get the territory?” Olive teases.
“Shhh, I really wanna kick Weston’s ass,” I say.
“Ohhhh, so Weston has to kiss you,” she jokes.
And off I run after Weston.
When we reach a far enough distance from the bar, I shift in eager anticipation.
“This is bullshit,” Weston grumbles.
“Julian’s the leader now. Alpha, whatever you want to call it,” Casimir says, and I just want to kiss that smirk.
Fuck. No.
What is wrong with me?
I’m going to fight Weston. I’m going to maul him and forget all about Casimir. I’m going to forget it all.
“Is it… legal to just… change over territory like that?” Benny asks skeptically.
“You wolves fight for it, I kiss for it,” Casimir says with a shrug.
“Shhhh, Benny, we want to watch Weston cry,” Olive assures him as she pulls Benny back to enjoy the show.
Weston seems confident he’s going to kick my ass as he shifts and struts toward me.
He doesn’t even wait for anyone to call the fight before rushing at me.
And there I am, head in the clouds thinking about how my heart is betraying me every time Casimir’s near—wait…
can he hear it? Does he notice that I get excited for his attention? Does he realize it’s not all fake?
I’m so caught up in my head that Weston nearly hits me, but I step out of the way before skidding to the side. He misses me again and snaps his fangs at me.
“ Stop running and actually fight .”
Right, right. I’m kicking Weston’s ass, not thinking about Casimir.
That’s all this is… unless he kicks my ass. But that’s fine too because then I’ll get to watch Casimir kick his ass, and that might even be more fun.
Weston rushes in again and I step to the side quickly before I dodge under him and grab his far forearm.
I jerk it back, flipping him onto his side.
He kicks me hard, sending me flying back, but I get back into the fight in seconds.
He keeps trying to use brute strength to attack me, and while he does plow into me or send me flying back a time or two, I’m quicker than him.
I can turn faster, and as his rage is growing, he’s making more mistakes.
During fights like this, we usually refrain from doing something that will actually hurt each other, but Weston hasn’t always agreed to that, which is why I’m surprised he hasn’t bitten me yet.
I wonder if he’s afraid of what my blood will do to him.
I toy with him until I find an opening where I flip him again and grab him by the throat with my fangs.
I make sure that it’s not hard enough to hurt him, but he’s pissed and tries to flail and twist and flip out of my grip.
Even so, I hold him steady and when he finally gives up, it feels so good .
“Wow, didn’t even last a minute,” Casimir says as he gives me a slow clap.
I’m so pleased with myself I’m floating until I remember that there’s a reason we’re out here. I’m not out here to get a boyfriend or fight Weston—even if they both sound much more fun.
I shift back and take the clothes Casimir hands me. “Okay, you can have the territory back. I’ve had my fill for the day.”
Casimir gives me a nod. “Good, good. Now the wolves have informed me—before Weston thought he’d attack me—that they haven’t seen or heard anything off that hasn’t been reported to Cyrus, Ezio, or me.”
I pull my clothes back on as I think for a moment before deciding that I want input from Casimir and my father before I mention it to the whole pack, in case someone is lying and would take the time to move the body.
“Can I talk to you two privately real quick? Ezio, I’m going to tell them what we learned.
Do you think that you could maybe interview people individually to see if you can come up with anything? ”
“Of course!” Ezio says, and off he goes before pointing at Weston who’s busy sulking. “You look like a murderer. You first.”
“What did you find? I thought you were working?” Casimir says once we’re far enough away that the others can’t hear.
“Don’t get mad and run off with rage. So… Yorick… stopped me outside of the school?—”
Mad is an understatement. Casimir’s expression doesn’t change much, but his aura becomes unbearable. It makes me want to quickly back away and it does make my father step back until I grab Casimir’s wrist.
“Hey! Listen to me. You’re not just going to run off again. Yorick told me that he wanted to call a truce between you two. He said that he would give us some information if you… don’t kill him.”
“And you told him I wouldn’t?”
I squeeze his wrist, trying my best to calm him down.
“I did because I wanted to hear what he has to say. He told me that the vampire who we met in the school was named Ivo, and the woman Ivo was in love with was killed. Back at the school, Ivo claimed the wolves killed her and the vampires covered it up.”
“My wolves haven’t killed anyone,” Dad declares. “He’s trying to tear us apart.”
“Aren’t we already apart?” I ask. “It doesn’t matter if it’s wolves or vampires; we need to stand together and work to figure this out.”
“Says the one who just fought Weston,” Dad says.