Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.
The phone rang for the second time as Rafe raced from Blush to his penthouse.
Was Philippe ignoring his calls, or was there trouble at Arsenault Manor?
There wasn’t a single damn weapon at Blush.
If he was going to storm Philippe’s place or defend it against a MacPherson attack, then he needed something.
It had taken forever for Nolan to finally slide out of the booth and mosey out of Blush, full of Rafe’s delicious whisky. He’d waited until the clan leader disappeared out of the club before rushing to his car, his hands trembling and sweaty.
The voice mail message droned on through the speakers, and Rafe growled.
“Philippe, I’ve just had a long, disturbing chat with the MacPherson clan leader.
We need to talk. You’re in danger. If you don’t call me in the next five minutes, I’m coming over there with every weapon I can grab and my clan.
” Rafe stopped and nearly groaned at himself as he replayed his words in his head.
He sounded insane. “Please, Philippe. I know you are still angry because I failed you, but you need to listen to me. You’re in danger. All of your clan is in danger.”
Rafe ended the call as he turned into the private garage for his building. Philippe wasn’t going to call him, not that Rafe entirely blamed him. He had failed him, and Philippe’s first priority was watching out for his people. Didn’t matter. Rafe was going to march over there and make him listen.
After he grabbed what he needed, he was calling all his brothers. They were going over there in force. They were going to make a stand. And if they refused, fuck it. He’d go alone.
Rafe’s body was practically vibrating as he rode the elevator up to his place.
He needed to change clothes, something he could more effectively fight in.
Grab the sword from its hiding place. A few smaller knives.
He needed more, though. The MacPherson clan was huge.
How many would Nolan send to “weed out” the Arsenault clan?
Philippe had said there were nine of them.
Maybe ten. If Nolan kept Philippe, Jullien, and Ezra alive, then that left six or seven that had to be slaughtered.
The doors slid open and Rafe raced into the apartment, already ripping off his suit jacket. He needed something that didn’t restrict his movements. He needed—
The growing list halted sharply in his brain as Philippe stood up from where he’d been sitting on the sofa.
Philippe was there.
Philippe with his golden hair, soft green eyes, and tentative smile was standing right there.
“You’re here,” Rafe breathed.
He didn’t trust this vision. It had to be a lie. He’d wanted to see Philippe for so long, wanted to talk to him. The vampire couldn’t suddenly be here now.
“Yes. Just got here. I hope you don’t mind. I convinced the doorman to let me up.”
Rafe dropped his jacket on the floor and slowly closed the distance between himself and Philippe.
This had to be a dream. All the rushing and lists of things to do were forgotten.
There was only Philippe. He was there and safe.
And so very touchable. If only he could reach out.
Just place his hand against Philippe’s cheek and let the man melt into him.
“No, that’s fine. You’re always welcome here. I…” Rafe wasn’t even sure what he was going to say. His mind was filled with Philippe.
It didn’t matter, because Philippe didn’t seem eager to hear him.
The vampire stepped up to him. His hand grabbed the back of Rafe’s neck and pulled him into a hungry kiss, wiping Rafe’s brain clean.
Philippe tasted of honey and sunlight. He was heaven.
Rafe didn’t care about the moan that left him or the shudder that wracked his frame.
His arms wrapped around Philippe, locking their bodies together until nothing could fit between them.
Too much time had passed since he’d last held Philippe, last tasted his perfection on his tongue.
Philippe broke off the kiss, gasping for air, while Rafe turned his face into Philippe’s jaw. He kissed along it to his ear, whispered apologies.
“I love you, Philippe. Please forgive me. I wasn’t strong enough. Smart enough—”
Philippe pushed against Rafe’s chest. Blinking, Rafe looked at the furrowed brow and the slight pucker of his lover’s lips.
“What are you talking about?” Philippe demanded. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“But if I’d been more clever, I wouldn’t have failed you. You asked for my help to stop the murder of your clan members.”
“No, mon amour. You have not failed me. I needed our time apart so I could think. I set an impossible task before you, and you did the best that you could. You helped me more than you understand. But I needed space from you so I could consider what was best for my people and for me.”
“You don’t hate me?”
Philippe pulled him down for another bruising kiss.
Rafe sank into it, reveling in having his Philippe in his arms again.
When the kiss ended, Philippe brushed the tip of his nose against Rafe’s.
“Never stopped loving you,” Philippe whispered.
“Though I hate myself for causing you a moment of doubt in me.”
“Only for the briefest heartbeat, mon ange,” Rafe murmured. “You don’t need to worry about me.” His arms tightened around Philippe. The ball of tension that had enveloped Rafe’s heart disappeared, and he could breathe deeply again.
Resting his head against Rafe’s shoulder, Philippe sighed. “I will always worry about you.”
Rafe’s arms didn’t want to release Philippe, but there were too many questions swirling around his brain. Slowly, he loosened his hold and took a step back so he could clearly see Philippe’s face. “If you were not upset with me, why did you meet with Marcus and Aiden last night?”
A small smile lifted one corner of Philippe’s plush lips and his eyes darted away. “I wanted to discuss the very thing you suggested. Merging our clans.”
“Really?” His knees nearly buckled at just the mention of the idea.
Philippe nodded, then paced away. He shoved one hand through his hair, pushing some of the longer tendrils from his forehead and flopped onto the sofa.
“I will tell you something I’ve only confessed to Marcus and Aiden.
I…I never wanted to be a clan leader. After being tortured and turned by my maker, I never wanted to be part of a clan.
” He stared at his hands where they dangled between his knees.
“But your power gave you no choice.” Rafe slowly approached the sofa and sat on the arm. He wanted to be there for Philippe as he told his story but didn’t want to crowd him.
Philippe shook his head. “I couldn’t ignore them. I was older and stronger in most cases. They needed someone, so I took on that role whether I wanted to or not. Don’t get me wrong. I was happy to help them. Many of my clanmates and I became friends.”
Rafe slipped to the sofa and picked up one of Philippe’s hands to hold in both of his. “But they weren’t the close family you might have hoped for. It wasn’t the life you wanted after being forced into this immortal one.”
“What I want feels irrelevant. The important thing I’ve learned from these attacks is that I’m not strong enough to be a clan leader. People I’ve promised to protect are dying. They need someone smarter and stronger than me.”
Rafe shook his head. He started to open his mouth, but Philippe was already placing the fingers of his free hand over his lips.
“It’s the truth. And while it hurts, I’m also relieved that one way or another, I will get the help I need to protect those who remain.
I told Marcus and Aiden everything about the Arsenault clan, my powers. Everything.”
Philippe lowered his fingers and Rafe snapped, “Why the hell didn’t they tell me?”
“Because they didn’t want you to feel torn over loyalties. I told them that I’m in love with Rafe Varik, and I don’t ever want to come between him and his family.”
“Bastards,” Rafe muttered, though it lacked any real heat.
“They know you, Rafe,” Philippe continued with a little smile. “You would give everything for your family. Your life. Even your happiness to protect them.”
Rafe dropped against the back of the sofa and glared straight ahead, not really seeing anything in his penthouse. He was trying to imagine what Marcus would have said or thought about the information Philippe had given him about the Arsenault clan. But he couldn’t guess.
What would Aiden say?
Even before Aiden’s arrival, they’d never discussed how large they would allow the Varik clan to become.
It was no shock that Lola, Ryder, and Gideon had been added.
But what about the nine Arsenaults? Doubling the clan again in so short a time would raise a few perfectly sculpted eyebrows on the Ministry.
Nolan would see this as a power grab on the Variks’ part.
Oh, fuck! Nolan!
Rafe bolted upright. “Did you hear my voice mail?”
“When?”
“Before I arrived.”
Philippe shook his head and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I didn’t know you’d called. I—”
“Fuck! You were probably in the elevator at the time. I just came from a meeting with Nolan MacPherson at Blush.”
“Why in the world were you meeting with the MacPherson clan leader?”
“It wasn’t my plan, I promise you that.” Rafe quickly relayed all he’d learned while drinking with Nolan in the booth. Philippe pushed off the sofa and paced the floor in front of the balcony windows, rubbing his hand over his lips again and again.
“Weeding out the Arsenault clan?” Philippe repeated. His face was twisted up like he’d eaten a spoonful of dirt. “Like it’s any of his business who’s a part of the Arsenaults.”
“It is if he wants to swallow up your clan.”
“Fuck him!”
“Considering who among your clan has been killed, I’m inclined to think that the MacPherson clan is behind the murders.”
“Definitely not arguing that.”
“But how would he know who needs to be killed and where to find them when they were at their most vulnerable?”
Philippe stopped sharply and his eyes widened as he looked over at Rafe. His lips parted and the name he spoke sounded almost like a plea. “Ezra.”
“Are you—”
“We have to go! We have to go now! Jullien was going out to feed. I left them all alone with Ezra.” Philippe raced across the room toward the elevators.
Rafe shot up and ran for a nearby bookcase where several swords and knives were on display.
There wasn’t time to change out of the hard-soled shoes he was wearing, but at least he’d be armed.
He grabbed what he could and charged after Philippe, sliding into the elevator car just as the doors finished opening.
“Are you sure it’s Ezra?” Rafe demanded as they rode to the parking garage.
“Yes. I’m so fucking stupid.”
“Philippe, no—”
“It’s true. When you first brought up that the clan was being betrayed by one of its own members, I didn’t want to believe it.
But as time passed, I was able to narrow it down to Ezra and Jullien, though both options broke my heart.
I’ve known them the longest. Trusted them more than others.
” Philippe shook his head as if forcing aside that line of thought.
“They were the only ones strong enough to take care of the others. They were also trusted by everyone.”
“They could get close,” Rafe murmured. “But how are you sure it’s Ezra?”
“He’s complained about additions to our clan recently when he never has before.
Said I needed to be more selective, or they were just going to weaken us.
When I started to consider an alliance, he pushed the MacPherson clan hard.
I didn’t think it was strange at the time because they’re a smart choice.
Large and powerful. Who wouldn’t want to be aligned with a clan like that? ”
“Anyone who wants a little autonomy,” Rafe muttered.
“Or doesn’t want to live in fear of being slaughtered because he’s not living up to a certain standard,” Philippe added.
“What about the attack with the wolves at the construction site?”
Philippe’s frown deepened. “Had to have been a ruse to throw off any suspicion. Out of all of us, I think he suffered the smallest injuries.” Philippe snarled and clenched his fist. “I’m such a fucking fool. I should have seen it.”
“No.” The doors opened and Rafe moved to stand in the opening, forcing Philippe to face him. “You trusted Ezra, because at one time, he’d earned that trust. You stood by him. He betrayed you. He betrayed all of your clan. He’s to blame. Not you.”
Philippe pressed his forehead to Rafe’s shoulder for a moment and heaved a deep breath that sounded as if it reached down to his toes. “You’re right. Let’s just hope we aren’t too late.”
Rafe closed his eyes and whispered a silent prayer to anyone who might be listening.
This life had been thrust on Philippe, and he’d done the best he could.
He loved his people even if they didn’t love him back.
He’d given everything of himself. Rafe just wished he could shield him from the pain he feared was still coming.
But regardless of what they found at Arsenault Manor, he was not leaving Philippe’s side ever again. He would find a way to balance his loyalties between the Arsenaults and the Variks.