20. Justin #2
“I didn’t—” Pavel stopped himself. Sadness was written across his face, a sadness Justin shared. He shook his head, then reached into his pocket and fished out his phone.
“I’ll give you my number. Text me so I have yours. That way, you can get hold of me if you’re in danger.”
A flame of anger sputtered to life in Justin’s stomach. This push-pull was ridiculous.
“If you’re going to reject us, then do it. You can’t tell us you won’t be our mate and then stalk us to feel better. Rip the Band-Aid off. Otherwise, we’ll be doing this for the next fucking century.”
Pavel let out a breath and closed his eyes. For the first time, the strong gargoyle seemed truly defeated.
“Please,” he said softly. “I have to keep you safe. Text me and I’ll be there.”
Emotions swirled in Justin’s chest, but even so, he reached down and pulled out his phone.
The last rays of the setting sun painted the sky orange and purple as Justin arrived back once again at the Circle’s house in Bayonne.
He came alone, knowing he would be meeting his coven master and several vampires there.
He assumed Sebastian would be there as well, although they hadn’t discussed it.
The first person he saw as he made his way down the sidewalk, however, was a short, muscular man clad in camo, his top unbuttoned to reveal his muscular chest. His chestnut hair sat on his head in a swoop.
Wolf. Stationed at the top of the front stoop, Justin didn’t know if he’d ever seen anything as unwelcoming as the look on Wolf’s face.
“Your vampires will stay out here. They aren’t allowed in the house.”
That was a woman’s voice. Direct and no-nonsense, Justin would recognize it anywhere. Linda.
As he reached the front gate, the rest of the scene unfolded before him.
Wolf glared down at them from his perch on the front porch.
Below, on the long, paved path from the sidewalk, stood Freddie.
His hair flamed bright red in the light of the setting sun, and he dwarfed Linda, who seemed utterly unfazed by the hulking vampire.
Behind Freddie were four vampires. Justin didn’t know any of them well.
“My vampires will not be stationed here twenty-four hours a day and be unable to rest or use the facilities. They aren’t your servants, and they won’t be treated as subhuman.”
“They are subhuman.” That obnoxious sentiment came from Wolf, who wore a gross sneer on his face. How could the man be related to Sebastian? Sebastian could be a pain, but he wasn’t an asshole.
“That’s enough, Wolf,” Linda snapped, not looking back at her son.
“Thank you,” Freddie said, but Linda’s face didn’t soften.
“Don’t thank me. They still aren’t coming into the house.”
Justin rolled his eyes and strode down the path. Why was he always surrounded by the most stubborn of people?
“Linda, you can’t expect the vampires to stand out in the sun without a break,” Justin said as he approached.
“We may not burst into flame like in a 50s horror movie, but it’s exhausting, and after a few hours of sunlight, the guards won’t be any stronger than you.
They’ll need to come inside to escape and to feed. ”
Linda’s eyes widened as she saw Justin. For some reason, that made him more confident. Somehow, he’d passed her initial test of him, and although he doubted she approved of him as her son’s mate, the seeds of respect were there.
“Be that as it may?—”
Justin held out his hand to stop her. The front yard was dark, covered as it was by the shade of several large oak trees, and Justin was relieved as the sun finally dipped under the horizon. He’d always been particularly susceptible to sun-weakness.
“They can keep to the kitchen on the first floor. But they need access to a refrigerator so they can get blood bags.”
Linda stared at Justin, locking eyes with him for a long moment. He held her gaze. Whatever power she had, she no longer intimidated him. It was probably foolish, but it was true. Finally, she nodded.
Wolf shifted and started down toward them. “Mother?—”
“No,” she said, stopping him in his tracks. “We need their help, and these are the terms. During the daylight, they may come into the kitchen to feed and recover. At night, the house will be locked down tight. Once the sun sets, they may not enter.”
“Very well,” Freddie said. He frowned, clearly not happy, but Justin knew it was the best compromise they would reach.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Wolf’s face was a mask of anger.
“I’ve made my decision, Wolf.” Linda’s voice was a cold monotone. “You aren’t a witch. You don’t understand these things.”
Wolf turned and stomped back up the stairs and into the house, slamming the door behind him. Linda’s face betrayed no emotion at his temper tantrum.
“These four will stay with you tonight,” Freddie said. “By tomorrow, we will have a better sense of the schedule of shifts. I’ll do my best to create a sense of regularity.”
Linda glared at the four vampires, all dressed in tight black clothes. It was the uniform Freddie preferred them to wear for outside jobs.
“And these are trustworthy?”
“They are.” Freddie didn’t expand on that.
“Well, thank fuck that is done.” Justin knew that rich bass voice. It was his mate. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Sebastian dropping out of a tree.
Freddie raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Instead, he gestured for the other vampires to follow him as he stationed them around the perimeter of the house.
Justin stood waiting as Sebastian made his way over to him and Linda, being careful not to betray any emotion.
The negotiation might not be over here. If Linda was still involved, things could always go sideways.
“What the fuck were you doing up there?” Linda asked, crossing her arms.
Flipping his shoulder-length black hair with his hand, Sebastian let out a laugh. “I was waiting for you to finish up. Both you and Wolf make everything more complicated than it needs to be.”
“We’re done,” she said. “Do you need something?”
Sebastian glanced over at Justin, who thought he caught a flash of guilt on the witch’s face.
“I’m going after Veronica.”
Linda’s arms slowly uncrossed and fell to her sides, but she said nothing. Was she seriously considering his words? Wouldn’t she talk him out of such an insane move?
After a moment, she spoke. “Fine.”
“What?!” Justin squeaked, unable to contain himself any longer. “You don’t know where she is, you don’t know how many people she’s working with, and you don’t know how dangerous those people are. ”
Sebastian stepped back in response to Justin’s vehemence, which only made Justin angrier. Of course he was worked up—Sebastian was his mate!
“I’ll come with you,” Justin continued. “I can convince a few of my covenmates to go as well.”
“No.” Linda’s voice was like a warning bell cutting through the crisp evening air. “This is Circle business. This is family business.”
Justin stared at her in absolute disbelief. “What are you talking about? He could be walking into a trap.”
“She’s my sister, Justin.” Sebastian stepped closer to the vampire, and for a moment, it seemed like he might reach out and grab his hand. But he didn’t. “I need to try to talk sense into her. One last time.”
Linda nodded and walked back toward the house, calling out to them as she opened the front door. “If she doesn’t see reason, you have permission to kill her. The Circle has decided.”
Justin felt his face pale, but Sebastian showed no sign of surprise. Had he expected that?
“This is insane, Seb.” Justin closed the distance between them, grabbing both of Sebastian’s slender, toned arms. “It’s too dangerous. You can’t do this by yourself. And you can’t kill your own sister!”
A ghost of a smile crossed Sebastian’s face. “You called me Seb. I like it. That’s nice.”
“Are you listening to me?!” Justin couldn’t recall being so frustrated with another person.
“I am, sweetheart, I promise.” Sebastian leaned down and kissed Justin on the forehead. A warmth spread through him at the gesture, but all that did was annoy him.
“Then don’t go! ”
“I have to.” Sebastian wrapped his arms around the shorter vampire. Justin was pulsing with frustration. Sebastian was placating him like an upset child.
“I don’t see?—”
Sebastian kissed his temple. “Because I am her brother. Because I am my mother’s son. Because this is family business, and I’m the only one who can go. And because I won’t risk anyone else.”
At that moment, Justin’s resolve cracked, and he buried his face in Sebastian’s chest. “Let me go with you, at least. If I’m your mate, I should be by your side.”
“That makes it worse, don’t you see? I couldn’t bear if anything happened to you. If it was my fault.”
“But—”
“Shh.” Sebastian’s arms tightened around him, the pressure both grounding and restrictive. “I’ll end this. And I’ll come back to you. I promise.”