CHAPTER 24
Rue
None of them left my side for a single second all night. We snuggled, cuddled, and they held me while we let the bond between us heal. At some point I fell asleep, giving my mind an essential break from the day’s events. Surprisingly, the nightmares stayed at bay.
Although, I did wake up a few times, hands searching for my men. They were always there when I needed them, stroking my hair, or murmuring soft words.
The herby scent of brewed tea reaches me, and I drowsily open my eyes. Only to find Rhys standing next to the bed with a teacup in hand. It’s the most adorable one I’ve ever seen with a winking smiley face tea bag and “You’re a Cute-Tea,” written next to it.
He remembered I like tea in the morning.
Ugh, be still my beating heart.
“I don’t feel like a Cute-Tea right now,” I mumble as I sit up and push the rat’s nest of hair out of my face.
Honestly, morning hair is not cute at all. I need to find that comb and brush it again. Being smothered between the guys did nothing for it either, but I wouldn’t change a single thing.
“I think you’re perfect,” Rhys responds, planting a sweet kiss on my cheek before handing me the cup. Talk about melting my heart. This man… he’s as sweet as a gumdrop.
“She is,” Caylix rumbles, entering the room freshly showered with clothes on. His hair is wet, making the deep brown strands appear almost black. “Good morning, little witch.”
“Good morning, Caylix,” I respond, setting the cup of tea on the nightstand next to the bed so he can wrap his arms around me. He takes a deep inhale of my scent and I cringe.
“You know, I’m probably a little ripe right now. Not to mention all the… blood.” I wave a hand over the various spots they got it on me. “I need a shower.”
Caylix backs up and his lips twitch into a smirk. “You smell like the three of us combined. I never want it to go away.”
“Agreed,” Rhys rumbles, and it does funny things to my insides.
My gaze surveys the room and I’m surprised to find Kathan is nowhere in sight. My heart drops for a second, until he marches into the room with two croissants in his hands. They’re dripping with eggs and bacon and the smell makes my stomach grumble, reminding me it needs sustenance. “I thought you might be hungry,” he rumbles in that deep baritone of his.
“And you cook? I’m a goner,” I mumble to myself, but they catch it anyway. Darn shifter hearing.
“We all do,” Rhys chimes in, practically preening.
Divine’s help me. I’m a sucker for a man who cooks. Which isn’t to say I can’t because I can. There’s just something about having a man do it for you. It’s hot. Especially when it tastes as good as Kathan’s. The flavors explode on my tongue and I’m not too proud to admit I devour it in a few bites. Maybe my appetite is turning into a shifter because holy hell, I feel like I could eat ten more. Noticing this, Kathan hands me the rest of his.
“Thank you.”
“I hate to ask, little witch, but is there anything else you can tell us about what happened when we weren’t here?” Caylix probes gently. Rhys shoots him a look and turns, scooping me off my chair and into his lap. His warmth seeps into me. “Maybe we can puzzle out more of the vampire’s motives.”
Suddenly I’m glad he waited until after I ate because my food turns to lead in my stomach. I know we need to talk about it, but flashes of the violence make me shudder. I reiterate everything that happened with the shed door and the not-so-feral not being able to cross the threshold. When I get to the part about the bartender, I pause. “Actually, I didn’t get a chance to mention it, but I think the bartender had knowledge about my blood. She acted weird around me before anyone else and I’m pretty sure she mouthed ‘Dar’tha’ before he…” I trail off because they know what I mean. “Why does that name sound familiar?
Caylix takes my hand in his and squeezes. His touch grounds me and eases the ache in my chest alongside Rhys’ comforting hold. “She’s the fae healer we called the night you were attacked.”
“Ah, I knew it sounded familiar.”
His mouth pulls into a frown. “I’ll call her and see about scheduling a meeting. If she has information, we need it.”
“The question is, why would she have anything to do with this?” Kathan questions.
“I’m not sure—“ I go to tell him, but my sentence is cut off by a booming knock at the door. A squeak tumbles out of me and the three of them let out dangerous, echoing growls.
“Who the fuck could that be?” Caylix questions, his eyes morphing into gold as he stares at the doorway.
“Definitely not your sister because she has a key,” Rhys responds.
When the knock sounds again, more persistent this time, the four of us make our way into the living room. Rhys positions me behind him as Kathan opens the door. The sight makes me gasp and rush forward. Slade’s piercing blue eyes lock with mine. He’s wearing his normal breezy black suit, but it’s torn in several places and soaked with blood. I don’t think all of it is his as most of the scrapes appear already healed, but there’s a gash in his temple that’s still leaking down the side of his face. I lick my lips, remembering how it tasted on my tongue. Which is such a strange thought for a witch to have…
“Slade?” I breathe. “What happened?”
He frowns. “I spent all night chasing a certain vampire who threatened you yesterday. His cohorts gave me a run for my money, leading me on a wild goose chase, but in the end, they were no match for me.” He straightens his lapels and steps through the doorway.
My heart stutters in my chest. “Why are you here?”
“I came to check on you and make sure you were okay, ma douce goutte.“ I recognize the language as French from the cadence, but other than a few spells I learned, I’m not fluent. It’s not the first time he’s called me that either and I wonder what it means.
My heart squeezes thinking about the events that unfolded yesterday and the fact that Slade didn’t give up. He continued chasing after that madman, trying to bring him down for me, and by the looks of it, he was out all night. “I’m okay. A lot better now,” I whisper.
The bond between us sizzles and fizzles in my chest, like it’s trying to reach out and bring him closer. I keep it at bay for now because I have no idea what the consequences of giving in to it will be. There’s obviously something between us, but he doesn’t know the whole story yet. It could end up being disastrous. Not to mention I refuse to jeopardize what I have with the shifters.
He phases in front of me and cups my cheek. “I heard your heart skip a beat. You don’t have to be strong on my account, Rue.” I reach up and touch the wound on his forehead and he winces. “Don’t worry, ma chère, it’ll heal. It was worth it to take out a feral.”
His tangy cedar musk envelopes me, and I want to sink into his touch. Until I hear a growl and it snaps me out of it. “Hands off, Slade,” Caylix commands, taking a step toward us.
Slade’s lip curls into a snarl. “Last time I checked, wolf, I’m not yours to command.” He postures toward Caylix, spine rigidly straight as they have a silent stare off.
The tension in the air ratchets up ten notches, and I take a step in between them, breaking their dick measuring contest and effectively shifting their attention to me. “Stop it. Both of you. I’m my own person. Let’s get that straight right now.”
Slade’s lip quirks in amusement as he stares at me. Caylix huffs but backs down, his golden eyes returning to their normal hazel. “You’re right. I apologize. My wolf is still feeling a little territorial after what happened yesterday.”
“Speaking of which,” Slade drawls. “Would anyone like to explain what that was about?”
Caylix tenses, as do the rest of us. Tits, there’s no way we can lie to him about it. There’s a beat of silence for a second, in which Slade peruses all of us. “Why is there an unknown vampire running free in my territory and what does he want with our little witch?”
Kathan clears his throat. “She’s been through a lot, Slade. Let’s schedule a meeting to discuss this formally.”
“And give you time to come up with some fucking fabrication?” He tsks. “No, I don’t think so. I want the truth, in full, right now. If it affects mon amour, it affects me.“ My heart rate kicks into overdrive, thinking about all the ways everything is about to come crashing down around me. If Slade finds out what my blood can do… I shudder at the thought. I’d be trading one bad guy for another.
No. Slade wouldn’t hurt me, would he?
I hate my answer because I don’t know. That’s the problem.
Kathan senses my rising panic and lets out a ferocious cross between a snarl and a growl. “I said we’ll discuss everything in the future. Once we’re certain we can protect Rue from you.”
“Protect her from me?” He scoffs and his eyes flash red. I flinch because it’s so much like the ferals, it sends me shooting off into those memories. I can’t help the reaction, but Slade doesn’t miss it, and for a brief second a flash of regret crosses his face.
“You heard me. Leave.”
Slade’s eyes return to their normal blue color, and he flicks them over me from head to toe. “I’m glad you’re all right, ma douce goutte. I was worried about you. I promise I’ll rip that imbecile’s heart out for threatening you.“ And with that he turns his focus to the shifters. In a blink, he’s in Kathan’s face. I’ll give the man credit. He’s not afraid at all. Despite how powerful Slade is, Kathan doesn’t flinch. “You have one week. After that, I expect answers.”
“You’ll get your answers when Rue is damn good and ready,” Kathan snarls back.
That only seems to intrigue Slade further. He tilts his head to the side, assessing him with a dark, assessing gaze. “One week,” he repeats then he’s gone—phasing out of the cabin with a piece of my heart buried deep in his chest.