7. Chapter 7
7
K ade paced the length of the suite over and over again. Clyde followed at his heels, meowing all the way. They’d been at this for hours, ever since Kelly and Fabian had left. The sun had set long ago, leaving them in darkness, but Kade couldn’t bring himself to stop.
Kelly had been everything Connor had told him she was and so much more. She was proud, independent, and strong; there was a fire in her soul. Connor had hinted at her beauty, but he’d refrained from describing her in detail out of respect. Her body was perfectly proportioned and uncharacteristically muscular for a woman, something he appreciated more than he cared to admit. Her hair had been back in a bun, but the color was a rich brunette. Her eyes were the color of the ocean, a deep blue that wasn’t too light or too dark. Her skin was light and smooth. Her smile could light up the room, but her eyes could burn a hole straight to a man’s core. She was just the right combination of grit and grace.
One thing he had not expected was her temper. She had been so quick to defend herself and seemed to enjoy arguing with him about everything. It had left him at his wit’s end.
After hurting her in his efforts to stop her escape, he wanted nothing more than to care for her and comfort her. He was typically not the caring type, but she seemed to bring it out in him.
In his mind, Kade had imagined explaining things to her in detail, going all the way back to the beginning of time. He wanted to share his people’s history with her and show her just how special she might be. Then he would have explained what his offer of a mentor and a home really meant, the places she would go with him and the experience she would gain by his side as he served on the Council. He would have told her he’d protect her and give her the life of her dreams. Instead, she’d had outburst after outburst and somehow managed to completely ruin his usually calm and confident demeanor.
He had never been more thankful for Fabian and his foresight. Not only had the fae realized Kelly’s importance, he’d offered her Guardianship. Kade had made a mess of things, and Fabian had come to his rescue. Something told him Kelly would need Fabian’s Guardianship—and soon.
The cat yowled from the floor and head-butted his leg.
“Will ye stop yelling at me, Clyde? I ken I fucked up.”
He had regular conversations with the cat. He usually worked and lived alone, and it made more sense to carry on a conversation with a cat than with himself. At least Clyde talked back; the voices in his head were not nearly as entertaining.
Clyde let out another long meow before went to the couch to lie down, fed up with Kade’s pacing.
Come to think of it, the cat had a good idea.
Kade made his way over to the couch and let gravity take hold of his body. Just as his body hit the cushions, Clyde was on his chest, making himself at home.
“Ye dinnae have to pace around with me and wear yerself out too.”
Another meow as Clyde head-butted his chin.
Kade’s phone vibrated against his leg, making him cringe. He fumbled in his pocket for the horrid device and glanced at it before answering. Elizabeth, just who he wanted to speak with.
“Yes, Elizabeth?” he answered, not bothering to act like he was happy she’d called.
“Darling, I’m so glad you accepted my call—” she started.
He cut her off immediately. “I am not yer darling , Elizabeth. What is it ye need?”
The kindness left her voice. “Leave it to you to be Mr. High and Mighty.”
“I am not—” He stopped himself before this turned into a completely pointless conversation. “Never mind, please just tell me what it is ye need.”
“I wanted to make sure you took care of last night’s situation. Do you need any help with things?”
“Not that it is any of yer concern, but yes, I am handling things.” He set the phone down, still able to hear her with it lying on the couch beside him, and rubbed his face in an effort to wake up.
“Oh wonderful, do you need me to testify? I’m sure I can make time in my schedule,” Elizabeth asked, suddenly turning the charm back on.
“That will nae be necessary, thank ye kindly,” Kade said as he tried desperately to remain cordial.
“I see.” She paused, clearly thinking of her next move. “Well then, when is the trial? I will come in your support.”
“There will nae be a trial, Elizabeth, I am handling things personally. Please dinnae concern yerself with it.”
Elizabeth lost her composure. “What do you mean, there will not be a trial?!”
Kade sat up then, bringing the phone back to his ear. He spoke through gritted teeth. “I will caution ye not to speak to me that way, for the hundredth time this year, Elizabeth. Kelly is not yer concern. Let last night’s events go.”
“What in the hell are you up to, Kade? I will report this to the Council.”
“Right, I’m sure ye will. Please do tell me how that goes, and while yer at it, I’d love to hear how much I dinnae deserve to be Jarl. Have a lovely evening, Elizabeth.”
Kade disconnected the call before she had a chance to express any more of her displeasure over everything in her life. He looked at the screen to see it was 3:00 a.m., which meant there was a high probability his phone would be ringing at least a few more times over the next couple hours. If not for the chance Fabian or Kelly would call, he would turn the damn thing off.
Clyde let out one of his famous meows from the floor.
“Right. Yer hungry. Come on, wee one.” As he made his way to the fridge, the cat followed behind with more meows. They got louder and longer as the fridge grew closer, until he was practically screaming at Kade.
“Yes, yes, all right.” He pulled a can of cat food from the fridge and grabbed a bag of blood from the lower drawer for himself. As he pulled the lid from the cat food, the four-legged creature seemed to speak through a megaphone, each meow louder than the last. Kade hurried to scoop the food from the can and set it on a plate just as Clyde pounced for it. For a thin and graceful being, Clyde ate like a complete pig.
Not bothering to be neat, Kade ripped one of the top notches from the blood bag with his teeth and proceeded to gulp it down. Over the years, cold blood had become the norm, but it never really satisfied like the fresh stuff from a vein. He paid top dollar for organic O negative because the lack of chemicals made it taste more pure, and O negative was his preference, but it just wasn’t the same. Every time he drank from a bag, he longed for the days when it was okay to drink from a human. Time and technology seemed to change everything though. No sense in wishing things were different.
As he tossed the bag in the trash, his phone vibrated again.
“Can ye just leave me alone for one night?” he said aloud, then looked at the screen. He slid the icon to answer.
“Mother,” he said, surprised, “how are ye?”
“My son, I am well now that I’ve heard your voice. How fare thee?”
“I am well, thank ye,” he said, trying to hide the stress in his voice.
“Keegan,” she said, using his old name in a gentle and loving manner, “I know when you hide things. What troubles you?”
Kade couldn’t help but confide in his mother. For over two hundred years, she had shown him nothing but patience, understanding, and love. If anyone could tell him how to go about things, it would be her.
Starting with the first night Kelly had shown up months ago, Kade explained everything to her. From having Kelly followed to her break-in at the Star Plaza to Fabian’s offer of Guardianship and everything in between. He told her of his inexplicable feelings regarding Kelly and the ridiculous way he’d handled things. It was easy to explain events, but much more difficult to tell her how he felt about them. He found himself at a loss for words when it came to telling his mother about the urge he had to protect and care for the young mage.
Calm and collected as ever, his mother responded with a slight smile in her voice, “I see. It sounds like you’ve experienced quite the adventure as of late. Fabian is watching over the girl now?”
“Aye, he is. I paid him for additional time over the forty-eight-hour trial period.”
“You were smart to do so, Son. Her abilities are already apparent, and if Fabian feels she is important, his intuition will prove to be right. It is concerning that Elizabeth has taken such interest in her, but that is an unlikely threat. Word will travel fast, though. You must persuade her to accept Fabian’s offer, and yours. Be patient but persistent.” Her tone held seriousness she did not often convey.
“Mum, I would love to, but ye dinnae understand. I am at a loss with this woman.”
“Keegan, two hundred years have taught you many things about women. You know much more about us than you’d like to admit. It sounds as though she has experienced much heartbreak in her short lifespan, so you will have to be extremely polite and understanding. I know you are barely coming into your role with your father gone, but you need to show your power here. Be commanding, but be gentle. Fabian would never offer Guardianship lightly. You must realize he has possibly given up his life for her. I dare say she may be more important than even he realizes.”
Kade ran his hand through his hair, “Ye really think she is that special? We ken nothing of her history. We cannae even confirm she has Arcane bloodlines.”
“What would it take for you to give up your life in order to protect a woman you barely know?”
Her question did not require an answer. His mother had seen so much, and she knew her way around the mind better than anyone. Kade could not find the words to respond, although he wanted to.
“Go find her, Keegan. Show her the man you can be, and help her make the right decisions,” she paused for a moment, “Your father would be so very proud of you. Not many men would have made it this far without making rash decisions. I realize you are questioning yourself, but you have done well.”
“Thank ye” was all he could manage. His mother’s opinion had always mattered to him.
“Call me anytime. I am here to help. I love you, Keegan.”
“I love ye too, Mum.”
Kade disconnected the call and bowed his head. His mother had always been one of his greatest supporters, and he trusted her judgment more than that of anyone on the Council, despite their ranking. Her suggestions were unnerving to him, but he would not dare ignore them.
He wanted to procrastinate and put off the next phone call until the following night. Instead, he ripped off the proverbial Band-Aid and found Fabian’s number in his phone. He sat on one of the kitchen’s stools as the line began to ring.
“Yes, sir?” Fabian answered courteously. There was a hint of surprise in his voice.
“Hello, Fabian. How are things going with Kelly?” he asked, as casually as he could manage.
“Well, sir, we had dinner this evening, and she is writing her blog now. We are safe in the hotel.”
“Great. I’d like to join ye both tomorrow evening, assuming Kelly is still going to be working nights.”
“Sounds good, sir. Yes, she plans to maintain her routine. We will be turning in soon, and she will be starting her evening at the gym around six p.m. today.” Fabian still seemed a little suspicious of Kade’s call but sounded as if he’d relaxed his guard a bit.
“Very well, then, I’ll meet ye at her gym this evening. No need to advise Kelly of my plans to join. Have a good night, Fabian. Thank ye for yer service.”
“Of course, sir. Have a good evening.”
Kade ended the call, feeling confident in his arrangements.
Just one more call was needed; he dialed his assistant, Asta, and she answered almost immediately. “Yes, sir?”
“Good evening, Asta, how are ye?” he asked.
“I’m well, thank you,” she said in her kind, light voice. “How may I help?”
“Is it possible for ye to clear my schedule tomorrow from, say, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Central Time?”
“Let me check, sir. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Kade waited patiently as clicks came from her keyboard in the background.
“All clear, sir. Is there anything else I can help with?”
“Nae, that’ll be it. Thank ye, Asta. Please take tonight and tomorrow night off. Ye deserve some time.”
She hesitated on the other end of the line. “Uh, thank you, sir, but that’s not necessary.”
“I insist.” He did his best to sound as sincere as he truly was.
“Thank you, sir!” The excitement was now evident in her voice.
“Good night, Asta.” He couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to make his people happy.
“Good night, sir,” she said with a squeal.
With everything lined up for the evening, Kade felt like he could get a bit of sleep. Vampires did not require much, just a few hours per day, but Kade tended to need more time in his day, and he’d push it until a day came along with a few extra hours for him to catch up. Today would be that day.
“Asmund,”—Kade spoke normally to him, knowing he could hear everything that happened inside the suite even with the door closed—“I’m turning in for the day. Feel free to come in and relax.”
The door opened and Asmund stepped inside, locking it behind him. “Thank you, sir.”
“This sir shit is going to get old,” he grumbled to no one in particular.
“It does come with the job, you know.” Asmund answered. He tended to enjoy poking at Kade from time to time.
“Aye, I ken. Six months and I still dinnae like it.”
“Your father did not appreciate it either, at first. The title is an honor. You will get used to it with time.”
“Thank ye. Enjoy yer day.” Kade nodded to him and went to the bedroom as Asmund settled on the couch and turned on the TV.
Clyde galloped into the room behind him and quickly made himself at home on the bed. Kade shut the door and lay down next to the cat. He grabbed a pillow and hugged it to himself, only to have Kelly’s scent hit him like a ton of bricks. His smarter side told him to throw the pillow to the floor, but his weaker half had him hugging it a bit more, and he quickly fell into a deep sleep with the thought of her tucked safely in his arms.