Chapter 8
Ryder
Sky appeared on their doorstep right on time, three nights after their initial meeting at Phoenix.
The gold vest was gone, and in its place was a sky-blue one with birds in flight stitched into it.
His golden-blond hair was perfectly styled, and he was every inch of the word dapper.
In his left hand, he carried a battered leather case that resembled an old-fashioned doctor’s bag.
Instead of taking him up to Gideon’s place, Ryder showed him into his own condo. In all fairness to the man, there were some introductions that needed to be completed.
When they walked in, Fox and Gideon sat on the sofa, chatting animatedly about a new spell Fox was working on. Winter stood, his shoulder braced on the wall, and his arms folded lightly over his chest.
“Fox! It’s so good to meet you in person finally,” Sky exclaimed as he entered the room. Both men rose from the sofa and offered friendly waves. “Gideon, I hope the ghost hasn’t been troubling you too much.”
Gideon shook his head. “No, I’ve been living here with Ryder. She apparently hasn’t discovered the first-floor condo yet.”
Winter cleared his throat across the room and Fox winced, dipping his head and raising his shoulders like a turtle trying to shrink into his shell.
“Um…Sky, I was talking to Gideon about your meeting at Phoenix, and it’s been brought to my attention that there’s something I’ve not told you about me that I should.” As Fox spoke, he walked over to stand beside Winter, who straightened from his lean. “This is my boyfriend.”
Sky lifted one eyebrow and looked over at Gideon and Ryder, as though he were wondering what the punchline or problem was. “Do you think I’d have a problem with you being gay?”
Fox frantically waved his hands in front of him. “No! No! That’s not it. This is my boyfriend, Winter Varik.”
Ryder watched the witch’s face turn a sickly white as he sank to the floor. He stepped up and guided Sky over to sit on the couch while Gideon took the place next to him.
“Winter Varik. Holy shit. That’s Winter Varik. I’m in the same room as Winter Varik. I’ve been talking to his boyfriend, and now I’m gonna die.” Sky’s words rushed from his lips in an almost breathless whisper of panic.
“No! Of course not!” Fox exclaimed. He turned to his loving boyfriend and slugged him on the shoulder. “Stop being creepy! Everyone knows you’re the coolest of the Variks. Go be nice! Please.”
The chilly facade that Winter held in place melted at that soft “please” and he wrapped his arms around Fox’s narrow waist, pulling him in close. “You’re the only one who doesn’t think I’m creepy, babe,” Winter replied, taking a second to nuzzle Fox’s jaw.
“Your brothers don’t think you’re creepy.
Just annoying,” Fox grumbled, but his body language was shifting into full cuddle mode.
Ryder nearly rolled his eyes. This happened every time he attended a meeting with all the Variks.
The brothers would snipe at each other, but become absolute puddles of goo with their mates.
Was he any different now, though? If Gideon batted his enormous eyes at him, he’d be at his side in a flash, pulling him into his arms.
After a quick kiss to Fox’s throat, Winter released his boyfriend and turned his full attention to Sky, who seemed as though he’d rather be pretty much anywhere else in the world.
“I’m sorry we haven’t met sooner. I asked Fox to keep his clan a secret for now. The Varik name carries a unique weight in our world. I want to be sure people aren’t going to use him to get close to the clan,” Winter apologized.
“Ha. Yeah. Totally get it. Ha. Gotta protect your boyfriend,” Sky choked out. His voice was higher pitched than normal, and he still sounded as if he were contemplating running out of there.
“He told me he’s enjoyed his conversations with you and the rest of your coven. I hope Fox being a Varik won’t upset future conversations.”
“Winter!” Fox snapped.
Winter scowled at his mate, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his black hoodie. “What?”
“That sounded like a threat.”
Winter sighed heavily and dropped his head back. “I didn’t mean it like a threat. If I was threatening anyone, they’d fucking—”
Fox darted close and slapped his hand across Winter’s mouth.
“Seriously, he’s not threatening. He always sounds threatening because of his reputation.
I have enjoyed our talks and I would like to meet the rest of your coven in person, but if you’re not comfortable with me because I’m a Varik or because my boyfriend is an asshole, I understand. ”
Winter said something behind Fox’s hand, but it was too muffled to understand. He was likely taking issue with being called an asshole.
“No! I…I can’t speak for my coven brothers, but I don’t have a problem with you being in the Varik Clan. I…I think I just need time to wrap my head around you dating Winter,” Sky said. His color was better, and his voice was at its normal levels.
So, it was time to drop the other bomb.
“We probably should have told you, too,” Gideon started, his cheeks flushed. “But Ryder and I are also part of the Varik Clan.”
A sharp laugh broke from Sky’s throat. “Of course. Of course you are.” He slapped his hand over his mouth, eyes suddenly going wide. When he lifted his hand, he whispered, “Did I say anything at the club that was embarrassing?”
Gideon immediately patted his shoulder. “No, you and Maddox were wonderful. Very interesting. You’re not at all what I expected when we heard you were a necromancer.”
“Not that any vampire looks forward to meeting a necromancer,” Winter muttered.
Fox smacked him on the chest. “Be nice!”
“Are you still willing to help Gideon with the ghost?” Ryder demanded, dragging Sky’s wide eyes up to him.
“Sure. That’s not a problem.” Sky paused and rubbed his hand on his chin. “I think I know my price for removing the ghost, though.” He turned his smile on Gideon. “In exchange for removing the ghost, I want you to owe me one meeting with King Aiden.”
“What do you want to meet with the king about?” Winter asked.
Sky shrugged. “No reason…at the moment. I want to have this promise in my back pocket in case something important comes up at a later date.” He chuckled and pressed his hand to his chest. “You think some nobody witch like me can snag a meeting with the king? Hell, nah. But I’m sure his own clan members could arrange it for me just once. ”
“You know we can’t guarantee that Aiden would help you or do whatever it is you want, right?” Winter countered.
Sky made a dismissive noise. “I’d never expect that. Convincing the king to help me is my problem. This payment would simply get me an audience.”
Gideon’s wide, pleading eyes immediately shot to Ryder, begging for help. He didn’t know how to answer, and Ryder was feeling a bit at a loss. If they went to Aiden and asked him to give Sky a meeting, he was sure Aiden would grant it, but was that the right way to use their connection to the clan?
“Done,” Winter answered before anyone else tried to speak. “But the bargain you’ve struck is with me, not Gideon. Get rid of his ghost, and I’ll make sure you get in to see the king so long as it’s a Varik sitting on the throne.”
Gideon smiled brightly up at Winter. “Thank you so much.”
“Truly, thank you, Winter,” Ryder chimed in.
The youngest Varik looked at the ground, his hands stuffed into the front pocket of his hoodie. “It’s not a big deal. Seriously.”
“Awww, you’re just a cheese-doodle-loving sweetheart,” Fox teased. He wrapped his arms around his mate and nuzzled his face against Winter’s throat. “Love you.”
“Okay. Let’s go check out this ghost.” Sky picked up the bag that had slipped from his fingers and shoved to his feet. He paused and turned his attention to stare at Winter. “Does this mean you’ll be joining us?”
“He’s not allowed!” Fox blurted out.
Winter narrowed his eyes at his mate for a moment.
He shook his head at Sky. “No, I’m not. Ghosts react to my presence, and I don’t want to screw up any spells you might be using.
Ryder promised to keep an eye on Gideon and Fox for me.
” Winter grinned, revealing the points of his fangs.
“I thought I’d go hunting while I wait for you to finish. ”
Sky shuddered. “Yeah, you go get all full of blood. No biting here.”
Ryder snickered but stopped when his soft-hearted Gideon shot him a warning glare.
He got it. No picking on the witch. Sky had been through enough tonight, and they hadn’t even gotten to the ghost part.
He didn’t feel too much sympathy, though.
Sky had done a fabulous job of scaring the shit out of them at Phoenix.
Gideon stepped forward and motioned toward Ryder’s front door. “Let’s go introduce you to my beautiful trunk and the ghost haunting it.”
His lover led them out of Ryder’s condo and up the creaking wooden stairs to the second-floor entrance to Gideon’s place.
Sky trailed behind him with his bag clenched in his fist. Fox wisely followed him while Ryder brought up the rear.
He glanced back to see Winter pause at the main entrance to the building, his eyes locked on Fox.
“I got it,” Ryder murmured, his voice loud enough to carry to Winter. The vampire nodded, his shoulders slumping in relief. It wasn’t so much that Winter didn’t trust Sky with his mate, just that no vampire trusted anyone outside of the clan with their mate.
He was just entering Gideon’s place when Sky’s voice rang out.
“Looks like your ghost has been redecorating.”
Ryder’s heart clenched but relaxed as Gideon replied, “Well, it could have been a lot worse.”