Bloodlines (54 page)

It was an intensely personal thing, to smell someone’s neck. To get that close, that intimate, to such a vulnerable place. Randall shouldn’t; he didn’t have the right. But Victor just held him closer, and Randall gave in to the thrill of his scent. “If we’re not careful,” he murmured, lips catching against Victor’s skin, “I might kiss you again.”

He felt a nudge against his own neck, Victor mirroring his actions. “Who’s to say I’d want to avoid that now?”

Eyes closed, Randall felt every throb of his heartbeat, every surge of heat through his gut at Victor’s breath on his neck. He’d never had anyone do that to him before. Not like this. And Randall honestly hadn’t expected such an immediate physical reaction. It was like he was suddenly acutely aware of the arch of his own neck, the shiver of muscles under taut skin. Slowly, Randall pulled back. There was that breathless beat, he and Victor standing still in the middle of the wild dervish of movement and sound.

And then they leaned in, the both of them together, Victor’s hands sliding up to cup Randall’s cheeks. They kissed, and it wasn’t hesitant, it wasn’t Victor holding back. Not this time. Randall heard himself moan loudly as Victor teased his tongue against Randall’s lips, as they sank further into each other with a spark of heat.

When they broke away, Randall biting at Victor’s lip, Victor ghosted the faint promise of a kiss against Randall’s mouth as they panted in a breath. Stunned, Randall wasn’t even sure what to do. He’d never had a kiss like that before.

“Randall, I—”

The murmurs of the crowd grew into a roar around them, the crackle of a microphone audible above the cries for a speech, the applause, and the excitement.

Phoenix must have arrived. Randall had never hated anyone more than he did Phoenix in that moment. Whatever Victor had said was lost, the dance breaking up in favor of the pack sprawling out with food and company around what appeared to be a large tree stump turned into an impromptu stage.

“Victor.” Randall turned to him, searching his face, trying to catch the moment again. Victor’s fingertips touched Randall’s cheek.

“To be continued?” Victor said, raising his voice to be heard over the cheering.

They made their way closer, finding a spot to sit. Edwin was curled up in a pile with at least four other people, his head lying on the lap of some man whom Randall vaguely remembered seeing around and the blonde woman sprawled out next to him, using him as a pillow herself. Randall had to laugh. Yeah, that was definitely his brother. Anthony was just a little ways off, a blanket tucked around him, looking content.

Nearby, Randall spotted Jed and Redford. They were sitting together, Jed resting with his back to Redford’s chest, Redford’s arms around him, and their fingers laced tightly. Jed was kissing Redford’s chin, the two of them whispering and smiling, intensely intimate. It was… nice, to see them happy again. Randall hadn’t realized how good they were for each other until they’d started fighting. Jed had a plate piled high with grilled meat, and he fed Redford a messy bite after eating his own, both of them laughing at their joint attempts.

As for himself, his hand was still entwined with Victor’s. They were sitting together, Victor’s shoulder pressed against his own, and Randall didn’t care what else happened. This was one of the best nights of his life.

Above the crowd, Randall could see Phoenix stepping onto the huge tree stump, the portable speaker by his feet and the microphone in his hand. Randall realized he could smell other scents mixed in with the wolves now, a few scattered half bloods who had arrived with Phoenix.

Phoenix himself was a tall, willowy man with angular features and an effortlessly crowd-commanding presence. Blond hair fell to his shoulders, and pale eyes watched them all calmly. Randall wished he could pinpoint the man’s scent. He had to admit, he was curious to know what kind of half blood he was, considering that he was doing rallies for them. Some of the breeds of half bloods had natural leadership instincts, but Randall couldn’t pick up the scent of any of those types right now.

“Good evening,” Phoenix said. He didn’t shout into the microphone or motion them all to be silent. He merely waited for the crowd to quiet down before he continued. “I trust you’re all having a good solstice?”

The roar of the crowd was deafening. Randall leaned in to whisper to Victor, lips catching the curve of his ear, “I can’t tell what he is. Too many scents.” It wasn’t important information to share, perhaps, but it was an excuse to move a little closer.

Victor leaned into the contact. “Well, looking at his height, I’d feel safe in saying he’s not a dwarf,” he joked.

Randall laughed loudly. Unfortunately, it was during a lull in the crowd’s noise, just before Phoenix began to speak. Heads swiveled around toward him, and Randall flushed hotly, wondering if it was possible for a wolf to dig a hole to hide in. He heard Edwin laugh then, louder, and start to clap, chanting Phoenix’s name. It worked. Most of the wolves turned back to the stage, cheering again, the attention diverted from Randall. Randall sagged back, embarrassed, covering his face with his free hand.

Phoenix inclined his head, half smiling at the encouragement. Once again he waited for the noise to taper off.

“I’m honored to be able to join you here today,” Phoenix continued. “I can think of nowhere I’d rather be on the solstice than with my brothers and sisters.” He paused, as if to let that sink in. “I call you that because, though you may be wolves and I may be a half blood, we are united in one thing: our superiority over the humans that are so destructive to the world they think they rule.”

Randall noticed that some of the wolves didn’t cheer. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason in who did, though. The majority of them raised their voices in agreement, both young and old, men and women. Randall shifted uncomfortably, exchanging a glance with Victor, flicking a quick look over at Jed. Though he was still lounged back against Redford, Randall could see the sharpness in his gaze, the way his whole body had tensed. His hand had gone down to rest at his hip. Randall realized it was on his gun.

Jed was the lone human in a very large, very rowdy crowd. And now someone was talking about human inferiority. Randall couldn’t blame him for being concerned.

“I’m here tonight to reach out.” Phoenix seemed to look at each and every one of them, even though there were hundreds in attendance. “We are isolated. With our wolf packs and our half-blood dens, we only make ourselves weaker against the humans. Many of you know my philosophy, but for those who don’t I will gladly bend your ear. Believe me. I can talk all day if you’ll let me.”

The crowd laughed, and Phoenix gave an easy, self-deprecating smile. Randall didn’t buy it. There was something a little too calculating about that smile.

“I believe that we are superior. I believe that we are strong.” Another cheer from the crowd. “And I believe we have so much in common that we should acknowledge more than we do now. We realize the Earth we live on is a precious, sacred thing that should be cherished and protected, not destroyed like the humans so carelessly do. We understand that history is also sacred, that we are intimately connected to our past and our bloodlines. We understand that the family we choose is everything. The humans? They waste such things, they forsake their bloodlines and their history, they forsake their planet, they forsake their family.”

Jed was sitting up then, tenseness practically radiating off of him. Randall pleaded silently with him to keep his mouth shut. Up on his stage, Phoenix paused to give a faint sigh, then continued. “We are better than that. Unfortunately, right now we are the minority. We must still keep ourselves hidden. We must shield our true natures from the humans so that their fragile little minds do not break under the strain of true knowledge. I am sick of it.”

This time Randall winced at the sheer volume of the agreeing shouts of the wolves around him. He caught sight of Anthony, who was shaking his head, looking disgusted. And then he heard a low, rolling growl, a steady rumble of noise. He knew the sound of it. Looking around, he found Edwin sitting up, eyes narrowed at Phoenix.

Giving a low bark under his breath, the noise nearly hidden in the applause, he nonetheless caught Edwin’s attention. Edwin looked over at him, gesturing up at Phoenix. Randall just shook his head. Yes, he knew that what was being said was unbelievable. He also knew that trying to do anything was suicidal. At the very least, it’d start a fight that wouldn’t solve anything.

“Know that at this time I am not advocating war, or violence, or attacks on the humans,” Phoenix said. “They may be pitiable, but they do not deserve to die for their ignorance. Nor am I advocating walking plainly around the human cities as your true selves. I am here for other reasons. One, to share in your magnificent celebration. And two….”

Phoenix trailed off and held out a hand to his left, palm up. There was a moment’s pause. The Gray Lady came through the crowd, wolves parting around her. She took Phoenix’s hand. He bowed low, kissing her knuckles in reverence. Randall took a sharp intake of breath, eyes going wide. That, he had not seen coming.

“My lady,” he murmured, still loud enough for the microphone to pick up. “You look absolutely stunning tonight. I did not ask you to dance earlier, and I will never regret any inaction more.”

The Gray Lady smiled at him. Randall couldn’t tell if she looked sincere or if she was just humoring him, maybe a mix of both. “Are you going to continue charming me, Phoenix, or should you continue your speech?”

Phoenix gave a melancholy sigh. “If only I had the time to do both.” The Gray Lady’s smile was genuine then, small but privately pleased at the flattery. Phoenix turned back to the microphone, still holding the Gray Lady’s hand. “I propose a union,” he announced. “Of half bloods and wolves.”

The shocked murmurings of the crowd were respectfully quiet, but Phoenix still paused to let them speak to one another for a few moments.

“To ease your fears, no, I would not be suggesting that this camp suddenly be overrun with half bloods.” The murmurs turned into laughs. Phoenix smiled briefly. “A diplomatic union, of sorts, though I would be privileged to call it a family union. We would continue our lives as we do today, but with the added benefit of knowing we have allies everywhere. The half bloods in the cities, the wolves in the country. Wherever we would go, we would feel safer. We would feel even
stronger
.”

Phoenix shared a silent look with the Gray Lady. “I have been told that human hunters threaten your home here, and that you are relocating. With this union, I would offer allies at your new home, as well as added protection for the smaller packs who might remain here.”

“He’s offering them everything they could want,” Randall murmured to Victor, eyes locked on the stage. “I don’t know about you, but I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was three.”

Victor looked pained. “I wish I could believe him,” he whispered in reply. “Not about the superiority. But half bloods have never been a very solid community, not like wolves. A union would
make
them a community as they banded together to help the wolves here.”

“It is a good idea,” Randall agreed, squeezing Victor’s hand, voice low, head tipping toward Victor to keep their conversation private. “I wish it could happen. Maybe someday. But not from him. I don’t know why, but I don’t trust him.”

Phoenix seemed to have fallen silent to let the wolves discuss what he had said. Victor shook his head. “Neither,” he sighed. “Wasn’t Edwin a fan of this man? He didn’t seem to be too happy earlier.”

“This is much more inflammatory than what I’d heard him speak of earlier.” Randall frowned. “I don’t know what Edwin’s heard, but I went to one of Phoenix’s speeches shortly after I got back from Egypt. He talked a lot about half-blood and full-blood unity, but not about humans.”

“Full-bloods,” Victor mused. “Notice how he hasn’t mentioned vampires at all here. Smart of him, the wolves would second-guess the union if they thought vampires were going to be involved.”

Phoenix was now chatting with the Gray Lady, the crowd muttering among themselves. Randall noticed that Phoenix kept his distance from all of them, aloof without being obvious about it. Eventually he waved at the gathering to thunderous applause and then stepped down. A few men emerged from the shadows and gathered Phoenix’s things, the group walking quickly back toward the road and the cars parked there. The Gray Lady turned to her pack and the half bloods who had joined them. “I think the food is not quite gone,” she said with a welcoming smile. “And there are drinks and music yet aplenty. Happy solstice to you all.”

“Happy solstice,” the crowd returned, clapping, stretching and moving once again. Edwin darted around people to go to Jed and Redford, leaning in to speak with them. Anthony was shortly after, the four of them gathering for a moment before breaking up. Edwin looked slightly reassured, and Jed had lost the tight look to his face. Apparently they were happy that none of them had bought Phoenix’s speech.

“We never did get that food.” Randall turned to Victor, giving him a small smile. “I believe we got distracted.”

Victor still looked thoughtful, his eyes on the crowd where Phoenix had vanished. Randall’s words brought his attention back. At once, that tender expression that had been on Victor’s face while they danced made a return. “That we did. And look, I can even see some food on those tables that isn’t meat.”

Victor stood and held out his hand. Randall took it, and Victor tugged him up with a smile. Such a simple, stupidly
domestic
action, but it had Randall all but beaming. He took Victor’s arm, and they walked to where the food was spread out. They loaded up plates with some beautiful vegetables and thickly crusted bread. Randall didn’t even try to resist the delicious looking meat. There were even pies, hugely deep with flaky crust and plump berries. Plates weighed down with food, big cups of what had to be some form of wine in hand, they made their way back to the porch steps of Randall’s cabin.