Captiva Capitulation (22 page)

“I’ve got this.” Ascending the steps, Kash took them the human way for only one reason: Blythe needed time to calm down. With every passing inch, he wondered if she would consider him a suitable husband, as he sure as hell wanted her for his Bride. Stupidly, he had figured the highest hurdle to jump would be Sixten. Then when Rock came along, he mistakenly thought the Beast would challenge him away, considering he was not another werewolf scenting Blythe as his. Kash was wrong on all accounts.

From what Rock had revealed after a long night of negotiations with Sixten, which he also attended, Blythe’s secret dreams whispered of Kash, too. Rock insisted that Blythe would never be complete if she harbored her longing for her third mate the rest of her life. Maybe it was her commanding werewolf blood – the Beta line, demanding in the way of their females for her to mate more than one male. Perhaps it was her vampire blood calling out to Kash, an ingrain desire to mate with a pure blood Species male. To Rock, it was a tossup. The werewolf did not have the answer for his hypothesis. Furthermore, it had become obvious to both Sixten and Kash that Rock didn’t care
why
Blythe wanted another vampire in her bed. The Beast in Rock wanted its mate to feel happy, more than contented, secure, and loved beyond reason. Therefore, Rock intended to make it all happen. From there, surprisingly, the werewolf became Kash’s personal advocate.

However, what Kash truly sought, was for Blythe to crave him the way he craved her, to want him for
him
alone, which certainly was not a common, vampire notion. Would she agree to him sharing her with Sixten and Rock, welcoming him into her bed, her body, truly completing Blythe’s family? His jaw clenched until he thought it would crack, his fangs drying in his mouth. Rejection never boded well for one, such as him. If she refused him, well, the very idea of not being with Blythe left him dead inside. He forced himself to shake away that disparaging thought. In its wake, an easy fix came to mind. Kash would refuse to accept her refusals.

When he reached the door, an amused smile lifted his lips when he found it locked soundly. With Blythe’s intimate knowledge of vampires’ abilities, she knew better than this, knew any lock would not keep a determined vampire from entering. Quickly, his smile turned down, a small frown forming. She was asking him to stay away. Was Blythe this frightened of him? Yeah, obviously she was. Kash waved a hand over the lock. He wasn’t having it, not anymore.

Turning the knob, he eased inside, fighting not to glide in the way of his kind. Giving her a chance to adjust to him being there, Kash drew in Blythe’s enticing essence when he moved forward a few steps. Though her scent had clearly changed, it curled around his body, furiously, hardening his flesh to the threshold of pain. Forcing himself to inhale slowly, breathing in and out, he lifted his eyes and followed her scent’s pathway.

With the sliders opened wide, she perched herself on the balcony railing, glaring angrily at the shutters covering the pool cage. When he crossed over to her, she kept her gaze steady on a few moonbeams that had worked their way through cracks and seams, not acknowledging him. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Are you considering that I’ll be an unsuitable mate for you? Or is it worse than I imagined?” Kash’s voice dropped to a fervent whisper. “Do you refuse to admit your feelings for me?”

Only then did she look at him, her eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. “No to all three, I cannot deny you.”

One precious leg dangled over the railing, the pool waiting below, and even though he could move at inhuman speed, could easily catch her, Kash’s stomach plunged at the thought of her falling. He couldn’t miss the fact that she chose her seat purposefully. Blythe needed to feel as though she had freedom, without walls pressing her sides or a ceiling coming down on her head. Night’s sinuous breath on her face would have been perfect if the shutters weren’t necessary. Partly, she descended from celestial creatures, and he could see the way she fed from the slivers of moonbeams. Clearly, though, Blythe didn’t realize she was soothing that bit of werewolf buried deep inside her.

“So I’ll assume that you’re not up there to jump.”

“I hope you’re joking. After everything I’ve lived through, why would I give up on life now?” She retorted with a shaky laugh.

Lifting hands up to her, he curled his fingers around her waist, silently asking her to accept his touch. When Blythe didn’t push him away, he replied, “Well, I’d say joking with an air of concern.” With their vast height difference, the railing leveled them nearly eye-to-eye. Her chest brushed against him as she slipped down a few inches, her nipples pebbling from friction – from
need
. “Vojaks are proud creatures, in case you don’t know.”

“And you thought I was rejecting you,” she whispered, summing him up, “but I wasn’t.”

Kash stared deep into cognac eyes, seeing his face reflected in her dilated pupils. “I get that,” he said with a shrug. “I was an ass back there. If we’d just met, I wouldn’t have had a problem helping you adjust to me, would be patient in doing so as long as you were willing to try. I deal with unfathomable pressure daily. It’s part of my calling, my service to the vampire race. Still, I think I have waited too long for my Species to remain patient with you.”

Her brow wrinkled, her tone teasing. “Still, if a woman had a mind to, could she get away from a persistent Vojak?”

“Not really.”

“I’m nearly terrified,” she admitted, tracing the dip beneath his throat with a gentle fingertip. “I haven’t the slightest idea where to start with you three.”

“I’m the only one you haven’t officially mated.” He threw the thought out there before kissing her tenderly. After a delicious moment, he nearly pleaded, “Why not start there?”

“And you’re asking now?”

“I am, Blythe.” Kash swept her ebony hair back from her face, a slow hiss leaving him at the sight of her bending to his will, thirsting for his love. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my mate for an eternity?”

“Yes, I want this,” she seemed to be discussing it with herself before staring him squarely in the eyes. “I want
you
, Kash, forever.”

“So I’m to understand that you’re mating Kash.” Obsidian eyes locked onto hers.

So that was what this was all about. “Yes,” she answered Maestru soundly. Stunningly attractive, as most vampires were, Maestru’s electric sexuality overshadowed his creepiness by a fractional margin. She’d be the first to admit that he was a twelve-car pileup on the side of the highway. If you stared at him as you drove by, you might very well have an accident, too. Nevertheless, he was a risk worth taking just to get in a quick peek.

“Sixten, you are in agreement with sharing Blythe.”

“I am.” Sixten responded clearly. His big body, still covered in dark fighting leathers, contrasted wickedly with his halo of platinum-streaked hair. He would always be her fallen angel. Tossing his hair from his forehead, he smiled broadly, giving her a slow wink.

“Might I remind all of you,” Maestru said with a finality Blythe felt to her bones. “None of you can ever change your minds once the mating ceremony is completed. Kash will be part of your family forever.” Again, he looked directly at Blythe. “That means vampires do not divorce the way humans do. Not that you’re entirely human, mind you, but you were raised by their…standards.”

She fought not to roll her eyes on that one. Standards? As if there were sweet and virtuous vampires in the world, all living by higher values.
Please
. “I understand.”

Kash squeezed her hand and she squeezed his right back. “
We
understand, my Master.”

Maestru leaned against his desk, his fingers tapping restlessly. “And the Beast who now circles my home doesn't object? I’d hate to kill it during her ceremony,” he said, gesturing at Blythe. “I’m sure she’s attached to it by now.”

Blythe realized that during their linguistically strange conversation, Kash and Sixten had explained to Maestru about her mating with Rock. By what Rock explained to Blythe earlier, her werewolf mate wasn't welcome inside Maestru's home.

“Rock is in agreement, Maestru,” Sixten assured him.

“Then it seems as though there are no objections to this union. Very well, since Sixten had no reason to build a lair underneath his home, and Kash’s home is…
was
at the Sanctuary, I’m assuming you need a lair in which to perform your ceremony.”

“If you’re offering your lair, I would be honored,” Kash replied, his relief palpable.

“I didn't say I housed a lair here.” Maestru grated, and somehow Blythe knew he was lying.

“As I explained, Blythe harbors ill memories of our Sanctuary,” Kash addressed his master reverently. “I can hardly take her there and taint such a momentous occasion, such as our marriage ceremony, with her fear. I want her to remember this night fondly as any Brides should.”

“Ryan's dungeon will work just fine,” Maestru replied. “I'll cast the spells there.”

Blythe gaped. “So we're mating somewhere vampires practice sexual depravity?”

“Blythe,” Sixten admonished. “Please address Maestru with respect.” In other words, he could stand in the way of her mating Kash. Not to mention that Rock would want to live with them on a permanent basis, and as far as Captiva Island was concerned, Maestru called the shots on who resided.

“I'm sorry,” Blythe said. “But I haven't heard the best things about Ryan's dungeon.”

Maestru pursed his lips, staring at her with amusement. “When one enters Ryan's dungeon, one fulfills a fantasy, nothing more. What is your fantasy tonight, Blythe?”

Her face heated. “It's simple. I want to mate Kash, including him in our family.”

“Perfect,” Maestru responded, “then that's what awaits you in Ryan's dungeon. Sixten, phone Ryan before we mist in and have him clear a path for our sweet Blythe. We need her as comfortable as possible, so I expect him to ensure that she is.” Sixten already had the phone to his ear, speaking to her longtime friend, a vampire she missed. The vampire Sixten hated. “Shall we? The night grows short. Luisa,” Maestru called out, although Blythe didn't see this Luisa anywhere. “I'll be out for a while. You know how to reach me.” He then turned to Kash, “Are you certain of this sacrifice?”

“I’m certain.”

Maestru beckoned him closer, his dark head bent against Kash’s coppery strands, whispering intently. Kash's head came up, his eyes bright and eager. “You can see this, Master?”

“Kash, you have my word,” Maestru promised.

Without preamble, Kash walked over to her and sank his teeth into her neck. The next thing she knew, he was leading her towards the spookiest door she’d ever seen, which opened
by itself
near a long bar inside Six Feet Under. With a side-glance, she saw Ryan staring at her, his hands fisted on the counter, his expression glum.

“Ryan,” she said in a way of greeting…or something. Honestly, Blythe didn’t know what to say to him.

Maestru was next to her then, ushering her inside, with one commanding finger pointing Ryan’s way. “Don’t upset Blythe on my watch, Ryan.” Her friend, at least she hoped he was still her friend, shook his head and went back to changing a keg.

“He wasn’t upsetting me.”

Maestru lifted a mocking brow. “Whatever you say.”

“If you really don’t want me upset, you’ll talk to me about Dakota and soon. And while we’re on the subject of me being upset, Rock will need to live with me…on Captiva. Are you going to raise a stink about that?” Behind her, she heard Sixten make a choking sound.

Maestru laughed. “I’ve killed for less insolence.”

“I’m not trying to be insolent,” she insisted. “Dakota’s my best friend. Do you know what that means to a human?”

His laughter faded. “Dakota may be your best friend, but she’s no longer your concern. The sooner you accept it, the sooner I’ll permit your werewolf male’s residency on my island. Think carefully on this, sweet Blythe,
after
you mate your vampire.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Commit your souls one to the other with your Master’s blessing.”

Kash picked her up, dipping his head and taking ownership of her lips with a kiss that dampened her panties. When they reached the door, Maestru walked behind them. “The werewolf stays out of the dungeon.”

“Yes, Maestru,” Sixten answered, closing the door, “Rock’s on the club’s roof.”

The next thing Blythe knew, they were descending narrowing stairs. Flickering sconces backlit Kash’s coppery hair, his spikes casting shadows on black-grey cinder blocks that weren’t from this century, not even close. As the air thickened, she felt her panic rise. “I can’t.” By her words, everything stopped. Kash froze in the middle of the stairwell, and Sixten matched his stance, two steps above. Maestru sighed.

“Underground,” Sixten whispered, smacking his forehead in a very human gesture. “Shit.”

“I didn’t forget,” Kash admitted. “I was hopeful that she had. For me. For tonight.”

No windows. No air. Cold dankness permeated her body. All she needed was a chain wrapped around her ankle and a sadistic Vampyr awaiting her in the shadows. “I can’t,” she reiterated. Her head twirled, the muscles flexing around her throat, threatening to cut off her oxygen.
Permanently.

“Blythe,” Sixten murmured, “you have to understand something. Kash is sacrificing as well as taking, committing to you by paying a distinct price. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t…never mind.”

Maestru asked Kash if he was certain of his sacrifice. “Oh.” It hit her, then. “I’m not your Bride, am I?”