Devon's Discipline (12 page)

“I really cannot believe you would do something so out of line,” Ben lectured. “You know better.” He looked over at Donovan. “What did you tell her?”

“I told her to let you know and she promised to.” Donovan shrugged. “We can address it some other time.”

“I think they should be separated for a while,” Ben offered, the suggestion sounding more like a decision.

“Where the hell am I going to live then?” Devon snapped. She wanted to jump to her feet dramatically but lacked the energy.

“Wait a second! We have been best friends for a really long time. I am not going to just abandon her when I’m really needed,” Lucy fumed.

“So, were you there for her last night?” Donovan interjected.

“Of course I was! I always am.” Lucy stepped back as soon as the words left her mouth.

“I find it very interesting as earlier you seemed to not remember where you were last night.” Donovan tapped his chin. “Funny, isn’t it?”

“I only remembered when you asked just now. I came home and I found Devon passed out, so I brought her to bed.” Lucy’s voice rang higher than normal.

“The lies spinning from your tongue are disgusting.” Donovan looked to Ben. “I have tolerated enough bullshit.”

“No! Wait! You trapped me! Your damn hypnotizing eyes just sucked me—eep!” Lucy squeaked as Ben grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Don and I go way back, before you were even a thought in your mama’s head! You’ll speak to him with respect. Am I understood?” Ben gave her a shake.

“I’m sorry, Alpha.” Lucy whispered as the fight drained.

“Go get Devon’s things and bring them down here.” Ben set her on her feet. “Now.”

“Yes, Alpha.” Lucy slunk out of the room, then ran up the stairs without another word. Devon had never seen her like this.

“Is there anything you remember from last night?” Ben focused his attention on her.

“I don’t care about last night! Neither of you have the right to tell me to move out of my house.” Devon sat all the way up. “I’ve lived in this house for almost four years, and the two of you cannot just go around making decisions for us. We’re not children!”

“Is she always like this?” Ben raised his eyebrows and looked at Donovan, who shrugged but didn’t reply. “I don’t want you around Lucy until we figure out what is going on.”

“You don’t want me around her?” Devon slammed her feet to the floor and stood, though slower than normal. “I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“For someone who claims she acts like an adult, you throw pretty dramatic tantrums.” Ben leaned down to her level. “Don has yet to lead me wrong, so if he says your friend is lying, she is. Until I know why, it’s safer for you and Lucy to be apart.”

“Lucy may have to answer to you, but I don’t! You can’t make me leave,” Devon seethed. Though she suddenly realized that if Donovan agreed with Ben, she wouldn’t have a choice.

“Little girl, you are hardly in a position to decide anything. I pulled a lot of strings the night you crashed your car so you didn’t wind up in a jail cell. I won’t be talked to with such disrespect.” Ben shook his head. “Ever.”

“I called Lucy and she did nothing. I begged her to come to the hospital and get me, but she refused!”
What the hell did he have to do with my crash?
“You sure as hell didn’t help me either!”

“No. I told her to stay put. The police had already started an investigation and I didn’t need her to get involved.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest. “You were too hurt on scene for them to do a sobriety test, so they ordered a blood alcohol level once you arrived.”

“It’s foggy. They took a lot of tubes of blood and they had given me some type of pain killer and started an IV. I guess I don’t understand.” The fight drained from Devon as she took the information in.
Had they both been in on it?

“Tubes of blood went missing,” Donovan added. “By the time they realized it, you were already on your way home. Without proof they couldn’t claim you drove under the influence.”

“How could you know about that? So you asked me what happened, but you already knew?” Devon slowly sank back into the couch. “Did you make them disappear?”

“I hoped you would tell me the truth about what happened, but you refused. I knew what happened because I was there. Yes, somehow the vials got lost on the way to the lab. So, you do owe him your respect, and I agree with this arrangement,” Donovan confirmed.

“I packed what you need for like the next couple weeks.” Lucy clomped back down the stairs. “I will call you. Just let me know when you feel better.”

“Go get your things. You’re not staying here either,” Ben commanded but she didn’t move. “Hurry up; I have other matters to deal with.”

Devon felt useless as she watched her friend slowly ascend the stairs again.
Does Lucy know more than she is telling me?

“Come on.” Donovan picked up her bags in one hand and held the other out to her.

“I’m not walking,” Devon huffed. Too much had happened in a short amount of time. She needed to process the fact that he knew more about her than she’d originally thought.

“I can balance two bags and you over my shoulder.” Donovan gave her a small smile and scooped her up against his chest.

“I can see why they are best friends,” Ben muttered.

“Don’t worry; I’ve been working on the attitude problem.” Donovan nodded to the stairs. “I highly recommend it for the other one.”

“I’m aware of the issue. Moving on, are we clear now?” Ben extended his hand.

“Yes, and I will reach out to you first before assuming anything in the future.” Donovan switched the bags to the other side and shook his hand.

“For someone who runs colder than normal, you sure are hot-headed,” Ben joked.

“At least I don’t howl,” Donovan replied.

Devon realized the two respected each other. His confusion after she told him about Josh and his brother made sense now.

They turned into the woods and he took off towards his house.

“Lucy said some awful things last night,” she began. “She got me really mad and I remember arguing about something. She acted all high and mighty, but I don’t know why.”

“She doesn’t trust vampires. It has nothing to do with me personally. Unfortunately, she doesn’t realize the sort of plans Ben and I tried to get in place this year for you.” Donovan set her on her feet as they reached home. “It isn’t relevant now, but we dedicated the entire summer semester to get things in place.”

“Will you tell me about it later? It’s relevant to me.” She watched him unlock the door and followed him inside.

“We’ll see.” He took her hand and led her to the couch. “Rest for now. We’ve got plenty of time for other things later.”

“I want your attention, and it’s hard to ask for it.” Devon curled up on the cushions and sighed as he tucked a blanket around her. “I mean I don’t know how to.”

“You have it all the time. Do you think you have to act out for me to notice you?” He touched the top of her head, then planted a kiss where his hand had rested. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s hard for me to understand sometimes.” She sighed again and decided to change the subject. “I really like your name.”

“I’m glad,” he laughed and touched her cheek. “I like your name too.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.” She grinned up at him. It felt wonderful to make him smile.
I want to make him this happy every day!

“I’ve got some things to do, but I’ll come back to check on you.”

“I still have some questions.” Devon pouted slightly as he handed her a blanket, but then she snuggled down.
What happened last night? Did Lucy purposefully get me drunk?

“I’ll help you get answers, but I have to do this first. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” Donovan leaned down to kiss her, then straightened. “Text me if you need anything.”

“Okay.” She watched him go with a twinge of sadness. He said she had all his attention, so why did she keep pushing so hard? She needed to know what plans he and Ben had for her.

* * *

Devon sat on the couch with her laptop perched on a small tray over her legs. She felt trapped inside his house, but she’d only been there about a week.

She gasped as Donovan’s face suddenly appeared next to hers.

“What are you working on?” He leaned over the back of the couch to see her laptop.

“What do you think I’m working on?” Devon snipped. Her mood had gone from bad to worse. She had missed a few days to recover from the incident with Lucy and she needed to finish up her project. She didn’t go to the clinic on campus, but mild alcohol poisoning and dehydration seemed to fit the bill.

The top of the laptop closed suddenly and caused the computer to power down.

“Oh my gods! My presentation! If I have to start all over because of…” she trailed off. Those dark eyes of his flashed and she took a breath. If she continued on her rant, she would wind up over his lap for sure.

“What are you working on?” He repeated the question with authority.

“An extremely important presentation I’m polishing the edges on,” she snipped through gritted teeth.

“Hmm. So, maybe next time answer with a bit less attitude?” He patted her head and moved back to the kitchen.

Maybe next time you’ll mind your own damn business.
Devon closed her eyes. She had yet to master the art of hiding her thoughts from him.

“I’m not going to hold you accountable for your thoughts, but I promise if you ever speak to me in that tone, you will have a very hard time sitting down afterwards.”

“I want to go back to my own house.” Devon powered on the laptop. “It’s really inappropriate for me to be here anyway.” She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought about her response.
What the hell is my problem now?

“What is the real issue?” He appeared back at her side, picked up the laptop, and set it down on the coffee table.

“Why don’t you just pick through my head until you find it?”

“I really don’t want to spank the answer out of you today, so tell me.”

Devon crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. She could not tell him all the thoughts barreling through her head. He had been on her mind for days, and all she wanted to do involved being in his arms and not letting go.

“Okay, fine. We’ll go with the hard way.” He joined her on the couch and reached for her hand.

“I could go to the dean.” Devon felt insane as his hand dropped to his side. She had made the conscious decision to allow him to help her.
Hell, I begged him to help me.

“Your statement sounds a lot like a threat.”

“Well, more of an option. You know… like I could, but I don’t have to. I don’t really know why I said that…”
Damn it! What the hell is going on?

“I’m sure Dean Hartman would be interested in the original police report the night you crashed your car. The one before they lost their potential proof. It’s enough to get you suspended. Your story will be hearsay compared to hard evidence.”

“I don’t know why I said that. I don’t want to be away from you.”
Is he serious?
She felt a sharp stab in her heart and pressed her hand over it. The thought of not being near him caused physical pain.

“After your remark, you’re afraid of being separated?” he snorted. “I shouldn’t have given you what you wanted in the first place.”

“I’m sorry.” Devon laid herself across his lap. “Please don’t be mad. I’ve got a lot going on!”

“We’ll talk later. For now, go to bed.” He moved her into an upright position but she threw herself over his knees. “What is wrong with you?”

“I don’t know! Just spank me!” Devon began to sob. Her emotions were all over the place and she just wanted to take her words back.

“Stop this.” Donovan flipped her up into his arms and carried her upstairs. “You’ve worked way too hard to blow your presentation.” He walked them into the bedroom and set her on the bed.

“Please—”

“Calm down,” he cupped her chin in his hand and caught her eyes, “right now.”

She nodded and took a shuddering breath as Donovan brought the covers up and over her.

“Good-night.”

Tears blurred her vision and she blindly wiped at her cheeks as he left the room and shut the door. How could she tell him how scared she was to be in his house? Most of the time she wanted to hang onto him like he was a loving stuffed bear, and yet when he locked onto her, she wanted to run away. But he didn’t act like the deadly creature the websites made him sound like.

Devon curled herself under the covers and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. He intrigued her intellectually with his knowledge and drive, but there had to be more to him. He had shared the awfulness of his parents’ death and the revenge he had enacted to honor their memory in the only way he knew how. She also could not deny the wicked attraction between them. The very first time he had looked down at her had turned her into mush.

The memory of the first time Donovan kissed her made her thighs still tingle. She wanted to let him take her in every way possible, even if she wound up as bruised as that night. As she trailed her fingers over the spots, Devon recalled the awful bruises peppered from her neck all the way down to her collarbone. The thought of him doing it again gave her mixed feelings. He raised her endorphins high enough to distract from the pain, but did she really want him to drink her in?

It brought her to the question of their blood bond. She had done extensive research online for her project but could not find even one reputable source to document such a bond. Numerous television shows and novels teased about the main character following the vampire around like a puppy dog, with stars in their eyes after encounters of the fanged kind, but Devon had to insist on truth.

“Damn it! Why am I acting this way?” Devon swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She padded to the door, listened for sound, and then opened it.

“Turn around and go back to bed.”

Whether he had anticipated her actions or had been about to walk downstairs didn’t matter. He stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “I need to attend to more important matters than your attitude. I need to go, and you need to listen.” He nodded back toward the bedroom.