Opal (Rare Gems Series Book 4) (2 page)

“I already do.”

Chapter 2

Blair stood by the terminal entrance waiting for the couple to disembark. He was still in a murderous mood, but now he had a little more control over it…not much, but a good deal more than he’d had earlier. He looked at Sapphire when she walked up beside him. Her belly was swollen with their first child and he’d never been happier. Murderous, but happy.

“
You kill him and she’ll never forgive you.” He knew that, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to do so. “And if you hurt him, she’s just going to be in a worse mood than she is right now. I’ve heard that the two of them have been doing nothing but fighting since she woke up. She’s not speaking to him and talking to me since they got on the plane.”

“
Serves him right. Mother fuck, I could kill him right now in front of all these people.” Sapphire nodded but didn’t say anything. The plane they were waiting for had landed over twenty minutes ago and yet no one, not even the pilots, had gotten off. He could see the stairs just near the open door. “What the hell is going on? Did she say?”

“
Sloan is trying to get Opal to talk to him and he’s holding her back from seeing us. I think he’s sort of afraid of her.” That made Blair smile. “Not to mention, she’s still trying to get her feet. The other man, Rufus, he’s laughing I guess. And she asked me if she murdered them both if I could help her get rid of the bodies.”

“
Tell her I’d be glad to help her. Not just with the bodies, but I would gladly take the blame for it.” When the stairs started toward the open door, he looked over to see that not only were Thad and Quentin there, but also Jade. None of them looked as if they’d gotten much in the way of sleep. Since they’d been notified of what had happened, they’d all been terrified for her.

The fear he
’d felt from someone had been so bad that he’d shifted. It took several minutes of Sapphire screaming at him before he knew that he was scaring her. But when he shifted back, all he could think of was Opal, and he’d reached for her. He couldn’t reach her, of course, but Sloan had spoken to him and said he had things under control. What Blair had found pissed him off so badly he was making arrangements to go to Paris before he could think what a bad idea that was.

“
He changed her without her permission. I’m really surprised that you’re being so calm.” Sapphire nodded but didn’t say anything. “Are you going to kill him? Is this your way of lulling him into a false sense of security before you tear his throat out?”

“
No. What good would that do?” Nothing, he supposed, but it might go down better than this was. “I’m going to talk to him. Then I’ll decide if he can live. Otherwise….”

“
Here they come.” When Quentin spoke, Blair looked at the plane again, and there stood Sloan, but he didn’t look all that happy. In his arms it appeared that he had a fighting animal. They had almost reached him before he realized it was Opal.

“
Put me down, you moronic ass fuck.” Blair had to hide a smile when Opal glared at him. “So, I’m a little weak. I just lost a shit load of blood, and this fucker gave me his. Now look at me. I’m a fucking blood sucker.”

“
You were dying.” Opal looked at Sapphire when she spoke. “You were dying and he had to do something. You of all people should know that as a mate you cannot let any harm come to the other. Behave yourself. You’re making people uncomfortable.”

Opal didn
’t say anything, but she did calm. When Sloan sat her down on the floor, he held her until she was steady, then stepped back. It was then that Blair got a good look at her.

Opal had always had
a porcelain quality to her skin. Fair skinned, she looked more like a fragile nymph than a full-grown wolf. She was tall, as were all her sisters, but she didn’t look it. He supposed it was her calmness, her normal artistic flair that had people thinking she was much smaller than she really was; weaker too. But he knew her to be stronger than most men he knew.

“
Have you fed yet?” Opal paled even more at Quentin’s question. “I thought not. I don’t know a great deal about you and Sloan and your habits, but I’m pretty sure you need to do something. You’re beginning to look like you’re dead. And I mean that in the kindest way.”

“
She refuses. And if she continues to be this stupid for much longer, I’ll force her again. I don’t care for it, but she needs to listen to me. I’ve had enough of this childish behavior, and I think I’ve said this to you many times. You will feed—”

“
So help me, if you threaten me again, I’m going to tear your tongue out.” Sloan looked…well, it was funny how frustrated the man looked. Before Blair could say anything, Opal sat down. “Do you think you can take me home? I’m really tired.”

“
You’ll be coming home with me.” Sloan seemed to realize he was shouting, and he took a deep breath and stretched his neck before continuing. “You’ll need a safe place to stay from now on. We’ve no idea what other traits you have, but you will not be able to tolerate the sun like you did before. But knowing you and your knack for being stubborn, I don’t doubt you can lay in the sun and it not bother you. Come with me now.”

Blair wanted to point out that ordering around a Gem could get your dick cut off
, but Opal stood up and he felt his heart break for her. She was weak and getting weaker, and arguing with Sloan was not helping her at all. When Sloan reached for her, Opal nearly fell into his arms as she slid into sleep. He looked at them, so lost that Blair almost felt sorry for him. Almost. The man, as far as he was concerned, was getting just what he deserved.

“
I’ve told her to rest. It’s the only way to keep her from harming herself.” Blair looked at him hard as Sloan nodded. “She would end her life if I didn’t do something. She has…I have had to take precautions that I’m not proud of to keep her safe. Opal isn’t…she’s not taking this well at all. But I had to save her. She was dying as you know, but she’s…she’s….”

“
She told me she would rather die than to be what you are. And she’s not happy about something you said to her in Paris.” Sloan flushed but didn’t say anything to Jade as she continued. “You hurt her with the other man, and she feels abused by you verbally. What did you say to hurt her this badly?”

“
I didn’t mean to hurt her. I honestly didn’t, but she’d been…he’d taken her, touched her. He was going to take her and she wasn’t marked.” Jade cocked a brow at him. “Would you rather this mad man had taken her to his lair, fucked her until she was dead, then eaten her for his dinner? It was his plan, you know. And we might have had him had she not acted like a child and taken off running. I had to do something or she’d be victim to some other hapless human. She is most difficult.”

Blair laughed
, and Sloan growled. “You might want to tone down the order-giving shit if you want this to work out. Also, the name calling? I don’t know what she can do as your mate, but whatever it is, she can cause you more harm than anyone else can. She’ll be sleeping next to you for a very long time.”

“
You’re no longer upset with me?” Sloan looked hopeful, and the truth of the matter was, knowing that Opal was standing up to Sloan made Blair’s anger a whole lot less hot. But did he forgive him? No, not by a long shot.

“
I think whatever I feel for you—and none of it is good—is far outmatched by how much Opal hates you right now. I know that’s a horrible thing to wish on someone, but I hope she makes you suffer in ways that last a very long time. You terrified us when she was hurt.” Sloan held Opal in his arms and nodded at him. “I think for now we should simply get home. There are any number of things that we can say to each other, and they should be said in a place where we can’t be overheard.”

As they were
moving toward their limo, Blair watched a second one pull to a smooth stop just behind theirs. It had no windows over the doors, and the window at the back was so dark that it looked like it was a part of the steel that made the car safe. When a man slipped out of the front and opened the door, both Rufus and Sloan, with his burden, got inside. Blair looked at Quentin when he cleared his throat.

“
He has to feed her and figured he’d live longer if no one could see him do it.” Blair watched the car pull around theirs and move away. “He said he is going to talk to the counsel at sunset to see about having her removed from being his mate. Sloan thinks that she might be better off without him. I’m not sure either of them will survive much if they keep this up.”

“
And him? What will happen to him if she isn’t his mate?” Quentin didn’t say anything but stared after the limo. “Quentin, will he die?”

“
I believe that’s the plan. He said he’s willing to if she will not hate so much.” Before he could say anything, if he could even think what to say, Quentin got into the car. Blair thought of what he was saying and felt sorry for the vampire. To have lived so long without a mate; and then after finding one, to have them be the cause of your death. It was heartbreaking.

~~~

Sloan held her in his arms as they made their way to his house. Even in her rest he could feel her weakness and her hatred of him. He looked down at her face and wondered, not for the first time, what the hell he was going to do with her. But Christ, she was beautiful. And as much as he wanted to toss her away, he wanted her in ways he’d never wanted any other woman before…and doubted he would from now on, either.

Her face looked like it had been carved for a china doll rather than a living person
; big dark brown eyes, freckles, and a body that invited men—and even some women—to think of silk sheets, sweaty bodies, and nights of screaming out in ecstasy. Sloan tried his best not to think of sex with the woman in his arms, but every time he touched her, every single time he smelled her, he could barely contain his need to strip her down and fuck her. He looked at Rufus when he laughed again.

“
You so much as sigh with humor and I will tear your throat out.” Rufus nodded and held his mirth, but Sloan wasn’t fooled. “She hates me, and you sit there like you are at a comedy show and the headliner is my personal life. You have to know that this is not funny. For either of us. She’s going to starve herself to death, and there is little to nothing I can do but force her.”

“
You gotta admit, she’s got herself a hell of a temper. Never seen a little bitty thing like her have so much fury at a single man. And it being you? Well, that just makes it all the funnier. I’m telling you right now, I might just hang out at that house with you two just so I can have me a laugh or two daily. I think she might be getting the better of you more often than not. It’s just too funny.” He laughed a little before catching himself. “And she can string them curse words together like I ain’t never done seen. And her vocabulary? Damn, I’d like to have me a quill and paper to take notes. What was it she called you before we alighted off that there flying contraption? I’m a telling you, that was some name calling there. She’s good.”

Sloan
knew. She’d called him a dicknosed, crotch knob, jockey ass. And he, too, wondered if he should take notes, but he doubted she’d see the humor in it. He was somewhat surprised that she was so full of spit. He’d never met her before the other day, but from what he’d been told, she was the quiet one of the bunch of Gems, and she rarely got mad. She’d been in a constant state of pissed off since he met her.

“
What do you know of Fletcher Fleming, or whatever he calls himself now?”

When Opal stirred in his arms
, both of them held their breath. She wasn’t supposed to be able to wake from his sleep command, but she’d done it before and had been highly pissed when she had. When she settled in his arms again, he held her tighter. His cock stretched in his pants and he had to move her again so she wouldn’t wake and find him hard as stone. He knew that wouldn’t go over any better this time than it had when she’d woke on the plane with him holding her. Christ, she was a hell fire.

“
He’s got himself about fifty names. None of them panned out much more’n a few credit cards before about fifty years ago. And since we both have met him, we can rule out him being an old man. One of them was a name that jingled my head but nothing much came out of it. Fleming ain’t it though. But it’ll come to me.” Sloan knew Rufus had a good mind, but he seldom used it. He was more of a crude joke and a mouthy bastard at the same time. “I did find his lair. Not much of one, but the police were right happy with it. I had meself a looksee before they got there and I found a few things you might want to see. Had them sent to your house afore we left. I’m not thinking it’s his play one, but it did give me some information that I might get a thing or three from.”

“
We have to find him. It will go a long way in getting me what I want.” Rufus didn’t say anything. “What? You don’t think I deserve this, do you? I do not want a mate any more than you do. And you’re vocal enough about not having a mate that the entire continent knows.”

“
You got the right of that, sure as shit. But you’ve done went and made her. Don’t that count for much to you? You made me too, but I don’t hate you for it. Damn near killed you and you never done much more’n said to behave.” Rufus looked at Opal and Sloan felt a murderous rage settle over him before Rufus spoke again. “You done want to kill anybody that touches her. What you think is going to happen when this here thing goes the way you want it to? And short of you dying, I don’t really think that’s going to change any sooner.”