Rebirth (Rogues Shifter Series) (39 page)

Silently seated on one of the couches were a male and a female, their expressions neutral, only their eyes moving as Garrett led me to an arm chair indicating with a tilt of his head that I should sit. I did, never taking my eyes away from the couple. Garrett sat gracefully in the chair next to mine and took my hand.

He spoke with his usual tone of authority, the one he used when the team trained together. “Sasha, Yvette, this is Jacqueline Crawford
Cuvier, my mate. Jackie this is Sasha Vodinski and Yvette Blanc.” I recognized them now from the duel, picturing them hissing and snarling. I was happy to see that they wore very different expressions tonight. They’d glanced at me, uncertain as to why I was present, but then returned their attention to Garrett.

Sasha was blonde with deep set light blue eyes, sculpted cheekbones and a strong jaw. He wore a dark brown well fitted suit, and a tan shirt, unbuttoned to mid chest. He was barefoot and very handsome. Yvette wore a low cut black silk dress with spike heels. She was lovely with thick dark curly hair and light mahogany shaded skin and
very dark eyes. These two felt old to me, near Garrett’s age, so the three of them must have been nest mates for a long time.

Two more vampires entered and sat on the second couch, two males. Garrett introduced them as William
Carlyle and Heinrich Schultz. William had red hair and blue eyes and very pale skin and wore jeans and a button down navy blue shirt. He was very thin and had a slightly desperate look about him. I guessed that he’d been turned fairly recently. Heinrich was a huge man, very tall, perhaps weighing over 250 lbs, with light brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a tight black muscle shirt, black jeans and a leather jacket. He was definitely older than William but not as old as the other two.

Francois joined us, seating himself elegantly on a third chair, and Garrett began.

“As you know, Eleanor and the rest of our nest here in California have attained final death. The four of you remain because Francois and I believe that you have the strength to change your behavior and follow my rules which are quite different than Eleanor’s. I’ll state what they are and then you can ask any question you like.” They glanced at each other and then nodded.

“There will be no killing unless I order you to kill or you’re attacked by someone of equal or greater strength
who intends to kill you. There will be no torture except during interrogations to save innocent lives, and then only if I'm present. You’ll feed from volunteers and may not put their lives in danger or injure them seriously. Sex is fine, you're adults and I have no desire to police your private lives, but rape won't be tolerated. You can glamour them to protect them from the pain of the bite, but not to force them to do something against their will. After you’ve fed, I expect you to heal the wound and ensure that they're left in a healthy state and that their memories are scrubbed when necessary.

“I know that Eleanor kept you with her at all times unless you were hunting for victims but I’ll allow you out if you show me you can be trusted. At vamp bars and clubs you’ll find humans, shifters and weres more than willing to volunteer as donors. You will let either Francois or me know where you are at all times. You’ll rest during the day here in this house with Francois. When our grandsire goes back to Paris, you can petition me to leave and join his nest. I’ll allow it as long as y
ou don’t return to my territory—ever.

“You’ll live by my rules or you’ll be executed. This isn't negotiable, although I promise to give you a fair hearing before making a decision. Ask your questions."

Heinrich spoke first. He had a slight German accent. “Master, I don’t have a problem feeding from willing donors but how do I control my cravings for violence?”

I sent to Garrett, "
Master, huh
?"

"
Quiet, lowly shifter
." His mouth twitched.

“Please call me Garrett, Rick. The craving
will lessen with time, but I’d be happy to train you to fight with me and my team. You could put those violent urges to good use.”

Heinrich nodded and looked a little relieved. “I was a soldier before I was changed and did well in battle. I
accept your leadership.” The big one seemed really polite.

“Will you torture and execute
us if we slip up and harm a human? In the heat of feeding, I may—forget the new rules.” Sasha smiled, leaning forward and speaking softly with the hint of a Slavic accent.

“I remember what she did
to you, Sasha.” Sasha frowned, turning a shade paler. “I remember what she forced you to do to others in the nest. I’ll never torture you. I’ll never starve you or burn you or poison you to teach you a lesson. I’ll never force you to harm one of the others. That goes for all of you. I’m not Eleanor. If I decide to execute you, it will be fast and clean. I know you’ll make some mistakes. If your control is weak, ask Francois to stay with you when you feed. He can stop you if it goes too far.” Sasha nodded and relaxed back into the couch.

“Garrett,
when you killed Eleanor and the connection was severed, it was painful and isolating. I feel empty now.” Yvette leaned back on the couch trying to seem relaxed but the tension in her shoulders and jaw was obvious. “She’s all we’ve known for so long. I'd like to go home again to France. I need—I simply don't know if I can survive in this small town.”

“I killed
her to avenge many deaths, including some of your own family members, Yvette.” There was a flash of silver anger in his eyes. “I felt the same agony when Eleanor died but I won't ever regret killing her." He looked out the window at the tree lined yard lit brightly by the moonlight. "This is where I live, where I'm happy." He squeezed my hand. "If he'll accept you, I will release you to Francois' nest in Paris. He and I believe you can adjust, so I’m following my instincts.” His mouth turned up at the corners as he glanced in my direction.

All four heads turned to look at me. I tapped into the lines for security and looked back at each of them. They turned away when they saw they had no ability to glamour me. I guess it’s something automatic with a vampire. I checked out their auras which
were all a nasty looking shade of gray. I’d have to mention that to Garrett later.

Yvette asked.
“Is the shifter above us?” Her voice bordered on contempt.

“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate. “Jackie is my lifemate and is under my protection. She killed Antoine who was above all of you in age and power. You won’t be able to glamour her, and I’m warning you now, she is more than capable of helping you meet final death, so I suggest that you
don’t fuck with her. You'll treat her with the same respect that you show to me or Francois.” Garrett rarely cursed, but him talking me up to his nest made me feel pretty awesome.

“Who is your second in the nest: me or Sasha?” Yvette was a piece of work, I could tell already.

“Let's get through the next couple of weeks and then we’ll see.” Garrett turned to William. “Do you have any questions, William?”

William was a very young vampire
, probably with less control than the others. “No Garrett. I’m hungry is all.” His fangs were partially out and he was shaking slightly. “I’ll follow your rules. I just need to feed every day. Eleanor left me hungry a lot. You saw how it was with her.”

Francois stood. “I’ve lined up some volunteers for tonight. They’re waiting in your rooms. Please remember the rules. Lat
er we can discuss how it went. I’ll be available if you feel you need my help.“

They stood, nodded at Garrett, ignored me and left. I heard various doors opening and closing.

“Stay as long as you like. I’m going to see to the others. I will call you later, Garrett. Bonsoir, Jacqueline.”

I got up and sat in Garrett’s lap hugging him tightly
and nestling into the comfort of his long arms. “I’m sorry if that upset you. I feel responsible for them.”

“Why is Francois helping you? He’s much older and more powerful but he’s acting like your assistant. And why didn’t he
automatically take them on and make them part of his nest?”

“He feels a little responsible for Eleanor’s behavior. Also he gets bored easily. I
think he’s having fun. He told me that running my own nest will be good for me. His nest is in Paris.”

He was staring into the fire. It had been a difficult evening for him. I had an idea. “Can I drive your car?”

“Well, okay. Where are we going?” His forehead furrowed with curiosity.

“It’s a surprise.” I yanked
him out of the chair and out the door to the car. I drove up into the Cascades and pulled off the main road and parked. We both jumped out of the car and walked to the front.

“Wha
t now?” He was grinning like a cat with cream.

I grabbed him by his belt and pulled him closer. “My cheetah wants to play, Garrett. Let
’s hunt.”

We undressed and shifted, spending the next two hours hunting, sharing kills and chasing each other. His handsome cheetah was stronger, so when he caught me he could pin me to the ground to nip at my nose, but he rarely caught me. We collapsed near the car and transitioned back, laughing and happy. Garrett was a little weak, so I let him feed from me
, which led to other amazing moments. Finally we dressed and he drove us back to our home and to Samson our furry companion.

Chapter Forty-nine

I woke up around noon the next day to find Liam busy in the garden.

“Hello, Liam”

He seemed a little reserved as he said, “Good afternoon, Miss Jacqueline. You and Master Garrett did very well at the duel.  We still have much to work on, however.”

“Did Kennet speak to you?”

“Lord Kennet did speak to me.” His violet eyes held mine as he waited to hear what I would say next.

“I swear to you, Liam that I didn’t tell him about you lending me the knife. He just seemed to know.” Liam nodded, seemingly satisfied with my response.

I stepped closer to him and sent, “
He asked me to be his lover and give him an heir. I refused him as politely as I could and instead suggested that we could be powerful allies. Are Garrett and I in danger?
” I’m not really sure why I told him this, but once I’d blurted it out, I felt better.

Liam stood silently for several moments, processing what I’d said.
“It will depend on how much he desires you and how much he is willing to risk war to have you. If he kidnaps you, then shifters and vampires might declare war against the fae. The fae are powerful but your people are much more numerous and extremely determined. It could end in disaster for all of us. The Elders will not look kindly on Lord Kennet if he starts a war over a woman.”

I started to respond, but Liam continued. “
He knows this, and yet he has no heir, despite the fact that he's had several wives over the centuries. No woman has given birth to a fae child in seventy-five mortal years. In a fae lord the desire for an heir surpasses most others.”

He went back to his work and I walked into the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee. I sat and thought about what he’d said. My life had changed so much since that first night on the island. I had real friends now who I’d never have to move away from, I had a home where I could stay forever, and I had a wonderful man who loved me, a mate for life. Samson came over and put his head in my lap. And an amazing dog too.

“Good boy!” I scratched him behind his ears and hugged him around the neck. He wagged his thick tail and licked my face.

The rest of the week passed quickly. I went shopping with Sinc on Tuesday and then spent some time modeling my purchases for Garrett. He approved each one with great enthusiasm.

Ethan challenged me to another backgammon tournament, so on Thursday I invited him over for lunch. He beat me, of course, and then we sat in the backyard and talked for awhile. I’d avoided asking him about his first change, and now seemed like the perfect time.

He was reluctant. I touched his hand and he laughed. “The witchy woman wants to fix me?’

“There’s nothing to fix. You don’t have to explain…”

“You have a right
to know who you’re working with, who you’re trusting your life to.”

He sighed and began. “I grew up a shifter, always knowing I’d be a cougar like my mom and dad and I was fine with it. But I didn’t change when everyone else did and it pissed me off. Things had always gone my way and I wasn’t used to being left out. My friends were off hunting and I was stuck at home. No one else seemed worried about it; they just shrugged a
nd said I’d change eventually. I got kind of depressed and started hangin’ with some kids I knew who used.

At first, it was just pot and a lot of booze, no big deal, I thought. Then I started taking pills, like valium and oxy. My grades in school went down. I was seventeen and still hadn’t changed, but I was jittery and getting headaches, all the signs. I was just too wasted to realize it.”

Ethan looked down at his hands, not wanting to meet my eyes. “My parents were freaked of course, so we ended up fighting all the time. I quit school, left home, moved north to Portland and was living on the streets dealing, turning tricks, stealing, whatever I had to do to buy more drugs. They called Rob who knocked me out, threw me in the back of his truck and actually took me home to live with him. I was a freakin’ mess and he wanted me near a hospital just in case. He helped me clean up. Those were a couple of really bad weeks.” Ethan shuddered and ran a nervous hand through his hair.