VampireMine (8 page)

“I know.” The sadness in Ava’s voice seemed to affect
everyone in the room. “I agree.”

Mary rushed from Emory’s side and placed her hand on Ava’s
shoulder. “It’ll be okay. We’ll face whatever comes together. I’ll be here,
right beside you. I have to look after my godchild, after all.”

“We have to establish a place here for Leigh.” Nathan, who’d
remained quiet up until then, added his two cents. “I don’t know what’s wrong
with her but she’s weak and fragile. A hard wind would knock her over. She’ll
need to feel welcome or she’ll wither. She’ll have to know she’s wanted and
needed here. She needs to feel secure.”

“Mary and I can do that,” Ava said, softening toward the
Beta. “Don’t worry. We’ll make her feel at home. It’s not like the house isn’t
big enough for all of us. We’ll be safer if we stick together.”

“You’ll have to do the same for Sadie,” Trey demanded,
determined his female receive equal treatment. “Once she turns her back on her
coven she won’t have anywhere else to go.”

“She saved my life, Trey.” Ava’s sincerity was evident. “I
owe that woman. I’ll do anything to help her. And somehow we’re connected. I
want to understand how she knows me so well. I need to know where I come from.”

“I’ll start preparing rooms,” Mary said and patted Ava’s
shoulder. “There’s more than enough space to give everyone privacy. This house
is enormous.”

“What about the station?” Trey asked, thinking about the
firehouse that had become his home. “Someone has to stay on duty. If we abandon
it Shepherds will know something’s up.”

“You’re right,” Diskant sighed. “That’s why I asked Nathan
to get Caden’s ass here.”

“Him?” Emory’s eyes widened in surprise. He could scarcely
believe what he was hearing. “You’re going to ask the human of the pack to
watch over our asses?”

“Not necessarily,” Diskant corrected with a sly glance. “I’m
simply going to ask him to move his shit into the place and keep things in
order for a while. Any Shepherd who trespasses on Cade’s watch will wish they’d
been born with brains. He wants a piece of their asses just as much—if not
more—than we do.”

“Not if the information we recently received is true,”
Nathan said, head bowed, hands clenched into fists. He shook his head as though
he needed to get in control of his emotions. “There’s a good chance we’ve got a
lead on the men who killed his wife. He’s got first dibs. We swore we’d give
him the information as soon as we received it. He’ll want to go after them as
soon as possible.”

Shit.

Trey knew Nathan was right. Caden deserved his revenge. The
man had lost everything he loved. Shepherds had attempted to lie to the human,
telling him shifters were responsible for the death of his wife and unborn
child. Cade had started hunting pelts afterward, slaying every shifter in sight.
Then Ava had shown the bitter and heartbroken man the truth. It hadn’t been an
easy transition but once Cade had gotten jive to reality, he’d wanted the heads
of the men who’d killed his family on a silver platter.

“Hopefully the pack meeting didn’t get that far.” Diskant
ran his fingers through his hair, growling low in his throat. “They wouldn’t
have started without Trey. No matter how hard Cade pushed for information,
they’d have kept their mouths shut.”

The roar of a car engine in the distance snared everyone’s
attention. Nathan looked at Ava, who closed her eyes. After a moment she opened
them and exhaled softly.

“It’s Cade.” She confirmed their suspicion. “He’s almost
here. And he’s not in a very pleasant mood.”

“He’s never in a pleasant mood,” Trey muttered.

“You got that right,” Diskant grumbled his agreement.

Why should the man be? If it was Trey, he’d be pissed too.

Earlier that morning Caden had been promised information
he’d been waiting weeks for, only to be pulled away from those who had the news
he wanted to hear. He’d almost had vengeance in his hands. It was like taking a
toy away from a lonely infant. If he were in the human’s situation, he’d be
pissed too.

“I’ll get the rooms ready,” Mary told them, leaving Ava’s
side. “I’ll also have to get Rocky’s kennel,” she added, referring to the Boxer
puppy Emory had given her that’d grown by leaps and bounds. “I don’t think it’s
safe to let him roam outside.”

She walked to Emory, lifted onto her toes to kiss him on the
cheek and left the room.

A door slammed and heavy footsteps approached. Cade breezed
into the house as if he owed the place—typical. He didn’t look like a happy
camper, scowling at them.

“You requested my presence, your majesty.” He mock bowed to
Diskant. “Well here I am.” Glaring at Trey, he quipped, “As for you, don’t ever
ask me to cover for your ass again. I don’t like being left high and dry and I
don’t like being promised answers when no one wants to talk. Next time take
care of your own shit.” Trey tried to talk but Cade waved him off. “Don’t worry
about me. You have your own problems. Do you have any idea how angry the pack
was when I told them you weren’t coming and had wasted their time? Smooth move,
Ex-Lax.”

“Caden,” Ava acknowledged the man coolly. “It’s always such
a pleasure.”

The man knew better than to confront Diskant’s female and
said nothing.

Good choice.

“It appears something more important has come up,” Diskant
informed the short-tempered male. “And before you start spouting off—I’m
talking about ‘it’s the end of the world’ kind of shit. You can’t get the
people you’re after if that happens, can you? So mellow the hell out and use
that thing between your ears called a brain for a change.”

Since tensions were so high, Trey shouldn’t have been
surprised when Sadie and Leigh popped into the room. The world loved to nudge
those teetering on the edge. Still, relief almost sent him to his knees. She’d
returned, just as she promised. He rushed to his mate, only to stop midway when
she shook her head. He froze and looked at her companion.

Leigh—God help her—looked petrified.

“What the fuck?” Cade yelled, eyes trained on the females,
going for the gun at his side.

Nathan charged the human like a freight train and took Caden
down. They fought for the weapon, squirming on the ground. Cade was more than
able to handle himself but Nathan was fighting for his mate. It didn’t take
long for the Beta to rip the gun from Cade’s hand and send it skittering across
the floor.

“Don’t you ever, ever, pull a gun on a woman in this house,”
Nathan snarled in Cade’s face. The two men were almost nose-to-nose.
“Especially mine. Everyone else might put up with your shit but I won’t. I’ll
drop you where you stand. I will kill your worthless ass.”

“Women,” Cade replied menacingly, lifting his head so he and
Nathan almost butted noses, “don’t appear out of nowhere. Neither do shifters.”

“It’s because we’re vampires, idiot.” Sadie schooled him
good and proper, her eyes ice white. She glowered at the men on the ground.
“It’s called phasing. Not that I’d expect a human to understand anything about
that.”

She vanished again, going from Leigh’s side, reappearing
crouched next to Cade and Nathan. She kneeled, getting into Cade’s personal
space. “Shifters don’t have shit on us, mortal. You pull a gun on me and I’ll
be behind you before you can blink. I’ll break your neck before you know what’s
happening to you. You’ll go down faster than a five-dollar hooker.”

“Have you lost your fucking minds?” Cade’s gaze shot around
the room. “Are all of you totally insane?”

Nathan gave the human a harsh shove and cautiously made it
to his feet. Trey shifted closer, prepared to take the man down if need be.
Cade moved slowly, keeping his attention on the Beta. Step by step Nathan
backed his way to Leigh. The skittish vampire tried to move away from the
werewolf but it didn’t do her any good. Nathan grasped her arm and tugged her
against him, forcing her to his side. Trey could relate. He wanted to do the
same with Sadie. Seeing his female relying on her abilities and speed instead
of turning to him for assistance gnawed at his pride.

“Vampires?” Cade huffed, clenching his fists. “Aren’t your
hairy asses enough for one house? You decided it would be good to add brides of
Dracula to the mix?”

“Can I show him?” Sadie asked, her attention steeled on
Cade. “It’ll be faster than any of us trying to explain and he needs to know
who and what he’s dealing with. Plus I think your human needs a bit of
enlightenment.”

“Do it,” Diskant directed curtly before Cade could bolt.

Fuck, Sadie was fast.

She had her fingers clasped around Caden’s wrist before the
man could try to escape, trapping him in her strong grasp. At first he tried to
yank free. She held her ground. After a couple of seconds he stopped pulling
away, his untrusting gaze homed on Sadie.

He looked full of wonder.

He also looked like he was going to retch.

“That’s right, dumbass,” she whispered, holding on tight.
“Watch, listen and learn.”

Caden relaxed, tight shoulders easing, the muscles in his
arms going soft. Instead of leaning away from Sadie he moved closer. Trey’s
beast snarled at their closeness, demanding he do something about it. Enough
time had passed. Cade—the asshole of all assholes—had all the information he
needed and then some.

Trey went to snatch Sadie from Caden’s range when she let go
of the man.

His body collided with his mate’s and he curled his arm
around Sadie’s waist, tugging her against him. At first she froze. Then she
went soft. He felt her fatigue—a faint pulsing of exhaustion beating at him.
Her ass nestled against his hips, the tantalizing globes settling perfectly
around his cock. She felt just right, soft in all the right places.

Claim her.

Don’t waste any more time.

“It’s impossible.” Cade sounded as dazed as he appeared.
“Things like these…events like that…it can’t be true.”

“You know it is,” Diskant said, and his sidelong glare at
Cade made Trey uneasy. “Think about it.”

Hesitantly, with gravity, Caden nodded.

Fucking bastards.

They were hiding something—Diskant and Cade.

What had the Omega shared with the human member of the pack?

What didn’t he know that—as the Alpha of the pack—he should
have?

If things were different he’d have pushed the issue, giving
them hell until they told him what going on. But his inquisition would have to
wait. Everyone in the room had to be on the same page. They had Leigh but Aldon
was still on the loose. Until they had their safeguards in place they had to be
united by their common interests.

“You’re going to need to crash at the station for a while,”
Diskant told Cade. His irises stabilized, returning to their usual golden hue.
“Trey’ll have to stay here until we sort things out. After we talk to the pack
and find out how many are willing to stand in the line of fire, I’ll make sure
to give you as many guards as I can.”

“And the information you promised?” Cade asked.

Diskant growled, lips drawn back. “You’ll get it.”

“You need to call Kinsley.” Everyone’s eyes turned to Ava
when she addressed the room, reiterating her earlier concern. “We’ll need the
prides with us on this. He’s the only one who can convince them to help us.”

Kinsley—a rare and respected sixth generation black
panther—was one of the scarcest of the feline shifter races. The prides trusted
him enough to listen to whatever the male had to say. The male was almost never
wrong, seeing every curve before anyone else.

Ava was right.

Without the Alpha’s assistance, the pack would have to guard
the city alone. As it was, the few felines who’d agreed to monitor the station
and guard Diskant’s domicile did so grudgingly. Cats always looked out for
their own best interests. Kinsley would have to flex some serious muscle to
convince them to assist Trey. While Diskant could shift into any feline
form—and remained their Omega—members of the pride didn’t feel his approval
warranted their inconvenience.

They turned to Kinsley in all matters.

He’d be the only one who could sway them on this.

“I have to warn the guards they’ll be pulling double
shifts.” Diskant went to his female’s side and took a knee. He was so large—and
she was so fucking small—he dwarfed both his mate and the piece of furniture.
“We have to make sure everything is secure here before we worry about anything
else.”

“Shit,” Sadie whispered and pivoted so that she faced Trey.
“I’ll have to talk to Leigh. We’re the only ones who can make sure magic won’t
penetrate the house.” She peered over his shoulder, looking around the room.
“You don’t have any safety nets.” She appeared exasperated. “Anyone with magic
can get inside. Aldon took my blood, he might be able to track me.”

Panic etched over her face as she closed her eyes and magic
burst from her, the energy a sharp throb against his skin. She whispered
something in Latin, evoking what could only be a spell. Her anxiety became his.
His female was worried about something, so much so she was draining her already
dwindling reserves. Her thoughts weren’t clear but he could sense them.

She was worried about Aldon and something else she perceived
as a threat.

“There,” she sighed, opening her eyes. “It’ll hold, but only
for so long.” Her gaze darted to Leigh. “We’ll have to take care of the rest of
the residence. No one can know where we are.”

“Can you do that?”

Sadie had to turn her body to see Leigh. When she did, a
frown marred the beauty of her face. “We can do it,” Sadie replied softly, “but
we’ll have to be strong.” With a sigh, she shook her head. “I’ll have to talk
to Leigh too. Shielding spells take up a lot of energy. She’s too weak to help
right now, so more than likely I’ll have to provide for her. If I do, it’ll
take more time.”