by Lexi Blake
I sat down on the couch and heard Lee talking to someone in what I knew had to be his bedroom. I sighed. I’d interrupted something interesting. I stood back up. That hadn’t been my intention. “Lee, I’ll just go home. It’s fine. We can talk in the morning.”
“Sit your butt down, Zoey,” he yelled out. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
A woman stumbled out, still buttoning her shirt. I recognized her. She was a local wolf, a friend of Angelina Hernandez’s. “Hey, Julie.”
She smiled at me and stopped briefly. “Hey, Zoey,” she managed before Lee started pushing her toward the door.
“No, ladies. No girl talk,” Lee said firmly. “Good night.”
Julie frowned at him as he hustled her out the door.
“I’m sure he’ll send flowers tomorrow,” I said, all the while shaking my head in a negative fashion because that was so not going to happen.
Julie frowned. “If he wasn’t so good in bed I would…”
Anything Julie might have said was cut off by the slamming door.
“You’re a terrible boyfriend,” I said with a sense of awe.
He frowned down at me. He’d put on jeans and a wrinkled green T-shirt. “I’m not her boyfriend, Zoey. We were discussing some security problems she’s been having.”
“At three a.m.? Naked? Was she having a security problem in her vagina?”
An irritated growl preceded his response. “Well, you seem to have a security problem at three a.m.”
He had a point. “I lost the Blood Stone.”
“Damn it,” Lee cursed. “When did Marini show up? And why the hell do I smell him all over you? Stand up, Zoey.”
I knew what he wanted and I didn’t want to go through it. I couldn’t. “No, Lee. I’ll just tell you, okay? He caught me alone and he bit the shit out of me. It wasn’t his little greeting this time. It was a full-on feeding, and he gorged himself.”
“What else did he do?” The question ground out of his mouth. He went perfectly still, not even blinking.
There was no use in lying to Lee. We’d made a deal a while back. I trusted him and told him everything, and for the most part he followed my orders. I hoped the second part would hold up because I had a big favor to ask of my wolf. “He tried to rape me, Lee.”
“Tried?”
Nodding, I sat back down and attempted to get comfortable. “Bris showed up and went through a whole poltergeist impersonation. He threw stuff at Marini until he got off me.”
“He’s kind of a badass.” Lee relaxed slightly. “Are you all right?”
“I think so.” I was happy he stayed calm. I needed that from him. “I’m a little weak, but I’ll be okay. How’s the wound?”
He touched my neck, running his fingers along it and then leaning in to get a whiff. “It’s already gone. I can smell it though. He did a number on you. Are his fangs bigger than Donovan’s? Those puncture wounds must have been big.”
“I wouldn’t let him pull me in,” I explained.
Lee smiled slightly. “Of course you didn’t. So where were the boys while you were getting assaulted?”
This was the part I didn’t want to tell Lee. Lee Owens was only ten years older than I was, but he felt like a father figure. He was going to be so pissed. “They were asleep. I didn’t want to wake them up.”
Lee cursed under his breath. “Tell me they didn’t try the thing where Donovan nearly drains the faery to see how drunk they can get.”
“Okay. I won’t tell you.”
“Idiots,” he said. “I suppose you have a good reason you didn’t call me.”
I had to make him understand. “Lee, he was going to corner me. There was no way around it. If you’d been with me, how were you going to take care of five vampires? That fight would have destroyed the club, injured a bunch of people, and probably killed Danny when Marini got pissed enough to push his little eject button. I took care of it. I doubt you would have deterred him tonight. Even if you had, it’s just postponing the inevitable.”
There was a tightness to his eyes as he stared at me. “You think he’ll be back?”
“I know he’ll be back.” I shivered, thinking of the way he stared at me before Bris had begun his assault. “He thinks he deserves me. He thinks I’m his right or something. God, Lee, the worst part was when he told me how much he wanted me. He sounded like he was talking to his girlfriend. He practically begged me to love him.”
“Before or after he had that blood of yours?”
“Right after, of course. He told me he wanted to be my slave. He looked like he loved me.”
Lee pulled me around to face him. He knew exactly what bothered me about the whole situation. “That doesn’t mean Donovan doesn’t love you, Zoey. He feels the same way about you when he doesn’t feed. I might not like the son of a bitch sometimes, but I don’t doubt for a second that boy is devoted to you. Maybe it’s stronger because you’re a companion, but he would lay down his life to protect you. That’s not about blood.”
I felt my eyes start to water as everything really started to hit me. I wished so much I could be one of those people who just shoved their emotions down and moved on, but no matter how much bad crap happened, I still cried. I still wanted the safety of arms around me. “He told me I wouldn’t tell Danny and Dev about our little affair. He’s not going to stop. He’ll come back until he gets what he wants.”
Lee seemed to be at a loss for what to do with a crying female on his couch. I realized I was being ridiculous. This wasn’t Lee’s job. He was my bodyguard. He shouldn’t have to listen to me whine. I took a long breath to try to banish the urge to really let loose. I almost had myself under control when he reached out and pulled me into his arms. He seemed uncomfortable at first, but determined.
“You go on, darlin’,” he said in a rough western accent. “You cry it out. You deserve it.”
Well, then there was no stopping me. I cried and cried, not caring at all that I was getting his shirt wet or that my nose was probably running. I let it all out, the fear, the hurt, the awful feeling of being completely vulnerable. There was nothing I could do against the man. If Bris hadn’t managed to use every bit of strength he’d been saving up, I would have been his victim and he would have pretended we were lovers.
In some ways he’d managed his rape. He’d done something to me only Daniel had ever done before. I was sure Daniel would see it as a crime. Feeding was an intimate thing between us. It was something I would probably never do with anyone else if given the option. I hated the fact that he was running around full of my blood. I was sure it played into his demented fantasy that I was meant for him.
After the longest time, I was all cried out. I just let my head rest against Lee’s shoulder and felt comfort from him patting my back.
I finally sat up and sent him a self-deprecating smile. “Sorry. I bet you didn’t think that was part of your job description.”
His chocolate brown eyes were full of some emotion I wasn’t sure I could name. “This isn’t just a job for me, Zoey. I never told you this, but I think you know I had to raise Zack, right?”
“I know your mom died when Zack was a kid.” Lee rarely talked about his past. Hell, Lee rarely talked at all, but I knew he’d had a rough childhood.
Lee nodded. “I was seventeen and Zack was six. Mom was killed one night coming home from work. My dad, he drifted in and out. I think he loved our mother. He wanted her enough to knock her up twice. He would ride through Vegas and Mom would get excited and then he’d be gone again. I know why now. I got the urge to roam when I was thirteen. Mom wouldn’t let me and by then Zack had shown up. Anyway, when she died, I had the option of taking care of Zack or sending him to foster care. You have no idea how much I wanted to take that second option. I’m not proud of it but damn, I wanted to be free. I wanted to roam and not be tied to anything.”
“Because you’re a lone wolf.” For the first time, I realized that there was more than just super-senses and strength assoc
iated with the condition.
“My instincts make me want to push people away,” Lee said quietly. “I want to be alone. Even when I was a kid and we would run with the pack I would find a way to break away and spend the full moons on my own. I thought about running a thousand times. But I forced myself to stay with Zack and I never regretted it. I looked at that kid and just knew that I would fight my every instinct to make sure he was safe. He was my pack. I only felt that way about one other person my entire life.”
“Why me?” I asked, not making him say it.
He shrugged and wiped away my tears with his thumb. “I don’t know. I just know that you and Zack…you’re like my kids, the only ones I’ll ever have because I won’t put a kid through this. There was a woman I cared about once. Pretty thing, but she left and I knew I wouldn’t try again. I don’t want anyone else to feel like I do. I hate it. I push everyone away and I don’t always want to. I just do it. It’s my instinct. I’ll never have a mate. I’ll never even have a girlfriend. But I have you and Zack and even Neil. I’m comfortable here, Zoey. I don’t feel the need to run like I have in the past. All I know is that I would do anything to protect my little pack.”
“Including not telling the only female member of your little pack’s husbands what really happened tonight?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Damn it. I knew you were going to do that to me. All right, Zoey, but they’re going to find out eventually, and we have to figure out a way to protect you from that asshole.”
I nodded. “If you have a plan, I’ll follow it.”
“All right then,” he said, helping me up. “Go take a shower and get that bastard’s stink off you. Don’t look at me like that. I have soap. I think. Towels, I’m not so sure about.”
I let him herd me to the bathroom. When he turned to go, I stuck my head out again. “Lee,” I called to him. “I love you.”
His normally taciturn face split into a joyous grin. “I know you do, darlin’.”
I closed the door and took the longest, hottest shower of my life.
* * * *
“Why did she need to take a shower?” I heard Dev’s voice as I opened the door to the bathroom. I took a deep, settling breath because I was about to have to perform. I couldn’t tell Dev what had happened. I couldn’t give him that guilt. He would feel bad enough with what I had told him.
“Some asshole spilled vodka all over her,” Lee grumbled. “She didn’t want to walk around smelling like a bar.”
“I’m just a little confused here,” Dev was saying.
Lee snorted. “Well, that’s what happens when you do stupid shit like letting a vampire drain your ass, Quinn.”
“Yeah, that probably wasn’t worth it,” Dev admitted. “I still feel a little weak and Daniel passed out long before he could really enjoy it. He’s going to be very angry with himself in the morning when he finds out Zoey had to face Marini alone.”
I walked into the room, drying my hair with the towel Lee had managed to find. My wolf and I needed a quick trip to Target. Now that I knew how he felt about me, I was going to be much more comfortable in the future about helping him out. His apartment needed a feminine touch. It also needed more towels and maybe a nice yellow rug for the bathroom. He would complain outwardly that I was interfering, but I knew deep down he would like me taking care of him.
“I handled it, Dev,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. I was feeling better after my shower and the talk with Lee. I’d taken care of it and no one had gotten hurt. All in all, I was going to have to call it an acceptable loss.
Neil stood with Dev, looking pale and worried. “You didn’t come home. I got scared so I slapped Dev awake.”
“He did,” Dev said, touching his cheek. “It was rather awful. He screamed as well.”
“Didn’t work on Danny, huh?” I asked.
“He moaned a lot and he tried to kiss Dev,” Neil admitted with a delighted smile. “He told Dev he had great boobs.”
Dev shrugged at Neil, a frown on his face. “Well, obviously he thought I was Zoey. He played with my hair. I’m afraid he finds my hair confusing since it’s gotten as long as our wife’s. Somehow he ended up spooning me.”
Neil looked around the room innocently.
“He always was an affectionate drunk.” I wondered how many pictures Neil had taken and when that website would be going up. I was going to be a big fan.
Dev put his hands on my shoulders. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. We should never have done that. We should never have left you alone like that.”
I sighed, trying to put him at ease. “I wasn’t alone, Dev. I had plenty of backup. Marini showed up, he postured a lot, he took the Blood Stone, and he left. I came up here to talk to Lee and he couldn’t stand the smell of all that vodka. He’s very picky.”
“Well, you smelled like a drunk, Zoey.” Lee played his part to the hilt. He crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly as he stared down Dev. “She was scared, Quinn. The bastard scared her.”
Neil might be a terrible liar, but Lee knew that the best lie had a kernel of truth to it.
Dev’s green eyes were filled with concern. “Are you really all right, sweetheart?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. Except for the fact Lee doesn’t have any conditioner.”
Lee shook his head. “Why would I have conditioner? You should be happy I had shampoo. Normally I just use soap.”
“And he doesn’t have a hair dryer.” I had found one thing in his sparse bathroom that made me giggle. I pulled it out now. “But he does have eyeliner.”
Neil gave me a thumbs-up. “I always knew Lee was one of us, Z.”
Lee plucked the tube from my fingers. “That’s not mine, obviously. This is why I don’t have people over.”
“Really?” Dev asked. “I thought it was because you were a misanthropic jerk.”
“That too,” the werewolf admitted. “Now out, all of you, before Zoey starts deciding I need new furniture.”
He knew me too well. “You need some rugs too, Lee. I bet your little paws just go all over the place when you run around in here in wolf form.”
Hardwood floors would be hard to run on. When he was in wolf form, Neil always did that thing where all four feet went different ways and I had to help him up.
“Out,” Lee commanded. “Neil, you stay. Dev can take care of Zoey. Come on in and have a beer with me.”
Neil passed me his robe and I put it on over the T-shirt Lee had lent me that hit just above my knees. I was grateful for the robe so I wasn’t walking around the building half naked. “Night, Z.”
Dev took my hand and walked me down the hall to the elevator. It was a long, weird walk back to our place. The only way back up to the penthouse was to go all the way down to Ether and then up again.
He stopped in the middle of the hall and pulled me into his arms, squeezing me tight. “I’m so sorry, Zoey.”
I fought back tears because it felt so good to be close to him. I let my head rest against his chest. “I’m all right.”
I said the words as much for myself as for him. I was all right now because I was in his arms again and earlier in the evening, I wasn’t sure that would happen. I let him hold me for a long moment, the heat of his body warming me. Finally, I let go and turned my face up to his. “I love you.”
His hands cupped my cheeks. “I love you, my goddess. We’ve been putting off the inevitable, haven’t we?”
I nodded, happy that we were at least discussing the subject. “We have to deal with Daniel’s heart.”
Dev took a long breath and kissed my forehead before letting go and leading me to the elevator. “I’ll find a way. I won’t let him die on us and I won’t allow Marini to use you to steal for him again. I swear I’ll kill him first.”
“You owe Peter Hansen a couple of nights in the VIP room gratis,” I mentioned as Dev hit the complex series of buttons that would take us down to the club.
Dev frowned, obviously putting on h
is business hat. “Why would I want to do that? Do you know how much a night in the VIP room costs?”
“Nope,” I replied tartly. “If you don’t want your wife making business decisions for you, maybe you shouldn’t party so hard.”
“Perhaps I should think more before I pretend I am a teenager again,” Dev said. “I will admit I view my actions differently when it costs me money rather than my mother. I will never forget how angry she was to have to pay off the Madrid police force when Declan and I got arrested for public lewdness.”
Oh, yes, I might need that bail fund Neil had mentioned.
“I disagreed with them completely,” Dev explained. “I thought it was a beautiful act. Apparently there is a law or something…”
I laughed at the thought as Dev led me through Ether. It was quieting down because dawn was coming. The cleaning crew was busy setting everything back to rights. We walked up the stairs and I knew what I needed to do. I wasn’t going to let Marini wreck my special places. If he took my good memories of a place, then I would just have to make new ones.
I stopped his hand when he would have pushed the button to take us up to the penthouse. “Can we stay here for a while?”
“You don’t want to go upstairs?”
“I want to stay here for a minute or two.” An idea played in my brain. A way to burn off the bad memories.
I wanted to be here with him and though he couldn’t join us, I wanted to be here with Bris. If Marini had assaulted me in this room, then I had to remember that Bris had saved me. There was a sweetness to that. I could take it back. I could make this place mine again.
Dev turned and there was a slow smile spreading across his face. “You want to be alone with me, my glorious goddess? How may I serve your needs this evening?”
Need was the right way to put what I wanted. I needed him. I needed to shove Marini’s face out of my head and I knew just how to do it. “Why don’t you sit in that chair for me?”
