Rori pulled the cup away from Ted’s wrist and sipped at the hot, sticky blood. It wasn’t as good as drinking straight from flesh, but it would do. No need to waste perfectly good blood.
“Quite a mess you have here,” said a voice from the kitchen.
Rori turned slowly to see Jonas standing with his arms folded over his chest. He placed the glass back to Ted’s wrist once he had emptied it. The slow rise and fall of Ted’s chest indicated he was still quite alive. It looked like Rori would be here a while.
“How long have you been standing there?” he asked.
“Longer than you’d like,” Jonas replied with a smirk.
Glaring at Jonas, Rori shook his head slowly at the nonanswer.
Condemnation was clear on his face. “Looks like a murder-suicide,” Jonas said as his gaze panned the room. “Smart.” When his eyes returned to Rori, he canted his head. “But why?”
“Murder wasn’t my plan for tonight,” Rori offered, as though he had to justify his actions to the knight.
“I can’t imagine it’s anyone’s plan.” Jonas scoffed as he stepped farther into the room. “So let’s get to this. We don’t have much of the night left.”
CHAPTER 28
As tired as Divina was, and as late as it was, she couldn’t sleep. Pacing the small living room of the house where they were staying, she wrung her hands and repeatedly looked at her phone. No word from Rori.
It was almost one in the morning. Bruce had returned hours ago and reported that Rori had met with Ted. He said he watched Ted leave after the vampire. He even overheard Rori plant the suggestions.
So why hadn’t Rori called or texted? Why hadn’t he come back to let her know it was done?
Aric sat on the couch, gnawing on the inside of his cheek, watching Divina pace. Eerie quiet filled the house. Bruce and Smitty had both gone to bed. Only she and Aric remained awake.
“Something’s wrong,” she said.
Aric regarded her curiously. “You think Ted did something to Rori?”
Divina stopped pacing, but her hands kept moving. Her worried eyes drifted toward the beautiful man on the couch. “I don’t know.” Her voice cracked. “This is all my fault. Ted could be hurt. Rori could be hurt. I don’t even know who I’m worrying about anymore.”
Aric rose, took the few paces toward her and wrapped her in his strong arms. Pulling her against his chest, he kissed the top of her head while stroking her loose ebony hair. They stood quietly while she closed her eyes and enjoyed the comfort he offered. With her cheek flat against his chest, she heard the steady thump-bump within. She snaked her hands around his middle and hugged him back.
“I keep playing it through my mind. I could have done a thousand things differently if I—”
“Shh.” Aric pulled away and placed his hooked finger under her chin, lifting so her eyes met his. Pure affection and concern reflected back at her. “You can’t do that to yourself. You can’t change what happened. You can only move forward and deal with it.” Aric held her face in his hands. His warm hazel eyes stared into her pale blue ones. “And we will deal with it. We’ll handle this together.”
She hugged him tight and fought the lump in her throat. She wanted to cry. She wanted to curl into a ball and let it all happen around her. Wishing it all away, she buried her face in his henley. They stood in silence, holding one another. Divina didn’t want to let go. She felt safe and protected in the cocoon that was Aric’s arms.
“Let’s go to bed,” he whispered in her hair. She nodded but didn’t break her embrace.
In understanding, Aric shifted. He crouched slightly, placed an arm behind her back and slid the other behind her knees. Caught off guard for a moment, Divina let out a small “eep” when he lifted her. Cradling her, he kissed the crown of her head. Looping her arm around his neck, she allowed him to carry her over the threshold of the bedroom Smitty had given them. Gently, Aric laid her on the bed. Barely breaking contact, he lay beside her. Tucking himself against her, he draped his leg over hers. One arm was under her neck while the other slid over her belly and he spooned her. Nuzzling his face against her shoulder, he kissed at the mark on her neck. The stubble on his chin tickled her skin. He laved his warm tongue over it, and his breath caused her skin to tingle.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in him. There was nothing sexual about their embrace. With no red-hot need like before, only comfort and reassurance, she drifted off to sleep.
The warm, bright sun heated Divina’s face. Rolling away from it, she found she had much more room in the bed than she’d had previously. Fluttering her eyelids open, she ran her hand over the vacant space.
Aric was gone.
Stretching slowly, she sat up. Glancing around the small room, she realized he wasn’t there. Pulling the covers back, Divina crawled out of bed. She was still dressed in the clothes from last night. She found her phone on the nightstand and grabbed it, desperately needing to know if Rori had reached out. A text icon blared in her face.
It’s done. Received at 3:46 a.m.
Divina swallowed hard as she stared at the message. There was no explanation of what was done. Her heart sank at the thought. He had been vague on purpose.
Phone in hand, she made her way down the hall toward hushed voices. The three men were discussing something adamantly. Though whispering, their tones were heated.
“The council is going to want to look into this!” Smitty shouted, startling Divina.
“It won’t fall on your pack,” Bruce assured him.
“I should hope the fuck not. This is your fucking mess, man. You brought it to my town.” He pointed first at Bruce and then Aric.
“Was she in a coven?” Bruce asked.
“No,” Smitty answered.
Divina stepped into the kitchen. “What’s going on?” She looked from face to face. All stared back at her blankly.
Aric crossed the kitchen and wrapped her in a hug. He kissed the top of her head but didn’t answer. Divina wriggled out of his grasp. “You’re talking about me,” she said, again looking from one face to the next.
Bruce tilted his head. Smitty knitted his brows together. Aric, still holding her, smoothed her knotted hair. “No—”
“I’m the witch without a coven,” she said. “I’m the one the council will want to look into.”
Smitty shook his head slowly. “Arrogant bitch.”
“Watch your fucking mouth.” Aric whirled around with a rumble from within his chest and venom in his voice.
Smitty stepped toward them. “It isn’t all about you,” he sneered. “Your fucking vampire slaughtered Sonia and Ted.”
Divina’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened. “What?” That couldn’t be. He didn’t even know about Sonia. Tears burned the backs of her eyes. Sonia had been a sweet woman who only wanted to help her.
“Yeah. Seems you brought a bloodthirsty vamp into my territory, and he went on a spree. Cops are calling it a murder-suicide, but the whole thing smells like rotting vampire.”
“Enough.” Aric held Divina close to him. “She had no idea he would do that.”
“He’s a fucking vampire!” Smitty waved his arms in exasperation. “What else was he going to do?”
Aric pushed Divina behind him. Standing between them, he glared down at the other man.
Divina blinked back her tears. “What happened?” she asked. She needed to know what had been done on her behalf.
Her question went unanswered. “I only allowed the vermin into my territory because you asked me to.” Smitty pointed at Aric’s chest. “I did you a favor, and now there’s blood on my land.”
“We had no way of knowing this would happen,” Bruce chimed in from behind Smitty. “You can’t blame us for this. The vampire was a wild card.”
Smitty whirled around. “We don’t let them on our territory. We don’t let this shit happen. This is going to rock the humans. I’m going to tell the council exactly what happened.”
“And your involvement,” Smitty added.
“There is no involvement,” Aric boomed.
Smitty shook his head. His gaze volleyed back and forth between Aric and Bruce. Both men stood aggressively, knees bent, hands balled into fists, prepared to pounce. Smitty raked both hands through his hair. He backed away slightly but wouldn’t turn his back on the men.
Divina wanted to say something but didn’t know what. She wanted to fix this. It was her fault. Sonia and Ted, their lives gone, and it was all her fault. Perhaps she needed to go to the council. She could explain her mistake, beg for mercy. She would fix it so no one else got hurt.
Two innocent lives gone now, all because of her. She just wanted the prophecy and everyone to leave her alone, and because they couldn’t, two people, who aren’t even mentioned, were dead.
With tears spilling down her cheeks, she looked down at her phone. Fucking Rori. Why couldn’t he just do what she’d asked him? She looked back at the shifters having a standoff.
Just as she was about to speak, Smitty let out a cry of frustration. “Get out of my house. Get off my land. Our packs have an alliance, and I won’t jeopardize that. I’m not the alpha, and neither are you two. But I’m done helping you.” Smitty’s eyes landed on Divina. She cowered behind Aric. She didn’t like his accusatory gaze, no matter how justified. “Take your baby witch and go.”
CHAPTER 29
Aric wanted to rip his throat out. How dare he say such things about Aric’s mate? If Smitty had a problem with her, he’d add that to the problem he had with Aric. She couldn’t control Rori.
He didn’t get a chance to voice anything more to Smitty, as Bruce intervened and ushered Aric and Divina out of the house. The elder brought calm to the storm.
“Go home,” he urged from the porch of Smitty’s house. “I’ll talk to him.”
“What’s there left to say?” Aric asked, holding Divina to his chest while she wept. Tingles of guilt stung his chest, and he knew they were hers. He’d need to tell her this was on Rori, not her. She’d asked him not to do exactly what he did.
“I’ll remind him of alliance and pack loyalties. I’ll be sure if he goes to council, which I will advise against, that it be about the vampire who did the killings. Your mate begged him not to. I didn’t get to be an elder without knowing how to cool down heated wolves,” Bruce said dismissively. “Now take your mate and go.” That wasn’t a suggestion. That was an order.
Divina, still shaken about the news, stared blankly ahead while Aric escorted her to her pickup. He took the keys, closed her door, and walked around. Staring down at the phone she held in both hands in her lap, he cranked the engine.
“I can take you back to your wagon,” he offered, “but I’d feel safer if we had some protection around us.” He wanted to be with her. He wanted her in his territory.
Sniffling, she swiped at the tears falling for her friends. “I don’t care.” She sounded so defeated, and it pinched Aric’s heart to hear the tone.
On his land, with his wolf family around her, her safety would be assured. All the pack would protect her.
Pulling off, he headed back toward New Orleans. They drove in silence while he kept an eye on his female, his mate. It wouldn’t be a long drive. With the state of his mate, music wouldn’t help matters. Nor would it make the drive more comfortable. Her unease, her feelings of betrayal and confusion, radiated off her and traveled through their bond. His heart was heavy with her emotions, and he knew nothing would help except space. She needed to process the betrayal. However, his wolf swiped at his insides, urging him to do something, though Aric wasn’t sure what.
“I’m…I’m sorry,” he said.
Slowly Divina turned her head toward him. Her pale ice-like eyes were red-rimmed. Tears brimmed but didn’t fall. She swallowed. “He killed them.”
He sighed. Rori was a vampire. Aric had a feeling he would. But an “I told you so” wouldn’t help. “Yes,” he confirmed.
She shook her head slowly and looked down at her phone as if it were a foreign object. “He doesn’t kill people.” There wasn’t an ounce of conviction in her voice. If anything, she sounded bewildered.
Aric took a deep breath and turned his attention to the road. He didn’t have an answer for her. Anything he could say to counter her point would do nothing to improve her mood. Instead, he reached over and placed his hand on her thigh with a slight squeeze.
“All they did was help me.” Divina’s voice cracked.
A lump formed in Aric’s throat. He wanted to fix this for her, to make it all better. He never wanted to hear that sound in her voice ever again. “Wrong place, wrong time,” Aric offered. “It’s not your fault.”
Without warning, she threw her phone. It bounced off the windshield and then back in her direction. Aric had little time to react. He reached for it, and the truck tugged to the right. Divina let out a screech. The phone bounced off his index finger and ricocheted toward the roof, then fell again. Bringing the truck straight, he regained control.
“I can’t believe I trusted him!” Divina seethed.
Aric lifted his split, long-ago scarred eyebrow, turning toward her for a brief moment. He said nothing, only watched his little witch switch from shock to anger. “He’s always betrayed me, from the day I met him. Yet for some reason, I keep giving him chances.” She clenched her fists, her knuckles white with the force. Rage pulsed from her and through their bond.
“I won’t let him betray you anymore,” Aric assured her.
She whipped her head in his direction. Her eyes narrowed at him, filled with ire. “He’s over three hundred years old,” she hissed. “What makes you think you’re immune to his manipulation?”
His first instinct was to balk at her challenge. His wolf snapped inside him. However, he understood she was right and that if he did, it would only make matters worse, so he bit back his response and ran his tongue over his teeth.
“You have me now,” he explained as coolly as he could. “You don’t have to rely on him anymore. When you need help, you come to me.” Aric reached for her hand. At first, she pulled away, but he wouldn’t be rebuffed so easily. He tried again and entangled his fingers in hers. He tugged gently, and she allowed him to bring her hand to his face. He brushed his soft lips against her fingers as he offered them each a kiss. He felt her eyes on him and risked a glance in her direction. Her lips were tight, her jaw clenched. Her eyes studied him. “I’m on your side. I will defend you until the day I die. That’s what it means to have a mate. You’ll always have me in your corner, fighting for you and with you.”
She let out a long breath and bowed her head, but she didn’t pull away. They drove quietly for a while.
“I need to talk to him,” she announced suddenly.
Aric slammed on the brakes at a red light. “What?” He squeezed her hand.
“I need to talk to him. I need to understand what happened.”
“You know what happened,” he replied impatiently. “He killed them.”
“But why?” she implored.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “If you give him the opportunity, he’s going to try to manipulate you again.”
Divina bowed her head, and Aric took a deep breath. He didn’t want to fight. He just wanted to protect her. “What could he possibly have to say that will make what he did okay?” he asked, trying a different tack.
“I don’t know,” she replied in frustration. “I just need it for closure or something. I just need to know why.”
He didn’t like it. He didn’t want her to ever see Rori again. It might put her in harm’s way. The vampire might not physically hurt Divina, but he sure as hell could hurt her emotionally. With the way his inner beast clawed at his insides, Aric was pretty sure where the animal stood on this decision. He gripped the steering wheel tighter with both
hands.
“Closure?” he repeated.
Divina licked her bottom lip. “Yes.”
“Then it’s the end?” he pushed.
“It has to be,” she said matter-of-factly. “I don’t know what else he could do to show me how little he thinks of me.”
Aric nodded in agreement. Finally they saw eye-to-eye on something. He hoped she held that resolve when faced with Rori in person. If they could just put it all behind them, he’d ask her to join his pack. It was a lofty goal, but he had hope. If the vampire left her alone, he and Divina could really cement their mating.
The wolf within him snapped with the realization. Rori was all that stood in the way of their mating bond’s progression. If Divina could let go of Rori, there would be nothing blocking their connection.
“Tonight, then,” Aric said, though it prickled him. “Tonight, you get your closure.”
CHAPTER 30
Jonas had the damn town car. As much as Rori would have liked to ride back to New Orleans alone, it didn’t make sense to call a separate taxi. Seated in the plush leather of the back seat while Jonas drove, Rori ran his pale fingers over the leather. He noted a button that triggered a privacy screen. Perfect.
He hadn’t answered Jonas as to why he had caused the death of the human and the witch. It was none of the knight’s business. Thankfully, Jonas didn’t pester him for a response either. Rori didn’t even want to think about what assumptions the other vampire made regarding the situation.
He let out a long sigh. She wouldn’t be happy with him. He could play semantics all night long, but ultimately people were dead, and Rori was responsible—the outcome she specifically did not want.
His little witch had so much to learn about the council and their laws. He couldn’t let her be brought to them with such a crime. Humans had found out about the supernatural community in the past, and it had resulted in nothing but death. The council was strict, and very brutal, when it came to punishments. They acted swiftly to protect nonhumans from humans. He couldn’t let that happen to Divina. By human hand or otherwise, he’d die before he let anything happen to her.
The Wolf of the Prophecy Page 19
