Heart of the Warrior

by Donya Lynne

  "It doesn’t matter."

  "Son, wait. Please." His father walked toward him.

  "Don’t you come near me." Sev’s voice held a warning that his body was prepared to enforce. He had been primed for a fight before coming here. His father gave him an excellent excuse to get into one.

  "Severin, please, hear me out. I came here to apologize. I’m different now. I’ve changed and wanted to tell both you and your mom how sorry I am for what I did to you. I just want to know you, son."

  That did it. Sev’s fist shot out faster than he could track and connected with his father’s chin with a loud thwack as bone met bone. His father flew to the side and his mom screamed.

  He pointed an angry finger at Lakota. "Don’t you ever call me that again, you bastard. I am not your son."

  He spun on his heels and raced down the stairs and out the front door to his car, his emotions a hornet’s nest of chaos. There was nowhere to go. He wasn’t welcome at the compound right now, and he sure as hell wasn’t going back inside his mom’s house. Only one place remained. Home. And he didn’t really want to go there, either.

  His phone rang and he glanced at the caller I.D. Tristan. He had said he was going to call him later and that he would speak to him. Ooo, scary. Sev waved his fingers at the phone. Here’s what I think of how I will talk to you. He sent the call to voicemail. Ha! Talk to that, asshole. He started the engine and pulled away and around the park then traveled back down Lake Shore to Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park.

  For a while, he simply walked around the park, sitting down occasionally to stare at the boarded up fountain. In the summer it would be a major attraction, but until May it would remain closed and shut off.

  The air was colder at the lakefront, but Sev didn’t care. The frosty bite actually felt good. Matched his mood. He wandered east and sat down on the great staircase that overlooked Chicago Harbor and Lake Michigan further out.

  He didn’t know how long he sat there, but when his phone rang again, he jumped.

  Fuck Tristan!

  Still, he pulled out his phone and looked at the I.D.

  Ari?

  He closed his eyes as his heart weeble-wobbled inside his ribcage. There was no way he couldn’t answer a call from his mate. No matter how angry he was at him, he couldn’t refuse him.

  "What?"

  "Sev?"

  "Yep. What do you want, Ari?"

  Silence.

  Sev sighed in frustration. "Why are you calling me?"

  "I’m sorry, Sev. I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me."

  "Too late for that." Sev brushed his hair off his face as the cold, lakefront wind caught it and blew it over his eyes.

  More silence.

  Sev huffed again. "Is that all you wanted? Will there be anything else?"

  "Do you not want me to come over after my shift then?" Ari sounded beyond miserable, which ebbed Sev’s anger. As mad as he was for what had happened earlier, the thought that he was causing his mate pain was worse.

  "Fuck, Ari." He blew out a heavy, frustrated sigh. "Yes, I still want you to come over. Damn you."

  "Are you saying—hold on." Ari held the phone away like he was talking to someone else. "No, no…black coffee. Yeah. Black." There was a rustling sound and he was back. "Sorry about that."

  "Who are you with?"

  "Malek. Where are you?"

  Sev looked up and around. "Grant Park."

  "Oh. Okay. We’re on the South Side."

  Silence again.

  "So, will you come over then?" Sev said. Some of the steam had blown out of his sails now that he was hearing Ari's voice, and now the only thing that seemed to matter was seeing him in a few hours. Welcome to the land of the mated male vampire. Enjoy the emotional roller coaster ride the calling's gonna serve up on your ass.

  "If you want me to." Ari's voice sounded hopeful.

  "Do you want to?"

  A pause. "Yes."

  Sev swallowed the lump in his throat. "Good. I need to see you, Ari."

  "I need to see you, too." Ari paused.

  Sev looked out over Lake Michigan, the tension in his body fading. "I miss you."

  "I miss you, too." Ari’s voice sounded like he was smiling.

  "We’ll get through this, babe."

  "I know. But it kills me that I hurt you. I’m so sorry."

  "Never mind that. Just hurry and get to my place, okay. And don’t eat. I’m cooking."

  Suddenly, Sev’s good mood flowed back into his blood in an instant and he knew just what he wanted to cook for his mate. His mate! Ari. He was still getting used to the idea. But yes, his mate was coming over. He was going to see his mate. Hot damn!

  And while he was at it, he really needed to get used to the violent mood shifts of this mated male thing. This was all new to him and he was feeling tossed around like a rowboat in the high seas during a hurricane. But from what he understood, this was normal during the calling phase, but that didn't mean he was enjoying that part of it. He would rather enjoy the other part of it – the part where he got to make love to Ari until he collapsed with exhaustion. Yeah, that was he part of the calling phase he liked.

  "I can’t wait," Ari said.

  "Bye, babe."

  "See ya in a few."

  Sev disconnected and got up. He had to hurry if he was going to make it to the store and get home in time to make a pot of his mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce for Ari.

  * * *

  Ari hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. He thought he had majorly fucked up back at AKM, and his heart had been breaking ever since. Obviously, the exchange with Io hurt Severin, and as soon as he realized what had happened he had been filled with a pain unlike anything he'd ever felt. The pain gripped his chest, knotted his stomach, and pounded inside his head for three hours until just a few minutes ago. Calling Sev and hearing him say he still wanted to see him lifted the ache and pain away like a breeze blowing away ashes from a fire. Suddenly, Ari couldn’t stop smiling.

  And what the hell was up with his Johnson? He had been hard all night. It had already gotten so bad twice that he'd had to take bathroom breaks to ease himself. Malek was probably beginning to think his bladder had shrunk or some shit, but at least jacking off gave him a bit of a respite.

  But fuck, he needed to get his head screwed on straight. Especially where Sev was concerned. What had happened earlier had been inexcusable. He should have known better and been more conscientious.

  He would need to find a way to keep his conversations with Io away from Sev’s ears, and to also be more careful about what he said to Io. Hell, he had no intention of joining Io or anyone else on some orgy-esque sexcapade with two or more women. The only one he wanted to be with was Sev. He had only agreed with Io because he didn’t know what else to say under the circumstances. He hadn’t prepared for convos like that. He would need to start preparing if this was going to work with Sev. And he wanted it to work. It had to. He couldn't live without Sev.

  "Here you go." Malek handed him his coffee. "Sorry it took so long. They had to make a fresh pot. Who were you talking to, by the way?"

  "Oh, um, uh…my dad." Yeah, he really needed to prepare for how to handle conversations where Sev was involved.

  "Did you tell him thanks for inviting us all to his party?"

  "Yeah, sure."

  After Sev had stormed out of the meeting earlier, Tristan had announced to the rest of the team that Ari’s father had invited them all to the party he was hosting at his home this weekend for St. Patrick's Day.

  Fun, fun. The idea humiliated Ari more than comforted him. He didn’t want his teammates to look at him like he was the son of a personal friend of the king, even though that was exactly what he was. Ari worked hard to keep that fact out of the public eye. He swore his dad did this shit just to embarrass him.

  "You ready?" Malek said.

  Ready to be done with this shift. He was already growing hard again. Ari nodded. "Yeah, let’s go so we ca
n get back."

  They were on a mass search for cobalt dealers and had already bagged two. Hopefully, they would be able to get something out of the ones they caught that would lead them to the primary manufacturer so they could make a dent in production. But drecks had amazing powers of resistance to mind probes, although Trace seemed to have some bionic powers where that was concerned. The guy was a freak of nature. Trace and Micah were working the guys he, Malek, Tristan, and Io took back to the compound. Yep, that’s right, even Tristan had slid out from behind the desk to patrol in Sev’s place.

  Sev. He grinned at the thought of seeing him later.

  "What are you smiling about?" Malek said, glancing over.

  "Nothing, just something my dad said." The lie came out more easily than the last one. Maybe there was hope, yet.

  Malek took them further west, and Ari looked out the window. Was his shift over, yet?

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Gina had stopped by AKM for a few minutes, found a lot of nothing, so returned to the hotel. After changing, she went down to the bar until it closed then hung out in the lobby in hopes of bumping into Lakota when he returned from his wineless spaghetti feast.

  Her head was buried in a newspaper when she caught his scent. She peeked out from behind the paper as he stopped and looked at the closed bar in frustration before turning around and walking to the desk.

  "The bar’s closed?" she heard him ask.

  "I’m sorry sir. Yes, it closed about an hour ago."

  Lakota backed away from the desk, looking dejected. She folded the paper and got up then followed him to the elevator.

  "Hey," he said as he turned and saw her step in behind him. "You’re the big breakfast girl. Gina, right?"

  "I’m flattered you remembered."

  "How could I forget? You eat like I do, but you’re three times as small."

  "A girl’s gotta eat."

  The elevator closed and started up.

  "I heard you asking about the bar," she said.

  "Yeah, well, it’s already closed." He sounded frustrated.

  "You can come drop by my room if you want a drink." Her voice was suggestive, her eyes provocative.

  He laughed. "No, I didn’t want to drink. I just wanted to sit in the bar with a glass of club soda and pretend I was drinking."

  "Why ever would you want to do that?" She made a screwed up face at him.

  He chuckled. "I stopped drinking ages ago." He looked at the floor uncomfortably. "But tonight was a rough one and I could use the fake drink – the illusion that I'm drowning myself, as it were."

  Ah, so that's why he drank water with his dinner at the female's house.

  The elevator stopped on her floor and she stepped out but held her arm over the door to keep it from closing. "Well, I could pour you a glass of water and you can pretend it’s a glass of Vodka and I’m the bartender. Then you can tell me all about your troubles and I can give you a bunch of useless advice that sounds wise but is really just a crock of shit."

  He laughed and considered her offer, then nodded and joined her. "Okay, sure. Why not?"

  She led him to her room.

  "I bet your advice would be better than some random human’s, anyway," he said.

  She looked over her shoulder. Until now, neither one of them had acknowledged out loud that they were the same. As in, they were both vampires.

  "Oh, why’s that?" She batted her eyes innocently.

  He grinned and flashed his fangs. "Because you’re like me."

  She pretended to be scared of his fangs, then laughed as her face calmed again. "Okay, you got me."

  They stopped in front of her door.

  "My name’s Lakota." He held out his hand and formally introduced himself.

  "I remember." She shook his hand. Nice hands. He had nice, strong hands.

  He smiled and his face flushed slightly. "Yes, that's right. Guess I'm out of practice."

  Gina wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that, but she bumped her arm against his good-naturedly. "You're doing fine."

  He glanced at her curiously. "What brings you to Chicago, Gina? Oh wait, you're on vacation, right?"

  They entered her room and he took a seat while she went for the bar. "Yep. I needed a break. And you said you're here because of family. Just visiting then?"

  He sighed and stretched out those long legs of his. "I’m mending fences. Well, trying to."

  She poured him a glass of water over ice and grabbed a Vodka and orange juice for herself. "Mending fences? Is that why you wanted to drown yourself in club soda tonight, Lakota?" She handed him his glass and took a seat beside him.

  "Yes, it was a rough night." He rubbed his chin as if it ached. "Some fences are tougher to mend than others."

  "Why? What happened?"

  He sipped his water. "I saw my son tonight."

  "Your son?"

  "Yes, his name is Severin. It's been a long time since I've seen him."

  This was easier than she thought. Good. Now she just needed to keep him talking. She leaned back as if she was settling in for the long haul.

  "Go on, Lakota. Tell bartender Gina all about it."

  He smiled at her and started talking.

  * * *

  Severin sat at the counter in his kitchen, tapping the top corner of his cell phone with his finger so it spun on the counter toward his other hand, where he tapped it on the opposite corner so that it spun back. Back and forth, back and forth. Tap-tap-tap-tap. He couldn’t sit still.

  For the third time in fifteen minutes, he hopped off the bar stool and stirred the meat sauce that was simmering on the stove. It was ready to eat, but it was the kind of sauce that the longer it simmered, the better it would be.

  He took a taste and hovered over the pot as he let the flavor coat his tongue then he grabbed a pinch more salt and dashed it into the pan. A check of the clock said it was just after six a.m. Ari’s shift had ended an hour ago.

  "Come on, come on," he said under his breath. "Get here, damn it."

  After their phone conversation, Sev’s anger over what had happened earlier with Io had dissipated, but he knew that sooner or later Ari’s need to keep them hush-hush would need to be addressed. He didn’t want to live his life with Ari behind closed doors. As mates, secrecy would only hurt them, and more blowups like the one that had just happened would continue to occur.

  He had finally talked to Tristan, too, explaining that he was fine and making an excuse that he had some personal shit to deal with. Tristan had offered to give him some time off to sort things out, but he had declined, saying the worst was over – at least, he hoped it was over – and he just wanted to get back to work. He apologized for his behavior and did the necessary sucking up then Tristan had informed him of what else had been discussed during the meeting, including an invite from Ari’s father for all of them to attend a St. Patrick’s Day party this coming weekend.

  That could be interesting. All of them. Together. At Ari's parents' house. What a great time to meet the parents. Somehow, Sev got the idea the party was a bad idea.

  Just then the doorbell rang and Sev nearly left his skin behind as he darted out of the kitchen. Taking the time to check the peephole, he caressed one hand over his door when he saw Ari standing on the other side, glancing down nervously. Sev closed his eyes and tilted his forehead against the door as he smiled. Everything would be okay now. Ari was here.

  After unlocking the door, he pulled it open and Ari looked up at him, his face a mix of nervousness, hope, and relief. He pulled a rose from behind his back and held it out to Sev.

  "When a man shows up with flowers, he knows he fucked up." Sev took the rose and lifted it to his nose and grinned as he stepped back to allow Ari in.

  "I’m sorry, Sev. I’m so sorry." Ari stepped inside and shut the door behind him then wrapped his arms around Sev’s waist and held him close.

  He smelled clean, like soap and Old Spice.

  How could Sev be angry at his mate?
How could he not hold him, forgive him, and quiet him with kisses? "Sshh, Ari. You’re forgiven. Come here." He nudged Ari’s chin with the side of his index finger to turn Ari toward him and then he kissed those perfect, soft lips until they both moaned quietly at the same time. Ari’s body pressed more fully against Sev’s, and their hands explored.

  "I've been hard for you all night." Ari spoke against his mouth.

  "Me, too. And now you're here."

  Their lips met once more, tasting and lingering together.

  "What are you cooking?" Ari broke their kiss and dipped his head to lick a long line up the side of Sev’s throat as if he wasn't interested in food at all. "It smells good."

  Sev purred at Ari's oral caress. "So do you." He palmed the back of Ari’s head and held his mouth against his neck.

  Ari purred back and scratched his fangs over Sev's neck. Up and down, up and down, teasing Sev. "Mmm, so do you." Ever-so-gently, Ari’s fangs pierced his skin and sank into his flesh.

  "Mmmm." Sev leaned back against the wall and slowly faded into bliss. He thought he would pass out from the euphoria of Ari’s venom mixing with his own. The reaction was more powerful in a vampire than a human and Sev felt the room spin in a good way.

  Very good.

  Ari’s bite deepened and Sev teetered drunkenly, unable to remain standing without assistance, too lost in his mate’s touch and his total possession of him. The euphoria made him drunk with desire. God, yes. This was what he needed: Arion. His precious Ari at his vein and pressing against him with commanding presence.

  Suddenly, Ari pulled away and snapped back as he smacked his lips. He looked as if he had tasted something funny, and he had a frown on his face.

  Sev tried to look at him, but he felt like a bobble head doll, unable to control his physical faculties through the euphoric intoxication.

  "What’s wrong?" His words slurred as he fought through the haze. "Why’d you stop?"

  Ari looked up at him and lifted his fingers to his lips. "Oh my God, Sev. What are you?"

  "Huh?" Sev was too out of it and didn’t understand. The euphoria only lasted a minute or two, but until it cleared, nothing would make sense.