Heart of the Warrior

by Donya Lynne

  They reached the double doors that led into the lobby. The receptionist looked up at them as they stepped through and he smiled at her and rapped his knuckles on the counter as Gregos and Tristan said a few parting words to each other.

  "I’ll see you Monday," he said to her.

  "Congratulations." She smiled warmly. "You’ll like Stryker. He comes off brusque, but he’s really a softy."

  He winked. "I can tell."

  She giggled, and he glanced back at the two males.

  "Welcome to the team, Kota," Tristan said.

  They shook hands all around then Tristan disappeared into the back as Gregos walked out with him. "It’s good to see you again, Kota. Real good. You seem different. Good different."

  "I am." He nodded and swept his gaze up and down the street out of habit. "I’ve only been in Chicago a few days and I already feel like I’m home."

  "We’ll need to get together for dinner one night next week so we can catch up."

  "Absolutely."

  "We’ll set it up tomorrow at the party." Gregos chucked his shoulder and stepped around to the driver’s side of a black and grey Bugatti and waved.

  Lakota sized up the magnificent car, trying not to look too impressed, but he was. It was clear Gregos was doing well for himself. When you can plunk down over two million dollars for a car, you had to be doing well.

  "See you then." Lakota waited for the car’s engine to roar to life just so he could hear it purr then he returned to his Suburban and headed back to the Trump.

  Severin would be pissed at him for joining AKM, but that was his problem. Lakota had joined AKM for him, not Sev. The two would have to find a way to work together, but being on different teams, that shouldn't be too hard. Then maybe over time, Severin would get used to seeing Lakota and the two would eventually be able to proverbially kiss and make up.

  Now, to more immediate needs. Before he returned to the hotel, he needed blood then he needed to see Gina. He couldn’t get that beautiful female off his mind for some reason, even though his daughter had warned him during dinner last night that she wasn’t what she appeared to be. Marie hadn’t elaborated, and Lakota didn’t really care. Gina was the first female he had been attracted to since Mary, even though she really wasn’t his usual type.

  And, really, how dangerous could she be?

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Gina stayed behind Lakota, dematerializing and rematerializing at intervals as she followed his Suburban back toward the hotel. She had followed him tonight to see if he would lead her to Sev, but he had gone to AKM instead. Still, Sev worked at AKM. Maybe tomorrow?

  He passed the turn-off for the Trump and continued until he came to Michigan and turned north toward the Magnificent Mile. What was he planning to do? Go shopping? His Suburban slowed and he turned west onto a side street, then north on Rush, then east back to Michigan.

  He was trolling for blood. Gina could tell. Finally, he parked. Gina ducked into the shadows as he got out, shoved his hands into his coat pockets, and hoofed it up the sidewalk into a crowd. Gina stayed with the Suburban. He wouldn’t be gone long.

  Fifteen minutes later, he reappeared, walking down the sidewalk, licking his lips and wiping off his mouth as if he was paranoid he still had blood on his face. He got in his Suburban and started back toward the hotel.

  She hurried up to her room and deposited her rifle case in the bottom drawer of her dresser and quickly changed into something that looked less military than the black-on-black she had worn to tail him. No doubt he would come pay her visit. As long as she didn’t end up in bed with him, maybe chatting with him would give her some insights into how to reach Sev? But seriously, she couldn't sleep with him tonight. No, no, no.

  As she expected, a knock came on her door within minutes.

  She opened up. "Lakota. This is a nice surprise. I thought you had decided to stand me up."

  "I got a job," he said, stepping inside. He wrapped his arms around her as if he had been eager to see her.

  Those strong arms picked her up and she found herself gazing hungrily into his blue eyes before glancing lower at full lips that were still rouged with blood.

  "You fed." She pushed the door closed behind him. It closed with a satisfying click of the latch.

  "Uh-huh." His body pressed against hers. "I got a job, I fed, I bumped into an old friend, and tomorrow night I’m going to a party." He pulled back slightly. "You want to go with me?" His expression read loud and clear that he hoped she would.

  "A party?"

  "Gregos Savakis’s house. He’s an old friend." Lakota nuzzled her neck and her defenses began to crumble. He was sexy and knew just how to touch her to stoke her fire. "My son is supposed to be there."

  Severin? Severin was going to be at the party?

  "You mean…the one you told me about?"

  "Uh-huh." He nibbled her neck and backed her toward the bed.

  He really was persuasive.

  "So? How about it?" He pulled away and burned her gaze with his. "Go with me?"

  Oh, now how could she say no to that? "I’d love to go." She wrapped her arms around his wide shoulders and pulled him closer. "Will you try to talk to him, then? Your son?"

  "I’d like to." He leaned down once more and licked her neck as he purred. Well, shit, didn't that just get her juices flowing and turn her all the way on. His hands started to tug up her shirt and she didn't stop him.

  Lakota nibbled her nape. "Hopefully, it will be neutral enough ground that he won’t punch me again."

  "Of course he won’t," she said, running her hands over his chest and back up over his shoulders. He was so tall compared to her. Like a lion compared to a house cat. "You feel good." The words came out unbidden.

  "So do you."

  His mouth found hers and that was all it took. Clothes flew off in record time and his hard, naked body crashed down over hers on the bed, sinking inside her in one smooth stroke. They both gasped and she gripped his shoulders as he bent and took her nipple in his mouth. She was so small compared to him that he had to practically bend like a pretzel to stay inside her and suck her breast at the same time, but it was worth it. Oh, God, it was worth it. His flicking tongue puckered her flesh and sent an erotic pulse straight to her clit.

  "Yes, oh God, yes!"

  Before she could stop herself she came.

  She would kick herself later for falling back into bed with him, but oh, the sacrifices she made for her job.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Arion tightened the green tie around his neck then pulled on the charcoal grey suit jacket.

  "Nice threads." Sev stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips then pulled a pair of boxer briefs out of the top drawer of his dresser.

  "It’s kind of expected."

  "What? That you need to wear a five-thousand dollar suit to a party?"

  Ari sighed. "Something like that."

  Sev walked around the bed and slid his arms inside the jacket and around Ari’s waist. "After tonight, you won’t have to wear that shit unless you want to. I like you just fine in your jeans and T-shirts, babe." He kissed him and shrugged one shoulder indifferently. "Or out of them. I'm not picky."

  They smiled at each other.

  Ari had officially decided. Tonight was the night. He would come out, tell his father he was gay and that he was quitting his job as an enforcer. Over the past couple of days, he and Sev had talked it over. He would move in, provide music lessons out of their home – their home – and play at the local clubs whenever he could book gigs. He had friends at a few of the clubs, so he didn't think that would be too hard.

  Hard was what the two of them had undergone the past couple of days. The nights at work were endless and painful for them both. They had both made masturbating an art form just to get through their shifts in one piece, and twice Malek had asked if he was okay. And at the end of each night, the two had wasted no time flying out of there to get home and back in bed with one anothe
r. Sex had never felt so good, even if it did mean they were running on fumes from lack of sleep.

  But all that would end tonight. This was it. Ari couldn't live like this, anymore, keeping secrets when he all he wanted to do was show Sev off to the world.

  "I’m scared shitless. Look." He lifted his hand. It trembled. "I’m not even there, yet, and I’m already nervous."

  Sev snagged his hand from the air and kissed it before giving it a squeeze. "I’ll be there, and you’ll be fine, babe. Just think, after tonight you won’t have to hide, anymore, and you’ll wake up in my arms every night and go to sleep inside them every morning. Won’t it feel good to have everything out in the open?"

  Sev was right. It would feel good. So why did it feel like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop? "Okay, okay. You've sold me." He checked the clock. "I’ve got to get. I’m supposed to be there already."

  "I’ll meet you there." Sev kissed him then pulled away. "I love you."

  "I love you." Ari grabbed Sev for one more kiss. "I’ll see you later."

  He took the stairs two-at-a-time, opened the garage door, and hopped in his BMW. He grinned at how quickly his relationship had progressed with Sev, but that was how it worked between mates. It didn’t take long for the bond to develop, and then they became inseparable and the next thing they knew, one was making a space in the garage for the other’s car.

  Ari thought back to that night in his kitchen last month. That was when the mating had really started. In hindsight, he knew that now, because he could see all the signs from the weeks that had followed before he and Sev had met up in the gym not even a week ago to change the course of their lives together. His body had made it clear he'd mated, hadn't it? The ache in his chest, the confusion and aggression, the moodiness. Those uncomfortable symptoms were side effects and signs of a formed bond that was angry he and Sev hadn't been together. From what Sev told him, he had experienced the same side effects, except his moodiness had flown off the charts. Way worse than Ari's.

  How had he been so blind? Well, not anymore. His eyes and his heart were wide open now. He was happy. God, he was so happy.

  As he drove to his parents’ home, he ticked off the plans he needed to make. He would need to sell his house – well, his parents would, since it was in their name – put in his notice at AKM, re-string his guitar, tune the piano, put together a plan to market himself to the local families for lessons. Sev’s house was large enough for him to dedicate an entire portion of the first floor to his piano lessons. He would teach humans in the afternoon while Sev could allow them in, and they would keep the drapes closed and explain that Ari was allergic to the sun. He could teach vampire students at night while Sev worked.

  He had his life figured out now. All he needed to do was tell his parents. They were the hard ones. Once he got through telling them, coming out to everyone else would be easy. Well, Io would still be a challenge, but even Io wouldn't be as hard to come out to as his parents.

  Ari pulled onto the long winding driveway of his parents’ estate and drove up to the house. A few cars were already there. His father wouldn’t be happy that he was late. Well, shit, he wouldn't be happy about a lot of things tonight, would he? So, in a way, he was just getting things started off on the right foot.

  He parked and proceeded up the wide steps in front of the house. The doorman greeted him inside the foyer and waved him past – no need to check the guest list for his name – and he grabbed a glass of champagne from a tray and looked around.

  "Well, it’s about time you got here." His mother, dressed in an elegant green gown, appeared from the sitting room and greeted him with a hug. "We were beginning to worry."

  "Hi, Mom. Where’s Dad."

  She linked her arm in his and led him through the main hall. "He’s in the Great Room. Come on, let’s go see him" She smiled and her eyes twinkled secretively.

  "What is it?" he said.

  "What’s what?" She tried to sound innocent but failed.

  "You’re hiding something."

  She waved her free hand then linked it over his arm. "You’ll see."

  Dinner music played through the home’s audio system and the entire front hall was decked out in green. Green rugs, green curtains, green bulbs in the chandelier. A variety of green masquerade masks and hats, no two alike, lined a long table covered with a green tablecloth.

  His mom picked up a hat and popped it on his head with a tinkling laugh. "Don’t you look handsome?"

  The way she said it caused the hair on the back of his neck to prickle.

  "Um, look, Mom. I was hoping to have a word with you and Dad before the party."

  "Certainly, this will just take a moment."

  He didn’t want to wait a moment. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, while he still had the courage to do so. That way, when Sev arrived, he could be by his side without worry. And if his parents kicked him out after he said what he had to say then he and Sev would find a party of their own somewhere else, just as long as they could be together.

  Just then his father walked through the door on the far side of the room. He had a stately male with him, along with a tastefully coiffed blonde wearing a shimmering green sheath.

  "Ah, there he is," his father said, seeing him.

  The female’s eyes turned toward him and she blushed.

  Somehow this all just felt wrong. What was going on?

  The five of them met in the middle of the room and his father shook his hand. "Son."

  "Father."

  His mom released his arm and stepped to his father’s side.

  "Arion, this is Ulrich Fenton. Ulrich is another of the king’s liaisons. This is his daughter, Persephone. They only just relocated to Chicago a month ago."

  "Pleasure to meet you." He greeted them both, playing the dutiful part of a politician’s son.

  He was just about to remind his mother that he needed to speak to them when his father altered the course of the night.

  "Arion, Ulrich and I have discussed it, and we both agree." He glanced toward Ulrich, who nodded and grinned approvingly. "We have arranged for you and Persephone to wed."

  Thud. That was Ari’s mouth hitting the floor, followed immediately by the abrupt silence as his heart stopped beating. In fact, his lungs had stopped working, too. Everything in Ari's realm of understanding seemed to come to a complete halt.

  No one noticed, though, and the bad dream of a scene continued to unfold. His father went on as if nothing was wrong, even though it should have been obvious Arion was about to pass out…or maybe keel over and die.

  "The ceremony is set to take place one month from today. Your mother has taken care of all the arrangements."

  He glanced from his dad to Persephone then to Ulrich and back to his dad. His mom turned around and waved at someone on the second level. Suddenly, a banner – with green lettering, of course – unfolded from the railing. Congratulations Arion and Persephone on your engagement! The pertinent details of the ceremony – place, time, etc. – followed. He glanced back at his mom and dad in disbelief.

  Suddenly, the soothing piano music playing in the background sounded like a death march. What had looked like festive green decorations now looked like something you would find at a funeral.

  "Congratulations, Arion!" His mom hugged him. "This is your engagement party."

  Arion was defeated. Trumped by his own parents. He could see the smug victory in their eyes. They had wanted him to take a mate for years, both growing more impatient with each passing week. So they had forced his hand, and at the worst possible time, because he had already taken a mate. But Sev wasn’t the gender they wanted for their son, was he?

  "Um. Mom? Dad? Can we talk privately?"

  "Honey, Arion asked if he could speak to us before the party," his mom said to his dad, sounding as if she only just now remembered Ari's request.

  "Yes, of course." His dad acknowledged Ulrich and Persephone then ushered Ari and his mom out of the r
oom and into the library, where he shut the door.

  Suddenly, the polite smiles on both their faces disappeared. He had known their performances in the great room had only been for show.

  "You will not back out of this marriage," his father said before Ari could say anything.

  His mom pursed her lips reprovingly. "Ari, it’s time you settled and started a family. Enough of this pandering from woman to woman. Persephone is a worthy female, with strong bloodlines. She will give you political stature and, God willing, your children."

  "I didn’t realize arranged marriages still took place in the vampire community," Ari said, his voice quiet.

  "You'd be surprised, Arion." His dad waved a hand. "It's quite common in the king's inner circle. This is normal."

  No wonder few members of the king's council had children. Without mating, there was no calling, and without a calling, conception became rare. If many of those pairings had been arranged instead of naturally mated, it made sense why few children had been born to them.

  Ari didn't have time to think about that now, though, because his own world was crashing down around him. He wanted to shout at them to go fuck themselves, but they had so successfully throttled him out of the blue, he only felt numbness. He couldn’t make sense of his thoughts.

  His father stepped forward and jutted his chin proudly. "If you have designs on getting out of this marriage, let me forewarn you that if you break this covenant Ulrich and I have formed, I will cut you off from the family fortune. I will repossess your car, take away your house, cut off your credit, and kick you out. It is your family duty to carry on our legacy and the family name. You have been unfit to do this on your own, so we have taken measures to ensure you fulfill your obligation."

  And just like that, Ari knew he couldn’t tell his parents about Sev. His life had never been his to live, had it? He would forever be held prisoner by the Savakis name, never to live the life he wanted for himself. Happiness wasn’t something he would ever be allowed to have. What had he been thinking? Had he really thought he and Sev had a chance? A few days of bliss and that would make everything all right? Apparently, it didn't.