Tall, Dark & Heartless: A Pyte/Sentinel Series Novel

by R. L. Mathewson

  "You can tell the little asshole that works for you that the next time he comes near her, he'll be missing more than just an arm."

  With a simple nod in acknowledgement he left as quietly as he came, leaving him to wonder what the hell he was going to do now.

  *******

  "I just want to go to sleep," she mumbled, weakly shoving his hand away.

  With an aggravated sigh, Caine pulled her up into a sitting position and held her there by her arm as he once again held the saltine cracker to her lips.

  "Eat," he said in a tone that told her that if she didn't do exactly what he wanted and soon, she'd probably find herself pinned to the bed and force fed.

  Glaring, she took the cracker with a shaky hand and stuffed it in her mouth. Her stomach growled viciously in demand for its share when the salt hit her tongue. Before she realized what she was doing she grabbed the sleeve of saltine crackers from Caine and started to devour them.

  "Slow down," he said, gently prying the crackers away from her. "Take a small sip," he said, holding a bottle of water in front of her.

  Knowing she had no other choice she accepted the water and sipped it slowly. When he took the water away she held her hand out in silent demand. With an arched brow he pulled another small stack of crackers out and placed them in her hand. She wasted no time in shoving one of them in her mouth.

  When she tried to put another one in her mouth he sent her a look of warning that she decided not to ignore. With a small groan of aggravation, she slowed down. To help keep her mind off her stomach's demand to shove all the crackers in her mouth, she studied Caine as he searched through the small plastic crate filled with food.

  She watched as he studied each item, sniffed it, probably making sure that it wasn't tampered with, before returning the item to the crate and moving onto the next one. While he was occupied she allowed her eyes to run over him, noting the dried blood covering his arms, chest and the side of his face. She wondered if he'd been injured, but knew it was pointless to look since any injuries he had would be healed by now.

  "You need to shower," he said, voicing her thoughts.

  When she looked up and met his eyes he frowned and looked down at himself. "I guess you're not the only one," he said, not sounding too happy about that fact.

  She had a feeling he didn't want to shower in front of her, which was kind of ridiculous given their situation, but he hadn't showered or used the toilet in front of her once since they found themselves in this situation. She assumed that he was taking care of his needs while she was sleeping. Since she doubted that he was shy, she assumed that he still saw her as that little girl that used to wait for him to come home from patrol at four in the morning and demand that he go kick the monster in her closet's ass so she could go back to sleep.

  It was probably for the same reason he hadn't allowed her to die. Somewhere inside of him he had a soft spot for the girl that she'd once been and couldn't stand around to watch her die. As much as she appreciated him saving her life and the fact that he was acknowledging her existence at the moment, he needed to realize that she wasn't that little girl anymore if they were going to figure out how to get out of here.

  He sighed heavily as he grabbed her by her arms and stood, dragging her up onto her unsteady legs.

  "Only one what?" she asked, trying to stuff another cracker in her mouth.

  "That needs a shower."

  With a frown he grabbed her crackers and tossed them into the crate, earning a killing glare from her. He simply ignored the glare and her useless attempts to pull away from him so she could go back to her food. He half-dragged/half-carried her to the shower. Without a word he leaned her against the wall as he grabbed the toothbrush that she'd been using and loaded it up with toothpaste and shoved it in her direction.

  Knowing when to take a hint and barely fighting back the urge to check her breath, she started brushing her teeth, wondering what the hell they were going to do now. The good news, as far as she could tell, was that Caine was going to work with her to figure out an escape plan, well, that's what she hoped at least.

  She doubted the man acknowledged her existence simply because he was bored. He didn't have any friends and didn't bother making idle chit chat during missions when most people did anything to keep their minds off the boredom that came with long waits. Hell, even she couldn't just sit on her ass waiting, but he could.

  No matter the situation, Caine was always cool, calm and collected. He never let anything get to him and could wait any situation out patiently. She'd never seen anyone like him. Then again, for a Pyte, time probably didn't mean much in the long run. When she was a child she used to take it as a challenge to see how long it would take her to make him respond. It didn't matter what effect she elicited from him, she just liked to make him react.

  She used to spend hours following him around, waiting for the perfect moment to scare him. Each and every time she went to jump out and scare him he turned the tables on her and somehow scared her, making her scream and laugh until he was forced to put her down before she puked. She could never figure it out. Then of course when she was nine, one of the Sentinels let it slip about his enhanced hearing and speed.

  After finding out that useful piece of information she marched right up to him while he was sparring with two Sentinels, uncaring that they were practicing with knives and demanded to know if it was true. When he confirmed it, she called him a big cheater and stormed off only to turn around so she could stomp on his foot.

  For the next few years she focused her efforts to see if she could make him laugh or angry enough so he'd lose his calm facade and react in some way. Although she did manage to make him laugh countless times she didn't have much luck making him mad. Well, not intentionally anyway. She seemed to have a knack for pissing him off without trying though, she thought with a sad smile as she focused on the here and now.

  When she finished brushing her teeth she rinsed her toothbrush off and moved to push away from the wall so that she could put it back, but Caine saved her the trouble. He dropped her toothbrush back in the small tote and turned the shower on. She prepared herself for cold water to shoot past her, but instead felt heat as the water flowed out of the showerhead. Frowning, she looked over and spotted the hot water knob attached at an awkward angle. She threw him a questioning look, which he simply ignored.

  "Take your shirt off," he said as he bent over and pushed his boxers down. When they reached his feet he shoved them several feet down his chain, no doubt to keep them dry, she mused as she felt her eyebrows arch clear to her hairline.

  Well, it seemed Caine stopped thinking of her as a little girl, she noted as he grabbed a bar of soap. Her eyes dropped down to his bare bottom before she could stop herself and she damn near groaned.

  His ass was perfect.

  It was round, tight and smooth and she'd bet every cent she had that she could bounce a quarter off that thing. She'd always known that he had a great body. Like the rest of the men, he often trained without a shirt and of course, she caught sight of him after his night obsession with swimming laps a few times over the years so she'd already known he had a great body. She never imagined he would-

  "Are you quite done yet?" he demanded when he turned around, unfortunately before she could look away from his ass so she ended up getting a view she never expected.

  She swallowed hard as her eyes landed on the hint of silver poking from behind the tip of his uncircumcised penis. Caine pierced his penis? That was something she'd never expected, she mused. Her focus moved up to the very large, thick soft shaft and she felt a moment of sympathy for any woman that had been split in two by the damn thing while moving her focus up to the root of his sex surrounded by dark hair.

  Well, that answered that about where the tattoo ended, she supposed as she looked up and met his glare. "Nice tattoo," she said, unable to bite back her smile when a muscle in his jaw began to throb and his eyes shifted red.

  Chapter 11

&n
bsp; As he rounded the corner and spotted all the men that belonged in the security room standing outside in the hallway he couldn't help but wonder how much more bullshit he was expected to handle.

  Playing babysitter to a minion he fully planned on killing wasn't exactly his idea of an appropriate task for a man of his skills, but the Master needed him here, so here he stayed. The only thing he didn't understand or appreciate for that matter, was allowing the minion to live now that his usefulness had come to an end. It was more than obvious that the man would only hinder their progress from this point on.

  One good thing that had come of the man's barbaric tactics was proof that the girl meant something to the Pyte. When the Master first brought the human into their fold, he hadn't trusted him and had actually considered snapping his neck several times during their short meeting so he wouldn't be forced to listen to the man's incessant whining.

  He was willing to admit that the man had chosen well. The Pyte obviously cared about the young woman. That much was clear by the way the Pyte guarded her. Lucan had understood the unspoken threat quite well. If he had moved so much as an inch towards the girl, his heart would have been ripped from his chest. The threat both amused and intrigued him.

  What was so special about the woman that he was willing to risk his blood supply? He knew all too well what it felt like to go through bloodlust and from what he heard it was much worse for Pytes. He couldn't imagine voluntarily suffering any type of discomfort over a woman, but this man, this Pyte had been willing to kill him and the annoying minion even though he knew he would be dooming himself to a lonely existence filled with an unquenchable thirst.

  The minion told the Pyte if he tried anything that they'd kill the girl and leave him to rot for years, but the truth was, it made the girl more valuable in his eyes. As long as the Pyte continued to show preference for the girl he would keep her alive.

  "The Master demanded privacy to speak with Gregory," a vampire explained before he could ask why the vampire had abandoned his post in the security room.

  He arched a brow at that, but said nothing as he opened the door to the security room and stepped inside. He ignored the glare Gregory sent his way and stepped in front of the large flat screen monitor bolted to the wall which he'd set up to handle the video conference calls. His Master watched his approach through the cameras aimed on him.

  "Master," he said, inclining his head in respect as he looked up and met the eyes of the man who had changed his life forever.

  "Gregory has been sharing some rather disturbing news with me," the Master began. His pale baby blue eyes shifted to Greg, who was no doubt gloating behind him before landing back on him. "He's claiming that you are interfering with my plans."

  "How so?" he asked, knowing the key to dealing with his Master was to remain in control of his emotions and showing absolutely no fear. Like most Masters, his did not tolerate weakness or stupidity, but unlike the rest, his Master was led by his emotions. It was a dangerous way to rule and one that could have cost him his life hundreds of times over the centuries, if Lucan hadn't stepped in each time.

  Sadly though, none of that mattered to his Master. The very second he became an obstacle or let him down in any way his Master would go for his throat. Centuries ago, the thought might have scared him, but he'd since come into his own, and his Master would find that out the hard way if he ever crossed the line.

  For now he was content to do his Master's bidding as long as it pleased him. The moment this arrangement was over he would leave and he'd kill anyone who got in his way including the man who gave him life when he had none.

  "My plan was working. He defended her and if I had been allowed to keep the pressure up he would have given into my demands to save her," Greg bit out angrily.

  The Master's eyes flashed silver before landing back on him. The minion might think that he won, but all he'd done is aggravate their Master and that was not something they needed right now. He already knew by the expression on his Master's face that he was no longer content with watching over this project from afar.

  Lucan would have to find a way to convince the Master to stay away and leave it in his hands, but he knew by the look the Master was sending the human that Caine would be wasting his breath. If the damn minion had kept his mouth shut, Lucan could have kept the Master informed and disinterested, but now they had no such hope left.

  He shot a look at the smug bastard. The second he could convince the Master that the man had outlived his usefulness, he was going to allow his men to tear him apart. He'd do it himself, but the thought of touching the man actually turned his stomach.

  "Although Gregory's plan did produce results," he said, watching his wording since he knew the Master often took credit for the work of those below him and could become insulted very easily, "the plan needs to change if there is any hope that he will provide us with a Pyte."

  "My plan was working. You gave her food so now I'll have to start all over again until he has no choice but to fuck her," Gregory argued.

  Lucan simply shook his head. "It proved that she means something to him, but he would not have touched her. The man obviously cares for her and would see touching her in her weakened state as vulgar and I don't believe he would take the chance of hurting her."

  "Bullshit!" Gregory snapped, no longer happy standing in the shadows. He stepped up beside Lucan and pointedly held up his deformed arm. "He tore my arm off for her. He'll do anything for her."

  "If you keep her weak and injured he's not going to be attracted to her. He'll pity her, nothing more. We know that he cares for her now. We can use that against him, but without hurting her. Every time we hurt her he'll be reminded that they're prisoners and they'll refuse to meet our goals."

  "What do you suggest?" the Master asked him and just like that, he knew he had the Master's ear once again. It probably wouldn't be enough to convince the Master to stay away, but it would be enough to keep him from interfering.

  For now at least.

  "First we need to make her healthy again."

  Gregory snorted at the suggestion. "He doesn't care if she's healthy.

  "Oh, no?" he asked, cocking a brow as he leaned forward and typed a command onto a keyboard. Seconds later the second largest monitor was filled with the image of their cell. He knew the same image now filled half the Master's monitor. He gestured lazily to the activity on the screen.

  "If he doesn't care then why is he fretting over her?" he asked as they all watched the Pyte carefully wrap the fresh blanket he'd left an hour ago around the woman and urge her to sit on the edge of the mattress. "He wants her well and we'd be wise to fulfill that need."

  "We don't need her healthy. If I go in there right now and tell him to fuck her or I'll kill her, he'll do it," Gregory said firmly, already reaching for the black remote on the work station.

  Lucan grabbed the remote before he could reach it and carefully placed it in his shirt pocket. From what his men claimed it wasn't sensitive to touch, but he didn't see any reason to take any chances. The last thing he needed was to piss off the Pyte and earn his outright refusal.

  As long as he kept the woman alive and healthy they controlled the Pyte. He knew by the way he was fussing over her that she was his one true weakness. Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to use that against him.

  "No, he will not. You get him pissed off enough and you'll set him into bloodlust and then you'll lose whatever hope we have that he'll do as we asked."

  "He's right," the Master reluctantly said with a loud sigh. "She is not to be harmed in any way unless I give you permission." Lucan knew by the way the minion's heart rate spiked that the man was not happy about it.

  Gregory opened his mouth, probably to argue when the Master waved away his complaints. "I will be there within the week and reassess the situation. If I feel Lucan's way is not working then you will get another opportunity."

  The minion grinned as if it was a good thing while Lucan inwardly winced on the man
's behalf. He had no idea what he was in for. Lucan wondered if the man noticed that there were no females here except for the human woman. There was a reason for that, the Master hated women. The vampires working for him had to be strong and loyal while his minions had to be loyal and of course fuckable and from what he knew of the Master he thought Gregory was very fuckable.

  It didn't matter that the minion was now missing part of his arm and from what he could tell enjoyed the company of women, the Master wanted him and he would have him. If Gregory fought him he'd be nothing more than a snack.

  He really hoped he fought the Master.

  ********

  "Were you always this much of a pain in the ass?" he snapped when the damn woman shoved his hand away and yanked the small plastic bin of food towards her.

  "Yes," she said with absolutely no hesitation as she grabbed a chocolate chip granola bar and examined the packaging.

  When he grabbed it from her hands she sent him a glare that he easily ignored as he smelled the package. With a grunt he handed it back to her. "It's clean."