Tempest of Vengeance

by Tara Fox Hall

  Lash shuddered in my arms. He picked me up, his hands under my rear, and stepped closer to me. In one motion, he impaled me, letting out a loud hiss as he entered me. Then he was loving me, and I lost all sense of time and place. There was only him, and me, and my love for him. For the first time in a long time, we came together, shouting as we gripped each other, as I contracted around him, helping him to empty his seed in me.

  Lash eased me down the wall, until I was standing again. I held him close to me, kissing him gently. I felt him softening slightly, and then he slipped out of me, easing himself back into his jeans with a contented sigh. He buttoned his pants, and helped me put on my underwear, holding it out for me so I could step into it. Lash kissed me again, and then he was lifting me, one of his arms under my legs, and the other under my back.

  I gave him a funny look, as I grabbed on to his neck with my arms. “What are you doing? I can walk just fine.”

  “You’re my mate,” he hissed meaningfully. “The only woman I’ll ever be mate to, the only one I’ve ever wanted like that. And I’m taking you to our bed, so I can show you the best way I know just how much you mean to me.”

  I reached out and brought his forehead to mine, then let out a deep contented breath. “You should never think that you have to watch your words, that you don’t know just what to say to me,” I said in a breaking, uneven voice. “Because I can tell you exactly when I first loved you. It was that moment you told me you wanted to die in my arms.”

  Lash looked at me in surprise. He walked in through the doorway, kicking the door shut behind us before he began to walk up the stairs. “I thought maybe it was after the pool table incident,” he said with a laugh, his dark eyes flashing.

  “That helped,” I giggled, stroking his hair. “And saving me, and talking with me about things we both like. And always respecting me enough to ask my permission, to make sure that having sex was what I wanted, too. No one else has ever done that.”

  “I hadn’t done that before with a woman, ever. Waiting each time for her to tell me it was okay, I mean. But I felt it was right to ask you,” Lash said, his tone hesitant. He settled me on the bed.

  Devlin came in a few seconds later, shutting the door behind him. “Nick wanted to talk to you,” he said in a serious tone. “There’s been some suspicious activity near our western field.”

  That field is over near the back of Hayden’s land, a good mile away or more. There’s no close road. I shifted in bed, suddenly uneasy.

  “What kind of activity?” Lash asked, immediately all business.

  “Looks like just some tents,” Devlin finished. “But who camps in the middle of winter?”

  “Could be poachers, after deer,” Lash said, turning to me. “I’ll be right back,” he said tenderly, stroking my cheek with his callused hand. “Wait for me?”

  I nodded.

  Lash strode out and closed the door. Devlin grabbed me in his arms in two seconds, and suddenly he was singing to me, holding me in his arms. He reached up with my hands to place them around his neck, and put his hands at my waist. Then, we were dancing.

  “The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful

  Stop me and steal my breath.

  They’re emeralds from mountains, and frost of the sky

  Never revealing their depth.

  Tell me that we belong together

  Dress it out with the trappings of love.

  I’ll be captivated, I’ll hang from your lips,

  Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above.

  I’ll be your crying shoulder,

  I’ll be a love suicide—”

  I looked up at him lovingly and finished the song with him. “And I’ll be better when I’m older. I’ll be the greatest fan of your life.” We both held the last note, and then let it fade into silence.

  I looked up into his melting golden eyes.

  “Will you?” he asked softly. “Will you love me forever?”

  “I already do,” I said, bringing his lips down on mine.

  The kiss was gentle, and Devlin drew back to sing me the rest of the song. This time I joined him in singing it. When we were done, I noticed Lash leaning against the wall.

  “I wanted to hear you both,” he said, giving me a surprised look of pride. “Sar, I didn’t know you could sing.”

  “I’m pretty good, but Dev’s much better,” I said, blushing at his praise.

  “You were really good,” Lash rectified. “Will you sing something else?”

  “What?” I said, blushing hard now.

  “Something that’s happy. Nothing about lost love,” Lash offered. “Despite Dev’s extensive repertoire, I don’t know many songs myself, if they aren’t from the seventies and earlier. And I don’t know any mushy...um, love songs.”

  I thought for a moment. “I do have a song I’ve been meaning to sing for Dev for a while.”

  Devlin looked afraid, but smiled bravely. “Please do, Oathed One.”

  “Be advised, I’m going to garble some of the words,” I warned. “I haven’t heard it in years.”

  “What’s the artist, and title?” Devlin asked. “I can sing it with you, even if it’s a woman; I’ll just sing a lower octave.”

  “Pat Benetar,” I said. “Can you guess the song?”

  Lash didn’t get my teasing dig, but Devlin did, by his mortified look. “Not ‘Heartbreaker’ I hope?” he whispered sadly.

  “No, though I’ve wanted to sing you that on more than one occasion,” I smirked, feeling only a small pang at his discomfort. “What did you just ask me to tell you? That ‘We Belong’, of course.”

  “Ah,” Devlin said, relieved. “I can remember that one.”

  He and I took a breath and began.

  “Many times I’ve tried to tell you, many times I’ve cried alone.

  As always, I’m surprised how well you cut my feelings to the bone.

  Don’t want to leave you really, I’ve invested too much time

  To give you up that easy, to the doubts that complicate your mind.

  We belong to the light, we belong to the fire,

  We belong to the sound of the words we’ve both fallen under,

  Whatever we deny or embrace, for worse or for better,

  We belong, we belong, we belong together.”

  We finished the song, and Devlin kissed me gently.

  “I was wondering at first if that was a love song,” Lash said thoughtfully. “It sounded bad to start with. But the end was nice.”

  “I’m glad it wasn’t the other song,” Devlin said with relief. “I’ve heard that one too many times as it is.”

  “You are the right kind of sinner to release my inner fantasy,” I said in a lilting tone.

  Devlin clapped his hand over my mouth, making a face. Lash laughed, garnering a look from Devlin that was part annoyance but also part pride.

  “I’m ready for bed,” I said, gently removing his hand. “Are you going to stay up, or not?”

  “I need to make one last pass around, and then I’ll be back,” Lash replied. “Titus sent an owl to spy on the tents. Titus will watch through its eyes, and wake me, if it’s anything of concern. T’s coming for sparring in the morning.”

  “You must like him, to still be teaching him,” Devlin commented casually.

  “It’s nice, having more than one friend,” Lash hissed defensively. “T’s a good kid, not to mention my mate’s son. His safety always mattered to me because of Sar, and that he’s your nephew, but it matters a lot more now, after what’s happened.” He left quickly, shutting the door behind him

  I sank down on the edge of the bed, my memories hitting me like a pile of bricks. Devlin sat down beside me, putting his arm around me. “Do you want to talk about it? Would you rather go and talk to Rosalyn? Titus said she’s very good.”

  “I’m okay,” I said softly, pushing my agony over Devon’s death and Elle’s rape back under it’s careful wrapping. “I’m not ready to talk
about it, Dev, but I will be eventually. Time is the only thing that’s going to heal that wound.”

  “Take all the time you need,” Devlin consoled. “Lash and I are here for you.”

  “I need to clean up,” I said, standing and stretching, “and put on my nightgown.”

  “Don’t dress for bed. I’d prefer you slept naked, Sar. Lash would, too.”

  That was blunt. “All right.”

  Devlin laughed. “It feels good, to have your skin against mine,” he said with longing. “You’re always so warm, and it feels so good to me, because I’m so cool.” He stopped abruptly. “Would you like it, if I made myself warmer?” he offered. “I can, if you like?”

  “You’re fine as you are. But thank you for being considerate.”

  Devlin took my hand and kissed it. “I’ll try to be considerate always,” he said lovingly. “But tell me if I’m not. Lash is right, that I sometimes enjoy being, um, hurtful. I don’t want to hurt you. It’s good that he is part of us, so that he can keep me in line. And being jealous is good for me, too. I appreciate you more.”

  I thought that odd, but let it slide. It was a very Devlin-like comment.

  Devlin was curled up beside me in bed when Lash came in a few minutes later and began undressing. “Well?” Devlin said, annoyed. “Was it anything to worry about?”

  “Titus is still watching them through the owl’s eyes, but they are just sleeping,” Lash said with a yawn. “He’ll wake us, if they do anything. Rip will take over at dawn with a crow, but unless they make a move, there’s nothing to see. And I’m tired out.”

  The three of us snuggled together, and fell asleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next morning, when I awoke, I awoke alone. I was scared at once, as it was only eight or so, and shrugged on some clothes as fast as I could. I wanted to just put on my bathrobe, and go looking for Lash and Devlin, but if there was trouble, I wanted to make sure I was both armed, and dressed for running.

  Once I had on my knife, and my new explosive bullets gun buckled on, I stepped into my sneakers, and threw open the door. Walking quickly downstairs, I went into the kitchen to see Serena and Nick having breakfast. I saw before she looked away that whatever feelings she had for T were not in evidence this morning: there was too much guilt on her face. Nick on the other hand was grinning ear to ear, a defiant look in his eye as he stared back at me. I hoped Serena had told T about how she felt before doing this. But even if she hadn’t, I didn’t have time to worry about that this morning. “Have you seen Lash, or Devlin or Venus?” I asked, worried.

  “Devlin is in the ballroom with Venus, playing some music for her on the piano,” Nick said easily. “Lash is with Titus, looking into those men who were camped in the field last night.”

  “Was there an attack?”

  “No,” Nick said with a shrug. “They packed up and left this morning. But Lash went to check it out anyway.”

  “It’s nothing,” Titus rumbled from behind me, his bass voice coarser than usual. “Some hunters poaching deer. We found a pile of guts, and some evidence of a salt lick, a piece of bloody rope, and a lot of blood, deer blood.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt even more relieved to see Lash come in behind Titus and shoot me a quick smile.

  “He’s right, it’s deer blood,” Lash said, sitting down in the nearest chair and pulling me down on his lap. “How about breakfast, Sweetness?”

  “Sure,” I said. “But I should go see if Venus wants any.”

  “She already ate,” Devlin said, striding in behind a smiling Venus dressed breathtakingly in gold satin. “I’m glad to hear it was nothing.”

  Nick got up, and took Serena’s hand, and without one word, he led her out of the kitchen, and up the stairs. A door shut a few seconds later upstairs.

  “Well, I can tell spring is coming,” Titus rumbled, his teeth like knives in his grinning face. We all burst out laughing. “I need to get moving. I’ve got to take my future daughter-in-law to a cake tasting, and later to pick out shoes,” he said. “Call me, if you need me, but not unless its an emergency. Today is my day off.”

  “Agreed,” Devlin said, nodding once. “Rip will be around, as T said he didn’t have any meetings this next week, because of the holidays.”

  That reminded me, Elle was due for her next therapy session that day. I gave her a quick call, and arranged to bring her to see Ros about noon. Then, I fixed Lash a speedy breakfast, after which he excused himself, saying he would go later with me to the therapy to guard us. I told him it wasn’t necessary, but both he and Devlin insisted. He left right after as he said he had some target practice to do, giving me a quick good-bye kiss. For a while, I sat with Devlin and V in the ballroom, and Dev played us both some music on the piano. It was nice, to hear the crystal notes so beautifully played, and know they were only for V and me. I knew I had work to do on the computer, but put it off. This was something like a honeymoon for me, and damn it, I was going to enjoy it.

  Later, I made V and me a quick lunch, and as I was clearing the dishes, the doorbell rang. Devlin went and got it, which I thought was odd, and figured he must be expecting someone. When he came back, he handed me a bouquet of what had to be five dozen roses, fire and ice of course. But the bigger surprise was what was in the huge sheaf of papers he handed me.

  “What’s this?”

  “Our Oath contract,” he said with a faint smile. “Legal protection for me, and for you. Just like a prenup, save of course, we are already Oathed.”

  Shit, I’d never read through all this, not in a week. It was now or never in terms of trusting him. “Tell me what it says, so I can feel comfortable signing it.”

  Devlin gave me a soft look. “It says if I die, you and V get everything I have, save what is for my trusted employees, like Lash and Titus.”

  “But you said if you died, I and everything you own went to the vampire who kills you.”

  “Go to Michael, as I said. Take this, and V, and he will see you get what this refers to, as well as protecting you. There is a great deal of hidden money, Sar, and other assets. No smart being who has lived through centuries keeps even half his wealth under his own name. As it was, I am sure half of Ebediah’s assets eluded me, even though Titus found a good deal of hidden caches in his castle. He was too old to have so little.”

  “What else does it say?”

  “Basically, that I am to deny you nothing you ask me for, if you hold to the conditions of your Oath. And it says the same for you, and spells out what we swore to the night before last. We would have signed it yesterday, but your mating to Lash had to be added in, in terms of what he and you promised to each other, and to me.”

  “And if I break my Oath to you?”

  “That I owe you nothing, and you must leave Hayden, if I ask you to, leaving Venus here with me.” Devlin’s voice had turned hard. I debated asking for more details, but I wasn’t the one who’d most likely break the Oath, so it didn’t matter that much. Which led me to say, “And if you break it?”

  “That you can leave me, or stay here, and I still must deny you nothing, not money, not Venus, not even my blood, or my body, if you still wanted me as your lover.” Devlin’s voice was more than a little sad. “My lawyer was not happy, but I told him that it had to be that way, that I had told you it would be.”

  “And Lash?”

  “In addition to his promise to you, he is named as something like executor, should something happen to me and if he survives me. He is also named as the guardian for you and for V, should he survive you as well. He can act as me, in the event of my death. I’ve given him the power to do everything I do, complete control. And if he should be dead, that power passes to you.”

  This was pre-nup, marriage contract, will, and also power of attorney. Shit.

  I skipped to the last page, 562, and signed on the bottom. Devlin did as well.

  Lash came in for a moment, and when Devlin explained to him, and answered his questions�
�almost the exact ones I had askedhe signed it as well. Devlin took the signed copy, and placed it in the prepaid FedEx Next Day Air pouch, and sealed it. “Drop it off when you are out?” he asked, handing it to Lash. Lash nodded.

  Devlin kissed me good-bye, and I kissed him back, stunned, but also grateful that he had done this for me.

  * * * *

  Five minutes to 2 pm. found Lash and me waiting outside in Ros’s office, Elle having just gone in. But this time I’d come prepared, and brought two books. Lash had as well. Today he was reading the collected works of Frank Miller’s Batman. He seemed to be enjoying it. At least, he wasn’t scowling.

  Almost two hours later, Elle appeared, Ros behind her. She smiled at me, and then her eyes rested on Lash. She motioned to me to come in, indicating to bring him, too.

  Great. I nudged him, and told him the therapist wanted to see us.

  Lash shot me an alarmed look. “Not again! I don’t have anything to say,” he hissed. “I didn’t come here for that.”

  “Then come in and just refuse to talk,” I said, standing.

  Lash sighed and got up. We went in and settled into the couch. It was comforting that this time, I could snuggle into him without feeling any guilt. He wrapped one arm around me, stroking my side gently. Ros looked at us for a few seconds and smiled. “You seem to have resolved your relationship,” she said pleasantly. “You seem to be happy together.”

  “We are mated now,” Lash hissed, and grinned. “And we are both very happy.”

  “Are you?” she said, her voice sliding into a probing tone. “What about Devlin?”

  “What about him?” Lash answered abruptly, changing at once, his eyes going flat and his clipped words sliding into a hiss.

  “I know him. I know that he would not have let Sarelle just be with you, excluding him. So my guess is you’re sharing her.”

  “So what?” Lash hissed angrily. “Sar wanted that.”

  “Did she? Or did she do it just to be with you, because she loves you?”

  Lash didn’t look at me, but I took a breath anyway and spoke, because I was not going to stand for him being made to feel guilty for anything, not anymore. “I gave Dev an Oath of my own free will, Ros. Last time, Devlin demanded it. This time, I told him I had several conditions, and he agreed to all of them. He spoke them as part of the Oath—”