Defining Human (Only Human Book 4)

by Candace Blevins

  “I can see why he likes you,” she said. “Seriously, you have my blessing, though you and I will need to find some middle ground, if we’re to make it work.”

  “Thanks. We’ll talk, but Cora’s right about me needing a nap.” I walked out of the room and resisted the urge to massage the back of my skull. My head was hurting worse after my stare-down with Nathan, and I wasn’t up to parleying with a lioness, too.

  Nathan herded me to his bedroom, and I went into his closet and took everything off except my panties. I unfolded one of his many black t-shirts — likely laundered and put away by one of the women in his Pride, but I’d have to think more about that later. His tee came down to my knees, and I exited the closet and crawled between the sheets of his bed — probably freshly made by RaeLynn, since I doubted Nathan made his own bed.

  Somehow, the lion had closed the blinds while I changed. I curled up beside the huge, furry, beast on his bed, wrapped my arms around a pillow and snuggled my back into him — and moaned in bliss when Nathan’s energy soothed my head, my shoulders, and my heart. My eyes slid closed, and I slept.

  Chapter 23

  I awakened in the arms of a man. A warm, muscled man who smelled like Nathan.

  “You aren’t playing fair.”

  “I think we need to have a talk about trust.” His chest vibrated against my cheek.

  “I trust you with my life. That isn’t what this is about.”

  “Of course it is. Do you trust me not to cheat on the other women in my life? Do you trust me to do right by them? To consider their feelings?”

  “No.” The answer was on the tip of my tongue, and I said it before I thought it through, and then kept talking. “You’re their King, and they’re your subjects. You don’t seem to think you owe them common courtesy, sometimes.”

  “And this is why you need to see me with them. I do see them as people and not just subjects. It’s true they’re mine in a way I’m not sure you can understand, but you don’t earn love and loyalty by treating your people like shit. I show them all the respect they’ve earned. I know you’re seeing this from an enlightened human’s perspective, and not a normal human, but still… I’m not sure you understand the way of cats.” He sighed and kissed the top of my head. “I want my household to run smoothly, so I’m doing my best to work you into it without causing strife.”

  “Did I say something wrong to RaeLynn?”

  “No, you were fine, but you need to be careful about second guessing me around my people. Argue with me about things that pertain to you all you want — like saying you didn’t want to nap together — but please back off and handle other things privately, if possible.”

  “I won’t apologize for making sure she was okay with us napping together while she’s here.”

  “It was fine with her, but that question could be bad if you asked another female in my Pride. It puts them in a difficult position — they don’t get to have an opinion on my personal life.”

  “I don’t think I can do this. It feels wrong.”

  His hand skated over the top of the shirt, from my shoulder, over my left nipple, across my stomach, to my mound, and pressed over my clit. A low, deep moan escaped, followed by a growl because I suddenly wanted him with every ounce of my being, and I knew he could smell my arousal and need.

  “I’m a cat. We never play fair.” His lips spread mine and I let him dominate the kiss even as I pushed his shoulders away. “No.” I finally pulled my mouth away. “I can’t face her for dinner when I’ve just fucked her boyfriend.”

  His hand had gone under the shirt and into my panties. His fingers were inside the lips, though they hadn’t penetrated me yet.

  “I’m not her boyfriend. I’m her King.”

  His oh-so-talented fingers slid in, spread me open, and found the magical spot inside me. My eyes rolled back in my head, and the very second I thought I might be close to an orgasm, a sharp-shooting pain went through my head. I rolled to the side curled into a ball, and held my head. “Cora! Check on Cora! Fuck!”

  Hot, healing energy flooded my system and I gasped at the intrusion, but the pain dissipated. “Check on Cora!” I repeated.

  “She’s coming.”

  The door flew open and Cora came to me on the bed, ignoring the obscenely naked Nathan and his huge hard-on.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” Her hands on my shoulders helped my energy but not my head.

  “Apparently, orgasms are out until her head heals,” Nathan said from behind me. My entire body flamed hot and I put my face to the mattress, my head still wrapped in my arms. “Oh, god.”

  Cora chuckled and held me, and I leaned into her. “I told him I didn’t want to fool around. Damned cat.”

  “Would you like me to take care of you, Your Majesty?” RaeLynn stood in the doorway, her voice formal. I looked at her, and then the direction she was looking — Nathan’s still-hard cock. She was asking if he wanted her to…

  “Cora and I are leaving,” I told them, and I rolled to the side and slid to the floor. Cora caught me and braced me, or I’d have fallen.

  “No.” Nathan was in front of me in an instant. “We need to figure out what happened.” He looked to the side. “RaeLynn, please bring an ice pack?”

  “Of course, my King.”

  “I’m sorry,” Nathan said. “It’s possible we have too much going on for me to have introduced her. They all offer to provide services at the least hint I’m interested. It wasn’t a slam on you, merely her letting me know she could…” He sighed. “This isn’t translating to human, is it?”

  No, but I wasn’t up for discussing Pride drama. My head hurt bad enough I was scared. “I think my phone’s still in my pants pocket.”

  Cora sniffed the room, went to the closet, and returned with my phone. I decided not to comment on her sniffing out my pants, and merely thanked her. I dialed Kendra and was relieved when she answered.

  “Is it normal for me to have sharp shooting pains in my head when I’m sexually aroused? Or is there something else wrong?”

  “Bring your wolf down — is there someone up there who can show you the way, or do I need to send Eric up to get you?”

  “Nathan’s here, I assume he can take me to you.”

  Nathan had stood and was putting his jeans on, and he nodded.

  RaeLynn brought a glass of Coke, the Excedrin bottle, and an ice pack.

  “Thank you,” I told her. “I’m sorry for, well, for all of this.”

  “No need to apologize. I hope Kendra can help. I’m sorry you’re hurting.” She looked at Nathan and back to me. “You’re officially under his protection, and he cares about you. I sense I made you uncomfortable when I offered to service His Majesty. I apologize. I believe we’ll have a learning curve all around. I’m not around humans very often, but I’ll try to do better.”

  I shook my head, popped two pills, and downed half the Coke.

  “You have to follow his orders, which means you have to welcome me even if you hate me. Right?”

  She looked to Nathan with a grin, and he chuckled and answered for her. “Technically, yes. However, RaeLynn always finds a way to get her point across. Always. If she didn’t like you, you’d know.”

  I breathed out and looked at Cora. “I haven’t told you all the details because I don’t like making you feel as if you need to keep secrets from Randall. Nathan’s been pretty blatant though, so I’m assuming he’s good with Randall knowing everything.”

  “No,” said Nathan, “but it’ll have to be okay. I think of her as more yours than Randall’s, but I won’t ask her to keep things from him, either.”

  “Please,” I told him. “Never tell Randall that. It’s a sensitive enough subject as it is.”

  “If I saw her with him and the Pack as often as I see her with you, I’d probably feel differently. C’mon. I’ll take you to Kendra. You seem better?”

  I nodded and told RaeLynn, “Thanks again. The ice pack and Coke have made a huge difference. I
’m sure the Excedrin will, once it kicks in.”

  “I’m sorry this is awkward for you. Another lioness suggested you could view me as more of an administrative assistant, or the company manager just under Nathan’s CEO status?”

  “Is that really how you see yourself?”

  “I’m not his wife, nor am I a romantic interest. It’s not far from accurate, though of course there’s more because we’re a support system in other ways.”

  “And you have to be monogamous to him, right?”

  “I’ve never asked to have sex with someone else.”

  “Because the answer would be no, or because you aren’t interested?”

  She considered the question a few seconds before answering. “While both answers might seem correct on the surface, there’s more to it. Kendra needs to look you over to be sure you didn’t injure yourself, so please go to her. We’ll talk later, yes?”

  I nodded, and Cora and I followed Nathan into a storage area, down two flights of stairs, through a maze of convoluted hallways, and finally stopped at a secure doorway I assumed would lead to Kendra. “Do I want to know why you built vampire quarters in your home?”

  “I have friends who are vampires, and I’ve dated a few over the centuries. Nothing serious, mostly political, but having a safe space to securely house vampires has never been a bad call.”

  Securely house. I had the idea he’d probably kept at least one vampire prisoner over the centuries, but decided now wasn’t the time to ask. If he’d even tell me.

  Nathan pushed a button and left, and I tried not to stare at Eric when he opened it and let us in. He wore loose silk boxers and nothing else, and he was all man.

  “It’s okay,” Kendra said with a grin. “You can stare. Sometimes I can’t tear my eyes away from him either. He’s my sunshine, after centuries without it.”

  Eric is an adrenaline junkie who scales sheer cliffs, hang glides, and participates in other death defying sports. His muscles are from use, not from time in a gym, and he moves like a dancer. I grinned at him and looked back to Kendra. “I’ve heard rumors about what you do to people who take him from you. I think it’s safe to say he’s all yours.”

  She chuckled. “It’d apparently been too long since I’ve had to make that kind of point.” She went serious and said, “You broke the tie to Abbott?”

  “Gently, and with love. It didn’t hurt me and shouldn’t have hurt him.” It never should’ve been there in the first place, but I didn’t bring that up. It was gone, and that was all that mattered.

  “It didn’t hurt you because he set it so the rebound would come fully back on him should he ever need to do away with it.”

  I’d hurt him while he was dead to the world? My stomach felt as if lead fell into it, and I asked, “Is he okay?”

  “He wasn’t. Gavin and I awoke about the same time and sensed something wrong. Thankfully, he was at the coterie house and Gavin could get to him. He’s been fed and he’s healing.”

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and called him.

  “Yes?” He was short. Snippy.

  “I didn’t intend to hurt you. I felt affection and…” I sighed. “I’m sure it was a vampire trick, but I felt love through the bond, and I tried to thank you for the time we had together as I…” I sighed again. “I didn’t break it. I made it disappear. There wasn’t a rebound and I thought I’d done it without hurting either of us. I regret it hurt you.”

  Total silence, and I turned towards the wall because Kendra and Cora were looking at me and I was afraid of the emotions I was showing. “You’re my friend, Abbott. I couldn’t let you stay in my head, but I didn’t intend to hurt you.”

  “I left the thinnest of threads, merely so I could find you should you be kidnapped. It’s true I could’ve built upon it to make it strong again, but as it was, I couldn’t come into your head and control you.”

  “I appreciate that, but it couldn’t stay. Still, it wasn’t my intention to hurt you. If I’d known, I’d have arranged to do it when you were awake and we could do it properly.” Another thought occurred to me. “If I did it to Griffin when he was already injured, would it keep him from coming back?”

  “He’d get some of the rebound, so it’s possible, but he’ll be submerged in blood to heal. It’ll likely do nothing more than keep him down an extra day.”

  “How much should I be worried?”

  He didn’t respond, and Kendra said, “Abbott’s scared for you, and I’m terrified. You’re my friend. Gavin isn’t your biggest fan, but he’s worried too.”

  Abbott laughed. “Gavin’s more concerned we’ll have to fight them than he is about Kirsten’s health or safety.”

  I was well aware Gavin was pissed at me for hurting his Master. “You think Griffin will come here? I thought Master Vampires didn’t intrude upon territory without an invitation or permission or whatever.”

  “They don’t. If he comes, it’ll be an act of war.”

  “We have another problem,” said Nathan, and I spun around, surprised he’d come into Kendra’s suite, as I’d had the feeling he was giving her space earlier.

  “Someone’s reported you for breaking the connection. Either Griffin’s people, or possibly Aquila. My home is sacrosanct and not even Apollonius will come without an invitation, but I can’t hold off on inviting him for long.”

  “Reported me?”

  “Humans can’t do that,” said Cora.

  I sighed. Again. “I did it and I’m human. They need to rethink the definition.”

  Kendra and Nathan looked at each other, and Nathan shrugged. “It could work. Keep that attitude, Kirsten. Don’t waver. They have no proof other humans can’t do it. Just because most humans can’t doesn’t mean none can, and it shouldn’t mean you have to be defined as something else.”

  I felt… something. Like, another entity in the room, and yet not.

  “Do I feel you, Abbott?” I asked him in the phone. “There’s someone else in the room, did you come in through Kendra?”

  “Yes and no,” said Kendra. “He’s in tune with my senses, so he’s smelling what I am, seeing out of my eyes.”

  “Why?”

  “He wants me to ask you a question, and he wanted to see your reaction personally.”

  “You’re both treading on thin ice.” Nathan sounded so calm he scared me.

  “My Master will owe you recompense for coming in without an invitation. He apologizes, but would like me to ask Kirsten a few questions.”

  “Ask.” Nathan bit the word out, and I wanted to know more of what was going on, but was aware I was probably about to be slammed with a question I wouldn’t want to answer.

  “If you had to choose whether to save The Abbott or The Amakhosi, which would you save?”

  “The question’s impossible to answer without specifics. If I had a ten percent chance of saving one of you and a seventy percent chance of saving the other, it’d be stupid to try to rescue the one with only a ten percent chance so I’d have to watch you both die.”

  “And if the chances were the same?”

  I shrugged. “If one had done something stupid to put us all in danger, I’d save the other. If all things were equal? I don’t know.”

  I didn’t know whether to address Kendra or Abbott while both were in her head, and decided I was looking at Kendra so I’d address her. “They both have people who depend on them, and I think Abbott has more vampires than Nathan has lions, but Abbott’s also set up a system so you and Gavin could take over and keep all your people protected. That isn’t the case with Nathan, and it’s possible an evil lion could take over. I hope I never have to make that kind of decision.”

  Abbott’s voice came into my head. You love him? He sounded incredulous.

  It isn’t exactly romantic, but yes. I loved you too, and I still care about you, but you broke my trust and it undermined my feelings.

  I’m being asked to choose between you and my people.

  What do you mean?

>   If I turn you over to Rinaldo, he and Griffin will stay away. However, if they have to come get you, they’ll attempt to take over my people while they’re here. I needed an assurance from you that you’d save my life no matter what. I didn’t get it.

  You understand why it wasn’t a fair question, right? I’d risk my own life to save yours.

  If you’re to be an item with The Amakhosi then I can’t help you.

  My stomach turned to ice. You’re saying you’ll… what? Kill me? Capture me and hand me over?

  He didn’t respond, and I told Nathan, “Kendra’s my friend, but it might be best if she left after sunset. She has to obey her Master, and he…” I shook my head.

  “He won’t.” Kendra looked as if she was certain, but I was skeptical.

  “He won’t what?” Nathan looked at Kendra as if he might take her head off, and she stood and faced him.

  “Rinaldo’s in the States. He’s in Virginia, where he’s welcome because the Master of the territory is from his line. Rumor has it he’s going to help with a hostile takeover of North and South Carolina. I doubt they’ll stop there.”

  I shook my head even as I said it into my phone, but I meant every word. “He’s here because of me, Abbott, so I’ll help you fight him. Tell me how I can help.”

  “He. Won’t. What.” Nathan wanted an answer.

  I sighed. “Give me to Rinaldo so he doesn’t have to fight him. The offer’s on the table, but if Kendra says he won’t, I believe her.”

  “Even though he may have ordered her to say it?”

  I looked at Kendra and back to Nathan. “They won’t make Lauren an orphan again.”

  He shook his head and reached for his phone. “The old ones don’t get that way by putting the lives of humans over their own.” He touched his phone a few times and we all heard another phone ringing. He had it on speaker to be sure I heard both sides of the conversation, since everyone else in the room would be able to.

  Aaron answered, and Nathan kept his eyes on Kendra as he spoke. “The invitation for Kendra to stay in my home included safe passage. If it didn’t, she’d be dead. She’ll be escorted off the premises at sundown. You have until then to work something out with Abbott. Otherwise, the lions and Coterie will be officially at war.”