Defining Human (Only Human Book 4)

by Candace Blevins

  Coffee was my friend the next morning, though I felt uncomfortable eating as RaeLynn prepared food and coffee for everyone. She even handed me an insulated lunch bag with egg salad sandwiches and a gorgeous salad, and Jonathan an insulated bag I assumed was full of steaks or burgers.

  Lauren wasn’t scheduled to work, and Sophia offered to pay her to help with the kids. Aaron assured me he’d keep my daughter as safe as his triplets.

  Nathan followed Jonathan and me to my office, made sure we were settled in, and left. I chugged coffee and Excedrin all day in an effort to keep my headache at bay.

  I had a full hour for lunch, and I took a twenty-minute nap after I ate. I made it through the afternoon by focusing on my patients above all else. However, I fell asleep in the car on the way back to Nathan’s house, unable to hold my eyes open even a second longer.

  Jonathan called ahead to tell them something was wrong, and Aaron was waiting for us in the garage. He carried me inside and put me on the sofa, where Cora was waiting for me. I curled in her arms and was about to fall back to sleep when she said, “Help me join us, and then let’s look in your head. Something’s off.”

  I did as she said, but only because I trust her so much, and my blood went cold when I realized what had happened.

  Vampires don’t need a blood bond to control humans. They simply sink into the person’s head and insert thoughts. I always know when thoughts don’t originate from me, and yet a vampire had put thoughts in my head. He’d suggested I was tired and I was so sleepy I couldn’t hold my eyes open, and I’d believed him.

  I was certain it was a him. There wasn’t a thread for me to follow back, but it didn’t feel like Abbott or Gavin. That didn’t mean it wasn’t, because it was possible I’d been told it didn’t feel like them and I believed that, too.

  My biggest fear is that a vampire will order me to use my powers on my friends and family, and terror shot through me, paralyzing me.

  Cora’s voice sounded in my head. They’re giving you subtle thoughts, things you might have thought on your own. You’ll know if they insert something crazy, like cutting me in half with a light-sword.

  I opened my eyes and look at Aaron. “What do we know of Abbott and Gavin?”

  “Kendra sent Eric to stay with the RTMC, which means she felt the need to be sure he was safe. We lost track of Abbott, Kendra, Gavin, and Josef. They didn’t sleep on the mountain, at the coterie house, or at The Billiard Club.”

  “I’m sending Bethany to stay with Gen tonight,” said Jonathan, “since I’ll be here, and both Mac and Ranger are looking into things for Aaron. She’ll be at the clubhouse with Eric, but I don’t foresee being able to get any information. Duke’s made it clear the MC is Switzerland until someone does something stupid. You’re welcome there too, should we need a place to send you.”

  “Abbott’s officially withdrawn his protection of you,” said Cora. “Randall’s prepared to square off against Abbott if he takes action against you. Nathan’s already let it be known publicly that the Pride and Coterie are no longer allies and dangerously close to all-out war. Aaron’s let his employees know they shouldn’t consider anyone associated with Abbott a friend. Bran is attempting to be Switzerland.”

  “Lauren’s okay? I’m assuming she’s with the triplets?”

  “They’re all napping,” said Cora. “They’re fine.”

  Fear filled my belly, and I sat up. Lauren rarely naps. “Where are they?”

  “In the triplets’ room, adjoining ours,” Aaron took off at a run, and I followed. He’s at least ten times faster than me, but Cora came with me and led me to them. I stood between Cora and Aaron, held their hands, and Aaron and I put all of us in the same energy bubble. Sophia, Lauren, and the triplets were sound asleep, and it wasn’t natural.

  The instant the bubble formed, blocking any outside forces, the five awoke as if from a coma. Lauren looked at her hands, surprised they were on the ends of her arms. Sapphire did the same, and Emmy ran her hands through her long hair.

  “What the fuck?” asked little Hunter, and no one fussed at him for his language.

  “You tell me,” said Aaron. “What did you dream of?”

  Hunter looked at his hands. “They had knives on them. No, scissors. Knives would’ve been easier, but the scissors opened and closed and were scary. I couldn’t control them. I cut everything I touched. I hurt people.” His eyes filled with moisture. “I hurt mom and ran away.”

  “I touched my hair and cut it, and I was mad,” said Emmy. “Sapphire and Lauren sat down and didn’t touch anything. Hunter was an idiot. He ran to mom for help and hurt her.”

  Sophia looked at Aaron and I knew they were speaking telepathically.

  “So, we were in the same dream? It was real?” Lauren asked.

  “It was the same dream,” I told her, “but Sophia’s okay, so I’m not sure how real it was.”

  “It was real,” said Aaron. He sat on the bed and touched little Emmy. “Look in your head, baby. Kirsten and I have a shield around all of us, so whoever was in there should be gone, but do you sense who was there? Is it someone you know?”

  She closed her eyes and was quiet a moment. I could see the tiny dragon in her eyes when they opened. “It’s someone like Abbott, but it wasn’t him, or anyone he controls. Abbott wouldn’t scare us. He won’t hurt us.”

  “Abbott and Daddy are having a disagreement, so you shouldn’t trust him right now,” Aaron told her. “I don’t think he’ll hurt you, but we have to be careful around him.”

  Emmy’s little mouth turned down, her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms. “Take the shield down and I’ll talk to him. He needs to know someone like him is doing this.”

  “I didn’t think it was Gavin or Abbott either,” I said from behind Aaron. “Though I’m certain it was a male. Emmy’s right, we should let Abbott or Kendra know.”

  Emmy held her hand out, Aaron looked at Sophia, and she shook her head.

  “Mom!” said little Emmy. “The bad man was in my head! I should be able to talk to him!” She glared at me. “If you and Daddy will drop the shield, I’ll telepath to him and ask his name!”

  “You will do no such thing!” Sophia looked more like a mama bear than a swan or a dragon.

  While the two glared at each other, I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Abbott.

  “Someone was in the triplets’ head, as well as Lauren and Sophia’s. The five had a joint dream. More of a nightmare. I’ll assume the same being got into my head and made me so sleepy I couldn’t stay awake, though I don’t remember dreaming. Emmy and I are certain it was a male, and neither of us feel it was you or Gavin. I realize I’m showing you my hand, but one of us has to trust the other if we’re ever going to find a middle ground.”

  Abbott sighed. “Rinaldo is close. He’s attempting to fuck with my weaker vampires. It’s all I can do to protect the people oathed to me. I would help you if I could spare the resources, but I can’t.”

  He’d withdrawn his protection, but now wasn’t the time to discuss our differences. I needed to keep us on the same page. “Is there anything we can do to help you fight him?”

  “We haven’t formulated a game plan yet. I’ll let Aaron know once I get it figured out.”

  “If you want my help, you’ll let me know. I need a personal phone call from you or Kendra if you want me involved. I haven’t worked for Drake in that capacity for a while — calling Aaron won’t automatically get me on the team.”

  He was quiet a few seconds, and his voice was soft when he spoke again. The old Abbott, the friendly one. “When this is over, we should meet for drinks. I should know more about what’s going on in your life. We agreed to be friends, but we’ve lost touch.”

  “I very much hope we can be friends again.”

  Aaron held his hand out, I put my phone in it, and he turned the speaker on.

  “I have your word you didn’t attack my children in their dreams?”

  “My oath and my w
ord, old friend. We may not agree on how to deal with intruders into our territory, but I won’t attack your family over it. Kirsten’s either.” He paused. “My people have disguised the location you’ll get from my cell signal, but in the event you’ve been able to triangulate it, I’ll let you know up front we aren’t bedding down here tomorrow.”

  “I know where the bad vampire is,” said little Emmy, looking at the phone. “If Kirsten and Daddy will take down the shield, I can show you or Kendra.” She looked at her mom. “But not Gavin. He’s scary.”

  I chuckled. “I feel the exact same way about Gavin. I won’t drop the shield unless your parents tell me to. Your dad knows Abbott better than me, so he gets to decide whether we should defend you from him.”

  “She’ll put herself at risk,” said Abbott. “I have no doubt she can find him and show me where he is, but she’ll show Rinaldo where she is, should she do so.”

  “He knows,” said Sapphire. “He wanted me to pet the lion with my pretty, shiny fingers.”

  I hadn’t seen Nathan since I’d arrived. “Speaking of the lion, where is he?”

  “Drake offices,” said Aaron.

  “Wait,” I said, “Hunter said he hurt his mom with his scissors. She looks okay physically, is it possible he injured her metaphysically?”

  Aaron met my gaze and spoke towards the phone as his daughter had. “Abbott, I’m going to disconnect so we can figure things out here. Call Nathan and Kirsten once you have a game plan, as I’m about to take my family to the Swan Castle.”

  “Wise choice. I’ll be in touch.”

  I accepted my phone back, and stepped so I only covered Cora and Lauren in my shield when I felt Aaron dissipate his.

  “Nathan has a portal on the property,” Aaron told me. “Jonathan will see us to the boundary and will return to you.”

  “I’m scared, Mom. If that dream was real, then…” Lauren crossed her arms and rubbed from elbows to shoulders.

  Cora sat behind her on the bed and wrapped her arms around my daughter. “It was both real and not. Your energy feels okay to me.” She looked at me. “I find it bizarre that Apollonius can’t teleport here, but Rinaldo can come into people’s minds. I guess it’s only sacrosanct physically, maybe?”

  I shrugged, unsure of how something could be made off-limits, but curious.

  With no idea what to do next, I texted Mordecai: Are you in town?

  I’m not. Our next session is a week away.

  I have some questions, and it’s possible I’m injured. Can Cora and I meet you somewhere?

  My phone rang and the second I answered, he asked, “Where are you?”

  “Nathan’s.”

  “Ahh. Okay. I couldn’t come to you. I’ll call him and get an invitation.”

  Looked like it wasn’t just Apollonius who couldn’t teleport in. I hadn’t tried, and decided perhaps I’d talk to Nathan before I made any attempts.

  “I’m not okay. Do you know Rinaldo?”

  “I do. Let me call Nathan and see what I can work out. You’re with Cora?”

  “Yes, and one of Sophia’s bodyguards should be back any minute.”

  “The leopard?”

  “How did you know?”

  “He’s been trained to defend against mental attacks. Makes sense. Stay where you are.”

  He disconnected, and I looked at Cora and shrugged. “Some of the old ones aren’t great with phone manners.”

  “I think we’re safe under the combined shield, but I hesitate to get comfortable. You need sleep though.”

  She was right, and we both needed food. “Let’s see what’s in the kitchen to cook. Nathan will be hungry.”

  The two of us headed to the kitchen, but partway there she touched my arm and stopped. “Cooking for Nathan and his guests is RaeLynn’s job. You’ll step on toes if you fix food. I know it seems backwards that you can nap with Nathan but can’t cook in his kitchen, but trust me on this, okay?”

  “I get it. It’s like she’s a service submissive, defined in some ways by her service.” I blew out a breath. I should’ve picked up on that. “Is RaeLynn here? Can we order pizza? I understand your point, but I’m hungry and this feels more than physical.”

  Cora pulled her phone out, made a call, and put it on speaker.

  “Nathan’s on his way and Kirsten’s having some energy issues. Is there a snack we can put together?”

  “Of course. She’ll find a container of spinach dip beside some artisan cheeses in the refrigerator. The cabinet to the right has a variety of crackers. There’s also a selection of fruits and nuts. Nathan’s picking me up on his way in, but feel free to help yourself until I arrive.”

  “Thanks, RaeLynn,” I told her. “You’ve been incredibly thoughtful and made me feel welcome. It’s appreciated.”

  “I hope you’re feeling better by the time we get there, but if not, we’ll figure out how to help.”

  Chapter 26

  Cora and I were snacking at the kitchen island when Mordecai walked in with Nathan and RaeLynn, and he immediately walked to me and cradled my head in his mammoth hands.

  “I need a soundproof and fireproof room.” Mordecai looked pissed, and terror shot through my veins.

  “Fireproof?”

  “You’re going to burn this shit off yourself. I’ll walk you through it, but you won’t learn anything by having me do it for you.”

  “Check Cora, please?”

  He glanced at Cora and turned to glare at me again. “She’s okay. Some residual taint because she shares energy with you, but not enough to bother her.”

  “Taint?”

  “Poison, toxin, dirt. I hesitate to use the word evil, though I suppose it’s the one most humans would choose.”

  “She was fine this morning,” said Nathan. “They’ve done this throughout the day. I’m surprised Aaron didn’t pick up on it.”

  “I knew something was wrong, but even now, I’m not sensing evil in her energy,” said Jonathan.

  “You’ve been trained to fight off mental attacks,” Mordecai told him. “This is an energy attack. Totally different animal. Cats can survive on both positive and negative energy, as can some humans, but Kirsten’s morals will never let her make use of this, so it’s poisoning the well, so to speak.”

  He looked at the table filled with food and shook his head. “You’re just going to puke up everything you’ve eaten. Let’s get this over with.” He met Nathan’s gaze. “I assume you have a suitable room?”

  “I do. She’s more mine than she was the last time the two of you worked together. I’ll come with you to help.”

  Mordecai shook his head. “No. We’ll work something out for our regular sessions, but this needs to be just me and Kirsten.” He glanced at RaeLynn, then me, and finally looked back to Nathan. “If things get more intense than I plan, and I think your energy will help, I’ll pull you in.”

  Nathan nodded and started walking. Mordecai and I followed.

  It turns out, Nathan had a fucking scary room in the basement of his house. Metal stocks and crosses. Shackles bolted to the wall. It wasn’t a playroom — it felt like a torture room for real. An interrogation room. Hostility and violence hit me in the root chakra, but also sent sharp pains into the back of my jaw. The second I stepped in, I turned and walked out.

  “I don’t like that room.”

  “It’s full of Nathan’s anger,” said Mordecai. “It’s uncomfortable to me, too.” He looked to Nathan. “I can cleanse it, though I have a feeling you might object.”

  “Soundproof isn’t a problem, but I don’t have a lot of fireproof options.” He sighed. “It might be better for you to cleanse the other one though.” Nathan met my gaze. “Stay in the hallway while Mordecai goes in and does his thing.”

  They went into a room down the hall, and I leaned against a concrete wall. This section was built more like a bunker than a home.

  I don’t know what the room felt like before Mordecai cleaned the energy, but it looked like a s
laughterhouse room, complete with grated channels in the floor leading to drains. It felt neutral though, so I ignored the equipment.

  “Let’s get her a chair from another room,” Mordecai told Nathan before he met my gaze. “You may as well take your clothes and shoes off in the hallway. I’ll step out and take mine off in a minute.”

  I was getting used to being casually naked in front of Mordecai, and it was a little easier once he took his clothes off, but having Nathan hang around was damned awkward. Finally, I told him, “I don’t know what we’re about to do, but would you mind stepping outside, please?”

  He gave me a rakish grin. “I’ve seen you naked before.”

  I glared at him, and he walked to me. My head tilted more and more, until I was looking sharply up to keep his gaze because he stopped inches from me, invading my space without touching me. “The lion wants to show Mordecai you’re mine, the man is smart enough to know you won’t take kindly to me going all caveman on you and fucking you against the wall.”

  “And that statement probably appeased the lion because it let Mordecai know you’ve already fucked me and our relationship has changed since he and I last had a session.”

  He grinned. “The lion likes that you stood your ground.” His arms went around me, triggering feelings I was determined to ignore. I leaned into him a few seconds, but then stepped away.

  “Okay. Enough. Out.”

  He touched my nose, turned, and left without saying anything else.

  “You want to be careful with that,” Mordecai said when the door closed behind Nathan. “If it goes to shit, you’ll lose a powerful ally.”

  “There can’t be anything to go to shit. He’s the Amakhosi and I’m a human. If he changed me, I’d have to worship him, and he isn’t interested in a relationship with someone who worships him. As it stands now, he can never offer me monogamy, and I’ll never give myself fully to someone who can’t do the same.”

  Mordecai was nude and in the center of the room. “I know you’ve started with your hands in the past, but I’d like you to try to start with your feet. I’ll demonstrate.”