Ethan would have found it charming that a group of werecreatures had fake cobwebs and little witch and black cat cutouts everywhere if this wasn’t a dire situation.
“You had this thing on standby,” Maximus continued, “if negotiations didn’t go your way.”
“That is not Ethan’s purpose. He only arrived last night. It’s complicated, but not a betrayal.” Bash’s eyes turned beseechingly to Jay, who was unfairly handsome and well-built now that Ethan had the chance to look.
He was closer in age to Bash, with shorn sandy hair, rather adorably prominent ears, and something in his face told Ethan that he was usually sweet with a kind smile—when he had something to smile about.
As he moved closer to stand between Bash and Maximus, he was also much closer to Ethan, and when he sniffed the air with a curious tilt of his head, his expression turned cold.
“We need to speak alone,” he said to Bash. “Now.”
Ethan tried to back toward the basement.
“I’m not letting that fanger out of my sight,” Maximus said, moving to block him but also half treating him like he wasn’t there by not even bothering to address him directly. “If he simply wandered into your territory, he should have been put down the moment you smelled him.”
“Stay put,” Bash said, hands outstretched to indicate he meant everyone, before he turned back to Maximus. “And you do not touch him again. Understood? We’ll be back.”
He gave a solemn nod to Jay and let the other Alpha lead him from the room.
“HIM? YOU want a clause in our marriage to sleep with whoever you want so you can have him? A vampire—”
“It’s not like that.”
“I could smell you on him, Bashir.”
Bash knew he should have woken Ethan up to get him showered before he left, but he hadn’t predicted so much could unravel so quickly.
They were in his office now, secluded in a small room, yet they might as well have been miles apart.
“I’m surprised I couldn’t smell him on you.” Jay faced Bash only halfway, arms crossed and a sneer marring his face.
There was no scent of Ethan on Bash because he had showered and had been careful to change into clothes that hadn’t been in the cellar. “It’s not like that,” he said again. “I can explain, but you need to listen to me and believe what I tell you.”
“After you went out of your way to remind me you’re a liar?”
Naturally, that would come back to bite Bash, but he tried once more. “It isn’t what you think.”
“Fine,” Jay conceded with a huff. “Then tell me what’s going on, but tell me the truth.”
Bash did—everything except that he was the Seer who had made the prophecy. That information was for circle members and family, and Jay hadn’t earned that privilege yet. Bash still explained there was a prophecy and that a Seer was involved and how Ethan was different from other vampires. He hoped learning that Bash had been enthralled into sleeping with Ethan might banish the look of disgust from Jay’s face, but that held strong.
“A prophecy about a vampire takeover of Centrus City?” Jay said with queasy understanding. “It makes sense why you’re hesitant to kill him, but you trust him, just like that? How can you be certain he isn’t part of the plan, that he isn’t using you to lead things exactly where his master wants?”
Bash answered the same way he had to his pack last night and this morning. “I don’t know. I just trust him.”
Another huff, but at least Jay looked like he believed Bash and finally let his arms drop from shielding his body. “The infamous Bain intuition that has all the other packs assuming you’re mad?”
Better than them knowing he was a Seer and having them try to exploit that.
“You tell me.” Bash braved a smile. “You know every decision I’ve made since I became Alpha. Am I mad? Were the decisions I made so far wrong, did they end up hurting this city or my pack, or did they make us stronger?”
Jay hesitated because he knew the answer.
“You’re better than the other packs,” Bash said in earnest. “You look past the prejudices that blind the rest of them.”
“With having other shifter types in your ranks, yes, even humans, but never a vampire. Bashir….” The wall Jay had erected began to crumble, and he was once again the understanding man Bash believed could save his city. “If you’re right, then more than just Centrus is at risk.”
“I know. So help me keep this quiet from the other packs. Help me figure this out before it becomes everyone’s problem. Please.” Bash never begged, but now that the vampire bat was out of the bag, he needed to turn this situation to his favor.
Jay looked almost grateful that Bash was asking so much of him, trusting him, but then that glimmer of hope Bash was so good at crushing cleared away. “You never would have told me if this hadn’t happened, would you?”
“No,” Bash admitted. “Not if I could have solved it on my own.”
Bash was the cold one between them. He’d been called that by more than just Jay, ever since he killed his father without shedding a tear, but Jay was no bleeding-heart pushover.
He moved into Bash’s space and let his eyes flash bright.
“If you expect me to continue negotiations and still consider your offer for marriage, this does not happen again. You have to be honest with me. If something comes up that can in any way affect me or my pack, you tell me. That is nonnegotiable.”
“I understand,” Bash said.
“Your other stipulations—” Jay grimaced. “—I still need to think about. Until we sort through this, negotiations are on hold. Maximus will be the only one I explain everything to—for now. If all you said is true, that vampire out there could have run just now. He didn’t. That either means you’re right that he’s worth trusting, or I’m right that he may be leading you to your doom.”
“At least we agree he isn’t a pest to be squashed without thought. That’s all I ask. There is value in keeping him alive.”
“Yes,” Jay said, despite looking nauseated that Bash wanted to keep Ethan at all. “Can you at least do me the courtesy of not sleeping with anyone else until we conclude negotiations, no matter what my final decision?”
“It wasn’t intentional—”
“I don’t care.”
Bash kept his real answer simple. “Yes. I can do that.”
“You’re still keeping something from me, aren’t you?” Jay was observant and not easily swindled. Bash would know better in the future than to ever think he could hide something from him. “The Seer’s identity?”
Bash didn’t answer.
“That I understand you keeping to yourself.” Jay sighed. “But I hope someday you trust me enough to share everything with me. I need time to consider what’s happened. We’ll reconvene tomorrow. For now, let’s just make sure Maximus hasn’t started any more fights.”
“SO, UM… you’re from Brookdale?” Ethan asked to disrupt the tension left behind by Bash and Jay’s departure.
Maximus’s stare could have withered a ficus.
“Hard to tell considering how much time he spends up his own ass,” Preston muttered.
Ethan hadn’t moved from his previous location, and Maximus likewise remained poised in front of the basement door. Preston and Luke, however, had moved to stand with Ethan, much to Ethan’s surprise—and to Maximus’s it seemed, though no matter how shocked he might have been that a rat and a cat had sided with a vampire, he wouldn’t stop glaring.
Ethan would swear he could hear Maximus growling.
“Ethan, was it?” Nell asked, nearby, though not as close to Ethan as the others.
“Yeah. Ethan Lambert.”
“New in town? Ever been to Centrus before?”
“I was born here, actually. I moved to Glenwood when I was a kid.”
“Welcome home.” Nell smiled, and something about the phrase caught Ethan up short, though he wasn’t sure why.
“Uh… thanks.”
/> Nell nodded. For some reason, she didn’t seem at all weirded out by her companions’ acceptance of Ethan. She rolled with the punches like she was used to strange occurrences. Ethan envied her that adaptability.
Her smell still called to Ethan, but not as powerfully as before. It was as though Bash’s presence, Bash’s scent, overpowered everything else and held Ethan captive.
Like now, he thought, turning toward the door just before Bash and Jay walked back through it.
“You, basement, go,” Bash commanded.
“Bash—”
“Now.”
“Okay, but please don’t blame Preston or Luke,” Ethan rushed on anyway. “It was all a jumble after Maximus arrived. They didn’t mean to leave the cellar door open, and I know I should have stayed down there, but once I heard Jay, I….” The withering look from Bash was almost as fierce as Jay’s, a double whammy from both pissed-off Alphas that snapped Ethan’s mouth shut. “Sorry. Going. It was nice to meet you, Nell.” He scurried for the basement.
“You too, Ethan!”
For a moment, Ethan thought Maximus would continue to block his way, but he moved aside at the last second. Now Ethan knew for sure he heard growling.
He was also getting his new friends chewed out, all because he hadn’t been able to control himself. Nell’s delicious smell aside, it was Jay who had prompted Ethan to go upstairs more than any urge to feed. He’d just been so curious about the man destined to marry Bash and make their packs one.
Not only did Jay and Maximus hate Ethan now, maybe Bash did too.
At least they didn’t seem to have made the decision to kill him. Even if Jay hated Ethan, he was still listening to Bash, still giving Bash the benefit of the doubt. He must be a good man.
Which made it worse.
Ethan couldn’t lock himself in, but he made sure to close the wine cellar door once he got down there. With it closed, he couldn’t quite make out what everyone was saying upstairs, their voices too low, maybe hushed on purpose to elude him.
Picking at the slices in his shirt from Maximus’s claws—in Bash’s shirt that he’d been allowed to borrow—Ethan thought the tattered remains were an all-too-perfect microcosm for his life right now.
He lost track of the minutes that passed while sitting on the edge of the bed, but it wasn’t long before Bash came down.
“Bash—”
“Don’t,” Bash said, but his sharpness deflated after a breath, and he looked at Ethan more in sympathy than anger. “It doesn’t matter. Might even be for the best, honestly, because now we have Jay and Maximus to assist in undermining your master. You’re lucky Jay is reasonable. Few of the Alphas from other cities would be as merciful after discovering a vampire. But if you step out of line again—”
“I won’t.”
“Why did you go up there? Because of Jay, you said?”
Ethan twiddled his thumbs as he stared at the floor. “I was curious about the voices at first. When I caught Nell’s scent… it scared me how appetizing she smelled. Then I heard Jay….”
“And?”
“I wanted to see what your fiancé looked like,” Ethan admitted to his feet. “I didn’t mean to make things more complicated.”
A sigh and the soft pad of feet alerted Ethan to Bash’s forward momentum until he sat beside Ethan on the bed. Bash smelled so good, so much better than Nell or anything else for that matter, but even though a small part of Ethan wanted to taste Bash again like he had last night, it wasn’t about blood.
“At least we don’t have to hide you anymore,” Bash said. “You handled it well, all things considered. If you’d gone on the offensive with Maximus, things might have turned out differently. But Nell smelled like a meal to you?”
Ethan glanced at him sideways. “A little. I wasn’t going to do anything about it. It just caught me by surprise. I didn’t feel out of control.”
“Good. But I never want you alone with her. Humans are usually more appetizing to vampires. Your next challenge will be handling yourself in a crowd, but you can’t go anywhere like this.” Bash reached for the slices in Ethan’s shirt, cool fingers slipping through the opening of one to touch Ethan’s bare skin.
Bash was a dangerous beauty, deadly as a wolf, yet he treated Ethan kindly. Feeling Bash’s touch made everything clearer somehow, even better than merely smelling him nearby.
Slowly, Ethan reached up to place his hand over Bash’s.
“Pick out something new to wear.” Bash stood abruptly, taking his hand with him. “I’ll let you get cleaned up before we head to the hotel.”
“Hotel?” Ethan felt his cheeks flush hot before he noticed the deadpan look on Bash’s face. “For my things! Right. Yeah.”
“Quickly.” Bash gestured at the duffel filled with clothes for Ethan to choose a new shirt, though maybe he’d grab a new everything since he hated putting on dirty clothes after a shower. “If you’re not down here, someone will always be with you, two rather than one if possible, and never—”
“Never Nell, got it,” Ethan said, digging into the bag to obey. Once he’d chosen an armful, he stood to follow Bash to the door. “Um, can I have my phone back?”
Bash froze with his hand reaching for the handle. “Why?”
“’Cause it’s nice to have. There’s no one for me to call, and you can check my logs every day if you want, I just… I want to see if Uncle Leo left a message last night.”
The tension that had gripped Bash’s shoulders eased. “Fine, but I will check your logs at the end of the day to see if you make or receive any calls or texts I’m not okay with. And don’t try deleting them. I’ll know.”
“Thank you.” Ethan hurried after Bash to follow him up the stairs, curious about where everyone had gone when they reached the top and no one was around. “I really am sorry about Jay.”
“It was inevitable.” Bash shrugged, leading Ethan swiftly through the lower level of the… mansion? Apartment complex? Renovated warehouse?
That must be it, because the place was huge. The main room downstairs was almost like a hotel lobby, though decorated more simply—and with word streamers saying things like Boo and Trick or Treat.
Ethan briefly caught sight of a kitchen as they neared an open winding staircase to the second level, but it was still hard to focus with the way the sun bothered him. It was like how a bright light felt being turned on for the first time after being in the dark all night, only it took much longer for him to adjust.
Focused as he was on looking around, Ethan almost didn’t realize when Bash stopped at a door at the top of the staircase.
A bedroom door.
Bash’s bedroom door, Ethan realized, with how casually Bash entered it, how much ownership he exuded, and how the simple muted colors suited him. He had a private bathroom, too, maybe all the rooms did, and he was offering it to Ethan now, flicking on the light and gesturing him inside. Bash seemed tense, troubled, despite his efforts to act like everything was fine and not as bad as Ethan feared.
“You seem upset about something else,” Ethan said before crossing the threshold into the bathroom. He didn’t expect Bash to admit what that something was, but when Bash looked at him, centered and strong, it was as if a veil lifted between them.
Maybe Ethan was easy to be around. A few of his prison mates had said so, too, which helped keep Ethan from making enemies, a blessing given he was law enforcement in prison, though thankfully, being a lab rat hadn’t seemed to bother people as much as if he’d been a cop.
Still, before Glenwood Penitentiary, usually people had avoided him, bothered by his presence, never wanting to get close.
Fitting in at prison hadn’t been the best scenario, but fitting in here felt right.
“Negotiations aren’t going well with Jay,” Bash admitted.
“The marriage?”
“He knows we slept together.”
“Oh.” That’s why Jay had looked so cold after he sniffed Ethan.
“Unfortunately, ye
s.”
“I’m—”
“Stop apologizing. It’s not your fault or your problem. Just shower. When you’re done, we’ll go.”
Not my problem, Ethan thought after shutting the door behind him. Because Bash wasn’t his and never could be. Not that it made sense for Ethan to want Bash when they’d only just met, but Bash made Ethan feel balanced and at peace somehow, even empowered, like he usually only felt when he was drawing or painting or marking someone with ink.
Ethan had stumbled upon his tattoo skills somewhat by accident. At Glenwood Penitentiary, after discovering fellow inmates trying to give themselves makeshift tats with less-than-sterile supplies, Ethan had begged them to stop.
“What do you care?” one of them had sneered.
“I care about having to look at your gangrene arms when they need to be amputated after the infections you’re about to give yourselves.”
That had stopped them cold. “You got a better idea?”
Ethan had wanted to say, Yeah, wait until you get out and can go to a reputable shop, but he was trying to survive, make nice, not yet knowing how long he’d have to serve time, so he said that if they gave him a few days, he’d help them create a setup that would give them what they wanted without risking infection or other complications.
From there, he’d worked to make sure the ink they acquired wouldn’t cause allergic reactions and that the needles they used were properly sterilized. He explained how they needed to look after their tattoos to protect the skin in the weeks following and said if anyone failed to listen to his rules and got an infection, then that was on them and he’d stop helping.
His artwork was so good, so coveted after a while, not a single inmate dared go against his aftercare instructions. He could have gotten in trouble of course—tattooing in prison wasn’t usually tolerated—but if any of the guards knew what was going on, they must have seen the benefits in having someone do the job well instead of spreading hepatitis.
Ethan wondered if the inmates he’d taught his tricks of the trade to were keeping up with his advice. He hoped so. He hadn’t made lasting friends there, but he hadn’t met anyone he wished ill either.
By the Red Moonlight Page 7
