Page 39 of Crave

Murphy was shaking his head. “This is bullshit. I literally saw the vampire Lucius tear a Manix’s head off.”

“Different set of rules. They’re a part of Raine’s guard,” Nico replied, holding a hand up as we growled our protests. “Calm down. I promise I won’t let that happen. The best case scenario here is that the Town Council says this is outside our jurisdiction. The worst case scenario is that he’s excommunicated from Dark River.”

Susannah’s outrage was written all over her face. “You mean he can never come back? He has a home here. Friends.”

Raine looked between us. “Don’t borrow trouble just yet. Home can be all sorts of places, or with all sorts of people. If Tanner is anything, he is adaptable.” She looked at Nico. “Call the Town Council. May as well get this over with and rip it off like a band-aid. Prolonging it only ever makes it worse.”

Nico smirked. “What she means to say is that we need to head home, because she’s found two new mates to keep her entertained, and the orgies have been on point.”

Raine gave him an unimpressed expression, but I could see the humor dancing in her eyes. There was obviously a lot of love between them, but that wasn’t an orgy I’d ever want to be in.

Tanner sighed. “Okay.”

“Go to the diner, get your little Pack something to eat, and then meet us at the Town Council building in say… an hour?” Raine said, looking to Nico for confirmation.

“Should be long enough to get a quorum. And if Grim doesn’t show, who’s gonna be mad about it?” he asked lightly. All the vampires in the room exchanged a loaded look. I was kind of glad I didn’t know who Grim was.

Tanner stood, ushering us up and out of the door. Susannah grabbed his hand and clung to it, and I waited for the wash of jealousy from my Beast. It never came. He’d accepted thathisOmega wanted the vampire, and we’d wanted her for long enough that we’d do anything to make her happy.

Besides, he was fucking nice to look at. He mightn’t want to get down like that yet, but maybe one day he would, at least with Quinn. He hadn’t seemed to mind getting his dick sucked during the yearning. Maybe it was the draw of the forbidden, or maybe sexuality was a little more fluid than society would have you believe. Maybe he’d just been caught up in the pheromones—which I wouldn't really blame him for. But we needed time to figure these things out.

He walked us across the town square, which was still lit up. The Manix saw well in the dark, but it was nice to be able to see the possible threats all around.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone is going to break and attack. As you just heard, the consequences can be pretty shitty, and while you’re tasty, no snack is worth expulsion or worse,” Tanner teased, slapping me on the back. Susannah huffed at the reminder that he could still be executed.

I felt like a sloth in a village of cheetahs as we stepped up to the door of the diner. It was a weird feeling; we’d always considered ourselves the apex of evolution, but this small town of Dudley Do-Rights was proving that maybede-evolution could fuck us all up if it chose.

The little brass bell above the door tinkled as we walked in, and all conversation stopped, again. I was almost used to it by now.

“Tanner, ye handsome wee bastard! I’ve missed ye. Come here.” An elderly woman—no, vampire—bustled over to Tanner, wrapping him in what could only be described as a buxom hug. She squeezed tight, then stepped away. “And who have ye got with you today?”

Tanner straightened, looking slightly mussed from the experience. “Merrick and Murphy,” he said, pointing to each of us. “And Quinn and Susannah.”

“Aye, I heard Raine found the Manix again.” Well, not so much Raine, but the end result had been the same, so I didn’t correct her. “Take the booth in the back, lad, and I’ll grab you the menus.” The elderly vampire looked at us. “I’m Beatrice, seeing as this young lout doesn’t have the manners the Queen gave him. Don’t worry—you’ll be safe here. No one is dumb enough to step out of line in my diner.” I had a feeling that the last statement was more for everyone else than us.

Tanner herded us toward a booth, and I slid the Omegas in closest to the wall. Murphy and I bracketed them on each side, with Tanner taking the chair at the end.

Beatrice came back over, holding a huge platter of cheese fries and the menus. “You look hungry, so these will tide you over until you choose what you’d like. On the house.” She placed the fries in the middle of the table. They were coated in melty cheese, bacon, and chopped shallots. They smelled so good, and my mouth was watering. “Take your time ordering; just give me a shout when you’re ready.” She gave Tanner’s shoulder one last squeeze and hurried away.

“So, this is Dark River,” Murphy mumbled around a mouth full of cheese fries. “I can see the draw.”

Tanner shrugged, but I could see the worry in his eyes. “It was a good place to land in an uncertain time of my life.”

“This is where you want to stay forever?” Susannah asked softly, her fingers curling like she wanted to reach for him.

“That was the plan. It’s as close to a community as vampirekind has managed.”

And we might have ruined that for him. Guilt was a bitch.

24

TANNER

We sat around the diner for an hour before someone was sent down to fetch me to stand before the Town Council. I’d tried to make the Manix stay at the diner, happy that Beatrice would protect them—no one fucked with Beatrice—but that stubborn Pack refused.

“If you don’t think we’re coming with you to defend you, then I’d worry some kind of crazy Australian brain-eating parasite was living rent-free in your skull,” Susannah had muttered, which was both gross and endearing.

This Pack was getting to me. The only parasites worming their way into my body were these guys, right into my heart.

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