Page 105 of Witchbane
“Haven’t seen him come downstairs.” Toby grabbed the stack and turned back, closing the door behind him as Nick and I made our way to the bunkhouse. It was a bit of a walk, it did have its own drive, which was filled with cars. And oddly enough a bunch of military-like supply trucks.
“Weird,” I said.
Nick opened the door from the main parking lot to the wide area usually filled with bunks. The beds had been pushed aside to house the swath of vampires, and a half dozen military guys. But it was someone else who caught my attention.
He was tall, at least six foot seven, with shoulders as wide as three of me. His long, dark hair brushed his shoulders, his face a sculptured frown, with smoldering dark eyes. Even despite the distaste in his expression, he was more like artwork than any man I had ever seen. A perfection that wasn’t really possible outside of intensive surgery in the mortal world.
I admit to being caught for a moment. It didn’t matter that the clothes he wore were more robes and outdated than form fitting. I wondered if it was glamour of some kind, that physical perfection, but couldn’t see any flickers around the edge of him, only power.
Power so intense, my stomach grumbled. I put my hands on it and looked down, a bit embarrassed as everyone turned my way. Nick passed me to make his way to Liam’s side.
Liam… right. I blinked, finding my mate frowning at me, but feeling like I’d been in some sort of trance. I made my way across to him, surprised to find Sergeant Major Rener standing there.
The giant of a man… fae, he had to be fae, because well, horns, turned in my direction a bit, a slight smile curving his lips.
“This was the child they sought to bind me to?” His voice was deep, like a thrum of energy intense enough to awaken my kitsune. Like magic was suddenly a sexual thing.
Child? I was not a child. I guess next to a guy who was probably over seven feet tall with his horns, maybe I did look like one.
“Your power levels fit,” Wesley said softly.
“Fit,” the man said. “I hardly think we would have any fit at all. More like I would break him in half trying to fit.”
That brought some startling sexual images that I couldn’t help. I gulped.
“Good thing he’s mine then,” Liam stated coldly. He reached for me, taking my hand and pulling me close. I could breathe again wrapped in his arms, but had to admit, the power of the fae man was calling to my kitsune.
“Sorry,” I muttered to Liam. For a dozen things in that moment.
“Zephyr, meet Sebastian Volkov,” Wesley offered mildly. He stood closer to the fae man than my mate and I, with his body turned in his direction, almost as if he were ready to reach out. Was Wesley into this guy? I mean, not that I couldn’t see a reason, but…
“The fox demon who is now a lord.” The fae, Zephyr, bowed his head slightly. “Fascinating that a mortal born creature would amass such power.”
“Should we be saying stuff like that in front of the norms?” I asked, pointing a hand at the soldiers and Rener. Rener had his eyes on me already, from recent events. I wasn’t sure giving him more reason to watch me was a good thing.
“The military is taking the vampires,” Wesley said.
“Part of their agreement,” Liam added. “I’m not sure I like it.”
“The fae is mine,” Zephyr added, his gaze falling on Al who was silent, eyes wide, and focused on the giant man.
“I’m not in agreement either,” I added. “The vampires in military custody?”
Wesley shrugged. “You wanted someone to take care of them. It won’t be the first or the last time the humans have removed a supernatural problem.”
In exchange for what, I wondered, testing on vampires? Training them for weapon stuff? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. “I thought this was above his pay grade,” I said pointing to Rener.
“I’ve been promoted,” Rener replied. “Guess that’s a plus for you.”
“Or not,” I disagreed.
He nodded his head to his men, and they began gathering up the vampires and carrying them out to be loaded in the transport vehicles. All of the vampires were shackled in some sort of dark metal. I wasn’t certain regular cuffs would work on vampires, but maybe they weren’t the normal sort of thing?
I held the books out to Liam, who shook his head. He wasn’t keeping the vampires and their problems. But he wasn’t happy about showing the military or this new fae any of our power. Nick offered to take the books from me. In truth, he looked good standing beside us. An added wall of strength and magic.
Zephyr took a step forward, reaching out to touch my face. Liam stiffened beside me, irritation and unhappiness radiating from every inch of him. “A simple wolf?” Zephyr asked.
“My wolf,” I said, fighting back the desire of the kitsune to jump the man. Pretty and powerful did not necessarily mean good. Felix had been both, and a total nightmare.
