Page 20 of The Firebrand
“That’s what you keep saying. When is later? And what was Ram?”
“A Scion Firebrand.” Rein folded his arms across his chest. “Curious about him?”
“No. Yes. I mean, what kind of creature is he?”
“We’re not creatures.”
Sensitive.
“You’re insulted. Okay. What is the PC thing to call you?”
“PC?” Rein puzzled his brows.
“Politically correct. Not offensive. What won’t piss you off?”
“Breeds. Aeternals. I can take you to Darque where wildings live. Those are creatures.”
Darque? Wildings?Yeah.Chay had mentioned them. They were on herlaterlist. If that time ever came. Besides, her strange-info suitcase was full. Over the airport limit. “Spare me the lecture. Just tell me pretty boy’s breed.”
“Satyr.”
“Half goat?”
Rein’s brows knitted into a frown. “A myth. Our fault. We fed humans lies so you would forget we once shared Earth. Satyrs aren’t half goat. They’re as randy as the four-legged animals, but they come loaded with extras. Pheromones, camouflage, mind clouding. Great trackers, though.” Rein stalked up to Braelyn, his gaze icy. “Making females wet between their legs is their specialty.”
“Crass. Now who sounds jealous?”
Just then, a man with deep purple eyes, almost magenta, stepped out of the room in front of the pink-sweatered Zora. Clad in a long black robe a Hogwarts professor might have worn, he radiated power. Not like her kidnapper. This man had a dignified bearing, a gentler, kinder energy.
Arms extended, he hastened to Rein. “Son.” He clasped the vampire to his chest. “How nice.”
Braelyn noticed Rein’s hesitation before he returned his father’s affection. When he did, the gesture was half-hearted, barely a guy-pat to the back.
Now she saw the similarities. The strong jaw. The bladed cheekbones. The nose. Not the eyes. Not the hair. Also, Rein was taller, more muscular. Where this man was serene, her kidnapper had a bad-boy vibe. One followed rules. One skirted them.
When Alarik spotted Braelyn, his mouth curled in a wide, genuine smile. “We have not met, dear.”
“Braelyn James.” She stretched out a hand.Here I am, meeting Rein’s father. What could be more normal?
“Alarik.” He looked from Rein to Braelyn. “To what do I owe this surprise?”
Without waiting for an answer, the robed man clasped her fingers, leading her toward his office. “You seem anxious, my dear. Nothing to fear from me.”
His touch calmed Braelyn, but she shivered from a sudden draft.
“Are you an agent with the Alliance?” he asked.
Alliance?Another question for later. “No. I write for an online paranormal tabloid calledStrange but True.It’s owned by my father. Ironic, isn’t it?”
“A journalist? Oh, holy hell! This just gets better and better.” Rein rubbed his neck. “You omitted that bit of information. Fuck! Double Fuck!” X-rated words tumbled from the tight-lipped vampire. “Your job is to report on stories about us, but I can’t scrub your memory. Kole is going to be as happy as a dog with two dicks. Not.”
Alarik’s smile wavered. “Rein, there is a female present.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
The prodigal son did not look contrite. For the first time, Braelyn enjoyed working at the paper. It annoyed the hell out of Rein.What did Chay say about his control? Control, indeed. She was snapping it like a rubber band.
Inside Alarik’s office, a frantic woman sat at the desk, flipping through papers, shoving some aside, re-stacking some, allowing others to scatter onto the floor.
