Oak, Sophie - Beast [A Faery Story 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (9 page)

Chapter Four

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing, Dante?”

Dante forced himself to turn around. He didn’t want to. He was enjoying the picture that Kaja made as Meg soaped her hair. It had taken little Kaja a while, but she was finally settling in to the business of getting clean. He’d had to keep his hands on her for the longest time. It was the only way to keep her calm. Her bright, blue eyes had pleaded with him to keep her safe, and he couldn’t deny her. He’d felt his heart tugged by the sweet little whimpers she’d made as she’d tried to adjust to the water. Dante had let her know how pleased he’d been with her for being so brave. He hadn’t been joking or sarcastic. It really had taken a lot for her to get into the tub.

Now her eyes were closed as she allowed Meg to rub her scalp. There was a dreamy look on her face. She seemed to enjoy the contact.
What a sensual little thing
. If she liked having her hair washed, how much would she like a massage? He would like to rub his hands across her soft flesh and feel her respond.

“Dante.” Beck’s voice pulled him out of that fantasy. “I asked you a question. What are you thinking buying that girl? Have you lost your mind?”

Dante took a deep breath. Yelling at his cousin would only scare Kaja. “I bought a consort, cos. Vampires do it every day. Do I need to remind you that you bought Meg in this very tent?”

“I fought for Meg,” Beck corrected. “As you should be forced to fight in a tourney for Kaja. The reason you aren’t fighting is that no one else is willing to take her. That should tell you something.”

It was traditional for the gnomes to collect an entry fee for the tournaments they held. The prize was a female. She was called a consort for the vampires, a bondmate for the Fae. A large tournament could attract twenty to thirty combatants. Dante thought it was a plus that he didn’t have to get his clothes dirty. He didn’t mention this to his warrior cousin.

“I agreed to pay a measure of gold equal to ten tourney fees,” Dante assured him. “Rhys will be able to give the demon a proper cut. This solves the problem for everyone. Stop worrying.”

Beck’s mouth tightened. “I wasn’t worried about Rhys. I’m worried about you. You can’t seriously believe she will make you a fit consort. She didn’t even know what a bath was.”

“Meg wasn’t from this plane, either,” Dante pointed out. He was rapidly getting irritated with his cousin. It was irrational. He should be thrilled. It was exactly the reaction he was hoping for. She was spectacularly unsuitable. He couldn’t have dreamed up a less suitable candidate if he’d tried. Yet Beck’s assessment of her rankled.

“Meg is highly intelligent,” Beck said in a wholly lofty voice to Dante’s mind. His arrogance was setting Dante on edge. “She might have come from a different plane, but she had a working knowledge of the creatures around her.”

“Yes, that’s why she nearly let a kelpie eat her,” Dante shot back. It had taken Meg a while to get used to her new home.

Beck shrugged, his eyes straying to his wife. “I didn’t say she always used it intelligently. She adapted quite nicely. She’s making an excellent queen. This Kaja is never going to adapt. She’s practically feral. How is she going to live on the Vampire plane? Do you really think she’ll be happy in your penthouse, going to teas with other consorts and attending charity balls?”

He couldn’t see it. He struggled to see her sitting in the penthouse’s large, elegant parlor having drinks with his parents, sister, and her consort before the consorts were called in to dinner. He would sit with his father and sister and discuss business while she was led to the sumptuous dining room and did whatever consorts did while they ate. More than likely they talked about fashion and the latest DLs. She wouldn’t know what a DL was. He wasn’t sure she knew what clothes were.

“You see my point?” Beck asked, not unkindly. “Look, Cian talked to me about what Uncle Alex is doing to you. You might not like to hear this, but I think he’s right. You do need to find a consort. It’s far past time, but this isn’t the right one. I’ve discussed the situation with Rhys, and if your family will pay her fee and put a hefty down payment on the next suitable consort to come through, Rhys will give you the first look. He’ll make it a private sale contingent on your father’s acceptance of the female. I’m sure your father will agree to it. It isn’t a deal Rhys would make with another vampire family. I’ll take Kaja and find a place where she’ll be happy. You’ll get your consort, and Kaja will be free.”

Dante actually felt his claws pop out. His hands twitched with the need to wrap them around his cousin’s throat. A righteous sense of possessiveness swept across Dante. “I bought Kaja. I paid her full price. I used my own fucking money to do it. I signed the paperwork not ten minutes ago. Is Rhys threatening to revoke her sale?”

Beck took a step back, his eyes wide as he looked down at Dante’s hands. “No, Dante. Look, cos, no one is telling you that you can’t have a consort. One comes through every couple of weeks. You just need to wait. Be patient.”

His cousin patted him sympathetically on the shoulder, and without a thought, Dante batted his hand away. Beck held his fisted hand by his side, but Dante could see the impulse to fight in his cousin. Part of him hoped the big Fae gave in to it. He was sick of being treated like an idiot. “Stay out of my marriage, Beck. If you won’t accept Kaja, then get your ass back to your little kingdom. I’ll take care of my consort.”

Dante turned and noted Meg’s white face. She watched the confrontation with a worried air. Kaja’s eyes had come open, but she didn’t look worried. She was watching Beck with narrow eyes, as though prepared to attack should he take a step toward Dante.

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” Dante said, feeling himself calm a bit. He noticed that the gnomes were coming in with the second tub. The water she’d cleaned herself in was grimy. She needed a bath from her bath. “Beck isn’t going to hurt me. He’s leaving.”

“We’re leaving?” Cian asked, walking in with a bucket of hot water.

“No,” Beck replied with a frown. “Dante is just being unreasonable.”

Meg got up and fetched a towel as the wee ones made the clean tub ready. Kaja stood.

“Hey,” Dante said, quickly covering her in the towel. He hadn’t thought much about her nudity before. She’d been covered in filth. Now that her pale skin was clean and glowing like a pearl, he had problems with it. “We have guests, Kaja.”

She nodded. “Yes, I can see them. Meg, Cian, and Beck.”

She smiled as she pointed to each and seemed pleased to have remembered their names.

“Yes, and the men have no need to see what belongs to me,” Dante muttered. “They should leave.”

“You see what I mean?” Beck asked, looking at his brother. “Unreasonable. He won’t listen to me, Ci. Talk to him. She’s wild. She needs to roam. She needs a place with lots of land and places to run. I was thinking of the woods outside the village. As long as she promises not to attack our villagers, it would be perfect. There is plenty of game in the forest. Would you like that, Kaja? Would you like to be alone in the woods?”

Dante felt her small hand slip into his. She clutched the towel around her. Her smile had disappeared. “The First does not want me?”

“First?” Beck asked.

She inclined her head toward Dante. “Yes. I thought the First wished to mate with me. He allowed me intimacies. Do I not understand? Does he already have a mate? Our First is allowed to mate with any of the women. I am clean now. I will stay clean if that is what you require.”

Her big eyes were killing him. What was it about this petite woman that got him in the gut? And the cock. Damn, she was beautiful. She was utterly different from any woman he’d met before.

He put his hands under her arms and lifted her out of the water. The gnomes immediately took the filthy tub away. The new tub was ready. Dante could see everything he had asked for, including his Scotch. There was a glass of water for Kaja. “I do have a mate, though we use the word consort where I come from. You are my consort, Kaja. I signed the papers a few moments ago. You legally belong to me. Do you understand?”

Her smile was back, and this time there was a bright happiness to her face. Her chestnut brown hair was starting to curl up, and Dante couldn’t help but stare at the graceful line of her neck. “You claim me?”

Dante gave into the temptation, touching her porcelain skin lightly. “I claim you, Kaja. I’ll take care of you.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Beck interjected.

“Leave it, brother,” Cian said in a firm, authoritative voice. “Dante knows what he’s doing. If he doesn’t, he’ll figure it out. He’ll take care of her.”

There was a long moment between the twins. Dante was surprised to see Beck back down. He nodded briefly. “All right, then. We’ll leave you to your wedding night. We’ve been given a tent next to this one. You only have to call out, and I will come, Dante.”

“I don’t need you to save me from a woman, Beck.” Dante winced. It sounded whiny even to his own ears.

Beck studied Kaja carefully. “I hope that’s all she is, cos. Come on, let’s go settle our wife in for the evening.”

Cian grinned brightly. “Aye, she definitely needs some settling.”

Meg shook her head but threw her husband an affectionate look. She crossed to Dante. “Are you sure about this?”

“You, too, Meg? Don’t think I can handle her, do you?”

“No, I was thinking of her, actually. She seems very innocent.”

Kaja frowned. She seemed to be trying to figure something out. “The First told you to leave. Do you not fear the First?”

Meg had the audacity to grin. “Fear Dante? Only if I were a cat. Or a bottle of Scotch. He can tear through that, if you know what I mean.”

Kaja shook her head. “I do not.”

Meg sighed and stepped back. “I know. I’ll see you in the morning, Kaja. If you need anything, we’ll be in the tent next door. Good night.”

Kaja let the towel drop the minute the others were gone. There was no exhibitionism in it. She just seemed comfortable with her nudity. Dante wasn’t comfortable with his own state of dress. His cock was trying to tunnel out of his pants.

“You should beat them more often,” Kaja said. “I do not think they properly fear you.” She leaned over and sniffed at the Scotch. She wrinkled her nose and moved to the water, drinking it down.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the suggestion. He also couldn’t help but notice that he was alone with a naked female whom he was practically obligated to fuck. He’d signed papers promising to fuck her and fuck her often.

“Beck, Ci, and Meggie are family, sweetheart. I scarcely think I’ll be beating on them anytime soon.” He turned and pushed the pants off his hips. He tossed them to the side, but the clever nanites readjusted themselves, folding the pants neatly in a square.

Kaja stepped back. “The coverings are magic.”

It was going to be fun to show Kaja his plane. “I’m sure they seem that way to you. Would you believe me if I told you they’re really tiny machines that a rival corporation makes? We tried to make our own at Dellacorp. They developed their own intelligence and attacked the people wearing them. That was a lawsuit, let me tell you.”

Kaja stared at the pants. “What is a machine?”

Dante decided to leave that part of her education for another time. He sank down into the tub, hoping the heat would wilt his raging erection a little bit. He found it necessary to talk through his fangs. The damn things wouldn’t go away. “Don’t worry about it. Come here, Kaja.”

She didn’t hesitate. She gingerly stepped into the tub and placed herself between his legs with her back to his front. She leaned back and sighed. “I like the warmth. It is very cold where I come from.”

Her shoulders rubbed against his chest, and her little ass nestled against his cock. Nope, the heat wasn’t helping one little bit. His cock was long and thick against her skin.

“Kaja, this home you were taken from, do you want to go back?” He needed to ease his conscience a little. If she had a home and a husband, maybe he should think about asking Beck to help her find her way back. His cock protested.