Once Lost Lords (Royal Scales, Book 1) (38 page)

“Yeah. I hand over the ashes and tell Daniel to shove the box
sideways.” I presented my genius plan to the Alphas.

“You think that’ll settle it?” Malcolm’s
forehead wrinkled as he looked my way.

“We’ve got history,” I answered casually. Daniel
and I went back nearly two decades so he would believe me. He could
take this box and do a DNA test or whatever magic Western Sector had.

“I don’t know why he’s so overbearing about this.
Normally Daniel’s reasonable.” Julianne said with a trace
of annoyance.

“Someone’s pushing him,” I remembered that much
from the note at least.

“Someone is pushing Daniel? Seriously? That won’t end
well.” The short bartender looked surprised. It was the same
expression to cross my face once I got the note implying all my
belongings were being held hostage. Even now, if I thought about it
too hard, a tremble of frustration started up.

“Our guests are close,” Jude Sauter said to her Alpha.

Both packs were watching the same direction. A figure almost popped
into existence between the trees. He was dressed in an immaculate
suit laced with a faint trace of purple thread. Hair was slicked back
with gel. I tried not to get annoyed.

Only vampires could move like that. It took me days to get part way
here the first time and they cleared it in hours. Everyone else was
beyond fast.

Another vampire popped in. The second male’s head was shaved,
but there was no mistaking the cross-shaped welt. His pale skin made
the scarring even more pronounced. Both vampires were dressed in
black without a sign of dirt or leaves. The second one that I had
fought with before looked directly at me and opened his mouth to give
a brief hiss. Some of the pack members nearby twitched from the
aggression.

My nose inhaled a whiff of peppermint and I tensed. Kahina didn’t
pop into existence like the other two. She strode in from the
darkness behind them. Both her bodyguards separated to make room.

Wrapped around her was something that could be oriental. Slits on
either side of the fabric traveled to mid-thigh. Her clothes weren’t
entirely black. There were weavings of purple among the rest of the
light dress. Evan’s fire and the moon above only cast out so
much light and wolves were color blind when transformed.

“You made it!” Julianne ran over, completely ignoring
both the show and either imposing bodyguard. They didn’t move
to intercept the tiny Indian woman.

“Of course I did.” They hugged and the whole mesmerizing
presentation lost some power. Kahina and Julianne joined our group
while the bodyguards stayed in the distance.

“We’re all here?” Julianne’s grandfather gave
a level stare at Malcolm and the tiny bartender.

“Everyone Thomas thought was useful, essentially because I gave
him a list.” Julianne took credit for the gathering.

“Quick thinking.” My brow furled a bit.

“Well, I wanted a plan in case Daniel did something stupid. But
I didn’t know we’d have to meet out here.”

“Something stupid? Daniel has sixty or more trained soldiers
with him.” Kahina’s words came forth. I was distracted by
her dress, giving it sidelong glances. It was one of my favorites.

“All human?” I asked.

“We were all human once.” Kahina retorted.

I paused and stopped eyeballing the dress. She was going to use every
forum available to poke at our history. It sounded like Kahina
thought my treatment of her was less than a person. That was a
completely baseless tone to take with me.

“Yes, all those with him are human.” She relented and
gave an answer.

“Like last time.” I tried to move past all the silly
thoughts that crossed my mind. Clearly I was reading too much into
our words.

“I wasn’t aware you’d noticed last time,”
Kahina said.

“I do pay attention.” I gave in to her baited tone.

“I wonder what you pay attention to sometimes.” Kahina
was practically inviting me to follow the words back to us, but this
wasn’t the time for it.

“You’re both the prettiest,” Julianne said with a
sigh. “Can we focus on the army invasion?”

“Please.” Malcolm chimed in. I looked at the other wolves
nearby. At least Jude had a faint smile on her face. It almost
balanced out Julianne’s grandfather who looked to be a step
away from dropping a hammer on someone.

“This isn’t a sector operation. Daniel’s mixed up
in something else.” I quickly said. During our escape from the
housing complex with Evan, all the people we fought were human. Maybe
it was an extremist supremacy group?

“So what?” Malcolm said. Julianne was the only other
person besides me and Kahina who actually knew Daniel that well. It
seemed weird that no one else understood his temperament.

“We can plan defenses just in case. If it’s not Sector
sanctioned then we’re allowed to protect our lands.”
Julianne’s grandfather said.

“Let’s see what we roll out to welcome them.”
Malcolm was on board with the whole thing.

“I’ll introduce you to the two elves, they’ll have
a good idea if anyone,” Julianne said.

“I don’t need an elf to show me around my own woods.”
Her grandfather sounded affronted. The wolves and Julianne walked
towards where Evan slumbered. Hopefully, they would leave the elf
alone.

That left me, Francis’ widow, and Kahina with her bodyguards.

“Go help with the plans.” Kahina turned her head slightly
to the other two. They managed to have nearly identical looks of
irritation but followed orders. Then there were three.

“I wanted to thank you for what you did. My late husband wasn’t
exactly a good man, to me or my daughter.” Jude said while
looking between me and Kahina. She was wolf enough to pick up on the
awkward vibe.

“My pleasure,” I said with a smile. That night had been
fun, aside from the long trek home and the condition of my legs. Jude
nodded and left as well to meet with the others.

One of the Alphas shouted towards the other wolves that were
scattered around the area. It might have been an order to scout the
woods, or maybe Julianne had suggested that we be left alone.
Whatever it was, even the golden eyes slowly vanished. Then it was
just Kahina and me.

I held my breath and stared at her. She stood there motionless, lost
in thought. Her deep red eyes were focused on something unseen in the
distance.

“Are you in that much danger?” I broke our frail silence.
The question caused her to blink, but there was no answer. “Kahina?”
I moved slightly. Her eyes regained focus and pupils dilated.

“Try a different question, Cat-nip.” She said haltingly.
This time, I blinked while trying to process her statement. The scent
of peppermint grew stronger as Kahina focused on me.

“Are they going to kill you?” Maybe if I rephrased it.
Her eyes softened a little, but then a cold edge of distance overlaid
her face again. Maybe not cold, but very deliberate.

“A different question, Cat-nip.” She bit at the words as
they came out. It was hard to tell, but Kahina seemed close enough to
reach out and wrap one arm around if I wanted. The idea further
muddled my mind.

“What should I ask then?” I was frustrated. Things would
be easier if we could return to the idealistic years gone by.

“For my answer to what you said.” She answered my
question.

“What did I say?” I had no clue which statement Kahina
was talking about. My eyes glanced around and verified we were still
being allowed vague privacy.

“You asked at Julianne’s if I was still yours. So ask
again, am I yours?” Kahina was even closer now. Had I stepped
toward her? Or had she moved closer to me? Which way did she want me
to ask that question?

“Are you still mine?” My words were soft and doubtful to
my own ears. All the times I’d tracked her, Evan had said they
were a form of laying claim.

Both her eyes shut so gently that I was riveted. Somehow Kahina made
it into my arms. My hands settled lightly around her waist, her arms
wrapped around my neck. I could feel her body from pelvis to chest as
she leaned over and whispered.

“Forever, Cat-nip. If you want me.” Her pet name for me
hung in the air.

“I do.” The words were out before I had a chance to think
about them.

With that simple exchange of words, Kahina had given herself to me. I
could feel her, feel both feet in light shoes, and feel the fabric
wrapped around her skin as it rustled. My senses were hyperactive and
tightly focused on the woman in my arms.

Candy had felt nothing like this.

It was…

This was….

Hell. I could feel her movements as if they were my own. Her heart
beat slowly but strong. A tensing in arm muscles as she ran fingers
through the back of my hair.

She was, by her own admission, utterly mine. That switch in the back
of my head had flipped completely. This woman was in danger. What was
mine was in danger. Anyone who put her there would be run over by a
freight train if I had to tie them to the tracks myself, get in the
train and press go.

I felt her slide those extra-long teeth along my neckline. A tongue
ran parallel as she drug a tingling trail along the skin. What was
worse, I could feel how badly her body cried out to do something
about it. It felt good. Hell, too good.

“Kahina.” I was groaning.

She hummed in response. It was distracting. I had to have some
control. We couldn’t get back together just because she’d
said yes.

“Kahina we have to stop.” Everything felt pleasantly
foggy.

“Why?” Her smooth lips curled in a smile.

“There’s people here.” If she didn’t stop
then that little purple and black dress would be in pieces on the
ground. Or maybe not, last time we had shoved parts of the dress to
one side.

“Maybe a little bit?” Her voice was distant and hopeful.

“After, we’ll talk after.” I tried not to shiver.
We had been in a good spot and then her dammed vampire drives kicked
in.

Wearing this dress, saying those words, how much of this was a clever
ploy? The thought sobered me instantly. Other thoughts ran through,
Daniel’s impending army, the wolves in the area, her
bodyguards, how badly she wanted to taste a little blood.

“Mmmh.” Her lips were tracing slowly along and I had a
hard time not pursuing her body’s suggestive movements.

“Later. Kahina, later.” I pulled her back feeling myself
sink down to earth.

“Promise?”

“We’ll talk.” Not here, not right now. I don’t
know if I could bear the mind trip that had come every time she took
my blood. Not without serious mental preparation.

“I have waited, Jay. I can continue.” Kahina smiled and
backed up, untangling us from each other.

Her hands sliding away gave a pleasant feeling of warmth. Kahina
swayed off towards the direction Julianne and the others had gone. I
tried to watch her go. My eyes were unfocused as my other senses told
me exactly what every inch of skin under those clothes felt like.

Hell.

It was very, very difficult to reign my mental senses. The feedback
was incredible. Kahina’s feet stepped carefully, legs strutting
by, and the fabric of her dress. She knew exactly how to tease me.

Many moments later, after she disappeared into the distance, I
regained some sense of self-control. That sort of sensation overload
might kill a man. Now was a perfect time for the drink Julianne had
mentioned earlier. An entire ocean of them.

Julianne wasn’t serving, and Daniel was closing in. Evan
wouldn’t be able to leave the area while both Kahina and
Julianne were here. I couldn’t leave them. Not after the last
time I witnessed someone get on the wrong side of Daniel.

Worse, part of me was scared by how easily my feelings had flipped.
One simple statement from Kahina turned the internal switch of
possession around. A connection formed so quickly it might have
always been nearby. With a simple thought, I could sense Kahina
nearby, talking to Julianne. Her mouth smiling absently.

I scratched at my arm and tried to figure out how to make sure those
dear to me didn’t suffer from this situation.

Stop one was sneaking over to Evan. I had to see if the elf had
suffered from the pack members' pestering. Afterward, there would be
a reckoning between me and Daniel over this army nonsense.

The male elf had managed to right himself again. He sat huddled over
a fire, his hands held out trying to soak up the heat. Everything
about him was different from the man I’d first run into.

“I need to ask another question.” I hunkered down next to
him.

“I will try to answer.” Evan was sitting in front of the
fire that popped and crackled from a fresh log.

“This was something I was already told.”

“That may make it easier. The binding is on providing you
direct answers to what you are.” The elf nodded slowly. His
long blond hair fell in clumps. The poor guy hadn’t bathed in a
while. Although, he managed to smell like a blueberry. That was
weird.

“Candy,” I had to stop and correct myself. Candy was the
name for her playful side. Her serious personality was the other
name. “Kanda’rila Ro’hal, told me that you had
killed all your Lords.”

“We killed the greatest, but we did not kill them all. Others
finished what we started.” He answered.

“Why? Without pushing.” I quickly added the second part.

“A reason?” He stared intently while trying to figure out
how to skirt the bindings Candy placed on him. “Fear.”

That was a rather broad answer. “Of my people?”

“No.” Evan looked across the distance to the others,
Kahina, Julianne and the other pack members. “Of theirs.”

“Vampires?” Kahina was the most dangerous one to me. I
could understand elves killing others to stay safe from vampires two
thousand years ago.