Zed's Dishonest Mate (9 page)

“He’s your mate. I know how much you hate lies.”

“Of course, I’ll overlook it. Luka needs to heal both his body and soul.” Zed studied every word Luka said. He looked at every movement, trying to see the lies. He couldn’t trust his mate to tell him if he was scared or in pain. “At first, I thought he was a spoiled brat that needed to change, but now I realize it’s his defenses I’m butting up against. He needs to trust me before he can be honest with me. Right now, he’s waiting for me to hit him. He expects me to hurt him.”

“There’s not a lot of time. He’s the elf prince. What do you plan to do?” Roman asked.

“Kane will find Luka and then demand his return, which will never happen.”

Roman looked directly at him. “You need to be fully mated before then.”

“I plan to complete the mating after his body heals. I don’t want to worry about touching his bruises or hurting him.” Zed laughed. “That’s more information than you needed to know. Have you heard anything?”

“Zed,” Micah said as he climbed down the stairs. The small human was covered in blue and white paint. He walked over to Roman and pulled the demon down and kissed him on the cheek. “I finished painting the room.”

“Painting?” Zed asked.

Micah smiled. “I wanted a less modern feel.” The slow speech surprised him.

Roman understood the unspoken question. “Micah worries about ordering people around, so he speaks in simple sentences. We haven’t learned how to control his power.”

Micah’s smile turned sad. Roman leaned in and rubbed his mate’s back. Zed looked at Roman’s smaller mate. Micah controlled people with words. No one could resist his commands.

“There’s something I’ve neglected to tell you. It’s the reason I’ve come here.”

“Mason mentioned that you’d be stopping by. So, you’re finally ready to tell us everything.” Roman turned to Micah. “Can you get Thomas? I want him to hear this.”

Micah nodded.

Zed paced back and forth. The dragon kept his word. He had waited for Zed to handle this.

It took Thomas less than two minutes to arrive downstairs. He looked behind the demon, but Micah wasn’t there.

“Micah went back to painting. Toby’s helping.” Thomas walked closer to his brother. “Micah said something about a secret. Zed, are you finally going to be honest?”

Zed closed his eyes. “Keeping personal things a secret isn’t the same as being untruthful. I’ve never told you something that wasn’t true. I’ve been honest about everything.” He sighed. “But yes, it’s time.”

The story started centuries ago, but he didn’t need to go back that far. He settled on the recent past. “Twenty-five years ago, a power guarded by the dragon shifters was stolen. The power was sealed in a golden box made by fairy magic. It was one of the last things the fairies made before leaving this world.”

“A box. This is all over a box?” Thomas ran a hand though his hair. The younger of the demon brothers had a bit of a temper.

“What kind of magic was stored in the box? Who stole it?” Roman asked.

“Theodore Carlson and King Kane managed to steal it from the dragon shifters. They wanted the magic sealed inside. When Mason and I arrived, they had already started to open the box. The magic couldn’t be pushed back into the container, so instead of giving it to those two I released it into the world.”

“You released the magic. Why?” Thomas asked.

“It couldn’t be held back. Theodore and Kane wanted to harness the magic, but I split the magic and pushed it back into the world. Separated the magic is weaker. It was the only way to keep them from it, but also to buy us some time.”

“What happened after that?” Roman asked. “You released an unknown magic into the world. Even though it was diluted, it’s still dangerous.”

Zed closed his eyes. This was the part he didn’t want to share. “Humans were born with the magic, weaved into their bodies.” The light went off in the demon brothers’ heads.

“Micah, Toby, Sage and Jacob,” Thomas said.

“No, Jacob’s different. But the magic manifested in Micah’s voice, giving him the power to control others, and in Sage’s ears, giving him the power to hear thoughts. I’m not sure about Toby. Jacob just told me he was like Micah and Sage. He didn’t elaborate on his ability.”

“You’ve known. Since we discovered Micah was different, you’ve known,” Thomas accused.

“No, Thomas. I’ve known since adopting Sage and Jacob. I found them and then saved them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the first to find them. That’s how their parents died.”

“Who killed their parents?”

Zed shook his head. “That’s a story for Jacob and Sage. I can’t tell you before telling them. And I won’t tell them until they ask.”

Roman nodded. “Agreed. The past can’t be changed.” Roman stared at Zed. “Why tell us now?”

Zed looked at the two brothers. “Mason thought it was time. He wanted to tell you since discovering Toby was Thomas’s mate. The dragon recognized the power inside of the truth examiner. He guarded the power for hundreds of years, so he instantly recognized it within him.”

“This has something to do with the drugs?” Thomas concluded.

“Carlson and Kane tried to create a drug to counteract the magic. Micah could order them to do whatever he wants and Sage can…” Zed paused. No, he wouldn’t say it. Even Sage didn’t know what he could do. “That’s not important.”

“Are they still after the magic? Can it be taken from our mates?” Thomas demanded.

“The magic is now a part of them. I don’t know if it can be removed, but if it is, they will die.”

Roman closed his eyes. “So they will be coming after them.”

Zed shrugged. “I don’t know if the magic is still in their plans. Zane and Carlson are mere puppets. The person in charge remains hidden in the shadows.”

Roman glared. “That’s why you never mentioned this. You thought I might be involved in the conspiracy.”

He couldn’t hide his real thoughts. “There are lots of traitors. I wouldn’t jeopardize my sons. Being wrong would put a large bull’s-eye on Jacob and Sage’s chests.”

“Oh, that’s big of you,” Thomas spat out.

“Enough.” Roman looked at Thomas. “If things were reversed, we would’ve done the same thing.” Roman turned to Zed. “How many are affected by the Magic?”

Zed closed his eyes. “At least two more. Possibly three. It depends how the magic split.”

“So we have to find the others and keep them safe,” Thomas said.

“Basically, yes.” Suddenly Zed felt hot under the demon’s angry stare. He’d let it go. After all, he did keep important information from them.

Luka moved to the side of the bed. He stretched his arms out as his legs dangled over the edge. He looked down at his feet which hung inches from the floor and wiggled his toes. Maybe Zed would buy him a stepstool. He’d ask nicely, but no one ever bought him anything. Asking might be perceived as a complaint. Zed showed little tolerance to extras. A stool was as unessential as color in a room. He shook his head and decided to suck it up. No need to ask for trouble.

A few days ago, he might have demanded a stool to see his mate’s reaction, but he was going to play nice. Zed was his mate and he took care of him. Luka was beginning to trust that Zed wouldn’t physically hurt him. Emotionally and mentally was different. That type of trust would take time.

He looked behind him, narrowing his eyes to see into the dark corners. Zed had a way of spying on him, approaching quietly and watching from the shadows. It was strangely comforting to know that if he called out someone would come and perhaps even come before asking, another thing that had never happened.

Slowly, he lowered his legs down, putting more pressure on the good leg than the bad leg. The doctor ordered him to stay off of his bad knee, but enough was enough. He was bored out of his mind. Besides, that was a week ago and after Zed’s tender bites he felt a lot better.

That was another new thing, feeling like someone cared. Zed brought him food, helped him bathe, and wrapped him in heavy blankets. He was being treated like a fragile piece of glass that had to be cared for. The first few days he had needed it, craved it. The raw emotion forced through all of his blocks, pushing out. One minute he was a rabid dog trying to bite heads off and the next minute a kitten purring for attention. Now, he was ready to be a person.

The vampire had showed an extreme amount of patience, meeting every verbal attack with a gentleness that surprised him. Zed took care of everything, and followed the doctor’s orders by forcing him to stay off the leg.

He rarely left his side. Luka looked around the room, making sure he didn’t miss Zed teleporting back into the bedroom. No one was watching.

He put pressure on both legs, and stood. The muscles in his thighs were stiff like cold taffy from a week of nonuse, but the stinging pain that kept his knee from bending was completely gone.

He crept toward the door on shaky legs. The wall supported him as he made his way down the hall. A white dining room with a black tablecloth reminded him that he lived in a black-and-white world. He dropped into a chair. The kitchen cabinets, a pure white with black handles, looked new or maybe just unused. Vampires had no reason to cook. They drank blood which required a refrigerator for storage, not a fully equipped cooking space.

The space reminded him of a picture he once had of his real family. Using scraps of material and colored paper he constructed a frame. Even though the image could never be hung, having it gave him hope that someday that would change. This room was full of possibilities and unattainable goals. There would never be a dinner companion, a chance to discover new foods, a few friends sitting around the table enjoying a home-cooked meal.

“What are you doing?” Zed asked from the doorway. “And what are you wearing?”

Bishop stood silently beside Zed, arching one eyebrow up.

Luka looked down at the bright green lounge pants that loosely hung from his hips and then touched the tight, sun-colored shirt with orange spots. He gave Zed a smile that rivaled his clothes in brightness.

Zed rolled his eyes like he’d done the first time the bags were opened. The vampire looked horrified at the amount of color, but Luka had reached for the clothing and thanked Bishop and Yavin, who had spent an evening shopping for him, a task that was both rare an unexpected. He didn’t care what he ate or if he had soap and a toothbrush, but having fun, happy clothes lifted his spirits. Finally, he had colors that belonged to him. Each piece was bold with some articles more shocking than others. Even without Zed’s help, Luka wouldn’t get lost in the dark. It still surprised him that the two vampires had listened to his request for bright, comfortable clothes.

He ignored the question about his clothes and answered the obvious one. “I’m sitting in a chair, but soon I’ll be standing. Then I will walk over to the sink after I find a glass for some water.” Luka smiled at the frown on Zed’s face.

“I can’t leave you alone for a minute. No walking.” Zed moved toward Luka but before he reached him, Luka stood and moved to the sink.

“Look, no pain.” Luka needed his mate to understand. The bedridden invalid no longer existed.

Zed lowered his head and shook it. “I’ll call Avery and have him stop by tomorrow. If he says you can walk, then fine, but not a moment before.”

Luka shrugged. “Fine, I can wait.” He headed back to the chair. The moment his butt hit the wooden surface his stomach growled. He covered his face, trying to hide the flush that spread across his cheeks as the gurgling got louder.

Zed and Bishop laughed.

Bishop pulled out a menu from the drawer and handed it to Luka. “What do you want this time?”

Luka pushed back the menu. “Oh, I’ll have my usual.”

“Luka, you didn’t even look at it.” Zed picked up the folded takeout menu.

“When you have something you like, why change it for something else?” The lie easily slipped out. He turned away. Something wouldn’t let him lie while looking at the vampire prince. Truth meant too much to Zed, and each of his secrets weighed him down. For the last week, every time someone handed him a menu, he requested the same thing, lentil burgers.

He didn’t know who recommended the dried, tasteless patties, but someone thought the nutrients made a healthy meal. Most people thought food that tasted bad was good for the body. If that was true, then lentil burgers must be one of the healthiest meals.

The first night the order arrived he stuffed his mouth so fast he never tasted the burger. He drank glasses of water to moisten his mouth. For a one-time meal, it wasn’t that bad, but every time someone handed him that torn, tri-fold menu, he handed it right back and ordered the one thing he knew was written on it. It wasn’t easy to pretend to like them when he longed to try something new.

“I’ll call in the order. Yavin will pick it.” Bishop pulled out his cell phone as he moved out the door into the hall.

“Did you read the book? It’s important to know about vampires before meeting the others. A lot of vampires live in the building. Knowing about our history will help.”

Luka nearly fell out of the chair. He opened the book on vampire history. Did that count? He didn’t read it. The sentences were far too long and the words too big. It would be years before he could read something that complicated.

“Not yet. I was thinking that meeting your people first might be better than reading a boring history book. Let me form an impartial opinion.” Luka nodded. He thought of all possible excuses, but none would work. He didn’t think this one would either. He tried to look into the future to see how it would turn out, but he couldn’t. A thick fog surrounded the future connected to him. He saw other things, but he couldn’t see his future.

Being blinded was more of a relief than a hindrance. He didn’t want to see the future. It would be great if he saw happy warm visions, but if that wasn’t the case, he didn’t want to know.

“Luka this isn’t a game. I left something to do while you rested. Did you even bother to open the book?”

“It’s a boring book on history. Sorry, not interested.” He felt Zed’s anger, but it was better than the disappointment.