***Jagger***
I hate the fact I used my woman like that. Even if I couldn’t have known she would see the same shit I always see when one of the Vampires in this state dies a violent death. I needed to know who it was because Nixie was right, some Vampires do turn into killers and then they need to be handled.
Except, it wasn’t what happened to her father. And with the flash of his death I now know very well who her father is and remember he came to me with the request to switch states. He failed to mention it was because he was running from Nixie’s mother. Though that’s not a fucking crime and he sure as fuck wasn’t a killer.
“Come on, little sprite, please wake up. Open those gorgeous caramel eyes of yours,” Caius murmurs. Locks of his blue hair have fallen forward right next to Nixie’s head.
It pains me to see my VP like this, hearing the desperation in his voice. We’ve spent many years talking about the night he had the dream about his mate. I can’t imagine how it would have been if I had a glimpse of Tessera decades ago and had to wait all this time to finally meet her.
Hell, and then having her suppress who she really is instead of embracing it...not knowing about one part Paranormal is one thing, but suppressing it out of fear? Dammit. Nixie’s eyes flutter open. Tessera is holding Eliana’s hand while Tria is holding on to the other. All three sisters are seeking comfort from one another, their faces showing the sympathy they share for Nixie.
“Hey,” Caius croaks, “you okay?”
“No.” Damn, Nixie gives Caius a smile that visibly hits him in the heart. “I feel like I need a truckload of margaritas and some serious candy to get things sorted out in my head.”
“Understandable, and I’ll make sure you get all of that. You deserve it.” My VP brushes his knuckles along Nixie’s cheek.
She swallows and stares right into his eyes. “Why are you so calm? You walked into my house all crazy enough that you were held back by your buddy.”
“That was before you weren’t feeling well.” My VP gives her a smile but concern is still painting his face. “Do you need anything, want some water?” The corner of his mouth twitches. “Or I can have my Prez’s Old Lady make a margarita for you.”
Nixie shifts uncomfortably and slides off Caius’ lap. “It’s fine, really. I just need to get my thoughts in order.”
Dammit, she’s right. “Okay, you guys, outside everyone. Let’s give these two some room. We’ll go back to the clubhouse. Caius.” I wait till his eyes find mine and throw the keys to my bike toward him. He doesn’t think twice but throws the keys to his truck back at me. “Nixie, please consider coming to our clubhouse later if you have more questions about your father. I’d be more than happy to tell you everything I know.”
She swallows and only manages to nod at my words. Tessera strolls to my side, her sister, Tria, trailing along behind her. Alastair and Eliana are already out the door and I make sure to follow them quickly. Nixie needs time, and so does Caius. The urge to solidify the bond with an eternal mate is overwhelming. Yet when something happens, top priority is to make sure said mate is fully healthy and unharmed. With this knowledge I know one hundred percent Caius will not harm her in any way.
I take out my phone and shoot a message to Caius. Tria gets in the back of the truck while Tessera waits for me. We watch Alastair guide his bike toward the road, Eliana on the back of it. My phone gives a short buzz indicating I’ve got an incoming message. Glancing down I read Caius’ words, assuring me he’s got this.
With Nixie helping her mother through the years and her embracing the Witch she is and add in the fascination she has for the Elite, I asked Caius to discuss with her if there’s some kind of spell or some shit that could bind an Elite in place. Like the way she froze all of us, except for Tessera...she needs to find something that works.
This because the Demons crashed into the clubhouse, and it’s only a matter of time before an Elite...or hell, Tessera’s grandfather comes looking for her. Grandfather. There might be a tiny chance her piece of DNA comes from a female Elite, but the chance is way bigger for it to be one of the males who have set foot on earth more often. Besides, impregnating a human is easier to not be aware than being pregnant as an Elite. So, yeah, grandfather it is.
And when he does come looking for her, I need to be ready because I’m not giving her up without a fucking fight. I cup my woman’s face and feather a kiss against her lips. Pulling back, I tell her, “Go on in the back with your sister, she needs you just as much as you need her right now.”
Tessera swallows, looking at me with tears shimmering in her eyes. That’s a look that says so fucking much. It’s the thing every person in this world craves. Mutual respect. Not abandoning the one you want, but instead handing over all the love you can manage with your whole being. A fucking privilege to give and to receive.
And all of this at a point in our lives where we just started. Insane and yet oh so fucking right. I hold the door open and wait till she’s safely inside next to her sister. Stalking around the truck, I scan my surroundings because I have the creepy fucking feeling I’m being watched.
Detecting nothing suspicious, I decide to shoot Caius another message anyway. It’s better to be more alert than ignore my gut, even if I can’t notice anything out of place. I jump in the truck and head out to the clubhouse.
It’s a long drive back and it’s not so surprising to see Alastair and Eliana standing in the parking lot along with his VP, Os, and his Old Lady, Velma. By the look on Alastair’s face he’s not so happy to still be here but with these sisters it’s clear they need time to talk things through.
Though I’d like to spend more time with Tessera alone, that’s obviously not what’s going to happen right now. At the same time, I know very well she needs her sisters. Not only with the damn roller-coaster of events she went through, but also her sister Tria and losing Dio. I hope to fuck Caius is able to talk to Nixie and bring her back here.
Those four women might be good for Nixie to talk to as well, to let her know she’s not alone. Even if she isn’t a sister, I know for damn sure these women would embrace her into their group nonetheless.
Like I said, I’ve asked Caius in a text to discuss with Nixie if she has some kind of spell, potion, or anything that can be used as a weapon to contain an Angel. Because I know for damn sure that fucker will come at some point in our lives and I need to be ready. An Elite is way too fucking powerful to take on.
Even if I have the blood of my mate running through me that gives me more abilities and one hell of a power boost, it won’t ever be enough to face an Elite alone. I need a way to freeze him, talk to him, whatever...I need a fucking plan to find out what his intentions are when they realize Tessera exists. So, those girls heading into my office to talk is a good thing. I can use this time to discuss shit with Alastair and his VP, hoping Caius will get his ass over here soon too.
“Come on, guys. We have things to discuss just as well as our women have.” I don’t have to tell them twice. Alastair leads the way and heads into church, securing the fact that our conversation will stay inside the room and for our ears only.
It takes over three hours for Caius to finally step inside church. During this time, I’ve been discussing the Elite with those two Hellhounds. Seeing they are somewhat at the top of our food chain so to say, they had some information I didn’t know about. But it was Alastair’s question that made me smack my forehead.
He asked if I’ve had a feeling of being watched lately. Yeah, like for instance the Elite who have the ability to watch in on situations without actually being there themselves. Ring a bell? Someone has been tapping into a camera feed so to say of my fucking life. That right there explains the weird feeling I had of being watched.
And it wasn’t the first time I had that fucking icky feeling either. So, the fucker might have been keeping an eye on us longer. See how I need a plan? To be prepared? I fucking hate the not knowing, and I won’t risk Tessera, even if there isn’t anything to fear from these guys...better safe than sorry.
“Did you talk to Nixie about how we can handle that Elite fucker when he comes?” I snap at my VP.
Caius raises his eyebrow. “Well hello to you too, Prez. But yeah, I dropped her off at your office with the other girls. She wanted to test some shit on your Old Lady to see if it works.”
“The fuck?” I growl and stand up. “No one is testing any shit on my woman.”
“Calm your ass down,” Alastair snaps. “You know damn well you can’t try something in the middle of a damn battle, you need it to work beforehand. Testing is crucial and I have a feeling the little Witch won’t hurt Tessera. Not while being inside a damn clubhouse filled with Vamps, and I haven’t even mentioned the fact she’s the VP’s mate...Tessera being the Prez’s Old Lady...yeah, no worries. Push through that frenzy of yours and think like a fucking Prez. Your Old Lady will be fine.”
Dammit, he’s right. Fuck. And she’s immortal too but even the thought of her getting hurt is driving me near insanity. Why can’t we have a few months, or hell...years, for us to be together before we face life threatening disasters thrown in our paths. Then I would be able to face shit a whole different way.
Nah, I’d still freak the fuck out and maybe it’s the emotions of Nixie’s father that ran through me a few hours ago when I experienced the last few minutes of his life where his mate was killed before his eyes...I don’t ever want for something like that to happen. I will move hell, and fucking earth, before I ever come close to losing her.
“You try offering your Old Lady up as a guinea pig and we’ll have this discussion a-fucking-gain. Until then, I can damn well voice my concerns,” I mutter.
“She brought this clichéd huge black cauldron with some kind of liquid she cooked up.” Caius chuckles. “Textbook Witch I tell ya, the only thing missing was her pointy hat because she wears these long black dresses with long slits, sexy as fuck, the whole closet is filled with those things. She had to bundle it up when she got on the back of the bike. I can’t tell you how fucking frustrating it is to know your Old Lady is sitting behind you with bare legs. Dammit, I think I crawled over here instead of driving the normal speed limit just to be safe.”
My jaw drops. “Hang the fuck on. You were gone three damn hours and you’ve managed to go through her closet and you called her your Old Lady...you claimed her already?”
“Dude...I ain’t like you to pussyfoot around it and wait for the perfect timing to give my mate a fucking kiss. Hell yeah, I claimed her. I kissed the fuck out of her when I heard you pull the truck out of there and we were in bed a few minutes after that. The hell with waiting, fireworks when my tongue hit hers, no stopping that shit.” Caius smirks proudly.
I shake my head. “Inconsiderate asshole. She had her world tilted with getting those lies shattered that her mother had been telling her all her damn life, fucker.”
“Hey,” Caius points an accusing finger in my direction, “her world might have tilted but I put that fucker back in place. Not to mention the fact her nails were clawing at my jeans and her teeth were sinking in my neck, it wasn’t like I was the one who set the damn pace, there was no stopping the little sprite. Besides...I marked her as mine, it’s my blood flowing through her veins, diminishing the smell of Witch so those other fuckers in here won’t go near her with their fucking fangs.”
Alastair washes a hand over his face. “For fuck’s sake end this damn discussion already. He claimed her, the Witch is here with him, she made something we can use against the Elite fucker...end of fucking story. Not everyone works the same damn way or needs emotional pussyfooting. We’ve got bigger issues here like we discussed.”
“You’re right,” I snap, somewhat agitated both fuckers remarked how I’m the one pussyfooting around my Old Lady while I think she needed the time. Screw them, I know damn well what my woman needs and I will always put her first. “I think we’re as good as done here, I’ll bring Caius up to speed about what we discussed. We can grab a few beers at the bar seeing those women of ours will need some more time together now that Nixie joined them. I’ll go check because,”
“No, you won’t. I told you to leave them to test that shit Nixie brought. I’m sure you want to barge in there and protect your woman.” Alastair tries to stare me down.
“No, fucker. I need to tell her...fucking remind her, not to think of shit she can teleport her way, and not to use her wings. Nothing that will spike a damn beacon for Demons or Elite fuckers. That was my intention.” I make sure to lace my words with enough frustration and anger for him to know I won’t tolerate any bullshit. I’m fully aware of how to do my damn job.
“Good. Then let your VP check on them and tell her that shit.” Alastair sighs. “Because if I need to do it, I’ll drag my Old Lady along with me. Dammit, it’s been hours since I’ve seen her.”
All the men chuckle, realizing each and every one of us is hooked on our mate and don’t like to be separated from them. Or the fact this threat isn’t cleared yet. It sure does feel good to have these guys at my back, with this Old Lady shit...or with the unknown pending danger that’s closing in.