Page 10 of A Drink of Destiny
“This is Alvis. He’s mine,” Raiel said.
“I heard.”
“He’s also the sleep guy,” Raiel said, opening the fridge.
“I know who Alvis is,” Nic flashed us a sleepy smile. “I was the one who talked with him before hiring him. Despite what Mori believes, I did my due diligence before deciding what to do. Plus, I figured if Mori had the answer or an idea he’d have spoken up by now.
“He’s young,” I said, sitting down at the table while Raiel rummaged around the fridge. “Plus, I don’t think he’s giving anyone the chance to help him. I mean, I could’ve told him that spirits don’t always know as much as they think they do. Sometimes they’re spot on and even then, if the universe isn’t ready for something to happen, it won’t happen.”
Nic bit his lip. Nic was younger than me too. Though, I wasn’t sure if he was as young as Mori. Perhaps all the talk about spirits made him uncomfortable. Then there it was. That lookthat said Nic had a secret. Was it the same secret that Preston was keeping?
“Preston doesn’t want Mori involved,” Raiel said a second later.
He stood up and kicked the fridge shut behind him because his arms were full of leftovers.
“I hope you’re going to make me a plate too. Your cousin’s baby is still sucking me dry,” Nic said and the baby let out a little giggle as if he knew what we were talking about.
“Have I ever let your ass go hungry, Nic?” Raiel rolled his eyes, but a grin pulled at the corners of his kissable lips as he loaded the leftover meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and something that was purple but looked and smelled like asparagus into the oven.
“First time for everything and Beal got a little obsessed with me when we first met. Hey! I don’t need to watch out for body parts, do I?” Nic asked.
“Nah,” Raiel shook his head and filled me in on the body parts that Beal delivered to Nic as part of their courtship.
“Why doesn’t Preston want Mori to be part of the investigation?” I asked Nic when there was a lull in the conversation.
Raiel took a deep breath and leaned back against the counter. It killed something deep inside me not to touch him but we both came a bit more undone each and every time we touched.
“Because of Sharon Claudis,” Nic sighed. “I take it that you’ve heard of her.”
“I have. It was hard not to. She’s from the other side of the world and was over there blowing stuff up. I don’t live in London of course.”
Raiel opened his mouth to ask where I lived but I gave a subtle shake of my head. Some vampires didn’t want thelocations of their abodes floating around. We remembered when vampire hunters ran rampant. He shut his mouth and turned his attention back on Nic.
“Well, she was after Preston’s baby because her son is that baby’s sire. She’s a psycho of course. Plain and simple,” Nic sighed.
“Do you believe she has something to do with it?” I asked.
“Not really,” Nic shook his head. “She helped her escape after she killed her ex-lover for putting a price on my head. I don’t think she really wanted anything from her. I think Sharon just wanted to do something to piss off Clarence and let him know that she was still around and he couldn’t catch her.”
I almost asked to see my patient but stopped to consider if I was clear-headed enough to start tonight. The answer was almost definitely no. Then again, Raiel seemed pretty determined to keep his pants on until he figured out the courting gift situation. If I was going to not whine my way through being a supportive mate I was going to have to stay busy.
“I can take a look at her after we eat, if you like,” I offered.
“Okay,” Nic nodded. “That might work out for the best. Once Beal gets back I’m going to bed. He is too even if he doesn’t know it yet.”
I glanced at the baby to see what he thought of that, but the little cat was already out cold.
A half-grown domestic kitten zoomed into the kitchen and crashed into Raiel’s legs mewing like he’d never had a meal in his life, despite his pudgy belly. Raiel scooped him up with one hand and meowed something I didn’t understand yet back to him. The kitten purred. I guessed he liked whatever Raiel told him.
Chapter Eight
Raiel
Moonscale London
Before true-mate responding to Alvis (mine!) I wasn’t sure how I felt about some stranger coming in to gaze at Annila while she slept. We’d spoken a handful of times before she conked out for good and Annila was a decent woman. She reminded me of some of the ladies back home with how protective she was over Nic. No one messed with a carrier’s cubs. It was strange to see the deadly dragoness out cold and curling more and more in on herself every day. Alvis was mine, though. So, while I doubted anyone Earthside called a ‘professional’ anything I knew he wouldn’t bring her more harm.
Beal arrived home and ate before heading to bed with his mate and baby. We washed up in the kitchen with Neal riding on my shoulder before heading upstairs to see Annila. The kitten was quiet as we pushed open her bedroom door as if, even at his young age, he understood that this was a solemn affair.
