Page 8 of A Drink of Destiny
Raiel didn’t answer him but I hoped he’d be agreeable to taking him up on that offer. I was only slightly miffed when my mate opened the door for Preston first. The bear let out a content sigh to see a rear facing car seat already installed.
“It’s for when I watch Antonio. I don’t get to drive with him much, but I wanted to be ready for when it happened. Mostly Neal likes to nap in it. Neal is Nic’s kitten. He was his third courting gift from Beal,” Raiel explained as he held the door open while Preston situated his sleeping cub in the car seat. The fur dissolved as the bear cub shifted into his human form.
All my sons were vampires. Would my baby with Raiel be a little kitten? I bit my lip and tried to push the adorable thought away as Raiel closed the door behind Preston and his baby. I could’ve opened my own door but to be fair I liked to be spoiled and, after all, I had waited while Preston got his cub settled into the car seat. Raiel kissed my cheek as he opened the door and I slid into it. He did up my seat belt again and it took all my mightnot to grab onto his shirt and pull him in for a kiss. The baby in the back seat was out cold. He’d never remember one little kiss.
I missed my chance and the door shut. A second later, we were back on the road. Mori might’ve changed my destiny, but he also complicated my night and my job. I liked going into new jobs with as little information about the situation as possible. I liked to feel things out on my own but tonight wasn’t the night to crash into the sleeping dragoness’s bedroom and get down to business. The only thing I wanted to get down was Raiel’s pants.
My mate drove with one hand on my knee and Preston’s fingers moved like lightning over his phone in the backseat. Was he texting his brother? Did they need to text if they had a twin link? He glanced up at me and our gazes met in the rear-view mirror. I’d seen my fair share of guilty men, and he was keeping a secret. His eyes spoke of something unraveling and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know what it was.
Nic and Beal’s house was a mansion. There wasn’t another word for it and I’d know because I lived in my fair share of mansions and castles over the centuries. A dark shape laid curled up in front of the door and another stood over him.
“That’s Beal standing there,” Raiel said. “My cousin.”
“Poor Mori,” Preston sighed from the backseat.
“Poor everyone,” Raiel said.
Yep. Poor everyone. Tonight was magical and I had a feeling that the magic wasn’t going to last once we got out of the car. Whatever had actually upset Mori seemed bigger than being slapped or losing out on a job. No wolf smelled that sad over such silly things. Jobs were serious but Earthside was filled with unexplained happenings. Missing out on one job never broke anyone’s chance at making a name for themselves.
Preston took his time getting out of the back seat because he had to check on his baby but I opened my door as soon as the car pulled to a stop. I blurred to Mori’s side, my feet barely touchingthe ground. I wasn’t sure what others called the abilities of some vampire to move and look as if we blurred the air but it’s what everyone I grew up with called it. I hated to ignore my mate’s cousin, but Mori was the one laying with his cheek pressed to the marble and staring blankly ahead.
I stretched out onto my stomach next to him, knowing I was adding to my dry cleaning bill, but sometimes you had to get dirty when someone fell apart. His eyes didn’t move and until he blinked I thought perhaps he had ventured out of his body again.
“What’s going on, Mori?” I asked as the sabertooth tiger looked down at both of us. “I’m sorry I hit you. I’m sorry they hired me too.”
“You were the wrong guy,” he sighed and flopped onto his back. “You had on a shirt like Dern said but you were the wrong guy. You weren’t my mate. He sent me to meet him and didn’t even tell me. He won’t tell me who it is. I think he hates me. I think Dern just decided to toy with me from beyond the grave and made up the Postcard Men.”
I didn’t understand a lot of what he spoke of but he wasn’t the first omega I laid next to while they wiled away the minutes until their true-mates showed up. I too had felt the absence of a connection that was ingrained in me before I ever met Raiel.
I reached out with my magic, meaning to soothe his rough edges enough that his brother might get him home for the night, but he stuck out his hand until it met my face and pushed me away as a dog might if you invade its personal space uninvited. A growl rattled behind me, and I stuck an arm up to catch Raiel midjump before he landed on Mori. He was heavy but not impossible to keep back even when his now furry chest pressed into my palm.
“Mate, I trespassed on his energy field,” I said. “I’m usually all down for the big, strong alpha stuff but you should know I am more than capable. My lineage gets stronger with each year thatI live. He didn’t hurt me. He’s having omega issues. You need to back off for a second or we’re all in for a long night.”
A second later a little growl startled all three of us. Raiel fell over onto his side and spun around. Mori sat up and sighed.
“Andy, why did you get out of the car?” Mori’s voice sounded strained but at least he was talking as he scooted over to pick up his furry nephew. He held the baby to his chest, and he nuzzled his little bear snout against him. “It’s all dark out here. You should be in bed. I told your daddy he didn’t have to come. I told him Uncle Beal was overreacting. I was fine.”
Mori was most definitely not fine but at least he found the motivation to push himself off the ground and walk to the car. I watched him slide into the backseat with his nephew and shut the door behind them. Preston followed a second later and only then did I glance over at Raiel who was back in his human form with a ripped shirt.
“That was hot.” The words tumbled out of his mouth as his eyes raked over me.
“What was?” I blinked.
“Your hand was half brick wall and half vice grip,” he smirked.
“Not used to not being the strongest one around, huh?” I smiled because how could I not with his hungry gaze lingering over me.
“Should I drive them home?” Beal offered, leaning against the doorframe.
Neither of us answered for a moment. The house sort of smelled like Raiel. Enough that I had no doubt that he spent plenty of time here. He probably even had his own room here and it would be easy to slink off to it and get to know him better. Though, inside was also the sleeping dragoness who I was hired to examine and a baby and his cousin’s mate, who was technically my client since he paid the deposit on my services.
“In Nic’s car?” Raiel asked. “We’re going to hit a hotel I think.”
“Do you think that’s wise?” Beal asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked before my mate got the words out.
“Sex can be loud and I’m not sure how the hotel staff will handle your food, if they have enough for either of you,” Beal said. “Not just blood but lions eat a lot.”
