THOMAS: Le Beau Brothers - New Orleans Billionaire Wolf Shifters with plus sized BBW for mates (Le Beau Series Book 4) (9 page)

The past few hours had been the best of Thomas’s life and would have to tide him over for the next twenty–one days. How had he gone from dead set against a relationship to not being able to live without his woman? Heck, he hadn’t even gotten her into his bed yet, and he could barely breathe without her. This mating thing was crazy, and scary, and awesome, all at the same time.

Checking his watch, he had thirty minutes before the meeting at Grandpa’s. That was just enough time to grab a sandwich and a change of clothes. Daydreaming about his woman came with very wet, very smelly, consequences. A few minutes ago, as he stepped from the dock, he’d found himself shin deep in swamp stank. The images of her bikini flashing through his mind should have come with a hazard warning. He was really going to have to work on his attention skills.

Thirty minutes later, Thomas heard the crowd in Grandpa Isaac’s office before he rounded the corner. It sounded like everyone except him was already present. Good, he hated waiting for people who couldn’t manage to tell time.

“Thomas!” Both Jack and Michael greeted him the second he crossed the threshold.

“It’s great to see you looking so well,” he greeted them back.

Fist bumps and man hugs were energetically exchanged. He had really missed these guys.

Turning to the leaders present, he said, “It looks like we just need John, and we’re ready.”

As always, Etienne was more regal and simply gave him a nod in recognition. And, of course, Grandpa smiled proudly from behind his desk.

A second later, John stepped through the door, prompt as usual. Of course as children, Thomas had to beat punctuality into his little brother or else their father would do worse. But now, as an adult, John was never late if he could help it.

Isaac cleared his throat, and everyone took a seat.

“I think it would be best to bring Thomas and John up to speed on Jack and Michael’s gifts, as well as limitations,”

Etienne nodded his approval. “I agree. First and foremost, a young vampire cannot be in daylight. That ability comes with age and generally is available to vampires two hundred years and older. As thus, my men will be best suited for night work. They will need to feed at least once a week to maintain their strength. Otherwise, their diet is as normal as any of yours. Unlike the vampires of fantasy, we do not die in order to be converted and can survive for long stretches of time without blood at all. But to maintain our strength and speed we need to feed regularly.”

“What kind of strength and speed are you talking about? Are you fast like a shifter?” John asked.

“We can move so swiftly, you would think we had teleported. Our strength is equal to twenty human men. That was one of the main reasons the boys had to stay away from you and your families. As a newborn, a vampire must learn how to touch things without crushing them. It sounds ludicrous, but that is the way of it.”

“What other gifts do they bring to the security team?” Thomas asked with his notepad in hand.

“They can become invisible by bending the light so human eyes can not detect them. I am told a shifter’s eyes can still see us but not a human’s. We discovered, quite by accident, that if several vampires form a circle and become invisible at the same time, it creates a bubble. Anything within the bubble is both invisible and sound proof.

I have taught both Jack and Michael mind control and programming. Very few vampires are trained in these gifts to maintain order in the power system we have created. But these two are like sons to me and as such, have my complete trust.”

Thomas finished scribbling his notes and glanced at Etienne again. “Are there any other gifts I should know about?”

“The three of us have exchanged blood in order to read each others’ minds and speak telepathically. If you would like them to be able to read your mind for security purposes, you will need to let each of them take a small amount of blood. Sadly, you will not be able to do the same since taking their blood would initiate your conversion to vampire. The best you would achieve is one way communication.”

“So, it’s your blood, not the actual bite that converts? I was wondering about that,” John said.

“Yes, no one has pinpointed what exactly is in a vampires blood to cause the conversion. Even we have tried to understand the cause and effect but it remains a mystery.”

“What do you tell your new vampires and other supernaturals?” John asked as he sat forward, fascinated by the topic.

“We remain relegated to calling it magic,” Etienne quipped with a twinkle in his eye.

Isaac barked out a laugh at his old friend’s dry sense of humor.

“One last caution, a vampire is still a complete man if you get my point. Don’t be surprised by my men in Las Vegas having girlfriends and wives or boyfriends as the situation dictates. A few even have children. I own a block on the strip where I built a luxury condo high–rise for my family’s housing. I have assigned each of you a unit for the duration of your stay. There is a training facility below ground in the lower levels that has everything you will need and is available for your use at any time. The building is equipped with windows made of a customized two–way mirror substance. It blocks the harmful rays from the sun and looks like mirrored glass to the human eye. This protects the young vampires while allowing them to see daylight, which they would never have enjoyed a decade ago. It is not a perfect solution but better than we had before.”

Thomas was nodding along and taking notes as fast as he could. “What are our travel plans to get there and back while avoiding daylight?”

Isaac stood and rounded his desk. “I’ve already filed a flight plan for the Le Beau private jet. The plane will keep Jack and Michael safe while providing the discretion we require.”

“What about housing when we return? Do you have a plan in motion?” Thomas asked the consummate organizer.

“Jack and Michael have provided blueprints for their houses and we’ll begin building while you are away. If we finish the lower levels first, they can live in them while we complete the above ground portion. Living in a construction zone isn’t the most pleasant but we’ll complete construction as quickly as possible.”

“If I may, I would like to offer a night crew so the construction may continue around the clock. That way the houses will be completed close to their return or fairly soon after.”

“That’s a great idea. Have your foreman meet with mine to plan the shifts.”

Thomas rubbed his hands together. “I guess that only leaves one thing, what time do we take off? I still need to pack.”

Jack finally joined the conversation then. “Two hours, just after dusk.”

“We would help but...” Michael joked.

“Yeah. Yeah.” John laughed. “You just hang out and drink Grandpa’s scotch. We’ll be back in about an hour.”

Few people knew of the private airfield and family jet kept there. Now, two more were added to that very short list of people in the know. Jack and Michael boarded with John and Thomas as Isaac and Etienne watched over the airfield. When security was a prime concern, secrecy was imperative.

The flight from the plantation to Las Vegas was blessedly short. Etienne’s man in charge of his Las Vegas family waited patiently beside an already prepped helicopter.

Thomas grinned as he thought
these vampires are the most organized group I’ve ever met.

The neon lights of the strip where almost blinding from above. Thomas glanced at John and the vampires; the brightness must be too much for their sensitive eyes. Each wore pitch–black sunglasses, so dark, he wondered if they could see at all.

The family compound was built almost dead center of the current city sprawl. Between the placement and height of the structure, the high–rise afforded the vampires a leg up in maintaining control of the entire area. Thomas’s admiration increased ten fold; Etienne was a damn smart man and warrior.

The rooftop was astounding: gardens, pools with waterfalls, the ultimate oasis from the frenetic energy that coursed through the veins of the city of sin. With a refuge like this, he just might enjoy his three weeks here.

Within seconds of disembarking the helicopter, it lifted off and disappeared into the night. Three additional vampires joined them and escorted each of their party to their private suite.

Daaamn!

His suite could have given any high roller’s penthouse in the city a run for its money. Etienne sure believed in giving his family every comfort and convenience. The only thing it was missing was Julia.

Finished unpacking, he knocked on John’s door. Thank goodness he was next door, this place was massive, and he didn’t care to prowl the halls looking for his crew. John’s suite was decorated in earth tones where as his was blues and greens, otherwise they were very similar.

“Hey, bro. This is awesome!” John exclaimed.

“Mine, too.”

Moments later, Jack and Michael knocked on the door.

“They would like to give us a tour if you are done unpacking,” Michael said, as he sauntered through the open door.

John cocked his head as he studied the men closely for the first time. “Y’all move differently than you used too.”

“Yeah, you do,” Thomas agreed.

“All part of the vampire charm,” Jack grinned. “We move with a gliding kind of walk rather than a human walk.”

Michael nodded. “We figured that influenced the fictional portrayal of vampires floating. Although the crazy powerful vampires like Etienne really can float. It’s actually kind of creepy to witness.”

“Enough vampire folklore.” Jack laughed. “Let’s get this tour started. How about the boring facts first? The building is fifty stories above ground and eight below. The top story is Etienne’s personal penthouse, and directly below that is reserved for his personal guests. All other floors are either individual family units, meeting rooms or training space. All except basement eight that is reserved for – well let’s call them – ‘encouragement rooms’. You never want to find yourself a guest in one of those rooms.”

Michael laughed along with Jack. “That’s for sure.”

“You saw the helipad when we landed. What you didn’t see was the rooftop pool and putting green.”

Thomas looked from Jack to Michael and laughed. “A putting green?”

Michael shook his head. “You’d never guess it, but Etienne is addicted to golf.”

Once the laughter and jokes quieted down, Jack continued. “You’ll see the practice rooms and gyms when we head down for our first workout. In the meantime, would you like to see the different styles of condos or how about we kick back with a cocktail in the lounge on the seventh floor?”

“Cocktail,” both John and Thomas said at the same time.

After a relaxing beer, the sun was still too high in the sky, and the young vampires were forced to remain indoors. Thomas decided they should have a short training meeting. A plan of action and schedule would go a long way in getting the men back to Louisiana as soon as possible.

Armed with a list of Jack’s and Michael’s abilities and weaknesses, Thomas returned to his suite to formulate teams and strategies so he could plan maneuvers he wanted them to practice.

An hour later, John found him deep in paperwork and hand-drawn diagrams that look more like football plays than security procedures.

“You ready to take a break and check out the strip?”

“Give me a minute, I’m almost done.”

Give Thomas an inch, and he’ll take a mile when it came to planning and security measures. Five minutes later, John snatched the pen from a very disgruntled Thomas and demanded he take a break.

He was finally able to convince John to return to the compound when the sunset colored the sky.

“All right, bro. I’ve had enough sightseeing of barely clad women. You may still be single, but I’m a taken man. We need to head back.”

“You’re serious about Julia? I heard a rumor she was your mate, but I never can tell if Stefan is pulling my leg or not.”

“Yep. She is, but so far we’re taking it slow. I never planned to have a girlfriend much less a wife or mate. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not having second thoughts, just taking my time and getting to know her. Fourteen hundred years is a long time with a woman. And if you met her mother, you’d take your time, too.”

“That bad?”

“Worse.”

Back in his suite, after a shower and change into clean boxers, Thomas tried calling Julia. She must still be at The Backwater. He really hated voicemail and left a quick message before ending the call.

A few minutes later his phone rang. “Hello?”

“Hello, cher. I’m sorry I missed your call. How was the flight to Las Vegas?”

Her drowsy voice sounded like heaven to his ears. Or, at least he imagined that must be what heaven would sound like. Visions of his woman stretched before him, wearing nothing but satin sheets materialized in his mind. He’d never touched satin sheets, but he had seen them in movies often enough to have a pretty good idea how much he’d like to get her naked in them with nothing between him and all her delectable skin. Her hair fanned out over the pillow and lips swollen with his kisses. Candlelight playing lovingly over her curves and lighting the love that burned in her eyes.