Sweeter Than Wine (20 page)

Cameron laughed. “Aye, that I do. He’s a special lad, for all that he’s English.”

“He’s got a lot of power for a vamp on the young side, doesn’t he?”

Cameron nodded as they headed for the big house. “His conversion wasn’t a pleasant one. His maker found him near death, turned him to save his life, and abandoned him deep in the woods, all in one night. Not many would survive that ordeal, but the lad not only survived, he saved the life of a hurt little
were
wolf girl in the process. He brought the girl home to her parents, though he was weak as a cub himself, and forged a friendship the likes of which hadn’t been seen in this realm for centuries. It’s my belief he was put there, in those woods three hundred years ago, for just that purpose. He’s a proven friend to the
were
. He’s never played a single one of them false and they trust him. The trust he forged over three centuries will be key in the troubled times ahead.

Mark my words.”

Steel was startled by the idea, but if anyone could predict the future, he knew it would be a creature like Cameron. Steel stood beside him as he rang the bell at the front entrance.

Matt pulled open the heavy door a few moments later. They exchanged greetings and entered the spacious foyer.

“Hastings has set up an office of sorts in the media room. Sebastian already had these giant monitors, so we hooked up the computer to one so we could all look at the images and data together.” Matt strode down the wide hall, ushering Steel and Cameron to a large room near one end of the big house. “We’ve also got the kitchen working, so if you’re hungry, food’s available.” Steel’s stomach growled at the mention of food and he knew he’d partake of dinner once he saw what the setup was.

156

Matt didn’t quite know what to make of Benjamin Steel, but so far, his quiet ways were endearing rather than annoying. The man was almost as still as the night. He had that creepy Special Forces way about him
⎯
like Hastings, and Matt’s older brothers. It was odd to encounter in a person who wasn’t supernatural at all.

Not that Matt didn’t like human folk. From time to time, Redstone Construction employed some of his brothers’ former comrades-in-arms. They were invariably good workers with strong ethics. The few who were close enough to his brothers to get a job with the company knew about the
were
, and their integrity was unquestioned. They wouldn’t go blabbing to anyone about
were
creatures anytime soon, though
were
, in general, weren’t as obsessive about secrecy as vamps. For one thing, there were a lot of highly placed
were
in positions where they could be helpful in covering up any indiscretions. For another,
were
could pass for human with few exceptions. Unless blood tests were involved—and those could be gotten around in many ways—folks who claimed their neighbors were
were
wolves ranked right up there on the credibility scale with alien abductees and UFO nuts.

Matt knew Steel hadn’t learned the truth about the supernatural world until his final mission for the Navy into the rainforests of South America. Hastings had a file on Steel he’d let Matt read. It seemed Steel’s SEAL Team had run into a rogue band of
were
panthers in the rainforest and Steel was the only one who’d made it out alive. He’d been a changed man after that. Not too much later, according to his file, he’d been recruited by the
Altor Custodis
.

“Make yourself at home,” Matt said as they entered the media room. It was buzzing now with Hastings’ agents, all busy filtering through various feeds of information. Matt perched on a table as Cameron greeted Hastings and his men with hearty handshakes all 157

around. The fey had manners, Matt would give him that. Meanwhile, Steel held back, observing.

He stood near enough that Matt didn’t have to raise his voice to be heard by the human. “Cam’s a special one, don’t you think?”

Steel glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. “I’ve never even seen a fey before.”

“I figured he’d told you. The guy likes you for some reason.” Matt snorted with good-natured humor. “But he’s not
just
fey. There are rumors he’s some kind of elite fey warrior. From what I’ve heard, he can fight on magical and material levels simultaneously. Not many in our realm can boast that skill.”

Steel looked both knowing and curious. “Not even the vamps? They’ve got a lot of power—physically and magically
⎯
at least from what I’ve seen.”

“Good point, but no. Many of them don’t have enough time in to know how to do both simultaneously at peak efficiency. At least that’s what Ian told me. And he’s got a few centuries on the others. He was a knight in the Crusades.”

Steel turned to face him, giving him all his attention. “I’m curious how a
were
cougar became so tight with a whole nest of vampires. I was told you guys didn’t mix.” He gestured to the bustling room. “I mean, Cam told me about how Sebastian helped a
were
wolf way back when, but what about the others? LaTour doesn’t seem like the warm and fuzzy type to me, and that Ian guy is a stone killer if I ever saw one.”

Matt barked out a laugh before he could stop himself. “Man. Sorry. You’re so quiet, you caught me by surprise with that one. Yeah, Ian’s intense and so is Marc, but you haven’t exactly seen them at their best. Right now, the shit has well and truly hit the fan and they’re in battle mode.”

Steel seemed to consider. “Okay. I’ll give you that. But still, what gives with you and the vamps?”

“Well, it started with Sebastian. We’ve been friends for a while. My family was suspicious at first and some of the clan still doesn’t exactly welcome him with open arms, but they know he’s a good guy. When my sister was killed by her mate, he…” Matt felt a lump rise in his throat at the thought of his lost sister. He’d loved her and missed her still.

158

“He helped us track the rogue and helped me, personally, put the grief away long enough to get the job done. He was there for me and I’ll always value his friendship.” Matt shifted on his uncomfortable perch. “So when he asked for my help with Christy, I couldn’t say no. I’d do a lot for that man. And helping a woman who nearly died at the hands of her husband felt right. I could help Christy where I failed my sister.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Steel’s voice conveyed his sincerity. Matt nodded, saying no more as Cameron came back to them.

They went through the information gathered that day, but when Matt asked if anyone was up for some dinner, Steel and Cam both nodded eagerly. They dined in the giant, state of the art kitchen that saw little normal use. Now though, it’d been taken over by a contingent of
were
who were turning out some tasty meals for those gathered in the house and prowling the grounds.

When the sun went down, Matt felt Sebastian and Christy stir in his mind. He balled up his paper napkin and threw it in the trash with deadly accuracy from across the room, then rose and rinsed his plate before putting it in the dishwasher.

“We’d better get back.” The others had finished eating long before Matt, but had stayed to savor coffee and a slice of pie. “They’re awake.”

Cameron slapped Matt on the back as they headed back toward the media room. “I can only imagine how you ended up bonded with a vampire couple. I had no idea our Sebastian was that kinky.”

“It was sort of an accident.” Despite his usual candor about all things sexual, Matt felt some embarrassment on this one issue.

Cameron chuckled. “Oh, I’ll bet. I don’t believe any vampire, thinking sanely, would engage in a threesome with his One and a
were
friend—or anyone for that matter—before they’d actually bonded. There must’ve been higher powers at work, my friend. Of that, have no doubt.”

“You think?” The idea made Matt feel better…and worse. Better that fate had played a hand, and worse, wondering why fate would have interfered in such a way. What dreaded future role would their bonding play?

159

“Aye, laddie. Don’t worry. The Lady works in mysterious ways. Value Her gifts, even if you don’t understand them yet. She has plans none of us can fathom, but we all play our roles.”

As they headed down the hall from the kitchen, which was located on the other side of the spacious house, they ran into Lissa and Atticus first, then Christy and Sebastian.

After exchanging greetings, they all proceeded together to the media room where the troops were gathering.

Hastings greeted them when they entered. “I’ve set up a conference call for later this evening with the Lords and left messages for LaTour and Sinclair at the numbers they gave me.”

“Excellent. They’ll be here soon, then.” Atticus escorted his wife to a seat on one of the large couches, then turned to check over the data displays the
weres
had been working on all day.

Christy was content to sit and talk with Lissa while the men conferred. She could easily pull the details of what had been learned while they were asleep all day from Sebastian’s mind. The longer they were together, the more comfortable she became with the ability, though at times his stray thoughts still startled her. It was odd to be privy to someone else’s innermost thoughts.

“Sebastian says Sensei Hiro is coming over tonight, Lis. If you want to learn some self defense moves, you couldn’t have a finer teacher.”

Lissa shifted on the couch. “I’ve never been very athletic, but I’d like to try. Only you can’t laugh if I make a fool of myself, okay?”

Christy smiled. “It’s a deal.”

A short while later, Marc and Ian arrived with an unexpected, but very welcome addition—Kelly. Christy hadn’t seen her friend since that night in the hospital. They exchanged greetings and the men congregated around the computers while the women relaxed together.

160

“Christy, you’re looking good. I’ve never seen such a sparkle in your eyes. Not since senior year.” Kelly smiled and Christy could feel her friend’s very real happiness for her.

“I had suspicions about Sebastian from the way he reacted when I got the call from the hospital. He was working at the house with Marc that night and he got really scary when he heard what had happened to you. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but later I realized he’d insisted pretty strongly on coming with us to the hospital. Now of course, I realize why. Congratulations, sweetie. You’ve got a good man there.”

“I know. He’s the best.” Christy watched him move across the room, working with the other men. To her, he was the most handsome, the most amazing, of them all. “I still can’t believe he’s in my life. It all seems like a dream.”

Lissa snorted delicately and shook her head. “Well, last night was more like a nightmare.”

Kelly’s face clouded. “Marc told me. I was so worried about you guys. And Marc’s concerned for my safety now too. It’s part of the reason I’m here tonight.” She looked around at all the men in the room, most of whom were quite lethal with or without weapons. “With so many of us and the
were
here, Marc figured we’d be safe enough.

Plus, I put my foot down. I wanted to see you guys and I’m sick of being under virtual house arrest. Marc is too overprotective!”

They all laughed when the man in question looked up and blew a comical kiss across the room at his wife. His wink was pure deviltry and Christy began to understand a little of the Master Vampire’s charm.

On the other side of the big room, another large video display flickered to life. The colored bars were soon replaced with a new signal and a rather startling image of two identical men staring back at them. These, then, were the Lords of the
Were
. Christy pulled the information from Sebastian’s mind as he faced the small camera pickup that would send his image to the twin men on the other end of the connection. Seems the supernaturals were down with technology. This was an honest to goodness videoconference.

Marc moved to the front of the group.

161

“Thank you for taking the call.”

The twin on the right nodded. “Hastings said you had a situation we might be able to help with.”

“Did he send you the information he’s gathered so far?” Marc looked over at the private eye, who nodded.

“We got it. Sounds like you’ve got a serious problem.”

“You could say that.” Marc smiled for the first time and the men on the other end of the line seemed to relax marginally.

The twin on the left sighed and shook his head. “Hell, if you’ve got
Venifucus
on the loose, we know how you feel. We’ve been there. Done that. Got the scars to prove it.” He sat back in his chair, relaxing even more. “I’m Rafe. That’s Tim.” He pointed with his pen at his twin.

“Pleased to finally meet you. I’m Marc, this is Sebastian, Atticus, Ian and Cameron.”

He gestured to the men ranged around him in turn. “Do you know Matt Redstone? He’s one of yours.”

“We know his brother Grif. How is he? Still up in the mountains?”

Matt nodded. “Yes, Alpha. He’s got some soul searching to do, but he’s in touch. If he’s needed, he’ll come home.”

The twins nodded. “No need for that quite yet. He needs this time and you’ve proven yourself well able to handle things so far.”

A commotion on that end of the call momentarily halted discussion until two females came into view on the camera. One was older, and incredibly feminine. She walked right up to the camera and stared hard, her beautiful eyes squinting.

“Is that you, Cam? Darnit! I knew you were into mischief.”

Cameron stepped forward with an easy smile on his face. “Guilty as charged, Bette.

How’ve you been? Long time, no see.”

“Well you can remedy that anytime, Cam. You know where I am.” The petite woman moved back from the camera and took a seat. The other woman who’d come into the room with her was seated between the men. Christy wasn’t surprised when the 162

information came to her from Sebastian that the younger woman was married to both men. “Now, I’m sorry to burst in on all this male bonding, but there are important matters to discuss. Where is your mate, milord?”

Christy jumped as she realized the woman was talking to Sebastian. He looked a little nonplussed as well, but recovered nicely, motioning for Christy to join him by the video setup. When she walked into the picture, the older woman’s face softened.

“It’s good to see you, child. Your image has haunted my dreams for many weeks now. I’m Betina. What’s your name?”

“Christy. It’s nice to meet you.” She didn’t know quite what to make of the woman, but then she moved and her sleeve fell away to reveal a glowing, swirling pattern. Christy gasped.