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Thorne stood apart and smiled at his men.
Medichi was next as he cupped the back of the warrior’s neck. He put his forehead on Luken’s. “Welcome back, big guy.”
“I get Luken tonight,” Santiago cried out. He had a cloth in hand, wiping down the blade of his sword. “Okay with you, jefe?”
“I’ll leave that up to Luken.”
Luken met Marcus’s gaze. “I’ll take Marcus if you’re battling tonight.”
Marcus shook his head. “Would if I could. I’m on guardian duty.”
“You staying long?” Luken asked.
Well, wasn’t that the million-dollar question. Marcus shrugged. “I’m taking it one day at a time.”
Luken’s smile broadened to a grin. “Sounds like a yes to me.” His gaze moved past Marcus and he added, “Of course there is one reason I’d like to see you go.” His smile dimmed as affection filled his eyes.
“Luken,” Havily cried from across the lawn. “Your wings!”
Marcus turned and watched her start to run. She still wore flight gear, which hugged her body like a wet suit. He had a powerful impulse to step in front of her and block her as she drew close, but somehow he mastered the overwhelming instinct.
“You’ve got wings. Your wings are back!”
She ran into Luken’s arms and Luken swallowed her up in a hug. He twirled her in a series of big circles so that Havily’s legs were almost parallel to the ground. His wings moved and lifted them both into the air. Havily squealed and laughed.
Marcus started breathing hard. His woman, his breh, was in the arms of another man. She was in the air and in the arms of another man. He felt Thorne come up on his left and grip his left arm. Medichi whirled back, took one look at him, and caught his right arm going the other direction.
“It’s just friendly,” Medichi whispered. “Luken would never hurt her, and if he hasn’t won her in a hundred years, he won’t today.”
Marcus heard the growl in his throat, his vampire nature in ascendance.
Luken grinned at Marcus from about twenty feet in the air. His wings flapped and he moved slowly downward until his feet touched earth. With Havily’s naked back on display and her arms still wrapped around Luken’s neck, the bastard flipped him off.
If Thorne and Medichi hadn’t held him back, he would have leaped at Luken and knocked him flat, or at least tried to. Luken was one big motherfucker.
“Uh, Havily,” Thorne called out.
She slid her arms from around Luken, took one look at Marcus, and blanched. “Oh, God.” She patted Luken’s weapons harness. “Glad you’re back.” She turned around and headed in the direction of the house. She didn’t stop to say anything to Marcus nor did she look at him, which was probably wise.
“That went well,” Thorne muttered.
Luken drew his wings in. He approached Marcus and said, “She’s yours, ass**le. We all know it. Just please stick around and take care of her. At least in that way you can put me out of my misery.”
The sad expression in Luken’s eye dimmed the rage that boiled in Marcus’s veins. Luken had had a crush on Havily apparently since he’d served as her guardian during her rite of ascension. So … shit. How much simpler all of this would have been if Havily had been Luken’s breh, instead of his.
Sometimes he thought destiny had one sick sense of humor.
Marcus turned as if to follow after Havily but Thorne held him back. “I’ll have to give Endelle a report. Tell me what happened with Crace.”
* * *
When Havily returned to Parisa, she found the mortal had begun weeping again, not hysterically but in that exhausted way of someone who had been through way too much in too short a time. First the thrill of flying, then being chased by a maniac who tried to kill her, then finding herself in the darkening. Not to mention that she’d had one swift dunk into the world of the vampire.
She led the ascendiate back into the house, her arm around her shoulders. She was grateful to have a distraction. The look on Marcus’s face had frightened her. She’d never quite seen him that enraged, and it hadn’t escaped her that both Thorne and Medichi were physically restraining him.
She took a deep breath, guiding Parisa in the direction of the kitchen. Maybe a glass of wine would help … both of them.
She drew a bottle of Cabernet from the wine rack and two glasses from the cupboard. Then she had another thought that might be of even more use than the wine—but she’d need her phone. Before she set about opening the bottle, she closed her eyes. She actually had to search her memory to figure out where she had left her iPhone. She found it on the dresser in her bedroom, their bedroom, then folded it into her hands.
She guided the screen. A moment later Alison, her voice a little breathless, said, “Havily. What’s going on?”
In the background, she heard Kerrick say, “Come back to bed. I still have twenty minutes before I report to Thorne.” A growl followed.
Havily felt a blush on her cheeks. She almost said she would call back later, but Alison said, “Just ignore that. What’s going on? How can I help?” A pause, and Alison’s voice was muffled as she said, “Stop that. Havily needs me.” She came back on the line. “Well, that’s settled … for the moment. Talk to me. I can feel your distress.”
Havily felt an instant calm descend over her. Thank God for Alison. She relayed the events that had just occurred, then her request that Alison come to the villa and spend some time with Parisa.
“Of course I will.” Another pause, then, “Will ten minutes be all right? I’ll come now, if—”
“Make it fifteen,” Havily said, rushing her words.
“Good that’s good. See you in fifteen.” Then a sound like the phone had hit something solid, like a wall. “Kerrick,” Alison cried, her voice distant. “We can’t keep buying new phones. Oh, stop that.” A lot of giggling ensued followed by a series of moans. When things got serious, only then did Havily break from the really improper listening in and end the call.
She stared at her phone for a long moment. She knew what they were doing and for some reason it made her want to cry. They were so in love, so completely bonded. They were married now, if not by ceremony then by their bond, their commitment, their unity, by the completion of the breh-hedden.
For the past four months, their happiness had been a thorn in Havily’s side. She had once been that happy with Duncan. She knew what that kind of happiness felt like.
