Into Death's Arms (44 page)

    I hugged him tightly. “Get some rest daddy, tomorrow is a new day and we are going to make an interesting duo you and I.” I laughed as I closed his door behind me.

    I was so tired as I stumbled to my room my eyelids kept closing of their own accord. Of
course,
the moment I arrived I was
wide-awake
. Nikissos was in my bedroom.  “Laith asked me to make sure you were alright.” He said a whisper in the darkness.

     “I’m fine but
I don’t like you being in here,
” I growled.

      He shrugged his black shoulders at me. “I understand you despise me.” He said softly.
The words were tainted like he was feeling a little of that hate himself. Self-hatred was something I could understand I had spent a lot of time lately wondering what was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I be like the other AoD? Turns out some things happen for a reason.

     I put up a hand to stop him. “No I don’t despise you
.
I don’t like you but if I despised
you,
I would tell the AoD in the other room that you are the one who took his AoLi from him. That is what I would do if I despised you.
” I sighed stiffly, “
Go somewhere else now I’m not in the mood to deal with exactly how I do feel about you.” He nodded once and faded into the shadows. Creepy damn
Dream-walker
, unfortunately I was thinking we were going to
need him in the future. If the
peace between all species my mother had wanted was going to work, we were going to need a representative from his species. I was too tired for words. I turned on every light in my room to keep the
Shadow-born
from coming in and out all willy nil
ly, showered, and went to bed.

      The rest of the week went by in a haze. Dayton was away doing some
Vamp
ire
y thing. He wasn’t sharing information with me. When I
asked,
he said he was fine and would return to me shortly. I doubted he was fine but I didn’t know where he was so I wasn’t going to him anytime soon.

 
I checked his building like sixty times same results one day I even slept there hoping he would come home to me. I missed him like crazy.

     My dad was adjusting well to the fact that Laith was a part of our lives. They spent hours talking about my mom. As Laith healed they trained together and hunted together general father son type stuff I just wasn’t good enough for but I was okay with that. Dad wasn’t all over me like he used to be anymore and I was liking the freedom.

   He still asked on occasion if I was sure about Dayton. I was
surer
about Dayton than I was about anything else in my life. Everything was different from what I’d thought. The
Shadow-born
were not the monsters I had thought they were. Not to say that some of them didn’t suck. Kinsley had been a sure fire example of that. But
,
sometimes humans sucked too. I watched the news I saw the things they did to one another. I assumed there were even Ao out there that sucked. My mother wasn’t afraid of them for no reason. I didn’t know why yet but I had time to find out. 

     Laurna was healing up good and the doctors expected to be able to release her soon. Donovan was avoiding her, the shit, or maybe he was at the
Vamp
thing too. Hell if I really knew.  I sat in a chair in her hospital room while she ra
iled against fate. “Where is he,
” she hissed.

    I shook my head, “I don’t know hon.” She had lost weight. Her eyes were sunken and her blond hair clung to her. She looked terrible.

    “He won’t even speak to me, you know, in my mind.” She whispered. She sounded miserable. My whole life I’d envied her, right now not so much.

     I frowned.
Dayton baby?
I asked.

    
Yes my love?
Was his immediate response how would I feel if I lost this? I couldn’t imagine.

      I sighed pushing away fear it wasn’t helping anyone.
Laurna is in a bad way baby, where is Donovan?
I asked softly.

      His answer was strained.
Is she ill?

      
No,
she’s not fucking ill she’s miserable
.  S
he loves the lousy bastard and he beat feet out of here the minute the doctors said she would live. Okay I was a little pissed on behalf of my friend. I hadn’t wanted her to play with the
Vamp
in the first place but that didn’t mean it was okay for him to break her heart. You should remind him pissing off an AoD is a bad idea! I growled.

     Dayton’s laughter lifted my spirits. You are a fierce protector my sweet but this is something Donovan and Laurna must work through on their own. Or not. He said softly.

    
Who asked you?!
I grumped and disconnected. I could still feel his laughter. Good thing he had a sense of humor.

     I looked up, Laurna was watching me intently, “Please,” she whispered. “Tell me he’s sick, both his legs are broken and he’s lost consciousness. Please don’t tell me…,” she sobbed. I went to her and wrapped my arms around her. My best friend
,
the girl who had believed in the goodness of
Vamp
ires
when I had believed them ruthless monsters
,
wept. While I still carried the warmth, my
Vamp
ire
love had shared with me in my mind.
It wasn’t fair. Then again life rarely was.

      Laith sauntered in before I left. He had been spending a lot of time here with her. The look in his eyes when they lit upon her made my heart hurt for both of them. Just as assuredly as she loved Donovan, Laith felt something for her.

     I shook my head and s
hut the door quietly behind me.

     Later
that week
I had enough;
I was getting tired of getting the run around from Dayton.
Cut the crap when are you coming back?
I hissed.

  
Soon,
he answered.
I miss you,
he cajoled.

    Yeah, I said, not enough to come home to me.

   So much…
he whispered. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Dayton was not the kind of guy who wanted something, anything, so much and didn’t go and get it for himself.

   
Are you hurt?
I asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

   No, it’s not like that I swear to you…

 
Well what is it like?
Damn slippery
Vamp
ire
was really starting to piss me off. It was bad enough I’d asked Laith to
walk me through shadows to him.
Unfortunately, Laith said he was too young to do it. He didn’t know how. So I’d asked Revelin and Rollin they were older than Laith but still not old enough. Shit, how old did a
Shifter
have to fucking be? They couldn’t answer that either it came on them at different times whatever that meant.

   
Macyn,
he said like I was the one being difficult.

 
I tried another tactic;
I have been
really lonely here without you.  I said in my most seductive tone, If you don’t come home soon I think I may have to take up with….I let the thought drift away.

    Anger boiled over me. Anger and beneath
it,
a despair so thick I felt choked on it.
You are mine Macyn do not even think of another man,
He hissed.

    Then tell me where you are! I yelled.

   He severed our connection. I blinked surprised, feeling bereft without him. The only other time he’d willing broke off a conversation with me was when I’d accidentally aroused him and he hadn’t wanted me to know.  I went to bed still upset and lonely.

    I finally dreamt of him.

   He wasn’t alone.  Kane stood to his left and Donovan to his right. He sat in a high backed chair. He looked tired. I’d never seen him look so worn down before. “How can you say that your relationship with the
AoD will not affect us, Tameron,
” a
Vamp
ire
hissed at him. 

   Dayton sighed, “My relationship with my mate is not the business of this council or any other
Vamp
ire
. It is between my mate and myself.” He said softly.

    “Your mate,
” the man spat. “Everyone knows we can only mate with those of our own species.” His face was a mask of rage, “yet you expect us to believe you have mated with this Ao. How stupid do you think we are Tameron?” I wanted to scream, I know, I know
,
but unlike my dreams about Nikissos I couldn’t interact with this dream. “You aren’t even pretending interest in any of the ladies who have come to try and win your favor.”

    Well duh, didn’t he just say he was my
mate?
This other
Vamp
ire
was pretty stupid if you ask me. “I have a mate and have no need for another.”
 

    That giant bastard Sumner stepped up. “You will either do as this council demands or step down Tameron.”

      “Since when do you speak for the entire council
Sumner?
” Kane hissed at Dayton’s side. Have I mentioned how much I like Kane? He’s a good kid.
I thought it was funny how I was now thinking of hundred-year-old
Vamp
ires
as kids.

      Okay I’d about had enough of this shit this was why Dayton had been kept away from me for so long? Because the
Vamp
s didn’t like that I was an AoD? Yeah, like the other Ao were going to be crazy about it.  I pulled myself from sleep. I had enough I wanted my man and suddenly I knew how t
o get him. 

    Dayton still sat on that silly throne like thing I had to smile at that as I entered the room. I appeared in a small patch of light made by one of the hanging lanterns. I was kneeling because I wasn’t sure how my balance was going to be and I’d wanted my full concentration to be on moving through the light. I wasn’t supposed to be able to do it. It didn’t matter I needed my AoLi and an AoD who needed her AoLi was a force to be reckoned with.  I wish I could see through the eyes of the
Vamp
ires
surround
ing my love as I rose from
m
y prone position.

     I walked toward him clad in my white ceremonial dress, the one that showed my AoD tattoo, my arms, and a good portion of my legs. Dayton rose as I approached him. His eyes ate at me. I knew he’d missed me as much as I had him.
As much as he’d
claimed,
he had.
  My bare feet made no noise as they kissed the floor as I slid along the cool marble.

   
One of the
Vamp
ire
women was foolish enough to try to stop me.
She was lovely, long black hair cascaded down her back, her neon eyes shown through the darkness. She hissed and clawed at me.
I shoved her aside as if she weighed nothing she flew away from me
and collided with a wall about fifty feet away
. I knew I was glowing from my eyes from my tattoo. It reminded me of the way
Vamp
ires
showed their power. 

     Dayton glowed with that amber
Vamp
iric light just now as well. He watched me with singular interest. His fangs had grown long. I liked him like that.

     He put out his arms. I stepped into them. God I had missed this man. His scent enveloped me.
“This,” he announced, “is my mate.” I smiled up at him while taking stock of those around us.
Vamp
ires
in every shape and size surrounded us. I wasn’t scared, not with Dayton at my side.

     Donovan w
as the first to step up. “Reece,
” He said as he stuck out his hand. I was surprised
,
he knew I didn’t like him but the gesture meant the world to me, no to us at the time.

    Kane was next his blond hair had been pulled back into a sort of half tail. I was willing to bet girls everywhere thought he was an actor.
He nodded his head. “It is nice to see you again Reece. I can’t wait until we can fight
Shifters
together again,” h
e winked.

    “Wish you’d been there the other night, Kane.” I answered honestly. Kane was a good man in a fight and that really had been a lot of
Shifters
.