Jarrett, AJ - Miles's Awakening [Warriors of the Light 1] (Siren Publishing Allure ManLove) (18 page)

“Well, Father, quite a bit has happened since we spoke last.”

“Oh really? Do tell.”

“When we found Malcolm, we discovered he had a witch in his company who has been held prisoner there for over a hundred years, and he forced Astrid to cast a spell on Miles so he would mate with Malcolm.” Ben watched very closely for any reaction from his father. The old man seemed like this was of little of importance to him.

“Son, that is terrible. I’m sure we can ask our witches here at the council to see if they can break the bond between your Miles and Malcolm. But in the meantime, I want to speak to Malcolm. I’ll charter a flight to pick him up, and we will put him into custody here at council headquarters.”

Ben laughed harshly. “After all I’ve told you, all you care about is getting Malcolm? We lost one of our warriors, my mate was kidnapped, and there was all the abuse and suffering that followed in Malcolm’s path, and all you care about is talking to him. Why?” Ben could tell his father was holding something back from him.

“Son, people die, and bad things happen. We can’t control everything around us. Now get Malcolm ready. I want to question him as soon as we have him in custody here.”

“Well, Father, that’s going to be a little hard.”

“Why’s that, Son?”

“Because he’s dead,” Ben said through clenched teeth.

“What?” his father screamed. “I told you to capture him, not kill him. I never gave you permission to kill him. No kill order was given.”

Ben’s fist balled up tight, turning his knuckles bone white. He wanted to reach through the monitor and punch his father. “I gave the order. Taking one’s mate is against our laws. Malcolm broke the law.”

“So you killed him? From what you told me, he was Miles’s mate as well. He was within his right to claim Miles since you had not.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ben shouted and banged his fist on the desktop. “That man was a monster, and you’re lecturing me for killing him? I did the world a favor. Tell me why it was so important for you to talk to Malcolm?”

Ben waited for what seemed like forever. His father turned his head away from the webcam, and Ben could barely see his face. His father, like himself, was immortal, which meant he didn’t age, and by all appearances they looked more like brothers rather than father and son. But as of lately, stress creased the area around his eyes and mouth, making the once youthful skin appear withered. Keeping secrets could do that to a person it seemed. “He had information on Asher I wanted.”

Ben flinched at his father’s words. Why did he want to find Asher? “Father, why are you wanting to find him after all this time?”

“I have my reasons, Son.” The mask fell back into place on his father’s face. The calm and collected Benedict was back in control. “I’ll send a CPB member out your way so we can get this Trevor marked as Warriors of the Light, and I’ll have him bring this Astrid back to headquarters.”

“No.” Ben couldn’t let Astrid be sent away. The man never had a family, and he’d just started to build that with Miles. He’d be damned if he took that from him.

“No?”

“No, Father. Astrid is an innocent, and he has formed a bond with my mate. I will not send him away,” Ben said in defiance.

“Son, witches are unpredictable. He could flip on you like that.” His father snapped his fingers.

“I don’t care. He stays. I take full responsibility for him.”

“Fine, you can keep the witch.”

He was just getting ready to disconnect the call when he remembered to inform his father of Lucian’s escape. “Father, I almost forgot to tell you, Lucian got away.”

Benedict’s face lit up, and Ben knew what the next orders out of his father’s mouth would be. “Capture him alive at all costs. I need him alive.”

“Yes, sir.” Ben disconnected the call. He was done talking to his father.

He wasn’t sure why the man needed to find Asher. What could be so important after all these years? Ben shrugged. Sooner or later, the truth would come out if his father liked it or not.

“Is it just me or was the old man being more cryptic than usual?”

“It’s not just you. My father is keeping something from us. I just don’t know what.”

Ben followed Quinn out of the room. He tried his best not to think about his father and his coldhearted ways. The only thing important now was getting Miles better. All the other bullshit could just wait. Until his mate was one hundred percent healed, he wasn’t going or doing anything. His father would just have to live with that.

“Ben!”

Fear grabbed at his chest at the sound of one of his men shouting his name. What else could go wrong?

“Ben, he’s awake.” At his lack of words, Lawson went on. “Miles. He’s awake.”

Chapter Fifteen

A painful grumbling in his gut caused Miles to stir. It felt like he hadn’t eaten in ages. He stretched his arms over his head and snuggled deeper into the warm, soft comforter tucked around his body.

Miles’s eyes popped open, and he jerked upright into a sitting position. He gasped for breath and grabbed at his neck. The last thing he remembered was slitting his own throat. But when he pulled his hands away, there was no blood.

Jumping out of the bed, Miles ran to the bathroom. He tilted his head from side to side, seeing no signs of damage to the delicate skin covering his neck. His hands trembled as the last moments of his life ran through his mind. The distraught look on Ben’s face had almost stopped him from doing what he knew he had to do.

Miles leaned forward and rested his palms on the cold marble countertop. He took deep breaths and tried his best to slow down his rapid-beating heart. Looking up, he studied his reflection more closely. Two small points jetting out from under his upper lip had him screaming at the top of his lungs.

Footsteps pounded through the room and came to a sliding stop at the entrance to the bathroom. Miles turned to see his cousin out of breath, staring at him as if he had never seen him before. Miles threw his hand up to cover his teeth. He didn’t want to frighten Trevor.

“You’re awake.” Miles nodded. Trevor squinted his eyes at him. “What’s wrong with you? You’re acting funny.”

He’s acting funny? Did they not just go through a big battle with the bad guys, and didn’t Trevor remember Miles killing himself? Becoming a vampire must have short-circuited his cousin’s brain.

“Miles?”

Miles stepped forward at the soft-spoken words. Astrid peeked around Trevor’s shoulder, eyes big as saucers as he chewed on his lower lip, while he stared at him.

Someone had cleaned Astrid up. If Miles didn’t know better, he would never ever have thought the man had been held prisoner by abusive evil men for the past hundred years.

Without any thought, Miles held his arms out to Astrid. Astrid walked toward him with a smile on his face.

“You’re okay. I’ve missed you so much.” Astrid sobbed into Miles’s bare chest.

“Oh my god, it’s only been a couple of hours, Astrid.” Trevor rolled his eyes.

Miles hugged Astrid close, letting what warmth he had cover Astrid. He dropped his head forward to kiss the top of Astrid’s head. Miles felt like a big brother to the witch even though Astrid was way older than Miles.

“I’ve missed you, too.” Miles hugged Astrid tighter. He was glad Ben and the other warriors took Astrid in. Like it or not, Astrid was a part of Miles’s family now, and if anyone had a problem with that they would have to go through him.

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Trevor pouted.

“I missed you, too, little man.” Miles held his right arm out and Trevor ran into the embrace. “Always together.”

“Never apart,” Trevor mumbled against Miles’s neck.

They stood there for Miles didn’t know how long, just holding one another. The three of them were like the toys from misfit island. In one form or another, they didn’t fit in. Miles would have liked to stay there hugging for longer, but the need to eat and see his mate had him pulling away from his family.

“Where’s Ben?” Miles’s words came out slurred. His fangs had dropped further down from his gums, causing him to talk with a slight lisp.

“Takes some getting used to, doesn’t it?” Trevor chuckled.

Miles brought his hand up to cover his mouth before he spoke. “Yes. And what happened? I should be dead, but I’m not. And another thing, what happened to Malcolm?”

There were a ton of questions Miles needed answered. He assumed Ben had turned him into a vampire, but what he didn’t understand was how? He’d cut his own throat, deep. He had seen his blood gush to the floor and felt all the warmth leave his body. How had he survived long enough to be turned into anything but a dead person?

“Let me get Ben.” Trevor took his arm and guided him back to the bed. “Astrid and I will stay with you until Ben gets up here. I know he is dying to see you.” Trevor smiled and went into the hallway and barked an order for one of the guards to get Ben.

Miles relaxed back onto the bed. Astrid cuddled close and held onto Miles like he thought he would disappear if he didn’t.

“Astrid, buddy, I’m okay. There’s no need to worry anymore.”

Astrid rubbed his head against Miles’s shoulder. “I know, but you almost died, and I would have been left all alone.” Astrid turned sad eyes up to Miles. “I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“Oh god, Astrid, you will never be alone again. Where I go, you go.” Miles grinned down at Astrid. “We’re a family, and family sticks together.”

“Family?” Astrid looked off into space as if thinking about the notion. “I like that.”

“Just so you two know, I’m the cute one in this trio of a family.” Trevor laughed as he jumped out of the way to dodge the pillow Miles threw at him.

“Always a smart-ass.” Miles patted the bed on his other side for Trevor to come sit beside him. “How’s the whole vampire thing going? The council isn’t going to punish you just because you were turned by a dark warrior?”

“No, but I have to be marked like the warriors here. You know that neat-looking tattoo they have on their necks?” Miles nodded. “I get one of them.”

Miles stared at his cousin silently for a few seconds. “How is it? Being a vampire?”

Trevor shrugged. “Not bad. Quinn has been helping me, and we get bagged blood so I don’t have to go all Dracula on anyone.”

Thank god. Miles couldn’t go through life sucking blood from innocent people. Even if he didn’t kill them, just the thought of biting strangers made him uneasy.

Voices in the hall had Miles looking up. It was as if just thinking of Ben made him appear. Miles smiled at the man he loved more than the air he breathed. The pained look on his Ben’s face worried Miles, but he kept his smile in place. Ben needed him to be strong.

As Ben slowly walked toward him, Trevor and Astrid made a hasty exit out of the room. For that, he was grateful. He missed his mate so very much. It felt like years, not days, since he’d seen him last.

Ben fell to his knees as he hugged Miles around his waist. Tears damped his skin as Ben’s tears ran like a stream down his cheeks. Miles combed his fingers through Ben’s thick golden hair. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of his big strong warrior crying for him. What they shared was real, and to call it anything less than love would be an insult to what they felt for one another.

“You’re alive,” Ben spoke into Miles’s stomach.

Miles giggled. Ben’s stubbled chin tickled his stomach when he spoke. “Yes, and I have you to thank for that.”

Ben pulled back to search Miles’s eyes. “You’re not mad?”