Just a Vampire [tribal Bonds 1] (6 page)

“Can we discuss it later?”
Rowan asked silently.
“In private?” “Of course,”
Luca replied through their link.
Rowan winced when he lifted his head, the pain not quite all gone.

But at least it had subsided enough for him to function. Rowan was starting to figure out that Luca’s scent took the pain away, so he stayed close to the vampire’s side as they turned to face the crowd.

Several people stepped forward and bowed their heads at Rowan. No one touched him. Rowan stayed glued to Luca’s side as he was escorted around the room and introduced to several people. Finally, they stopped before a man who looked like an older version of Luca, only with silver hair instead of black.

“Rowan, this is my father, Elder Qeb Ucathya,” Luca said as he gestured to the man. “Father, my anamchara, Rowan Connelly.”
Rowan bowed his head respectfully. He had no idea how the elder would take Luca mating him. When Qeb just continued to stare at him for the longest time without saying a word, Rowan started to grow nervous. He didn’t want to alienate any member of Luca’s family or tribe, but they had already mated. He wasn’t giving Luca up, not for anyone.
“It is good you have brought him home, my son,” Qeb finally said. “He will bring new life into our tribe.”
Rowan’s jaw dropped. Seriously? That was his response? He was really going with that?
“Thank you,” Rowan replied, even though Qeb wasn’t speaking to him. What else was there to say? He wasn’t even sure he knew what
bringing new life
meant. He was afraid to ask.
“We will talk later, Father,” Luca said as he pulled Rowan away.
Rowan gave one last glance over his shoulder to see his mate’s father staring after them. Rowan swallowed and turned around to greet the next person. Yeah, that was nerve racking.
As the evening wore on, Rowan became exhausted. It had been a whirlwind few days, and he could use a good night’s sleep in a bed. Luca must have felt his weariness as he excused himself from the man he had been talking to and walked over to where Rowan was standing.
“Is my anamchara sleepy?” he asked as his large arm wrapped around Rowan’s waist.
“Maybe just a wee bit.” Rowan smiled up at Luca as they climbed a large spiral staircase to the penthouse level. Rowan had never walked so many steps in his life. It felt like a thousand years before they finally reached the top. Rowan was winded. “Please tell me we’re done climbing stairs.”
Luca chuckled as he squeezed Rowan’s hand. “Yes, our quarters are just down the hall.”
Rowan glanced down the hall and grimaced. The damn thing went on for miles. He prayed Luca’s bedroom was the first one because if he had to do all this traveling inside the top two floors of the hotel, his mate needed to install a damn elevator instead of stairs.

Rowan sat at Luca’s feet as he watched the vampires mingle. Sitting at his mate’s feet wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be when Luca described it the day before. It was actually quite comfortable. He sat on large stuffed pillows that were fluffed to perfection.

For a master, Luca wasn’t half bad either. Rowan rolled his eyes at the word
master
. As if he’d ever call Luca that—or anyone. Rowan glanced around, wondering if all the vampires here were sticks in the mud. He missed his brother already. Seth knew how to have a good time. These vampires didn’t.

Who just stood around chatting at a party? What happened to the dancing and the drinking? Hell, at this point, Rowan would take pinthe-macho-on-the-man. He was going out of his mind.

Rowan nodded as he watched Luca walk away. He had slept like a zombie last night, not waking for anything. And now he sat here counting the floor tiles. If things didn’t liven up soon, Rowan was going to go out of his mind.

Rowan glanced to his right to see a dark-haired vampire standing there smiling at him. Well, he was either smiling or showing Rowan his dental work. It didn’t matter. Anything beat just sitting here doing nothing.

“Hi,” he replied as he watched the man warily. When he didn’t feel any headaches, he knew the man was kosher. “I’m Rowan.”
The vampire nodded as he took a seat on the floor close to Rowan. “I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are. My name is Casey.”
Rowan almost extended his hand until he remembered that he wasn’t allowed to touch anyone. He gave a slight nod instead. “It’s nice to meet you, Casey.”
“Are you as bored as I am?”
Was he ever. If he was any more bored, he’d be dead. “God, yes,” Rowan groaned.
Casey looked around before lowering his voice to a barely audible whisper. “Some of the other vampires have a card game going on in one of the other rooms.”
“Which room?” Rowan glanced around. There were a thousand of them. He didn’t see Luca anywhere, and he couldn’t stand just sitting there doing nothing. It was too damn boring just sitting on his ass. “Just tell me which room.”
Casey stiffened as he narrowed his eyes at Rowan. “I’ll tell you which room, but in no way am I inviting you. The electus isn’t going to tear my ass off and then hand it to me.” Casey winked at him.
He got the message loud and clear. He watched Casey as the vampire walked away, noting which room he disappeared into. Rowan slowly pushed to his feet, making sure no one was watching him too closely as he inched his way out of the sitting room and down the hall.
He felt like yelling
freedom
as he giggled to himself. Now this was more like it. He walked into the room where everyone was sitting at a round table, poker chips spread out everywhere.
“What the fuck?” one of the vampires snapped as he stood. “You’re not supposed to be in here.”
Rowan waved the man off as he sat in an empty seat. The vampire next to him scooted his chair away from Rowan. He knew no one was supposed to touch him, but he didn’t fucking stink.
“Deal me in,” Rowan said as he ignored the stares all around him. Hell if he was going back to just sitting on a pillow and looking pretty.
“Are you—”
“Look, deal me in or I touch every last damn one of you.” He raised a finely arched brow, sticking his hand out to the man who had moved away, his finger slowly inching toward the guy.
“Deal him in!” the man shouted as he swallowed and scooted his chair over another inch.
Rowan beamed at the others in the room as the cards flew in his direction. What he had failed to tell anyone was that he knew absolutely nothing about playing poker. He’d never played it in his life, but he could fake it. Rowan fiddled with his cards until he got them into an order that he liked then glanced at the man next to him.
“Do you have a king?”
The vampire gaped at him as his fingers trembled, handing Rowan a king.
“That’s not how poker is played,” the vampire across the table shouted. It was the same one who told Rowan he couldn’t be here. “This is not Go Fish.”
Rowan shrugged as he set his three kings down on the table. “It is now.”
“But—”
“Either play Go Fish or…” Rowan trailed off as he began to poke the air in front of the loudmouth.
“Fine!” the man snapped. “Go Fish it is,” he grumbled as the entire table groaned.
Rowan really wasn’t trying to be a prick, but these men needed to loosen up. They were so uptight that they were shitting large diamonds out of their asses. It was clear to Rowan that he would have to liven things up a bit.
Rowan grinned at the petrified vampires. “Whose deal is it?”

Luca was furious as he searched the top two floors of the hotel. How the hell had his mate disappeared and not a single person saw what happened? Rowan wasn’t answering him through their bond, which made Luca fear the worst.

“Find him!” he snarled at Manu as he went from room to room, searching for his mate. His heart felt like it was being torn out of his chest the longer he searched and came up empty handed. If anyone had harmed his mate, Luca was going to wipe out their entire species.

It was that damn serious.
He shot down the hallway when Manu waved to him. Rowan had been in the room down the hall all this time? Luca’s muscles coiled with tension the closer he approached, fearing the worst until he heard laughter coming from the room.
His mate’s beautiful voice made his heart beat once again.
“Do you have an eight?”
What the hell?
Luca gaped as he stood in the doorway and watched his anamchara play cards with other vampires of his tribe, looking as though he was having the time of his life. Luca didn’t make a move to enter the room. He was enjoying the pure joy on Rowan’s face.
“You’re cheating!” Jackson yelled at his mate.
Luca let off a low growl, and he stepped into the room. No one talked to his mate that way. No one.
“Oh shit,” Jackson shouted as he jumped from his chair. “I told him he shouldn’t be in here, Electus. He insisted on playing.”
Somehow Luca knew that his mate would do just that. But that still didn’t excuse the way Jackson had spoken to Rowan. “You will meet me in my office.”
Jackson swallowed as he nodded, quickly dropping his eyes in submission. “Yes, Electus.”
“As for you,” he said as Rowan stood to face him. The smile was gone on his mate’s face. The trepidation in Rowan’s beautiful green eyes tugged at Luca but not enough to let him off the hook. “Follow me.”
Luca stormed out of the small room and headed down the hallway toward the stairs leading to the penthouse. He knew Manu would escort Rowan, so he didn’t even wait for the man. He knew Manu would keep Rowan safe. And he needed a few moments to collect himself before he spoke with Rowan.
“Luca, I can explain,” Rowan began the second he walked into the room.
Luca held up his hand. “You cannot explain this, Rowan. We discussed your need for a bodyguard when you arrived. You agreed to accept it.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“There is no excuse, Rowan.” Luca’s voice was stern when he spoke, and he meant it to be. Rowan needed to understand how important this was. His protection came before anything else.
Rowan’s head dropped. “I’m sorry, Luca.”
Luca blew out a deep breath as he rubbed the back of his neck. There was a lot of tension in his neck created by not knowing where his anamchara was for even a single second. Granted, Rowan was safe and with him again, but those moments where he didn’t know if Rowan was alive or dead would haunt Luca for years to come. It told him how much Rowan had come to mean to him in just a matter of days.
“Rowan, you need to understand that your safety comes before anything else. There are those who wouldn’t think twice about using you against me.”
Rowan’s head snapped up. Tears began to form in his eyes. “I would never betray—”
Luca stepped over and grabbed Rowan’s face between his hands. “Rowan, I know you would never betray me. You are the one person in the world I know I can trust before anyone else. But if you were taken from me, I would give up everything to get you back.”
“I–I’m a weapon that can be used against you?” Rowan’s face paled. He seemed agonized by that idea.
Luca placed a small kiss on Rowan’s lips to soften his words. “Yes, anamchara. There isn’t anything in the world I wouldn’t give to get you back. That’s why you need to have a bodyguard. I need you to be safe.”
Rowan swallowed hard. He gave just the barest nod of his head. “I didn’t understand, Luca. I’m sorry. I thought I would be safe in your home.”
“Our home, and you are safe here, for the most part. There is always a danger, especially considering who you are. As the anamchara of the electus, you are in even more danger. There are those who would see you as a means to control my tribe.”
“Oh, Luca.”
Luca smiled and slid his hand along Rowan’s pale cheek. “I would give up the world to keep you safe,” he whispered. “I would do anything for you.”
Rowan swallowed again. His fingers plucked at the fabric of Luca’s shirt. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. I was just so bored, and then I heard about the poker game and—”
Luca burst out laughing. “Is that what you were playing?”
“Not exactly.” Rowan’s face flushed fiercely. “I don’t really know how to play poker. I kind of convinced everyone to play Go Fish instead.”
Luca gaped. “You had some of my fiercest soldiers playing Go Fish?”
Rowan nodded sheepishly.
Laughter boiled up in Luca. He sputtered as he tried to keep it in, but once the dam broke, the sound of his amusement filled the room. Rowan just stared at him. After several moments, Luca was finally able to wipe the tears of laughter from his eyes even if it was still hard to stop laughing. He hugged Rowan to his chest.
“You are a true delight, anamchara.”
“Does that mean you’re no longer angry at me?”
Luca sobered instantly. “I was never angry with you, Rowan, just concerned. You need to understand the seriousness of having a bodyguard wherever you go. I can’t lose you.”
“I do, and I’m sorry. I won’t go anywhere without a bodyguard again.” Rowan held up two fingers. “I promise.”
Luca arched an eyebrow. “You were never a Boy Scout, Rowan.” Luca would have bet his hotel on it.
Rowan held up a small tube of lube in his free hand. “No, but I always come prepared.”
Luca grinned and reached for the lube. “That you do, anamchara. That you do.”
Twenty minutes and a mind-blowing orgasm later, Luca stepped out of the bedroom and led Rowan down the hallway to his office, located at the top of the stairs. He still had Jackson to deal with, and Luca was pretty sure he had the perfect punishment in mind for the vampire.
“Sit, pet,” Luca directed, pointing to the pillows next to his chair. Rowan shot him a disgruntled look that promised retribution but went to sit on the cushions without a comment. Luca knew he’d be paying for that statement later.
He sat down in his chair and stroked his hand through Rowan’s soft hair as he regarded the vampire standing at attention on the other side of his desk. “Speak, Jackson.”
Jackson swallowed hard. “Yes, sir, Electus. I was playing cards with several others when your anamchara entered the room. I know it is forbidden to touch him, and we did not, but we did play cards with him.”
“I see.” Luca glanced down just in time to see Rowan roll his eyes. He twisted lips trying not to laugh. Luca could see that Rowan was going to be a handful, and strangely enough, he was looking forward to it. “You’ve been one of my soldiers for how long now, Jackson?”
“Fifteen years, Electus.”
“Still a fledgling then.”
Jackson bristled under the term
fledgling
as Luca knew he would. No vampire soldier wanted to be called young and inexperienced, but it was the truth. Most of Luca’s more hardened soldiers had been with him for decades.
Luca stroked his hand through Rowan’s short sunlight-blond hair one more time then folded his hands together as he regarded Jackson. “My issue with you is not that you played cards with my anamchara. It is with the way you were speaking to him. You yelled at him. That is not allowed.”
“My apologies, Electus,” Jackson said. “It won’t happen again.”
“I know. However, I cannot let this infraction go unpunished. If I were to let you slide on this, then others would think they could yell at Rowan and get away with it. I can’t allow that, Jackson.”
Jackson swallowed hard. “No, Electus.”
“As punishment for yelling at Rowan I am assigning you as his personal bodyguard.” Luca dipped his head to hide his smirk when Jackson whimpered. There was pure fear in that sound. “His life and safety will be your sole responsibility. If he is harmed in any way, you will answer to me. If he is harmed, I will let you live.”
Jackson frowned. “Sir?”
Luca arched an eyebrow. “If you allow my anamchara to get hurt, would you rather die quickly or live to meet my wrath, Jackson?” Jackson paled. “I’d rather die, Electus.”
Luca nodded. “Then I suggest you ensure that no harm comes to my anamchara, or I will let you live.”
“Yes, Electus.”
“As long as we understand each other.”
Jackson nodded.
“Then go see Manu and get suited up. Knock on the door when you return, and then you can wait outside for Rowan.”
“Yes, Electus.” Jackson bowed then left the room.
The moment the door closed behind Jackson, Rowan smacked Luca on the thigh. Luca chuckled when he glanced down at the man, totally unfazed by Rowan’s little show of violence. “You have something to say, anamchara?”
“You didn’t have to make it a punishment, Luca.”
Luca laughed outright as he grabbed Rowan and lifted the man into his lap. Rowan snuggled right into Luca’s chest, burying his face in Luca’s neck. “Jackson needed to understand how important it is that you are kept safe. Now he knows.”
“We were just playing cards, Luca.”
“Like I told Jackson, I have no problem with you playing cards. I do, however, have a problem with someone yelling at you.”
“Besides you, you mean.”
Luca grinned. “Yes, besides me.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, anamchara. You can ask me anything.”
“Am I going to turn into a vampire now that you’ve bitten me?”
Luca burst out laughing again. “No, anamchara, you cannot be turned into a vampire. I told you that already. You are either born a vampire or you are not. You, my little love,”—Luca tapped his finger on the end of Rowan’s nose—“are a wolf, and you will stay a wolf.”
Rowan’s head tilted slightly. “But I thought…” He frowned. “I thought you became a vampire when you got bitten by one.”
Luca shook his head. “Hollywood myth.”
Rowan blinked. “Sunlight then?”
“Harmful to younger vampires, but the older we become, the more sunlight we can handle.”
“Are you old enough to handle the sun?”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to be on the beaches in Tahiti, but I can handle the morning sunlight and cloudy days.”
“Silver?”
“That’s a wolf thing, isn’t it?”
Rowan’s eyebrows shot up. “Uh…not in my family.”
“You can handle silver?”
Rowan held up his hand and jiggled the simple silver bracelet on his wrist. Luca frowned and grabbed Rowan’s wrist. “Where did you get this?” He didn’t like the idea of his anamchara wearing jewelry given by anyone else but him.
“It was my grandmother’s. I got it when she passed away a few years ago.”
“Then I suppose I will allow you to keep it.” Luca chuckled at the smirk on Rowan’s face. Maybe his anamchara was coming to know him a little too well. “Your family seems to have some very interesting genetic anomalies.”
Rowan grimaced. “So I understand. What about garlic?” Rowan asked, obviously changing the subject. Luca let it go—for now. “Are you allergic to it?”
Luca nodded. “Unfortunately, that is one myth that Hollywood got right. Garlic, in low concentrations, will make me sick. In high concentrations, it will kill me. It’s like a poison. Even if it’s in your blood and I drink from you, it will harm me. So no more Italian for you.”
Rowan’s eyebrows drew together in a little frown Luca was starting to adore. It told him that Rowan was thinking hard about something. Luca just waited. He knew Rowan would say whatever he had to say when he was good and ready and not a moment before.
Luca didn’t just invite Rowan to his club and hope for the best. He had Rowan thoroughly investigated and watched for the last month. He probably knew more about Rowan than anyone. He wanted to know everything there was to know about his future mate.
“So I can’t have garlic anymore because you want to bite me?”
Luca chuckled. “I want to do a whole lot more than bite you, Rowan.”
A soft flush filled Rowan’s face even as his eyes widened. Luca arched an eyebrow when Rowan suddenly wiggled around. “Do you want to bite me now?”
Luca opened his mouth to tell Rowan yes when there was a sudden knock on the door. Luca groaned and dropped his head forward to rest against Rowan’s. “Maybe later if you’re real good, anamchara. Now, get down on your pillows and stay quiet.”
Rowan snorted but climbed down off Luca’s lap and curled up on his pillows next to Luca’s chair. “I think I should warn you now, boredom gets me into trouble. Maybe we should talk about an iPad or something.”
“We’ll discuss it.” Luca chuckled as he ruffled the top of Rowan’s head. “Now, quiet down, anamchara.”
Rowan tipped his head back and nipped at Luca’s fingers. Luca shook his head and called out for whoever was outside to come in. The smile faded from his lips, and he slipped into electus mode when Darius walked in.
“Darius, what can I do for you?”
Luca didn’t like Darius. The vampire left him cold. He would have preferred to banish the man from his tribe, but even he, as electus, had to have a good reason. As of yet, he didn’t have one. Until he did, Darius stayed.
“I have a business meeting tomorrow with some distributors,” Darius said. “I wondered if there was a way I could book one of the VIP rooms at the Crystal Cavern for my meeting. If all goes as I want, it should bring in a hefty profit for all of us over an extended amount of time.”
Luca frowned when he felt a tug on his pant leg. He didn’t look down, mostly because he didn’t want to take his eyes off of Darius. He also didn’t think Darius knew Rowan was in the room as his anamchara was scooted under the edge of the desk.
“He’s lying, Luca,”
Rowan whispered through their bond.
“I can feel it. I don’t know what he is up to, but he’s lying through his teeth.”
“How do you know?”
Luca asked right back.
“My head hurts.”
Luca stroked his fingers through Rowan’s hair. He instantly felt the tension leave Rowan.
“Be quiet and be still. I don’t think he knows you’re here, and I’d prefer that he didn’t. We’ll discuss this after he leaves.”
Rowan remained quiet. Luca kept his hand in Rowan’s hair as he considered Darius’s words and possible motives for lying. “Who are you meeting with?”
“There’s a new line of rum coming out of Jamaica. So far, it has a reputation as being top of the line. While it’s a new company, if it’s as good as I think it will be, I’d like to get in on the ground floor. Like I said, in the long term, it could be beneficial for the tribe.”
Unfortunately, Luca couldn’t think of a single reason to say no. “Very well, I’ll call and have one of the VIP rooms reserved for you.”
“Thank you, Electus.” Darius bowed and left the room.
Luca waited a moment after the door shut then pulled Rowan back into his arms. “Now, tell me what you know.”
“Not much,” Rowan confessed. “I just know when someone is lying, and he was lying through his teeth to you.”
“How do you know?”
“You know those headaches I get?”
Luca nodded.
“I can feel lies and strong emotions like hate. They make my head ache.” Rowan grimaced. “When we arrived, I felt someone in the room, one of your vampires. The hatred was so strong it almost made me black out, and it wasn’t aimed only at me. Someone has it out for you, too.”