The Coming Storm (13 page)

No, not really.

As we jogged towards the Hummers, I thought about what Seattle said and Aurelo just did. It was as if I was having a tennis match in my own head. I saw both sides to this, but I pretty much knew where I fell in the debate and that was fine. It was where I stood on the issue that honestly confused me.

“We switching up the seating arrangements?” Aurelo asked when we were still a few feet away. I paid attention then and saw the blue H2 we’d been riding in with Boston driving had Julus and Milwaukee in the backseat… And was Julus giving Seattle the stink eye!

“I may have walked in on something private when alerting him we had to go. He wanted to ride with Boston for this leg of the trip.” Seattle shrugged but made sure not to meet our eyes as he reached for the handle of the driver’s door. “Besides I have a bone to pick with Aurelo.”

We jumped in, and Aurelo’s mouth was set in a tight line as we buckled in and pulled out, following Boston’s H2. “I got that you don’t like the mind wiping. I’m sorry for that, I truly am, but it’s a necessary evil—”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m pissed you told the clerk the change of plans. I told you we should jog north in case they still think it was us and figure out we’re heading to DC. Why the hell did you tell him to repeat it to the authorities? What were you thinking?”

“That human authorities are presumptuous and think they’re so damn smart like we were saying before,” Aurelo chuckled, mirth shining in his eyes. And just like that I got it.

“You think the feds will try to be smart and assume we lied to the clerk so we’re really heading south. So they’ll head to Mexico or at least split up and some head that way and some to DC,” I surmised, eyeing him, completely impressed with his logic. And if I was honest, just Aurelo in general. He was one hell of a man.

“Exactly.”

“Very smart actually.” Seattle bounced his head back and forth slightly as if weighing out the possible outcomes. “Yeah, good play. Okay, I’m done being upset.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Phoenix said in anguish. “I completely just blew everything. I could have gotten us all caught and—”

“Phoenix, it was our fault,” Aurelo interrupted in a gentle tone as he patted my brother’s shoulder. “You’re not trained for this or had experience blending in as we’ve had. It was stupid of us to send you in to get the rooms without clarifying a few points and going over the basics again. All I can say is I think we all thought the other was going to because there’s no real chain of command.”

“That and everyone was tired,” I added. Again I was totally impressed with Aurelo and how he was handling all this.

“And stressed out, scared, worried about what’s coming next for all of us,” Seattle agreed as he wrapped his free arm around Phoenix. “No one’s mad or blames you, bro. Boston and I are pissed at ourselves for letting you do it, but we figured our faces would have been the ones they’d spread since it looked to them probably we were dragging you guys along and were driving.”

Aurelo gave Phoenix one last reassuring pat before sitting back in his seat. “It’s all good. I cleared the guy’s mind and sent anyone coming on a wild goose chase. That motel was crap. We’ll drive a few hours north, get out of this heat, and stop someplace better.”

“Thanks, guys.” My brother definitely sounded much more at ease after listening to us… Mostly my lover. I stared at Aurelo and had this desire to simply touch him, be closer. Even the space of the backseat seemed too far after what he’d just done to help Phoenix. He really kinda was the perfect man. I hoped I got to be with him awhile. I wouldn’t separate with my brothers of course, but I would be Aurelo’s for as long as he would stay with us or if we went back to the coven.

“You’re upset about earlier,” he muttered without looking at me. He twisted one hand in the other as his right foot started bouncing. “I’m sorry, Chicago. I did what I had to, and if you think less of me or don’t want to be with me for messing with that human’s mind, I understand. I just need you to know how much you mean to me already and—”

I had been so busy staring at his hands, thinking of them on my body and ways to show my appreciation when we stopped I didn’t process his words right away. “What? No!” I was out of my belt in a flash and straddling his lap.

“No, you don’t believe that you meant a lot to me?” he whispered as his body seemed to crumple into itself right in front of me. “I wouldn’t lie about that, Chicago.”

“I know, my Aurelo.” I brushed my lips over his, just a whisper of them. “I meant I don’t think any less of you. I was going to tell you I don’t agree with Seattle. There was nothing wrong with what you did.”

“What?” they both exclaimed. I smiled at Aurelo. Seattle could listen in but this conversation was for the man I was sitting on and worried about right then.

“I don’t have a problem with what you did. I thought I would, was shocked I didn’t, but I don’t, Aurelo. I swear I don’t. You didn’t screw with that guy’s mind to steal from him or hurt him. You didn’t just make him jump off a cliff so we could get away. You changed a few details because we’re in a position we
shouldn’t have to be
. If we were equal, accepted, and not running for our lives because we weren’t human, you wouldn’t have done what you did, would you?”

He bit the inside of his mouth for a moment as he worked his jaw before shaking his head. “No. I can’t remember ever using it except like I did today so I could hide what I am or others. Yes, for blood so they’d forget I bit them, but I never took much and healed them. And those were extreme circumstances. Normally I worked out deals with other paranomals or people who know about us.”

“Then I don’t have a problem with it. The gods gave you guys that power as a defense against a world that wouldn’t accept you and to help those of us who would need it.” I gave him a shy smile as I stroked his cheek. “And you’re important to me too. Very important.”

“And Director Fabian?” Aurelo blurted out and then his eyes went wide before he rushed to cover up his blunder at sounding jealous. “I know I have no right at asking and I told you I don’t have a problem sharing or whatever you want but I just—”

Gods, he was sexy even when he rambled. I mashed my mouth to his, effectively shutting him up. Aurelo moaned and wrapped his arms around me as I grabbed onto his hair. I thought back to yesterday and last night as I tried to reassure him with my kisses.

I had fun with him. I mean, Boston and Orlando too but when they’d been dozing in the backseat and Aurelo and I had been in front, him driving while I navigated, I’d had such a good time. We’d talked about his life, and I’d learned so much about the centuries he’d lived, his time in the military, Department of Defense, and the past few at the coven. Then we’d even played stupid road trip games.

Aurelo listened to me too. I mean
really
listened to me. Not just nodding his head and grunting along with what I said or turning it around and making it all about him. That was truly a rare thing in someone I found. He cared too. Aurelo would ask in-depth questions that let me know he was intrigued by my work or what I was saying. A lot about my family too. He was an only child so the dynamic between my brothers and me fascinated him.

And last night a small miracle had happened… I finally felt comfortable enough to talk about the death of my parents with someone.
He
made me feel at ease enough that I could, no judgment or pity coming from him. I could open up about what I’d been burying for six months now, the pain, the guilt, the loss, and regret eating at me. I felt lighter today even in the face of all we were looking down the barrel of.

How crazy was that?

As I pulled away from his lips when air became necessary, I slowly opened my eyes, letting him see what I felt for him shine in them. “I can’t make you any promises, Aurelo. I’ve been honest about that. There’s too much going on and up in the air.”

“Tell him how you’d want things to be if you could have your perfect fantasy and everything you wanted,” Seattle said quietly from the driver’s seat. I’d almost forgotten he and Phoenix were there.

“What? Why would you tell me that?” I glanced over my shoulder and met his gaze in the rearview mirror.

“Because I see he makes you happy and I was once where you are, baby brother,” he answered in a choked voice before clearing his throat. “I kept saying I couldn’t promise anything more than today with all my commitments and responsibilities to my job, my family, and everything else I had before him. And I lost him. I’ve regretted it ever since. If I could turn back time, I would have told him what I
would
have wanted with him and let him decide if I was worth adjusting his life to make it happen.”

“I didn’t think of it like that,” I hedged as I worried my lower lip. “I just keep thinking we don’t have a plan after DC, and I won’t leave you guys. I can’t. I can’t lose my family. It would kill me to lose any more of my family, and with this looming over our heads, I might never see any of—” I swallowed a sob, not even able to say the words.

“I would never ask you to do that,” Aurelo said in a firm tone as he hugged me tightly. “That’s part of why I wanted to know more about your relationship with your brothers. I see the bond between you all. You are your own person, Chicago, but you are a part of something more too. You are a coven and family and you need each other.”

“Boston and I talked about going back to the coven when we’re done. We know Julus, you care for Aurelo and Director Fabian, and they might be the best prepared. It depends on the location they get, but we don’t think getting out of the country to a better location will be possible. The US might use nukes to wipe out the paranormal threat in another country but they won’t on their homeland or close to it. So we’re looking at missiles, which we can work with.”

“I can learn how to hack into their guidance systems if we’re not always on the move,” I offered, not even hiding the pleading in my voice. I didn’t want to be on the run all the time. And more than that, yes, I wanted us to be together and have allies at our back. If I was honest with myself, Aurelo played a huge role in my pleading. I wanted to be with him.

“That would be awesome. We’ll talk more about it after we know what their plan is, if we’re still invited, and what happens in DC.” Seattle gave me a wink before focusing on the road again. “I just wanted to let you know the coven’s not off the table and we’re actually leaning towards it before you did something stupid like tell Aurelo you were simply having fun with him only for now.”

“No, not just for now,” I whispered as I turned back to the vampire whose lap I was straddling.

“No?” I saw hope fill his eyes as his hands shook slightly on my hips.

“No.” I took a cleansing breath as I tried to think of how to take Seattle’s advice. Then I just decided to go with my gut. “If things were different and it was up to me exactly what happened next—”

“What?” he asked when I snapped my mouth shut.

“I just realized how bad it would sound because I never asked what you want. I’m completely presuming you’d even want this or me and would put up with what I—”

“Presume,” Aurelo growled as his fangs came out. “There isn’t much I wouldn’t do to make you mine, Chicago.” My eyes went wide at the statement which made his face flush in turn and he leaned in to hide it, running his sharp fangs over my neck. “We’re just talking. Please tell me your fantasy, baby. Please? Maybe I can give it to you one day. We won’t ever know if you don’t simply share it with me.”

I shivered as he played my body with his hands, lips, and fangs. The man could get me to do just about anything by just touching me. Damn, I was easy. Then again, I hadn’t reacted like this with Eric or Max or anyone else I’d ever dated.

Only Director Fabian. Didn’t that complicate things just a bit?

8

“We drop off the information to the PP,” I whimpered as he guided my hips against his body. It made me forget everything else but him and the fantasy in my head. I went with it and started slowly rotating my hips, pretending I was riding him.

“We’ve not done it like that,” he hissed in my ear, giving it a quick nip and sucking on the blood. “Would you ride me like that, Chicago? I would love to watch you dance on my cock. The way you move is so sinfully sensuous I might go mad.”

“Yes, I would do it when we woke up together because after DC and we warn as many groups of paranormals on the way back to the coven where we’d live, I would want to be in your bed every morning,” I rambled without any grace.

“Truly?”

“Yes.” I kept moving my hips, slightly faster now. “I would help protect the coven with my mad hacking, networking, and all around computer skills, and when work was done we’d have fun like we did last night. I’d get to see my family because they’d be with us, you’d love them too of course, and at night we’d have a different type of fun before I fell asleep with you wrapped around me like when we napped in the backseat of the Hummer. I’ve never slept that well.”

“Me either.” He moved one of his hands to the front of my jeans, unzipping them, and sliding it inside. I gasped and met his eyes, smiling at what I saw there. Joy. Complete and total joy. Now for the bad news. “And Director Fabian, Max, and Eric?” Or he would beat me to it apparently.

I licked my lips as I kept moving before answering. “Director Fabian would get some day passes. I care for him, Aurelo, but not like I do you. Yes, there’s chemistry there but nothing that would make me want to be
with
him like that. I worry for him though. I think he would need a reminder he’s worth being tender with and deserves that. I wouldn’t even entertain that normally but you said you liked watching him with me, right? Are you mad?”