The house is protected, how could she...?
I am working on finding that out now. The only thing that makes sense is a talisman of some sort bearing her power.
He frowned.Someone put it there.
Yes. But I don’t know where it is. I will find it before the day is out. Are you OK? Is he?
Yes. Thanks to you. And his brothers?
Whatever this was, it seemed to only be after him. I suggest you stay there until I find out what it is. I’ll send Kyle to you. He’ll be there soon. But I can be there much faster if you need me.
The dissipating sense of his power retreated, and the connection was broken. The message was clear. They needed to stay here until the threat was gone. How long that would be was still unclear. As he sensed Mark’s eyes on him, he resigned to the idea that even a second in such close quarters would be an ordeal. It was difficult to ignore his need to comfort him and reconcile it with his conviction that Mark didn’t want or need his comfort.
Mark felt like a caged animal. Dean’s explanation that somehow the witch had caused his pain earlier made little sense when measured against Riley’s conviction that she hadn’t been anywhere close to the compound. As irrational as it was, the thought that she targeted him in particular had crossed his mind. But why? He’d never seen her or heard of her until the night she tore his world apart, and although he’d thought of her every day since, he’s never been anywhere close to her. If he’d been, his purpose would be complete.
Caster’s presence in the small cabin was impossible to ignore. So was his desire to retreat into the strong embrace it promised and never let go. It had communicated a protectionhe’d vowed never to need. Yet, here he was, sneaking glimpses of him through the living room’s large windows. The conversation he was engrossed in with his bodyguard seemed heated, but Mark didn’t sense any danger. Not that he would have any advance warning. His wolf had retreated so far back into his hiding place, he could no longer feel him.
Panic clogged his throat at the thought that he would lose his wolf forever. He chuckled even though this was the furthest from amusing anything could get. The loss of that part of him would mean the death of his human self as well. A werewolf spent most of their lives in human form, but it was the wolf that carried a werewolf’s lifeforce. If the wolf were gone for good, the human wouldn’t last much longer than a few days. Until now, the prospect of his death hadn’t scared him much.
The vampire whose energy seeped through the walls to increase the already rapid rate of his heart made him wonder about tomorrow in ways he didn’t need. He shook his head to dislodge the images of a life with him. It was ridiculous to even think about, not when his heart belonged to another. He still loved Zeke with everything in his soul, didn’t he?
The door opened, and Caster walked in, his unique scent penetrating Mark’s occupied mind. Their eyes met, and a flutter flitted through his mind, the tiniest hint of his wolf’s presence warming his soul.
“Are you hungry? I don’t have a permanent staff here, but Kyle can get you something.”
It took a second for him to register the words. He shook his head. Food was a distant need compared to finding and killing the witch before he ran out of time.
“What?”
His jaw hardened, his hands balling into fists even as he forced his body to remain still. “I told you to stop reading my mind.”
Caster didn’t even flinch; a raised eyebrow was the only indication he even cared. “It is not my fault you keep broadcasting your thoughts.” He sat across from Mark. “And while we are on the subject, I am done tiptoeing around this. You need to tell me.”
Mark scoffed. “I told you, I am not yours to command.”
It took everything in him to hold his ground when Caster leaned forward. “This, whatever it is, is beginning to put my family, my interests, in danger.” His voice hardened, his dominance on full display. “I will go to the ends of the earth to protect what is mine.”
“You mean Bastian?” He only just restrained the cringe. Dean would be so disappointed.
Caster frowned.
“Oh come on! You can’t expect me to believe you don’t know what he’s done.” Boy, was he on a roll. What was it about Caster that tore everything out of him?
Caster had the decency to look confused. “And what is that?”
His calm demeanor was so grating, it took everything in him not to punch him in the face.
Caster’s laugh filled the space between them, an indication that he hadn’t hidden his violent intent very well. “I would really like to see you try.”
He shook his head, wishing he could leave. Perhaps he should. So, why did he have a hard time commanding his limbs to obey his mind?
Caster leaned back in his chair, the smirk on his face annoying in its familiarity, his gaze a torment Mark was forced to endure. “You would be formidable in a fight, wouldn’t you?”
No. He was not going to take that bait. The thought of sparring with him was too enticing to consider. “How do you know Bastian?”
Caster’s expression changed to something akin to worry. “He’s my cousin. Damien’s baby brother.”
That he didn’t deny knowing him was a good sign. He knew better than to expect any sense of cooperation from him in this matter. Bastian was his family, entitled to his protection, and he could respect that. It wouldn’t save him from Mark’s wrath. Nothing would.