When Three Points Collide: Ra's Story, page 11
Looking over them, Ra caught Zeus’s eye, his friend holding Paulie as if he’d never let go. Wes and Cass, there was no sign of them, but Zeus nodded, just briefly. That was enough. Taking a breath, Ra tried to think of where to go. His mates were too traumatized, had been through too much to handle being in another realm right now.
But he did have a place – three of them actually, on earth, even though they weren’t in the United States. Letting their molecules disperse, Ra held his mates tight as they flowed on the winds to one of his smallest, but favorite houses overlooking the tiny little harbor known as Cooncrome in Ireland.
Keeping his landing light on the plush carpets that covered original stone tiled floors, Ra kept his mates close as his senses picked up the familiar scents and sounds Ra had come to love. The rush of the wind outside sweeping across the mostly barren landscape. The slight hint of salt in the air, dueling with the scent of wood stacked by the original fireplace by the kitchen range. Oh, the house had all the mod cons too. Ra was looking forward to a soak in the six-man jacuzzi installed in the recently renovated master bath. But there was a history, and a rugged permanence about the place that no mod cons could compete with.
Confident no one else was around, Ra focused on the vampire and wolf shifter who were starting to realize they were in unfamiliar territory. “Where are we?” Arvyn’s nostrils were twitching madly. “Is this your realm? I didn’t expect it to smell so… salty.”
“I thought you’d feel safer if we were still on earth,” Ra said gently. “Admittedly, we’re not in the U.S. anymore…”
“We’re in Ireland.” Kirill’s head came up and he sniffed. “I know that smell. By the Fates, I haven’t been in this part of the world for over three hundred years. Is this your house?”
“One of three I have.” Ra tightened his arm around Kirill’s shoulders, hoping the vampire wouldn’t be in a hurry to move. “I will confess, I don’t interact with the locals, although our nearest neighbor is more than ten miles away, and I haven’t got a clue what sort of eating or entertainment facilities might be nearby, although my handy smart phone may be able to tell me if I can get any signal here. I love this place because it’s small and remote, and so unlike my own realm or my beloved Egypt. But the place is warded, no one will disturb us. You are both safe here.”
“It’s cozy.” Arvyn twisted around, but he didn’t move out from under Ra’s arm. “Does the fireplace work?”
“They all do.” Ra smiled. “I found it gets very chilly here, especially around this time of year. And there’s plenty of wood. Did you want me to…?” He raised his fingers.
“Can I light the fire?” Arvyn blinked up at him. “I can’t remember the last time I lit a fire. There’s something very primal about doing it – laying out the wood, encouraging the first few flickers of flame, and feeling it, seeing it grow.”
Ra lowered his hand. “I seem to recall Zeus promised you lunch. How about you two explore if you like, while I zap up some food for us?”
“Do you have to be in your godly form to do that?” Kirill asked, a shy grin crossing his face. “I seem to recall the mate we met was…”
“You don’t like how I look as a god?” Ra wasn’t sure if he should laugh or cry.
“You look commanding, virile, extremely handsome.” Arvyn nipped at his chin.
“Strong, powerful, and very sexy,” Kirill added, his hand running up Ra’s back. “But I find my heart longing for the hug we never gave you, at the start, when I so rudely hurt you.”
Confused, because he was the same person regardless of what form he was in, Ra stepped back just enough to morph down to his human size, along with his jeans, boots and a soft wool top. “Like this?” Now he was looking up at his mates.
“Exactly like that.” Kirill actually growled, but Ra had no time to work out why before he was swept off his feet and into his vampire’s arms, the heat on his back letting him know Arvyn was just as keen to get close. Hooking his legs around Kirill’s hips, Ra’s head went back as two sets of lips mouthed over the dips where his neck and shoulders met and nibbled up either side of his neck.
Ra was instantly consumed, fire racing through his blood affecting every part of his body. He hung onto Kirill’s shoulders because if he didn’t, he’d fall. Dreams, desires, all of a sexual nature flooded his brain, and yet…
“You’re not feeling it.” Kirill took his lips away from Ra’s neck long enough to speak. Ra’s eyes were drawn to the tips of fangs poking over the vampire’s bottom lip.
“I am.” Ra turned as Arvyn also pulled his head away. “I want you both – you have no idea how much. It’s been… yeah, that’s not important, but we’ve all, and I mean all of us, had a really harrowing morning. I don’t want our claiming to be hard on the heels of something like that. That doesn’t feel right. Can you understand?”
Arvyn bit his lip and nodded. Turning his head so he could look at Kirill, the man seemed to sag a little under his gaze. “I’m tired,” the vampire sounded gruff. “Today was… I’m not sure I can put it into words. But Arvyn and I had talked… after last time I mean, and we don’t want you thinking we don’t want you, or we’re in awe of you, or don’t know how to act around you simply because of your position.”
“My position isn’t who I am with you,” Ra said gently. “To you, I’m simply Ra, a man who happens to be able to zap things out of thin air, and who can take us places if necessary. There’re a lot of aspects about life on earth I haven’t experienced, and a lot of things I might not understand the context of in modern society like you two do. Watching life isn’t the same as living it. Hell, I’ve only just learned to text.”
Ra was pleased when both Kirill and Arvyn smirked because that was his intention. “I do understand I’m wanted. Being held by you is a dream come true. And I promise you, I’m not usually a drama llama, and while there will be times when we’re with others of my kind when I might not be as casual as I appear now, my appearance doesn’t change what’s in my soul. I’d still be your mate.”
“I get that,” Arvyn said eagerly, his smile widening. “I mean, I’m still the same person when I’m in my fur.”
“Your animal form is gorgeous.” Twisting at the waist, Ra managed to rest one of his arms on Arvyn’s shoulders, stroking up his wolfen mate’s neck.
“Had you been watching us after you left us?” Kirill asked, but there was no animosity in his tone this time.
“I peeked in from time to time, but only quickly, I promise.” Ra inhaled. “Putting it frankly, this morning was a shit fest and as much as I long to be bitten the way you’ve exchanged bites, and spend hours exploring the amazing bodies pressed against me, I really feel we just all need a bit more time to decompress, don’t you? Let me feed you, we’ll get the fire lit and we’ll sit and chat, and yes, touch as well, because that’s something I haven’t had in so long. But can we do that? Do you mind doing that when you know we’ve got the rest of eternity to be together?”
“Eternity just might be long enough with you,” Kirill said, leaning forward just enough to drop the promise of a kiss on Ra’s lips. Arvyn met him halfway, and they shared their own brief kiss as well. As they did, something settled inside Ra, and he knew although it would take time, they would be okay.
Chapter Sixteen
Kirill’s mind was numb. As he sat on the huge and very comfortable couch Ra installed in place of the three piece that had been in the room, watching Arvyn light a fire, and listening to Ra pottering about in the kitchen, he tried to make sense of his new reality.
My coven is gone. Everything I’ve worked for and protected for hundreds of years, dismantled leaving nothing more than real estate.
But it wasn’t gone as such, Kirill knew that, even as his soul ached. Gone implied someone had taken his coven from him, stolen it, challenged him for it and won, when the reverse was true. Kirill had given it up, and as he shucked off his shoes and curled his feet under him, he tried to work out logically why he’d done such an impulsive and for him, destructive act.
It’s not like Kirill hadn’t thought about giving up the coven before. Honestly, the older and more powerful he got the more annoyed he used to feel dealing with the petty situations posed by coven members on a daily basis. Each time those thoughts cropped up, he’d tried to discount those private feelings, believing that the older he got, the more he had a responsibility to protect younger members of his kind - not that they seemed to appreciate it.
I wasn’t running a coven full of children. Sitting in Ireland, Kirill got a clarity he could never achieve when thinking at the place he used to call home. And his thoughts were factually accurate. Every vampire in his previous coven was aged between a hundred and twenty and three hundred years old. Many of his members had been below his threshold of one hundred and twenty years when his U.S. coven was started but living in a small town wasn’t something most vampires wanted to do, especially once Kirill had instigated his bagged blood policy decades before. Most of the vampires who chose to stay with him were younger in terms of their species, and with the exception of his enforcers, weren’t physically capable of protecting themselves against someone like himself. They were drawn to his power and his wealth, but they had also become complacent, accepting their life of ease as a right instead of a privilege.
Sycophants, leeches. Kirill felt the anger burn deep in his belly. No one ever said a harsh word to his face, but oh, how the gossip used to thrive in the hidden corners of his estate. Gossip that Kirill had been arrogant enough to ignore. It was the fate of any powerful vampire to have the younger generation dream of challenging him and taking everything he’d worked for. The odd times someone had the balls to actually challenge him, Kirill had been sure to make an example of the people concerned, which helped keep new challenges to a minimum.
But what Yakov had done… Fuck! Kirill cursed his own arrogance this time. Yakov said all the right things, was efficient to a fault, and until Kirill ended up chained up in his own basement, Kirill believed him to be one of the most loyal members of his coven. But yeah, I also believed he was older than he actually was, believed he was more powerful than he could’ve possibly been, and he was definitely a damn sight sneakier than I gave him credit for. How the hell did he even get into my coven in the first place?
A hand on his shoulder had him looking up. Ra was in front of him, a platter of food in his hand. “You need to eat,” he said gently. Kirill noticed Arvyn was sitting on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, a heaped plate of food in front of him. “There’s coffee, soda or whiskey if you prefer.”
“Thank you.” Kirill made a point to let his fingers linger over Ra’s as he took the offered plate, dropping his feet back to the floor so the plate could rest on his lap. “I guess I got caught up in my thoughts.”
“We’re here if you want to talk.” Ra sat beside him, close, but still giving Kirill his space. The ancient god had a plate full of colorful salad vegetables and what looked like prawns on his plate. He popped one in his mouth, chewing slowly.
Kirill looked down at his own plate. Lasagna. One of his favorites. The smell of basil, fennel and parmesan cheese wafted up with the steam. “How did you know?” Kirill waved at his plate as he leaned forward to pick up a knife and fork from the coffee table.
“About the lasagna?” Ra chuckled. “I didn’t, but you had the look of a man who needed comfort food. Arvyn was easier to work out as I know how much wolf shifters love their steak and bacon, but I didn’t know if you could still have that, you know, since you’ve…”
Ah. Ra was being tactful. Kirill nodded. “You’re right. Now that I’ve fed from Arvyn and had a drop of your blood, rare steak is off the menu for me. So is bagged blood, or nibbling on anyone else, so you two don’t have to worry about me being with anyone else.”
“You can’t anyway,” Arvyn said around his mouthful. “That scar on your shoulder takes care of that, and yes, my precious Ra, I will see to it you are similarly scarred before the day is done.”
Kirill felt Ra shiver and hoped that was in anticipation. But Ra’s invitation to talk also still rang in his mind, and after forking up a large mouthful of lasagna, Kirill wondered how to start.
“I’ve been trying to work out,” he said after he’d swallowed, “how Yakov was able to get away with using his father’s ID for so long. He was nowhere near as old as his father had been when the man disappeared. But I didn’t pick up anything in the way he acted, or in his power levels around others in my coven, to suggest he was as young as he was. I mean, shit, he was barely a hundred years old. How the hell did he con me like that, or anyone else in the coven for that matter?”
“Your kind are what us furry ones call understated, my dear mate.” Arvyn chuckled. “Shifters always know how powerful or not another shifter is from the moment they meet. Our animal halves either want to belly up or start posturing for dominance. Vampires, and apparently cute ancient gods, aren’t like that.”
“How do you mean?” Damn, this food is good. Kirill scooped up more.
“Meh.” Arvyn waved his fork around. “Remember, I’m just the baby in this relationship, so it’s not like I know a lot. I’m only fifty-four and yes, I’m an alpha. I was born that way. But I have met a few vampires in my travels, none as old as you,” he added while Kirill swallowed the urge to growl.
“How do vampires come across when you meet them, Arvyn?” Ra asked. “And how does that compare to when you met me?”
Arvyn chewed for a moment before answering. Over half his plate was already empty and Kirill worked on his own plate. “Most vamps look human to the naked eye,” Arvyn said. “If you discount flawless complexions and very little body fat, but I guess that’s got to do with your diet.”
Kirill nodded, his mouth too full to answer.
“Shifters get a vibe from vamps,” Arvyn explained. “It’s like, I know you’re a predator. I’ve had enough experience with vamps to know that your claws are lethal if you engage that handy dandy poison tip aspect your kind employ, but in a typical interaction, a shifter has no true idea of how old a vampire might be, or how powerful. It’s only if you get angry, or feel threatened – then, wow, it’s like your power emerges like a cloud, much like my furry side does to protect me.”
“Which is what you meant by vampires being understated. As a rule, they come across like anyone else.” Ra nodded. “How does that compare with me, or someone like Zeus?”
Arvyn wrinkled his nose, in what Kirill thought was a cute gesture. “Bearing in mind you and Zeus are the only two gods I’ve ever met, that I’m aware of, I’d say it’s slightly different again. I mean, I look at you, and I see cute and sexy. My animal half didn’t see you or Zeus as a threat, not that I’ve actually met him, only seen him for like all of two minutes. I didn’t get a vibe from either of you regarding power or being a predator.”
“Probably, because we don’t come across like that as a rule. We can appear as human as the next person.” Setting his plate on the coffee table, Ra sat back, a mug of something that smelled like warm cider appearing in his hands.
“Our power is used to make a point, usually at boring meetings gods hold once in a blue moon, like the one held recently when Thor’s mate Orin was found to be the gods’ keeper. A story for another time,” Ra added quickly. “In the ancient past I only ever expended my power against one of my own who was getting pushy. Nowadays, my reputation as the Father of Everything in my pantheon is enough to get people to listen to me. It’s those reputations that are really important among our kind. Gods are truly immortal, so it’s not like we can go around killing each other despite what folk tales might say. Among mortal beings, just a fraction of my power would be overwhelming to most and I’ve never had a wish to hurt anyone.” A flash of sadness crossed Ra’s face and disappeared just as quickly. Kirill wondered what that was about.
“With us around, you’ll never have to,” Arvyn said brightly, scraping his plate clean and pushing it aside. “Have you got another one of whatever is in your cup? It smells divine.”
“Of course.” Ra seemed startled to have been asked, but two more mugs appeared on the table. Kirill decided he was finished too, and added his plate to the others, before picking up the remaining mug. Arvyn was already drinking his and humming contentedly.
“So, back to the original question,” Kirill said, after taking a sip that seemed to warm him as it went down. “You’re saying I didn’t notice Yakov’s lack of power because I didn’t look for it?”
“Can you think of any instance where Yakov had to fight for his position, or fight off a threat?” Arvyn raised his eyebrows. “Seems to me, that’s the only time you might have noticed his lacking in that area.”
Kirill shook his head. “Yakov was recommended to me for the second’s position and from memory I was busy with a security project at the time and was just glad I didn’t have to interview anyone or witness challenges. In hindsight, many of my coven members were lazy sods and wouldn’t have wanted the responsibility that comes with the position, so it’s not as though anyone would’ve challenged him for it unless it was one of my enforcers.”
“And considering what we saw when Zeus and I got to the coven, Yakov had clearly been giving the head of security a blow job, so perhaps that’s why they didn’t challenge him.” Ra gave an elegant rise and fall of his slender shoulders. “My question for you, sweet vampire, is why is it important to you?”
And wasn’t that the twenty-thousand-dollar question. Kirill struggled to put what he was feeling into words. “I feel duped. I feel like I’ve been conned, and I’m angry… at Yakov definitely, but mostly I’m angry at myself. People, innocent people, were being abused, drained, chained, tortured, not half a mile from where I slept, and I didn’t know. I didn’t fucking KNOW!” His anger hit him like a Mack truck. Kirill was on his feet, the contents of his cup slopping all over the floor. Seconds later the handle of the mug started to crumble in his hands, and Kirill threw the remains of the mug against the fireplace.
