Ineeded a break from arguing. Truly, I did. It seemed that’s all Dustin and I ever did. We would argue, and then Dustin would take me in his arms and make me feel safe and whole again, or he would go off to train in the gym, or he would hole himself in his spacious room and read one of the books I had Don supply him with when he initially set up my beauty’s room.
Now, I was the one running away, and I rather did not care about the hit it landed on my pride. I needed air. I needed space. But Dustin was as stubborn—or more so—than I was. I could hear his footsteps as he followed me to my study (obviously not the study in the north parlor) a few doors down in the same hallway as our bedrooms and my parlor. The north wing was our wing, and I rarely set foot in the other wings, except to use the gym myself.
When we made it inside my study, Dustin closed the door behind us and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You can’t run away from me, Casersis. We need to hash this out. Unless you want it to drive a wedge between us.”
I know I paled at the thought because Dustin strode toward me quickly and wrapped me in warmth and love, pressing his cheek to mine. “I don’t want it either,” he whispered into my hair. “So we gotta address it now, okay?”
My voice wouldn’t work, so I nodded against his head. How had he become so very protective of me in these last days? Why had he become so protective so quickly? Was it just the sex? Was it just an alpha’s need to protect and calm an omega in distress? Or was it something else? Part of me demanded to know. To know if he was using me. To know if he was manipulating me. The other part didn’t care if he was, so long as he stayed. It also knew that Dustin had more integrity than that.
“You can’t keep me locked in here forever,” Dustin said gently, and I closed my eyes. He continued, “I don’t want to end up resenting you and Kevin. I’m growing kind of fond of you. I want to see where this thing between us goes. So, you have to give me a little freedom.”
I rested my forehead on his shoulder and sighed as I wrapped my arms around his trim waist. I loved the feel of him against me, of his clean smell of cloves and spice from the shower gel and shampoo I had bought him from Mr. Cipriani. I loved the way we fit against each other. He was so much broader than I was, and I was rather fit. He had that lovely strength that only came from hard labor, and I loved it, reveled in it. If he kept me in his arms like this, I would gladly do anything he asked of me, but I had to think of his safety first.
“I could place the glamor upon you,” I conceded in a voice thick with my traitorous emotions. “But as I said, I am unsure how well it would stay when you are so far away from me.”
Dustin sighed, his breath tickling my ear. Then he kissed it, and I trembled in his arms. “I’ll give you a few more days. Let’s do the gardening thing. I’ll do my best to be patient, Cass. But I need to tell my boss something so he can find someone to take over my position for a while longer. I can’t leave him hanging.”
“I know, my beauty,” I whispered. “I know, and I am sorry this is such a strain on you.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Beth opened it to stick her head in. I was both relieved to get away from this conversation and irritated because Dustin pulled away to see who came in.
“Bradley is here,” she said in an irritated voice. “He’s demanding to see you.”
I groaned. Bradley was the last person I wanted to deal with at this moment, but I could not put him off any longer. I had put him off for a week now, or almost. Resigned, I said, “Send him to my parlor.”
It was not long before Bradley showed up. Dustin and I met him, already seated on the settee. Before he could speak, I gave him a stiff smile and said, “I apologize, Brad. I had more important things to attend to.”
“Like that kid you carried out of Anatole’s?” he demanded as he pointed to Dustin.
I cringed inwardly at his crass tone and schooled my face into a neutral mask. “Precisely that.”
“Look, it’s none of my business, but—”
“No, Bradley,” I interrupted coldly, “there are no buts. This is none of your business. I appreciate that you care, and I thank you for it.”
“Cass,” Bradley sighed my name, and I suddenly hated that he called me by the same nickname as my beauty, which meant he could only have gotten it from Anatole’s, “Cass… I’m worried. That kid—”
“His name is Dustin,” I interrupted again. “And my name is Casersis.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Bradley cleared his throat. “Dustin makes a scene, and you have Erastus thrown out of the restaurant?”
“Excuse me?” And gods help me, but I could not manage to keep the low growl from my voice. “Erastus made a scene and insulted Dustin. And need I remind you that your job is to erase me from the public eye, not question me on my private affairs?”
“That’s rich!” Bradley snorted. “I have to know your private affairs to keep them out of the public eye. When are you going to realize that? When are you going to stop fighting me every inch of the way to do what you pay me for?”
“You’ve done a good job so far, Bradley,” Dustin said. He stretched and groaned as I massaged his scalp, a trick I learned that calmed him every time. “I didn’t know Casersis existed until I met him.”
Intense silence came, and then Bradley sighed. “And when did you meet him? A week ago, Casersis, you told Erastus that Dustin was your friend and lied about his name.”
“And you think I should have admitted my true relationship to my enemy?” I asked archly. “You think I should give him fuel to hurt Dustin to get to me? Do you realize what that would do?”
I shuddered and rubbed my eyes with the thumb and forefinger of my left hand while the right still massaged Dustin’s scalp. Sitting up, Dustin squeezed my shoulder and glared at Bradley. Then he turned and did a double-take at me. He leaned in to whisper against my ear, “Your ears! They’re not hidden!”
I had forgotten that I had my hair pulled back, and indeed, my ears were visible. This would be a problem. Bradley did not know my true identity. I said in a normal voice, “Thank you for reminding me, beauty.” I had hoped to shield Dustin from Bradley, but I doubted I could. But perhaps if I treated him like an employee.
I grimaced inwardly again because why would I be petting my employee? “Bradley, if you would excuse me for a moment and wait outside…”
Bradley didn’t budge and stared hard at me. “I’m not going anywhere, Casersis.” He looked at Dustin and perked a brow. “And you. Going from a nobody construction worker to fucking the wealthiest man alive is a big jump. Erastus is already making a big stink of this, Casersis, and it’s going to be hard as hell to keep this out of the media.”
Frowning, Dustin shot a glare at the man then looked him over as if appraising. Bradley, a handsome man, sported green eyes, artistically styled auburn hair, and had not a freckle to show for being a ginger. He frowned deeper, and I wondered if it was the way Bradley dressed in the casual elegance of pressed black slacks, a button-down shirt in a soft gray that was open at the throat, and a stylish cardigan. It showed that I paid Bradley an exorbitant amount of money to do what he did best.
Dustin, finished with his appraisal, said, “Erastus thinks I’m his friend unless you told him otherwise. Throwing a fit is suddenly media material?”
I snorted. “Erastus is a bit vainglorious and is not camera-shy in the least. Though, I daresay he will keep most of this under wraps, as it were, until he has more information, and until he is certain it will do the most harm.”
“What’s the deal with that greasy bastard?” Dustin asked. “Why does he hate you so much?”
Leaning back, I started stroking my fingers through Dustin’s hair again, massaging his scalp. I took a moment when Bradley looked away to quickly cast the glamor on myself and said as if nothing were amiss, “I have what he desperately desires.”
“Which is?” Dustin murmured, trying to keep his eyes open.
“Dawn’s Lament, among other things,” I growled and waved my hand to indicate the building around us. “He has tried to purchase this estate and the surrounding land from me for ages.”
“Not to mention tried to get half your companies through unsuccessful hostile takeovers.” Bradley laughed. “Oh, and he’s been drooling over your pendant for as long as he’s known you. I never figured the man one for jewelry. He doesn’t wear any.” He shifted in his seat and rested his left ankle on his right knee. “Then, there’s the fact that he’s outright hated you since you two first met as if you’d known each other for years.”
“That hate stems from other things,” I said. “Things that will never be resolved in our lifetime.”
I carded my fingers through Dustin’s short hair, playing with the artfully messy strands. Bradly shot forward in his chair and stared. Shifting, Dustin all but tried to crawl inside my sweater when he saw that look. Bradley reached out and got out of his seat to touch Dustin’s ear. “What… Your ears…”
The breathless quality of Bradley’s voice made my stomach pit and roll. Dustin reached up and touched his ears, and my feeling went into full nausea. “Birth defect.” Dustin lied. “It’s why I keep my hair long enough to cover my ears on the sides.”
Bradley gave him a disbelieving look and crossed his arms over his chest as he righted himself. “I didn’t get where I am today by not doing my homework and being incapable of telling when someone is lying, Daniel. I’ve got baby pictures, yearbook entries, and dirt on you from when you were born until you called in sick to your job at Nichol’s Construction Company.”
Heart in my throat and my stomach rolling, I feathered my fingers through Dustin’s hair again as if I were unconcerned. While I did so, I cast the glamor. A golden glow washed over Dustin’s head, and Bradley sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes wide.
“Magic…”
“You must be imagining things, Bradley.” My words reverberated with power as I tried to erase the memory from Bradley’s mind. “You saw nothing.”
The man shuddered violently, complete with hard, rapid blinking. He shook his head. “You’re insane. I saw his pointed ears, and then I saw you change them, complete with gold magic. I’m not stupid, Casersis. Nor am I blind.”
“You are carrying a talisman.” My hold on Dustin became almost painful. “Kevin, secure the exits. Search Bradley. I want to see everything he has on his person.”
“Talisman? What?” Eyes wide, Bradley darted a look toward Kevin and started backing up against the windows. “You have no right to search me! I don’t have anything!”
“You are in my home,” I said evenly. “That, in itself, is enough to warrant the search, especially since I was not expecting your visit.”
Dustin sat stiff as a board. It made me wonder that he hadn’t gone off to look in the nearest mirror to see his new ears. Why hadn’t I even noticed them? When had they grown in?
Kevin rounded the sitting area, a scowl on his face. “Come on, Brad. You’re acting guilty. If you got nothing, you got nothing to hide. A quick search, and it’ll be over. Just empty your pockets and get it over with.”
Hanging his head, Bradley raked the fingers of both hands through his hair and stuffed them into his pockets. In a fluid motion, he brought out both fists and laid his pockets’ contents on the table before him. Then he pulled out an old-fashioned leather business card case and a handkerchief from his back pockets. With everything laid out, Kevin patted him down and stepped away.
“See anything, Cass?” Kevin asked.
I studied the mess on the table of chewing gum, breath mints, and a travel-sized spool of dental floss. The handkerchief held my attention for a moment, and I shook my head. “No.” I looked up at Bradley and motioned to his chest. “Remove your shirts, please, Bradley.”
“My—my shirts?” Confused, Bradley clutched at the front of his cardigan. “Casersis…”
“Please, Bradley. Indulge in my eccentricities this once.”
“By taking off my shirt?” Bradley snorted. “I’m not undressing for your eccentricities.”
“Either you shuck your shirts,” Dustin said, “or I’ll hold you down while Kevin does it for you.”
Bradley paled and stared at Dustin. His jaw flexed, and he swallowed. He knew that Dustin was quite capable of carrying out that threat just by Dustin’s sheer size. Dustin made a move to get up, and Bradley jerked and started unbuttoning his cardigan. “Stop! Fine. Just… just give me a moment.”
Sitting back, Dustin frowned as he watched Bradley strip his cardigan off. As he worked on the button-down he wore underneath, the man began to sweat. A blush turned his face scarlet, and his classically handsome features twisted into an ugly scowl. He was hiding something, and Dustin and I watched every move to try and figure out what it was.
The moment he untucked and unbuttoned his shirt, Bradley hesitated, fidgeting with the edges of the shirt until Dustin twitched again. He shuddered and jerked it off, tossing it. There was nothing. Just the man’s smooth chest, slightly flabby stomach, and the small protrusion of love-handles that his clothes seemed to expertly hide.
“Turn around, Bradley,” I demanded. My patience was running thin, and I desperately wanted the man out of my home so I could check Dustin over.
Bradley’s scowl intensified, and he turned around. On his back was a hand-sized tattoo in the shape of a howling wolf’s head in black ink that glowed with what looked to be a blue fire that never burned flesh or fabric. I hissed a curse and laughed.
“All this time, Bradley,” I chuckled, “all this time, and you have been working for Erastus. Does he pay you more than I do? Does he promise you things? Magic and other worlds? Freedom, and eternity?”
“What’s with the tattoo?” Dustin asked as he stared. “It’s…”
“The ink used was created from darksire mane or hoof,” I stated. “Darksires and their female counterparts, the nightmares, are magic retardant beasts. They negate all magic except for their own darkfire. Darksire and vaciroth parts are two of very, very few things that can negate an elf’s magic. How resourceful.”
“So what do we do with him?” Kevin asked. “Can’t just cut it off him…”
The man plastered himself against the windows. His once scarlet face was now paler than milk. Sweat poured down his face and chest. “No… you wouldn’t!”
“Actually,” I mused, “that is very much a viable option. Especially since, of course, with that etched into your skin, there is no way for me to ensure your subservience.”
Dustin studied Bradley, even as the man’s knees gave out from under him. Kevin kept him from hurting himself but didn’t help him stand back up. He kept the man on his knees, staring at me and waiting for word as to what to do with him. Bradley met Dustin’s gaze, a silent plea in his eyes. Dustin shifted off the sofa to loom over Bradley.
“Dustin?” I murmured, curious to see what he would do. “Do you have thoughts on this matter?”
“Will cutting it off even work?” Dustin asked. “I mean, would some of the ink have gotten into his bloodstream or something? If that’s the case, removing the tattoo would just weaken it, right?”
“The only way to find out is to try,” Kevin said with a mirthless laugh. “This isn’t something that we got research material on, kid.”
“Okay…” Rubbing the back of his neck, Dustin stared down at Bradley. “Time for that truth now, Cass. How does Erastus have access to this stuff, and why would he plant Bradley on you?”
“He is a wolvan—a wolf shifter,” I responded as if it were common knowledge. “I spoke a little about that before. Wolvan sometimes have… complexes when it comes to elfin kind. We were once their Masters, in a way. We set them free after the Dividing Wars, but some still hold a vast amount of animosity. Erastus is a rather unfortunate accident, as he is not supposed to be able to cross the veil.”
“A… wolf shifter…” Dustin sagged into the chair next to Bradley and stared dumbly at the wolf tattoo on the man’s back. “I remember you saying, but… shit, it’s just now hitting me. It makes me wonder how many he’s turned. They can turn humans, right?”
“They cannot,” I said, but I was unsure. A frown creased my brow, and dipped my lips down. “Unless…”
Dustin swallowed. “Unless?”
“Unless he has this amulet and finds one with enough wolvan blood to turn, as I had accidentally turned you.” I frowned harder and fingered the amulet against my chest. “How clever…”
“I thought that amulet was to turn humans with elf blood into full-blooded elves,” Dustin said, shifting in his seat. “It has other uses?”
“It reacts to blood,” I explained softly. “It—It hasn’t—” I huffed a breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. “We cannot discuss this in front of Bradley if he is to keep that damnable tattoo…”
“But he can’t keep it, can he?” Bradley flinched, but Dustin seemed to ignore him. It didn’t work, and he ended up staring into those terrified green eyes again.
Finally, Dustin barked a laugh. “Unless… you put him in an insane asylum…”
“NO!” Bradley cried. He desperately reached for me. “Please, no! I can’t live like that! I can’t!” He hugged his chest, curling in on himself as he whispered, “Cut it off! Just cut it off and do what you want. Anything but being locked up.”
“But you see, Bradley,” I went on in a cold, calculating tone, “Erastus will still have you in his pocket, whether you have his insignia etched into your skin or not, whether I alter your memory or not. He can always replace the tattoo at any time.” I sat back, feeling incredibly tired. “How long have you been his puppet?”
All the fight left Bradley, and he hung his head. “Since I was fifteen…”
“And what did he do to earn that kind of loyalty?” Kevin spat.
A shudder ripped through Bradley, and he curled into a tighter ball. “I caught him in the fur—half in, half out. Mid-change. He was going to kill me.”
Something in my chest broke, and I reached out for Bradley, resting a gentle hand on his head. “I would never harm you…”
The man laughed, bitter and ugly. “You want to cut the tattoo off me. That’s harming, Casersis.”
I lowered my head and stroked my fingers through Bradley’s hair. “You would be rendered unconscious first. You would feel no pain. I would heal the wound before you awoke so it would not even be a memory.” I stroked my fingers down Bradley’s cheek and tilted his head up, looking the man in the eyes. Terror contorted Bradley’s face, and I cringed away. “Bradley…”
“He’ll kill me, Casersis,” Bradley whispered. “If he finds it gone, I’m dead. He checks randomly.”
“I can recreate it,” I mumbled. How could anyone, even Erastus, do such a thing to a fifteen-year-old child?
“With the fire?” Bradley asked. The desperate hope in his face made me flinch away.
“No.” I sighed. “Not with the fire. It could be spelled, but if he is thorough, it would be detected to be elfin magic.”
All the life drained out of Bradley’s eyes. His shoulders sagged, and he reached for his cardigan to hug it to his chest. “Just kill me. At least I know you will be humane about it.”
My hand in Bradley’s hair trembled, and I drew it away. “No—”
“I have a better idea,” Dustin cut in. He shoved himself out of the chair and took up residence in my lap, stroking my face. “First, calm down. Both of you.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled Dustin’s scent deeply. I couldn’t focus on Bradley with Dustin pressed against me, and it seemed Dustin was of the same mind.
“Calm down,” Dustin murmured again. He wrapped his arms about my neck and rocked us until the tension bled out of my shoulders and my entire body trembled. “Get dressed, Brad. Kevin, have Beth bring in something to drink that goes down well on an upset stomach. We’ll be all right. Brad’s not going anywhere.”
Kevin nodded and left the room. While Bradley dressed, Dustin kept all of his attention on me, stroking my face and pressing soft, lingering kisses to my lips.
“So much for being his friend,” Bradley muttered.
I chuckled but didn’t deign to rise to the bait. “What are you thinking, beauty,” I whispered.
Dustin studied my face and gave me a soft smile. “That killing anything would break you, and I gotta keep that from happening.”
That drew a wry chuckle from me. I shook my head. “You know me so well already.”
“No, but I’m a quick learner.” He pressed another kiss to my lips and leaned our foreheads together, holding me there with a hand on either side of my face.
When Kevin came in with a cart laden with refreshments, I was almost calm, and Dustin said, “Trust me, baby. I won’t let you break. You have enough cracks that I have to super glue and duct tape.”
I smiled and rested my forehead on his shoulder. “I suppose I do. I trust in you, my beauty.”
Dustin nodded, reached for a cup, and placed it in my hands. He waited for me to take a few sips before turning his attention to Bradley with a wicked grin lighting his face. “So, Bradley… I hear you don’t like your current employer…”
