City of Dragons: Of Flesh and Blood (7 page)

It was his turn to pause, then, “No, not really. You don’t exactly have a real good record of dealing with that kind of thing.”

“I’m sorry.” And damn if she didn’t sound like she actually meant it.

Farley pulled the cellophane off the trays and tossed it into the sink. Haley would bitch about it tomorrow, but oh well. He found a fork in the dish drainer and a bowl in the cabinet.

One by one he scraped the contents of the trays into the bowl and mashed them together.

Claire said, “I really don’t mind. I’d like to help.”

Farley sighed. “I think that’s great of you, Claire. I really do. But not tonight, okay? Please understand.”

“If she’s okay tomorrow, do you think we could go to lunch?” Claire’s voice didn’t even crack. Farley was impressed.

“Maybe, we’ll see.” It was as close to a commitment as he was willing to give her. Farley hung up and carried the suicide of chicken nuggets, lasagna, macaroni, turkey pot-pie, and pudding back into the bedroom.

Haley was curled on her side, huddled under the blankets. “You awake?” He sat down beside her and she opened her eyes. “Here, open wide. You need to eat.”

She shook her head.

“Don’t make me hold you down and cram this down your throat. I slaved for a whole eight minutes in front of that microwave.” He grinned at her, but she didn’t smile back. He touched her cheek. “Haley, please eat.” When she sat up, he moved over and spooned up the first bite. “Here.” Haley took it and made a face.

“Oh, that’s terrible. What did you make?” She glanced over the edge of the bowl and shuddered. “What is that? Brownie in with macaroni? What did you do? Take everything out of the freezer and mix it together?”

“Exactly.”

“Gross. Come on, you can’t mix the pudding in with the lasagna, that’s just nasty.” Farley pushed another spoon full into her mouth while her lips were moving. She grimaced.

“Well, you have a choice. This or I can call Claire back. She offered to bring you anything you like.” Haley flipped her eyes up at him and took the bowl. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She ate half before pushing it back into his lap. Farley ate the rest.

By the time he put the dish on the bedside table the haunted look in her eyes had returned. Farley made short work of kicking off his combat boots, shedding his clothes, and slipping next to her under the sheet. He pulled Haley against him, and she buried her face against his neck.

Farley shut his eyes and adjusted his hold. How did he tell her? What she’d seen was awful, cruel, vicious…

“Haley?”

She made a sound next to his throat. Not quite a word, but it let him know she was listening. He stroked her head. He didn’t want an argument. He didn’t want her to be angry. Haley didn’t understand the hatching grounds. Hell, lots of times she didn’t really understand her own people. At least not beyond her books and the Males she dealt with in the Tank. The ignorance handicapped her. That and her Human
impressions
.

When Farley swallowed, his throat felt tight. He said, “It was for the best. As horrible as it was, they were weak. They should have never gotten out of the Hatching grounds.” Farley closed his eyes and waited for her to tense, to get angry, to tell him how this wasn’t the Dens. But all he got was silence. When Farley cracked an eyelid, Haley was looking at him, her face tight, but her eyes…They conveyed understanding. “You’re not yelling at me?”

“You’re right.” With a sigh she pressed closer. “I spoke with them. They were…Food. There’s no way they got out of the Hatching grounds on their own.” Which meant someone helped them get out. “Do you think Re’kah would do something like that on purpose? I mean, send them out so young?”

Farley said, “She has a reputation for cruelty.” But then, what Queen didn’t? It took a certain type of nastiness to be Queen – that and a lot of power. He sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not exactly in a position to find out that kind of information. It’s Queens’ business.”

“I really need to know. If her cast outs keep winding up in Atlanta, it could cause a lot of problems. Maybe I should ask Medan.”

It was Farley’s turn to shudder. “If you say so, but do me a favor and try calling her on the phone or something. I don’t think I could stand having to see her in person again.”

Haley let out a small laugh and said, “You and me both.”

Something woke Haley up. According to the clock on her nightstand, it was two. As in two AM. Haley blinked, trying to clear the fuzz from her brain. A heavy pounding sounded from the front room as someone proceeded to beat the hell out of her door.

The Browning Building Haley lived in was pretty much a way-station for geriatric Humans waiting for the one-way train. And elderly Humans weren’t known for their late night parties. Which meant it was highly unlikely someone had the wrong apartment. Haley grabbed her robe and headed to the door.

“Haley, it’s me. Please, open the door.” Months had passed since The Jersey City Prince had spoken to her. And their last conversation hadn’t exactly been all rainbows and kittens.

There had been a puppy though, or at least what was left of it.

As soon as the dead bolt was off and the chain loose, Deshi pushed his way inside.

Two years ago Deshi made the mistake of marrying a Human. He claimed he loved her, which was fine, but the problem was, Emily Autry didn’t love him back. Emily loved his money. Unlike other Males, Deshi had a Mother, which made him a Prince. Specifically produced, cultivated, and groomed into a Queen’s ideal of physical perfection, Deshi was presented as a gift to the Queen of Atlanta from the Queen of Jersey City.

With his blond hair, blue eyes, tall stature, and perfect physique, Deshi looked like he belonged in an art museum with the title “Sun God” or “Apollo” – a living testament to the level of vanity infecting the species. And his perfection was a confirmation of his Mother’s skill in genetic selection and metaphysical manipulation.

Unfortunately, Medan turned Deshi down and sent him out on his own. Then he met Emily. And that’s when things went really bad.

While Deshi made all of Emily’s dreams come true, she wouldn’t give him the one thing he needed, a Link. Without it, there was no bond between them so he could
feed
from her, the taking of flesh, blood, and metaphysical energy. And since Emily was all about monogamy, Deshi was SOL.

So the Prince came to Haley a few months into his marriage after he killed Emily’s Chihuahua and ate it. Up until recently, Emily thought the dog had just run away, but then it happened again.

Only the golden retriever had made a much bigger mess.

In spite of her promises, Emily still wouldn’t bond with the Jersey City Prince, and Deshi wasn’t going to make her. And now they were all out of dogs to take one for the team.

Sagging against the wall, Deshi’s face was a haggard expression of exhaustion. And he still looked like some sort of Greek god.

Haley shut the door and flipped the lock. “Are you okay?”

What she really meant is,
please don’t tell me you ate Emily
.

Deshi nodded, then shook his head. Haley inhaled his scent. He didn’t smell like blood and Human flesh. Actually, he smelled
fed
. God of Man, did the crazy woman finally bond with him?

No, something was wrong. Deshi was shaking like a leaf in the wind and putting out enough heat for a full shift. Haley touched his face and he flinched.

“I’m sorry.” She knew he meant for his reaction. She was Female, and he was a well-schooled Male. Negative reaction to a Female’s touch was an insult.

As in a getting-your-throat-torn-out kind of insult.

“It’s okay, Deshi. You want to sit down? Talk?”

Deshi shook his head, but he didn’t resist when Haley led him into the kitchen and sat him down on one of the stools at the bar.

He stayed there for a while looking very scared, very lost. Haley stood close by but not touching. The silence stretched on forever.

“Emily’s pregnant.” Deshi made a face, like maybe saying it out loud was a total accident.

Haley touched his arm, not sure what to tell him. His breath leaked out of his lungs, and his shoulders dropped.

“She doesn’t know I know.” Deshi closed his eyes, and his head fell into his hands. “She has an appointment at a abortion clinic next week. I found the card in her coat pocket yesterday when I was looking for the car keys.”

“Deshi…” What the hell did she say? Killing Deshi’s unborn had to be the evil of evils for him. From birth, Kin fight to live, doing whatever it takes to survive the hatching ground, but killing the unborn was cowardice. While Half-Breeds were rare and not desirable by either Kin or Humans, it was still a life.

Since Deshi was Kin and Emily Human, he had no vote in the choices she made.

Haley squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry. I don’t know...I don’t know how…” Man, today had just turned out shitty. Wait, this was a new day, wasn’t it? Hopefully, this wasn’t a warning of things to come.

Haley brushed the hair out of Deshi’s eyes. He used to wear it long, all-the-way -down-his-back kind of long. Just like his Nevus – Emily made him cut off his hair.

“Come to bed, Deshi.” He resisted when she pulled on his arm.“Deshi, you need comfort. Come to bed.” When Haley tried to catch his eyes, he looked away. “What is it?”

Haley took his chin and made him look at her. His color was good, his eyes solid. He gave off no feeling of starvation or
need.
He was sated. Someone had been
feeding
him, and it sure as hell wasn’t her or Farley.

Deshi’s eyes widened. “This was a mistake. I need to go.” Haley put a hand on his shoulder.

“If Emily’s pregnant, it means you didn’t bond with her?” And yet he was getting
fed
somehow. “Deshi, who’s
feeding
you?”

A darkness passed behind his baby blues, and the air became saturated by the flavor of shame.

“Deshi?” He shook his head. “This is about more than Emily being pregnant, isn’t it?” Oh, yeah. Way more. Bad things were going on. Getting rid of the baby had just put the Prince on her doorstep. “Tell me.”

“Please, I can’t…” He tried to pull away, but she caught his face and held him. “Haley, I don’t want to.” But Males didn’t say no to a Female. Which was one of the reasons why Emily had such control over him. The other was still an unknown. Deshi called it love, but Haley had a hard time believing something supposed to be a good thing was capable of making a person endure such pain. His eyes shimmered, but no tears fell. “Please don’t make me.”

Making him tell her was exactly what Haley’s Female instincts demanded that she do. But then, of course, her Human-instilled ethics got in the way and gave a quick beat down.

Haley let Deshi go and walked around the wetbar. The counter was a mess from Farley making dinner, and he’d left the milk out. She busied herself with cleaning it up while Deshi sat on the stool looking broken. He looked that way a lot after marrying Emily. It was like all the life was being sucked out of his metaphysically perfect body.

Farley appeared in the bedroom doorway. He knuckled his still closed eyes and opened his mouth in a massive yawn. His lips drew back, and his fangs extended as his jaw cracked. “Who’s here?”

Deshi said, “Just me.”

“Long time no see.” Farley smiled, but it wilted when no one smiled back. “Everything okay?” The “Did he eat her?” went unsaid.

Deshi sighed. “Emily’s fine. She’s pregnant.”

Farley’s eyes went wide. He glided into the kitchen area. Even half asleep he moved in a beautiful liquid way which was Kin. And when he was awake, it was breathtaking. Haley couldn’t move that way no matter how hard she tried. It always made her a little jealous.

All right, a lot jealous.

“You two are okay then?” Farley tossed a look back and forth between Haley and Deshi. “So you’re not okay.” He leaned into the Prince and scented him. “You’re
fed
?” He touched Deshi’s hair, brushed his cheek, leaned in to taste his skin. Deshi jumped, practically throwing himself off the stool and running into the wall behind him. “Whoa...” Farley stepped back holding his hands up.

Deshi’s chest went up and down in panic while his eyes flicked around the room. “I’m sorry, I really should go--”

“Sit.” Haley’s pointed to the bar stool, and her Female instincts roared in triumph. “Now you can tell me nothing’s wrong all you want, but there is something wrong.”

Deshi looked at Farley, but then averted his eyes. And Haley didn’t miss his expression. Pinched. Uneasy.

Like he was…embarrassed?

Haley gave Farley the once-over. The scar on his shoulder was the only thing to mar his perfect body. Although his build was conservative, it was no less a thing of beauty. Every muscle carved and placed with perfection under lightly tanned skin. Unlike a lot of Kin, he had a belly button.

Farley made a face. “Deshi, why do you keep looking at me like you’ve never seen me naked before? In fact you’re looking at me like I’ve never seen you naked before. Or better yet like you’ve gone all taboo or something.” He shot a stare at Haley. “What the hell did Emily give him – a brain transplant?”

Deshi looked like his worst secret was out. Haley moved closer to him, and he stiffened. She extended a hand and brushed the sleeve of his overcoat. Normally he shed it and laid it on the couch when he came inside.

Haley swept her hands across his mid-section, barely caressing the fabric of his Italian-labeled button-up. Underneath his clothes his muscles jumped like live wires. Haley tugged at his shirttail and freed it from his pants. When she looked at him, his eyes were wide and…terrified. Deshi smelled like
food
.

The Prince of Jersey City didn’t stop her when she pushed up the hem of his shirt. A dark pink scar peaked over his belt near his hip where his Nevus used to be. Haley missed his mark. It had been a lovely white thing which made her think of the wind. She pushed the shirt higher, and Deshi’s face squished up.

Faded bruises dotted his ribs. They were nothing really. Except on people who healed minor wounds in seconds, the bruises meant the injuries had been extensive. Farley joined her and tugged at Deshi’s overcoat. He didn’t fight when Farley pulled it from his shoulders, peeled it from his arms, and dropped it to the floor. Haley leaned in closer, drawing the Prince’s scent across her palate. There was something there she couldn’t identify, but it tasted terrible.