Lacey's Luhpynes [Beyond the Veil 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (7 page)

“Oh yeah, I’m sure.” She sighed and leaned into him. “I think you should kiss me again though. After all, we will have to keep our hands and our lips to ourselves at the office, right?” She didn’t want to, but hey, you did what you had to do. “And we need to go by my place so I can get some clothes.”

Pressing another kiss to her lips he slid a hand into her hair. Tipping her back gently he took her mouth in a deeper kiss. His tongue stroked her lips, begging for entry as he shifted them until she lay back on his arm.

She opened to him readily. She kissed him as if he was the very air that she breathed. She was kissing him and wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him closer. She finally pulled back and looked up at him with wide eyes. She smiled and licked her lips. “Damn,” she murmured. “Amazing. I really think that I could get very, very used to you kissing me. Often.”

“Any time you wish, Lacey,” he told her softly, loosening his hold on her hair. Straightening up, he ran his hand down her back. “But not at the office unless we can find a nice quiet corner. I don’t think the Council would be pleased to find out about us until we either complete the mating or not.”

“Yeah, I think that you are right. Especially since I’ve had to fight every turn to remain partnered with the two of you. Believe me, it’s been an uphill damn battle. Every turn, every month, they tried to separate us because of that monster. So yeah, the less fuel we give them the better, please.”

Nodding he rested his forehead to hers for a long moment. “We won’t give them any excuses at all to separate us, Lacey. And if you choose to mate with us we can never again be separated as it’s against our laws.”

“When. We have danced around each other for far too long. I swear this has been the longest mating dance in the history of them.” Leaning in close, she pressed her forehead back to his. “It would take something terribly significant to make me change my mind and I don’t think that can happen. I happen to truly adore you. Very much so. Both of you. I need you. Both. I just don’t know anything beyond that.”

“We can work with that,” he said with a chuckle. “But the true mating dance is yet to come, Lacey. That’s when things truly become interesting. One we can’t begin until you speak with Ansell as well and face my parents.”

“Oh God, seriously? Uhm.” She had never met parents before. Ever. “Okay.” She gulped. “I can do this, right? You will be with me when I see them, right?” she asked softly. “Because I think I can handle meeting the parents if I have you with me.”

“Yes, I will be with you as will Ansell. They are normal people Lacey. Just like you and I, but older, much, much older.” He smiled. “And they gave birth to me but that’s really not that big of a deal right? We’re going for a meal, embarrassing stories of my youth and Ansell’s. I’m sure you’ll quite enjoy it as we die of shame.”

Lacey nodded and sighed. “All right then. I trust you, completely,” she told him with a smile. “What is it with you and Ansell? Are you related? I take it that he doesn’t have parents that are alive?” And that made her hurt for him, she hated that he didn’t have family, just as she didn’t, so she understood. Completely.

“His family abandoned him when he was little, we don’t know who they are or where they are. We have no idea if they are still among the living or the dead. He says he doesn’t care so I don’t push it but…” Zhubin paused for a long moment. “You can’t ever tell him, but I’ve been looking for them since I came of age and was able. I know he says he doesn’t care but I can’t help but wonder if it’s truth or merely a protective instinct to shield his heart. So I’m looking and, if I find anything, I’ll have to make the call whether to tell him or not. My parents adopted him into our clan and he was raised next to me as my brother. We don’t share blood but the parents see him as one of theirs, be warned, they are seriously protective of us.”

“Sounds like that he needs to have someone protecting him and keeping him close,” Lacey said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I promise I will work very hard at trying to not hit him in the shoulder when we are at your parents.” She had a habit of punching Ansell in the shoulder. Not because she didn’t like him, because she truly did, a great deal, but there were times he said or did something that made her reach out and punch him.

“Just be yourself, Lacey. If he deserves to get popped on the shoulder, don’t resist,” he said with a smile. “You might pop something from the need to restrain yourself. And I think that would be worse personally. Besides, Mom pops him when he’s being a brat, usually upside the head though.” Zhubin chuckled, shaking his head, “He usually deserves it a lot.”

Lacey laughed and shook her head. “Oh dear god. It’s too funny to know that this woman pops him too. Poor Ansell, he gets it when he’s around me and gets it when he’s around your mom. Too funny. I like it. All right. How about we finish eating and then we will go and get cleaned up and all that, okay?”

“You definitely need to eat up,” he said softly. “Then we have things to do. So yes, eat, we’ll get cleaned up, run by your place and then go face the music at work. You can also see if you can snag Ansell and talk to him for a while. If there’s a chance, that is,” he murmured.

“I would like that,” she told him honestly. “I would like to be able to spend some time talking to him. It would be very nice, I want to hear his thoughts on this, see if it’s something that he would even want. I want to know if this is something that he wants to pursue or if I have scared him off over the years.”

“I doubt you’ve scared him off, maybe plain old scared him. Hell, you’ve scared me on occasion,” he muttered. Reaching over he pulled her plate close and handed her her fork. “Eat and then we’ll go and shower. It’ll make the stop by your place faster if you wash up here.”

“All right. Eating now, see me?” she asked and took a bite of the food that was on her plate. “Are you going to shower with me, Z? ’Cause I will make a simple admission, if you get in there naked with me I am so not sure if I will be able to keep my hands to myself. It’s been a great many years since we have had sex and I really miss it. I really love making love and I truly would like to be able to be with you. Very much so.”

“We can’t until you make your choice,” he said softly. “So no, we won’t be showering together, darling. We will be showering alone, each in our own shower, all by our lonesomes. And it will be that way until we mate after you’ve made your decision on who is primary in your reproductive life.”

“Damn,” she grumbled. “Okay.” She sighed and licked her lips. “I tried, God that’s not a choice I want to make. It’s not a choice that I think that I can make.” She looked up at him and asked, “What if I can’t make a choice? What if that’s a choice that I can’t make? I want you both. I really do. I want you both in my life but I don’t know how to make that choice.”

“Then you flip a coin and we call it in the air,” he said with a wink. “But whatever the choice is will be one you have to live with. I’m sorry but the only other thing is going old school. And old school is bloody beyond all belief. Talk to my parents about it when we go for dinner. I’m sure they will have some advice to help you out.”

“I hope so.” Lacey sighed and shook her head. “Okay, point me in the direction of a bathroom so that I can get started on that shower so that we can get moving sooner rather than later. I really and truly want to get started or else I’m going to do something like jump you. That would be bad.”

“Very at this point,” he told her. Getting up he went around a corner and came back a couple minutes later. “Here you are.” He passed her the clothing she’d been wearing the night before, cleaned and folded. “There’s a bathroom off the bedroom you slept in last night. Go and clean up. I’ll get the kitchen cleaned and then we’ll meet in the living room when we’re both done.”

“Sounds good.” She hesitated and then reached out to him and linked her hand with his. “Hey, we will be okay, won’t we?” she asked softly. “We will somehow find a way around this, right?” She wanted to be able to have a life with them, and she was worried she would somehow mess it all up.

Cupping her cheek, he leaned in so they were nose to nose. “You will figure it out and we will come through this better than ever,” he said. “Have faith, Lacey. We believe in you, believe in yourself as well, darling,” he told her, brushing a kiss to her lips. “Now go and shower before I forget all my good intentions and say to hell with it all.”

“You are very right,” she told him and brushed her nose to his. “I look forward to being able to have the time with you guys.” She pulled back and put her hand to his cheek. “How long after I make the choice do we have to wait?” she asked.

“As soon as you decide then the mating dance is fully on. From then we just need time, a private place and one another. Nature will take its course from there and we will be in the hands of Fate,” he said softly. “Go and shower, little one, we need to finish some business.”

“Yes, we need to take care of everything so that we can meet your parents, so that we can all have a talk and so that we can figure out just what we will do with life. See if we can find a common ground and make the decisions that need to be made. Oh and during that time we will also try to hunt down the asshole who has been taunting me for years, the bastard who has tried to blow up one of the men that I loved.” That was the hard part, that was what sealed the man’s fate, when Zhubin had been hurt it only pissed Lacey off all the more.

“Your eyes get all glittery when you are pissed off, did you know that?” Zhubin smiled and pulled her off her chair, put her clothes in her hands and pushed her toward the door. “Go and shower, damn it. I really hate repeating myself. We can figure everything out later but you need to get ready to move.”

“Right, shower,” she said with a nod. “And no I didn’t know that my eyes glittered when I got pissed off. You never mentioned it before, I wonder why?” she asked teasingly. “Okay, time to get going. See you soon. Meeting you back down here after my shower and I’m dressed?”

“Precisely, now go, woman,” he said softly. Once she turned and headed out there was a low growl from behind her.

Walking into the office building, all thirty stories of industrial steel and shatterproof glass, Zhubin looked to her. They were both feeling it. There was a new tension in the air, not good. The ride to their floor, twenty stories up, was silent except for the ding indicating each floor they passed.

Stepping out they were immediately flagged down by their boss. Following the man toward his office, Zhubin let her go in first and take the chair while he prowled. Small spaces, even with windows, made him uncomfortable, something pretty easy to see given the tension in his body.

“Good to see you both alive and well,” their Captain said, looking them over. “Agent Rose, you’ll need to stop by medical and be cleared before you can go back on active duty. No arguments, you took a good smack to the head from what I hear. Agent Zhubin.” The man’s dark gaze turned to the prowling male. “I’m assuming you’ve healed up without any issues.”

“None at all, sir,” he said in response, barely pausing in his slow prowl.

“Yes sir.” Lacey knew that was coming, dammit. “However, I would like to add in that I really am doing fine sir. I would much rather stay on the case then spend any down time.”

“No arguments, Agent Rose,” their Captain said as he leaned back. “And has Agent Zhubin been informed of the possible suspect in the case?”

Lacey flushed but nodded, damn she hated that everyone in the sun was aware of what had been happening these last years and Zhubin and Ansell weren’t. “Yes sir. I told him this morning.”

“Good. Now.” The Captain’s eyes focused on Zhubin. “And how do you intend to capture this man? You understand how his mind worked before he was turned and you have studied Vhampires enough to know how they work, so, ideas, suggestions?”

“I plan on baiting him. Taunting him and when he gets pissed, killing him, sir,” Zhubin said in a cool, calm and very relaxed tone of voice. “Luhpynes on a whole are aggressive hotheads. Vhampires are cooler, more collected but are cocky assholes. Combine those two and you’ve got a shitstorm just waiting to happen.”

“Good. Are you certain that you will be able to handle him alone? He has all your strengths, but those of a Vhampire as well, so are you certain that this is something that you will be able to take on by yourself? I’m not trying to be a dick, I just need to know that I’m not sending you off to die.”

“I don’t plan on taking him on alone but, should it come to it, yes I could take him on by myself. I don’t actually want to so I’ll be pulling Ansell and a couple others in,” Zhubin told the man. “I want Agent Rose with us twenty-four-seven as well, sir, no unusual duties for any reason. If she gets pulled for a different assignment I’m going to automatically assume it’s this guy trying to get her alone. That being the case I’m going in with a ‘kill first’ attitude, no questions asked.”

Leaning back, the Captain watched him carefully and then asked, “And if I say no?” He waved his hand slightly in the air in a circular motion. “For the sake of argument, if I say no? What if I feel that it’s a bad idea to have Agent Rose with you and Ansell twenty-four-seven?”

“It wasn’t an option,” Zhubin said honestly. His tone was flat, tight and held a subtle layer of warning. His eyes locked on the Captain, not so subtle given the glow that was starting to grow. His Luhpyne side was putting in its two cents and was not happy with the Captain at all. “But if you even thought of saying no for any reason you’d never get past the
N
.”

Nodding, the Captain leaned back. “It’s a good thing that I was only testing the water then, huh? And put the Alpha away, I had to know that you understood just exactly what and who Agent Rose was to you.” He glanced to Lacey and raised a brow.

“He does. I told him everything.”

“Good. About fucking time. I couldn’t tell you, but she could. I was fucking livid when they bound me.” He still couldn’t say much about it because of the magic binding his tongue. “I trust you to keep our girl safe.”