My Forever (12 page)

“You look very handsome. Let’s head out. Our reservation’s in thirty minutes.” Lucas stood and held his mate by the arms when he began to grouse. “Behave.” Kyle responded by stilling immediately. “You’ve had a week to prepare for this and I won’t allow you to spend the rest of your life in fear. Now get your sweet ass in the car before I have to paddle it.” His mate’s eyes lit with hope and he couldn’t help but to chuckle. “It would be a punishment…and we’d still go out.”

Lucas followed the disheartened man out of the house to his Avenger. Kyle was as natural a submissive as they came—obedient with just the right amount of challenge—but this one stipulation Lucas had imposed was proving to be the hardest adjustment for him. It was understandable. No one could blame the man for fearing a chance encounter with his ex.

Lucas was determined, however, to work past this obstacle so that his mate could truly enjoy freedom. Kyle’s last excuse for not going out was that he didn’t own a suit, to which Lucas had responded by paying a seamstress to make a home visit and take Kyle’s measurements to create a tailor-made suit for him.

And damned if it wasn’t worth every penny.

He fixed himself again before getting into the car. The sooner they got this over, the sooner they could play with the new toys he’d ordered.

“I’m ready, Sir,” Kyle said abruptly.

“Excuse me?”

Turning so that he was facing Lucas as much as the seatbelt would let him, he repeated in a low tone, “I’m ready.”

Understanding dawned after a few moments. “What? Now?”

“You said I could ask whenever I wanted to.” When Lucas lifted a brow at his defiant tone, he hastily added, “Sir.”

It wasn’t the most convenient time to answer Kyle’s questions about his people and their bond. He would have preferred the intimacy of their home, but he couldn’t deny the man’s request. Kyle had wanted to take things one step at a time and wait until he felt more comfortable in their relationship before learning more. It looked as though that time was now.
 

“I did say that, didn’t I? All right, what would you like to know first?”

“Are you immortal?”

“No. My people can live for an average of a millennium, barring fatalities and war. Now that we’re bonded, you will live for as long as I do, and vice versa.”

“So I’m going to live for another eight hundred years? How is that possible?”

“The vibrancy of our souls is what gives my race longevity, as well as advanced strength, speed and occasionally supernatural power. The piece of my soul you took into yourself isn’t enough to give you all of these abilities, but it will lengthen your lifespan to match mine.”

Kyle thought for a minute then said, “Wait, you said that I’ll live for as long as you do. What happens to me if you die?”
 

And this would be why home would have been preferable.

“When I die, all of my soul dies with me, even the piece inside you. You wouldn’t survive it, sweetness. No soul mate can. The same applies to me if you die.” Lucas paused to let that sink in. Because of the extensive lifetime of his people, the risk of dying with one’s mate was nothing compared to the emptiness of a thousand years spent alone. Most humans, however, cherished their short years too much to sacrifice them for a chance at the type of bond Tsielen were capable of.

When the silence grew too loud, Lucas began, “Baby, I’m really sor—”

“So I guess this means that you can’t die, then. Not till we’re old and feeble. If you do, I’ll haunt you.”

Lucas could only stare, open-mouthed, at the smug look on Kyle’s face.

“Sir.”

He burst out laughing so hard the car swerved.

“Wait, does your kind believe in ghosts?”

When he finally got himself under control, he replied, “No, but I’m sure you’d find a way. We’re almost at the restaurant. Did you have any more questions?”

“Tons, but if we only have time for one more until we get back, I want to know what you meant when you said you never wanted to fall in love because of your dangerous past.”

Damn, the man had a memory. “That’s a rather long story. I promise to tell you at home, okay?” There was a twinge of disappointment from Kyle but he merely nodded and let it go. A valet took the car when they arrived and the maître d’ directed them to a private booth reserved for them on the balcony above the main floor. Rolls and wine were served in prelude to the pre-ordered course, but Kyle touched none of it. His mounting nervousness was plain even without the benefit of their bond.

“So ask me another question.”

Kyle’s head jerked up and he smiled. Throughout the entire meal, Lucas kept him preoccupied with bits of information about his race through their link. It afforded them privacy and to any onlookers, it would appear as though they were simply enjoying each other’s company too much for words.

By the time dessert came, the small man was bouncing in his seat, anxious to hear the result of an ancient revolt among his people. When the waitress gave them an odd look, he calmly told his mate to behave and was obeyed instantly. Kyle’s submission was always a beautiful thing to witness. It humbled him as much as it gave him pride.

“Shit, hold on baby.” He pulled his vibrating phone from his pocket and glanced at the number. It was Amanda’s personal cell phone. “Give me one minute.” Flipping it open, he said, “Matthews.”

Amanda’s frantic voice came on the line. “Lucas, sorry if I’m interrupting anything but you need to come down to the store right now. The firemen and police are on their way. I don’t know what happened. One second everything was fine and in the next, all hell broke loose!”

“Amanda, slow down. Tell me what happened.”

“There’s a fire. It started in your office but it’s spreading. I can’t figure out how it happened.”

“All right, we’re headed there now. Are you outside? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, came outside as soon as I got the customers out.”

“Good. Get a good distance away and stay there until help arrives.” Lucas hung up, meeting Kyle’s troubled gaze. “There’s an emergency at the store. I won’t have time to drop you off at the house. Will you be okay to come with me?” His mate bravely kept his reluctance from showing.

“Sure.”

Lucas flagged down their waitress and paid the bill, tipping her extra to have his car pulled around immediately. The valet driver met them outside shortly afterwards and they climbed in. Fortunately, the store was only a ten minute drive away.

When they arrived, two fire trucks, an ambulance and several police cruisers were barricading the front of the store, forcing him to park at the end of the block. Thick plumes of smoke rose from the vents on the roof of the building and a hose ran through the propped open front doors. Several men had formed a chain to pass crates of alcohol from inside to a safer area.
 

“I want you to stay here, baby. I need to find Amanda then help with the store. I’ll be back as soon as the fire is out, okay?”

Kyle kept his eyes glued on the ordered chaos up ahead, nodding his head absently. As Lucas slid out of the driver’s seat, Kyle grabbed his arm and said fiercely, “Be careful.” The concern for his welfare warmed him more than he thought could be possible. He planted a light kiss on his mate’s forehead then took off in search of Amanda.

She saw him first and came running from the other side of the street, skirting men and vehicles nimbly. For a good-sized woman, she was pretty agile when she wanted to be. Amanda skidded to a halt and he had to brace her to keep her from falling over. Face streaked with tears, she gulped in several breaths to calm herself.

“Lucas, it was an explosion. It sounded like a bomb or something. Your office door flew off and knocked over a shelf. There was liquor everywhere and the flames spread so fast!”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“No, no, but they’re still trying to get the fire under control.”

The poor woman looked like she was about to shake out of her own skin. Lucas wrapped an arm around her in a partial hug. “You did great. Why don’t you go home and drink a cold one. I’ll take it from here.”

“Are you sure? I can stay if you need me.”

A fire breaks out around this woman and she still wants to help those around her.
She was absolutely one of a kind. “No. Go on. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“I already gave my statement to the police. They want one from you, too.”

“Thanks, Amanda.” He made his way to the chain line and joined in, earning a few sympathetic looks when he informed them that he owned the place. The fire didn’t bother him in the least. Money was no object and merchandise could be replaced. What had him pissed off beyond measure was the fact that this could not have been accidental. An electrical short would have started a slow-burning fire but there was nothing in his office that could have caused an explosion.

Five minutes into it, the line broke apart and shortly after that he was asked to speak with an officer. She steered him towards a cruiser parked a short distance away and began with the standard line of questioning. Another officer came over to inform them that the fire was out and an investigation crew would be in as soon as most of the smoke cleared.

“Ma’am, I have suspicions that this was not accidental. I could be wrong but my employee said there was an explosion and I can’t think of anything in my office that would warrant that.”

The officer nodded grimly. “She reported the same thing to me. Do you know of anyone who might have done this intentionally? Maybe a former employee or enemy of yours?”

Yeah, he did, but damned if he was going to inform her of that. When he found the culprit, he was going to personally ensure the guy never harmed another living being again. “No. I can make a list of my former employees but I doubt any of them would stoop to this. Can you tell me what time this…”

“Lucas!”

The scream reverberated through his head, blocking out all other noise. Fear flooded him so quickly he gasped for air. Then it was gone. The constant presence of his mate in his mind blinked out like the flame of a candle in a gust of wind. The only thing that could sever their link so completely was a state of unconsciousness.

“Kyle!”
He shouted, but it was met with absolute silence. Heart pounding, he ran as fast as he could around milling onlookers, shoving people aside and dodging cars. He could see the open passenger door of his Avenger but no one was inside or nearby. Running straight past, he rounded the corner of the block and stopped. There was nothing. No cars or people on either side.

“Kyle!”

His own fear swept in with a vengeance and he raced back to his car to search for clues…but he knew who it was. He’d been at this game for far too long to think it was coincidence. After jumping behind the wheel, he drove as close as he could to the crowd and got out to speak with the same officer. It wouldn’t do for them to chase him and witness what he planned on doing to Craig when he caught up with the bastard.

“Mr Matthews?”

“I have another emergency at home. I’ll stop in at the station to answer any more questions you have as soon as I can.” He ignored her shout as he climbed back into his car and headed towards Craig’s house. Rage built inside him until he was almost blind with it. Images of what he was going to do to the man when he got there were the only things that kept the fear at bay.

The mansion was dark as he pulled into the entrance of the driveway. He came to a stop then stealthily made his way around to the rear, putting on a burst of speed. He broke the lock on the handle to the back door and shoved it open as quietly as possible, splintering the wood panelling. There was not a single sound to be heard inside. After leaving his shoes by the door, he began to scout every room, including the basement and attic.

Fear took precedence when he came up empty. The house was utterly vacant.

“Kyle!”

Silence.

He could not have beaten them here. Craig had to have had at least a good two to three minute head start on him. Lucas traced his steps back to the desktop he’d seen in the library downstairs. Firing it up, he began hacking into Craig’s personal files, reviewing bank statements and personal records until he found what he wanted. The man owned two other properties in this state and one just across the Kansas border.

After jotting down the addresses, he shut off the computer and left through the back door. These were his only leads and until Kyle woke up, they were also his only options.

* * * *

Kyle awoke to the feel of his skull splitting in two. Bright lights above pierced his eyes when he cracked them open, making him flinch. Every muscle in his body ached and his stomach threatened to lose its contents at any moment. Bringing his hands to his face, he realised they were cuffed in front, as well as his ankles.

“Kyle!”

“Good, you’re finally awake.”

Both voices hit him simultaneously and his head reeled. When the room finally stopped spinning, he opened his eyes once more, blinking rapidly against the glare of the lights. Finely meshed walls encased him, digging into the bare skin on his right side. Beyond them, Craig sat complacently on a tall barstool a few yards away. Tools and shelves of car parts adorned the walls while various odds and ends cluttered the floor.