Tempest of Vengeance (18 page)

“I’m sorry about your son, Devon,” Lash said
gently. “I’m sorry, too that I haven’t said it before now. But I
didn’t know how to bring it up, and Dev told me how upset you were
over it. I didn’t want to bring it up out of the blue.”

“Thank you,” I said, brushing away my sudden
tears. “I miss him very much.”

Lash put his arms around me, and I leaned
back in to him, his closeness easing my sadness. As soon the meat
was done, I removed it, stuck it in the oven below on the lowest
setting to keep warm, and put a new batch in. As I got ready to
turn the meat again, Lash kissed me lightly down my neck. “Once
more?” he hissed with ardor.

I put down my spatula, turned around, and
stared at him. “Here in the kitchen?”

“Why not?” His voice was easy, but the
undercurrent running through it was like a live wire, sparking with
energy, desire, and a little rampant naughtiness.

We’d just had sex twice earlier this morning,
and a few minutes ago, twice again! What had I gotten myself into,
becoming his lover?

“I’ll be quick, like last time, if you’re
embarrassed,” Lash assured. “And I’ll be quiet, too. I give you my
word there’s no one here, Sar, except Devlin above us, sleeping,
and the one prisoner in his cell in the dungeon. No one will walk
in on us.”

Well then, why not?
I turned to him
and kissed him. Lash wrapped his arms around me, and slowly lowered
me to the floor, kissing me hungrily as he untied my robe and his,
and I slipped my hand between us to guide him into me. Lash closed
his eyes in pleasure when he felt me wrap my fingers around him,
and once I had him in position, I grabbed his ass and pulled him
down on me, driving him into me as I groaned. Two minutes later, he
was crying out my name again, but much more softly this time.

He helped me up, and brushed the back of my
robe off. Good thing I’d picked the dark gray color for the robes,
and not white. Dev was going to have to hire a housekeeper. Or
maybe I would see to that hiring myself, now that I was going to be
something like his wife. The thought was both pleasing and
unsettling.

I flipped the bacon and the sausage just in
time, and told Lash to mix up the pancake batter. He gave me a
blank look.

I cracked up laughing, and he laughed too,
even though it was at his expense. I got the ingredients in a bowl,
and handed it to him, and he mixed. Then we traded again, and I
gave him some bacon and sausage to eat.

“Put in the bagels or toast, please,” I said,
pouring the pancake batter into the hot frying pans. Lash did it,
and then he was easing up behind me again, putting his arms around
me.

“You make me so happy, Sar,” he said softly,
moving my hair with one hand so he could kiss my neck. “I never
thought—”

I heard a low growl, and looked up to see
Theo and Terian in the doorway.

Chapter
Six

Theo’s eyes were yellow, and Terian’s were
red, as they beheld Lash and me in our robes, him holding me as I
made us breakfast. I could smell the scent of sex on myself, and I
knew they could both smell it, too, and also probably that it had
been only minutes before they arrived.

“I told you we should have driven here, not
teleported right in,” Terian said, rolling his eyes. He didn’t look
surprised, likely because I had just asked him for that potion.

Theo seemed unable to take his eyes off Lash
and me. I went crimson under his steady gaze and looked down, but
Lash just gave them both a wide grinning smile.

“Sorry, we didn’t know we had company,” Lash
hissed gleefully, resting his head on my shoulder, holding me as he
looked at them. “As you can see, we weren’t expecting any
visitors.”

I took the opportunity to flip my pancakes,
bacon, and sausage, and to thank God they hadn’t arrived a few
minutes before, to see us making love on the floor.

“I’m here to see your prisoner, Lash,” Theo
said gruffly. “And to thank you for saving my daughter.”

I was surprised Theo was handling this so
well, even though I wasn’t his anymore.
Or maybe this just makes
him believe that I’ve been lying to him all along about Lash and
me.

“You’re welcome, Theo,” Lash replied
seriously, none of his usual maliciousness in his tone. “I’m just
sorry I wasn’t quicker. I left the werebear below alive for you,
and he’s healed, from the meat he’s eaten today. But I beat the
shit out of him last night, worked him over for two hours, and bit
him a few times too, for the hurt he caused Elle.”

“Which cell?” Theo’s voice was strained.

“He’s the only one down there. The other men
are already dead.”

Theo nodded, and with a last bitter look at
Lash and me, he and Terian went down into the basement. I bit my
lip, and flipped the pancakes over one final time.
Another
minute, at most.

Lash got the plates without a word, and I
loaded them up with food, then turned off the stove. Lash got the
toasted bagels, the butter, and a knife. We sat down at the table,
and ate together in silence. But this wasn’t the comfortable
silence we’d shared so many times before. This silence was
strained.

I thought a lot as I ate, staring at nothing,
not really tasting the food I’d worked hard not to burn. I’d
thought so often this fall of using Lash to get back at Theo, of
seeing the expression on his face when he found us in bed, or
somewhere else naked together, and laughing as I told him I was in
love with Lash, that he and I were over. In spite of everything
that had happened between Theo and me, it had just hurt me, seeing
how hurt he was to know that Lash was my lover again. I’d felt just
as bad as I knew I would, knowing I’d hurt him, as bad as I’d felt
when Danial had found out Theo and I had gotten married, as bad as
I’d felt telling Theo about Devlin and me. Hurting someone you
loved always hurt you, too, no matter what else they might have
done, or how much they had deserved to be hurt. That was a fact,
just as it was a fact that part of me had really loved Theo for
years, even if the intensity of that love had just been magic, and
I didn’t want a life with him now.

At least I didn’t do this purposely
.
This wasn’t just vengeful sex. Lash meant something to me, even if
I couldn’t seem to get the words out about how I felt. And for
once, Theo hadn’t started anything, and neither had Lash, though
the latter I thought had probably lost most of his motivation for
making nasty remarks now that I was his again.

“I’m sorry you were embarrassed, to have
Terian and him see us like this, to have them know we were lovers
again,” Lash whispered, after a few minutes, breaking into my
thoughts. “I should’ve known something like this would happen, if
we did this, to ruin it—”

I looked over at him, and felt worse. He was
looking at his plate, not at me. He sounded lost, and very, very
upset. I put my hand on his shoulder gently.

“I just wanted—”

“It’s okay,” I said, leaning over and kissing
his warm, scratchy cheek. “I was embarrassed, but not to be with
you. I’d have been just as embarrassed to be like this with Dev,
and have them walk in, and find us.”

Lash didn’t say anything, or look up at me.
It was obvious he didn’t believe me. I didn’t believe me, either. I
tried to explain it better, hoping I wasn’t making things
worse.

“I mean to say, I feel bad that Theo found
out like he did—that I’m with you now. I remember finding out about
him and Jenny after they’d been together, and that was awful.”

Lash still didn’t say anything, but he closed
his eyes as if in pain. “I shouldn’t have said anything that
morning to you. It wasn’t my place—”

Shit, I’m making it worse.
I got up
from my chair, and crouched beside his chair. “I’m glad you told
me, or I wouldn’t have known until later, Lash. I just meant—”

“Like you felt when you saw Dev and
Catherine. I get it, Sar.”

“No, you don’t,” I said loudly, getting up,
and putting my arms around him. He was rigid in my embrace.
“Catherine didn’t mean anything to Dev. Jenny means something to
Theo now, even if she didn’t when they first had sex. You mean a
lot more to me than she does to him. And he knows that, Lash. He
knows I wouldn’t be with you casually, that—”

I love you.

“—
you mean a lot to me. He knows this
isn’t just sex, not for either of us. It’s the deepest wound you’ve
ever given him, and I helped you do it. That makes me feel bad,
because even though he’s an ass, I still care about
him.”

Lash didn’t say anything, or look at me. But
he hugged me hesitantly.

“Nothing is ruined,” I assured him. “I’m
happy to be here with you, Lash. God knows, I’ve wanted to be with
you again like this since we were together in the Everglades.”

Lash looked up at me with his snake eyes. But
I also saw they were moist, and wondered if he had changed
partially to keep tears from falling. I knew better than to say
anything about that, or give any sign I’d even noticed.

“Eat your breakfast,” I said, giving him a
smile. “Or I won’t make any more for you, ever. Afterwards, maybe
we can finish watching
Fantastic Four
? I’ve saved it for you
and me. I’ve got to see if Richards was able to build that machine
in a few weeks.”

Lash leaned over and kissed me, then he
grinned. And the grim moment was broken.

* * * *

The rest of that day passed less eventfully.
Lash and I eventually got dressed after breakfast. Devlin roused
himself enough to join us, likely more to make sure he got equal
time with me instead of any real desire to see the end of the
Fantastic Four.
He’d scented the both of us when we came
into the bedroom in our robes, and rolled his eyes, then made some
remark to Lash about how he wasn’t wasting any time. But Devlin was
grinning when he said it, and Lash had grinned back at him, and
kissed me, and told him he was damn right.

The three of us had been sitting on the couch
watching the end of the movie when the phone rang. Lash got up at
once to get it. I shot a questioning look at Dev.

“Gina,” Devlin said to me. “Lash had a
standing appointment with her daily for about ten minutes ago. I’m
sure she’s calling to see where he is. He’s most likely going to
tell her he can go back to seeing her once a week or so for his
usual massages.”

“Did you know?”

Devlin knew what I meant, and nodded. “I
could tell he wasn’t getting enough release,” he said blatantly.
“Not that he was getting none. Gina isn’t weresnake though, so I
guessed—”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Lash obviously didn’t want you to know. So
what good would it have done to tell you?”

“None, I guess,” I admitted. “But I wish I’d
have known.”

“Would it have made you love—”

“Shut up!” I interrupted sternly.

Devlin’s eyes widened. “Ahh!” he said with
relish. “I certainly don’t want to spill any secrets. Though I’d
love to see his face when you tell him.”

“Tell me what?” a tired voice said. “You
giving him another Oath, Sar?”

I looked over to the doorway, and saw that
Theo had finally came back upstairs with Terian. There was more
than a little blood on him, and his bloody shoes were in his hand.
His eyes were still yellow, as he looked at Devlin and me, but I
met his eyes this time, and didn’t flinch.

“Yes, she is,” Devlin purred, his golden eyes
burning with pleasure, as he possessively caressed my shoulder.
“Though that’s not any of your business anymore, Theo. Why don’t
you go use one of the guest room showers, before you track blood
all over my carpet? And Terian, no more teleporting in without
calling first. Is that understood?”

Terian rolled his eyes as he nodded assent.
Theo just stared, then said nonchalantly, “Thanks, I will. I want
to get back home. If you’ll excuse me, Dalcon?”

Devlin waved his hand, and Theo headed off to
the guest rooms without looking back.

“Sar!” Lash called. “Phone!”

I got up, and headed to the kitchen. It was
Stephen, and he gave me the name and number of a Mrs. Rosalyn Hyan.
“She’s good, especially with young women. Call her tomorrow, Sar,
I’m sure she’ll make time for Elle.”

“Thanks,” I replied, the weight of what had
happened crashing back down on me. “I’ll call her tomorrow.”

I hung up, and turned around to see Lash
watching me. But what was unusual was Terian was there in the
doorway, and he was studying Lash as if he was looking for
something. Lash put up with his scrutiny for about thirty
seconds.

“You got a problem, demon?” Lash hissed,
turning to Tears and baring his viper fangs. “Don’t make me think
too hard on you, or I’ll remember I promised you a few
bullets.”

“Don’t think too hard. You’ll blow a gasket
in that pea brain of yours,” Terian said bitterly.

Lash bristled immediately, and put his hand
on his whip. “I don’t care who your father is,” he hissed angrily.
“I’m going to kick your ass!”

“Lash, please,” I said, stepping between
them. “Terian, how is Elle? I left her a note and tried to visit
this morning and left another message with Cia, but it’s late
afternoon already and I’ve heard nothing. Is she still sleeping or
is she with Jenny or one of the werefoxes right now?”
I was
going to go see her right now
anyway, but it was better to
know what I was walking into.

Tears looked at me sadly. Lash eased back
against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes on
Terian.

“She cried as soon as she woke up an hour
ago,” Terian said. “She said to tell you she’d call you tomorrow,
that she needed to not see anyone today. She’s asleep now. I gave
her a potion at her request, so she could sleep most of today and
tonight. She’s really messed up, Sar.”