The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf (3 page)

intrude if his coven is busy with other things.”

“You are right, of course,” Derek told Soren. “Thank you, Father.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Soren grinned. “Kaname might still say

no.”

A part of Derek doubted that. A memory flashed through Derek’s

mind, that of the first time they’d arrived in Kaname’s coven. They’d

had a very serious conversation about the Tyrell Hall problem, but all

the while, Derek hadn’t been able to keep himself from thinking about

how the vampire elder would look naked. He’d imagined taking the

man’s clothes off and licking every inch of his body. In spite of

undoubtedly being at least the age of Derek’s grandfather, Kaname

didn’t look a day over thirty, and his exotic Asian looks made Derek

weak in the knees.

He’d been too aware of his position and his role to risk pursuing

the attraction. However, he’d sensed Kaname’s interest as well. He’d

seen it in the way Kaname’s eyes would linger over him, barely

restrained heat hidden in their dark depths. But Derek was nothing if

not practical. Kaname’s desire for him could have been nothing more

than a manifestation of the vampire’s sensual nature. He would wait

and see what happened before he made any guesses and decisions.

“I know,” he told his father. “I will understand and respect any

decision he makes.”

“Very well, then.” Soren got up, and Derek followed his father’s

example. “You’re dismissed. Go speak to your sister. I’m certain

she’ll want to know all about it.”

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

17

It seemed Soren also thought Kaname would agree to Derek’s

visit. Even if his rational side told him to cool it, Derek couldn’t help

but get excited, already planning his trip and anticipating the moment

when he’d see Kaname again. He headed toward the door, eager to

hide from his father’s far too shrewd gaze. He didn’t get the chance to

make his escape, as Soren’s voice stopped him. “Oh, and Derek?”

Derek turned at his father’s inquiring remark. “Yes, Father?” he

asked.

Soren smiled gently at him, a somewhat uncharacteristic

expression for him. “Whatever it is you’re looking for, I hope you

find it. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

A wave of relief flooded Derek. He hated lying or even hiding

from his family. They were everything to him, and even if he didn’t

always show it, he loved them deeply. “Thank you, Father,” he replied

in a broken whisper, this time not hiding what he felt. “I promise I’ll

never let you down.”

“I didn’t think you would.”

And with that, Soren waved him off. Derek fled his father’s office,

desperate to avoid embarrassing both himself and his father by

bursting into tears. However, he was intercepted by his second dad,

Daniel. The squirrel-shifter took one look at him and arched a brow.

“Everything okay, Derek?” he asked.

Derek cleared his throat and struggled to regain at least a measure

of composure. God, since he’d met Kaname, his emotions had been a

mess. He really needed to get a grip. “Fine,” he told Daniel. “I’m just

going to see Mel. Father gave us permission to visit Japan, should

Yamamoto-sama agree to it.”

“That’s great.” Daniel smiled knowingly. “It will be a great

experience for Mel, and it will do you a world of good. Don’t you

agree?”

Derek wondered just how much Daniel had figured out. The

squirrel-shifter always had a knack for understanding exactly how

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Derek and his siblings felt. Even if they weren’t blood, it sometimes

seemed that Daniel knew him better than Soren.

At any rate, Daniel couldn’t have found out anything for certain.

The only ones who’d witnessed Derek’s infatuation with Kaname

were Jace, Paris, Rhys Whitaker, and Tyrell Hall’s son, Noah. Soren

had also been in Japan for a good period of time, but during his

father’s stay, Derek had managed to control himself better. As such,

Daniel must only have been guessing, because Jace would have never

broken Derek’s trust by revealing his secret.

In the end, it didn’t really matter, though. His parents might

suspect that Derek had a mate waiting, or they might not. The

important thing was that Derek would be allowed to go to Japan.

Perhaps then, he’d finally manage to sort out his emotions.

“It is a great thing, yes,” he told his dad with a grin. “Mel will be

so excited. She’s been itching to explore a bit ever since we stopped

going to the university.”

“Well, I won’t keep you from seeing your sister, then. She’s in the

gardens, by the way. Have fun.”

Derek thanked his dad and went on his way. Indeed, he found his

sister outside, like Daniel had told him. She was talking to Paris and

laughing as she and the other wolf watched Jace playing with his and

Paris’s new son, Daire.

As a young warlock, Daire had once been banished from his body

by Tyrell Hall. Through a spell of the Sidhe king, his soul had

managed to regain its rightful place. His magic abilities were all over

the place now, but Tyrell’s son, Noah, often visited and taught him

how to control it. However, Daire’s problems did not end there. There

were still many people who could not understand the difference

between Daire and Tyrell. Those who’d met the warlock while Tyrell

inhabited Daire’s body rejected the child. In fact, many pack members

were in this situation, and their discontent extended to Paris, still seen

as an outsider. It pissed Derek off, and he was glad his brother and

Paris had decided to take Daire in. The boy deserved all the affection

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

19

in the world after what he’d been through, and Paris was not to blame

for what his mother had done. Derek only hoped that, in time, things

would get better. It was unacceptable that his brother’s mate, whom

Derek now considered another brother, would have to go through all

this.

When Derek entered the garden, everyone turned to greet him.

Mel and Jace seemed, as always, thrilled at his presence. Similarly,

Paris greeted Derek with enthusiasm. Daire was still shy, but he was

learning, and he offered Derek a small wave.

“So what’s up, brother mine?” Mel asked at last, probably sensing

there was something on his mind.

“Did you talk to Father?” Jace inquired. Derek hadn’t been able to

hide from him what he planned, but Jace had been supportive and

encouraged him to bring the suggestion to their father.

“Yes,” Derek replied. “He agreed.” Turning toward his sister, he

added, “He said I could take Mel along.”

Mel frowned at him. “Take me where? You two have been so

mysterious lately. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I’ve given you time

to decide to tell me yourselves, but it seems that you just don’t trust

me anymore.”

Derek released a sigh. He’d suspected Mel would interpret things

like that. Truly, he had not meant to leave her out of his life. It was

just that he felt reluctant to expose the confusing emotions in his heart

even to the people closest to him.

“I’m sorry, Mel,” he said. “I assure you, I can explain.”

Since this was a conversation the two of them should have in

private, Derek went to her side and took her hand. “Walk with me?”

Mel gave him a curious look, obviously wondering as to what

could be serious enough so as to warrant hiding from Jace, Paris, and

Daire. Nevertheless, she followed. For a few moments, they remained

silent, but when they were far enough from Jace and his small family,

Derek took a deep breath and readied himself to explain the situation

with Kaname.

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Scarlet Hyacinth

He meant to tell her that he was drawn to the vampire and he

wanted to see exactly what that attraction meant. He intended to point

out that the trip would be good for her. Instead, he said, “Mel, I think

I’m in love.”

* * * *

“Come visit me?” Kaname couldn’t keep the surprise from

showing in his voice at Soren Wade’s words. He quickly recovered,

though, and added, “Of course I wouldn’t mind. In fact, I would be

honored to receive them in my home.”

“I appreciate that,” Soren answered. “We wish to thank you in

person for everything you’ve done. Additionally, my daughter needs

to learn a little more about the world as well, and I believe a trip to

your coven would be an eye-opening experience for her.”

Kaname made all the appropriate noises and comments, but didn’t

really hear what Soren said after that. All his thoughts rotated around

the knowledge that Derek would come here soon. Relaxing against

the tree trunk, he considered an appropriately neutral reply.

“Then I will be waiting for their arrival,” he finally told Soren. “I

look forward to meeting Melanie-san and Derek-san again.”

“Thank you, Yamamoto-sama. I will let you know once they

depart.”

They exchanged final pleasantries and ended the call. He pocketed

the phone, all the while thinking about what Soren’s words implied.

Soren hadn’t explicitly said so, but Kaname knew that it could only

have been Derek’s idea to come here. Even if the Tyrell Hall problem

had been solved, Kaname hadn’t gotten the chance to meet up with

Derek again and pursue their attraction. It had bothered him so much

that he’d started snapping at his underlings and growling at the blood

donors. How interesting that Derek seemed to have experienced

something similar.

The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf

21

Everything inside Kaname ushered him to get up and return to

Tokyo as soon as possible. He didn’t. Instead, he remained seated,

taking a deep breath of the clear air.

It was truly beautiful here. The sun shone brightly in the sky, its

rays reflecting in the koi pond in front of Kaname. The colorful fish

swimming there were Kaname’s only company, and it was a good

place for reflection.

Sakura blossoms rained over Kaname, stubbornly clinging to his

hair as they fell. Yakumo had once told Kaname it was a romantic

spot, but Kaname didn’t have much use for romanticism. His brother

also insisted this was the place where Kaname’s father had once asked

his mother to marry him, back when times had been better. Honestly,

Kaname thought it was all a fairy tale since the tree was hardly old

enough for it to have been witness to his parents’ betrothal. In fact, he

highly suspected his mother and father’s marriage had been an

arranged one, at least to a certain point. Still, it was nice to imagine

and remember that back when Kaname had been a youngling, they

truly had loved each other.

But they were gone now, buried deep in the ground, finding refuge

from the ages in the silent earth. Kaname could understand that they’d

grown weary of it all after the centuries they’d lived. It was the reason

why vampires lived the way they did. They needed the spice of

unrestrained sexuality to make a far too long life bearable. Personally,

Kaname wasn’t a quitter. Perhaps there would come a time when he

himself would want to go to ground, but he doubted it. He felt the

world had too many things to give for him to abandon it. Even if he’d

traveled every land and knew its every corner, with every second that

passed, something changed, like quicksand in the desert. A person was

born, one died. A tree was cut off, one was planted. The cycle of life

and death, love and hatred, and the lust Kaname could experience in

between, that was what made it all interesting and new. And no matter

what, Kaname had his people to watch over.

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Scarlet Hyacinth

But even as he told himself this, Kaname had felt the same

growing tiredness that eventually urged his parents to go to ground.

That had all changed when Derek appeared into his life.

In truth, in spite of his more than venerable age, Kaname still

didn’t fully understand this strange emotion. However, he knew better

than to reject it. By rights, it was probably nothing, but this sort of

sexual spark was exactly Kaname had needed to draw him out of his

rut.

Squashing the tiny worm of doubt that told him Derek’s visit

might bring more problems than it solved, Kaname got up and headed

inside. He could handle whatever the shifter threw at him, and he’d