Part 10 (1/2)

William lifted the pancakes onto a large platter and then shoved it into Gavin's stomach. ”Take these to the table. While you're there, why don't you fill in your new recruits?”

Gavin glanced over his shoulder. ”There're more?” For once, he wasn't unhappy about the notion of being surrounded by more Light Ones.

The latest group was comprised of eight Light Ones from the Deep South. They greeted everyone with a collective, ”Hey y'all,” and then devoured breakfast with the relish of men who hadn't eaten in days. William couldn't keep up. Three of the youngest s.h.i.+fters were a.s.signed to dishwas.h.i.+ng duty so he had no other responsibility but to stand over the griddle and make food.

”d.a.m.n animals eat like it's their last meal,” he muttered under his breath.

”We need a bigger place,” Quentin commented as he s.n.a.t.c.hed a slice of bacon off Jack's plate. Quentin had become c.o.c.kier than the rest, because he was so obviously William's favorite, and William earned everyone's respect just by nature of being a Fate. Not only a Fate, but Sydney's Fate. Their Chala's Fate.

”I think I have a solution to that problem.”

All gazes s.h.i.+fted to the hallway, where Sydney stood with her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a black sweater and black yoga pants. Gavin felt the familiar twinge in his groin and wondered if she'd be up for another round. How many times had they done it last night? Did it really matter? He still wanted her again. He was pretty sure his need would only increase with the pa.s.sage of time and frequency, and he found he wasn't the least bit upset about the notion.

She blushed prettily and Gavin knew she wondered if everyone suspected what transpired last night. His gaze cut to the kitchen, where William was whipping up another batch of pancake batter, and he wondered again why the Fate was still hanging around. Maybe it was because of the imminent threat of the Rakshasa from Detroit. Did Fates have that kind of control over their own, er, fate?

As far as he understood it, a Fate was a.s.signed to a Chala until such time as the Chala found a mate, and then the Fate left and was a.s.signed to a new Chala, once that one came of age. Although, considering the lack of Chala to protect these days, maybe the head Fate had decided to give William some leeway. What else did he have to do with his time?

”It's the Chala, y'all!” The shout came from the cl.u.s.ter of new s.h.i.+fters. They rose as a unit and rushed to crowd around Sydney, pawing at her and cooing and making suggestions, some that were bawdy even by Gavin's standards.

”What the h.e.l.l?” He strode across the room and bodily tossed s.h.i.+fters out of his path. When he reached Sydney, he was momentarily bowled over by her beauty. When had she become so beautiful? When had she not been beautiful? When could he get her naked again?

She smiled as if she understood the train of his thoughts and said, ”Thank you,” as demurely as a s.e.x kitten.

Gavin shook his head. ”Why are they still fawning over you? You're my mate.” He stabbed his chest with his thumb. ”We consummated it last night. I ingested your blood, I healed you, we had s.e.x”-he ticked off the points with his fingers as he listed them out loud-”so why are they still acting as if they have a shot in h.e.l.l of getting into your pants?” He eyed those pants with obvious appreciation.

”I see great s.e.x hasn't made you any less crude,” Sydney commented calmly, and d.a.m.ned if he didn't like the way she a.s.sumed the s.e.x had been great. Of course, he'd been very vocal in his praise last night, so he supposed she had a right.

”And to answer your question, I have no idea,” she said as she breezed past him and glided into the kitchen.

Glided? Great s.e.x had f.u.c.ked up his brain, that's for certain. Gavin shook his head again and followed her. Sydney pulled the empty coffee carafe off the burner, put it into the sink, and filled it with water. Gavin offered his half-full mug and she took a sip before handing it back to him.

”William, do you have any idea why all these s.h.i.+fters appear to still believe I am not yet mated?” she asked as she measured coffee grounds into the filter and then turned on the coffee maker.

”Possibly,” he hedged and then handed Gavin another plate loaded with pancakes and asked, ”What is this idea for a larger place?”

Gavin took the platter into the dining room, keeping his ears tuned to the conversation in the kitchen.

”Your aunt's place, up north. The house itself is pretty big, plus the pole barn is heated, and with all the muscle around here, I don't think it would be very difficult to convert it into a sort of barracks. Plus, she lives on, like, seventy acres, so we could all train without anyone questioning what we're doing.”

Gavin returned to the kitchen. ”Is this the kind of stuff you think about while I'm banging your brains out?”

William wrinkled his nose and Sydney rolled her eyes. ”We had s.e.x frequently enough last night to fill my quota for a while. Keep it up and I'll cut you off for a month.”

Gavin snorted. ”Liar.”

”It's not a bad idea,” William commented.

Gavin threw him a startled look. ”Cutting me off is a lousy idea.”

William and Sydney both gave him get real looks and he realized the rest of the world did not currently revolve around his s.e.x life. At all, he thought, when he spotted one of the newest s.h.i.+fters eyeing Sydney's a.s.s. Gavin growled, deep in his throat, and the guy quickly averted his gaze.

”How long do you think we have before they attack?” Sydney asked him.

He wondered when she'd become so d.a.m.n confident and self-a.s.sured. Was it the s.e.x? Or had it been his rea.s.surances last night that he was the baddest-a.s.s s.h.i.+fter around, and so long as she was his mate, she had nothing to worry about?

He liked the fact that she believed him, because he was plenty worried enough for both of them. He may be a bada.s.s, but if the Rakshasa gathered enough numbers, well, numbers almost always won, in his book. Gloria and Hernandez had been proof positive of that.

”A little time. First, they have to figure out where we are, which they'll have done by the end of the weekend, if they don't know already. They could have followed us last night. I wasn't paying enough attention to be sure. I was more focused on getting the kid back here so he could get medical aid.” That was a lie. He'd been in a near-panic, needing to see for himself that Sydney was okay. When he realized why the Rakshasa tortured the poor kid, all he could think about was protecting Sydney.

”After they figure out where we're holed up, they'll watch us for a little while, so they know exactly what they're up against. Since our motley group is currently pretty d.a.m.n pathetic, if we stay here, I'd say they'll attack by next weekend. If we move, it'll definitely buy us time.” He shrugged.

Sydney turned to William. ”Call your aunt.”

William was a thousand-year-old Fate. If he'd had any aunts when he was human, they'd died a very, very long time ago. His aunt wasn't, of course, really his aunt. Her name was Hilde, and she was a fellow Fate who pitched in every now and then to help out when needed. Considering the lack of Chala to protect, she had little else to do with her immortal time.

She didn't even hesitate to agree to help this time, especially when William mentioned it was Sydney's life at stake. Hilde, like William, had a soft spot for the sweet, young Chala.

”What is it with you?” Gavin asked. ”The whole d.a.m.n world adores you like you're the frigging Pied Piper. I don't get it.”

Sydney frowned. ”Somebody has to counteract your incredibly charming personality.” Her voice positively dripped with sarcasm.

”I've already contacted my boss and told her I have to go out of town for a family emergency,” William said, interrupting the conversation before it turned into an argument.

”Oh my G.o.d,” Sydney blurted. ”I totally forgot about my job. I have five events this month. I can't leave now.”

Gavin gave her an incredulous look. ”They're G.o.dd.a.m.ned parties, Sydney. It won't be the end of the world if you can't work there anymore.”

”What do you mean, anymore? We're just taking a small hiatus.” Her head swiveled around to look at William. ”Right?”

He gave her a sympathetic look. ”Sweetie, this isn't a hiatus. This is the real deal. We likely aren't coming back here. It's far too dangerous. Now that the Rakshasa are aware of your presence, they will continue to search for you until either they are killed or you are. I'm sorry, Sydney.” He reached out and ran his hand over her hair.

Sydney batted his hand away, the reality of the situation obviously hitting her harder than she expected. Gavin grabbed her and, despite her feeble attempts to get away, pulled her into his arms and pushed her face into his shoulder, holding her tightly while she sniffled and struggled to get out of his grasp.

”Why are you still here?” he demanded of the Fate, as he glared at William over Sydney's shoulder.

William's gaze s.h.i.+fted to the side before he spoke. ”Well, we normally have about forty-eight hours to gather our things and say good-bye.” And then he frowned. ”But I don't feel the same as I have in the past.”

”What does that mean? ” Gavin asked. Sydney stopped struggling to get out of his arms. He knew she was listening intently to William's words.

”Normally, the connection I have with my charges sort of goes away when they take a mate,” William said haltingly. He lifted his gaze and looked Gavin full in the eyes. ”But I still feel the connection with Sydney.”

Sydney glanced at Gavin. ”Does this mean we aren't really mated?”

Gavin tightened his grip on her waist and shook his head. ”No. It means you get the bonus package.” He changed the subject, reminding Sydney that she needed to let her employer know she would no longer be managing their events.

While the distraction reminded her of her current predicament, it also had the added effect of s.h.i.+fting her focus away from the fact that if she were truly Gavin's mate, William would be packing his bags and heading to wherever Fates go once their charges have been released from their protection. Instead, William packed his bags to go with them to Hilde's home in northern Michigan. Even as the Fate's presence made Gavin nervous about his connection with Sydney, it was also rea.s.suring, because William had a great deal of knowledge they would undoubtedly need in the next few weeks.

Sydney decided it was lucky that most of the occupants of the house had their own vehicles. Even more convenient, the s.h.i.+fters from the Deep South arrived in a parade of pickup trucks, so there was plenty of room to pack clothes, linens, toiletries, and, so it turned out, half the kitchen as well.

”Hilde lives alone.” William's tone was defensive when he handed Gavin a box full of various kitchen utensils. ”And someone has to feed all you hungry animals.”