Lover Awakened

He had to let her go so she could find a male who had half a brain.

'I don't mean to pry,' Phury said.

'Yeah, you do.' He took a loaf of Fritz's homemade sourdough bread out of the cupboard and squeezed the thing with his fingers. It was soft, but he sniffed at it anyway. Good, it was fresh enough for her.

'Is she okay? Are… you?'

'We're fine.'

'What was it like?' Phury coughed a little. 'I mean, I want to know not because it was Bella. It's just… I've heard a lot of rumors and I don't know what to believe.'

Z took some mashed potatoes and put them on the plate with the turkey; then he spooned on wild rice and covered the lot with a good dose of gravy. He threw the heavy load into the microwave, glad this was one machine he knew how to work.

As he watched the food go around, he thought about his twin's question and remembered the feel of Bella getting up on his hips. That joining, of the dozens they'd had during the night, was the one that stuck out the most. She had been so lovely on top of him, especially as she'd kissed him…

Throughout the needing, but mostly during that particular union, she'd chipped away at the past's hold on him, marking him with something good. He would treasure the warmth she'd given him for the rest of his days.

The microwave dinged and he realized Phury was still waiting for an answer.

Z put the food on a tray and grabbed some silverware so he could feed her properly.

As he turned and headed out of the room, he murmured, 'She is more beautiful than I have words for.' He lifted his eyes to Phury's. 'And last night I was blessed beyond measure to serve her.'

For some reason, the brother recoiled in shock and reached out. 'Zsadist, your—'

'I have to bring my nalla her food. I'll see you later.'

'Wait! Zsadist! Your—'

Z just shook his head and kept on going.

CHAPTER 35

'Why didn't you show me this as soon as I got home?'

Rehvenge asked his doggen. As the servant flushed with shame and horror, he reached out to the poor male. 'It's okay. Never mind.'

'Master, I came to you when I realized you had returned for the day. But you were sleeping for once. I wasn't sure what the image was, and I didn't want to disturb you. You never rest.'

Yeah, the feeding with Marissa had put him out like a light. First time he'd closed his eyes and lost consciousness in… God, whenever. But this was trouble.

Rehv sat down in front of the computer screen and replayed the digital file. It was the same as the first time he'd seen it: A man with dark hair and black clothes parking in front of the gates. Getting out of a truck. Coming forward to touch the mourning ribbons that had been tied on the iron bars.

Rehv increased the zoom until he saw the man's face clearly. Unremarkable, neither handsome nor ugly. But the body that went with it was big. And that jacket looked as if it was either padded or covering some weapons.

Rehv froze the image and did a copy on the date/time reading in the lower right-hand corner. He switched screens, calling up the files from the other camera that monitored the front gate, the heat-sensing one. With a quick paste action, he got the recording from that piece of equipment at exactly the same moment in time.

And what do you know. Body temperature of that «man» was in the fifties. A lesser.

Rehv switched screens again and got in real tight on the slayer's face while the killer looked at those ribbons. Sadness, fear… anger. None of which were anonymous emotions; all of which were tied to something personal. Something lost.

So this was the bastard who took Bella. And he was coming back for her.

Rehv wasn't surprised the lesser had found the house. Bella's capture had been news within the species, and the family's address had never been hidden from the race… in fact, with mahmen's spiritual advising, the Thorne Avenue mansion was well-known. All it would take would be the capture of one civilian who knew where they lived.

The real question was, Why hadn't the slayer come through the gates?

God. What time was it? Four in the afternoon. Shit.

'That is a lesser,' Rehv said, punching his cane into the floor and rising quickly. 'So we evacuate the house right now. You will find Lahni immediately and tell her the mistress must be dressed. Then you will take them both through the tunnel and drive them to the safe house in the van.'

The doggen blanched. 'Master, I had no idea that it was a—'

Rehv put a hand on the male's shoulder to quell the wheel-spin panic. 'You did well with what you knew. But move quickly now. Go get Lahni.'

Rehv walked as quickly as he could to his mother's bedroom.

'Mahmen?' he said as he opened her door. 'Mahmen, wake up.'

His mother sat up in her bed of silken sheets, her white hair coiled in a cap for the day. 'But it's… it is the afternoon still. Why—'

'Lahni is coming to help you dress.'

'Dear Virgin, Rehvenge. Why?'

'You are leaving this house.'

'What—'

'Now, mahmen. I'll explain later.' He kissed both her cheeks as her maid came in. 'Ah, good. Lahni, you will dress your mistress fast.'

'Yes, master,' the doggen said with a bow.

'Rehvenge! What is—'

'Hurry. Leave with the doggen. I'll call you.'

As his mother cried out his name, he went down to his private quarters and shut the doors so he wouldn't hear her. He picked up the phone and dialed the Brotherhood's number despising what he had to do. But Bella's safety had to come first. After he left a message that made his throat sting, he went to his walk-in closet.

Right now the mansion was sealed up tight for the daylight hours, so there was no way a lesser could get in. The shutters covering the windows and doors were bullet- and fireproof and the house was made of stone walls that were two feet thick. To top it off, there were enough cameras and security alarms so he'd know if anyone so much as sneezed on his property. But he wanted his mahmen out anyway.

Plus, as soon as darkness fell, he was going to open up the iron gates and roll out the welcome mat. He wanted that lesser inside.

Rehv stripped out of his mink robe and put on a pair of black pants and a thick turtleneck sweater. He wouldn't get out the weapons until his mother was gone. If she wasn't totally hysterical already, seeing him covered with metal was going to throw her right over the edge.

Before he went back to check on the progress of the evac, he glanced at the locked cabinet in his closet. It was getting time for his afternoon dopamine dose. How perfect.

Smiling, he left his room without injecting himself, ready to bring all his senses out to play.

As the shutters lifted for the night, Zsadist lay on his side next to Bella, watching her sleep. She was on her back, tight in the crook of his arm, her head at his chest level. No sheets or blankets covered her naked body, because she was still radiating heat from the remnants of the needing.

When he'd returned after his trip to the kitchen, she'd eaten from his hand and then snoozed as he'd made up the bed with fresh linens. They'd lain together in the pitch-dark ever since.