Chapter Seven

After sliding his pants back on, Arion crept quietly from Jax’s bedroom, looking back to make sure the two were still asleep.

As badly as he wanted to stay, he couldn’t allow Akai to find him here. The sadistic vampire would target everyone in the house for harboring his father’s pet. God how Arion hated that term. Hated that his uncle had willingly given Arion as a gift to Ozel just to save his own hide from being torn apart.

One desperate action had sentenced Arion to a decade of torture and abuse.

But what really baffled him was the fact that, while Akai hated Arion with every fiber of his being, he tracked and killed anyone Arion tried to befriend.

The guy made no sense to him.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he watched Casimir step into the upstairs hallway from his bedroom. The fae looked even bigger than he remembered. To be fair to his memory, Arion had been smashed into a wall while being choked by this behemoth the last time they’d encountered one another.

Still, he didn’t remember the guy being this damn huge. He was even taller than Jax. If Arion had to guess, Casimir had to be close to seven feet of pure muscle.

Casimir gave a small growl before turning to fully face him. But the growl died in his throat as he slid his gaze over Arion’s naked torso.

If only he’d grabbed one of Jax’s shirts. He’d started to, but he hadn’t wanted to take anything back to his coven with his mate’s scent on it.

With a single sniff, Akai would track down the wolf shifter and wreak havoc. Though Arion would have loved to have something of Jax’s and Elvine’s to take home, he couldn’t risk it.

He really wanted something he could hold to his nose and breathe in on the nights he had to crawl back to his bedroom after one of Akai’s torture sessions.

He and Casimir just stared at one another. Arion wanted to apologize for setting up the warrior, to tell the fae that Akai had left him no choice, but he wasn’t sure if speaking a single word would cause Casimir to attack him.

Not that the guy could hurt him. Arion had learned a long time ago how to absorb pain, how to sink into his own mind to escape the torture.

“You told me earlier tonight that things aren’t always what they seem,” Casimir said calmly, but Arion saw the rage burning in the man’s blue eyes. “Since you are now my brother-in-law through your mating to Jax, I’m willing to listen to your reason for trying to have me slaughtered. Explain to me what I’ve done to you to deserve death, especially since I don’t even know who you are.”

Yeah, right. There was so much animosity bleeding from Casimir’s pours Arion was practically drowning in it.

Too many times he had foolishly believed a kind gesture and calm words, only to suffer heinously for his stupidity.

Deep down, he didn’t even trust Jax and Elvine one hundred percent. All three of them were mates, but Arion had learned the hard way that those you’ve placed your trust in will turn on you when it comes down to their life or yours.

There was no such thing as loyalty and trust, at least not in Arion’s world. But god, how he wanted those things, wanted to stop being punished for something he had no control over, wanted just a single friend in his corner.

He’d never known his parents, never known a tender touch until tonight. But Arion was terrified to let his guard down, to make himself vulnerable to anyone.

Even his mates.

Casimir cocked his head to the side then took a step toward him. Arion immediately backed into the wall, raising his arms in case he had to protect himself. He might be able to sink into his mind, but the initial pain was always the worst.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Casimir held up his hands, a stricken look in his eyes. “How long has this been going on?” His gaze swept over Arion’s badly scarred chest and arms. “Who is hurting you, young one?”

“I’m an adult.” Arion tried to sound brave, but his voice quivered.

“I’m four thousand years old, so everyone is a young one in comparison.” But Casimir didn’t crack a smile. It was just a flat-out statement.

The sound of a bedroom door opening reached Arion’s ears, but he couldn’t bring himself to rip his gaze off the behemoth not ten feet away.

Arion shouted when he was unexpectedly pulled off his feet and lifted into the air. Elvine had her arms around his waist, now hovering at the ceiling, the sound of her wings flapping filling the hallway.

Nausea rolled through him. He really, really didn’t like heights.

“You stay away from my honey bunny!” Elvine snarled as Jax moved to stand near them, his canines extended.

Arion felt downright ridiculous being held in a tiny fairy’s arms while she defended him against the giant warrior, but he also liked being held so close to her. He could still smell sex on her and remembered how it felt having his cock buried in her tight heat.

He just wished she could embrace him with their feet on the floor.

“Are you serious right now?” Jax bellowed. “Did you lure Arion out here so you could get your fucking revenge?”

Several doors opened, others coming into the hallway at the sound of the commotion. Arion wanted a hole to open up and swallow him. All these powerful wolf shifters saw him dangling in Elvine’s arms like he needed the pixie to keep him safe.

It was mortifying.

“What’s going on here?” an older version of Jax asked. Arion remembered seeing the guy earlier before the attack at the restaurant. This had to be Jax’s father.

The man was just as tall as the others around them, built with as many muscles. He’d asked the question calmly, but there was an aura of authority to him.

Jax stabbed a finger at Casimir. “I just caught him out here with Arion! He better tell me why, or it’s about to get real fucking ugly in this hallway!”

Arion was stunned at the fury in his mate’s voice. He’d never had anyone defend him so vehemently before.

Except when Elvine killed those two vampires, but she was only defending herself as well. Not even Arion’s uncle had cared enough to think twice before he ruined his nephew’s life.

“If I catch you raising your hand to my honey bunny, I’ll stomp a grub hole in you!” Elvine snarled.

“Mud hole,” a guy said when he stepped into the hallway, rolling his eyes. “I’ll stomp a mud hole in you, brat.” He looked enough like Jax to be related. Arion was guessing his brother, maybe a cousin.

“Tell your mate to leave mine alone, Mr. Scratchy Crotch,” Elvine demanded.” He doesn’t want a slice of me.”

Arion frowned. Was she really that horrible at idioms? Had she been living under a rock her entire life?

“Now you’re just baiting me,” the guy said, wiggling a finger at her with the start of a smile. There was pure adoration in his eyes as he stared up at Elvine. “I like the new hair color, by the way.”

Arion had no idea who these people were, aside from guessing they were family. Why hadn’t Jax told him so many people lived there? He wanted desperately to cover his scars so he wasn’t gawked at. He didn’t like the reminder of how hideous his body looked.

“I wasn’t doing anything to him,” Casimir argued at Jax.

“What did he say to you, pumpkin?” His mate gazed up at him.

It was bad enough he had hellfire Tinker Bell defending him. Now Jax had to call him that in front of everyone. Arion’s embarrassment knew no bounds tonight.

“He wanted an explanation.” Arion hated having everyone’s eyes focused on him. “Which is only fair,” he squeaked. Jesus. Now his voice was making him sound juvenile.

“Then he comes to me if he wants to talk to you,” Jax snarled before turning to look at the warrior. “You don’t confront him on his own.”

Arion wasn’t sure what the look in Casimir’s eyes was all about. It seemed like a mixture of anger and… fear?

“I wasn’t starting trouble in your home, Kalen,” Casimir said to Jax’s father. “I was merely trying to talk to him.”

“Put me down,” Arion whispered to Elvine, trying his best not to draw everyone’s attention again.

She looked as though she was mulling over his request, then she slowly descended. But she refused to pull her arms away. Elvine stayed behind him, her slim arms trapping him against her breasts. Arion loved feeling the soft mounds pressing into his back.

“ Our home,” Kalen clarified with a deep rumble in his voice.

Then he looked at Arion. That single gaze had Arion’s gut tightening. The father was going to tell him not to come back, that his presence was too disruptive. The writing was on the wall. Casimir was family. Arion was a stranger in their home.

“Son, whenever you’re comfortable discussing this, just let Jax know, and he’ll talk to Casimir for you.”

“I just want to know the reason,” Casimir said to Jax in a sincere tone. “It doesn’t have to be in detail, but if we’re going to live under the same roof, this needs to be dealt with.” He nodded toward Arion. “Does he have a problem we need to handle?”

Arion stood there stunned. Not only had Kalen called him son—which Arion was not going to cry over, even though he had a burning lump in his throat—but Casimir was willing to help, even though the guy was angry with him.

“I’ll let you know.” Jax gave a single nod.

Wait. The two were just arguing, and now Jax looked appreciative at him? That made no sense. In Arion’s coven, vampires held grudges for centuries. They didn’t go from furious to thankful in the blink of an eye.

“Can I let my honey bunny go, or do I kick butt?” Elvine asked with a scowl aimed at the behemoth.

The guy didn’t have to decide right away. Arion was enjoying her body heat and the way her breasts kept pushing into his back. Hell, the warrior could take the rest of the night to decide and Arion would be fine with it.

“He wasn’t in any danger in the first place, nyzanta.”

Elvine beamed. “Aww, you just called me your sister. That’s so sweet.” While still smiling, she added, “Don’t make your sister stomp you into the ground for intimidating her mate.”

Kalen shook his head with a chuckle. “Everyone back to bed. We’ll discuss what happened earlier this evening over breakfast.”

Jax huffed out a laugh. “You’re never here in the mornings.”

With a stern look from Kalen, Jax said, “We’ll discuss it over breakfast.”

Elvine moved close to Jax and whispered, “I’ll kick Casimir’s butt, but you’re on your own with Papa Frost.”

Jax frowned. “You’d take my dad’s side over your own mate’s?”

With a sensual gleam in her pretty green eyes, she smirked. “Let’s not find out, Mr. Rhino.”

“Rhino?” Casimir’s mate furrowed his eyebrows.

“I’d let that one go if I were you.” Kalen walked back into his bedroom with a chuckle. “Boy takes after his old man,” he said to himself with a touch of pride in his voice right before he closed the door.

This was a loving family, which was all the more reason Arion couldn’t put them in danger.

Elvine gripped his hand, pulling him back to their bedroom. He wanted to tell them about Ozel and Akai, but Arion kept his lips sealed. He hadn’t known most of the attacking vampires who’d descended on Casimir in the forest or the ones at the restaurant.

But he did know one.

And if Rowen had been there, it meant Ozel was somehow involved.

Arion couldn’t allow a horde of them to descend on this house. As soon as his mates fell back to sleep, he had to try and slip out again, which meant leaving his fairy and wolf behind.

It was the safest thing to do, but it hurt so damn much Arion wanted to cry.

* * * *

With a searing fire raging inside of him, Ozel sat behind his desk, strumming his fingers on the marble desktop as he tried to contain his urge to rip out his son’s throat. Akai could be indispensable at times, but in moments like this, Ozel regretted ever spawning the black-hearted idiot.

Akai stood in front of his desk, hands clasped behind his back, but Ozel could see the rage burning in his eyes.

“Explain to me again how my pet escaped while under your pathetic care?” Ozel demanded through gritted teeth. “Am I to understand a vampire weighing no more than 110 pounds somehow managed to overpower you and escape?” He slowly rose to his feet, tucked his hands into his front pockets, and moved leisurely around his desk. “Is that how you lost my pet?”

Akai clenched his jaw. “No, sir. Your pet didn’t overpower me and escape.”

With a vicious snarl, Ozel backhanded his son, sending him flying across the room. “I allow your sick pleasures within my coven as long as you confine them to one victim. I have gifted you with my pet to do as you please with only two rules. Do not fuck him or mar his face. And this is how you repay my generosity?”

Wiping away the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, Akai kept his eyes downcast.

“Get up. You are not a filthy dog to lie at my feet!” Ozel growled. “Nor are you one of your whores on her knees.”

When Akai stood and approached him again, Ozel grabbed him by the hair and pulled him closer, exposing his vulnerable neck. His fangs descended as he glared at the pulsing vein beneath Akai's flawless skin. “You will find my pet, or you will suffer on your own torture table. Do I make myself clear, boy ?”

“Yes, sir.” Akai’s nostrils flared.

Yanking his son’s head forward until they were nose to nose, Ozel snarled, “And you will bring him back unscathed. You are not allowed to unleash your rage on him. Why should you be rewarded for losing him in the first place?” He pushed Akai away. “Once the sun sets tonight, you have until dawn to retrieve him. Fail me and you will regret the day your mother pushed you from her womb.”

With a bow, Akai exited his office. Why did children think they were so entitled these days? Ozel had given his son everything he could ever want, even indulging his sadistic tendencies.

When Ozel had been given Arion, he’d accepted the offer in trade for his uncle’s life, but only on the condition that Alonzo agree to eternal servitude. It was a double payment, but Ozel didn’t give a shit.

Alonzo should consider himself lucky he was still breathing after his betrayal. That night still burned vividly in Ozel’s mind, of him walking in and finding Nerezza in their bed, Alonzo rutting inside the whore.

It was the night Akai had lost his mother to his father’s murderous rage. The same night Alonzo had offered up his own nephew as compensation. And it was also the night Akai had descended into madness.

But one way or another, Ozel would retrieve his pet. And then he would personally punish Arion for daring to escape from him.

* * * *

Casimir stood at his bedroom window and gazed out into the darkened backyard. He couldn’t fathom a good enough excuse for what Arion had done, but after seeing his body… Casimir closed his eyes. He hadn’t been prepared to see someone so small who was scarred so badly.

“Talk to me, n ékah ,” Damon said from behind him. “No holding shit inside.”

“Did you see his body?” Casimir turned to face his mate. “When I first encountered him, I saw a scar peeking out from under the collar of his shirt and sleeves, but, my god… He looks as if someone carved him apart then tried to put him back together, only the pieces didn’t quite fit.”

“I saw.” Damon nodded, scratching his beard. “But I kept my eyes averted. Guy’s probably got enough people openly staring at him. What do you think caused him to scar in the first place? Vampires usually heal when they drink blood.”

Casimir had no idea. He’d never really associated with vampires until he’d been pulled into battle with Vicino and a swarm of them, some of which had been dead and then reanimated.

“I don’t have a clue,” Casimir admitted. “But if he’s got trouble on his heels, we have a right to know.” His gaze lowered to Damon’s perfectly carved abs. “We’re going to bring a child into this world in three months. I want our home to be safe for our nyliché .”

Damon yanked Casimir down to their bed, where they had made love not even an hour ago. That was why he’d left the room when he’d run into Arion, to get Damon something cold to drink after they’d sweated through a workout. Having sex with Damon came with the prerequisite of being in shape, because his mate definitely put Casimir through the paces.

“Still need that cold drink?” Casimir nuzzled Damon’s neck, drawing in his scent, and then he traced his fingers lovingly over his mate’s mytconiz . The conception line hadn’t grown any more since they’d looked at it together in the bathroom. Casimir was excited to see the tiny wings that made up the line grow bigger.

“I love you.” He placed a soft kiss on Damon’s lips.

“You’re just trying to get back into my underwear. I got you figured out, buddy.” Damon’s grin would always steal Casimir’s very breath.

“And if I wanted to sink back into your tight heat?” He arched a brow. “Would you keep me out?”

Damon rolled, placing Casimir on his back. Casimir laughed, loving the playful side to his mate.

“I love you too, but I’m not an easy lay.” Damon glanced toward the window.

“Not on your life,” Casimir snarled. “Your days of climbing out the window to fly away are over until you give birth.”

With a smirk, Damon rubbed the pads of his fingers over the sensitive points of Casimir’s ears. Casimir moaned, his cock instantly hard.

“You fight dirty, ceutya nétya .” Beautiful wolf.

“Is there any other way to fight?” Damon teased with a wide grin.