Warrior Fae Trapped (Warrior Fae #1)(51)

At the end of the story, Devon’s mouth had worked into a tight line. “He remembers you from the party,” he summarized. “He wants to keep you as some sort of pet. He offered to give you whatever you want, including men. And then he tried to take you by force? Take you, not bite you?”

Charity brushed her hair out of her face. “That about sums it up. The guy is Froot Loops.”

“You stared him right in the eye and said no?”

“Obviously. Otherwise I would be wearing a gold collar, asking for another doting boy to serve me grapes.”

Devon glanced out his window as the rest of his crew walked past the SUV and up to the house, everyone glancing at them as they passed. “I have to speak to Roger. This might be something the elders do. I have no idea. Sounds…”

“Froot Loops.”

A handsome smile flashed across Devon’s face. It was the first full smile, however fleeting, she’d seen from him. And it was a thing of beauty, so much more real than that vampire’s.

Too soon, he was back to serious and brooding. “I wasn’t angry at you earlier; I was angry at myself. I left you alone tonight. That was a stupid move.”

“You couldn’t have known that vampire would find me.”

“It is my duty to protect you, Charity, and I failed. It won’t happen again.”

She crinkled her nose. “You should apply to be one of the doting boys, because that almost made my heart squish.”

“Can you be serious for a moment?”

“No. I stabbed and shot a guy tonight. Technically, he might be a creature, but my mind is still trying to agree with my eyes on that one. I emptied a gun into a living body. As if that weren’t bad enough, I did it at point-blank range and somehow missed its heart. How bad of a shot does that make me? My brain, as we speak, is trying to unravel in half a dozen ways. So no, serious is not in me right now. Maybe later.”

Devon deflated. Charity had finally defeated him, and she wasn’t even trying.

He climbed out slowly before walking around the SUV and lifting her out, gentle despite his earlier freak-out. “In that case, let me point out that you scratched and dented my Range Rover.”

“Wrong, sir. Your Range Rover scratched and dented my head. And I hold a grudge.”

“I have a Red Bull in the fridge. You might drink that. It’ll help. There’s some stuff in the freezer, plus we always get pizza after a mission. Food always helps when I change too often, or need a boost of energy.”

“Genius,” she said sarcastically. “You know so much.”

Devon gave her a lighthearted squeeze as they entered the house. A moment later, he deposited her in the recliner as the whole pack watched.

She froze while trying to get comfortable. “What?”

“They also apologize for leaving you on your own, even though it was on my orders,” Devon said.

“Oh. Well, let’s not mention it to Roger. He’ll just call me in, and then I’ll have to sit in his presence. No thanks.”

“Roger’s okay,” Andy commented, patting the couch next to him.

She laughed at him. “I had a vampire proposition me with money and unearthly pleasures, and you think I said no to him so I could snuggle up to you?”

Andy shot her an award-winning grin. “I’m just that awesome.” He patted the couch again.

Charity rolled her eyes. She did get up, nearly laughing at Andy’s flash of astonishment, before hobbling off to the kitchen, using the walls to stay upright. “I’m hungry.”





Chapter Twenty-Two





Devon glanced at Macy as Charity made her way out of the room.

“Follow her,” he said. “She’s weak, though she won’t admit it.”

“Admitting it would be overkill,” Macy muttered as she got up.

Dillon balanced his elbows on his knees. Quietly, he asked, “Is she for real? Did she really chase off an elder?”

Devon gave a condensed version of the story, not leaving out Charity’s heroics. Or the fact that the vampire had propositioned her. When he’d finished, Dillon leaned back in his seat. Andy blew out a breath as Rod stood and started to pace.

“What’s the big deal?” Yasmine asked. “I get propositioned by vamps all the time. Tonight, for example.”

Devon ran his hand over his face, biting back a harsh reprimand for the juvenile question. Some alphas didn’t share details with their subordinates.

“Newbies and lower-level vamps easily give in to their baser desires. They need blood more often, and blood and sex go hand in hand. A pretty girl is extremely pleasing to a new vamp, if he used to be a straight male. Anything that bleeds becomes pretty to a mid-level vamp. But an elder doesn’t feed often. It doesn’t need to. Which means it doesn’t care as much about sex. They live for politics and business. Making money in the Brink and navigating around the elves in the Realm. It eases their boredom.

“But Vlad’s actions tonight were strange. He recognized her, which means she made a lasting impression on him the first time they met. He must’ve smelled us, yet he left his child unchecked and in danger so he could frolic with a human. That isn’t done.”

“He doesn’t think she’s human anymore, I guarantee it,” Rod muttered, looking out the window, probably in hopes the pizza man had snuck up on them.