“Nice of you to join us, Justin.” Daniel sent a glare to his fledgling as we entered the training field. The fighting stopped and the vampires moved back. “I believe we said nine o’clock. It’s now nine fifteen.”
“I’m sorry, master,” Justin began, his head slightly down, not making eye contact with the man who’d guided him through his turn.
“Give him a break, Danny.” I never liked watching the way all these vamps kissed Danny’s ass just because his blood gave them power and strength and crap. “Angie’s making dinner and she needed cheese. Cheese is a serious thing. You used to love cheese.”
Daniel’s blue eyes widened with sarcastic glee as he looked at Justin. “Well, don’t let a little thing like training for a war stop you from some serious grocery shopping, buddy. Is there anything else you need to do for your girlfriend? Does Angie need new shoes?”
“No, master,” Justin said, utterly chastened. He took his place next to the new guy.
I glared at Daniel, shocked at that attitude. This was not a man who told his wife no often. This was a man who said “sure thing, baby” and “right away” when I asked him to do something. He might put his foot down on occasion, but he could show Justin a little sympathy. “Daniel Donovan, is that any way to talk to Justin? He was just trying to be a good boyfriend.”
Daniel made sure he turned his back on his men. He kept his voice low. “Hey, baby, don’t do this now. I have to…you know, at least look tough. I have to keep these guys in line.”
I moved around my husband because there was a more pressing problem than Daniel’s unreasonable attitude. The new guy had just gotten a look at me.
“All right, Joel.” I pointed at him with my best “do not mess with me” hand gesture. Joel’s fangs were long and his eyes were focused on me, the iris bleeding out to fill his eyes with brown. It was a very scary thing that I no longer put up with from any vamp, much less a baby one. “Let’s get some things straight right off the bat…”
“Zoey.” Daniel tugged me behind him. He placed himself between me and the hungry baby vamp. Newbies aren’t known for their rigid control, and I was a tasty treat.
Justin had a steadying hand on Joel’s shoulder. He leaned into the new vamp, his voice filled with understanding. “Really man, I know she’s pretty and all glowy and stuff, but you do not want to mess with that. If you try to get a bite of that, you better hope the master kills you first because he’ll do it quick. If she gets ahold of you…”
Justin leaned in and whispered into Joel’s ear. The new vampire’s eyes got wide and I was surprised when his fangs detracted and his eyes went from scary to scared.
“Do those grow back, man?” Joel asked Justin, his voice slightly shaky.
“I think so, but it probably hurts,” Justin replied sagely.
Now all the vamps were taking a short step back from me. Daniel turned to me with a shake of his head.
I grinned up at him. My reputation was secure in at least one venue. I went up on my toes and planted a kiss on his perfect lips. “You were worried about your tough-guy reputation? They’re all impressed you’re brave enough to risk your balls around me.”
Danny’s dimples came out in full force, and he gave my bottom a nice little slap. “After what you did to me last night, I’ll risk a lot more than that. I’m a brave man.”
One more little kiss and I pulled away. He was obviously busy and besides, I really wanted to break through the weakest link before I started in on Danny. “Where’s Dev?”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “He’s in the weight room. What’s this crap about him growing out his hair? We need to talk about that, Z. I already have to unclog all the drains in the condo twice a week because you shed everywhere.”
I shrugged as I backed away. “I can’t help it, Danny. That hair is hot. If I have to get a naval ring then Dev has to grow out his hair. I’m not sure what I want from you, yet. Maybe a sexy tat on your ass.”
I heard his groan as I practically skipped back into the house. I loved being at the farm. I loved the chaos and the noise and the weirdness. I neatly sidestepped a lovely black wolf being pursued playfully by a larger chocolate brown one. Lisa was leading Zack on a merry chase into the woods. I would know exactly what those howls meant later on tonight. Angie handed me a perfect empanada as I sashayed through the kitchen. Gwen, a shifter involved with Jean-Marc, was mixing margaritas, and I promised to come back and share the pitcher.
I passed Lee, who had parked his butt in front of the TV and was already on his second beer. He grunted something as I went by. I told him Danny could take care of me for the rest of the evening, but he was already half asleep.
I was ready to greet my boyfriend with a happy hello on my lips when I looked into the weight room and my mouth dropped open. I left it there, helpless for a moment to do anything but drool. Dev was doing chin-ups, his body in nothing but a pair of cutoff sweats and sneakers. His back was to me and it glistened with sweat, making every muscle ripple as he pulled himself up. His legs were crossed at the ankles and he never paused to breathe, just kept pulling his body up and down, up and down. After a couple of minutes he dropped and stretched, pulling his muscles this way and that. He turned but didn’t notice me. He had earbuds in. Despite the hip-hop and dance music he played in the club, I knew Dev was an emo boy at heart.
When I met Dev he was a gorgeous man, but the last few years had been damn good to him. He’d been gifted with excellent DNA and was stronger than a human without the aid of regular workouts. After our experiences in Vegas, Daniel had taken over his physical training and he was now extremely proficient in hand-to-hand and his body…athletes would envy that body.
He adjusted the weights on the bar and settled down on the bench, his long legs on either side. He smoothly started pressing the weights up and down. I sighed and watched him for a moment.
“Are you enjoying the show, my mistress?” Dev asked, replacing the weights and turning his head toward me with the sexiest smile on his face. He pulled the buds from his ears and let them dangle.
I giggled because sometimes just the sight of him makes me a little giddy. “Yeah, don’t let me stop you.”
“You’re just in time,” he said, his voice low. “There’s one last muscle I need to exercise. I’m pretty sure I can press about one twenty-five with it.”
I straddled the bench, putting myself right over that muscle he was interested in exercising. It was the one workout the man never avoided. I playfully squirmed a little and felt his interest rise. “Did you have a good time with your brother?”
“I did indeed have a fine interview with my brother, though I spent the entire time thinking about copulating with your luscious form, my lover. It is so distracting to be constantly assaulted by the mental vision of your body twisted in coitus,” Dev said with a devilish smile, proving he could do a mean Declan impression.
“Yeah, what’s up with the formal speech?” I asked. “It’s weird talking to him.”
“It’s the way they talk at court.” Dev’s hands went to my waist. “It’s a very formal place. I prefer our little court where I can just look at you and tell you to fuck me, baby.” He pressed his hips up, letting me know he was ready to go now. I wondered just what he’d been thinking about during this workout of his.
“Did he order you to come home?” I asked, knowing that had been Declan’s plan all along.
“He did, indeed.” Dev rolled his green eyes. “He treated me like his snot-nosed little brother having a tantrum. He’s generously offered to allow you to come with us, but I think he has ulterior motives. He thinks this plane is far too dangerous for one as gentle as me.”