Charity Received (22 page)

Arak snorted, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. “At the time, I thought she was Zeke’s.”

“Yes, because I repeatedly told you she wasn’t,” Zeke added, thick with sarcasm.

Arak only shrugged. “You can see truth. That doesn’t mean you necessarily speak it.”

“Lucky for you, Kash knows I have no designs on his mate. He comes at me, and I’m taking you out. One kneecap at a time.”

Arak rolled his eyes and turned his back on Zeke, angling to get a better look at the weapons stored in the secret compartment.

Kash grabbed a small black case, then stepped back, handing both case and gun to Zeke. “Now that Prue makes my blood turn to ice.”

Arak shuddered. “And makes you want to guard your balls. She is downright frightening. I never know just how to handle her.”

Zeke paused from examining the gun to interject. “Yeah. You could have had that.”

Kash acknowledged his comment with a raised middle finger and retorted, “You still could.”

At Zeke’s frown, Arak chuckled. Kash didn’t know if it was the comment or Zeke’s response that amused the other male, but Zeke clearly didn’t have the same reaction. He stilled, his muscles rigid with angry tension.

Kash watched Zeke’s eyes narrow on Arak. “You probably already have.”

Kash was confused at the dynamics playing out between the two as Arak grew somber and stated, “Somehow I always come out on the bottom of the shit pile with you, Zeke.”

“I seem to remember at least one time when you came out way ahead,” was Zeke’s hardened response.

Arak pulled his keys from his pocket and tossed them at Kash while snarling, “Fuck you.” Then he climbed into the passenger seat of Charity’s SUV and slammed the door.

“Shit.” Zeke ran a hand over his head. As Kash waited for some type of explanation, his brother turned away to concentrate on the gun and darts in his hands.

Realizing he wasn’t going to get anything from Zeke willingly, Kash closed the tailgate, then, turning toward his brother, he leaned back against the truck. “Care to fill me in?”

“Nope.” Zeke reached out for the keys and pulled them from Kash’s grasp. “Go back inside and take care of your mate. Arak and I haven’t killed each other yet. I doubt we will tonight.” As Kash continued to study him, Zeke added, “I’ll apologize for being a bastard, and he’ll forgive me. It’s nothing new.”

Finally Kash nodded. Arak and Zeke were big boys and undoubtedly could work out whatever was going on between them. With his mate firmly fixed in his mind once again, he needed to see her…hold her. Confirm with his own eyes that she was safe.

And there were feelings of aggravation and mild distress emanating from her that he needed to deal with.

Silently Zeke watched as Kash moved across the parking lot and disappeared from view. Then, with a sigh, he turned toward the vehicle and climbed inside. Arak was stubbornly staring out the window, and releasing a deep breath, he started the ignition.

“My comment earlier…it was uncalled for.”

Arak’s steely gaze met his. “Yes, it was.”

“We have handled her death differently, but it gives me no right to judge.”

“No, Zeke, we are not so different. I just don’t hide behind empty promises and thinly veiled lies.”

It was Zeke’s turn to look away. He wasn’t surprised Arak knew about the women.

His brother—his best friend—understood him better than he sometimes understood himself.

“You know I don’t mean all the shit I say.”

“I know you don’t. You’re fighting it.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Hope.”

That one word, an innocent little feminine noun, and immediately Zeke’s defenses rose to the surface. It didn’t help that he was pissed at himself for giving in to temptation. He never should have touched her, much less kissed her. Now her taste was ingrained in his senses, and he wanted more. “What does she have to do with anything, damn it?”

“I know I will never get back what I’ve lost. But there is still a chance for you.”

Zeke forced himself to harden his heart to the hope in Arak’s voice and shook his head vigorously. “My chance died with yours.”

“You don’t mean that,” Arak softly stated.

Zeke gave a derisive snort. “She is not mine. And she sure as shit isn’t ours.”

Arak leaned back in his seat, studying Zeke carefully, and he tried not to fidget under the weight of that stare. “Is that why? You’re afraid I’ll demand equal time?”

Zeke’s dark gaze met Arak’s. “Wouldn’t you?”

Arak shook his head sadly. “That is not what this is about. Do you think me so selfish, I would damage your chance at happiness…to have what I had with Saraknyal?”

Glancing down at the steering wheel, Zeke gripped the leather tightly beneath his fingers. “No,” he admitted. “But it would only be fair. And Hope could not handle that, Arak.”

“You don’t know that, Zeke. Not for certain.”

No. Zeke knew Hope was not made for the life he and Arak would demand of her.

Deep in his gut, he knew. After jamming the SUV into drive, he turned his attention to maneuvering the vehicle from the parking spot. Once they were on the road, he glanced over to find Arak still watching him.

“Like Charity, Arak, Hope is not mine. Not now. Not ever.” The conviction in his voice seemed to dissuade Arak from his current line of thought, much to Zeke’s relief. He knew Arak’s only chance at even a semblance of happiness was through him, and he felt buried under the guilt.

“So where to?” Arak asked quietly.

“Levi mentioned some recent activity near Bellevue Square. How about we head over there and see about killing us some demons?”

Arak rubbed his hands together, his eyes lit with an eager glint. “One of my favorite pastimes.”

“Mine too, brother.” Zeke thrust his fist toward Arak, and the other male repeated the action, bumping their knuckles. Placing his hand back on the steering wheel, he felt the tension in his chest ease. Not evaporate. No, that would never happen. Not as long as he continued to lie to everyone around him.

Arak turned on the radio and began fiddling with the stations, stopping when the sound of Pink Floyd shot through the speakers. As his fingers tapped against his denim-covered thighs, Zeke slowly began to count. He got to eight before his ears couldn’t take it any longer. He turned the radio off.

“Hey, I was listening to that,” Arak protested as he reached toward the radio.

“Touch it, and I’ll break your fingers.”

With a quick flick of his wrist, Arak had the radio back on and then sat on his hands. The truck swerved as Zeke swung a fist at him. Laughing, Arak tried to dodge the blow, and Zeke only clipped him on the shoulder before he righted the SUV. With a roll of his eyes, he once again turned off the radio.

“There is something seriously not right with you.” Zeke glanced across at Arak and shook his head.

Arak just grinned. “I’ve been living with you for twelve thousand years. What do you expect?”

“One of these days, Arak. One of these days.”

Arak’s chuckle further helped to settle Zeke’s churning stomach. He was forgiven for his earlier sniping, and things were once again as they should be. As he drove toward Bellevue Square, he banished all thoughts of Saraknyal and Hope from his mind. Neither belonged there any longer.

Turned out Levi was right on the money regarding Bellevue Square. Before the night was through, they’d killed three Lilu demons, a Rabisu demon, a pack of goblins, six imps, and a troll. Zeke was still pissed about the troll. The little bastard had bitten him. But of them all, the ones he hated the most were the imps. The slender, blue-tinted, fragile-looking creatures never took their deaths like they should. Instead they would beg and plead for their lives…right before they’d try to incinerate you with a bolt of hellfire. Imps were the most deceptive and tricky of all demons but not very dangerous if you knew their one and only ability to protect themselves—the fire bolts—lasted only a couple of minutes before they ran out of juice. That was why they were usually the messengers for archdemons or the pets of warlocks. But damn if Zeke didn’t hate the begging.

“That many imps in one place is rather odd.”

Zeke took his eyes off the road to look quickly at Arak. He hated to admit it was something he should have been considering, but truthfully, he was more focused on the disappointing lack of werewolves. He’d really wanted to test out that gun.

“Yeah. It’s something that should be checked out. I guess you and I will be spending some time in Bellevue in the coming weeks.”

Arak grinned. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and Remy will send Jet instead.”

Zeke grunted. “I almost pity the demons.” He glanced sideways at Arak. “Do you think he gets off on the begging?”

Chuckling, Arak quipped, “I thought that was your thing.”

“Nah. That’s what thirty feet of hemp and a ball gag are for.”

Arak shook his head, his eyes widening at Zeke. “Christ. Do you really use that shit?”

Zeke shrugged nonchalantly. Arak knew he liked sex rough, and Zeke enjoyed having a female tied up. Though he was more than a little kinky, the extremes some individuals went to were too much even for him. But he wouldn’t tell Arak that. It amused him to watch the other male stew. As for using a ball gag… Yeah, he’d wanted to on a number of occasions—on his brothers. Just to shut some of them the fuck up.

“Never mind. I don’t really want to know.”

Zeke turned his head, a retort on his lips, and that’s when he saw it out of the corner of his eye. A large animal darted out from the trees, right in front of the SUV. Zeke reacted almost immediately, swerving to avoid colliding with it. As Arak swore loudly, his hands braced against the dash, Zeke tried to keep the vehicle from spinning out of control. A thump and a jerk indicated he’d hit the animal, clipping it with his left bumper, and Zeke slammed on the brakes. He steeled himself for the impact as his upper body rocketed forward, his chest slamming into the steering wheel with a great degree of force.

His first reaction was to check on Arak. He was pale but free of blood, which Zeke took as a good sign. “You okay?”

“Fine. What about you?”

“Right as rain.” Zeke leaned back, trying to ignore his protesting muscles. And he was pretty certain he’d broken a rib or two. Nothing too serious, but it hurt like a bitch.

“Liar.” Arak’s hand was immediately running over his chest, the blue glow illuminating the darkened interior.

Within moments the pain lessened, and Zeke inhaled a deep breath. “What the fuck was that?”

Arak was already grasping the door handle as the words left Zeke’s mouth. “Looked like a dog. I’ll take a look…see if it’s still alive.” Seconds later Arak was back, his face furrowed in a deep frown. “Uhh, I think you should get out here.” Arak paused as he moved to step away from the SUV. “And bring the gun,” he snapped over his shoulder.

Zeke pulled a dart from the case Kash had given him, then grabbed the gun and slipped from the truck. The first thing he noticed was the low growl, alerting him to danger. Stalking toward the back, he then rounded the vehicle, joining Arak. There, under the left bumper, was what appeared to be a large black dog. Arak grabbed his arm, preventing Zeke from stepping any closer to the animal, and as he inspected the creature, Zeke realized why. It wasn’t a dog. It seemed they’d finally found what they were looking for.

The ominous growling continued though the animal made no movement toward them. It was apparently injured. Zeke raised the gun, not willing to take any chances. He just prayed it wouldn’t spring up and attack one of them after he hit it with the dart. The dart pierced the wolf’s flank, a whimper of pain the animal’s only response, and Zeke breathed a sigh of relief.

He and Arak waited several minutes until the wolf was still before approaching.

Arak dropped to his knees and ran his hand over the animal, checking it for injuries.

Several minutes passed before he sat back and nodded to Zeke, indicating the wolf was healed enough to be transferred to the cage. He wasted no time locking it behind those bars of steel and silver. Charity’s warnings rang in his head the entire time: the tranquilizer wouldn’t last long on the shifter. It would have been just his luck that the animal would wake while he was carrying it to the back of the SUV.

Once the shifter was secured in the cage, Zeke and Arak climbed back into the truck and headed for the fortress. Zeke had trouble fighting the desire to just teleport; he was so eager to hear what Charity could get from the wolf. To his great disappointment, he discovered Kash and Charity had enclosed themselves in their bedroom several hours before, Charity apparently having felt under the weather, and Remy wouldn’t let him wake the pair.

Zeke, Remy, Arak, and Bale carefully removed the cage from the SUV, the wolf still slumbering inside, and transported it to the room next to Zeke’s studio. At one time it had been where Raym had built his electronic contraptions, but now it just stored some of their useless crap.

With the wolf still sedated, Zeke stumbled off to bed. Jet was taking the first shift of keeping tabs on the animal. The only guarantee they had that the cage would hold was Charity’s word, and Jet wasn’t willing to go by that. Remy had also been hesitant, so Zeke had not pursued the issue. And he didn’t give a rat’s ass if Jet wanted to stay awake staring at a caged wolf, as long as he wasn’t volunteered to take a turn. He trusted Charity and refused to lose sleep over Jet’s asinine insecurities.

Kash glanced at his cell and spotted Hope’s number spread across the display. Hope had been calling for the better part of an hour, but she wasn’t high on his list of priorities at the moment. He tossed the phone onto the nightstand and dragged Charity into his arms. She’d had a sudden bout of nausea that had kept her up for hours, and now that she was resting comfortably, Kash wasn’t much inclined to leave his warm bed to find out what Hope wanted.

For roughly an hour, he’d been drifting in and out of sleep, when Charity’s sluggish movements had him opening his eyes. He kissed the top of her head as she burrowed deeper into his embrace. “Better?”