“Thank you,” he said as he released her. Then he turned and snatched the sword from the other man and handed it to her. “Keep an eye on these two. I’ll go after Morgan.”
“Go after—” Leigh turned to see that in the few seconds when she hadn’t been looking, Morgan had regained himself, seen that his side was losing the battle, and was now fleeing for the front door.
Leigh’s gaze swung to Donny, who was struggling to his feet to give chase. Lucian saw him, too, and faltered, turning on him.
“Lucian no!” she cried. “Donny hasn’t killed anyone. He didn’t ask to be turned. He helped us.”
Lucian hesitated. “He’s fed on mortals, Leigh.”
“But he didn’t know any better. He hasn’t killed anyone, and he certainly hasn’t fed well. You heard what Morgan said.”
Lucian’s eyes narrowed on Donny, and Leigh suspected he was rifling through the redhead’s thoughts. She sagged with relief when he nodded and turned to go after Morgan. Sighing, she eyed the two men on the floor and frowned, seeing how quickly they were healing. The one who had been caught by the sword had stopped bleeding and the wound was smaller than it had been. The other was no longer holding his leg, but watching her with a predatory gaze.
Leigh’s mouth tightened and she raised the sword as the two men began to get to their feet. The one whose knee she’d broken staggered and winced as he gained his feet, but stayed upright. The other was holding his side, but they were both mobile.
“Leigh, they’re fast,” Donny warned. “Back up a little.”
She stepped back, her eyes darting to the side in time to see Donny pick up the knife the second man had dropped. Gripping it firmly, he moved to Leigh’s side and eyed the men warily.
The shorter of the men, the one with the sword wound, smiled. Leigh didn’t think that was a good sign.
“You’re on your own, little girl. Can you handle two of us?”
“She has me,” Donny said through gritted teeth, and the man sneered at him.
“You haven’t fed in days. You’re useless,” he said. “Nope. She’s on her own.”
Leigh frowned, afraid it was true. Donny would try, but he’d been weak to begin with, and after the blood lost during the struggle with Morgan, was now swaying on his feet.
The other man began to limp to the side. He ground his teeth as he put weight on his leg and said, “You’re going to pay for that.”
Leigh raised the sword and braced her feet, then glanced sharply over her shoulder as a crash came from upstairs. She’d forgotten all about Julius. His barking and banging had become background noise that she’d hardly paid attention to as the battle unfolded. Now she remembered, and smiled as he appeared at the top of the stairs.
Julius wasn’t immortal, but he was two hundred pounds of rabid fury barreling down the stairs. The way the jowls of his silly wrinkly face swung back and forth as he charged didn’t seem amusing now, not with his teeth bared in preparation of attack.
“Looks like I’m not alone after all,” Leigh commented, and turned back just in time to see the two immortals slip out the sliding glass door and slam it closed before running off down the sand.
“Damn.” Donny sighed wearily at the prospect of a chase, then moved resolutely to open the door. Julius didn’t even slow down. He leapt from the stairs, crossed to the door in three strides, and raced through the door the redhead had just opened, charging after the two men.
Leigh moved to follow as Donny stepped out behind the dog, then she paused and caught Donny’s arm with a frown as the sound of a rotor caught her ear. Glancing skyward, she saw a helicopter dropping out of the sky toward the beach in front of the cottage. The air was suddenly aswirl with sand. It whirled in tornadolike clouds.
As Leigh raised a hand to shield her eyes, she saw the two immortals throw their arms over their faces and drop to the sand. She also saw Julius turn on his heel and charge back toward them. Leigh and Donny rushed back into the cottage, waited for Julius to gallop back in behind them, then slammed the door shut with relief.
“Who are they?” Donny asked with amazement as four men leapt from the helicopter the moment it set down on the sand.
“Lucian’s men,” Leigh said with surprise, recognizing the two in the lead as Mortimer and Bricker. She presumed the other two were either Pimms and Anders, or the two men who had been watching the train station.
Leigh ran an absent hand over Julius’s back as they watched the immortals being dragged back to the helicopter by the two men Leigh didn’t know. Then Mortimer and Bricker headed toward the cottage, only to pause and move to the side as Lucian appeared with Morgan in tow. He shoved the man at them and stopped to talk.
“Good. Then it’s finally over,” Donny sighed. “Morgan was an evil bastard.”
“How did you get involved with him?” Leigh asked curiously.
Donny shook his head. “They were in the bar the Thursday before my night off. I served them. On Friday night I went out with friends and ran into them at another bar. They recognized me and invited me back to the house.”
He grimaced. “I was stupid. He sold me all this ‘live forever, never age, have you with me’ bunk... ” Donny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “And I fell for it like a sucker. I didn’t realize it would mean his controlling everything and trying to make me hurt and kill people.”
He let his hand drop to his side. “I’m really sorry, Leigh.”
She frowned. He looked horrible, and lines of pain were becoming permanent around his eyes. He’d been stupid, but he knew it, and the stupidity had brought her Lucian. And a huge family, if she had the courage to take Lucian on and stop dragging her feet like the coward she was acting like.
Leigh glanced out at the men on the beach, her attention focusing on Lucian.
“It’s okay,” she said at last. “Don’t worry about it. It’s done now.”
“But—”
Leigh shook her head and repeated, “It’s over. There’s blood in the refrigerator in the kitchen. Go feed before you fall over.”
Donny hesitated, then turned and shuffled to the kitchen.
Leigh was setting the sword beside the chair when he called, “How do I eat this?”
“Slap the bag to your teeth,” she instructed. “And have as much as you need.”
Her gaze slid outside to see that the men had finished talking. Mortimer and Bricker were dragging Morgan to the helicopter while Lucian walked to the cottage.
The helicopter rotors hadn’t stopped, and Leigh grimaced and stepped back as Lucian opened the door to enter. He was quick, though, and little sand got in with him. She heard the door slam shut, but before she could blink her eyes back open, his arms were sliding around her.
“Have I told you I love you?” he whispered against her mouth as she slid her own arms around him.
“If you did, I don’t mind hearing it again,” Leigh said with a slow smile.
Lucian chuckled, then pressed a kiss to her mouth and said, “I do love you.”
“I love you, too,” she admitted, and he squeezed her tight.
“Thank you,” he murmured finally, then eased his hold enough to raise one hand and caress her cheek. “Are we still dating?”
Leigh smiled at the way he winced as he asked the question, but said solemnly, “I think we’ve moved beyond dating. We’re life mates.”
“Oh, thank God.” Lucian kissed her properly, his mouth claiming her as his own until Donny’s voice intruded.
“So, does my still being alive and not on that helicopter mean you’re not going to kill me?”
Lucian lifted his head to spear the man with a glare and growled, “Only if you don’t interrupt us again.”
“Right,” Donny said slowly. “I’ll go... ” He glanced around, at a loss. “Walk the dog?”
“Sounds like a good idea, Donald,” Lucian said dryly as he turned back to peer down at Leigh.
“Call me Donny,” the redhead murmured, then patted his leg and moved toward the door, saying, “Come on... dog.”
“His name’s Julius,” Leigh sighed as Lucian pressed kisses along her neck.
“Right. Julius,” Donny said, and slid out of the house.
“Leigh?” Lucian murmured, pulling the t-shirt from her pants and pushing it up her stomach.
“Hmmm?” she asked, beginning to tug at his clothes.
“You know how I laughed at the idea of your kicking bad guy butt?”
“Yeah.”
“You did good.”
“Yeah?” Leigh asked, pausing.
“Yeah. Want to work for the council with me? You could be my secret weapon.”
“Are you serious?” she asked, surprised.
“Leigh, honey, most of the rogues don’t know crap about fighting. They count on the fact that they’re immortals and stronger than mortals to get them through. You could really kick some butt with your skills.”
She smiled faintly. “You have that much faith in me after one small skirmish?”
“Yes I do,” Lucian said solemnly. “Besides, I’d have your back.”
“And I’d have yours,” Leigh said quietly, then chuckled, and suddenly dropped to her knees before him.
“What are you doing?” Lucian asked with amazement as she unbuckled his belt and began to undo his pants.
“I thought I’d see in what other areas I have talents.” She raised her eyes and smiled wickedly. “It seems only fair. You showed me a skill or two.”
God, I love this woman, Lucian thought with a smile, then noticed the way she had stilled, a frown crossing her face. “What is it?”
Leigh glanced up with uncertainty, then back to his groin with a sort of horrified fascination. “Well, um... is there something about immortals you haven’t told me?”
“What? What do you mean?” he asked with bewilderment.
Leigh shook her head, then leaned forward and said “Hello?” to his groin, only to stiffen again and jerk back as if it had hissed at her.
“Are you talking to my penis?” Lucian asked with disbelief.
“It talked to me first,” she said defensively, and frowned. “You didn’t mention this little skill.”
Lucian decided she must be joking and laughed. “So, what did it say?”
“It said, ‘Lucian? Lucian, are you there?’”
He blinked. “Why would it say that?”
“I don’t know. It’s your penis.”
That’s when he recalled the cell phone in his pocket. A laugh bursting from his lips, Lucian reached in his pocket to retrieve the phone. “I punched in Bastien’s number when we first came in. I figured, if nothing else, it would get you help eventually if anything happened to me. That’s why the cavalry arrived in the helicopter. Bastien rallied the troops and sent them the minute he answered the phone and heard us talking to Morgan. I guess he’s still on the line.”
“Oh.” Leigh slumped back on her heels, obvious relief on her face.
Shaking his head, Lucian lifted the phone to his ear.
?Epilogue
“Oh, look, she’s smiling.” Leigh glanced up from the baby she held toward Lucian. “Isn’t your grandniece beautiful?”
“Yes.” He smiled at the baby in Leigh’s arms, then slid his arm around her, drew her to his side for a kiss and whispered, “But not as beautiful as her aunt.”
“Hush, she’ll hear you and you’ll give her a complex before she’s even teething,” Leigh said with affection as she kissed him on the cheek.
“Give her back to me,” Lissianna said firmly, but an indulgent smile softened the words. “You’re so wrapped up in each other, you’re going to drop her.”
“Never,” Leigh assured her, but handed the baby back, knowing Lissianna just wanted to hold her.
Lissianna and Greg peered down at the child they’d created and smiled, then Greg glanced up and asked, “So how are the wedding arrangements going?”
“Great,” Leigh said with amusement. “Bastien is taking care of everything.”
“Bastien?” Lissianna said with amazement. “You’re letting him handle your wedding arrangements?”
“And the honeymoon,” Leigh said with a laugh. “He insisted I was too busy, what with running back and forth between Kansas and Toronto trying to get everything in order.”
“And her pregnancy,” Lucian murmured, rubbing one hand lightly over Leigh’s still flat belly. He liked to bring it up at every opportunity. He was very pleased that she was pregnant and liked to rub it in the faces of his nephews at every turn. He’d gotten her pregnant the first night. Leigh suspected it had something to do with the fact that they all knew he hadn’t had a lover in years before her, and he saw the pregnancy as some sort of proof of his virility. Men could be so cute in a pain-in-the-butt kind of way, she thought affectionately.
“Yes, but Bastien?” Lissianna asked. “He’s supposed to be arranging his own wedding to Terri. He—”
“Yes. He says it makes it easier, they just double up on everything,” Leigh said with a grin, then added, “And Thomas and Donny are helping him.”
“Dear God,” Greg breathed. “It’s going to be a surfer dude/gangsta wedding.”
Leigh burst out laughing at the suggestion. “Don’t be silly. It’ll be fine. Bastien is riding heel on them. Besides, those two aren’t as bad as you think. Donny is really quite sweet now that he’s away from Morgan. Actually, he always was quite sweet. And he’s grown up a lot since Lucian took over his training. Donny wants to be a hunter for the council when he grows up.”
Lucian rolled his eyes at her comment. Leigh was very protective of, and doted on, the little twerp. She was right, though, Donny wasn’t a bad lad, just a bit misguided. He hadn’t set a foot down wrong since that day in the cottage. Though, truthfully, he hadn’t done more than bite mortals before that. He’d refused to kill, much to Morgan’s displeasure. It was the reason he’d been allowed to live. Donny had been misled by Morgan and bullied by him, and still refused to kill even a dog. The council decided to give him a second chance. But if he blew it... Lucian sincerely hoped he didn’t. Leigh would be very hurt, and then he’d have to hunt him down personally for doing it. Morgan and the others hadn’t received a second chance.
“Have you heard from Marguerite?” Leigh asked, drawing Lucian’s attention back to the people around him.
Lissianna shook her head and frowned. “Actually, I’m really starting to worry. It isn’t like Mom to stay out of contact this long. Especially with my being pregnant and everything.”
Lucian frowned, too. It really wasn’t like Marguerite, but he said, “I’m sure she’s fine. Maria and Vittorio would call if anything had happened.”