Ferris Braden [Beyond the Marius Brothers 6] (3 page)

“Why do you need to thank her?” Ferris asked curiously.
“She found me reading a bit ago and demanded I shower and dress in a pleasing manner. Then she had one of her grandson’s security drop me off here, saying I was ordered to come here. She was very clear that I had to be here at an exact moment and I was to wait until she told me otherwise. She has the gift of foresight and can see things sometimes. I didn’t make the connection until you said I was your mate.”
“I’ve met the Queen a few times. Are you on her security detail? I would have smelled you sooner.”
“I was at the first meeting at your warrior compound. That vampire touched my wings.”
“Clove,” Ferris supplied for him. “Right, okay, there were too many people for me to have smelled you then probably and I didn’t get close. But I have since.”
“After that meeting, I was sent on a mission because I have exceptionally strong tracking magic,” he explained as he still held on to me tightly. “The Queen explained to me about your demons and asked me to try and seek them out. I’ve been searching for them for months. I just got back last night. There’s a big meeting your Council is calling to discuss what I found.”
“Did you find their headquarters?” Ferris asked, his eyes practically bugging out of his head.
“No, but I discovered several nests of them and I learned part of their plans before executing one cell of them.” Ferris gave the gesture to
go on
. “They’re kidnapping whole packs of shifters for their blood.”
“Oh that’s bad,” I whispered as I glanced between them. “Let me guess. They’re staying away from the wolves though, right?”
“Yes, they have not threatened or taken any that I’m aware of,” Onah answered with a raised brow. “You speak as if you know why they would do that.”
“Yeah, wolf blood will make them horny like it does vamps. But certain other shifters affect them differently. If a demon was to drink from me, they’d be able to go out in the sun until my blood wore off of them. Granted they’d have one hell of a sunburn but they wouldn’t go up in flames like normal.”
“Holy shit! How could we not know that?” Ferris exclaimed and yanked out his phone. “I need to call Barnabas immediately. We have no record of that.”
“It’s why some of our kind feel all high and mighty. We have different gifts and abilities. Like my blood wouldn’t affect vampires like wolf blood does.”
He nodded and held up a finger to hold me off. “Your honor? This is Ferris Braden. I have some news you need to hear. I’m assuming the Queen has told you what the warrior Onah found out?”
I didn’t even have to lean in to hear what the man was saying. My hearing was excellent. I could hear a whole conversation a block away as if I was standing right next to the people.
“Yes, Ferris. We’re devising a strategy to go in now at the High Council Estate. We’re taking a quick break and I thought I’d check my messages. What do I need to know?”
“My other mate is a margay shifter. He says if demons drink certain other types of blood that they can walk in the sun until the blood is out of their system.”
“
What
?” The man on the phone bellowed. “I need you here right now, Ferris. We need to talk with this man. We have no knowledge of this.”
“Will you go talk to the head of our High Council?” I sighed and gestured for the phone. Ferris shook his head and hissed at me. “This is like my boss’s boss’s boss, Rylan.”
“I know, but we didn’t get around to talking about who I am. This has to be handled correctly, Ferris. Please trust me.”
“Don’t get mad if he calls you
kitty
or something because I’ll get fired,” he whispered hesitantly as he handed it over. I stepped out of Onah’s arms, not sure I could have this conversation as his hard dick was pressed against my back. I gave them both a wink and put it to my ear.
“This is Prince Zeev of the ruling clan of the margays,” I said, flinching when both my mates went pale.
“Ferris didn’t mention it was you, Prince Zeev. I’m head of the East Coast High Council, Barnabas Leopold. But you’re basically mating into the family so everyone calls me Bas.”
“Thank you, Bas. I appreciate you dropping the formal bullshit,” I chuckled. “Ferris didn’t know. We just met, the wolves had some issues, we came back to where he’s staying to relax, and met Onah. Ferris asked him how come they hadn’t met, he filled us in, and I told them what I knew. That pretty much sums it all up and why I didn’t get to tell them who I was.”
“Well, sorry to screw up your meeting and blow that door wide open for you,” he said with a sigh. “Is there any chance you’d come speak with our High Council? We had no knowledge of this.”
“It’s a highly guarded secret,” I groaned as I realized my father was going to be
pissed
in an epic kind of way. “Look, I’m not disparaging you guys when I say this, but demons were once vampires. If it became common knowledge what our blood could do for demons, if they ever turn into one, who do you think they’d come after first?”
“Fuck, fuck,
fuck
,” Bas cursed, getting the idea. “Look, I know our coven and to my knowledge it’s been centuries since any of them have turned demon so I’m confident that wouldn’t happen. However, the other point you didn’t mention is if people know, the information can be tortured out of them as well.”
“Yeah, that would be safe to say as well,” I agreed, smacking myself in the forehead. “My father is going to whip me and take away my crown for this. It just came out when my mates were talking about going to slaughter the demons. How could I not tell them what I knew?”
“You couldn’t,” he said gently. “Look, I’m head of the High Council. So right now only I know. I won’t tell anyone yet. Let me think on this for a bit on how to handle it. I can’t sit on the information that demons can go in the sun, but maybe we can change the answer as to how it happens to keep your kind safe. I’m sure you planned on getting to know your mates but is there a chance you could come to dinner tonight at my house?”
“Um, yeah, if you warn people I didn’t bring any formal attire. I wasn’t planning on this being a diplomatic trip. I really just wanted to check out your coven as nobody, not my position.”
“I’d like to hear more about that as well because I bet you have an interesting reason behind that, one that doesn’t involve spying,” Bas said carefully.
“No, not in the way you mean it,” I chuckled. “I don’t know if you’ve ever met my father, but he’s a pompous ass, as are most margays. I heard of a coven that accepts all species and I wanted to see it for myself in the hopes that maybe one day our pack could be like that. I hate all the politics and elitist bullshit. People are just people.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I have a feeling we’re going to become good friends, Prince Zeev.”
“Please, it’s Rylan, but most just call me Ry.”
“I’ll see you and your mates for dinner then, Ry.” We said our good-byes and hung up. Balls.
“You’re a
Prince
?” Ferris exclaimed as I handed him back his phone.
“Yes, and I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, but I didn’t think I should announce that in a group of strangers. And then you were kind of having a meltdown. I was going to ease you into that news.”
“Are you next in line or something?” Onah asked.
“Yeah, I take over next year.” And that’s when both my mates fainted.
Balls.

I groaned as I came back around. Then I wanted to moan in embarrassment. I meet my mate and he drops a bomb on me, granted, a really, really big one, and I just
faint
? People were going to take away my “warrior” title after they heard about this one.

But on the bright side, I wasn’t the only one.
Rylan sighed and squatted down in front of us, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Guys, it’s not like I’m going to be the King of France. There are only like two thousand margays. Hell, that’s not even enough to be mayor of a small town in this country from what I hear.”
“In
this
country? Implying you’re not from here,” Ferris hedged as he got to his feet. I stayed on the ground. I had a feeling another bomb was coming and since I had farther to fall, being over seven feet and all, getting back up just yet didn’t seem smart.
“No, I live in Italy.”
“Okay, let’s grab your bag or whatever and go inside. I haven’t had lunch and I need to sit down,” Ferris mumbled before walking over to the car.
“I’m sorry,” Rylan whispered, looking as if we kicked him in the nuts.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I said firmly as I stood. “It’s just a lot to take in.”
He nodded and we went over to his vehicle. I still thought it was an ingenious invention and I really loved driving them. I took his suitcases from the trunk as Ferris grabbed his backpack and then let us inside. We silently followed him. Rylan shot me a worried glance and I realized he might know more about why Ferris was acting like this.
I mean, I got being in shock but the way the man moved seemed forced after maybe receiving some type of rejection. But why? Neither of us were rejecting him. Maybe he looked more
de
jected actually as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
Very strange.
We walked into a massive kitchen, almost as big as the Queen’s had been at the palace. Just thinking about it had me sighing. This world was cool, but I had always lived on the other plane, grew up there… It had been my home.
“Wow, okay, guys, you’re making me want to curl in a ball or run away back home,” Rylan said quietly a few minutes later as we made sandwiches. “Is being mated to me so bad?”
“No!” we both exclaimed together.
“I’ve been on a mission for months and I haven’t had a chance to even breathe since I got back until this morning,” I explained gently as I finished making my sandwich. “I’d gotten a chapter into a book and the Queen came rushing towards me demanding I leave again, so it’s kind of been a whirlwind day. Add to that, my people just left everything they knew to come onto your plane and it’s overwhelming.
“I saw this kitchen and I realized that I missed my home. I’ve lived there for over a thousand years. I like your world, I’ve visited often, but nothing replaces home.”
“And you know I’ve had about as equally a crazy day,” Ferris said gently before shooting me a glance. “We can get into that later. Let’s just relax, maybe go lie down before we have to go to dinner at Bas’s house, and just get used to each other’s company.”
Rylan nodded, not really looking appeased. “I know you guys are both much older than me and have been searching for your mates for a while. But I just have to know something.” He waited until we both nodded for him to go on. “Are your hearts closed off because you looked too long to no avail? Is there room for you to let me in?”
“No,” I said as Ferris answered, “Yes.”
“That’s nice and confusing,” he grumbled before biting into his sandwich.
“No, my heart isn’t closed off,” I clarified.
“Yes, there’s room for both of you,” Ferris added as I nodded in agreement.
“Okay, then I can take things slow and let this all digest with you guys.” He gave us a weak smile, as if not sure what else to say or do. I decided to go with showing a funnier side of myself.
I handed him one of the carbonated beverages I loved. “I’ve never admitted this, but your soda that you have here makes me feel like a child again. I brought back several cases with me once after a trip to your world and shared them with my friends. It was the silliest thing I’d done in so long. We chugged them down and had burping contests and we were so loud the Queen came to investigate.
“She lectured us about behaving like proper warriors, but I saw her slip a can into her pocket before she left the room. We swore we’d never tell anyone and made a pact to keep the burping day a secret.”
“And yet you told us?” Rylan asked, his eyes lighting up and chasing away the sadness.
“You’re my mates. You won’t betray my secrets.” He smiled brightly as did Ferris. Good. On to better topics then. I bit into my sandwich and we all sat at the counter, glancing at each other and simply
being
together.
“Have you tried beer yet?” Ferris asked in between bites. I shook my head and Rylan got a wicked grin on his lips. “It’s got the carbonation of soda that makes you burp, but it’s also alcohol.”
“Like wine or barley wine?” They both gave me curious looks. “I know you have wine here. The Queen told me about the vineyard.”
“Yes, but we don’t know what barley wine is,” Rylan hedged.
“It’s very strong,” I chuckled. “It burns when it goes down sometimes and if you don’t eat beforehand can knock you on your ass after a few glasses.”
“That sounds like whiskey.”
I smiled at Ferris and nodded. “Yes, it’s like the whiskey I’ve had here but stronger.”
“Oh man, don’t let me have any of that then,” Rylan giggled. “I’m a lightweight unless it’s vodka. Then I might be able to drink you guys under the table. But to answer your earlier question, Onah, yes, beer is like that. It’s nowhere near as potent as whiskey, more like a light wine but I’m not sure how strong your wine was where you came from.”
“Not very strong, more like grape juice with a kick.”
“Then beer might be slightly stronger than that to you but somewhere in that range.”
“I’d like to try that very much,” I said with a smile. “Oh, and one of those roller-coaster parks I heard of. I was at a motel during my mission when Asterio called me, going on and on about this place that was filled with death- and gravity-defying inventions called roller coasters. They sound quite ingenious and fun.”
“I’m sorry you had to leave your home but I am glad you’re here. It’s hard to put it into words,” Rylan said gently. “Like if that didn’t happen, we would have never found you. But that doesn’t mean I wanted your people to be uprooted from their home. So yeah, my mind’s swirling to not be grateful.”
“I get it,” Ferris chuckled. “Like I’m happy you came to check out our coven, but not because you said your people were pompous jerks.”
“Margays are jerks?” I asked with a raised brow.
“We’re one of the rarest shifters,” he explained with a sigh as we finished up lunch. “And for whatever reason, maybe because we’re small and looked down on by some, most of my people think that makes us elite or something. It’s stupid really. To me, that makes us vulnerable. The world has changed severely, even since I’ve been alive. If we don’t start changing our ways, we’ll end up extinct.”
“And your father doesn’t share your views?” Ferris asked as he stood and picked up our empty plates.
“No, he thinks I’m idealistic and not living in reality. He doesn’t think I know this, but he’s trying to find a loophole in our laws so he can continue to rule. My father isn’t a power-hungry man, I know that, and he’s got the best intentions. He doesn’t want me to fail and he thinks I will given how different our views are about how we should rule our people.”
“So you might not take over next year?” I asked hesitantly, understanding this was a difficult topic.
“Oh no, I will,” he sighed. “The younger generation badly wants me to rule. Some still are like their parents, thinking we’re
so
special and all that, but they find most of our practices outdated. Others are like me and worry we won’t make it much longer as a people if we don’t get our shit together. Those people are bucking against their parents, just as I am.”
“Wow. Am I glad I’m just a warrior,” Ferris said gently, shaking his head. “I don’t mean
just
as in there’s anything wrong with it or I’m not important to my people. I keep them safe. But the job isn’t complicated. There’s a threat and we handle it. I protect people. It’s cut and dry. The hoops and finagling you must do daily sounds exhausting.”
“You have no idea,” Rylan agreed.
“How did you leave your home without any guards?” I asked, curious as to why he was wandering around, unprotected as a member of their royal family.
“We don’t have any. We’re scary fast, faster than just about any shifter so to my people, that means we’re untouchable.”
“Unless you end up cornered or the numbers are just overwhelming,” I replied, thinking that was a naive way to look at things.
“Exactly. We can take bigger shifters. Ferris saw how fast and strong I was. That’s not the issue. But what about humans? We have to have an escape plan in place in case they ever find out about us. And we know demons are our enemy. But some think since
they
don’t know what our blood can do for them, there’s no reason for them to attack us. If they do, it would be like lambs to the slaughter. We’ve got a lot of money and some think they can just buy anything.”
“Like their way out of trouble,” I clarified. He nodded and rubbed his eyes. “We’ll discuss this enough tonight at dinner. Personally, I liked Ferris’s idea of a nap and maybe a good-night kiss.”
“That can be arranged,” Ferris breathed as he stared at me. Rylan nodded as well.
We quickly put everything away and cleaned up our mess before I picked back up Rylan’s suitcases and followed Ferris up to his room. It was very nice, comfortable even. I learned a lot from my mate just by glancing around.
“You like art,” Rylan said approvingly.
“I like prints of photographs taken from all around the world,” Ferris said, gesturing to the main wall that his bed was against. There were dozens of different-size frames with beautiful pictures.
“Margays are a very artistic bunch,” Rylan told us as he set his other bag on the floor at the same time Ferris and I did. “I have yet to meet one that wasn’t an artist of some type. We always have been. Open that suitcase, Onah.”
I gave him a curious look but he nodded that it was okay. I set it on the bed and unzipped it, smiling at what I found inside. “You’re a photographer. This is lovely equipment.”
“Thank you. Yes, my mother gave me a camera when I was a boy and I was hooked. I used to develop my own pictures before digital and now HD cameras. When things get too trying with my father, I take a vacation for a week or two and see somewhere new. For all of his faults or the ways we don’t see eye to eye, he’s always been proud of my talent. The formal dining room in the palace has my pictures everywhere.
“He brags constantly about the eye his son has for beauty. Every Christmas, he always has an assortment of pictures I’ve taken that year professionally framed and gives them as presents to his allies.”
“You love him,” I said gently as I closed the suitcase and set it back on the floor.
“Is there any way to
not
love your family?” he chuckled, shaking his head as he sat on the bed. “Yes, I love my father. We used to be very close when I was younger. I would follow him everywhere, ditching my studies to learn from him. It wasn’t about being King one day, just that he was so confident, so respected by all that I was in awe of him.”
Ferris pulled off his shirt and then knelt down to untie his work boots. “When did that change?”
“When I turned eighteen and started exploring life outside the palace. I wanted to see more, see everything. And when I said I was going to a human college, it all changed. I think my father felt betrayed that I didn’t want to stand with tradition and keep learning from my tutors. They were excellent, but I wanted the interaction. I tried to tell him that I felt if I was to understand the world as he did, then I needed to experience it.”
“I’m sorry, Rylan.” I pulled him into my arms and kissed his head. “It’s hard when we realize we’re different people than our families.”
“You sound like you know,” he whispered quietly, staring up at me with those orange eyes that just dazzled me.
“I do,” I chuckled as Ferris moved to the bed and pulled off Rylan’s shirt. “I was the first warrior of my family, an honor among my kind. But my parents didn’t seem to know what to do with me after that. It was like we would never have known each other or had anything in common if we hadn’t been family and I think that left them without a way to relate to me.”
“Where are they now?” he asked as he stared at my chest as I pulled off my own shirt.
“They went on to Greece with some of the others. They wished me well and said they’d visit when I left our plane before them to go on my mission, but honestly I think they were a little relieved. Sometimes families do better where they’re far away from each other and only visit occasionally.”
“What about you, Ferris? Do you need to run away from your family time and again?” Rylan asked, teasing our other mate. I frowned when Ferris looked away from us.
“No, I’ve never had that need.”
Rylan saw it too and we moved to either side of our gorgeous vampire. “I just brought up something bad, didn’t I?
“You didn’t know and we said we were going to relax. Now’s not the time to discuss this,” he whispered sadly and started to move away from us.
“Probably not, but don’t shut down on us,” I said gently as I wrapped my arm around him, Rylan moving to the back of Ferris and plastering his smaller frame to his back.
“They’re dead, okay? My whole family was slaughtered. I said
no
to what the demons wanted, and they all were killed because of it. Today was probably the first time since then I told anyone
no
since and no one died, but it blew up in my face still.” He wouldn’t look at us but I saw the fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” Rylan whispered as he kissed Ferris’s shoulder gently. “You don’t have to say any more. We needed to know that, but the whole story can wait for another day. Today, we’re going to nap and let our batteries recharge.”
“I get you guys have issues with your families,” he mumbled as we pulled him to the head of the bed and slid under the covers. “I’m not trying to be a jerk because I can tell the problems are valid. But I’d give anything to
have
a fight with my family because that would mean they were still alive. So I never know what to say when people talk about family problems.”
“Of course you don’t,” I agreed. “No one would expect you to. We won’t hold your silence against you.” He opened his mouth but I shook my head. “Rest now. We all need it.”
“Yeah, it’s been a rough day,” Ferris whispered. “I should be doing cartwheels that I found my mates but I just can’t get my footing. I feel like I’m spinning out of control.”