Silent Cravings (14 page)

John, who’d been watching their exchanges with interest, disappeared like smoke on the wind when Analie came rushing out of her room. Mouse didn’t want a scene, and was frantically looking for the pad and pen she’d been using earlier.

As soon as she found it, she rapidly scrawled:

He’s human you’ll hurt him!

She rushed over and thrust the pad at Analie. The vampire’s speed startled Christoph so badly he tumbled off the couch, his head bouncing off the floor with a thud. He was out again.

Analie wanted to clench her hands into fists and tear a hole right through the center of Ashi’s throat. She snarled at Mouse when she approached, then noticed the frantic message on the notepad.

She didn’t care. She’d dealt with Ashi’s shit long enough and she was sick of it. Then again, he was still a packmate and he hadn’t challenged her. She slowly loosened her grip until he dropped.

“I hope you get out of this alive,” Analie snarled at Ashi, her voice shaking. “Because when we get back, once we’re really members of Goliath again, I am going to challenge you, and I am going to kill you.”

She turned and ran back to her room, leaving Ashi to gasp like a landed fish in the corner.

Mouse watched her go, torn between wanting to follow and comfort her, and an overriding desire to protect the more helpless Ashi. Eventually, her neurotic need to shelter the less fortunate won out.

Though Ashi would probably prefer to chew his own arm off than have Mouse touch him, she gathered him in her arms as if he were a child. A very large, very unwieldy, and very unhappy child. She carried him to the couch and set him down on the opposite end from where Christoph had been. She then had to lift the much larger Were back onto the couch, but even his dead weight didn’t seem to faze her. She turned back to Ashi. With a hand on his shoulder to keep him from squirming too much or trying to run off, she knelt and took a look at his throat, examining the forming bruises and bite marks.

The bites wouldn’t get infected, thanks to the nature of vampire saliva and his own hardy nature, but there was still a bit of blood trickling from the tiny wounds. Rather than leave it be, she rose and went to the kitchen, digging around in a drawer for something. Soon enough, she was back, standing in front of Ashi offering a medicated pad with an apologetic look, as though sorry there wasn’t anything else she could give him.

Ashi was terrified, but he accepted the pad and pressed it to his throat. Half a second later he jerked it away, hissing in pain. Christoph might have laughed at him for his newfound low threshold for pain, but he was blissfully unconscious. Ashi gingerly swabbed his neck, wincing as he did so.

Being bitten had been the singularly most horrifying experience of his life. He had expected searing, agonizing pain. Something he could really complain about later and be lauded as a hero for enduring. Something to further secure his place on the pack totem pole.

Instead, it had been better than his last girlfriend.

He shuddered, looking at the red-speckled little pad. This was something he
never
wanted to talk about. If anyone in the pack ever asked, he’d say that nothing had happened.

Mouse was still looking at him with concern. He cleared his throat, sore from being grabbed way too many times this evening.

“Thank you. For the...” He held up the little pad.

At least
this
one didn’t seem interested in terrorizing him.

Analie heard her phone buzz and fished it out from under the mattress. Freddy had enthusiastically texted her.

U won’t believe it! Host family has Amberguard artifacts. Said OK 2 bring them ovr next time. Also, accidentally scared hikers while prowling. =^-^= Can u ask R or sum1 if W/Hats in Penn? Thx!

Analie smiled at the idea of a couple hikers having a cow over finding a full-grown Siberian tiger on the trail. Freddy was
huge.

She texted him back.

So cool! Plz bring artifacts, wanna see up close. U so bad 4 scarin hikers!! Watch out, u get tranq & sent to Russia. Will ask R or M abt W/Hats. Stay strong.

Analie curled up in her den-bed. She had school tomorrow, and she wasn’t going to let her anger at Ashi keep her up.

Mouse was inordinately pleased that Ashi didn’t appear to be as afraid of her as he’d been of John. She smiled sunnily at him for a moment before reaching for the ever-present pad and pen. She scrawled a few words, then paused. She looked at him thoughtfully, frowned over the words and crossed them off, starting over.

You should think about getting a

Can I get you anything? Tea? Water? Food?

Never mind that he’d probably lost his appetite after what had happened, she was intent on being a good hostess and doing what she could to set him at ease. Unlikely she would succeed, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying.

Ashi shook his head at the offer. “No. Thanks.” He doubted he could keep anything down. He was trying not to dry-heave at the thought of being bitten again.

She grimaced and gestured at Christoph, then wrote a few more words on the pad.

I don’t know what to do for him. Should I get him something?

Ashi read the next note and looked at Christoph. “Most likely a straightjacket and a heavy, blunt object. Once he gets past his amiable, crazy stage he’s going to get violent.” He tugged at his own collar. “Not that it’ll matter now.”

Mouse gave him a funny look, which quickly shifted to concern over Christoph. She very much wanted to
say
something, and was frustrated she couldn’t. Once again, she hastily scribbled on the pad.

You should drink something to replace lost fluids. Jessica can give you vitamins tomorrow. For now, tea would be better to keep you warm and soothe your nerves. You’re still shaking. If you’re like that when Sebastian arrives, it will make him more interested in you, not less. Your fear will only tempt him more.

Also, if Christov (sp?) is going to have a psychotic break, he’s more likely to hurt himself than someone else. Can you help keep him calm?

Ashi shook his head. “Christoph is with me because he’s trying to climb ranks, not because he wants to be my friend. He was useful to me and I was useful to him and that is that.” He smirked and some of his old self came back to him. “If you want someone to calm him down, have Analie stay with him. The little bitch has been carrying the torch for him for years. She’d love to hang around and she’s the closest thing he has to a friend right now.”

Mouse made a very soft, very threatening hissing sound between her teeth. The words on the pad were scratched out rapidly, and much more terse than before, but still clear enough to read.

I’d watch my mouth if I were you.

She found she no longer had any desire to play the helpful host. It was good Sebastian would be along as soon as he was done moving things around to collect Ashi. If the Were called Analie something harsh again, she might be tempted to hurt him, too.

Disgusted and angry, she stalked back to the kitchen, rather savagely going through the motions of preparing tea. She’d have some for herself and Christoph, and make a cup for Analie, but Ashi could go fuck himself.

He really was an asshole.

Sebastian showed up a few minutes later. His shoulder-length brown hair was tied back, showcasing sharp cheekbones and a tan that hadn’t faded in death. He was rather handsome and muscular but had the body of a teenager still coming into maturity. It was at odds with the jaded look in those seawater green eyes as he took in the two Weres, calling out a greeting to Mouse.

“Hey, we’re done moving the crap upstairs. You ready for me to get these two out of your hair?”

Mouse set the kettle down once the last cup was poured, the heavenly scent of lemon and honey filtering into the air. Her hands moved in a fluid message, imparting something to Sebastian that had him nodding, his gaze flicking back to the pair on the couch now and again as a frown started forming on his thin lips.

When she was done, he scowled, then turned to Ashi. He gestured curtly, looking like he’d just stepped barefoot on a slug.

“You. Come with me.”

He waited in the doorway for Ashi to join him. If he failed to follow orders, no doubt Sebastian wouldn’t hesitate to pick him up and bodily carry him to wherever it was he intended to take him.

Ashi felt like low-rank again. On one hand, he dearly wanted to challenge the vampire and establish his place as a cut above him. On the other hand, he was squishy and pink now. On the first hand, this was a vampire who could potentially bite him. Ashi wanted to avoid that; if there was one thing that any Goliath would never give in to, it was the allure of a vampire’s narcotic bite. Beating the living shit out of Sebastian would certainly get that message across. On the second hand, he was squishy and pink now.

Ashi stood up and trudged over, keeping the blanket. He’d even managed to alienate the only nice vampire in this pit.

He
really
felt like a low-rank again.

After Sebastian and Ashi left, Mouse gathered up one of the cups of tea and walked over to Analie’s room, knocking. She hoped the girl wasn’t too upset by Ashi’s behavior.

Analie crawled out of her den-bed and opened the door. A Mouse-shaped shadow offered her a cup of tea, and Analie smiled, despite a slight fluffing of the hair on the back of her head. She still wasn’t used to opening a door or rounding a corner to come face to face with a jigsaw silhouette.

“Thanks.” She took the cup, not having the heart to tell Mouse she didn’t drink tea. Gavin never bought it, and Freddy’s caretaker Amelia was strictly a coffee-drinker.

Analie stood aside in case Mouse wanted to enter.

“What’s going to happen to Ashi and Christoph?” Analie asked, hoping the answer wasn’t going to curdle her blood.

Mouse gestured for Analie to follow her, since she hadn’t brought her pad and pen with her and Analie did not understand sign language. Mouse went to get a cup of tea for herself from the kitchen, and started scribbling away.

Sebastian is taking that ungrateful little prick upstairs to his new room. Told Seb what he said about you and Freddy and Christov (sp?). He’s not going to get a very warm welcome from the others. Seb might bite him, don’t know. Risky to do it this soon since John bit tonight, but he deserves whatever he gets. If he wants to live, you should tell him to find someone to claim him, or he’s going to have a very unpleasant stay here.

Pretty boy will stay with us for now. Told Seb he’s too hurt to be moved yet. And he’s mine, no one else will touch him.

Mouse seemed inordinately pleased with herself at that last. She gathered two cups after handing the pad to Analie, settling on the edge of the couch by Christoph’s stomach. She took a sip out of one, put the teacups down, then proceeded to tug the unconscious Were so his head was elevated, lightly patting his cheek to bring him around so she could get some tea in him.

Sebastian led Ashi up to the second floor. A small crowd had gathered to see what was going on. It was unusual for someone to be brought in without notice, particularly if it meant shuffling around the established donors, especially since no one had been turned or sent to another of Royce’s holdings. Most of the onlookers were sleep-tousled and half-dressed, and every one of them was eye-catching and attractive. Only one other vampire was in the crowd of humans, and he didn’t stay long, only taking note that Ashi was being escorted by Sebastian before disappearing into one of the apartments.