The Breed Casstiel's Vow (23 page)

“We don’t know for sure we were betrayed,” Jax cut in
defensively.

“Casstiel, why is this infant speaking to me?” he turned
his impossibly green eyes at Jax and gave him a scathing look.

“Wow,” Jax scoffed, “people told me you were a dick, but
apparently they were too nice.”

“Enough,” Cass growled, pinching the bridge of his nose.
With everything that had happened today, he needed something to go right, or at
least smoothly.

“So what is it exactly you think we’re dealing with
here?” Memphis leaned his perfectly muscled body farther back in his chair.

“With which aspect, the boy or the hunters?” he almost
laughed. There was so much smoke and mirrors lately he didn’t know where to
begin.

“Start with the boy, I’m more interested in him than
that trash you call hunters,” Sebastian answered.

He stared at his older brother for a moment before he
began to speak. He had always been jealous of Sebastian’s ability to stay so
calm and detached. No matter the situation he stayed cool, with his back
breakingly
straight posture and his perfect mask of
nonchalance.

“By meeting him we were able to confirm that he is
Breed, other than that we are almost completely in the dark. We still have no
idea as to how his speed is so much greater than ours, his healing so much
slower, or what his connection is to the hunters. We also have been
unsuccessful in finding his previous pack,” he ticked
off,
embarrassed that he had so little facts to give.

“You said Nora spoke with him?” Memphis asked, rubbing
his hand over his goatee.

“She tried to persuade him to come back to the embassy,”
he confirmed, “But he told her he had no idea what our embassies were. For that
matter he seems to have very little idea of the Breed world at all, she said it
appeared as though he almost feared going with her.”

“Alright, when I see her tonight I’ll re ask her about
it,” he offered, “she’s not used to being questioned, there could be details
she thinks are insignificant, but could help us greatly in the end.”

“I was hoping you would,” he gave his old friend an
appreciative nod. Though Memphis hadn’t helped the embassy with any work in
quite some time, he was skilled enough to lead his own embassy if a position
ever opened up, and Cass couldn’t have asked for a better extra hand.

“I would like to question Quinn, this could be some sort
of new genetic mutation,” Sebastian cut in, his voice sounding as if his mind
was already far away.

“That was my thought,” Ghost replied, speaking for the
first time that night.

“Ghost, show me the subway footage again, I really have
never seen anything like it,” he stood up and walked over to the monitors. To
everyone else, he still sounded casual and arrogant, but Casstiel knew him well
enough to hear the giddiness in his voice; his brother was as excited as he
ever got over this new idea of evolution.

“Back to the hunters,” Memphis said, getting to what Jax
and Kain were most eager to discuss, “so you haven’t gotten anything from the
one you’ve got here?”

“Nothing but religious and human supremacy spew,” Jax
nodded his head.

“Maybe you just weren’t firm enough with the questions,”
he suggested, cracking his knuckles.

“I questioned him,” Kain replied firmly.

“Well if he didn’t crack for you he probably won’t
crack. I’d still like a shot with him though,” he replied.

Casstiel mentally backed out of all the conversations
around him, and just began to observe.

Sebastian and ghost were fast forwarding and rewinding
the subway footage, their noses practically pressed to the glass screen while
they rattled off their thoughts and ideas.

Their dress was so very different; Sebastian in a steel
grey suit and black dress shirt underneath, looking like a business man going
to an everyday meeting, while Ghost wore his standard all black garb and
leather trench, but the looks on their faces were identical and full of
scientific excitement.  

Was Quinn the next stage in Breed evolution, or was he
just a genetic fluke? Ghost and Sebastian were hungry to know. Casstiel
pondered on it for a few seconds, then chalked it up to one more thing they
wouldn’t be able to discover until they found him and were finally able to
question him, he had too much on his plate to worry about things he couldn’t
solve at the moment.

He looked over at Jax, Kain and Memphis, who could care
less about Quinn and his genetics; they were already drawing up battle plans
for the hunters. Jax and Memphis tossed around ideas and plans, while Kain
stared off lost in thought, always more of a doer, not a planner.

If things were up to Kain, they would probably just
launch a full scale assault on the hunters, going through systematically and
destroy each of their compounds.

           
The same idea had crossed his mind several times over the years, but the
thought of so many woman and children casualties kept Cass from ever actually
going through with the plan. He was sure that was the same reason why Kain had
never openly suggested it; no matter how hard he seemed on the outside,
somewhere deep down he had to have a soft spot.

           
Way
deep down.

           
Casstiel swelled with pride as he looked at the face of every man in the room.
These were his men, his team. Each one of them was accomplished, and damn
impressive on their own, but together, he shuddered for the fate of anyone who
dare threaten them.

           
“We’re gonna go take Memphis down to the hunter,” Jax announced, breaking him
out of his thoughts.

           
“Just keep him alive,” he replied, “and if you’re gonna press him, press him
hard about the kids involvement with them. He keeps claiming he has no idea who
Quinn Roberts is, but there’s no way I’m buying that coincidence.”

           
“Will do,” Kain said as a form of goodbye as he led the other two out the door.

           
“Ghost, would you mind leaving us as well? I have a few things I’d like to ask
my brother privately,” Sebastian’s voice cut through the squad room like a
knife.

There was something wrong.

           
Ghost gave a small nod of the head and left promptly.

           
“So I see you’ve been enjoying your new human companion,” he growled, his voice
suddenly full of acid.

           
The look of venom in his brothers’ eyes surprised
him,
he had almost never been on the receiving end of Sebastian’s anger.

           
“I can smell her all over you. I assured her parents she would be safe and well
cared for, swore on my honor that my brother would protect her, not put her in
the line of fire then turn her into his whore,” he spat out.

           
Casstiel’s body moved on its own. Before he could stop himself he had grabbed
Sebastian by the suit coat, lifted him up and slammed him onto the top of the
closest desk.

           
“Never speak of her that way,” he snarled through fully extended fangs only
inches from his brother’s face.

           
“Have you lost your
mind!
” Sebastian roared, his own
fangs plunging out of his gums.

           
He threw Casstiel off of him with an ease that defied his lean body, then
crouched to the ground, looking every bit like a sleek and powerful panther
ready to tear the throat out of its victim.

           
As the back of his head smashed into the solid wall behind him, he let out an
ear deafening roar.  He had never had to fight his brother, and wasn’t
sure who would actually win out of the two, but his rage was so great he was
willing to put it to test.

           
He charged him, knowing he had the upper hand in strength not
speed,
he would have to tackle him.

           
Sebastian hissed viciously, but instead of dodging like he had assumed, he
leapt up to meet him.

           
The two of them met in a fury of fists in the middle of the squad room, each of
them sending the other brutal blows.

           
Rage filled him in a primal way at the insult that had been so carelessly
tossed at Tessa. His fist connected with every inch of skin he could reach, but
for each hit that he landed he received another vicious blow.

           
Blood sprayed across the floor, but he couldn’t tell who it belonged too, his
adrenaline was pumping so hard he could hardly feel the hits at all.

           
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Sebastian’ bellowed, his elbow cracking into
his upper lip while they rolled across the floor.

           
“Don’t ever talk about her like that!” he screamed in reply as his fist landed
perfectly between his brothers eyes.

           
Casstiel was faintly aware of someone cursing behind them, then suddenly a big
body landed on both of theirs, obliterating the desk underneath them. His chest
was heaving as he looked up into Memphis’ furious eyes.

           
He knew the fight should be over but rage still roared inside of him as he
lashed out trying to land another blow.

           
“Are you two fucking crazy?” Memphis
demanded,
the
hair on the back of his neck spiking.

           
“Get the fuck off me,” he growled, violently pushing his way out of the fray.

           
“Oh no you don’t,”
Sebastian sprung up and blocked the
exit to the office, “you don’t attack your older brother for no reason, then
just prance off.”

           
Sebastian was the only person in the world who Casstiel would tolerate talking
to him like this, but even his love for his only brother wouldn’t slow down his
rage.

           
“If you ever call her anything like that again, I will kill you. Brother or not,
I will end your life,” his voice was a deadly whisper.

           
“You’ve bonded with her,” he stared in wide eyed shock, then took a step back
and stared as if he seeing him for the first time.

           
Cass didn’t bother answering, just pushed past everyone and walked out the
door.

Tessa opened the door to Casstiel’s penthouse and walked
inside. She had decided to follow Remy’s suggestions, put her bullshit aside,
and figure things out tonight.

Though it was pitch black she could immediately feel his
burning gaze on her. Something about him felt different… electric.

           
“Casstiel?” she called into the darkness.

           
He didn’t respond, but she noticed his outline in a chair by the curtain less
windows.

           
“I’m sorry about the fight we had and that I’m so difficult. I went to Remy’s
and cleared my head… I think we should talk,” she didn’t have the slightest
clue how to go about the conversation.

When he stayed silent she groped for the light switch,
wanting to at least face him while they hashed everything out.

           
“Leave the lights off,” he commanded.

           
Something in his voice stopped her hand mid way in the air. She made her way to
the windows instead and wondered if she had always felt this pull towards him,
or if he was calling out for her now louder than ever. 

           
When she reached the chair she didn’t need the lights on to see he was gone.

           
“Casstiel…” her heart rate spiked and she felt like prey being stalked down by
a powerful predator, “what are you doing?”

           
“I really think I’ve given you the wrong idea of me Tessa,”
came
his deep voice from behind her ear.

           
She whipped around and found him not more than a foot in front of her.

           
“What happened to your face?” she whispered, through the darkness she thought
she saw bruising around his features.

           
“Later,” he grunted, and before she could register what was happening he was on
her, yanking her hard against his body, his lips smothering the breath from her
lungs.

           
All the gentleness he usually reserved for her was gone.

           
She tried to pull away, intimidated by his aggression, but he crushed her
tighter against his throbbing erection, forcing her lips apart with his tongue,
then plunging himself inside of her.

           
His hands were everywhere, pulling her shirt over her head, unclasping her bra,
pulling her jeans roughly off her hips. Once she was fully naked before him he
turned her around to face the
un
curtained penthouse
windows, his chest solid against her back.

           
A million city lights shone out in the distance, but all she could see was
their reflection staring back at her. Her breasts swelled and her thighs
moistened under his hands as he rubbed her body achingly slowly.

           
She let out a shaky breath when his fingers wandered up the inside of her
thighs, and in the glass their eyes met; his
so
electric blue they made her heart stop.  

           
“You see Tessa, until now I think I’ve lead you to believe that I was a
patient, easy going man,” he nipped her earlobe as he massaged his finger
against her clit, “But that’s not the case.”

           
She couldn’t think of anything to say, her brain had force quit while her body
over heated. He was never so intensely demanding with her, and she had to
admit, she didn’t hate it.

           
“I’m demanding, possessive, and I don’t like to hear the word ‘no’,” he
growled, then plunged two fingers into her wet heat, causing her to cry out and
lurch forward, her hands bracing against the glass.

           
He rode her body hard, pushing himself deeper inside of her. Every soft slap of
his fingers against her flesh made her moan out, her arms quaking with the
effort to support her sagging body.

           
“Look at your reflection, watch me pleasure you,” he commanded, as his lips
hungrily made their way up her neck, “You’re so wet for me.”

           
From the refection she watched her flushed body taking everything he gave to
her, watched his hand slide through her hair, massaging her scalp and sending
her curls flying everywhere, while her small breasts bounced with every thrust
of his fingers.

The way he stared at her, as if he had never been so
enthralled with another living creature before, made her feel bold and erotic.

           
Suggestively she rolled her hips and met his eyes in the reflection. All she
could think about was his cock and how deeply he could fill her with it.

           
His eyes burned into her as he watched her body writhing under his hands, but
he didn’t make any attempt to bring her to her climax.

He brushed his fangs along her skin causing goose bumps.
His hand slid up between her breasts, teasing her, refusing to soothe her
aching nipples.

He had never made her wait this long, never teased her
like this, she felt frenzied, desperate to get what she wanted.

           
When he brought his finger tips up to caress her face she took the tip of his
middle finger and sucked it deeply into her mouth.

For the first time during the night Casstiel’s control
faltered; she felt his erection jump against her and his knees weaken.

           
Encouraged by his reaction she refused to break eye contact as she sucked his
finger deeper, then worked her tongue over it in all the ways she wanted to do
to his cock.

           
When he threw his head back and moaned she rolled her hips to match the rhythm
of the fingers stroking her.

           
Suddenly he stopped everything, breaking all the contact their bodies had and
turned her roughly around to face him. He looked like a man on the edge of his
sanity, his chest heaving with his ragged breaths, his eyes wild. 

           
“Beg me for it,” he commanded his voice rough with need.

           
“Please Casstiel,” she moaned without hesitation, her body burning from his
teases, “please… I can’t take it anymore.”

           
Letting out a brutal moan his hands immediately went to work and within seconds
her legs were trembling and her muscles contracting as the orgasm finally
rushed through her.

           
Leaning forward she sagged her body against him, crying out as he drove her
orgasm on, his eyes burning into her with lust. 

           
When she could breathe again, when her heart finally stopped pounding out of
her chest, she was going to give back to him every ounce of pleasure he had
given to her. Every time they had been together he had driven the situation,
but not this time, it was time for her to act the way he made her feel.

           
Beautiful.
Sexy.
Wild
.

~

“Alright run through it again with me,” Memphis insisted
as he picked up another slab of ribs and devoured it.

           
“We’ve already been over it three times, I’m tired,” Nora said firmly,
then
eyeing the massive pile of bones on his plate added,
“Aren’t you full yet? They’re going to run out of food at this rate.”

           
“Not a chance, this sauce is amazing, you need to try it,” he pushed the plate
towards her.

           
“Thanks, it’s my boyfriend’s recipe,” the petite blonde behind the counter said
as she came over with a fresh beer and a water, “can I get you anything else?”

           
“No thank you,” she refused, feeling like the faster she got out of this
cafeteria and away from Memphis’
all
too knowing gaze,
the better off her sanity would be.

           
“You need to eat something,” he argued, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at her.

           
He knew something was up, but there was no way in hell he would ever figure out
what it was. She hardly believed it herself.

           
“I’ll get sauce on my suit,” she indicated the sharply ironed white suit she
wore. No food meant
no
reason for her to sit around
with him, and the more she sat, the more suspicious he became.

           
“I’ll buy you another one then,” he threw down the challenge, daring her to
find an excuse now.

           
“I said I’m not hungry,” she snapped, her temper getting the best of her.

           
“And I said I don’t give a damn. We’re gonna sit here until you decide to fill
me in on whatever it is you’re keeping from me, so in the meantime you may as
well eat,” he snapped back, handling her attitude easily, “oh and I’d love
another slab of ribs please.”

           
“Grilled chicken salad,” she resigned herself to her fate, “and tequila. Bring
the bottle.”

           
“Must be a hell of a story,” he raised his eyebrows as their waitress scurried
back to the kitchen.

           
She gave him a scathing glare then looked away, preparing herself for what she
was about to say. 

           
“Well spit it out then. We already know he saw you naked, how much worse
could it
be?” he laughed heartily.

           
Nora took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

           
“I bonded with him,” she finally choked out, knowing she had to get it over
with.

She looked up in time to see him choke on his beer.

           
“That shits not funny,” he growled once he stopped coughing.

           
“I’m not joking,” she replied coldly. 

           
“You don’t know what you’re talking
about,
you’re too
young to even know what bonding is. You just got overly excited at the first
good looking guy you met out here,” he easily dismissed her claim.

           
She slammed her fist on the counter top and glared at him. She knew he didn’t
want to believe what she was saying, but that didn’t change the truth.

           
“You think after all the shit I’ve been through, after what happened to
me, that
I want to bond with some one? The last thing I want
is to fucking
be
bonded. I KNOW it’s the bond because
I can’t control it; I can’t stop it even though I want to,” she raged at him.

Of all the people, he should know better than anyone
that she would rather be alone forever than feel the call of the bond.

           
Besides, who would ever want her after everything that she had been through? No
matter how beautiful and strong she was on the outside, on the inside she was
full of ugly scars and painful memories. She had more emotional baggage than
she would ever let on, and she wasn’t sure anyone could carry it all, not even
herself.

           
“And furthermore, he wasn’t cute. He looked like some kind of homeless mental
patient,” she sighed.

Of all the male underwear models and professional
basketball players in the world she got stuck bonding to a skinny white boy who
may or may not have betrayed her people to their greatest enemy.

           
Yay
.

           
He scrubbed his big hands over his face, then stared at her, his mocha colored
skin seeming to pale.

           
For a moment she just stared down at the black finger nails she had painted
that morning. Life was so much easier when you didn’t have to worry about
anyone but yourself, she didn’t want to be constantly plagued with thoughts of
Quinn. More than once since they had separated she had found herself worried
and wondering about
him,
and it enraged her each
time.  

           
“I don’t want this,” she finally whispered, “I hate him for bonding to me.”

           
His deep brown eyes warmed as he looked her face over and grabbed for her hand.

           
“I hate him too,” he said seriously, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

           
She couldn’t help but smile, as always she could count on her father figure to
try and make things better.

           
Memphis let out a sudden roar of laughter that shook the table and startled
everyone around them.

           
“What?” she demanded, her heart thundering.

           
“I’m just thinking about everything that’s about to happen to this guy when we
find him. Cass is gonna torture him for making his girl so upset, Tessa’s gonna
scratch his eyes out for doing this to their family, if he turns out to be a
traitor we’re all taking him down, and if he isn’t I’m going to kill him for
bonding to my baby girl AND for seeing her naked. Then we’ll have to resurrect
him so you can kill him again,” he laughed harder than ever, “That dude better
stay gone forever if he knows what’s good for him.”

           
“Nobody gets to kill him but me,” she bit out, then twisted the top off the
bottle of tequila and took a long swig.

~

           
Casstiel watched as Tessa pressed her face against the smooth glass of the
window and tried to slow her breathing. He could hear her heart beating like a
hummingbirds wings, and his pride roared.