Crimson Bound (Blood Oath #7)

10. Atlas

10

ATLAS

T he house is quiet when I shut myself in the office to get some work done. Kade and Lex went off to do god knows what—I don’t particularly care to get involved with the majority of their escapades—and Gabriel left for work earlier this morning.

After an hour of answering emails and reviewing financial documents sent over by the company accountant, my gums are throbbing. I glance down at my empty coffee cup and decide it’s about time for a break—and a few ounces of blood.

My hunger has increased since we brought Calla here; I’m not used to being around a human so much, especially one I’m connected to. Another reminder of that damn blood oath being more trouble than it’s worth.

Before I can get up, my phone starts buzzing on my desk. I snatch it up when I see Marcel’s name on the screen, swiping to answer the call.

“What?”

“Got a few minutes?”

I lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. “Do I want to have a few minutes, Marcel?”

“Probably not, but you need to hear this.”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t have asked and instead got straight to the point.”

“It’s about Dante.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes briefly. If I didn’t have to hear that bastard’s name ever again it’d be too soon. He’s more of a menace than a true threat, but he’s irritating all the same. “What is that lowlife, bottom-feeder doing now?”

“He’s making quite the fuss in a number of circles, staking a claim to your pet human.”

I bark out a laugh, standing and walking around my desk. “Is he now?”

“He’s been calling you into question, attempting to incite doubt and suspicion in what you guys are up to.”

Great. Just as soon as that gets back to Simon and Lenora, I’ll get summoned to their estate in New York and raked over the coals for making them look bad. I’ve never held the title of world’s best son, but for the most part, I have kept them relatively happy.

“What exactly is he saying, Marcel?” My voice is deeper and louder, my gums throbbing harder. I’m near-ready to squash this fucking bug. All he’s ever done is cause problems. He was associated with the vampires who got Calla’s ancestor into trouble, and when Lex stepped in to save him, Dante got screwed. He’s blamed us since, and while we kept tabs on him to ensure he didn’t go after Calla before we could get to her, he’s popped up every decade or so to cause a stir in one way or another. It’s not a surprise that he waited for us to bring her home to start things up again, but it’s high time we deal with him for good.

“He says he’s owed for what he lost in the deal you guys made for Calla. He wants her and believes he has a claim on her life.”

I bite back a growl. “When did you learn of this?”

“A few days ago, but?—”

“So why the fuck am I just hearing of it now?” I find myself shouting, pacing the length of my office, with my phone in one hand and the empty mug in the other. The thought of Dante spreading untruths and getting away with it will only show other vampires they can do the same without consequence.

“You guys have been rather busy fulfilling the oath we’re all concerned about.”

“I don’t want excuses. I want this handled by next week. You’ll do what needs to be done, however it needs to be done so I don’t need to come down there myself and rip him limb from limb.” Suddenly, the mug is out of my hand, flying toward the wall and shattering on impact. “I don’t care how you fix this, just fucking do it. Dante is not going to come out of this unscathed. He and anyone else who thinks they can make a move against us will have it made very clear that things won’t end well for them should they try.”

“Understood.”

There’s a scuffle on the other side of my office door, along with two heartbeats—one that’s racing—before Kade’s voice reaches me, making my eyes narrow at the same moment a knock sounds at the door. It opens slowly as I end the call with Marcel, and Kade pokes his head in.

“What’s up, brother?”

Calla pushes past him into the room before I have a chance to speak. I stare at her flushed appearance then shift my attention to Kade. “It’s fine.” I don’t elaborate. Calla doesn’t need to know about Dante, and more than that, I’m in no mood to answer her inevitable questions.

“It didn’t sound fine,” she offers in a tone that tells me she’s going to be difficult about this, because of course she is.

I cross the short distance that separates us so quickly her eyes can’t follow. “And what exactly do you think you heard, Calla?” I demand in a dark voice, flashing my fangs. I’m rewarded with satisfaction when she stiffens at the sight.

Except she doesn’t recoil. Doesn’t try to run or even move away. I wait for her to do something or say something, but she remains still and silent, simply holding my gaze as if it’s a challenge.

“She didn’t hear anything,” Kade says from behind her.

I keep my glare trained on her. “Is that so?”

Her posture straightens noticeably; she’s throwing on a false bravado. “You could tell me now.”

Kade chuckles, shooting me an amused glance before sauntering out the door, shutting it behind him and leaving me alone with Calla.

Atlas purse my lips. “Oh, could I? I don’t see that happening.”

Her voice is sharp when she says, “And what exactly do you see happening?”

My hand snakes out, gripping her chin firmly and sending her heart racing.

“What’s your angle?” she pushes without fighting my hold. “There has to be some bigger reason you’re keeping me here and alive. And I don’t believe for a second that it’s just to fuck and feed on me.”

I narrow my eyes as I lean closer, brushing her lips with mine as I murmur, “Did it ever occur to you that maybe you should just be glad we’re keeping you alive?”

Calla holds my gaze despite the shiver that runs through her. “That’s not good enough.”

I blink at her before I have the thought to school my features. Then I drop my hand and move away from her. I’m certainly not used to being met with such resistance from a human. Perhaps she believes she has nothing to lose. “Fine. You may come in handy with certain…business acquisitions.”

She shakes her head, balling her hands into small fists. “What the hell does that even mean?”

I shrug, nearly smirking at the irritation in her expression, and tell her, “Whatever I need it to.”

“You are such an asshole,” she grits out.

I make no attempt to deny that, which only seems to frustrate her further.

“Who is Dante?” Calla asks, her gaze locked intently on me.

A muscle ticks in my jaw, and I exhale a dry laugh that lacks any humor. “I thought you didn’t hear anything.”

She shrugs, following her question with another. “Is he a vampire?”

I pause. She will only know what I allow her to, and I’ll be very selective with the information shared with her. “Yes.”

“You seemed angry on the phone. Why?”

I shake my head, moving closer to her once more. Time to put an end to this conversation. “Game over, Calla.”

“Why?” she pushes.

“It’s not your concern,” I snap harshly.

She doesn’t move. “I don’t believe you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so fucking uptight right now.”

“I do not care what you believe. Now if you don’t mind, I need to?—”

“I do mind, actually,” she cuts in sharply.

My patience has worn too thin. It’s bound to snap any second, and it would be unfortunate to end this arrangement before we can benefit from it. I grab her and haul her effortlessly to the door, where I pull it open and none too gently shove her into the hallway before slamming it shut.

Seconds later, she bangs her fits against the frosted glass. “Asshole!” Calla storms down the hall, and I exhale a sigh, frowning at the broken mug on the floor across the room. Once the pieces are in the trash, I stalk to the garage to get a blood bag from the fridge. I’m typically well-mannered when it comes to feeding, but I can’t be bothered to go to the kitchen for a glass. I opt for tearing into the bag with my teeth, and the throbbing in my gums quickly subsides as I swallow mouthfuls of O-negative.

“Damn. That human has got you quite worked up,” Kade says, walking toward me from the door to the house, spinning his car keys around his finger.

I offer him a pointed look that effectively says, fuck off .

The amusement in his eyes fades, and he sighs. “You were talking about Dante. What’s that fucker up to now?”

I toss back the rest of the blood bag before trashing it. “According to Marcel, the usual shit, but he knows we have Calla. He’s trying to stake a claim to her.”

Kade’s jaw works, and he rolls his eyes. “Marcel is dealing with it?”

I nod.

“You think we should keep this from Calla?”

Another nod.

He scratches the back of his neck. “You know she’ll keep asking. She’s quite persistent, that one.”

“That’s the beauty of glamour, isn’t it? We can make the human keep her mouth shut and stop asking.”

The corner of his mouth curves upward. “Good point.”

If Calla knows what’s good for her, she’ll realize some things are better left in the dark and let it go. But something tells me today wasn’t the last argument we’ll get into, and there’s a fucked-up part of me that damn well hopes it isn’t.