Pack Master (Vampire Kings 3)

“I don’t know,” Maddox growled. “Thanks to you, he had a chance to escape. He is gone. We’ve both lost him. And I can assure you that when he returns, he will be stronger than he was last night.”

With Henry told, Maddox moved on.

“You, boy, were told to stay home,” Maddox glowered at Will. “And you…” He transferred his glare to Lorien. “You didn’t do anything specifically bad this time, good work.”

Lorien smiled broadly, until Maddox’s expression continued to make it clear he was not supposed to be happy for being generally average.

“Get out of my sight,” Maddox said. “All of you.”

Henry and Will left the room. Lorien stayed, apparently determined to snatch trouble from the jaws of general fineness.

“Why are you still here?” Maddox sighed. To say that he was in a bad mood was a spectacular understatement.

“I think Henry should stay,” Lorien said. “I know you want him to leave, probably, but I don't think he should.”

“And why is that?”

“He is actually good for Will.”

“And you?”

“What do you mean?” Lorien had the nerve to look confused.

“I mean you’re hot for Will’s teacher,” Maddox said, sounding more like Will than himself. He must have been very close to snapping to have lost so much composure.

“Who said that?” Lorien put on a very convincing show of looking confused.

“We’re keeping him here regardless. If I turn him loose, he’s going to hunt Ivan, and I don’t want that. If you do pursue that absolutely ridiculous mis-match of a relationship, understand I will not tolerate another betrayal from you, Lorien. You will show me loyalty, or you will be cast out. Understand?”

“Of course.”

“Please, get out of my sight,” Maddox sighed. He was not in the mood for conversation. Having to beat Henry in Candy’s backyard had put him in a particularly foul temper. His usual lofty equanimity was beginning to desert him. He’d been in control, once. Now he was like a man riding a bicycle with the pedals slapping themselves against his feet. He was not determining the course of events. He was being driven by them, and that was unacceptable.

Lorien left the room. Not five minutes passed before a tap at the door announced Henry outside.

“Come in,” Maddox sighed.

Henry had showered and dressed himself in a white shirt and blue jeans, a look that almost passed for formal.

“I got carried away tonight. Feral wolves are a danger to us all. Ones like Ivan, they’ll get us discovered, one day. I couldn’t allow him to survive. I know you understand.”

Maddox came over the table in a single bound, his elegant suit moving perfectly with the aggressive motion of his powerful body. He gripped Henry by his tattooed throat, digging what could very swiftly become sharp claws up under his jaw and into his neck.

Henry froze. He might have been an alpha, but he was a wolf, and like all beasts of that nature, he had submission built into the core of his being.

“Do you understand the concept of a king, Henry?” Maddox purred the question with dark threat.

“Of course.”

“There’s no ‘of course’ about it. Since your arrival you have spoken to me as if I am a common contemporary, you have argued with me, you have outright disobeyed me, and you have had the gall to become aggressive with me. Any one of those acts would be grounds for severe punishment. As it is, you are no longer my guest. Consider yourself a prisoner who might earn release by fulfilling the original conditions of your contract. You are here for William. Nobody else. Do you understand me?”

Henry made a small yelp that might have passed for agreement.

Will wasn’t waiting for Henry to emerge from Maddox’s rage office, but he was also not, not waiting for him. Henry had seemed to be above everything until the fracas in Candy’s backyard. Then he’d turned out to be just as vulnerable as everybody else when it came to Maddox.

Henry looked a little dazed by the whole thing. His usual hard exterior was still in place, but his stare was not as piercing as usual.

“It’s not fun, is it?”

“What?”

“Being in trouble with him,” Will gestured toward Maddox’s office with his head.

“I’m not in trouble. Children get in trouble. I’m…”

“You’re fucked,” Will said, succinctly. “Shall I tell you why?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s working,” Will said. “You work. For me. I mean, not in an employer sense. I mean you calm me down. You piss me off, but you make me feel, I don’t know. Safe, or whatever. When you’re not trying to kill my fucking dad.”

Henry let out a growl under his breath. “You’re a cute little asshole, you know that?”

“Yeah,” Will said. “Anyway, get comfy.”

“Nobody holds me prisoner,” Henry growled, making his way toward the fridge. At least this was a fully catered captivity.

“You’re staying!” Lorien entered the kitchen looking generally thrilled. “How wonderful.”