Pack Master (Vampire Kings 3)

“I fucked up,” Henry said. “I didn’t want you to run.”

“I didn’t run. I went hunting.”

“Stop trying to bullshit me. I wanted you. I’m sorry I made you run.”

“Actually, you wanted to take your anger out on me. I offered myself. I’m sorry I disappointed you.”

Lorien’s sorry was not like Henry’s sorry. It was a bitter comment rather than a proper apology.

“You didn’t disappoint me. I was too rough and too stupid. I treated you like you weren’t human.”

“I’m not human,” Lorien replied.

“I mean, I treated you like you don’t have feelings,” Henry tried to clarify. He was not good with words. Wolves preferred actions.

“Nothing new there,” Lorien shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I do worry about it.” Henry put one hand back on the wall next to Lorien’s head, keeping Lorien in place in a softer way. “I worry about what I do to you. The effect I have on you matters.”

Lorien’s expression shifted in an unexpected way. There was perhaps a hint of a quiver of his lower lip before his normal mask restored itself. But he was still without words.

“Think about it,” Henry said, pulling his hand away from the wall and patting Lorien’s cheek gently. “Come to me if you want me.”

He turned and walked away, giving Lorien a little space. He was getting a pretty clear idea now of the role Lorien had played. Not enough of a troublemaker to be beaten like Will. Special enough to be noticed by Maddox, but always occupying an overlooked middle space. Like a middle child. People like that quite often don’t know how to handle the attention they crave once they get it. He was going to have to be more careful with Lorien than he’d planned.

Chapter Thirteen

“William and I are going to go on vacation,” Maddox announced later that day when everybody was assembled. “Lorien, can you stay relatively out of trouble for a few months?”

“A few months?” Lorien was surprised by the length of time. Maddox usually never gave up control for that long. As impressive as he was, he couldn't keep tabs on the city if he wasn’t actually here.

“I've not had enough time with my boy. New York is full of distractions and responsibilities. We need some time away from the city to reconnect.”

“I’ll have the whole place to myself? What about Chauvelin?”

“If you see him, kill him.”

“What if Ivan returns?”

“He won’t.”

“What if royal business arises?”

“I’ve delegated it to you to deal with.”

“What if there’s an emergency?”

“You can call me.”

"What if…”

“Lorien…” Maddox sighed.

“I’ll be fine,” Lorien said, though he wasn’t entirely sure that was true. He’d never been left in charge of anything as large as an entire city before, and if Maddox truly was gone for months, then he’d certainly have to deal with some royal affairs.

“Good. Henry will be here with you.”

Lorien took immediate offense. “What? You’re leaving a wolf in charge?”

“Er. No. I’m leaving you with a guard. Interesting you assume he’d be in charge,” Maddox winked. Lorien would have blushed were he not cursed with the pale visage of those who walk past the veil of unbecoming. “I’ve noticed the closeness between the two of you. You’ll need someone impartial and apolitical to help you. I suggest you take his aid.”

“Oh. Right. Of course.”

Maddox and Will did not take long to make their exit. It seemed to Lorien that they were there one moment and gone the next. Henry offered to drop them at the private airfield as their departure was around midday and Lorien was still obliged to hide from the sun for several hundred more years.

He waited indoors until Henry returned. He told himself that he wasn’t waiting, that he just happened to be awake at the time when young vampires were usually dormant and that was fine because sleep is a challenge for everybody sometimes.

The second he heard the car in the garage he felt a little leaping of excitement in his chest. He went to the kitchen and then the lounge and then back around to the door in an attempt to appear to be casually walking by when Henry came in.

Did he look too obvious? What did he usually do with his hands? In his pockets? No. That made him feel like a five-year-old in a school photo. One hand. Wait. No.

It was too late. Henry was already back inside.

“Hey,” Henry said.

“Hey,” Lorien replied. “You see them off to the airport alright?”

“Mhm. They’ll be in international air space by now.”

“Cool.” Lorien nodded. “I guess that means I’m really in charge. I’m the vampire king of the city.” Lorien smiled as the realization sank in. Maddox had truly left him in charge. It seemed absolutely mad on so many levels, but it had actually happened.

“The temporary acting king,” Henry reminded him. “Take it easy, tiger.”

Lorien laughed at being called tiger.