Warrior Fae Trapped (Warrior Fae 1)

“What’re you doing?” Devon said, rolling down the window. He’d wrapped his alpha rage back around him like a favored coat. Poor Andy.

“She okay?”

“She’s fine. Let’s go!”

Andy threw his hands up. “Drop a man a line once in a while.” He started jogging back to his car.

“Tonight would’ve been a success if that elder hadn’t shown up,” Devon said softly, watching Andy get into his car. “I mean, it’s still a success, because everyone is okay, but…”

“I take it the other one wasn’t a problem?”

“Yasmine lured it out of the house easily. Led it right to us, then helped us finish it. She’s a strong addition.”

Charity turned toward the window. It wasn’t a surprise Yasmine had pulled off her task—she seemed competent and capable—but Charity hated being the weak link.

As if hearing her thoughts, like he always managed to do, Devon asked, “What happened tonight?”

“I got beaten up by a vampire.”

“Yes. Before that.”

Charity relayed the events as Devon drove home. When she got to the part about the vamp’s offer, he held up a hand. “Wait.” He pulled into his driveway and threw the SUV into park. “He wanted to set you up like a mistress?”

“I guess. He said he’d share me. That he wasn’t possessive.”

A crease formed between Devon’s eyebrows. “I see. Go on.”

At the end of the story, Devon’s mouth had worked into a tight line. “He remembers you from the party,” he summarized. “He wants to keep you as some sort of pet. He offered to give you whatever you want, including men. And then he tried to take you by force? Take you, not bite you?”

Charity brushed her hair out of her face. “That about sums it up. The guy is Froot Loops.”

“You stared him right in the eye and said no?”

“Obviously. Otherwise I would be wearing a gold collar, asking for another doting boy to serve me grapes.”

Devon glanced out his window as the rest of his crew walked past the SUV and up to the house, everyone glancing at them as they passed. “I have to speak to Roger. This might be something the elders do. I have no idea. Sounds…”

“Froot Loops.”

A handsome smile flashed across Devon’s face. It was the first full smile, however fleeting, she’d seen from him. And it was a thing of beauty, so much more real than that vampire’s.

Too soon, he was back to serious and brooding. “I wasn’t angry at you earlier; I was angry at myself. I left you alone tonight. That was a stupid move.”

“You couldn’t have known that vampire would find me.”

“It is my duty to protect you, Charity, and I failed. It won’t happen again.”

She crinkled her nose. “You should apply to be one of the doting boys, because that almost made my heart squish.”

“Can you be serious for a moment?”

“No. I stabbed and shot a guy tonight. Technically, he might be a creature, but my mind is still trying to agree with my eyes on that one. I emptied a gun into a living body. As if that weren’t bad enough, I did it at point-blank range and somehow missed its heart. How bad of a shot does that make me? My brain, as we speak, is trying to unravel in half a dozen ways. So no, serious is not in me right now. Maybe later.”

Devon deflated. Charity had finally defeated him, and she wasn’t even trying.

He climbed out slowly before walking around the SUV and lifting her out, gentle despite his earlier freak-out. “In that case, let me point out that you scratched and dented my Range Rover.”

“Wrong, sir. Your Range Rover scratched and dented my head. And I hold a grudge.”

“I have a Red Bull in the fridge. You might drink that. It’ll help. There’s some stuff in the freezer, plus we always get pizza after a mission. Food always helps when I change too often, or need a boost of energy.”

“Genius,” she said sarcastically. “You know so much.”

Devon gave her a lighthearted squeeze as they entered the house. A moment later, he deposited her in the recliner as the whole pack watched.

She froze while trying to get comfortable. “What?”

“They also apologize for leaving you on your own, even though it was on my orders,” Devon said.

“Oh. Well, let’s not mention it to Roger. He’ll just call me in, and then I’ll have to sit in his presence. No thanks.”

“Roger’s okay,” Andy commented, patting the couch next to him.

She laughed at him. “I had a vampire proposition me with money and unearthly pleasures, and you think I said no to him so I could snuggle up to you?”

Andy shot her an award-winning grin. “I’m just that awesome.” He patted the couch again.

Charity rolled her eyes. She did get up, nearly laughing at Andy’s flash of astonishment, before hobbling off to the kitchen, using the walls to stay upright. “I’m hungry.”