Duke(60)

Gen stood and went to Duke, stopped a foot from him. “Abbott isn’t just here as a witness, he’s here for another reason, one I don’t understand. However, if werewolves exist, other supernatural creatures probably do, too. He sleeps during the day, not hard to guess what that might mean. I have no idea what Isaac is, but I’m guessing he’s some kind of magical bad-ass, too.”

Duke turned and looked at Abbott with a smile. “Told you she was smart.”

“You did.” He looked at Gen. “Yes, I’m a vampire. Most werewolves are in a pack, with the Alpha having the final word for, well, pretty much everything. Some werewolves don’t deal well with this, but still need the basics of what a pack gives. Rolling Thunder gives these men a place to go. Duke is the defacto Alpha of the pack, but it’s run like more of a democracy than a totalitarian government.”

Duke practically growled, “I’ll explain the wolf stuff to her, you’re just here to explain the legalities.”

“Yes, of course. Humans aren’t supposed to know about us, and when you do, there are procedures to follow. You’ll be required to make a promise to not tell of our existence. If werewolves don’t have a vampire around, and the human refuses to make the binding promise, the werewolf is obligated to either imprison the human or kill them. As a vampire, I can make you forget the past twenty minutes, as if it never happened.”

Gen looked at Duke. His expression grim, he said, “Not my rules, but I’m bound by them. Why are you still over there?”

“You look tired. I wasn’t sure what to do.”

“I need you to come to me this time, Beautiful. Not sure I can handle it if you start backing up when I walk to you.”

She stepped into his arms and said, “This actually explains a lot. The look in your eyes when it seems there’s something wild in there? The way you stalk towards me instead of merely walking?”

Isaac walked to them with a wine glass and a bottle of wine. He produced a corkscrew, opened the wine, and poured about an inch into the glass. Duke sat in a chair, pulled Gen into his lap, and looked at his right pointer finger until a claw formed, poked it into his left pointer finger, and let a few drops fall into the glass of wine.

The hole in his finger healed within seconds, and Duke licked the little bit of blood from the end.

Duke looked to Abbott, who came to them, grew a razor-sharp talon on his finger, pricked Gen’s finger, and squeezed what had to be two tablespoons of blood into some water. He licked Gen’s finger, and Gen watched it heal before her eyes.

Duke accepted the glass from Abbott, and Isaac handed the wine to Gen.

“When you drink my blood and make the oath with purpose, it’ll bind you. You won’t be capable of even hinting what you know, and if you somehow manage to, I’ll know.” He glanced at Abbott, looked back to Gen. “I won’t be able to control you, it isn’t that kind of a binding. I want your permission to add something to it, so I’ll know if you’re in trouble. The first part, the promise to keep our secrets, isn’t optional. If you don’t, Abbott will erase your memory from the point you walked into the room. We’ll all go outside the room, come back in, and I’ll ask Abbott if it’s okay for us to take over the old chain restaurant three blocks away, try to work out a deal.”

Abbott’s look was casual, but Gen had a feeling it said volumes to people who knew him. “Three blocks? You can’t be serious.”

Duke shook his head, looked back to Gen. “The last part is up to you, but I hope you give it to me.”

Gen looked at Isaac, who said, “Cassie and Cam don’t know about any of this, but if I ever have to tell them, I’ll add this part onto their binding as well.”

“Why haven’t you told them?”

He shook his head. “I want to protect them. I’m not in the business of pissing people off like Duke, so I can get away with it. He had a few ways he could’ve gone, but you’re probably safer in the long run knowing.”

Gen looked at the wine, back up to Duke. “This won’t turn me into a werewolf?”

He shook his head. “Nothing I do while in human form can turn you. A bite or a scratch while in wolf or hybrid form may or may not, depending on a number of factors.”

“Okay then. What do I do?”

“The wording is designed to keep you from telling anyone, writing it down, or so much as giving hints so they can figure it out.”

“Okay.”

“Look at me, repeat what I tell you to say, and mean it. Let it soak in, say it again, and drink the wine. Don’t break eye contact. Abbott will test you, and then everyone will leave, so it’s just you and me.” He kissed her forehead. “The eye contact will let me do the other. Will let me add my protection of you to the binding, so I’ll always know if you’re in trouble, if you need help.”