Soul Mates 04: Secrets(37)

Sabaan nodded. "That's exactly what I mean."



"Oh, they would be pissed, Sabaan."



"Uh-huh."



I lay there for a moment, staring at him. But my mind was already racing, actually considering the possibilities and the outcomes. It would probably lead to a whole lot of blood and bruising, but&



"We'd need someone there to keep us from killing each other if it came down to it."



"So you'll talk to Logan and see if he'll referee?"



"I hate to get him involved in this."



"He's already involved, Peter." Sabaan frowned. "You don't know, do you?"



"Know what?"



"Logan is the coven's new shrink. With his talent for reading people and his degree . while very old, mind you . in psychology, Lucien thought it would be a good idea."



"It is a good idea." I thought back to my conversation with Logan and it suddenly fell into place. I'd had a shrink session and not even realized it. "When did this happen?"



"Two, maybe three weeks ago?" Sabaan bit at his bottom lip, clearly looking miserable. "I'm sorry, baby, I thought you knew."



"It's okay," I said quietly. "I think I've just got to come to terms with the fact that I don't know everything and that my position as Lucien's equal is pretty much null and void."



"Don't say that."



"Why? It's true." I cleared my throat, shifting gears. "I'll talk to Logan about the four of us."



"Soon, pretty boy." He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. "But not too soon. You need to do some serious thinking, yourself. Figure out exactly what Lucien means to you, what Nikolas means to you, and where everyone else stands in the equation. If you don't know that? Then getting us all in a room to work things out will be pointless."



"I know how I feel about everyone, Sabaan."



"No, you really don't. Deep down, you still think love is the magic word that makes it all better. There are different kinds of love, baby, and it's time you figured that out and put everyone in their place."





Chapter Eight



I searched the mansion for Lucien for nearly an hour, but came to the conclusion that he either didn't want to be found or was gone. Either way, it was obvious that we wouldn't be talking any time soon. Which was just as well, I guessed. According to Sabaan, I had a lot of thinking to do.



His words hadn't set well, and I found myself wondering if he was right. Different kinds of love&I got that. I really did. I loved Lucien and I loved Nikolas. Ugh. Bad example. I also loved Caleb and Xander and Simon and Logan.in totally different ways, of course.



To anyone outside my head, though, maybe there wasn't a clear way to distinguish one kind from another. Maybe it looked like I just went around fucking and proclaiming that I loved everyone. God, I hoped I hadn't become that guy.



Someone had lit a fire in the common living area's fireplace, and I pulled a chair close. One of the truly odd things about being a vampire was that, in the middle of the summer, I could be downright cold. I had a feeling that my chill tonight had more to do with my personal life than my physical one.



Just as I was about to sit down, the doorbell rang. When no one appeared to answer the door, I went to answer it myself. Breaking, yet again, another of Silver's rules about the safety and security of the coven, the mansion, myself, Lucien, and who the hell knew what else.



I had no idea who to expect, but I certainly didn't expect to see a handsome, thirty-something man smiling at me. He was clean cut and smelled of gun oil and coffee. And wolf. My wolf bristled and it took everything I had not to growl out a harsh welcome. I figured it would be best to play it cool.



If the guy came clean and didn't play games, I figured he wasn't here to cause trouble. Otherwise, I wasn't against kicking his ass all over the front lawn.



"Can I help you?"



"Are you the Master of the coven?"



"No," I laughed. "That would be my lover, and he's not here."



The man offered his hand. "Detective Tanner Brooks, Houston PD."



"Peter." I stared at his hand for a moment before taking it. "And you're here because?"



"There was a murder last night and the body seems to have disappeared."



"Whoa, sounds like y'all need to get organized, huh?" I started inching the door closed. "Unless you're here to hire more competent staff&"



"Cut the crap." He held the door open with one hand. "I was there, I saw the body and the bites, and I smelled the vampire." Detective Brooks leaned in a little. "And that vampire smells just like you."