Dev yelled, letting all of his terror out in a torrent of words. The list of things I’d done was really long and went on for many miles, but I did one right thing as Dev was screaming.
I reached over and clicked my seat belt closed. I had learned that lesson.
Chapter Nineteen
I stared out the window of the large SUV, taking in the sights of the mountains, but I couldn’t really concentrate. I leaned my head against the cool glass pane as the driver turned up what I hoped was the final road. John McKenzie’s place was really isolated. Dev held my hand as he looked around as well. I could see he was satisfied with the beauty of the place. I, for one, was not looking forward to spending the next week in a tent.
Of course, it would probably be better than the last week. Dev had spent the entire night of my blown heist yelling at me and giving me all kinds of ultimatums I knew he would never follow through on. At one point, he was taking me to an unspecified location where he would keep me barefoot and pregnant for the rest of my days. He’d given me all kinds of guilt trips, but when the time had come to go to bed, he climbed in next to me and held me close. When morning had come, he woke me up in the sweetest way and was back to being Dev. I was coddled and cuddled and loved until I cried out all my tension.
Daniel was another story. Daniel was doing what he always did. Daniel was pulling away.
For the last week, he hadn’t slept with us, preferring to use the interior room. He still fed and he still had sex with me. When he was making love to me, there was no question in my mind that it was love. He was passionate and said all the right things in the heat of the moment, but after, there was a coldness and a distance that left me feeling brutally alone. Danny had worked with Dev relentlessly to get ready for this meeting, but he wouldn’t share a bed and he wouldn’t go out with us when we took the night off.
He blamed me for what happened to Joel, or he blamed himself. Either way, I felt his absence and I was going to have to find a way to work through it.
Then there had been the unexpected nuisance of the purification ritual I’d been informed I had to follow for seven days prior to the fertility ritual.
Unlike the other rituals we performed, which I will admit have been informal and mostly for our own pleasure, this one had a few caveats. Ingrid had shown up four days ago with a box she said was for me.
When I opened it there was the most beautiful gauzy white gown. It could have been a nightgown, but it was more formal somehow. She’d made it for me and it fit perfectly. It was oddly old-fashioned for the ritual we were to perform, but it made my skin glow and showed off my breasts in a fashion I knew would make my faery prince’s mouth water. When I gazed into the mirror, I thought I looked a little like a bride on her wedding night.
Then Ingrid explained all the things I couldn’t do between then and the ritual. No meat. No alcohol. I was supposed to spend an hour a day in quiet contemplation. I have no idea what I was supposed to contemplate. I had to scrub my skin every day with some kind of exfoliant containing sand from Dev’s sithein. I asked if I was to abstain from sex as well, but Ingrid glared at me like I was slightly off and told me there was nothing impure about sex. I was beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about and would have complained, but Dev was so enthusiastic I found myself unwilling to disappoint the only man who was happy with me.
“Wow, this place is beautiful,” Sarah said from the third row of seats. She and Felix had come along as part of our retinue. We weren’t allowed to bring vampires other than Daniel, so we had filled out our party with a small group of friends. In addition to Sarah and Felix, there was Lee and Zack. Declan would be along shortly, and I’d been informed that the organizers of the Gathering were honored to be hosting the future king of Faery. Unlike vampires, the sidhe tend to be welcomed wherever they go.
Albert had gone ahead of us to make sure everything was ready. The thought of our proper butler pitching tents made me giggle.
The car stopped in front of a magnificent cabin. I call it a cabin because of the materials used to make it, but it was a mansion really. McKenzie wasn’t going to miss the million he was paying us.
Lee got out first. After a moment, he gave the signal for the rest of us to move. Dev rushed around to help me out and I waited patiently because it was important to him. There was a middle-aged wolf with a clipboard walking toward us, a wide smile on his face.
“Your Grace,” he said to Dev, using the title bestowed on a high priest. In this case, his status as a high priest superseded his princely title. “It is such an honor to have you here. I am Matthew, Mr. McKenzie’s assistant. He’s waiting in the house and requests your company before you join the others.”
“We would be honored.” Dev threaded my arm through his and followed the assistant.
John McKenzie’s home was a stunning combination of natural beauty and modern luxury. We were led into a great room with huge bay windows overlooking the valley. I glanced back at Sarah and bet she was wondering the same thing I was. She was wondering if Neil was out there in those lush forests.
“Devinshea.” A man who could only be John McKenzie greeted us warmly.
He was an alpha, no doubt about it. There was a certain power that emanated from an alpha wolf that even a human could feel. He was a leader from his casual but expensive boots to the pearl snaps on his Western shirt. He was probably in his mid-thirties but could be older. He was in his prime, leading the largest wolf pack in the country.
“It’s good to see you, John,” Dev replied. “Your home is lovely. We’re so pleased to be invited.”
McKenzie shook Dev’s hand. “And we’re pleased you agreed to help us, Your Grace. I believe you’ll find all has been made ready for you. We’ve been working on the altar for days. My wife’s been having fun with it. She’s handy with craft projects.”
“Excellent. I’m sure it’s lovely. My brother will bring a few things with him we will incorporate into the altar,” Dev said and pulled my hand to his lips. “Let me introduce you to my goddess, Zoey Donovan.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” McKenzie said, tipping his head gallantly my way. “I thank you, in advance, for being willing to help us. Fertility has been an issue for many years now. It’s been difficult on our females.”
I nodded because put like that I was willing to overlook my embarrassment. “We’ll do our best.”
“If I understand correctly, you’re also Donovan’s queen,” McKenzie said with an amused smile on his face.
I returned it because I was well aware ménages were not the norm on this plane. “I’m Daniel Donovan’s companion, though I prefer the term wife. He’s happy to have the opportunity to make his case to you, Mr. McKenzie. You’ll find him a reasonable and fair man.”
He looked slightly skeptical but seemed unwilling to argue with me. “I promise to listen to everything the vampire has to say. If he is correct, then I need to listen to him. But for now, please introduce me to the rest of your party.”
The introductions went well. Everyone was polite and friendly right up to the point McKenzie and Lee got in each other’s faces. One minute John McKenzie was a friendly host and the next he was growling at my wolf.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” McKenzie all but spat.
“My fucking job, Mac.” Lee didn’t move an inch.
“You know loners aren’t welcome in my home,” the alpha said.
A low snarl came from the back of Lee’s throat. “I’m not going anywhere so you better get used to it. Are you hiding something you don’t want the others to find out about? Can’t stand anyone you can’t push around?”
“Hey, what’s up with the boy fight?” I put myself in between the growling wolves. I pushed Lee back and faced our host. They’d obviously met before, but I wasn’t looking for that story yet. “Is there something wrong with my wolf?”
I placed a heavy emphasis on the “my” part.
“He’s a loner,” McKenzie said in an accusatory fashion, as if it was a horrible thing to be. “He’s only here to cause chaos. He doesn’t care about his own kind. He’s a troublemaker.” The alpha looked at Dev. “You didn’t mention you were bringing a loner, Your Grace.”
Dev held his hands up, taking himself out of this particular fight. “I didn’t really know he was one until a few days ago. Don’t look at me, John. I’ve fired him several times. My goddess has an incomprehensible affection for him.”
“He’s not going to cause trouble,” I stated plainly. “He’s entirely too lazy to cause trouble. He just wants to sleep and drink his beer and watch the occasional wrestling show, though I don’t know why he likes that. I tried to explain to him that it’s fake, but I don’t think he believes me. He’s completely harmless.”
Lee snorted behind me. “I’m…”
I gave him that look I give men when I want them to shut up. He acted like he wanted to defend his manhood but made the smart play and closed his mouth. I turned back to McKenzie. “Lee promises to behave himself. He’s just here to do his job which is to make sure no one kills me. I assure you, he’ll be far too busy with that to cause a bunch of trouble. Tell him, Lee. Tell him that you’ll try to play well with the other wolves.”