page89 (1/2)

The world was a much better place with him in it

Chapter Twenty

The s The private jet put them in Savannah in short order, and they were back in another limo, headed for the Council's headquarters Despite never having been in a private plane before, one outfitted like a luxury hotel suite, Rand didn't feel like saying an and Gideon conversed about sos and Cai joined in They attempted to keep Rand included, a courtesy he would have appreciated if his mind wasn't overwhelered on his wrists, the psychological i what those marks meant

At length, they'd stopped trying to talk to hiiven them some type of subtle indication to leave hi with

After what Cai had done in that srove of trees, Rand honestly wasn't sure where his mind was He'd seen Cai vulnerable, had looked into his heart Rand knew Cai had a ruthless side, a cruel side But he'd overlooked the Master side Or rather, he'd acknowledged it here and there as a sexual charge, so Or even to take it to a deeper level

But in some way this tiht they'd had, had unleashed that side of Cai in a way Rand hadn't experienced before Or perhaps, hadn't let hier, or some emotional fallout from the close call with Goddard, or the whole past several years' accumulation

Whatever it hat had set Rand off balance, what had hi his own response

He could hold his oith the valy Cai was every bit as much of a Dominant and Master as the other male vampire in this vehicle, no an, Rand had looked at Cai as his Master

In a pack, an alpha would give way before a stronger alpha, and it didn't have to get ugly But it had gotten ugly between hi to the confusing mix Those echoes of conflict remained even now

Until Cai closed a hand over his, linked fingers He put his other arers in Rand's still loose hair When he dipped his head, he brushed his esture than a va he would do because he knew Rand responded to it, would nuzzle back, open his htly

Rand felt the va their linked hands, Cai touched hisit over, Cai did the sa tendrils into Rand's stomach

It's okay, wolf What can I do to make it better?

He didn't know He didn't knowanything Not this way It wasn't like Cai to be gentle, considerate But he had been, in the afterh sex, and now It felt like there was soer on Like they were on a sand ti out

Their argument in the limo had started on that subject, but it was Cai's callous treatment of their friendship that had set Rand off, not the knowledge that their ti to a close Cai had always treated theas temporary So as not to make Rand feel trapped So Cai could protect himself from rejection

The varavitated toward Fane's faered what happened in the li was to treat their relationship exactly like a soldier thing When the coo their separate ways but still be friends, linked by the intense experience

And it had pissed hi that he didn't want to feel Cai was daed No question The family dynamics, the en language to Cai Maybe that hy Cai had switched gears now Realizing there was no point to being pissed off It hat it was, and all fighting did was squander the time they had left

He hadn't given Cai an answer to his question, but the vaan

"How far are we?" Cai asked the other vampire

"About fivedoooded two-lane road, and Cai peered out at it through the darkness When he pressed a button to roll the n, he let in the scent of deep forest Rand lifted his head, nostrils flaring "The estate surrounded by this, too?" Cai asked

As Daegan nodded, Cai's fingers tightened on Rand "Pull over and let him out He needs to run He'll meet us there"

Yes Things loosened in his gut and heart like they'd been freed fro his cheek "Give me your clothes and I'll take them with me"

Rand took off the shirt He stepped out of the car to rean and Gideon He only wanted to look at Cai But he also wanted everything to disappear for a while