Re-Education - 5. Chapter 5

As the boy drew near, Tommy and Vega moved to stand in front of me, blocking his path. I pushed them aside and motioned him to come forward. He stopped about five feet from me with his head hanging low. I could sense his fear and his shame, but I also sensed determination, so I waited until he got his demons under control.

“Pardon me, My Lord, but could you spare some change?”

I reached out with one hand and softly said, “Come here, pup.” Pup? Where did that come from?

His head shot up as if yanked by an invisible string, and I saw a glimmer of hope when his eyes met mine. He cautiously stepped forward until I could just reach him. I gently stroked his face and said, “I don’t have any cash with me, but how long since you’ve fed?”

He thought for a moment, then he replied, “Two weeks, My Lord.”

At this age, the boy was starving. Regardless of what human food scraps he might find, he needed blood every few days. As I moved my other hand toward my fangs, I saw motion on both sides of me and was never prouder of my marshals as they both opened a wrist and offered them to the starving young vampire in front of us. His eyes never left mine as he waited for me to give him permission.

“It’s okay, pup. If I were you, I’d take hers. His might make you grouchy, like him,” I said, trying to smile.

I saw the slightest hint of a smile as he gingerly took Vega’s offered wrist and began to feed. As his body took in the lifegiving fluid, nature took over, and he began to draw with passion from her opened vein. I knew she was in no actual danger, but I didn’t want her to get dizzy, so after a few minutes, I told him to switch to Tommy’s wrist. As he disconnected, he politely licked the wound and softly said, “Thank you, Ma’am.”

I held in my laugh as he looked skeptically at Tommy’s freshly opened wrist, possibly wondering if this strange man’s blood really would make him grumpy. I nodded, quietly giving him permission, and he latched on and fed. I was happy to see that he soon stopped, seeming sated, possibly for the first time in months. As he licked Tommy’s wrist clean, I smiled at him.

“Thank you, sir, and thank you, Your Lordship, for allowing them to feed me,” he said in that same timid voice. “I’ll go on now and leave you to your evening.”

He took a step to leave, and I asked, “What’s your name, pup?”

His fear had diminished when we offered to feed him, but now it reappeared as he said, “I’m Craig, My Lord.”

I could tell he was seconds from running, and the only hope I had of helping him was to keep him talking. “And where do you live, Craig?”

Now, his shame seemed to explode, far outshadowing the other emotions I sensed. It was all he could do not to burst into tears as he stammered, “We, er, I mean I, I stay behind a dumpster some nights, My Lord. Other nights, I stay under a bridge.”

I could tell he was lying, but the last thing I needed to do was challenge him. He knew I was a noble, possibly from my scent, and he knew I was powerful, but so far, he didn’t actually fear me, not fear for his safety, at least. Maybe he feared what I could do, what I would do, but he somehow knew he didn’t need to fear for his life; even as five powerful adult vampires stood blocking his path, I could sense his lack of real fear.

“Do you like sleeping under a bridge, Craig? Or do you do it just because you have to?” I asked the obviously stupid question like I was asking if he liked candy, which, on reflection, was an even more stupid question.

In answer, he just looked at me with a look that every parent of an adolescent comes to dread. That look that says, ‘Do you really want me to point out how stupid you are?’ I smiled at him and dropped to one knee, so I was at his level and could look straight into his eyes. I opened my arms, offering a hug. He hesitated, but only for a second, then he ran to me and wrapped his arms tight around my neck, clinging to me like a passenger from the Titanic holding onto a scrap of wood. Then I felt the sobs. His body shook as he silently sobbed in my arms, letting down his defenses for the first time in who knew how long.

Rather than interrupt us, Tommy sent me a message, mind-to-mind, saying that Riva had pulled up. I told him to have Riva circle the block until we were ready, then returned to holding Craig as his sobs slowed and, after a few minutes, finally stopped. I continued holding him until Scott tapped my shoulder. I glanced up and he pantomimed sleep, then pointed to Craig. I leaned back and looked to find his sobs had drained his energy, which, on top of his first full belly, had let him fall into a peaceful sleep.

I contacted Riva, mind-to-mind, which surprised him, as I hadn’t messaged him this way before, and told him to pick us up. Then, I gently took Craig into my arms like an infant and headed for the street. Riva pulled up seconds later, and I waited as Scott, Billy, and Vega climbed into the way-back seat. I let Tommy help me get our little angel in the second-row bucket seat, then sat in the one at his side. Once Tommy got in, I told Riva to take us home.

We had just crossed the Allegheny River when Craig suddenly woke up, looked around, and went absolutely ballistic. He started screaming, “Where are you taking me?” He tried opening the door. “I can’t leave him!” He pulled and tugged at his seatbelt. “I gotta go back!” He looked frantically behind us. “Trevor’s gonna kill me!” He started kicking the door. “Why did you take me away?”

“Craig! Craig! Calm down, buddy. No one’s gonna hurt you when I’m around.” I said, letting my beast add just a hint of my power to my voice.

Craig froze for a second and stared at me, considering his situation. Then, he started crying and shouting the same things. At least he wasn’t trying to destroy the Denali. I thought about his reaction and his words, and I understood.

“Riva, turn us around. Now!” I ordered.

“Yes, My Lord. Back to the Club?” Riva asked, confused but obedient.

“Do you want me to take you back to the graveyard, Craig?” I asked, intentionally speaking softly so he had to be quiet to hear me.

Still agitated, he nodded enthusiastically, saying, “Yes, My Lord, please, hurry. Trevor will kill me.”

As we crossed the river a second time, Craig’s head was on a swivel as he took in where he was, and then his eyes locked onto something. I quickly turned my head and looked where he had been so focused, and I saw it: a small tent. Then I saw… concrete. The bridge support was now blocking my view, but I knew where we were going. I quickly told Billy to guide Riva to Point State Park. I didn’t have time to watch where we were going and navigate; I had to convince Craig that we wouldn’t let this Trevor hurt him.

I leaned over and put my arms around him as he squirmed in the seat, trying desperately to watch where we were going and make sure we were headed back toward his tent. At first, he pulled away, then his fear overcame his distrust, and he, again, knew that he didn’t need to fear me. He relaxed, if only a bit, and let me hold him.

“We’ll get there soon, Craig. It’s going to be okay. No one’s going to hurt you, not with me here. You know that, right?”

He calmed just a bit more; then, I felt the slightest of a nod. Craig knew he was safe. At some level, he knew he was safe from Trevor. Who is this Trevor? His stepdad? His, gods help him if he is; is he his pimp? I pushed that thought from my mind as I held this terrified, innocent little angel as we sped around the looping ramp that ended at Point State Park. It could only have been two minutes from the time I first saw the tent to the time Riva stopped the Denali but it felt like hours. He didn’t even have the vehicle in park before I unbuckled my belt, unbuckled Craig's belt, scooped him into my arms, and ran toward the tiny tent that was set up in the grassy area between the ramps of Interstate 279.

As I leaped over the concrete barrier keeping cars on the ramp, I heard shouts behind me, but I ignored them, just like I ignored the cars flying up the highway ramp as I ran through the traffic to the other side.

Tommy shouting, “Greg, wait! It’s not safe!”

Scott and Billy shouting, “Greg! Stop!”

Vega and Riva were trying to decide whether to follow or secure the area, shouting contradictory instructions at each other in the confusion.

I was ignoring it all. Craig needed to get to that tent, and I needed to find this Trevor. I jumped over another barrier and landed twenty feet from my goal. What I saw made me want to throw up. There, alongside the barrier, stood a small, worn-out tent, smaller than my old twin-sized bed, but that wasn’t what made me sick. Stacked beside it were blankets and piles of clothing, some big enough to fit me, a few small enough for Craig, but again, that wasn’t what made me want to spew up the prime rib I had for dinner.

When I first saw Craig, seeming to melt into existence from the shadows, my heart stopped in agony for this starving, helpless little vampire. Now, standing in front of this broken-down tent, I saw an even smaller shape. It can’t be; no one would do that. No matter how many times I tried to deny it was real, nothing changed. There, wrapped in nothing but a threadbare blanket, stood a boy. Not a boy, another vampire. A vampire that couldn’t be two years old.

He dropped his blanket and ran toward me, shouting for me to let Craig go and threatening to hurt me. He was shouting at Craig to run. My brief time with Craig had apparently convinced him that I was a good guy because he shook his head and answered the boy.

“It’s okay, Chipper, he won’t hurt me. He fed me,” Craig shouted from his perch in my arms.

On hearing these words, the boy, Chipper, stopped his attack and froze, staring at me. Actually seeing me for the first time, then I saw him sniff the air. His face contorted in fear as he dropped to his knees and bowed his head. His beast, still years from coming to the surface, had recognized me as a baron, an Alpha to his beast, and he was submitting.

Behind me, I heard three sets of feet hit the ground. Chipper heard them, too, and looked up, starting to panic. Once again, Craig calmed the boy, saying, “They’re with him, Chipper. The big one let me feed from him, and I didn’t get grumpy.”

I couldn’t hold back the laugh, and that seemed to help. Chipper got a confused look on his face, wondering how feeding would make Craig grumpy, but he didn’t care. I didn’t either. I gently lowered Craig to his feet and told him to stay put. Motioning for the others to stay back, I slowly crept forward, my hands out, like I was approaching a cornered, injured animal. He never made eye contact, but his eyes never left me as I got closer and closer. When I was just out of reach, I stopped and knelt on both knees.

“Hey, Chipper. My name’s Greg,” I said in a voice dripping with sugar.

“How’d u know my name?” he asked defiantly. Then he quickly added, “Lord Greg.”

“Craig told me. He said you’re his friend, and since he’s my friend, that makes us friends, right?”

His little eyebrows came together as he tried to find the hole in my logic. After a moment, he gave a slight nod.

From his appearance, I knew the key to his trust—the master key to any growing boy’s heart—his stomach. “Are you hungry, Chipper?” I asked, again with the extremely stupid questions.

Another nod, this one a bit stronger.

I didn’t hesitate. I ripped my wrist open and held it out, offering him, quite literally, the blood that would save his life. His eyes flew open wide, but he didn’t move, not until Craig, once again, told him it was okay. The words hadn’t even registered when Chipper grabbed my wrist and eagerly put it to his mouth, sucking like he was trying to pull my bones out through the gash in my wrist. This tiny boy could drink himself drunk on my blood, and I would never feel the loss, so I gently wrapped my other arm around his body and pulled him to me as he fed, and fed, and fed. Finally sated, he pulled his lips from my wrist, turned, and looked up into my eyes. The image of my blood smeared around his lips, his chin, and his nose could have been a poster for a horror movie, ‘Attack of the Kindergarten Vampires,’ but I just smiled at him, and then I used my sleeve to wipe his face clean. When I was done, I realized I had wiped his face with a very expensive suit, but I didn’t care.

I knew that I had connected with Craig on some level, and I would protect him for the rest of his life, but this little monster, this little pup, was MINE!!! my beast shouted in my mind, MINE!!!! Just as I heard that in my mind, I heard three sets of feet land in the grass behind me. Without a second’s thought, I whirled around and grabbed Craig by the hand, put Chipper in his arms, and shoved both of them behind me. In the same instant, I shifted to my full beast and snarled at whoever dared to approach these pups while they were in our care. We let out a roar that echoed off the concrete ramp above our head as we evaluated this new threat to our pups.

Standing between us and our mates and our soldier stood three adult vampires in their human form. Two were male, the other female. The female was shouting at the one male, but we ignored her; she didn’t smell like a threat; she smelled like fear. We like it when they fear us. The male, the one the female was shouting at, was glaring at us and shouting at us. We couldn’t understand because of the noises echoing, but it soon became clear.

“Get away from them!” he shouted. “Those are my boys! I won’t let you take them!”

He won’t let us take them? Who is he to tell us what to do? We should kill him! Kill them both and take female for pups! No, I said to my beast, we don’t kill unless they attack. Give me our voice. “MY PUPS!!” we roared, but in our beast voice, it was just noise.

The male who had shouted shifted to his puny beast and tried to challenge us by roaring. As the echoes of their roar calmed in this concrete canyon, we showed them how a real beast roars, taking a deep breath, opening our mouth wide, and putting all our energy through our throat as we shook the ground with our roar, declaring these pups ours and telling anyone within range that they would die if they dared hurt them. The two still in human form cowered in fear but the one that had shifted was standing their ground. We could sense their fear, but they were strong and ignored it. We respect that.

Our mates and our soldier grabbed the two weak ones and pulled them away, the female still shouting something at the beast in front of us. Like us, they ignored her, focused only on us, determined to steal our pups; we will not allow that to happen. They slowly moved to our left in an obvious attempt to pull us away from our pups. No! Not happening! They saw we didn’t take the bait and changed, dropping to all fours and quickly running to our right. Maybe another feint, but we must move with them, must stay between our pups and them. Our moving brought us closer to the female and we heard her words.

“No! Trevor, don’t fight him!” she shouted. “Trevor!! Stop this, please!!!”

Trevor? Trevor? This is Trevor? Trevor hurt pup Craig! Is this Craig’s Trevor? Pup Craig is scared; we smell it. Craig is scared; he’s terrified. Why? Craig knows we protect him. Our internal argument distracted us, and Trevor lunged, trying to get past us to the pups. STOP HIM!!!

We slashed out with our paw, and our claws ripped into the meat of Trevor’s chest. They groaned but did not scream, did not retreat. Trevor is brave. Trevor is EVIL!! Trevor hurt pup Craig! We don’t know that. We never asked. We don’t need to ask. Craig is scared; Trevor is here. Trevor hurt pup Craig!!! We glared at Trevor as they paced back to our left, trying to draw us that way again. Trevor must DIE!!! We took a deep breath and roared; Trevor must die!!!

Blood was pouring down their chest, but Trevor did not stop, did not pause. They got near the barrier and tried another quick dart past us. We caught them in one arm and wrapped our claw around their head like a bowling ball, tossing them like a rag doll against the concrete barrier. We heard bones crunch. We smiled; Trevor was dying. We threw our head back and roared again, saluting Trevor; they had fought a good fight, and now they die. When we brought our head down from our roar we froze. Pup Chipper and pup Craig had run to Trevor and were hugging them, shouting at us.

“NO, Lord Greg!! Don’t hurt him!!” Shouted pup Chipper.

“Stop it, My Lord!! Please!!” Begged pup Craig.

Why? Trevor hurt pup Craig. Why pups say stop?

Pups scared… of us? Give me our voice!! Give me our voice NOW!!! I roared in our head. I felt the slight shift as I got control of our voice. We glared down at Trevor’s broken, bleeding beast and at our pups lying across the bloody body, shielding them from us, and understood.

“Trevor!!!” we shouted at them. “Shift to human and submit. Do it now or you die,” we growled.

We saw him struggle and fight the internal battle until he finally spoke, “You will not harm these pups!”

“Shift to human. We will not harm these pups,” we said.

When Trevor shifted to human, I snatched the pups out of his arms and set them on the ground behind me. Then, I turned and shouted, “Scott, Billy, Tommy, come feed Trevor, help him heal. Save him for the pups' sake,” I ordered. Then I turned to the other male and the female. “You, bitch, come help your mate! You too, whelp.”

With Trevor critically injured and his whelp and bitch tending to his wounds, it was safe for me to shift to vampire form. I sent Vega and Riva a message, mind-to-mind, telling them to join us immediately, and then I tried to send one to Josh. We were almost fifty miles from the farm, and I hadn’t tried sending anyone other than Scott and Billy a message over this long distance, but seconds later, I felt the connection.

‘Put Point State Park in your GPS, come alone and come now. No questions!’

‘Yes, My Lord’ was his instant reply.

I turned and knelt to face the pups, letting my fangs retract but keeping vampire form, and asked, “Why didn’t you want me to hurt Trevor? Craig was scared of Trevor. You said he would kill you, pup. I’m confused.”

I could sense and smell Craig’s fear, but he stayed strong and said, “I was scared, so I said he’d kill me, but I didn’t mean he’d kill me, just that he’d kill me.” He stopped, realizing that his words made no sense, then he tried again. “I was scared because Trevor and Johnny and Tanya was out turning tricks and when they’re out I gotta watch Chipper cause there’s two old guys that want his ass. One of them tried to take mine but Trevor beat the shit out of him so he don’t come around no more and—"

“Whoa there, pup, slow down. Breathe,” I laughed.

“Sorry, Lord Greg,” he muttered, not realizing he’d used Chipper’s convoluted title for me. “So anyway, they was out turning tricks and it’s my job to watch Chipper, ‘cept I got hungry, so I thought I’d try the church. Most Saturday nights, there’s a bunch of old human ladies that’ll hand out cookies, and I thought a cookie or two would help me and Chipper make it til Trevor got back and—"

“I get it, pup, so you were supposed to watch Chipper, and you went on a short trip. You figured you’d only be gone a few seconds, so it was safe, right?”

He nodded quickly, “Right, My Lord Greg. I figured I’d be quick, but then I met you, and your lady and your man gave me real good blood, too. I guess I fell asleep.”

“And when you woke up in the Denali you—”

“Dee what?”

I laughed, “My vehicle, the name of it is a Denali.”

“So I woke up in Dee Nally and I didn’t know where you was taking me and I was scared Trevor would come back and find Chipper all alone and then, when you was done with me and drop me off, Trevor would beat me. So that’s why I said he’d kill me. He wouldn’t kill me, but since he’s in charge and I did wrong, he’d beat me, right?”

“So you think that if you break the rules, the one in charge is going to beat you?” I asked, stunned to my core.

“Well yeah, that’s what mama’s fuckwad did. If she talked back, he’d beat her. If I complained or said I was hungry, he’d beat me.”

“Her what?”

“Her fuckwad. That’s what she called him when he wasn’t around, My Greg, she called him fuckwad. I figured that was her lovey name for him.”

I was already fighting a laugh from his naming my vehicle Dee Nally, but when he declared that his mother’s abusive boyfriend’s pet name was ‘fuckwad’, I lost it. Chipper and Craig stood over me as I fell on my side, laughing so hard I was glad I didn’t need to breathe. Scott and Billy came to check on me, and I couldn’t stop to talk, so I just waved them away, sending them both a mind-to-mind account of the entire conversation. Soon both of them were on the ground with me, laughing. Of course, two pre-pubescent pups couldn’t resist three older teens on the ground, and we were quickly engaged in a tickle battle, Chipper and me bare-assed naked.

Tommy stepped over, and his sharp “My Lord!” broke me out of my laughter.

I sat up with Chipper in my lap, still trying to tickle me. “Yes, Chief?”

“Your attacker will live, My Lord.” He reported. “I would restrain him but he has given his vow he will not resist, and honestly, he is still too weak to put up much of a fight.”

I looked at the pups and smiled. “Did you hear that? Trevor’s gonna live.”

They both jumped up and ran toward Trevor, but I called them back, “Boys, I still need to figure this out, and I need your help, okay?”

They both solemnly nodded, so I asked, “Has Trevor ever hit you? Either of you?”

They both shook their heads as Craig said, “No, Lord Greg, but since he’s in charge, he would, right?”

“How long have you lived with him, Craig?”

He thought for a minute, then asked, “It’s almost Halloween, right?” I nodded. “Well fuckwad killed mama and threw me out Easter morning, so that’s like six months, right?”

I looked at Scott and assumed the horror on his face matched mine. I struggled to say, “Yeah, buddy, almost six months exactly.” He smiled, proud of his ability to keep track of time in this environment. “And Trevor never hit you, in over six months, but you still thought he’d hit you? Have you broken his rules before?”

Craig looked down, ashamed. “I went beggin, like I did tonight, but I got twenty bucks from it.”

“An old lady at the church gave you twenty bucks?” Scott asked, shocked.

“Oh no, My… um… What’s your name?”

“I’m Scott. I’m Greg’s mate.”

“Oh no, Lord Scott. A guy gave me twenty bucks to lick his weiner in the alley.”

I pulled Craig tight to me to hide my tears. Scott just looked off into the night. Chipper put his arms around me and held me until I could talk. “And Trevor didn’t beat you for that?” I asked.

“No, sir,” Craig replied more slowly. I think he was beginning to see my point, but I had to ask.

“So you broke Trevor’s rules, probably more than a few times,” I said with a grin. His look of shame confirmed my accusation. “And in six months, he never beat you. Do you really think he would beat you now?”

Craig sighed and admitted, “I guess not, but I was scared that something was gonna happen to Chipper. I just had to get back!”

“I know, pup, but what do you think I would have done you if you had just said, ‘Greg, my friend is really young and all alone. We gotta go back and make sure he’s ok.’”

“Prolly come back, like we did, cept you wouldn’t have fought Trevor,” Craig said, thoroughly heartbroken as he realized his actions may have caused our fight.

I pulled his chin up so he could look me in the eyes and said, “We don’t know if Trevor and I would have fought or not. Maybe, when he saw me with you pups, he might have challenged me anyway. Don’t you worry about our fight; Trevor’s gonna be fine.” As if to prove my point, Trevor came limping over, dropped to his knees, and bowed his head.

“I owe you my life, My Lord. How may I serve you?” he said in a strong, clear voice.

“Hold your head high, Trevor. You fought a brave fight, facing a stronger opponent, defending these pups. You should be proud. I know my beast and I are both proud of you.”

He raised his head and stared at me in disbelief. “I am… I am honored, My Lord. What will you do with us now?”

“For now, why don’t you call the rest of your pack over and introduce them to me,” I said, intentionally using that term.

He shouted for the others, then looked at me. “Funny you should call them that, My Lord. We joke about being an old-school pack, looking out for each other.”

I nodded. “The word choice wasn’t a mistake, Trevor. You’re an Alpha, even if you’ve never phased. I’m sure the fates are watching you.”

The other male and the female walked up, their heads hanging, and Trevor introduced me to Johnny, who was almost nine, and Tanya, who was almost eight. Trevor had just turned seven, and he told me that Craig would be four in December and Chipper would be seventeen months tomorrow. When I asked how Chipper had joined their pack and how they knew his age so accurately, Trevor asked if he could tell me later. I nodded, then decided to let them know their fates.

“I’ll address you first, Johnny, as you are an adult vampire. Unless anyone observed something I missed, I didn’t see Johnny break any vampire laws,” I paused, waiting for anyone to speak. When no one did, I was about to let him go free when he spoke.

“My Lord, while living on the streets, I have enthralled humans, fed from them, and sent them on their way.”

My party looked shocked, but I had expected this to be the case. I was shocked the idiot admitted it, but I had a plan. I looked around at the others, and from the way they were hanging their heads, Trevor and Tanya were also guilty. Craig, while probably too young to drop his fangs, had fed from the older ones when he knew they were freshly fed from an illegal victim. Chipper was too young to completely understand, so he was innocent as far as I was concerned.

I stood and said, “From your statement, I find cause to detain you.” I looked at Trevor and Tanya. “Your actions give me cause to detain you while we conduct an investigation. As an unseated baron, I will have my marshals transport you to my home for the night, and we will meet in the morning to determine your fate.”

They all quietly said, “Yes, My Lord.”

“As my home is not built as a fortress, it is likely that the sunrise will find you have escaped. If that is the case, as I am not the local baron, it is not my duty to put forth the effort to find you. Would you agree, Lord Steward? Chasing escaped criminals doesn’t fall under my jurisdiction?” Every head snapped up to stare at me.

Billy shook his head. “It does not, My Lord. I would advise against such a search, as it may insult the local Baron.” They turned to Billy.

They turned back to me when I said, “When the sun rises, as I have suffered a terrible injury in a fight, I wonder if I will be able to remember any statement that was uttered in my presence. Would you agree, Chief Marshal?” Like an audience at a tennis match, every head swiveled to Tommy.

“I would say your injuries are dire, My Lord. Anything you imagine happened tonight is just the stuff of dreams. Do any of my marshals disagree?” None spoke.

“Then, logically, anyone I find in my home after sunrise must be an honored and invited guest, wouldn’t you agree, Baron Consort?” I asked, looking at Scott.

“Not only that, My Lord, but it would bring shame upon us if we didn’t do everything in our power to help them through whatever ill fortune has come their way in recent times,” Scott said, fighting back a grin.

“Then it’s settled. When Lord Joshua arrives, you will arrange our prisoners with proper guard so we may transport them. I will have the one that injured me and the pups in my vehicle, Chief Marshal.”

“As you wish, My Lord.”

On cue, I heard Josh run across the ramp traffic and saw him leap over the barrier, land on his feet, and then flop face-first into the dirt. I shook my head and said, “Smooth entrance. That’ll impress the girls.”

Due to his less-than-graceful entrance, every eye was on Josh as he approached our gathering. I saw his eyes scan the group, and then they locked on a point a few feet to my left, just above my waist. When I looked that way, all I saw was Craig. I thought that was odd, but maybe Craig looked like someone Josh knew. Then I focused on Craig and realized that he was staring back at Josh with that same laser intensity. Something was weird but now wasn’t the time.

Tommy and Billy gave Josh a very short version of the evening's events as they led everyone across the ramp and to our vehicles. I asked Josh to take Craig’s hand as they crossed the ramp, and I followed, carrying Chipper with a blanket draped over both of us. He had no clothes, and I had ruined my suit when I shifted to fight Trevor. When I got to the Denali, Craig was arguing with Tommy.

“But I don’t wanna ride in Dee Nally, Lord Tommy, I wanna ride with My Josh,” Craig shouted.

Trevor, Scott, and Billy were already in, so I put Chipper in, and he climbed into Trevor’s lap to watch Craig’s tantrum. I turned to the boy and frowned.

“You don’t want to ride with me and Trevor?” I asked, faking a pout.

“I can ride with you sometime, Lord Greg, but I gotta ride with My Josh, please?”

I looked at Josh and realized he was almost pleading with me to say yes. I put my arms around Craig and said, “You get in the back seat of Lord Josh’s truck and buckle your seatbelt while me and Lord Josh have a little talk, ok pup?”

“Okay, My Lord, and thank you. I’m sorry I yelled at Lord Tommy. I really am. Maybe I got grumpy when I fed from him.”

I laughed and said, “It’s okay, pup. He makes me grumpy sometimes too,” I winked at him, “and I’ve never fed from him.”

I pulled Josh around behind the Denali, and as my suspicions grew, so did my anger. I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. “Explain yourself before I read things wrong and execute one of my brothers.”

He tried to speak, but I was crushing his windpipe. I relaxed my hand just a bit, and when he finished coughing, he said, “I don’t look at him like that, Greg. I swear on my life. I don’t understand it, but the only way I can explain it is how you and Scott talk about the fated mate pull. Our eyes met, and that was it. I had to be near him, had to protect him, had to do anything to make him happy. You can feed from me daily and execute me if I touch him in that way at all, but I can’t help how I feel.”

“You have two prisoners and a marshal with you, so I know nothing will happen between here and home. We will find an explanation for this, and if it is what you think, you will…” I stared into the eyes of one of my oldest friends and realized what I was accusing him of. My hand relaxed, and he dropped a few inches to the ground. “I’m sorry, Josh. I know you’d never—”

Suddenly, Josh’s hand was around my throat, holding me off the ground like I had held him. “Don’t you ever dismiss someone just because you think you know them, Greg. Think of that asshole at school. I’m not offended at all that you’re worried about Craig’s safety. I’m thrilled that you care that much about him. Like I said, I can’t explain my feelings for the boy, but they are not sexual in any way. If they ever start to drift that way, I will come to you and ask you to make me a eunuch; I swear this on my life. But like I just said, if you ever fail to suspect one of us simply because we’re your brothers, I will kill you myself, am I clear? My Lord?”