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  Adrian took several steps, propelled forward before he could stop. His own will sharply pushed against the constraining weight that bore down in his head. It helped him stop even as he fought the urge to go to Nikolai. His words were a barely audible, but clearly understood, “Ah, hell no."

  When Nikolai snarled at him, the heat became relentless. Commands lashed through Adrian's head like a barrage of whip blows.

  He gritted his teeth and forced himself to take a step back, saying in an insolent tone, “Fuck you."

  Straining with effort just to hold his ground, sweat broke out on Adrian's forehead. His rider, just as frantic, tried to keep above the pounding influence.

  "You lost, Nikolai.” Gabriel's quiet voice broke the silence surrounding them as Adrian struggled with the effects of Nikolai's attack. The immediate easing of the pain allowed Adrian to take a deep breath. Gabriel moved in behind him, drawing Adrian back against him.

  Adrian's body rested against Gabriel, trembling. Pressing a soft kiss beneath his ear, Gabriel whispered, “Everything is fine, Adrian."

  Nikolai watched them like a hawk, clearly severely displeased. Xander stood beside Gabriel, looking on with a neutrally blank expression. Wolf, Skylar, and Indy were giving Adrian approving thumbs up. To them, he was good in a show of strength for their Father. Marcus had a tightened grip on his baseball bat, a silent witness to the unfolding events.

  "He's mine, Nikolai. You couldn't control him. That was the agreement."

  "Agreement?” Adrian's old self reasserted itself, and he probably looked as disagreeable as Nikolai was being. “What agreement?"

  "I demanded you as a gift. But I agreed to Gabriel's condition, that I would have to control you first.” From the way Nikolai spat the words out, Adrian easily figured Nikolai had thought he'd have no problem controlling a little ghoul. Adrian knew about the vampire gift giving system, but he'd never expected to be a part of it. He'd bet a thousand Gabriel looked like the proverbial cat with a canary.

  Nikolai nodded to Gabriel, a faint sneer on his lips. “You won, Gabriel. He's yours."

  "Try anything else funny, and I'll nail you, Nikolai.” Adrian wasn't kidding. He knew this guy could probably hurt him, but he was too pissed to care.

  "He threatens me. How intriguing. Do you not find it so, Claire?"

  Claire moved to Nikolai and slipped her arm in his, watching with just about as much ominous interest. The creepy-crawly feeling returned to Adrian's skin as both of them stared at him long enough to become unnerving. Adrian wasn't about to back down. He wanted to run like hell, but he stayed in place. Claire leaned toward Nikolai, whispering in his ear.

  "I will pay you for him, Gabriel. Name your price.” Nikolai appeared businesslike, perfectly serious. Nobody around them blinked an eye, except for Sylvia and Adrian. Sylvia appeared distinctly shocked.

  He's got to be kidding, right?

  "He's not for sale, Nikolai.” The inflection of steel in Gabriel's voice indicated he would accept no argument on the matter.

  "Damn right, I'm not.” This vampire evidently didn't get out often enough to know it was now illegal to buy people.

  Nikolai graciously dropped the subject as he inclined his head.

  Another vampire came forward, bowing to Gabriel. “Greetings, Your Eminence. Charles Remington, Mutati of the second formula, 422."

  He acknowledged Nikolai with another bow. “Your Excellency."

  As Charles turned to Adrian, he inclined his head slightly.

  Now, this guy reminded Adrian of a weasel with his long, thin face and deep set eyes. Adrian remained standing beside Gabriel, trying to size up the rest of their oh-so-friendly group of visitors.

  "Greetings, Charles. What brings you to my territory?” Stepping from behind Adrian, Gabriel reached for his hand, drawing Adrian to his side. Adrian let Gabriel lead as he watched Nikolai suspiciously. Xander took up position slightly behind Adrian, shoulder touching his. Skye, Wolf, Indy, and Marcus took their places on the other side of Gabriel. Sliding his arm back around Adrian's waist, Gabriel listened quietly to Remington, his expression betraying nothing of his inner thoughts.

  "His Excellency requested that Robert Niles and I join him while he toured the territories.” Charles’ voice might have been politely formal, but the disturbing fascination in his eyes had Adrian glaring at him with a cold disdain. Gabriel's arm around his waist tightened slightly as he nodded to Charles. Adrian started to feel like the choice tidbit at a buffet.

  Gabriel greeted the only one who seemed immune to staring at Adrian like a ham bone. “It's good to see you here, Fernando."

  After shaking hands, they both turned their attention to Adrian, and Gabriel introduced them. “Adrian, this is Fernando Alvarez, Prince of Sacramento."

  A quiet, friendly smile accompanied Fernando's handshake. Fernando gave Adrian's fingers a gentle squeeze before releasing them. “A pleasure to finally meet you, Adrian. Gabriel has told me about you a few times."

  Adrian's smile echoed his. “Nice to meet you, too."

  If someone was politely nice to him, he could return the favor. For a moment, Alvarez amazed him. He had to be the only vampire Adrian had ever seen who allowed his age to show. Distinctive white strands shot through the coal black hair, and there were lines on his face that hinted at a physical age of near fifty. Obviously, from his position, Fernando was a great deal older than that, though. His looks gave him the appearance of a rather fatherly figure.

  Xander, Indy and Wolf relaxed through the introduction, until another man stepped forward.

  "Greetings, Your Eminence. Robert Niles, Proeliatores of the second formula, 782,” he spoke, bowing slightly to them.

  Tension thickened the air like a rubber band about to snap. No wonder, with a first formula vampire and God knew how many second formulas in the same room. Adrian kept his hand lowered near his gun. As everyone talked quietly, Adrian's hand never moved. The flash from a nearby camera intermittently disturbed his eyesight, but Adrian didn't pay much attention to the reporter. He was too busy keeping his eyes on the others. For once, it wasn't Gabriel who had him suspicious and wary. Now, that was a first.

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  Chapter 11

  A week off, with no Charlie, Gabriel, Xander or anybody else. Adrian was in heaven. Occasionally a ghost might wander his way, but he doubted it. Nothing to do but eat, sleep, and be merry. His idea of merry was a book, so he'd be reading a lot.

  His first night out, Adrian enjoyed a stroll through the woods and lost himself in admiring Mother Nature. He couldn't have been more than a quarter of a mile away from his cabin when he caught the odor of blood. His ghoul senses were better than a normal person's, but not as good as a vampire's. Still, Adrian got the scent and followed the trail. He stopped abruptly at the sight of an injured tiger, lying on its side. A tiger? Here?

  The sight left Adrian gaping over the fact that an injured tiger lay in front of him. Its body seem to blur, paws becoming hands and feet, and then lengthening to arms and legs. The features became distinct, a human male, and the rest of his body followed, changing his entire form. Fascinated, Adrian watched him shift. The popping noises were unnerving, and it sounded painful. Adrian remained motionless, his eyes quickly scanning the area. No scent or sound of anyone else reached him, and Adrian stepped warily around the were creature.

  Gabriel had told him, several times, to stay away from weres. But what was he supposed to do when one found him? He had one in front of him and didn't know what to do with it. The creature was obviously alive, even if his upper body looked like mangled hamburger. Okay, Adrian had a naked were tiger on his hands, and the poor guy looked like he'd been in one hell of a fight.

  As he moved closer, Adrian could see bruises and abrasions covering a good portion of the were's face. He knew the were would heal on his own, even looking this bad, although he could also possibly die of exposure before he healed.

  Adrian already knew what Gabriel would s
ay. But to him, a life was a life, no matter whose it was. He had an awkward time picking the were up, but his ghoul strength kicked in. Adrian could use some of his abilities without draining Gabriel's blood too badly out of his system. Otherwise, he would never have been able to handle that kind of weight. He wasn't far from the cabin, but it sure as hell seemed longer getting back.

  His arms ached with the effort of holding the creature, and Adrian laid him down on the couch thankfully. He filled a basin with water and grabbed a washcloth from the kitchen. Though he wasn't much of a nurse, he did the best he could to clean the man off. With the worst of the blood washed off, Adrian could better assess the damage. Thank heavens he had a first aid kit. Brushing back the golden hair, he covered the wounds with ointment before bandaging the were up.

  As he couldn't find anything broken, and the were would heal all right on his own, no doctor would be needed. The were's breathing sounded somewhat labored, but he was breathing. Breathing was good. From some of the signs, Adrian gauged there was some internal bleeding. He knew a were could heal naturally without medical aid, though. The aura of energy around this guy shone like a beacon visible only to Adrian's eye. His frame, while lean in build, looked muscularly developed. Adrian could sense a strength about the were, something he couldn't miss. When he finished, Adrian picked the were up again to take him into the spare bedroom and tucked him safely in. The were never moved once.

  * * * *

  The next morning, Adrian stood in the kitchen, fixing breakfast. He had already eaten some toast with juice and now worked on his guest's food. After frying some eggs and potatoes, he added a side of toast.

  Adrian entered the bedroom to see if the were had awakened and saw he definitely had. The guy stared up at the ceiling, the tension in his face showing his fear. Blue eyes, startling in intensity, fastened on Adrian as he moved into the room.

  "You're looking better than you did last night.” Heading toward the bed, Adrian set the glass of orange juice on the nightstand. Moving the chair closer to the bed, he sat on it.

  "Ghoul.” The were growled the word, as if it was the most loathsome thing that crawled on the earth. His body struggled, twisting to try to get up.

  Who was Adrian to disagree? He still remembered thinking pretty much the same thing. “Yeah, and you're a were. So what's your point?"

  The were stared at Adrian, like he was waiting to be jumped at any time.

  "I've got some food here for you. You eat, don't you?” Adrian calmly lifted the plate higher to show the were. “Are you hungry?"

  The were suspiciously eyed the plate. He looked like he thought Adrian had poisoned the food.

  "Not hungry? Oh well, why waste good food.” Adrian took a bite, just to show it wasn't poisoned.

  "You're trying to help me. Why?"

  "I found you on one of the trails behind my cabin and brought you here. Now, I'm trying to feed you. Who beat you up, anyway?"

  Ignoring the question, the were reiterated his opinion. “You're a ghoul."

  Adrian could tell the were still felt very weak. Otherwise, he probably would have tried to tear Adrian to pieces by now. The wounds, visible above the sheet, were already closed. But the damage had been bad enough to keep the were helpless, just from trying to heal.

  "You're a were. Again, what's your point?” He speared a few pieces of the potatoes and offered it to the were. “Open up, here comes the choo choo."

  The suspicious look on the were's face became total shock before he started laughing. Wincing, no doubt in pain, the were stopped laughing. “Oh shit, that hurts."

  "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you hurt. I'm just trying to get you to eat. You need your strength back to get better."

  "Ghouls don't help weres. So why would you?"

  "A life is a life to me; it's simple. You could have died out there, before you healed. So here you are.” Adrian offered the guy the plate again.

  The were looked like Adrian's words had confused him all to hell.

  "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. Now, will you eat?"

  Adrian received a full five-second stare from the were before he nodded slightly. He moved enough to sit up, leaning his back against the headboard. Pain etched lines in his face with each small movement he made.

  "Do you want me to feed you, or try yourself?"

  The were reached for the plate, and Adrian let him have it before settling back in the chair. He prayed the guy wouldn't be aggressive when he got better. A vamp could take on a were, and maybe win. A ghoul's odds were way iffy. And Adrian might find out how iffy when the were fully healed.

  "My name's Adrian. What's yours?"

  "Kyle. I know I should say thank you, but it's kind of hard. You're a—"

  Adrian interrupted him, “A ghoul, I know. I used to think just as badly about them, until I became one."

  "I thought all ghouls wanted to be ghouls."

  "That's probably true for most of them, just not in my case. After it was done, I decided it beat the alternative. I didn't want to be dead. So what happened to you out there?"

  In between bites of food, Kyle explained in a completely matter of fact manner, “Tribe dispute. I am the weakest because I'm young, so they left me out there to die."

  "Nice tribe."

  "It's the way things are."

  "Where's your home, Kyle? I'm not sure you're ready to travel yet, but once you're better, I can give you a lift."

  "I don't have one, not anymore.” Kyle sounded very prosaic about the whole thing.

  The words stunned Adrian, and it must have shown.

  Blinking, Kyle eyed him. “What?"

  "I'm just surprised. Do you have any money, any place to go?"

  "No.” Kyle continued eating, not appearing to be concerned at all.

  It was a simple, short answer. Most people would have been devastated saying it, but Kyle seemed calmly accepting.

  Why do I feel a headache coming on? If he lived, Adrian would probably have a were tiger permanently on his hands. He already knew that, now he just had to accept it.

  * * * *

  Adrian went to the small town nearby to add to the grocery stores. Kyle also needed some clothes. A few days of having to stay in bed made the patient antsy. After three days, Kyle healed enough to get up. Thankfully, he had gotten over his initial hostility toward Adrian.

  The books Adrian had brought along for his retreat received a great deal of interest from Kyle. Adrian hadn't expected that. Or the fact that they were getting into the habit of talking over whatever subject they had read about. Nights would find them curled up on the couch, arguing over whether or not the Gaia theory was valid. Kyle had a firm belief in that, but Adrian enjoyed playing devil's advocate. Even the subject of black holes earned a thorough discussion, one that lasted at least two hours. During the day, Kyle took him through the woods, teaching Adrian the things he knew and enjoyed.

  Adrian had gotten pretty comfortable around Kyle, after he'd gotten used to Kyle behaving much like a cat. Kyle had a thing for physical contact that wasn't at all sexual in nature. Which Adrian figured he could live with. He had enough of the sexual interest problem. Adrian had also found out a bit more about tribe life and its attendant brutality. After a few tales of pack discipline, he felt doubly determined to take Kyle home with him. He just hoped city life wouldn't be too hard of an adjustment for Kyle.

  No matter how hard Adrian tried not to let them, his thoughts continually drifted back to Gabriel and Xander. Most of the anger he'd felt had already faded. For some odd reason, he actually missed them. During the whole week, neither of them was far from his mind. His thoughts dwelled on the ghouling, and his reaction to Xander. Space away from the situation made Adrian view things more realistically.

  He realized none of it was Xander's fault, and Adrian had behaved very badly over it. Adrian knew Xander wasn't dating him to spy on him for Gabriel. As far as Gabriel was concerned, any anger over his part in everything had already left Adrian as wel
l. It couldn't be changed, and now he had to adjust to what had been done. When Adrian got back, he would see them both. He had to attend another of those damned meetings. Apparently, he was on the entertainment committee for Nikolai and his bunch. Adrian also had to be fed. Somehow, the notion of drinking Gabriel's blood didn't make him as queasy as he thought it should.

  The last night of the vacation, Adrian and Kyle went hiking along one of the trails. Over the last few days, Adrian had gotten to know Kyle's expressions pretty well. The were wasn't one to hide his thoughts. The side-glances coming Adrian's way were a bit worried.

  "What's wrong, Kyle?"

  "Everything I had to ID me was destroyed. It'll be hard to get a job or prove who I am without any. You so sure you want me tagging along with you?"

  Adrian could easily ask for Yar's help on that problem, and he had already phoned him to email what he had on weres. “It's not a big problem, really. I know a few people who can get what's needed."

  "You still sure you want me around, though, Adrian?"

  "I told you, I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to, Kyle.” As Kyle preferred the reassurance of touch more than words, Adrian reached over for his hand, squeezing it lightly.

  "It just seems an awful lot to take on. And I'm not even sure what your master will think."

  Adrian shot him an ‘excuse me’ look. “Gabriel isn't my master, and can we not use that word again?"

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

  Yes, he could be on the touchy side about that subject, and he knew it. Kyle just didn't understand. He saw it from his perspective of what he knew about vampires. “Don't worry about it, Kyle."

  "How'd that happen anyway? I mean, you being ghouled."

  "My own stupidity, I think.” Adrian had thought a few times about the first night he'd run into Gabriel. Maybe, if he'd just had a few minutes’ conversation with the guy, Gabriel would have gone away. Adrian's actions had certainly had the opposite effect to what he'd intended. “Unfortunately, I was noticed when I wasn't trying to be. Blood was snuck into my tomato juice one night, and wham, I'm a ghoul."