When Worlds Collide Ch. 08

Demetri bypassed the main entrance to the closed nightclub and headed down the back alleyway until he came to a locked door with an electronic keypad for a lock. He didn't touch the keys with his hand, instead he mentally depressed each number in sequence using his mental skills. Anyone foolish enough to touch the keypad received a rather nasty electric shock, not enough to kill a human but enough to dissuade them from ever trying to touch it again.

The lock disengaged and he swung the door open, stepping into the private area of the nightclub. He sauntered casually along the long corridor until he came to the office. He smiled as he entered, feeling a little like he was coming home. It had been a while since he'd visited. He hadn't been there since Mara had come into his life.

The twins were in the office as he expected them to be, well, he'd been certain Andrei would be there but Alexei may have been away on an assignment for The Council. Since Caleb and himself had stopped taking jobs from The Council, Alexei had been in vast demand as being the next best enforcer to get things done. He knew his friend was not unhappy about it either. He liked the work and went about it with a ruthless efficiency. Demetri couldn't ever imagine Alexei taking on an assignment and falling in love with his human mark the way he had. Still, if someone had told him he would do that exact same thing he would have booked them into the closest insane asylum. Maybe he shouldn't be so quick to write his friend off.

The two vampires looked up when he entered and both smiled with pleasure at seeing him. They were fraternal twins rather than identical ones but it was plain to see that they were brothers. They had the same aristocratic, beautiful, strong features, the same deep brown eyes, but Alexei's hair was golden blond whereas Andrei's was light brown.

They were big men, tall and powerfully built, all muscle and not a inch of fat anywhere to be seen. When they moved it was with an almost feline grace which seemed at odds with their powerful physiques. Demetri returned their smiles with a warm one of his own. He had truly missed them and it felt good to be in their company again.

"You two have anything on at the moment?" he asked pulling up a leather chair and sitting beside Alexei. His friend was sitting in a matching chair facing his brother who was behind the desk littered with papers. They had obviously been going through work to do with the club. Andrei owned and ran it with the odd contribution from Alexei from time to time. Whether Alexei had put any of his personal funds into the place Demetri didn't know, but Andrei always listened to whatever his twin had to say, whether or not he actually implemented any of the suggestions. Most of Alexei's time was spent on assignments for The Council.

"What's the job?" Alexei asked with little preamble, his brown eyes lighting up slightly with interest. Demetri hadn't asked for their help in a long time, not since the Janick job, and that had been a lot of fun. He was curious to know who had pissed his friend off so much this time that he was coming to them for some help.

"Richard Graves," Demetri answered, watching their faces closely. They both started in surprise, their eyes going wide. They knew who Graves was of course. They also knew he had run with Graves and his cronies for a while too, that they had been friends once.

Andrei frowned slightly and pursed his lips with a shrewd look in his eyes. "Jesus Demetri, you don't half make life difficult for yourself," he sighed softly shaking his head. "I thought you liked Graves."

"I did," Demetri drawled quietly with a smile. "But I like my other friends even more and he's fucking with them at the moment. I've had a word with him about it but he's not going to pay any heed to my warning. So, is Graves too big a fish for you two to tangle with?"

Alexei snorted at the question. "Whatever you need, Demetri," he answered quickly. He didn't care who he was up against. If his friend wanted his help then he would help him.

Andrei was slightly more cautious though and had good reason to be. He had a secret, one he couldn't even tell his brother about yet. He needed to be sure that what he was agreeing to wouldn't impact on his secret. He met Demetri's eyes unwaveringly. "Details first," he said drolly.

Demetri wasn't put out by Andrei's reaction. He always was the more cautious of the two brothers and he'd expected some questions about the job. He steepled his fingers and tapped his lips lightly before smiling again. "You know Caleb Sired his woman?" he began. When they nodded he continued. "Well, Annie's brother is part of The Hanlon pack. His mate Lacey used to be Graves' woman. He's coming to take her back and he's willing to destroy the pack to get her."

"So what does that have to do with you?" Alexei asked coldly, feeling some of his interest starting to wane. He couldn't stand Weres of any variety and knew his friend wasn't particularly fond of them either. So his getting involved was a bit of a mystery.

"I've adopted Annie," Demetri sighed softly. "She's family now. She's insisting on being involved because of her brother therefore Caleb is involved by default. Which makes it doubly my issue now."

"Caleb shouldn't let his youngling lead him around by the balls," Alexei growled in disgust. "He should teach her properly so she knows her place in the scheme of things. If he doesn't have the stomach for it I'd be happy to lend a hand."

Demetri's stiffened so quickly Andrei shot him a worried look. The air in the room seemed to drop a few degrees as the friendly smile slipped from his face and his lips tightened. His head slowly turned to the left and he pierced Alexei with a cold, hard gaze. "That will be the one and only time you speak of Annie like that, Alexei," he said in a soft, dangerous tone. "You seem to have misheard me when I said Annie was family now. Any pain she feels is a pain done to me. Are we clear on that?"

Alexei met his gaze with his own hard eyes, his displeasure clear to see as his nostril flared slightly. They locked eyes for several tense seconds causing Andrei to shift uncomfortably as he watched them. Alexei finally nodded and looked away, still clearly unhappy but not willing to press the issue any further.

Demetri relaxed as suddenly as he'd tensed and smiled again. "Believe me, if you think I'm hard on the subject you truly don't want to push Caleb on it, Alexei," he sighed. "I'm giving you fair warning if you chose to get involved. Either ignore Annie completely or treat her with respect. I'll be hard pushed to convince Caleb to let you live if you even think of fucking with her. He's pathological about his woman."

Alexei snorted in disgust but nodded his head again, letting his friend know that his message was received. He was already regretting saying he would help Demetri. It was on the tip of his tongue to retract his offer. Weres and younglings at the same time? It was enough to turn his stomach thinking about having to help them.

"So, Graves is coming for his woman and he's willing to take down the Hanlon pack," Andrei summed up. "How much involvement are you taking in it, Demetri?" He was relieved to be able to change the subject. His friend was lethal when enraged and he didn't know if he would be able to stop him killing Alexei if his brother truly enraged him.

Demetri stretched out his legs and folded his hands over his stomach. "Graves has been warned off Caleb, Mara and Annie. For agreeing to stay away from them I have agreed not to personally kill him. Everyone else is fair game. We stand with the Weres, so there will be no accidental killing of any Were. Annie is to be protected at all costs. Mara is safely out of the city at the moment so there is no concerns about her safety. Caleb can take care of himself when the shit hits the fan. Your primary task will be to assist with taking down Graves' lackeys but to be vigilant about any threats to Annie too. Should anything happen to me or Caleb, get Annie out of there and somewhere safe."

Alexei rose abruptly and paced around the room, his displeasure more than evident. "You want us to babysit a woman, a bloody youngling?" he growled.

"I'm telling you what's required, Alexei," Demetri said coolly, a burst of cold hard anger giving his voice an edge to it. He really didn't have time for Alexei's shit. "You don't have to accept. No one is twisting your arm behind your back. If you want to help then help. If your delicate sensibilities can't handle the nature of the job then say so and I'll find someone else to assist me. Just stop bloody whining about it."

"Alexei," Andrei said quietly feeling the tension in the room ratcheting up again and trying to contain it swiftly. "Demetri is right. If you can't stomach the job then decline it. Demetri will not think any less of you if you do."

Demetri turned his eyes to Andrei and gave him a nod, letting him know that he would hold his temper and not cause any physical harm to his brother. He really didn't want to hurt Alexei. He just needed to know if they would help in the coming war. If they wouldn't then he had to visit others. He needed to know now how they stood.

Alexei stopped pacing and looked at his brother. "What is your decision?" he asked quietly, releasing some of the tension in his body and moving to sit back down.

Andrei grinned widely and his eyes twinkled slightly. "You know me, brother. Always one for a good fight. I can cope with the dogs and all the other stuff. Pitting my skills against Graves is worth all of that. As Demetri has agreed not to kill Graves, perhaps you and I could have a friendly wager on which one of us will take him down?" He deliberately couched his answer to appeal to his brother's competitive side. He knew Alexei would agree to help Demetri. Giving him something to take his mind off the things which were irritating him would make his agreement come quicker.

Alexei laughed softly, shaking his head at his brother. "You sit behind a desk all day, Andrei. It would be unfair of me to take that wager," he smiled. "But I will take it and I will win." He turned to face Demetri. "We are in and I will contain myself so you and Caleb will have no need to try and remove my head from my shoulders."

Demetri laughed, rising smoothly and giving his friends a warm embrace. "I'm sure you'll do your best, Alexei," he said as he hugged him. He knew he was asking a lot of his friend but he knew his friend could cope with it despite his displeasure at having to do so.

"I mean it about Caleb," he added with a slight frown as he stepped back from the blond vampire. "Don't test him, Alexei. Please."

It was the genuine plea in Demetri's voice which convinced Alexei to be especially careful around Caleb's youngling. His friend truly was concerned for his safety so he would be wise to pay close attention to his words. He sighed and nodded once more, resignation on his beautiful face. "I hear you," he answered quietly and saw Demetri fully relax.

"I need you both to come over to my house tonight so we can discuss tactics," Demetri said. "I'll have Caleb and Annie come too and maybe Jared and Rafe from the pack, though I may just have Caleb liaise with them. The less contact you two have to have with the pack would probably be more prudent."

Andrei laughed and nodded his agreement. "It would be kinder on Alexei if you kept the contact to the bare minimum with the dogs, my friend," he chuckled.

Demetri left shortly after arranging a time for them to meet up. He had a spring in his step as he left the nightclub, happy to have the twins onboard. When he had promised little Annie he would be bringing friends she most definitely wouldn't approve of, he hadn't lied. He hoped he had done enough to rein Alexei in. It certainly appeared so but he was a very mercurial vampire, prone to change in a blink of an eye. Still, having them on their side was a crushing blow to Graves. The more off balance his former friend was the better chance they had of defeating him.

____

Rafe walked through the compound, Lacey's fingers threaded through his as he pulled her towards the edge of the buildings, looking for the secluded pathway to his favourite spot in the forest. He had been going to that spot for as long as he had been a Were and never once encountered anyone else while he was there. He was reasonably certain they wouldn't be interrupted.

He felt nervous and also excited at the same time. As usual when he was unsure about something, he had lapsed into his customary silence. It didn't seem to faze Lacey when he became too introspective. There was no awkwardness in the silence, no need to engage in small talk to break it. She simply held his hand and followed him wherever he chose to lead her. Her trust in him made him feel ten feet tall. He only hoped she would still feel the same once he had told her everything.

It didn't take long to reach the stream. It was a small babbling trickle of water surrounded by thick green grass and large leafy oak trees. The sound of birdsong rang in the air as he pulled Lacey into his own private little oasis and heard her gasp with pleasure.

"It's beautiful, Rafe," she sighed, her eyes shining as she looked around the little enclave.

"Yes, it is," he answered quietly, his eyes fixed on her rapt expression as his heart kicked up a beat. It was even more beautiful now his mate was here with him, sharing his private place. He smiled when Lacey's shining eyes met his and tugged her down to the thick grass with him.

"What is it, Rafe?" Lacey asked quietly. She was concerned about his silent brooding, wondering what it meant in relation to them. He had said he would tell her everything tomorrow but since he'd come back from training with his sister he had been behaving strangely. "Is something wrong with Annie?" she asked gently.

Rafe smiled softly and shook his head. "Annie's perfect," he said with an open expression of adoration on his face. "Sometimes I wonder which one of us is supposed to be taking care of the other after I've had a talk with Annie."

Lacey wanted to ask what they had discussed, if they had talked about her but she held her tongue. Rafe seemed to be trying to work out what he wanted to say and she didn't want to do anything that would force him back into silence again.

"I was eighteen when my parents died in a car accident," he began haltingly. "Annie was only three, still a baby. I don't think she even remembers our parents she was so young when they died. I guess I became everything to her after that. I know she became everything to me. I don't think there was any fixed point when I started to love her like my own child. It just kind of happened naturally." He looked deeply into Lacey eyes. "I need you to know how important she is to me, Lacey. So you can understand what came later on. Annie may be my sister by blood but she is the child of my heart and always will be."

Lacey nodded and gave him a warm, reassuring smile. She had seen instantly the strong bond between the siblings. Now she could truly understand it. Annie was effectively Rafe's daughter. He had adopted her as his child when he was barely an adult himself. That selfless act was enough to tell her that she had made the right decision allowing this beautiful, gentle man into her life.

"I think Annie was about seven or eight the first time she brought Millie home from school," Rafe continued with a fond smile on his face. "It didn't take me long to see that Mills was missing out on the most important thing in her young life, the love of a parent. Her parents were alcoholics. They fed her, clothed her and sent her off to school but they never held her close, never listened to her childish little stories, never told her how much they loved her. I couldn't leave her living like that. I couldn't take her away from her parents but she spent so much time at ours that soon she was another little sister I had to take care of. It took a while but eventually she began to soak up all the love and affection both Annie and I lavished on her. She thrived under it and has turned out to be an amazing young woman, someone I love as if she were my own blood."

He stopped talking again and stared across towards the stream, listening to the birdsong for a moment, feeling Lacey shift closer to him and lean her head against his arm. She didn't speak but the comfort that simple touch gave him was more than he needed to continue.

"Last year I was away on a camping trip," he said quietly. "The girls had their own place and jobs. They didn't need me to take care of them the way I had for most of my life. Going camping with some friends was the first time away from them I'd had. I was excited about it but still wary of being away from them. The first night we camped I went for a bathroom break in the middle of the night. I was attacked by what I thought was a wild animal." He shivered slightly at the memory and felt Lacey press closer to him.

"I woke up three weeks later and found myself in a white padded room. I was naked and confused. I couldn't remember what had happened to me or how I came to be there. Jared came into the room. He told me what had happened, that I had been attacked by a rogue Were, one of our kind who had gone insane. I was the fifth person to be attacked and the first to survive it. You see, Lacey, choosing to be a Were is crucial. Having it forced on you, being a forced turning usually sends the human into madness."

He turned back to look at her, saw her eyes bright with unshed tears as she watched him with such love and compassion on her beautiful face. A tear slipped free and he wiped it away gently leaning down to brush his lips lightly against hers in a fleeting kiss. "Now you understand why I won't turn you until I'm totally sure it's what you want, Lacey," he sighed softly. "I will take no risks where you're concerned, baby."

Lacey opened her mouth to tell him that there would be no risk but he pressed a finger lightly to her lips, giving her another smile, a deep sadness in his eyes which made her heart ache.

"I survived, Lacey, because I had something to live for," he said quietly. "I had Annie to look after, Annie and Millie, my two girls. The pack was different back then though. They were closed off to the point of xenophobia. Jared took my reasons for living away from me when he told me I could never see Annie and Millie again, that they both thought I was dead. My heart broke, Lacey. I couldn't bear being apart from them. I couldn't bear knowing they were hurting so badly and I couldn't do anything to help them. The weight of the guilt I felt was crushing. I let Jared convince me it was for the best to stay away but deep down inside I hated what I had become, hated the wolf inside of me, hated myself for causing pain to the two most precious people in my life.

I knew Millie could cope with my supposed death. She was strong and resilient but I knew Annie would take it very badly and she did. I don't know how she would have coped if she hadn't met Caleb at the same time. It was as if fate had stepped in to save her soul by throwing her into the arms of Caleb. He kept her whole as she grieved over me. The worst part was the night the rogue Were was sighted. I joined the pack in wolf form that night. I felt a seething hatred inside me for what the rogue had cost me. I wanted to kill him for taking my Annie away from me. It turned out the rogue was killed by a car. Not just any car though. Caleb was driving it and Annie was with him."

Lacey swallowed hard as she listened to Rafe's tale, her heart breaking for the people involved in the story. It was so tragic, so full of pain and heartbreak. She couldn't begin to imagine the depths of the anguish Rafe and Annie had gone through during that time, Millie too. She wrapped her arms around Rafe's neck and climbed onto his lap, letting him hold her tightly as he struggled with his emotions.