Luther's Return (Scanguards Vampires Book 10)

Luther scoffed. “Listen, Wes, I like you. So why don’t you quit while you’re ahead?”


“Just like I thought.” Wes pivoted and walked to the fireplace, looking into the ashes. “She’s been alone for far too long. I worry about her sometimes. It’s not like she can date a normal guy. Her life revolves around her family and Scanguards. It’s not something you can easily bring an outsider into. She needs somebody who knows what this life is like. And as a witch without powers she needs protection.”

“Your sister is capable of taking care of herself.”

Even as he said it, Luther knew he wanted to be the one to protect her. But there were issues he couldn’t simply pretend to overlook. Katie deserved somebody who could fully commit to her, and given his past, he couldn’t make such a commitment. It would only end in heartache. And he didn’t want to hurt Katie like he’d hurt Vivian. He liked Katie. No, that wasn’t even the right word. He cared about her more than he thought was possible in such a short time. He wanted her to find happiness. But he didn’t believe that she could find it with him.

“So this is it then. You swoop into her life, break her heart, and then just disappear again,” Wes said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“I didn’t break her heart, Wesley.” Not yet, anyway, he added in his mind. But if he stayed, he would. Because then Katie would grow attached to him and he to her. Already now their physical connection was so strong Luther had a hard time imagining ever wanting to be with anybody else. If he let this go on, he would fall so deeply under her spell that he would never be able to extricate himself from it.

Wesley grunted.

Luther tossed him an annoyed look. “This conversation is over.”

Wesley didn’t reply. Instead he paced in front of the windows, brooding. Luther decided to change the subject, because the witch had gotten too close, whirled up too many thoughts Luther had tried to push back.

“Have you heard back from Samson and Haven yet on how long their vampire aura is staying cloaked?”

Wes looked back at him. “Blake called a little earlier. It lasted about forty-five minutes with Samson, and about forty with Haven. Since Haven is heavier than Samson, I’m thinking size is a factor. Roxanne weighs much less than both of them, so the spell might last even up to an hour. Won’t know for sure, and I don’t want to test it out on her until it’s time.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t have any data to tell me whether performing multiple spells within a short time frame might result in a loss of their effectiveness. I’d rather not test it out right now.”

“I’m surprised you have such powers at all,” Luther said, shoving a hand through his hair. “Katie told me your mother robbed you of all of your witch powers.”

Wes nodded tightly. “She did.”

And judging by the tone in Wesley’s voice, he was still bitter about it.

“But I worked hard at getting some of them back. I’ll never be as strong or as powerful as I was meant to be as one of the Power of Three, but I’ve harnessed a lot of the power my mother stole from me. I spent years learning, practicing.” He chuckled suddenly. “Some of the guys at Scanguards can tell you a few stories about my early tries. But I know my craft now. It gives me a purpose.”

“A purpose, yeah, don’t we all need that?” Luther mused. He’d had a purpose once. He’d worked for Scanguards, protected people, helped the innocent. It had made him feel good about himself. He needed something like this again, something to live for, and something to die for.

“It’s good to have direction in life,” Wes agreed. “When Haven was a vampire hunter, I was just drifting, always getting in trouble somewhere. He had to bail me out so many times I started wondering when he’d get sick of it and would let me rot. But he never gave up on me.”

“It’s good to see that you all stick together.” And it was good to know that Katie had two brothers she could rely on. Two men who cared about her and whose shoulders she could cry on if she needed to. Even as that thought went through his mind, Luther wanted to be that shoulder. Or better yet, he wanted that Katie would never have to cry again.

“You do care about her, don’t you?” Wesley suddenly asked.

Luther met Wesley’s intense gaze. “I wish I didn’t.” And if Wesley could see that, could Katie see it, too? Did she, too, suspect that his feelings for her ran deeper than just a casual physical relationship?





40


Pleased with her work, Katie led Roxanne down to the living room, where Luther and Wesley were waiting.

“Here she is,” she said and stretched her arms out like a presenter on a TV show introducing a special guest.

Roxanne stepped into the living room and turned on her own axis. “What do you think?”