Chapter Fifteen
"Time to get up, Caitlyn." Carlos knocked on her door early the next morning.
He heard a low moan. No doubt she didn't realize his sense of hearing was just as good as a Vamp's. Gregori must not be aware of that fact, either. Carlos had heard their conversation the night before as he'd descended the stairs, so he knew their date had been arranged. He also knew Gregori's alleged affection for her had been staged. But that didn't made it any easier to watch. Jealousy had surged inside him like an imprisoned wildcat snarling and slashing at the bars of his cage.
He'd had enough. He refused to play games with Gregori or anyone else who found his predicament entertaining. And he didn't want to endure any more from Caitlyn. Just being in her presence was painful. Her turquoise eyes, her luscious body, her intoxicating scent, her brave spirit, and her sassy attitude - it all added up to sheer torture. He'd never craved a woman like this before.
The only way to find relief and keep her safe was to leave. As soon as possible.
"Caitlyn, wake up." He knocked on her door again. This time he heard a muffled response. "Toni will be here soon."
"Okay!" she yelled.
He headed down the stairs, then paused on the landing to check the banister. Last night while Caitlyn was on her date, he'd gone to the nearest hardware store. Then he'd filled the gouges in the banister with wood putty. It had dried overnight, but needed to be sanded. With any luck, no one would ever know how much damage he'd caused.
"Something wrong?" Angus asked at the foot of the stairs.
Carlos straightened with a jerk. "No. You're back early." He noted the bottle of Bubbly Blood and two champagne flutes in Angus's hands. "Special occasion?"
"Aye. 'Tis the anniversary of Emma's first night as a vampire."
"Oh. Congratulations."
Angus snorted. "I wasna with her that night. I felt too guilty for what I had done to her."
Carlos swallowed hard. At least Emma had survived the transformation. He feared Caitlyn wouldn't. The guilt would be too much to bear.
As Angus climbed the stairs, his eyes glimmered with emotion. "I'll always be there for her now."
Carlos lowered his voice. "I need to talk to you about Caitlyn. I asked Toni to take over her training."
Angus paused on the landing, frowning. "We only asked for a week, and ye canna do it?"
"It's...complicated."
"Only if ye make it that way." Angus glanced up the stairwell. "I fought my attraction for Emma, but in the end I had to learn to trust the power of our love."
"The best thing I can do for Caitlyn is to stay far away from her."
Angus didn't look convinced. "Emma's waiting for me. Can we discuss this tonight?"
"All right. But first, I have to go to Dragon Nest Academy. Fernando will arrive this evening, and I need to take him there so he can be with the children."
Angus nodded. "That'll be fine. Emma and I need to go there, too, to check on security before we go to Russia. We'll talk tonight. Cheerio." He bounded up the stairs, his blue and green plaid kilt swishing around his knees.
Carlos sighed. If only he could find a were-panther mate that inspired the sort of devotion Angus felt for his wife. What if he never found a woman he wanted as much as Caitlyn?
He descended the stairs and found Phineas in the kitchen, sitting at the table.
"Yo, Catman." Phineas saluted him with a glass of synthetic blood. "What's up?"
"The usual." Carlos retrieved a new box of cereal from the pantry. "How was Romatech tonight?"
"Quiet. Emma and Angus took over for a few hours so I could visit my family."
"That's good." Carlos set a bowl and spoon on the table, then noticed Phineas was frowning at his glass of blood. "What's wrong?"
Phineas took a sip from his glass. "My little brother's graduating from high school this spring."
"That's great." Carlos fetched the milk from the fridge. "You must be very proud of him."
"I am. He's real smart. Smarter than I ever was. I want him to go to college, but he says I've been supporting them for too long and he needs to help out."
Carlos poured some cereal into his bowl. "Maybe he can work part-time while he goes to college."
"That's what I said. I gave him the speech about how important it is to get an education, but he says I'm making good money without a degree, so why should he bother to get one?" Phineas sighed. "I don't know what to do, man."
Carlos splashed milk on his cereal. "I finished my master's degree while I was working here."
Phineas's brown eyes lit up. "Maybe I could get my brother a job here, and he could go to night school like you did. And then I wouldn't have to keep the vampire stuff a secret from him anymore."
"Your family doesn't know you're a vampire?"
"No. I'm not supposed to tell them. My aunt's diabetic, and her eyes are so bad she hasn't realized that I'm not aging. But sooner or later my little brother and sister will notice."
Carlos nodded. "Eventually they'll start looking older than you."
"Yeah, I know." Phineas downed the last of his drink, then clunked the empty glass on the table. "Hell, maybe I should go to night school. You know, make a good example."
Carlos smiled. "Your family is fortunate to have you."
Phineas snorted. "I still haven't convinced LaToya that I'm a good guy." He took his glass to the sink. "I need to shower and get ready for bed."
Carlos ate some cereal. "You might consider wearing pajamas now that there's a female training in the basement."
"Snap!" Phineas whirled around. With a grin, he pointed a finger at Carlos. "You are busted, bro. You just failed the Love Doctor's test."
"What test?"
"I purposely wore those shorts to see if you would object to the lovely Caitlyn Whelan observing my abundantly sexy body. You are one jealous man, bro."
Carlos scoffed. "I don't care what you sleep in. If you want to offend Caitlyn, go ahead."
Phineas smirked. "Then you won't mind if I sleep on my back, stark naked."
"Then you won't mind if I let Caitlyn use your body for target practice. You know where her bullets and knives always end up."
Phineas grimaced. "Don't let that wild woman near me."
"Then wear some clothes," Carlos growled.
"Okay, I will. But you're still busted, bro. I know you have the hots for her. The Love Doctor is finely attuned to all matters of the heart."
Carlos sighed. Everyone seemed to know he was attracted to her.
Phineas went downstairs to the basement. A few minutes later Ian and Toni arrived. Ian grabbed a bottle of synthetic blood from the fridge, then headed upstairs to the fifth floor bedroom for his death-sleep.
Toni fixed herself a bowl of cereal and sat at the kitchen table across from Carlos. "So what's going on? Why can't you train Caitlyn?"
"I need to go on my trip. You're a damned good fighter, so you'll make a good teacher."
"I can't do this every day." Toni ate some cereal. "I need to be at the school. It's a full-time job."
"I'll talk to Angus tonight. We'll figure something out." Carlos rubbed his brow. This whole situation was so damned frustrating. Attracted to a woman he couldn't have. Forced to scour the jungles of the world, searching for a were-panther mate to help his species survive. Cursed with the need to continuously reject Caitlyn.
How could he risk her life? He already lived with the ghosts of his twin brother and parents. He already struggled with the memories of seeing two tribes of were-panthers slaughtered. Their deaths haunted him, but if Caitlyn died, it would be even worse. It would be unbearable, because it would be entirely his fault.
He turned his head as Caitlyn shuffled into the kitchen, barefoot, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She looked tired, sleepy, and as adorably sexy as ever.
Frustration ripped through him like a physical pain. "You're late. Again. All the Vamps have gone to bed." He immediately felt bad for snapping at her, but the damage was done.
Anger glinted in her eyes and she scowled at him. "Good morning to you, too."
Toni chuckled and extended a hand. "It's good to meet you, Caitlyn."
She shook hands. "You must be Toni. I'm sorry Carlos forced you to be my trainer when he chickened out."
Carlos stiffened. "I didn't chicken out."
Toni's eyes widened.
Caitlyn heaved a tired sigh. "I'm afraid I won't do very well today. Carlos left me so sore." She gave him a pointed look. "Even my lips are worn-out."
"Enough," he growled.
Toni's gaze switched back and forth between the two of them. "What is going on here?"
"Nothing," he said. When Caitlyn snorted, he added, "She's just tired and cranky. She stayed out too late last night."
"I was home by midnight," Caitlyn protested.
"It was 12:23," he muttered.
She arched a brow at him. "Were you watching the clock? Maybe you're jealous."
"Of what?" he snapped. "A fake date that was arranged for the sole purpose of tormenting me?"
"Good grief," Toni whispered. "I feel like I've stepped into a war zone."
"We're not at war," he grumbled.
Caitlyn lifted her chin. "He's in denial about us."
"I deny nothing." He stood, pushing his chair back with a screech. "Half the vampire world knows we're attracted to each other."
Toni sucked in a breath. "Oh my gosh."
Carlos gritted his teeth. "But nothing will happen between us. I'm going on my trip to find a were-panther mate, and you're not coming with me."
Caitlyn's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that."
"Okay, truce." Toni took her cereal bowl to the sink. "Carlos, leave. Go make yourself useful. And Caitlyn, I think we'll start with pummeling the punching bag."
"Sounds good to me." Caitlyn grabbed a granola bar and bottle of water, then stalked out of the kitchen.
Toni headed for the door, then glanced back at Carlos with a sly grin. "That was quite a catfight. I think you've met your match."
"No." He glowered at her. Nothing on earth could make him endanger Caitlyn's life.
"Dammit," Caitlyn muttered. She'd tried three times to throw a knife at Igor, but each time the results remained the same.
"Well, at least you're consistent." Toni yanked the knife out of Igor's groin.
"I really was aiming for his chest."
Toni strolled toward her with an amused look. "Are you sure you're not still harboring some anger toward Carlos?"
"No. Okay, yes. But I don't have a secret desire to castrate him. It would sorta defeat the purpose of lusting for him, don't you think?"
Toni chuckled as she set the knives on the billiard table. "I am still in shock. I can't believe you two are...involved. Just two days ago, I thought he was gay."
Caitlyn's gaze wandered to the mat where she and Carlos had rolled around in passion. "Definitely not gay."
"I can see that. The sparks were flying off you two."
With a shrug, Caitlyn slumped against the billiard table. "You heard him. He's determined to reject me."
"Ian didn't think I was right for him either, at first, but I changed his mind."
"How?"
"Fight for him and don't give up." Toni yawned. "These men can be a little slow, but eventually they come to their senses."
"Well, that's reassuring." Caitlyn folded her arms across her chest. "How long have you known Carlos?"
"About five years. He was my next door neighbor when we were going to NYU. You couldn't ask for a better friend. He helped me rescue my roommate when she was in trouble. And he saved my life once."
He was a true hero, Caitlyn thought. She'd accused him of being a chicken, but she knew better. She knew he was brave and strong and everything she'd ever wanted in a man. "He rescued the were-panther children, too."
"Yes. I don't know much about that other than he and Fernando ended up as the kids' guardians."
"Is Fernando a were-panther, then?" Caitlyn asked.
"No, he's mortal. I don't know how he fits in exactly. Carlos has always been very close-mouthed about whatever happened in Brazil. But you should be able to meet Fernando this evening. He's flying in to stay with the kids while Carlos goes on his trip."
Caitlyn nodded. "I would like to meet him. And I'd like to see Raquel and Coco again."
"They told me about you. They really like you." Toni yawned again. "I'll make sure you get to visit the school this evening."
"Thank you. Where is the school?"
"The location is secret. A Vamp will teleport you there."
Teleport? Caitlyn smiled. That would be an adventure in itself. "Great. I'm looking forward to it."
Toni headed for the door. "Let's take a break. I'm used to taking a nap in the middle of the day, so I can stay up late at night with Ian."
Caitlyn followed her up the stairs. "A nap sounds wonderful. I didn't get much sleep last night."
They crossed the foyer to the main staircase and found Carlos on the landing. He appeared to be sanding a spot on the banister.
"What's wrong?" Toni asked.
He straightened with a jerk. "Nothing."
A surge of tenderness spread through Caitlyn. How adorable could he be? He was repairing the holes he'd made with his claws. She wanted to run up the stairs and smother him with kisses. She wanted - Her thoughts jolted with a sudden realization. She wanted to love him. She wanted to take him to her bed and never let him go. This was more than an attraction. More than lust. More than curiosity. She was falling in love.
He came slowly down the stairs. "I just checked on Angus and Emma. They're fine."
"We're taking a break for a few hours," Toni explained as she started up the stairs. "I'll be on the fifth floor."
"All right." Carlos reached the base of the stairs.
"I'm going to bed," Caitlyn whispered.
His gaze met hers, and she could swear the amber flecks in his eyes were smoldering like hot coals.
Why don't you join me? She wished she had the nerve to say it out loud. If the heat in his eyes was any indication, he was already thinking it.
"Sleep well, Catalina," he whispered, then strode to the kitchen.
Her heart sank as she watched the kitchen door swing shut in his wake.
"Hey," Toni said softly, halfway to the landing. "Don't give up."
Caitlyn nodded and headed up the stairs. She knew Carlos was attracted to her. He'd admitted to it himself. So why was he fighting it so hard? What was he protecting her from?
After a long nap, she took a hot shower and readied herself for a trip to the school where Raquel and Coco lived. She called Shanna to learn more about the Dragon Nest Academy. Her sister had founded the school so that hybrid, shape shifter, and a few mortal children who knew too much could all learn in an environment where they would be free to be themselves.
The current roster of students included Constantine, a group of ten outcast werewolf boys, five were-panther children, and two mortal students, Bethany and Lucy.
As the sun neared the horizon, Caitlyn left her room to go to the kitchen. Just as she started down the stairs, the doorbell rang. She quickened her steps so she could answer the door, then halted on the landing. Carlos was already at the security panel, punching in the number to turn off the alarm. He opened the door to reveal a tall, handsome man with dark hair and a wide grin.
"Carlos!" The man stepped into the foyer, rolling a large suitcase behind him.
"Fernando." Carlos grabbed him by the shoulders and quickly pecked each cheek. "Thank you for coming, my friend."
Caitlyn recognized the language as Portuguese. She hesitated on the landing, reluctant to interrupt their reunion, but not wanting to eavesdrop, either.
Fernando let a large tote bag slide off his shoulder to land on the floor. "You know I'd do anything for you." He wrapped his arms around Carlos in a tight embrace.
Carlos returned the hug, his eyes squeezed shut. As the two men continued to hold each other, Caitlyn's psychic senses tingled. There were no words spoken, no language for her to comprehend, but still, she could feel a communication passing between the two men.
Goose bumps skittered up her arms. This was deeper than communication. There was a connection between them, something that tied the men together. It was both strong and tender, and it had her completely confused.
Her mind raced, searching for an explanation. They were both guardians of the children. Had they rescued them together? Did they witness the murders and face death together in order to save the children? Whatever had happened, she sensed it had been traumatic for both men.
Fernando leaned back and placed a hand on Carlos's cheek. "I missed your face."
Caitlyn's breath stuck in her throat. There was no mistaking the love in Fernando's eyes. And Carlos, his eyes were glimmering with tears. She pressed a hand to her chest. Was this why Carlos kept rejecting her? But he'd said he wasn't gay. It didn't make sense.
She stepped back. She had no right to witness this.
Carlos lay his hand on top of Fernando's and removed it from his cheek. "You miss his face."
His face? Caitlyn tumbled deeper into confusion.
Fernando stepped back, looking away from Carlos with a pained expression. Caitlyn eased back, but her movement caught his eye.
"We have company," Fernando murmured, still speaking in Portuguese.
Carlos glanced at her, and his jaw ticked.
"I'm so sorry," Caitlyn said in English as she hurried down the stairs. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just going to the kitchen to find some supper."
"I ordered some pizzas," Carlos grumbled. "They'll be here soon." He motioned to his friend. "This is Fernando Castelo."
"How do you do? I'm Caitlyn Whelan." She rushed forward to shake hands with him.
"Ah, you are Caitlyn." He smiled, speaking with a slight accent. "Coco and Raquel told me about you on the phone. They like you very much."
"The feeling is mutual," Caitlyn assured him. "I can't wait to see them tonight."
"What?" Carlos frowned at her.
"I'm going to the school with you," Caitlyn explained.
Carlos shook his head. "No, you're not."
"Yes, I am." Caitlyn lifted her chin. "Toni invited me."
Carlos's frown deepened into a scowl, and she glared back.
"Interesting," Fernando murmured. "Could I interrupt the staring contest, Carlos? I've been on a plane since yesterday, and I'd like to clean up a bit before we see the children."
"Of course." Carlos's face flushed a ruddy color. "You can use my room. I'll show you." He grabbed the handle of the big roller suitcase and hauled it up the stairs.
Fernando picked his tote bag off the floor. He leaned close to Caitlyn and whispered, "Don't worry. He's not gay."
"I heard that," Carlos growled from the stairs.
Fernando chuckled, then winked at Caitlyn and followed Carlos up the stairs.
She watched the two men disappear up the stairs. How did a mortal man like Fernando end up as a co-guardian for five were-panther children? There was a great deal she still didn't know. If she let Carlos go on the expedition without her, she might never get to know him better. He might find a were-panther mate and forget all about her.
If she wanted a chance with him, she needed to accompany him. Tonight, she would make her case to Emma.