issue not related to someone so dear to her or for consequences she deemed so dire. But perhaps ten years will be enough time, after all. Caleb will be thirty-six by then and in the prime of adulthood as a human, or quite possibly in his infancy as a vampire, she added with anticipation.
She soberly regarded Devon and agreed, “Ten years it shall be.”
Devon stood and reached out with his right hand to shake, and Katrina rose to return the gesture. Their hands met and gripped each other’s tightly in a single motion.
“I’m an honorable person, Katrina Rawlings,” he insisted. “And I keep to my bargains, oaths, and obligations.”
She raised an eyebrow and agreed, “Good. As do I.”
They released hands, and she withdrew a business card from an interior jacket pocket. She handed the card to him and instructed, “This has my home and cell phone numbers, email address, and home address written on it. Never share it with anyone unless I stipulate otherwise. I will contact you in the near future to confirm my territorial declaration before I announce it. Feel free to contact me if you have questions, concerns, or information you think would be helpful.”
Devon nodded.
“Any questions for me?” she asked.
“Just two, really. First, how would you prefer to be addressed? And second, what do I need to know about your associate, Paige?”
She admired his quick thinking.
“You may call me Katrina,” she offered. “I take it you prefer Devon?”
“Yes, please,” he replied in his deep, baritone voice.
“And as for Paige, she’s Caleb’s surrogate guardian and protector. You should defer to her orders so long as they aren’t in conflict with my own. I’ll introduce you to her at the earliest opportunity,” she explained, moving towards his entryway to depart. She wanted to return home to Caleb as soon as possible.
“I understand,” he replied.
“Oh, and one more thing,” she offered while glancing back over her shoulder. “Feel free to call Paige by her nickname.”
Devon raised his eyebrows. “What’s that?”
“Goldilocks,” she slyly replied as she walked towards her car. Right back at you, my little friend, she thought with a mischievous smirk.
He watched her depart, and then slowly walked back inside his house.
When Katrina returned to the estate, she found Caleb lounging on the couch watching television in her chamber, but his body language seemed tense.
“I’m back,” she offered encouragingly. “I’m glad that’s out of the way.”
But he failed to look up at her as she leaned over the back of the couch to gaze down at him.
“You didn’t kill him, did you?” he asked in a dark tone.
Her lighter mood turned subdued. “No, but we came to what I believe was a very suitable arrangement.”
He made a derisive sound. “It figures,” he noted with displeasure.
“Caleb,” she placated, “please try to understand. Devon didn’t target you maliciously, though he did fail to observe the courtesy of taking you at your word that you were a vampire’s mate until proving otherwise. I spared his life, and he’ll repay his debt to us by assisting us for a period of time.”
“Well, that’s just great, Kat,” he spat. “So, I nearly die, and he gets community service. How nice that you made a new friend in the end.”
She resisted the inclination to sigh and instead fluidly moved around to the front of the couch, perching next to where he was half-sprawled across one end.
“My love,” she urged patiently, “he’s not a friend. And this arrangement will be of mutual benefit to you, as well. He will serve as a protector to you as needed.”
He turned to her with a stoic expression and answered flatly, “I already have Paige as an additional protector. I don’t want his assistance. I want him dead.”
She was taken aback by her mate’s vehemence and frowned. It was so unlike the peaceable, good-natured young man she had known thus far. She reflected upon his recent exposure to violence, including the near-fatal attack of Chimalma the past December and considered that perhaps he wasn’t coping well. How is an innocent, gentle person supposed to react to such violence in his life? More to the point, what to do now? Patience above all else.
“My love, it’s true that Paige is your assigned alternate guardian, but she’s in California,” she explained. “You need someone besides me who’s also local.”
His jaw tightened noticeably, and he glared sidelong at her. “Look, I can’t make you kill him. Hell, I’m completely powerless to do anything about it, in fact. But I’ll be damned if