“This is your private space?” Arvyn was at his shoulder, his eyes flashing wolf. “I can smell someone else’s scent in here. Did you have someone else living with you?”
“Not like that, never like that.” No matter how angry he was, Kirill would never let his beloved wolf get the wrong idea. Arvyn was just as possessive as he was. “I’m the only one who’s slept in my bed, and the only one who lives in these quarters.”
“I never had you pegged as a pizza lover.” Ra looked more amused than angry. “And I haven’t known you to be such an untidy person around the house. If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’d have to have been on your best behavior since the three of us got together. Shall I clean up?” He lifted his hand.
Kirill shook his head. “This wasn’t me. I would never allow my living spaces to be so disgusting… and my suits.”
“An intruder then. Hmm… listen.” Arvyn held up a finger. “There’s someone else in here. I can hear their heartbeat getting faster and faster. You might as well come out.” He added in a louder voice. “It’ll be worse for you if we have to drag you out from under that fancy bed.”
“They’re in my room – where I slept?” Kirill wanted to see for himself, but Arvyn held him back.
“You’ve had enough stresses this morning, babe. The last thing you need is to go ferreting under a bed. Allow me.”
/~/~/~/~/
Arvyn stripped off and shifted in record time, his huge wolf form pausing only long enough so Kirill and Ra could scratch behind his ears. He did love a good scratch. Then, his nose full of an unfamiliar scent, Arvyn bounded into the master bedroom, immediately sinking down on his front shoulders, peering under the bed.
The scent of fear suddenly spiked as two eyes peered back at him.
“Get away.” A skinny pale arm waved in front of his nose. “Dirty creature. Get out of here. Go. Scat.”
Arvyn woofed, because he could, and because whoever was under the bed had clearly never come across a wolf shifter before and was terrified of him. He settled right down on his haunches, so his belly was on the carpet and poked his nose under the bed.
The man, and it was a man, albeit a small and skinny one, screamed. “I’m going to get eaten. He’s going to eat me.”
Arvyn wagged his tail. This was fun. He edged a bit closer, not that he could get right under the bed. He was far too big to do that. But he could see something the guy under the bed couldn’t. Kirill’s shiny boots on the other side of the bed.
Reaching under with his paw, and scraping the carpet, Arvyn woofed again. The sound would have been loud for anyone with delicate ears, but the man under the bed screamed again, scuttling out the other side, and straight into Kirill’s hands.
“Who the hell are you?”
Arvyn stood up, just in time to see Kirill shaking the man like an errant puppy.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the man blathered on. “I work for the vampire council. There’s… there’s… Help.” The man saw Arvyn and clambered into Kirill’s arms like his life depended on it. “He’s… that… that thing was going to eat me. Shoot him.”
Arvyn grinned widely showing off his lovely clean teeth. No blood here.
“I think you’ll find this beautiful wolf has more right to be here than you do.” Ra had come through, leaning on Arvyn’s furry shoulder, still amused. The only one who wasn’t having fun was Kirill. “And I believe the master of this coven, and owner of this land, the buildings, and the room you’ve been taking liberties with, asked you a question. Who the hell are you?”
“You’re Prince Kirill?” The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard, looking Kirill up and down. “Six-hundred-year-old vampire… has a god and a wolf shifter as beloveds.” He seemed to be talking to himself. “He shouldn’t be here. Tired. Stressed. Deceived. He should be on the godly realm dressed in a robe, being fanned by nubile slave girls.”
“Excuse me?” Kirill shook him again for good measure, and Arvyn could understand why. The intruder was clearly rattled if he was talking to himself. “How about, instead of blithering to yourself you answer my questions. Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my house?”
“I’m Doblin, Peter Doblin.” Doblin raised his chin. “Personal assistant