Reggie’s Reasons by Lisa Oliver

Chapter Fourteen

Dirkin couldn’t believe how good it felt to be solid in his own home. Shrugging off the remnants of his shirt, he let out his wings with a sigh, rolling his shoulders to shake out the leather. Reggie had asked for use of a bathroom not long after Fox was sent back to the club, and while Dirkin wanted to pamper and care for his mate in a hot bath, clearing away the blood and easing the scratches Reggie still had, Reggie had asked, very plainly, if he could have ten minutes to himself. Dirkin was watching the clock.

There were things he was going to have to do, like make sure none of his legions were planning to overthrow Lucifer or anything stupid like that. But Dirkin knew Balthazar had kept an eye on things for him, so he didn’t need to rush on that. Ten years and one day was a blink in the lifespan of a demon and Dirkin didn’t expect for anything to have changed. 

The house looked just as he’d left it. Like most demons, Dirkin had his house warded against dust and dirt – a handy thing to do when it had been his turn to host poker parties or barbecues. No one wanted to be responsible for cleaning when Balthazar got his hands on marinated spareribs.

With a wave of his hands, like he was conducting an orchestra, Dirkin made sure all the heavy velvet drapes were closed, that there was a huge warm fire crackling in the grate that took up half a wall, and then arranged a low table in front of his wide couch covered with finger foods and a bottle of his favorite whiskey. Two glasses and a pile of napkins completed his seduction set up.

Now, all I need is my vampire. Dirkin glanced over at the clock. Twelve minutes since he’d left Reggie in the bathroom. Hmm. Dirkin didn’t want to be too overbearing – Reggie had been going through a whole stack of stuff since they’d mated. But there was something nagging at Dirkin’s gut. Non-specific. Dirkin had never felt the sensation before, but it was making his skin crawl, and there was like a stone in his belly – which was vibrating.

“Stuff it.” Reggie could yell at him for being overprotective, but his mate was in a strange place and had had a really rough and long day. Striding down the hallway, Dirkin saw the bathroom door was still closed. Being careful of his wings, Dirkin rested his ear against the wood.

All he could hear was sobbing.

Shit, damn, and fucking hell. Dirkin knew he should’ve paid attention to his instincts. Reaching down, he grabbed the door handle, turning softly. He didn’t want to scare his mate on top of everything else. Opening the door as silently as he could, he peered around the frame and then bit his lip at what he saw. Reggie had clearly planned to take a shower – his shirt was off, discarded on the floor, and his pants were undone. But he was leaning against the wall, his arms wrapped around his middle, his face hidden by his hair. Dried blood still streaked his arms, and his torso was littered with scratches. But it was the shaking of the hunched shoulders, and the sobs Reggie was trying to muffle that tore at Dirkin’s heart.

Moving slowly, not wanting to spook his mate anymore than necessary, Dirkin crossed the room, taking Reggie into his arms, his wings folding around his shattered mate. Reggie flinched as soon as he was touched, but Dirkin wasn’t going to get offended by it. His mate relaxed as soon as the wings came around him, although Reggie was frantically rubbing his hands over his face.

“Sorry,” Reggie muttered. “Got lost in my head there for a minute. Just let me wash my face and arms…”

“Babe, stop.” Dirkin brushed the hair from Reggie’s face. “Let me take care of you. Please.”

Reggie shuddered, letting out a long breath. “I’m just… my home… my job… friends…” the last word came out more as a sob. “Why is all this happening?”

Dirkin was thankful he’d been alive a long time. It would be easy for anyone younger to imagine Reggie was blaming all his troubles on his beloved, and Dirkin knew that wasn’t the case at all. Which was why he could click up a damp face cloth, making sure it was warm, and gently stroke over the dried blood on Reggie’s skin – because he cared, and he wanted Reggie to know that.

When Reggie was clean enough, Dirkin shepherded him back down the hall and into the sitting room he’d prepared. Folding his wings away, he sat down and encouraged Reggie to sit on his lap. Yes, Reggie was a big man, but in that moment, Dirkin knew his mate was looking for comfort and that was more important than how they might look together to outside eyes.

“I feel like I’m trapped in some kind of nightmare, with no way of waking up,” Reggie said in a low voice. “The only shining light is you. It’s like, what’s wrong with me? It was bad enough when Bevan rejected me, but I truly believed Fox was my friend. Is there something I’m doing? Do I smell funny or something? Am I even a true vampire? It’s like, I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“You’re definitely a vampire,” Dirkin chuckled softly. “You have the fangs to prove it. You know what I think this all is – I think there are some mean and horrible people in the mortal world, and I think when you have a light that shines as bright as you do with your caring, and your total acceptance of anyone who comes close to you, I think those assholes are drawn to that like a moth to flame.

“They can’t help themselves because you’re a good person right down to the core. But then, those same people, they can’t handle being around you because a strong light shines into their darkness, exposing all their weaknesses. Eventually, they react the only way they know how – with negativity and hate. You didn’t do anything wrong – they did.”

“This being an adult business sucks.” Reggie laid his head against Dirkin’s. “I’ve spent the last year in anticipation of meeting you, and that’s the only good thing being an adult has brought into my life. I always imagined that when I’d find my beloved, my friends like Fox and Kyle would be happy for me.”

“Kyle seemed happy enough to meet me. I met him while you were fighting Fox – I had to make sure I wasn’t about to interfere in a challenge.”

Reggie huffed. “It never crossed my mind to challenge Fox, because we were friends, or so I thought. I don’t have his charisma, or power levels, which is going to make being a prince a bit awkward. Do you really believe I’m supposed to be ruling Italian vampires?” He asked in a quieter voice. “I don’t even speak the language.”

“Keep feeding from me, sweetheart, and you’ll understand languages in no time. One of the many skills transferable between mates.”

“I can’t see me fitting into a vampire court,” Reggie said and Dirkin would’ve had to have been completely deaf not to pick up on the sadness in his tone. “When I look back, I’m not sure I’ve ever fit in anywhere. Growing up with Bevan, because I stayed in his house, I didn’t have the chance to make friends – not that there were a lot of kids for me to be friends with anyway. Enforcer training was worse – no one trusting me because they knew I used to live with Bevan. I thought college would be different, but I was too big by then and while people were friendly, I never felt close to any of them. I used to think Fox and Kyle were happy with who I was, but if I’m brutally honest, Fox was forever making fun of me, and Kyle was off his face most of the time.”

Dirkin just had to hug his mate tighter – it was imperative – something he wasn’t going to deny for Reggie or himself. “Through all that shit you’ve been through, you stayed true to you. And you being you seems to fit perfectly with me, don’t you think?”

“This sitting on a lap business is new to me. You sure your thighs can handle my weight?”

The flirty tone sounded so much better coming from Reggie than the sadness. “I can handle your hunky weight on my thighs, and anywhere else you want to sit, hon.”

Reggie’s chuckle had a dirty edge. “Anywhere I want to sit?” He waggled his eyebrows, his eyes bright. “You get me, don’t you?”

“Reggie, my sweetheart, I have watched you from the shadows for ten years. I’ve seen you happy, sad, and everything in between. And in all that time I wanted you – to stand by you, lay next to you, cuddle you close, eat meals with you, do fun things with you, and just be with you in every way. I watched how you interacted with so many people; your little karaoke games you played when you were alone were adorable.” 

“You heard me singing?” Reggie leaned back and covered his face with his hands. “You know, if this had been any other situation, you’d be known as a stalker or a creep. But oh, my gods, there were some things I would’ve never wanted you to see. I’m so embarrassed.”

Holding Reggie’s wrists, Dirkin tugged his mate’s hands away from his face, pressing their foreheads together. “You have a wonderful singing voice and every one of those moments, when I watched you from the shadows, were so precious to me. Over time, you won me over – yes, I already knew we were meant for each other – but seeing you, in those unguarded moments, I fell in love with you on a spiritual level before you’d even turned sixteen and I’ve never stopped feeling that way. My feelings for you deepened as you grew up – they never changed.”

“Oh, damn hon.” Reggie blinked rapidly. “You sure know how to make me feel like someone special. You know what…”

Then Reggie’s lips were on his and Dirkin was so glad actions spoke louder than words.