Reggie’s Reasons by Lisa Oliver

Chapter Eight

“Did I hear you talking on the phone, precious?” Dirkin sauntered into the kitchen feeling a lot more like his normal self. Even a crap proved enjoyable when it’d been ten years since his last one. “Oh, good, you found the coffee. Is there a cup left for me?” He leaned into his mate’s side and sniffed at Reggie’s mug.

“Yes. Yes, of course.” Reggie jumped as though he’d been miles away. “I’ll make you a fresh cup.” Turning, he put his mug down, grabbed a second cup that’d been left on the bench and filled them both. But there was something about his mate that didn’t sit right… Sadness? Taking both full mugs out of Reggie’s hand, Dirkin set them on the counter and pulled Reggie into his arms.

“What’s wrong? Who was on the phone?”

“It was Bevan.” Reggie shook his head and then laid it on Dirkin’s shoulder. “He, he…”

“Not too happy because you and I have claimed each other?” Dirkin guessed.

“Yes, no. No, he wasn’t happy about that. He said you weren’t allowed on his territory anymore.”

Dirkin couldn’t pick up anything from Reggie’s tone. “I’m not surprised,” he said gently, “and it’s not like it’s a big deal. You don’t live there anymore…”

“I have to go there, by Friday at the latest.” Raising his head, Reggie’s grip was solid on Dirkin’s upper arms. “He said there were papers to sign, a letter to pick up.”

“Is this because you’re an adult now? Some rite of passage thing?”

“No.” Reggie shook his head, his eyes filled with confusion. “It’s to do with my parents. Their estate, Bevan said. He… I haven’t got a clue what he’s talking about. I came into my rights to the house they owned and the money in their accounts when I was eighteen and legally responsible according to human law.”

Dirkin had a pretty fair idea. He’d never heard of a broke vampire, especially a mated pair who’d gone to the trouble of having a child. Clearly Reggie’s parents were dead – something Dirkin hadn’t known - Bevan holding back part of the estate for them after their death wasn’t unusual. But Reggie, it would seem, had finally reached the end of his tether and probably didn’t want to hear he was likely going to inherit something more tangible than a house, or that Dirkin had no intention of letting his new mate go to the coven alone.

First things, first. “I don’t know about you, my sweet mate, but I’m starving again. Loving on you has certainly increased my appetite.” Dirkin winked at his mate. “How about we go out, have a decent meal, and we can talk about your parents and what Bevan said later. How does that sound?”

“Food. Yes.” Reggie rubbed his stomach and then let out a long breath. “I should warn you,” he said looking up and meeting Dirkin’s eyes. “I don’t usually feel like this. But I have this strong urge to scream and yell and hit out at somebody. Not you. I’d never do that to you. I don’t know why I’m feeling like this, but maybe we should consider that when choosing somewhere to eat? Or perhaps you’d rather go on your own? I’m going to be shit company.”

“You’ve had a lot to digest these past few days, so what you’re feeling is perfectly natural and mates stick together through all moods, no matter what they are.” Dirkin took a moment to stroke down his mate’s wavy hair. “We’ll go to your favorite place. Choose somewhere quiet and that has great food and I’ll help you deal with these new feelings after we’ve eaten. Honestly,” he added when Reggie hesitated, “taking the time to eat will make you feel a lot better.”

“Okay.” Reggie nodded. “Yes. Okay, let’s go and find some food.”

/~/~/~/~/

Reggie knew he had a reputation for being laid back. He wasn’t a fan of being insulted – who was? But most times he let other’s opinions slide off him, always assuming that the insulter probably had more issues about themselves than they did with him. The way Fox often talked to him was a classic example of that – always being slightly mocking whether in words or tone. Reggie didn’t let it bother him because that was Fox being Fox.

So why the hell do I feel like shit now? Reggie managed to smile at Dirkin who held out his chair for him. They’d gone to a small diner Reggie knew of, on the outskirts of town. Reggie didn’t want to bump into anyone he knew, not because he was ashamed of his beloved, but because he wasn’t sure he was in the right frame of mind to be looked down on by people he called friends.

“I take it something Bevan said hurt you today. Is this about your parents?” At least Dirkin had waited until they’d placed their orders and the waitress had filled their coffee cups before he started prodding. It gave Reggie a chance to compose himself. He’d feel awful if he fell to pieces in public with his beloved watching.

“My parents died not long after I was born. I never knew them, although I didn’t know anything about an additional inheritance until today.” Reggie tried to think how to explain. “It was more… I told Bevan I knew about what he’d done to you and all he said was that he was saving me.”

“You didn’t think he’d apologize, did you? I wasn’t expecting him to.” Dirkin chuckled. Reggie blessed his good luck all over again at the Fates choice of beloved for him. He thought Dirkin looked stunning, dressed as he was in a denim blue shirt and black jeans. His long hair was tied at the nape of his neck with no wings visible. Strong. Confident. Sexy - although Reggie wasn’t in the mood to do anything about that just yet, especially with his emotions firing off all over the place. But he’d have to be blind not to notice.

“It wasn’t the lack of apology so much, although he could’ve at least said sorry for not letting me know about you sooner.” Reggie looked down at his hands. “He called me a wimp.” Gods, it sounded pathetic saying it out loud. “I thought Bevan was like my father, you know, and when I… I was angry because I remembered how he just abandoned me to enforcer training the day after my transition. And all he did was call me a wimp.” Reggie looked up to see Dirkin watching him closely.

“I idolized that man, don’t you see?” Reggie wasn’t sure if it made sense to him either, but hopefully Dirkin could read between the lines. “I didn’t miss my parents because I don’t remember them, but Bevan was always there for me. I stayed in his quarters; my room was next to his. He was there for me at every mealtime. He talked to me, played games with me sometimes. He would take me shopping, made sure I had an education. He was talking about teaching me to drive when my transition hit. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I truly believed… he gave a really good impression of caring about me and that was so important to me.”

“This was prior to your awakening.” Dirkin leaned back in his chair as the waitress arrived with the food. 

Reggie couldn’t even meet her eyes, although he hoped she heard his muttered thank you as she left. He picked up his knife and fork and took a mouthful of steak. It was beautifully cooked, but he could barely taste it. After a couple of mouthfuls, he gave up. Dirkin was eating and that was the main thing.

“That morning after my transition, I was such a mess,” he admitted quietly. “I was still getting used to my new body – I didn’t have any clothes that would fit. I went back to my room, hoping to find some sweats or something because all I’d been given was a skimpy robe, and all my stuff was gone. That’s when I found out being part of the enforcer training program meant living in the barracks. I was ordered out of the main house. Bevan’s butler told me I didn’t have any privileges in the house anymore.”

“That would be upsetting.”

“I never knew what I’d done wrong. Until you told me what happened that night, I never knew. Bevan was gone – he was gone from the coven for over a week, and when he came back, he wouldn’t even talk to me.” Reggie heard his voice break, and he hurriedly cut and ate another piece of steak.

Dirkin had finished his meal, and he pushed the plate away, reaching for his coffee. “Put bluntly, sweetheart, Bevan was likely grooming you. He bought you things, spent time with you when he likely didn’t do it with others. You were still a child – an orphan – and no one else was looking out for you. He wanted you in his bed, so he was making sure you trusted him. He literally preyed on you. I guarantee, if you’d listened to him about the blood, and I hadn’t shown up when I did, you’d have been in bed with him by the next morning with no clue how you got there.”

“I was fifteen!” Reggie felt sick just thinking about it.

“I know.” Dirkin nodded. “And this calm face you’re seeing here,” he circled his finger in the air around his face, “this is hiding a shit ton of anger at your former coven leader. I know you cared about him – you saw him as a father figure so it’s obvious you would’ve loved him as a parent – and to me that makes the whole situation worse. If you hadn’t been such a blood glutton, he’d have corrupted the feelings you had for him into something perverted, and probably blamed you for that too.”

“But…” Reggie thought back to Bevan’s other partners. “Why me? Everyone else who shared his bed were all older vampires. They didn’t look it, but they were all older than fifty. I heard Bevan bragging about it once. He said he didn’t bother with anyone unless they came with at least ten years’ experience.”

“Did he spend time with the other kids in the coven?”

Reggie shook his head. “No, or at least not that I could see. There were only three children growing up in the coven when I was there. They all transitioned before I did, and I know Bevan wasn’t with them during that. They had their parents with them.”

“Exactly, which is what happens when most vampires go through their awakening.” Dirkin leaned his elbows on the table and stole a French fry from Reggie’s plate. “You, my darlin’, didn’t have a chance. Bevan’s feelings for you were not appropriate in any way shape or form. Not only that, those actions were witnessed, by me. I’m guessing that’s why he’s running scared now.” He popped the French fry in his mouth.

“I don’t understand.” Reggie tried to keep his voice low. “I don’t understand any of this. If Bevan was worried I’d say something, why did he call me at all? He’d tried to ring me a dozen times on the day before we met. I didn’t answer because I was busy working, but I haven’t spoken to him in months until today. Gods, the only discussions we’ve had at all since I left the coven was him calling me if he got mail for me or shit like that. He had to have known you would turn up as soon as you could. That you would talk to me. Why call me at all if he knew I’d know how badly he’d betrayed me?”

“I’m not sure, precious.” Dirkin was so calm. How can you be so calm when I want to scream? “It could be because of your inheritance; it could be he was hoping to tell you about me and get his side of the story in before I did. Hell, he could have been planning to bond with you himself, just to piss me off. I don’t know for sure, but we will find out.”

“I just wish I knew why this is happening now.” Reggie could hear the despair in his voice, and part of him was embarrassed because of it. But if he couldn’t be himself in front of his beloved, then there was no point in being bonded. “The only damn thing that has made sense since my birthday is you.”