Page 12 of Bottoms Up (Mythic Beast #4)

Three days later

Silver

“I understand why it’s named the world’s hardest five-eight now,” Benji told me, hanging from his rope and watching me go first on a section I wasn’t absolutely certain I was going to pull off.

“That’s what someone rated it fifty or so years ago,” I told him. “The numbers for what it actually is are all over the place, but it’s absolutely more than a five-eight.”

“Okay, so,” Benji said while he rested. “If Marco owns Julian under the normal vampire rules, with a standard slavery contract, then he isn’t actually obligated to give him a route to freedom.

It’s nice of him to do so, and knowing Marco as I do, I get it.

He has enough money. Even if he loses nearly all of it, he’ll still be ridiculously rich, and that’s just what I know of his assets.

He values people far more than he does income — trustworthy people with a brain, that is. ”

I could totally see it. “Giving Julian his freedom makes Julian loyal to him once he’s free. The more vampires who owe Marco big time, the better, right?”

“Yes. But he depends on Julian a great deal. He has, probably, a century to release or not release Julian. Vampires, especially the old ones , don’t see time the same way us mere humans do. They think in decades and centuries, where we think in weeks and months.”

“Julian says he doesn’t think things will change for the better if he’s free.

He’s under Marco’s protection now, so he isn’t treated like the lowest person in the hierarchy.

Also, he doesn’t have his own money, so he’ll still have to work for Marco.

I mean, unless I give him money, which I’m not opposed to doing.

Maybe a hundred thousand to start, see how he handles it, and then look at giving him more if he doesn’t just blow it and act stupid. ”

“No, don’t give him money. God, Jules. That’s a really fast way to fuck up a relationship.”

“I have plenty, and it just keeps coming in.” I grunted while hanging from one hand and reaching with the other. This part of the wall was an overhang, and man, was it a bitch.

“You do, and a hundred K isn’t going to put a dent in your finances, but still, just don’t.”

We were silent while I maneuvered until I was well above him, and then it was his turn. He’d watched me, which made it easier for him, but still, he handled it a whole lot smoother than I’d managed.

“Slaves don’t get to keep all their magic,” he told me when he made it to me.

“A magic drain is installed when they’re made a slave, and most of their magic is funneled to their master.

He isn’t going to be at the top of the hierarchy, but he isn’t likely to be at the bottom once he has the use of his magic. ”

“Is it possible he doesn’t know about the drain? That seems like a really big deal, for him to be stronger and not know it.”

Benji shrugged. “From what you said, he was made a slave before he fully came into his power. Vampires and shapeshifters who are turned into slaves long after they’ve gained control and come into their power, I understand the process of putting the drain in is quite painful, and then the loss of their power is a huge deal to them, but it’s possible he doesn’t even remember it happening, if he truly wasn’t in control back when it was done. ”

“I don’t want to piss Marco off,” I told him. “And yet, I want Julian free. But if Julian’s right and nothing much will change? Maybe it doesn’t really matter.”

“It matters. A man who owns himself versus a man owned by another? He can’t fully give himself to you until he’s his own man.”

“But Marco will still be his Master. Not that he’ll own him, but the whole Master Vampire thing. Even the really powerful vampires call Marco Master .”

“The head guy in Vegas is scary as fuck, and everyone is super careful to use the right terminology with him. Still, the people close to him see him as safety. His reputation keeps them safe, right? All the big-bad guys are terrified of him, so the people he loves are some of the safest people on the planet.”

“Vegas? Kirsten’s daughter lives in Vegas. I’ve met her boyfriends, Gavin and Nick. Her dog, too. Kirsten sometimes brings them all to the house for dinner.”

“ Fuck , Jules. You know Kirsten and Lauren?”

“Kirsten used to be my therapist. She closed up shop, I guess when she…” Not my secret to tell. “When her life got complicated. We’re friends now.”

“Homewood. Right. I wasn’t thinking. Of course you know Kirsten and Cora. Probably Mordecai and Nathan, too.” He turned to me with a big smile. “If you’re at Homewood, that means you live near the T-Wall, and wow, am I jealous. How often do you go?”

I stared at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about, and when he realized I didn’t know about it, he spent the next fifteen minutes, while we rested, telling me about this wonderful climbing wall a few miles away from Homewood, on the cliffs overlooking the Tennessee River.

And then, of course, the conversation went back to vampires, which led to me telling him about the damned magic necklace, and my face-to-face conversation with a demon.

“You still have the torc?”

“Yeah. Sort of. I have a permanent room upstairs at Homewood now, and the torc stays in a safe in my room. There’s concern the demon might steal it to try to reactivate it, and he can’t get into Homewood, but it’d likely be a piece of cake for him to get into my place or the Beast Mansion.”

We were sitting on top of the rock by then, legs stretched out on sun-warmed granite, staring out at the endless folds of green stretching to the horizon. A breeze cut the heat just enough to keep the sweat from sticking, and I drank ice water from a bottle stashed in my pack.

I will never tire of the energy one feels on top of a mountain — wind in your hair, sunlight in your bones, the whole damn world laid out below you like it’s yours for the taking.

“I liked the other band members,” Benji said. “It’s about time you introduced me to your famous friends.”

“It didn’t seem possible, merging my childhood with what I’ve become.

You aren’t just my childhood, though. We’ve stuck together into adulthood.

You knew me when I was young, and you’re still here.

I talk to my parents, like, eight or nine times a year, but with you, it’s every week on video, catching up and talking. ”

“The first time I met you, it was like I’d always known you. If reincarnation is real then the two of us likely have quite a history.”

“Marco says it is. Says he sometimes recognizes humans he knew in a different lifetime. Their soul or aura or whatever, I guess.”

“I think it’s safe to give you some tea, since you already know the people in question, and what they are.

Gavin’s the big-bad-vampire I told you about that everyone’s terrified of.

He and Kirsten used to be mortal enemies — a serious battle between them that, if the rumors are true, means Kirsten held Gavin’s heart in her hands to show him she could kill him, but then she let him live.

” He gave a wry smirk. “And then Gavin started dating her daughter. Dude has balls .”

Kirsten had once said she’d done some terrible things to keep her daughter safe.

I wondered if that had been one of those things?

I wanted him to understand how I fit in at Homewood, so I told him, “They’ve accepted me.

I mean, it’s a no-brainer that Kirsten would, but the rest have, too.

They don’t care if I’m feeling male, female, or equal parts both.

When I first went to Homewood and had the day to myself, I climbed on this huge boulder I found in a field, and I found out later it’s, like, this sacred boulder, but instead of getting upset at my faux pas, they thanked me for bringing the energy of joy to it. ”

“Your part-time home is one of the most powerful homes on the planet, Jules. You have an ancient god, the king of the lions, queen of another realm, the alpha werewolf of nearly a quarter of the country, and the master vampire of most of the same territory — all living together.”

I wasn’t going to tell him all those details, but since he knew, I took another swig of cool water and said, “There’s more. Not people who live there, but other friends who are also powerful. Probably not as much as the people at Homewood, but still.”

I reached into my backpack, grabbed two protein bars, and handed Benji the espresso almond crunch — his favorite — while I kept the salted caramel for myself.

A small luxury, sitting on sun-warmed rock with someone I trusted more than anyone else alive.

“Sounds like the hike back down is around three and a half miles, give or take, but I’m pretty happy enjoying the view a little longer. ”

“Same, but I want a steak. I know the plan was to camp tonight, but I want a massage, a steak, and some good whiskey.”

“Oh, you won’t need to twist my arm for that.

” I pulled my phone from the pack, turned it on, and was pleased to see I had two bars.

Unfortunately, it was just for voice and not data, so I powered it down and slid it back into the secure compartment in my pack.

“We’ll use the Starlink to find reservations when we get back to the Land Cruiser. ”

He pulled his phone out, called his assistant, told her where we were and what we were looking for, and returned his phone to his pack. “She’ll text me where to go once she has our reservations confirmed.”

“Show off.”

He chuckled. “Guilty as charged. So, sex with a vampire?”

“Wait, you haven’t…”

When he didn’t say anything, I said, “You don’t mix business and pleasure, and all the vampires you’ve met, I’m guessing are clients.”

“Yep.”

“I’m thinking it’s time to ditch that rule. It served you well while you were becoming the great Benjamin Clark, but most of the people you meet these days are probably clients — and likely women who are either your equal financially, or richer than you.”

“True. There’s a vampire in Alaska I think I could fall in love with, but she’s already in love with a dude who’s actually climbed Everest and fucking snowboarded down. Puts my adrenaline junkie ways to shame.”

I smiled. “Kendra’s cool, and I can see why she’d appeal to you, but yeah, she’s madly in love with Eric.”

“How have we been running in the same social circle and not known it?” he asked.

“Kendra used to live in Chattanooga, and she still comes to town for our Girls’ Night Out things. Plus, she and Kirsten are close friends. You probably just invest Kendra’s money for her, and I’m partying and getting drunk with her. Well, I get drunk. Vampires have a hard time doing that.”

“So,” he asks again. “Sex with a vampire?”

“Yeah. You have to do it. Seriously. I mean, make sure it’s one you trust, and even more, that you trust their Master Vampire, but fuck , Benji. I’m not sure I could ever enjoy sex with a mere human again.”

“That’s the danger, isn’t it? Maybe I’m best sticking to humans.”

And the question in my head I hadn’t had the nerve to bring up to Julian — not until I’d worked it out better in my own head, and Benji is great at helping me figure shit out.

“Would you want to be turned into a vampire, do you think?”

He didn’t answer right away. Just stared out at the distant peaks like he could see the centuries stretching out in front of us.

“Maybe. I’d mostly ruled it out before because it would’ve meant I lost you, but if we both did? How cool would that be? Siblings together for centuries.”

I let out a slow breath. “I’d probably have to retire from Mythic Beast first. It can take a decade or more before a new vampire is trustworthy around humans.” It’s possible we could make it work so I don’t have to retire, but that would be up to Will and the others.

“Right, and I’ll have to hand over control of the accounts I manage to someone else.

It’d be bad for business to rip a rich fucker’s throat out during a quarterly review.

” A sigh. “Best case scenario, I’d be able to manage accounts from behind the scenes within five years, from what I understand.

Takes at least that long to find your sanity again, and even longer to handle the craving for blood around a tasty-smelling human. ”

Right. Julian hadn’t been able to, and he’d been made a slave.

The weight of it sat low in my gut, but if we could choose our maker, we could have a better outcome.

“I’ve seriously considered it,” I told him.

“Losing contact with you was one of the big sticking points, but if you go into it with me?” I traced the seam of the protein bar wrapper with a callused fingertip.

“I think that means I’m leaning toward doing it, but there’s a whole lot of logistics to work out before I can decide for certain. ”

“Same.” His voice was soft, barely carried on the breeze. “No longer having a use-by date. Living forever — or at least until we piss someone off badly enough they kill us.”

He lifted his water bottle to his mouth and took another long swig.

“The magic fixed Julian’s balls. If it gives me balls, I’ll be pissed.”

Benji got choked on his water, and I beat his back while he coughed, and then we laughed together and made our way down the trail, the way most sane people go up and down Looking Glass Rock.

But Benji and I have never been completely sane. We’d scaled the face of the rock for the adventure of it, and perhaps we’d do the same by joining the supernatural world for real.