He smiled at the thought of tearing him apart, all his plans coming together perfectly. He would watch Thomas crumble, and he would know that his destruction had been at the hands of Dr. Orin Ferris. Don't ever try to fuck with a consummate fucker. He laughed and pulled away from the curb.
Thomas couldn't believe the surge of strength he felt when Riggs stared at him. He was about to fall apart, even though he had been putting on a good front until Jeremy told him about Ferris going to the board.
That meant he was going to have him blackballed across the entire city, and maybe beyond. It could finish any hope of ever getting a job, let alone an internship. If Ferris has his way, he may have to change careers. That possibility had crushed him, but then Riggs held him, signaling him not to fall. The strength allowed him to stay calm and close the call. He then told Riggs about his situation at the museum.
"Why does this guy dislike you so much, Thomas?" Riggs asked the likely question, but Thomas did not have an answer.
“I really don’t know.”
"It smells like jealousy to me," Riggs said, and Thomas laughed.
"Jealous . . .of me . . .are you serious?" He continued to laugh. "He's rich, respected, has a great job, and his family is near the top of Chicago society. What on earth could he be jealous of?" Riggs got up, pulled Thomas to his feet, and walked him over to a mirror.
"Look at yourself." He said, and Thomas found it difficult to look and kept dropping his gaze. "Look at yourself." The second command had him looking, although his eyes kept wandering to the handsome man standing next to him.
"You're young and gorgeous with a sharp intellect. You have your life ahead of you, with new goals and possibilities opening up every day. You're the kind of person people are drawn to because your genuineness shines through with everything you say and do.” Riggs stood behind him and dropped a kiss on his shoulder.
"You're lovely, Thomas, lovely to the bone." He finished and then just stared at Thomas in the mirror. Thomas felt self-conscious at first, but Riggs’ words penetrated his discomfort and brought him a calm security. Riggs' opinion touched him and made him believe.
"Thank you for that." He whispered and turned to look up at Riggs. He was becoming the most important person in Thomas' world. It was a subtle acknowledgement at first, and then gradually, with each encounter, the bond, as he called it, grew larger and stronger. "I think I'm falling in love with you,Riggs. I don't mean to scare you, and it's not a word I throw around easily, but you've nestled so comfortably into my heart."
Riggs tunneled his fingers through Thomas’ hair, pushing it back from his face and looking at him like he was a treasure. "I'm falling for you, too, sweetheart." Thomas loved that endearment; it made his stomach flutter every time he said it.
The kiss came naturally, warm, and made Thomas feel like everything was going to work out and that life was going to be good. His troubles at work didn't bother him in the least when Riggs was kissing him and holding him close.
“I’d like for you to come home with me. I want you to see my place and get familiar with the Coven house and the people there. Your new awareness will allow you to see and understand us. Will you come?" Riggs asked while raining kisses across his jaw and down his neck, and it was such a heady feeling.
"I'd like to see your place. I'm a little nervous about it, but I want to go." Thomas could clearly see the vampire beneath when he looked at Riggs, and it did not bother him. He found it exciting, and as a part of Riggs, he also found that part of him very attractive. But when it came to the others, he wondered how he would feel. Would it frighten him to see, or would it feel common? He would have Riggs by his side, so it didn't matter because his trust in that man was solid.
Riggs wanted to take Thomas to the Coven house to help with the progression of the awareness. Being around paranormal beings accelerated understanding a bit and allowed Thomas to see more than just him and his vampire. There were shifters and magics at the Coven house, and he would see through them as well. It might startle him, but Thomas was methodical and would process the information accordingly.
Thomas dressed in jeans and a light blue sweater. He looked handsome as ever, but Riggs missed the bowtie. He struggled for quite a while to get his hair just right, until Riggs assured him that he looked amazing.
"I want to make a good impression." He said, and Riggs realized that he was loving this man just a little bit more with every word that passed his lips.
"They'll love you, Thomas," Riggs said, and with another kiss, they headed out the door. Once they hit the sidewalk, Riggs felt a heaviness that signaled someone was watching them. He glanced around casually, not wanting to alert whoever it was. Off to their left, across the street, was a parked car in the shadow of a tree. It was Dr. Ferris at the wheel, and he was watching them.
Riggs put his arm around Thomas and led him to the parking garage without telling him about Ferris. He had enough on his mind, and Riggs planned to take care of Ferris. He would soon be brought down off his high horse in glorious fashion. Once inside the parking garage, he sent a quick text to Westley, their information specialist, asking for a file on Dr. Orin Ferris. He wanted to know the man a little better before he decided whether or not to kill him.
When he pulled out onto the main road, he saw that the car had gone, and he no longer felt his presence. Riggs would keep Thomas very close until he discovered the reason for Ferris' surveillance.
When they turned onto Main Street, Thomas spoke up. "You live near the Blood Rose?"
"We occupy the large warehouse behind." That surprised him because the warehouse looked rundown and unused from the outside, but the inside was a total state-of-the-art office building and apartment complex. He pulled into the alley, andthen the large double doors opened to a huge underground garage.
He parked and turned to regard Thomas, who was looking around, taking it all in. "It looks unused from the outside, but inside it is sleek and clean. The Coven house is hidden in plain sight."
"Exactly." He smiled and got out of the car. Thomas met him, and they walked to the elevator. Two men were standing by one of the parked cars, and Thomas gave them a glance.
“They’re vampires.”
“They’re Coven guards.”
"This place is a fortress, a very elegant fortress."
“No one gets in uninvited.”
“Does Master Rose live here?”
