Tides

CHAPTER 11--Valeno

They brought the deer into camp just as the sun kissed the edge of the horizon and vanished.

Valeno looked around for his packmates from the hunt, and found half of them crowded around one of the elk carcasses. In the time that it had taken him and Cassin to hunt and carry the deer back, they had dragged an entire elk back from the plains.

Valeno felt severely out of shape.

In front of him, Cassin let the fore-quarters of the animal slide off his shoulders. His slim build belied the wiry strength hidden in his limbs. Valeno had been pleasantly surprised when Cassin had single-handedly wrestled the buck into submission.

Cassin.

Even thinking the vampire's name made Valeno's mind do odd things. Like for one, feeling severe remorse for killing Cassin's sister. Even though he hadn't known. And if he had known–if he had gotten a second chance, then why did he feel as if he would have spared her life?

Cassin, who Valeno had tortured, beaten, saved and fought for. Put himself in harm's way so his uncles couldn't hurt the vampire. What had he been thinking?

Honestly, Valeno was still puzzled over his train of thought. Why had he felt the need to be nice to the vampire now that he was in this situation–a situation that Valeno had put him in. Why did he cringe every time he saw Omega slap the vampire? He wasn't supposed to care. And yet, he did.

He realized while he was healing in Rasha's tent as he watched Cassin perform every task he was assigned without complaint that he hadn't dragged the vampire from the river's grip only to see him fall into a life of servitude. It wasn't right. So when he saw the chance to protect the vampire from his mistake as much as he was able, Valeno had taken it. Taken it and promised the vampire that he would get him out as soon as he could. He knew it was wrong, knew it to the core of his being, but if he and Cassin had been friends once. The least he could do was help him.

"Are you going to continue to hold that dead body?"

Valeno shook himself out of his thoughts and found the vampire looking at him with amusement in his copper eyes.

"What? No." Valeno shrugged, trying to seem careless as he lowered the back end of the deer to the ground. "I was just testing its weight."

"How much does it weigh?" Cassin asked, sounding adorably curious. Adorably? Where had that come from? He was just sounding curious, Valeno corrected himself.

"I...don't know," Valeno said truthfully, and then added for cover, "I was only holding half of it."

"Oh, right," Cassin said, nodding. "That makes sense."

"I need to go talk to the Alphas–about you," Valeno said, attempting to get his train of thought back. "About switching you from Omega to me."

"Oh!" Cassin sounded surprised. "You really meant it, then?"

He was about to say 'of course,' when he realized that the vampire wouldn't believe him. He had said that he was taking Cassin back to the palace, only to hold him hostage and get him captured by his crazy uncles. An 'of course' coming from the werewolf meant nothing.

Hidden by greenery at the rear end of the camp near the back entrance, Valeno moved around the deer carcass to face Cassin. Without knowing why, he reached for the vampire's hands.

"I meant everything that I said," he reassured Cassin, squeezing the vampire's fingers in his own. "I will help you, and I will protect you. You don't have to worry anymore." Valeno paused, aware that he was about to make a big commitment. "I wasn't there for you when I needed to be...but I am now." Feeling embarrassed suddenly, Valeno released Cassin's hands.