Carrick fell neatly into the baited trap that had been set for him. Both his husband and his slave knew that the vampire was a creature of habit, and if he had known that a staged argument was being played out in front of him,, he would have appreciated the guile and cunning behind the plan.
Since Russell had bought him a daywalking ring, Carrick had taken to spending only the brightest part of the day asleep, electing to spend time with the werewolf not only in the hours of darkness but in the late afternoons as well. As planned by Russ and Hermes, Carrick had seen the argument from his bedroom window and had strode downstairs to investigate. By the time he approached Russell, Hermes was already darting away. The vampire glanced after him but let his slave go.
"What was that about?" he questioned, his eternal laconic bluntness to the fore. "You looked like you were going to tear Hermes' throat out. What's he done?"