by Juniper Hart
“You’re making a mistake protecting that girl,” Alicia snapped. “Trust me.”
“Alicia, I’m not going to ask you again,” Alec hissed between clenched teeth.
“Maybe twenty minutes,” she replied begrudgingly. “How far could she have gotten out here?”
It was a question Alec was going to have to answer himself. “Did you call Raven and tell her that Briar was here?”
“No…”
“Alicia!”
The housekeeper looked at him and lowered her eyes. “I left her a voicemail telling her to call me. She didn’t pick up.”
“Is that all you said?” Alec’s breaths were beginning to escape raggedly.
“Yes!”
“Are you sure? You didn’t mention Briar?” Alicia looked at the floor. “ALICIA!”
“I may have said I had some information about the girl…”
“I will deal with you later.” Alec spun away and ran through the back hallway toward the door, his heart hammering wildly in his chest.
The issue with Alicia was, she didn’t stop aging like other Lycans who ended their physical aging at age twenty-seven. She had some throw-back mortal blood, which kept her both immortal but constantly growing in appearance. As a result, she thought herself wiser somehow.
“Alec!” she yelled out after him, but the dragon ignored her, throwing open the front door and hurrying toward his car. Even though the rain had not started again, the clouds remained, covering whatever was left of the moon. There was no light in the backroads, no way for Briar to see her way.
If something happens to her out there, I’ll never forgive myself. Alec steered the car very slowly down the empty streets, his high beams on full, his eyes glowing as he sought out signs of movement in the dark. His mansion was located miles outside of the bustling city in Redland, because he liked the solidarity. However, at this moment, he had never felt more lonely.
For miles he drove, almost as fast as he could have walked, but no matter how hard he looked, there was not a trace of Briar. Even if she found her way back to the city, where would she go? Logic dictated that she couldn’t go home. She had no money. Alec wouldn’t even know where to start looking for her.
“Shit!” he cursed aloud just as his phone rang. He knew who it was even before he answered it. “What is it, Raven?”
“You have the girl?”
“What girl?”
“Don’t play coy with me, Alec. You may not give a shit, but I do. Where is she?”
Alec gritted his teeth and guided the car back toward the mansion, his eyes still peeled into the night, hoping for some sighting of Briar.
“I don’t know,” he replied honestly.
“You’re lying!” The fury in Raven’s voice was unmistakable, and Alec knew that he was playing with fire. “Alicia called me and said that she had information about the girl. I know you went to the house, even though you weren’t supposed to—”
“Raven, I thought I knew where she was, but I don’t, not anymore.”
There was a thick silence. “But you did know where she was?”
Alec realized his mistake too late. “I did. For a minute.”
“And you didn’t bother calling me?”
“You know we’ve been ordered to stand down,” Alec replied weakly. “We can’t go after her.”
Raven inhaled a hiss of air that chilled Alec to his core.
“Alec,” she purred. “Why are you hiding this girl?”
“I’m not hiding her. I don’t know where she is.”
“Alicia seems to think you do.”
“Alicia thinks too much,” Alec retorted curtly. “I’m driving, Raven. I’ll talk to you later.”
“No worries,” Raven laughed. “I’ll be at your house when you get home.”
Alec’s eyes widened as he neared the mansion. The gates were open, and Raven’s Challenger was parked in front of the house, as promised. He mouthed a curse word but was careful not to let her hear it.
“I’ll see you soon then,” he replied lightly, slowing his vehicle. He needed to think about what he was going to do next.
If Briar comes back, she’s as good as dead. I have to get Raven out of here. Again, his eyes traveled through the darkness. All was still. Wherever she had gone, she wasn’t in the vicinity. I’ll have to get rid of Raven and go flying around to find her. There’s no way I’ll cover this much ground in the car.
Grunting, he parked next to Raven, but before he got out, he had another epiphany.
Oh, she’s going to murder me if I do this, he thought grimly. He closed his eyes to weigh out the consequences of his actions. He could be putting himself in just as much trouble as he was putting Raven, but at least Briar would be safe for a while longer.
He inhaled and reached for his phone, dialing out. When the voice on the other end answered, he took a deep breath and rushed out the words before he could change his mind.
“Hey, it’s Alec. I think we have a problem.”
Alicia greeted him at the door, her face pale.
“I didn’t expect them to come here,” the housekeeper muttered.
“No,” Alec barked back. “You didn’t think it through at all, did you?” Then he froze. “Them? Drake is here, too?”
“Of course. You don’t get one without the other.”
Double shit. Alec shoved past Alicia, determined to keep his composure, and found the demon duo in the front sitting room, nursing drinks.
“Oh, look! You’re back already,” Raven jeered. “You want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
“You shouldn’t be here, Raven,” Alec growled. “Go home.”
“Says the man who is running around tracking down our little criminal.”
“I’m not,” he said evenly. “I don’t know why you think that.”
“Alec, we saw you at the house,” Drake scoffed. “Don’t play holier-than-thou with us.”
“You shouldn’t have been at the house,” Alec reminded him. “And neither should I.”
“And yet you were. What did you learn?”
The smallest twinge of relief plucked through him as Alec realized that they had not approached Jack in his absence. Maybe Briar was safer than he had thought.
“I can see the wheels turning in your head.”
“I didn’t learn anything. She doesn’t live there anymore.”
“Alec—”
“You guys need to go and let this be handled through the proper channels. I’m telling you this before we all get in trouble.”
Raven’s intense blue eyes narrowed, and she shot her lover a wary look before turning her attention fully back toward Alec.
“What did you do?”
Alec shifted his gaze away and shrugged. “I did what I had to do,” he sighed. “The Council is on its way.”
Shock and disgust flooded their faces.
“You called the Council on us? You have just as much to lose as we do!”
“No,” Alec replied calmly. “I left well enough alone. You’re beating a dead horse. Just go home before they get here, and we’ll call it a wash.”
Fury pinched Raven’s expression, and she glided toward him, her lovely face twisting hideously.
“I could kill you right here,” she hissed. “One bite, Alec, and it would all be over.”
“For what cause?” Alec sighed, even though his heart was hammering in his chest. “To teach me a lesson? You’ll be just as dead as me.”
They held one another’s gaze, and Alec could see she was considering sinking her elongated teeth into his jugular. He didn’t falter.
“Why are you protecting her?” Raven asked suddenly, as if she realized there was more to the story. “Who is she to you?”
“No one,” Alec lied. “She’s no one. That’s what I keep telling you. There’s no purpose in losing yourself over this mortal nobody.”
“Why did Alicia say she knew the girl?”
“I don’t know,” Alec replied, whippin
g his head around to look at the housekeeper. “Alicia, do you know the girl?” Alicia’s face turned ashen as she read the anger in his eyes, and she shook her head quickly.
“I-I made a mistake,” the Lycan stuttered. “I thought…” She exhaled and folded her arms over her ample bosom. “I thought that Mr. Petlier’s lady friend was the woman you were looking for.”
Tension shot up Alec’s shoulders, and he glared at her, but Alicia didn’t meet his eyes.
“Lady friend?” Drake echoed. “We just got robbed and humiliated, and you’re bringing home booty calls?”
“I’m following the Council’s orders,” Alec snapped. “I can’t say the same for you.”
Headlights shone through the front windows, and the demons glowered at Alec.
“Where is this lady friend?”
“Jennifer went home. That’s where I was. I suggest you do the same.”
“He really did call on the Council!” Raven hissed, wrenching the curtains aside to look out. “Holy hell! What is wrong with you, Alec?”
“I’m trying to protect what’s important to me,” he answered softly. “Go outside and tell them you’re going home now.”
The doorbell chimed through the massive house, and Alec held their indignant gazes.
“This isn’t over, Alec,” Raven told him. He believed her.
Laurel appeared in the doorway, her eyes flashing with annoyance.
“What part of ‘stand down’ did you not understand?” the fairy queen barked at them.
“We’re standing down,” Raven replied quickly, shooting Alec a scathing stare. “Alec misunderstood our reason for being here.”
“Did he?” Laurel looked at Alec, who continued to hold Raven’s gaze.
“I hope so,” Alec said smoothly. “But perhaps we’ve all been under undue stress the last few days. Sorry I had you come here.”
“You guys,” Laurel snarled. “I can cut the tension in this room with a knife. We will deal with what happened as a unit. Raven, are you listening to me?”
“I’m listening,” Raven conceded. “I just don’t believe you.”
Alec stifled a sigh but finally broke his stare and offered Laurel a quick smile.
“Go home, you two,” Laurel ordered. “I don’t want to hear about you guys going renegade on this mortal girl. We already know who she is. She lives in Overtown, and I have fairies sitting on her apartment. There are eyes on her.”
Alec’s blood ran cold. He hadn’t realized that the Council had already found Briar.
“I want five minutes with her,” Drake growled.
“You’ll get nothing with her,” Laurel retorted. “You aren’t part of the Council, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Alec didn’t need to look at Drake to see the animus pouring out of him. It had always been a bone of contention with him, and Laurel was only driving it home.
“Can I trust you idiots not to continue with this?” Laurel demanded. “Or do I need to put a watch on you three, too?”
“You’ll get no fight out of me,” Raven said, but everyone in the room knew she was lying. “Come on, hon. We’ve overstayed our welcome.”
“Raven.” Laurel groaned. “We’ll take care of the mortals responsible for this. You have to have faith in the system.”
“Good night,” Raven called, shoving past Alec and then Laurel to leave the house. Drake followed on her heels, the ire oozing from his form as he moved.
“What did you do?” Laurel demanded when they had left the mansion. “She wouldn’t be on you unless you did something.”
“I didn’t do anything!” Alec fibbed. “You know how Raven is. She’s vindictive by nature.”
“Alec, if anything happens to that girl before she is properly brought to trial, you know we’ll come to you three first.”
“Nothing will happen to Briar.”
Laurel’s brown eyes widened. “Briar?” she echoed.
Shit. “That’s her name, isn’t it?”
Laurel studied him with intense interest.
“Indeed, it is,” she murmured. Her gaze moved back toward Alicia, who also looked away. “Is there anything you want to tell me, Alec?”
“I just want you to keep those two reined in,” he snapped. “That’s why I called you.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Laurel agreed, pivoting toward the door. “As long as you stay away from her, too.” Alec didn’t respond, a fact that wasn’t lost on Laurel. “Did you hear me?” the fairy demanded. “Stay away from the girl.”
“I heard you.”
Laurel peered at him warily. “I have a really bad feeling about all this.”
That makes two of us, Alec thought, chewing on the insides of his cheeks, but he wisely said nothing aloud.
11
Something made a sound nearby, and Briar jumped. In the pitch blackness, she saw nothing. How could she? There was no light to guide her way, not even the headlights of cars on the road.
This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, she cursed herself. I shouldn’t have run blindly into the dark. I should have just asked Alec to take me back to the city.
But Alicia’s words still haunted her, and the idea of returning to the gated mansion was terrifying. Still, as the minutes passed, the notion of going back was less horrific than what lay in wait for her in the night. She stumbled along, unsure of where she was or what direction she was heading. She hadn’t seen another house or a sign to give her an indication of where she was.
There’s nothing out here. I’m lost in the middle of nowhere.
Briar had no concept of how much time had passed or how long she’d been walking along the lone road, but when she turned back in the direction she thought she’d come, she didn’t recognize anything. Of course, that didn’t mean anything—it was far too black for her to know one tree from another or one field from the next.
She was tired, scared and getting cold, even though there was decided humidity to the night. It was the creeping fear in her gut, rather than the atmosphere, which prickled her skin.
Keep it together, Briar, she coached herself. Rest for a minute and get your bearings. Someone has to come along at some point, and maybe you can hitch a ride back to the city.
A dozen untoward thoughts filtered through her head, the news stories about serial killers picking up hitchhikers and a dozen horror flicks all compiled into one horrifying collage in her head.
Get a grip on yourself! This is not a movie. You are in the middle of nowhere. Serial killers don’t come prowling for prey away from civilization. The thought did little to comfort her, and she willed herself to breathe normally. Alec would come looking for her.
It was the first reasonable thought she’d had since leaving his house, and it gave her a modicum of hope. When he realized she was gone, he’d get in the car and come looking for her. She would apologize for running off and ask him to take her far away so that this Raven wouldn’t hunt her down and kill her.
Briar inhaled shakily and stopped walking. She realized she had a much better chance of being found if she just stopped moving. Someone would have to travel down this remote road at some point, wouldn’t they?
Suddenly, Briar was furious with herself. She wished she’d gone directly to Alec after Alicia had spoken to her, but as always, she’d let her fear carry her. Would she ever stop being afraid?
The air was so still, it was eerie. Being raised in the city, the quiet was disheartening to her, and she tried not to focus on the calm, but the alternative was being lost in her own thoughts. She couldn’t be sure which was worse. She moved off the side of the dirt road and found a tree to flop against. She was insurmountably tired. Would this day ever end?
A slight noise caused her to jump, but Briar couldn’t immediately tell what it was she was hearing. The faint sound of a whoosh, though it was nothing she could identify.
What is that? Her eyes scanned the field beyond, but it was impossible to see if something moved through the flatland, a realizat
ion which caused her pulse to race wildly.
“Please, no bobcats,” she murmured to herself. “I don’t want to be eaten by a bobcat.”
The noise grew closer, and Briar noticed it was coming from above. She raised her eyes upward toward the cloud-filled sky. Still, she saw nothing. A bird, perhaps? She wracked her brain to recall what birds were nocturnal. It had to be large, making such a noise with its wings. It certainly didn’t sound like a helicopter or plane, but her eyes took in nothing as she peered into the night.
Then, there was another sound, one she identified easily and instantly. She dropped her head toward the road, a lurch of excitement forming in her chest. The unmistakable light of a car was coming toward her in the distance.
The bird above forgotten, Briar pushed herself off the tree and waved her arms, even though the vehicle was quite a distance away.
“Hey!” she yelled, hurrying up the road toward the nearing vehicle. She didn’t want to get hit, but she also didn’t want the driver to miss her. “Hey!”
To her relief, the sleek, black car slowed, and Briar exhaled in relief as the window of the driver’s side went down.
“What are you doing out here, honey?” the woman behind the wheel asked. “Car troubles?”
Briar swallowed and shook her head.
“No—well, kind of. Could you bring me back to Miami if you’re headed that way?” she asked. “I don’t have a cell phone, and…” She trailed off and looked into the woman’s penetrating blue eyes. It was then that she saw someone else in the passenger seat.
“Where’s your car?” the woman asked suspiciously. “Is it nearby? I can call a tow truck for you.”
Briar sighed deeply and realized she needed to be truthful. Who knew how long it would be before another car came along?
“I don’t have a car,” she confessed. “But please, don’t leave me out here. I had a fight with my friend and I left his house. I’m lost and I just want to go home.”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “What’s your name, hon?” she asked pleasantly.
“Briar. Briar Baker.”
The couple exchanged a long look. It went on for such a time that it made Briar uncomfortable, and she backed away from the car.