Megan’s mien gradually lightened, watching me fumble all over myself. “How about this, Noelle. We’ll pretend this is our first meeting and go forward from there.”
“I can agree to that.” I held out my free hand, the one that wasn’t holding onto the table, in her direction. “Noelle Harvey, hacker extraordinaire. It’s nice to meet you.”
She shook my hand firmly, a grin etching her lips up. “Megan Marshall, Princess of Love. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Wolfe pried my fingers off the table and hauled me toward the elevator. “Thank you for having us. We’ll see you later.”
I huffed in an effort to keep up with him, his hand hard on mine as he pulled me behind him. “Bye, everyone. Lovely to meet you all. And, Faith, don’t forget to call me! I want to hear all about the story you’re writing.” And get your shifter husband off my ass.
The elevator doors closed on my last words.
My eyebrows rose as I stared at the side of his face. “Is there a reason why you acted like your ass was on fire to get me out of there?”
The wolf inside him huffed. He kept his eyes straight ahead, his hand releasing mine. His nose scrunched twice, and then he grumbled, “It wasn’t because of you.”
“What then?” I pushed.
His sigh was heavy. “I wasn’t lying about hating his house. I can’t be in there too long before taking a break. I went down to the forest three times while we were there tonight.”
“Oh my.” My eyebrows almost hit my hairline, not knowing that. “How do you work in an office if it’s that bad for you? Cooper Corporation is tall and locked down hardcore.”
“Plants. My office is full of plants,” he stated matter-of-factly. “And I sometimes sprinkle dirt on the carpet so it smells like home.”
I tipped my head back to the elevator door as it opened on the ground level. “I guess everyone has their quirks.”
“Yes, they do.”
We headed toward the Cooper Corporation train, a wolf logo on its side, waiting in line with all the other different corporate trains.
Wolfe pulled his hair back from his forehead and shifted his attention down to me. He yanked at his hair a little, and then swiftly blurted, “Do you want to have dinner with me? I’m hungry.”
I stared into his eyes. His sad eyes. I questioned gently, “Are you sure you want to do that right now? It’s okay if you want to go home.”
He shook his head, still pulling on his hair. It was like his teeth were being pulled out, he grimaced so badly at saying, “I’d rather not be alone right now.”
“All right. Let’s go to dinner.”
I wasn’t entirely sure why I was staying around him, not saying no to his requests to go here or there. The one thing I did know was when I was in his presence, it felt like coming home to a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. I may have to forgive him for knocking my ass out, because this feeling, deep in the soul, was absolutely warm and comforting. Even when we argued, the warmth stirred in my veins—maybe more so then if I was honest with myself. I really did love to argue with people, get the blood pumping and thoughts churning.
“What do you want to eat?” he asked as we boarded the train.
“Nothing too spicy or greasy, please. Everything else is fine.” I shrugged as I climbed the steps behind him, enjoying the view of just how his jeans hugged his ass scrumptiously and walked into his personal train behind him. Neither one of us moved as we gazed at the back of the train. I whispered, “What is she doing here?”
Wolfe shook his head of gray hair, evaluating her.
Poppy sat in the far back, with her forehead pressed to the window and peering out into the dark, not even noticing we had boarded. Her shoulders sagged, and her cheeks were splotchy with color. If I had to guess, her brown eyes were more than likely filled with tears.
Poppy may be a soldier in the Corporate Army, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have feelings of her own. She wore her heart on her sleeve to everyone she cared about—that much I had already learned.
She loved. And she loved fiercely.
Wolfe cleared his throat loudly, catching her attention.
Startled, red-rimmed eyes stared right at us. “Sorry. I just wanted to get away for a while. I couldn’t handle all of that in there.”
Wolfe’s smile was small, sad like her. “If I didn’t want anyone to enter my train, I would have closed the door. You’re always welcome, Poppy.”
I asked carefully, “If you want to get out of here, we’re going to get some dinner. Do you want to go with us?”
It seemed like the right thing to ask.
Wolfe’s little finger grazed mine in appreciation, linking his single digit with mine down by our sides, hidden from Poppy’s view.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to intrude.” Clearly torn, she didn’t want to go back to the party. “I came with Theron. He won’t want to leave until the party’s over.”
“Come with us. We’ll go wherever you want. Or we could drop you off at your home if that’s what you prefer,” Wolfe offered.
“I don’t want to go home yet. The house is too big,” she stated bluntly. “If you really don’t mind, I’ll eat with you two, even though I’m not all that hungry.”
“Sure,” I answered. I could be kind. Every so often. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Not really, but I could be there for her.
I had shot her in the head.
And she was grief-stricken.
My heart wasn’t completely black.
* * *
I raised my third beer and drank heavily. This was the most depressing dinner I had ever encountered. I hadn’t known Cassander, but after an hour of Wolfe and Poppy recounting story after story about him, I felt like I’d known the silver fox on too many levels to explain.
And the tears. They weren’t stopping.
Not mine. No. I almost felt guilty my eyes were dry.
Poor Poppy’s cheeks were like a river of pain.
Wolfe had swiped at his eyes once or twice.
I didn’t have anything helpful to say, but I did have questions about his funeral—if it was or wasn’t going to happen. I wished it were the right time to ask. This definitely wasn’t it since half the time they still spoke in the present tense about him, then fumbled around and corrected themselves.
Depressing. As. Fuck.
Joshua Striker showing up at our table made it even worse. He silently slid into the only remaining seat at our table. Wolfe and Poppy didn’t even notice; they were so involved with their own tales.
I choked on my beer and set the bottle down quickly, kicking Wolfe’s leg hard under the table. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have company. You might want to pay attention.”
Joshua snickered, his gaze straight on mine. “How long have they been ignoring you, Ms. Harvey?”
“About a half hour. After our desserts were served,” I answered honestly and shrugged my shoulders. “I left them to it. They obviously needed to talk about the seer.”
The real growl emanating from Wolfe’s throat shouldn’t have been happening inside the fancy—and busy—establishment we were in if he didn’t want anyone to know about his species.
I kicked his leg again. “You’re getting a little loud, Wolfe. There are a lot of people in here.”
His growl stopped.
Poppy didn’t seem to care that we were in public. A dagger had appeared in her hand, and she was now flipping it repeatedly into the air, his death a contemplation in her mind, showing blatantly through her eyes. There might be many different ways she wanted to slice him up judging by her heartless smile.
Wolfe peered around at the innocent people near us, but his question was wholly directed to the intruder. “What the hell are you doing, Joshua?”
“Noelle told you of my plan to meet with Poppy and her, so I had to alter it. That little design of yours that everyone cooked up today to trap me would have been a nuisance,” Joshua explained.
I had no idea there was a plan, but it didn’t surprise me in the least they’d had one prepared.
He spread his arms wide. “So here I am, on neutral ground, and taking the favor Noelle owed me.”
Poppy kept flipping that knife of hers. “I’m tired of your games. Say what you want to say and leave.”
I sat back and grabbed my beer. I downed the rest of it, needing a break from all this craziness. I wondered if I could slip out the back.
“Cassander’s soul still resides within his body,” Joshua stated bluntly. “He hasn’t left it yet. He’s still holding on.”
The knife stopped flipping, held tight in her tiny fist. “What of it?”
“I think you should consider canceling that funeral planned in two days. You won’t need it if you choose wisely.” Joshua’s grin was a perverted form of happiness, derived from the agony of his enemies. “Are you interested in hearing more?”
That explained my funeral question.
Of course, Poppy was interested in hearing more.
She stalled, though, her red brows falling low over her eyes. “Everything you say is only half-truths. You can’t be trusted.”
Joshua’s sigh was stupid long. “On this one, I can be trusted. It is also beneficial for you to hear me out, but I won’t continue unless you want me to.”
Wolfe’s gaze snapped to the redhead. “He is a demented and dark soul who only thinks about himself. You know this. He can’t even help it anymore.”
“I know, Wolfe.” Poppy cracked her neck to the left. Then cracked her neck on the right side. Why she was stalling boggled my mind. I knew what she was going to say. Still, she made us sit in silence while she gathered her thoughts.
Her voice was quiet as she stated, “Tell me more.”
“Fuck,” Wolfe muttered softly.
“The aberration in front of me brought up a very fine point,” Joshua muttered, disgusted he agreed with the wolf-man. “I have already turned dark, so it won’t hurt me to do what I am offering you.”
The twisted seer pulled two vials out of his pocket and set them down on the table before him. He pointed at the first one, the liquid clear inside. “This is a magical spell. All you have to do is put a drop of your blood into the mix and pour it over Cassander’s wound, and he will return to life, just as he was before.” Joshua pointed to the second vial, the liquid a murky gray. “This is the same magical spell, but mixed with the aberration, Godric King’s, ashes. All you must do is pour it on the ground. Godric will return to life, just as he was before.”
Poppy sat forward and placed her elbows on the table, forgetting who the seer was, her head far too close to his body, as she stared down at the vials. “That’s all I have to do, and they’ll come back to life?”
Joshua chuckled a high pitched sound that hurt my still injured ears. “You don’t get both vials, Ms. Carvene. You have to choose. Which one should come back to life?”
Poppy’s nostrils flared, horror entering her eyes.
Wolfe started growling again.
I absently nudged his foot with mine, shutting him up, but I was still floundering in shock and awe and disgust. I sputtered, “You’re going to make her choose? Just give her both of the vials!”
Joshua blew a hard breath out of his mouth, clearly disappointed in me. “That’s not the way this deal works, Ms. Harvey. She must pick which one should come back.” He peered down at his silver bracelet. “And the countdown is ticking. You have five minutes to decide, Ms. Carvene.”
“No,” she whispered in dread.
“Yes.” Joshua tapped Godric’s vial. “It would be more helpful for you to have two kings while you try to kill me.” He tapped Cassander’s vial. “You don’t truly need another seer, because this aberration won’t be able to kill me.”
Wolfe snarled, “How did you get Godric’s ashes? That could be dirt in there.”
“I snuck into the crematorium before his ashes were picked up. I took a pinch.” Joshua teetered his head back and forth. “Four minutes remaining.”
Wolfe asked another question, “Why are you giving her this opportunity at all?”
“The puppet master said so.”
“Who is the puppet master?”
Joshua simply yawned and didn’t answer.
“I’d like to touch the vials to verify your claim that they truly contain magic,” Wolfe demanded.
“Feel free.” Joshua flicked a finger.
Wolf placed his finger on the first vial.
His eyes instantly widened at the vial in surprise.
“That’s magic. Powerful magic.” He yanked his hand back and tentatively touched the second vial. Same reaction. The wolf-man sat back on his chair, placing his fists on top of the table, his powerful arms bunched tight. “Poppy, they both contain powerful magic, though one feels different than the other.”
“Because of the ashes.” Joshua rolled his eyes skyward. “Three minutes.”
My head cocked to the right in interest. “Why would Cassander’s require her blood where Godric’s wouldn’t?”
“Because I was Godric’s mate. He already had a link to me, the person enacting the spell,” Poppy whispered, her voice upset. Her focus hadn’t strayed from the vials. “I don’t know what to do.”
Joshua just tipped his head to the redhead and shrugged one shoulder when I continued to stare at him to get the answer to my question, not an assumption from the redhead.
Wolfe placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to pick either one of them, Poppy. That is also a choice.”
The crazy seer murmured, “Two minutes.”
Her not knowing what to do was answer enough in my opinion. If she was struggling this hard over her mate who could help kill the guy sitting at our table, versus the seer who wasn’t her mate and couldn’t help kill this man, then the choice was clear. Surely, she had to see that. But maybe she did. Maybe she wanted to follow what her gut was telling her to do but knew she should pick a shifter who could kill Joshua.
Fuck, maybe she didn’t even know her heart at all, an even more frightening thought. If she didn’t, then she would be really struggling…
Shit. Like she was right now.
Oh, hell.
The devil was making her heart choose.
Joshua glanced at his silver bracelet. “Sixty seconds, Ms. Carvene. If you don’t decide by then, I’ll destroy both vials, not just one.”
Poppy’s right hand shot out and hovered over the second vial like she was protecting it. She never grabbed it, though, simply kept her hand outstretched over it. She stared at the first lonely vial with no protection over it, as though she would never see it again, her eyes filling with tears.
Joshua watched his bracelet. “Five, four, three, two, one—”
Poppy stopped his countdown.
At the last second, she gave a great sob and moved her hand to the first vial and snatched it off the table.
She held Cassander’s life close against her chest, caving her shoulders forward, sheltering it from everything, even the heated breeze coming down from the vents. Her eyes closed while Joshua silently placed his right hand over Godric’s and shot a short burst of black magic into it. The vial shattered all over the table, the gray mixture turning into a black tar-like substance. A single tear fell down Poppy’s cheek as she opened her eyes and saw the destruction for herself.
“I will now take my leave.” Joshua pushed up from his chair. “Don’t forget, Ms. Carvene. One drop of your blood, pour the spell over his wound and do it before the end of the day tomorrow. I’m not positive if the aberration can contain his soul longer than that. If his soul leaves his body, a different spell will need to be used, like the second vial.”
Her head nod was barely noticeable.
Joshua saw it though. His footsteps were soft as he left the restaurant, never glancing back to make sure no one was throwing a dagger at his back. The devil didn’t have enemies who were more powerful than he was.
Or
did he?
Maybe Theron was wrong.
Maybe the puppet master was someone.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Theron, open your damn door!” Wolfe banged on the wooden door for the hundredth time. “Theron! We need inside!”
Poppy tried calling him again on her bracelet.
It didn’t connect yet again.
I finally groused, “Bust the damn door in, Wolfe. I know you have the strength for it.”
“This is our king’s home, Noelle. I’m trying to have a little respect for his privacy. His train is right there, so he’s here somewhere.”
I lifted one eyebrow. “You think he has someone in there with him? Because I have to say, if you think Erala let him take her here, there’s not a chance in hell. That young woman isn’t going to come around for a while—if ever.”
Poppy still cradled Cassander’s vial to her chest. “If you don’t break that door down, I will. We’ve been out here all night.”
“It’s been a half hour,” Wolfe countered. He pounded on the door again, but spoke evenly, “We need to wait a little longer.”
The door flew open, and a furious king stood staring.
All three of us outside went mute.
With his hearing, who knew what he had overheard us say.
Theron only wore a pair of pajama pants, and he finally snarled, “Can’t a man take a shit in peace? My goddamn, you three are loud as fuck. This had better be good, or I’m kicking all of your asses.”
Wolfe sidestepped, placing himself directly in front of me, his tone careful. “Theron, Poppy has a way to bring Cassander back to life.”
I couldn’t see the king, but I knew he wasn’t happy with those words, as he hollered, “Are you all fucking drunk? Do you know what time it is? My son’s death is not a joke!”
I lifted my right hand, though, no one could see me. “I may be a little tipsy.”
“Shut up, Noelle,” Poppy whispered from the side of her mouth. She straightened her spine, and stated clearly, “Joshua Striker invaded our dinner tonight—”
“Is he dead?” Theron cut her off.
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