by Gina LaManna
“There’s more you’ll need to know,” Grey admitted, “but I believe Matthew’s correct. It’s been enough for one night—too much, maybe. I think you should go home and get some rest. I also think that we need to put a protective detail on you, Detective.”
“Over my dead body.”
“It will be,” Grey said, “if you fight us on it.”
“Like I have a choice,” I said, flailing my hands. “Apparently you two are tag teaming already.”
Matthew let out a throaty noise of disagreement. He quieted when I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Do what you have to do,” I said, “so long as you promise not to keep information from me anymore.”
“That’s a deal I can agree to,” Grey said. “Matthew?”
Matthew’s look toward Grey might’ve killed a lesser man. “I’ll make my own deals with my partner. Dani, let’s go.”
“But—”
“There’s nothing more we can do tonight,” Grey said. “I need to meet with my brothers. You need to get rest. We’ll reconvene when we know more, and in the meantime, I believe Matthew can fill you in on the history behind The Hex Files.”
“He’d better,” I grumbled. “Are you coming back with us?”
Grey didn’t bother to look at Matthew. “I don’t think that would be wise. You’ll be safe at King’s tonight.”
Matthew strode out of Grey’s house and waited outside while I gave Grey a one-armed hug.
“Thanks,” I whispered. “I appreciate being kept in the loop.”
“Be gentle with him,” Grey said. “He cares for you. Viciously.”
I nodded. “Goodnight.”
Chapter 8
“You know The Hex Files aren’t the only thing that drew the three of us together, don’t you?” Matthew asked as we moved quickly, quietly, back through the streets toward his house.
The journey home had been a dark, silent blur through the forest. We were both feeling tender from the events at Grey’s. I’d fumed, though the breakneck pace at which we’d flown through The Depth had stolen some of my anxious energy and left me exhausted and worn.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “The only reason Grey called us together was to discuss the files. They’re a pretty big deal, I’d say.”
“I could practically hear what he was thinking,” Matthew said. “And you don’t need to be a male to notice the way he looks at you. I don’t like it.”
“Well, I’m not sure you can do all that much about it.” I stopped as we reached Matthew’s front door. “Maybe I should go home.”
Matthew’s eyes leveled on mine. “You’re right.”
“Oh.”
“Not—don’t go, Dani. I meant you’re right about Grey.” His dark eyes flicked toward the sky, the moonlight reflected so deeply in his gaze that it gave me pause. “I can’t do anything about Grey’s involvement. We have the same goal, after all, and that’s to keep you safe.”
“And to abolish The Hex Files.”
Matthew gave a thin smile. “That, too.”
“So, what’ll it be?” I asked. “You think you can call a truce with him?”
Matthew tilted his head to one side. “Not exactly. But I’ll try to reign in my distaste.”
I patted him on the chest. It felt like petting a boulder. “Does that mean you’re going to invite me inside?”
Matthew unlocked and kicked open his front door, then bent forward and swooped me off my feet. “I’ll do you one better.”
He carried me across the threshold with an overly sappy, romantic kiss as he spun me around and sent the door flying shut with one foot.
“To what do I owe the honor?” I asked, wriggling to get down. “You’ve never swooped me before.”
“I’m realizing the error of my ways.” Matthew’s eyebrow raised, his lips twitching into a smile. “I made the mistake of losing you once, Danielle DeMarco, and I won’t do it again.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.”
“Let’s just say, I know how lucky I am, sweetheart. I’ve been given a second chance, and I’m not letting you go again. You are...” He gave a shake of his head, his lips in a tight line. “You are magnificent in every way. Any man out there would be lucky to have you. I don’t ever want to take that for granted.”
“Matthew, put me down.”
Matthew started at my firm tone. “Dani?”
“Put me down,” I ordered again. Once he did, I took a step back, crossed my arms over my chest. “You can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Don’t turn into some Prince Charming because you think it’s what I want!” I threw my hands up. “This is about Grey, isn’t it? You feel like he’s encroaching on our relationship, on your territory. Well, he’s not.”
“I didn’t mean—” Matthew stopped, considered his response more carefully. “Maybe it gave me pause. He’s very different than I am, Danielle.”
“Yes, and I chose you. I’ve chosen you on two different occasions, actually, and I continue to choose you every day.” I said. “Us—me and you—haven’t been easy. I wouldn’t have worked this hard to be together if I didn’t believe you were my soulmate. You are my everything, Matthew. Don’t lose sight of that.”
“You don’t...” He hesitated again, uncertain for one of the first times that I could remember. “You don’t want me to be more like him?”
I grimaced. “No.”
“But he’s...” Matthew shrugged. “He makes you laugh.”
“I fell in love with a grumpy vampire,” I said, stomping my foot for emphasis. “Give me more of the grumpy vampire.”
“In that case,” Matthew said, his face darkening, a surly quirk to his lips. “What do you say we get upstairs? It’s my night to... ah, watch over you.”
“Watch over me again, and I’ll have to stake you.”
Matthew laughed, reached for me, and threw me over his shoulder like a potato sack. “I’d like to see you try, Detective.”
MATTHEW’S BEDROOM WAS on the third floor of his house, a converted attic with soaring ceilings and a combination of old, restored wood and sleek new appliances. He’d had the house updated just before we’d started dating, and a part of me had always suspected he’d known we’d end up here together.
I glanced over at Matthew’s figure as he lay in bed, his eyes closed—an act, or a convenient way to convey he wasn’t ready to speak. “You know more about this than you let on,” I whispered. “Why are you hiding it from me?”
Matthew didn’t bother to open his eyes. Three skylights in the roof allowed moonlight to seep through, creating slants across his face, leaving some areas highlighted and others shrouded in darkness.
I let my hand raise, my fingers coming to rest against his face. “You were alive the last time someone tried to use The Hex Files to take control, weren’t you?”
Matthew raised a hand, clasped it over mine, and pressed my palm against his cheek. “I was hoping you weren’t involved. I was afraid you might be.”
“We’re not sure that’s the case,” I said. “The attack could have been something else entirely.”
“Maybe.”
“Were you the vampire who was responsible for placing one of the files in safekeeping? Were you on the council that hid the files the first time?”
Matthew gave a slight shake of his head. “No. But I knew the man who did. He lost his life over it. The knowledge was passed on to me.”
“The first file you gave me in exchange for my help on the case—was that the vampire guarded file?” I asked. “I thought... you made it seem like it was no more exotic than a sealed police report, but apparently, that’s not the case.”
“What else could I tell you?” Matthew asked, the question rhetorical. “You were intent on getting that information. Trenton dragged you into it, brought its name to your attention. You weren’t going to let it go.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“So,
I had to downplay the significance of the files. I hoped you’d read it and lose interest, find it to be a dead end. And no, that was not the vampire guarded file—it was the one that went to the humans, and it was placed for safekeeping in the New York branch of the NYPD. I’ve known its location for a while. I hadn’t ever seen it until I retrieved it for you, and once you were finished, I replaced it.”
“Now that I’m thoroughly invested in the files, what do you suggest we do next?”
“Find them,” Matthew said darkly. “There’s only a short time for the prophecy to come to pass. The last time someone tried to take power, the protectors of the files weren’t yet alive. Hiding them was our only option then, but this time The Hex Files are coming to light. Only one side will win.”
“How short a time are we talking about?”
Matthew’s eyes finally flashed open, and he looked over to me. “A lifetime.”
I felt my breath stall in my throat. “There’s only one time in history where all five of us will be alive,” I reasoned. “Or have been alive. And as a witch, I have a shorter lifespan than most paranormal creatures, so when I’m gone...”
Matthew still clasped my hand to his face, raised his lips to kiss the back of it. “You don’t need to do this. We can disappear. I can make that happen—nobody will find us, not even Grey.”
“You know I can’t do that,” I said, feeling my throat clamp up. “I’ve never seen you so nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” Matthew said. “I’m petrified. Your life will be in danger until we escape, or until you put an end to it with the others mentioned in the files.”
“We can’t run away,” I said. “It’s my duty—if I go, others will die. You couldn’t bear to live with that knowledge, and neither could I.”
“I could live with it,” Matthew said. “That’s the difference between you and me. I could live with it if it means keeping you safe.”
“Where’s my grumpy vampire?” I asked gruffly, fighting off the emotional note of the conversation. “Tell me about the history of the files. Maybe we can reason this out before it becomes even more dangerous.”
Matthew curled toward me, his breath expelling in a thin stream. He’d just showered and his hair was still damp, his skin soft, his scent freshly sweet and familiar. “Are you sure we must discuss this now?”
“I can’t sleep,” I pointed out, “and you don’t have to. What else do you want to do?”
His eyes darkened.
I smacked his shoulder. “We already did that.”
“But—”
“King,” I said. “Focus.”
Matthew gave me a devilish grin, his mind someplace else as his hand trailed down the bare skin of my arm, down my side, over my hip and to my legs. I sucked in a breath just before he pulled back. “You sure?”
“I’m sure,” I said, hitching the sheet up higher around my near-naked form. “Talk.”
“It was a long time ago. Eighteen eighty,” Matthew said. “A vampire named Dimitri Margolis caught wind of the files and decided to make it his goal to take over the magical world.”
“If people would stop being so dang selfish, our lives would be a lot easier.”
“We’d be out of jobs.”
“Not me,” I said. “I run a pizza parlor. I could hire you to be my bus boy.”
Matthew leaned forward, nipped my shoulder playfully to show me what he thought of the idea. “He had accrued a small army by his side—that’s what set him apart from all the others who’d tried and failed to go after the files.”
“An army of what?”
“Of other creatures who wanted to see the paranormal world fall to evil,” Matthew said. “His right-hand man was a necromancer by the name of James Blake. There were a few others—a wizard, a ghoul, a goblin. They got close to succeeding.”
“How close?”
“They’d gathered five of the six files,” Matthew said. “The last one proved difficult to find. The vampire on the council—Mikael Smirnov—was the guardian of the sixth file. He asked for help, and it was given. It was the first time wolves, vampires, goblins, sorcerers, witches, and others came together to form a coalition, and it prevailed. We managed to get rid of Dimitri and his henchmen.”
“Is it possible Dimitri survived?”
Matthew met my gaze with a dead stare. “No.”
“Maybe one of his cronies?”
“I can’t say for certain how many he had, but most of the others were killed or banished someplace from where it’s impossible to return.” Matthew licked his lip in thought. “Not that stories couldn’t have been passed down to descendants, that sort of thing. It’s worth looking into, though it’s doubtful this attempt at gathering the files is related to the last time.”
I tended to agree with Matthew, but it didn’t hurt to follow the lead. We had no other leads, and frankly, I couldn’t imagine why someone would want the amount of power involved in taking over the world. Talk about responsibility. I didn’t even want to be responsible for packing my own lunch, let alone running a pizza parlor. I couldn’t imagine the effort it would take to turn an entire city evil.
“Do you think I’m mentioned in the files?” I asked. “Do you believe Grey’s theory?”
Matthew’s hand squeezed mine tighter before he let go and returned his gaze to the freckles of dust drifting between the rafters and the skylights. “Yes. I believe whoever’s behind this attempt has your file, and therefore your name and personal information.”
“Damn.”
“Yes,” Matthew said. “That’d be one way to put it.”
“Who else do you think might be named in the files, along with me?”
“We have no way of knowing. Speculation won’t help anything.”
“Is there any chance it’s you?”
Matthew considered. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Why?”
“I always imagined those named in the files would be special in some way—unique, powerful, intelligent.” Matthew gave a light laugh. “They’d have to be able to save the world. I don’t exactly fit that profile.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “You save the world a little every day.”
“It’s not that,” Matthew said. “It’s my nature. Your nature is good. You, Dani, are a pillar of good in the world. I’m—well, my kind have been banished from the city for a reason.”
“You’re not like them.”
“In some ways, I am,” he said. “Just like Grey has similarities to his brothers, no matter how hard he fights it. In no world can Grey and I ever be friends—it goes against nature.”
“I don’t believe that. You came close tonight.”
Matthew’s glance was filled with skepticism.
“Okay, so maybe you weren’t all buddy-buddy, but you didn’t try to kill him.”
“Not out loud,” Matthew muttered. “We need him as an ally. For now.”
“Forget it. You’re missing the point.” I rolled over in bed, looked beyond the window to the stars above. “Which do you think I am?”
“Which what?”
“The files,” I said. “I assume each line of the prophecy references one specific person.”
“I wish you hadn’t asked.”
I ignored Matthew’s comment, and instead, I considered the charm-like phrases I’d found in the master file. Quietly, I spoke the words into the darkness, waiting, listening, feeling for a sign.
“One will lead the way by heart—
Another seeks bright in the deepest dark.
The third lives in shadow and searches the light—
A fourth will break from a desperate plight.
The last meets death for their greatest lie—
As the unbreakable enchantment brings the future nigh.”
Matthew gave me a thin smile. “Anything?”
“Nothing,” I said, and cursed. “Why couldn’t they list the names? It would have saved me a lot of time.”
“And it
would have been very dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands,” Matthew said. “Come on, Dani. You need to rest. We’ll figure this out in the morning.”
“Maybe I’m first,” I mused. “Because I was the first attack.”
Matthew curled closer, pressed a light kiss to my forehead. “So long as you’re not last, I can live with it. Now, get some rest, won’t you please?”
I felt my tension melting away as he pulled me against him under the covers. “This can’t be a coincidence.”
“What can’t?”
“I’m attacked, and Grey thinks The Hex Files are invoked,” I said. “Then a vampire returns to the borough and kills a member of the pack? It must all tie back to The Hex Files.”
“There’s no coincidence about it,” Matthew said. “Evil is at our doorstep.”
Chapter 9
Matthew watched Danielle sleep.
It was normally a time he enjoyed more than almost any other. A time when she was at peace, completely vulnerable in his arms. Her skin sparkled pale under the moonlight in an entirely different way than Matthew’s. Her cheeks contained a flush of pink, a hint of freckles from the summer sun in the borough.
However, as she slept this time, her eyelids fluttered in consternation. A thin line of perspiration broke on her forehead and worried mumbles slipped unconsciously from her lips. A time or two, she jerked so hard it would have sent Matthew’s heart racing if he’d had a beat.
He’d suspected her to be one of the files for some time now. Unlike Grey, he didn’t see how sharing the information helped anything. Until the rest of the files were identified, she was powerless to do anything on her own. All five mentioned in the files would have to work together. But Matthew couldn’t shake the feeling that all five wouldn’t make it out alive.
No, Matthew would much prefer to take Dani and run. They could do it—escape, leave Wicked to fend for itself. Hadn’t they paid their dues fighting crime? Giving up all semblance of normal lives in the name of justice? They avoided the marketplace for all the criminals they’d arrested. It was unfair for this city to ask any more of Danielle DeMarco than it had already stolen.