Of Scions and Men

by Courtney Sloan

  “Never doubted that.”

  I watched him. This was nice. Not great, but nice. Still, three years of nothing couldn’t rewrite twenty years of friendship.

  “Ro…”

  My stomach clinched at his tone. “Uh oh.”

  “What?”

  “Here it comes.”

  He let out a loud sigh and tapped on the wheel. Then his words erupted out of him. “I’m sorry. I said I wouldn’t, but I have to.”

  I braced myself as I pulled at the end of my jacket and whispered, “Go on.”

  “Why did you do it?”

  “I had to.”

  “No, you didn’t.” He swiveled his eyes back and forth between the road and me. “You could have stayed. Figured something else out.”

  “Yes, I did have to,” I said with more of an edge than I felt, but it did the trick and stopped him mid-comeback. “We had nothing. Everything I’d worked toward died when I raced out of the Cup to get Will. When I finally got back, we had nothing. No one cared. They’d sold our house and all of our stuff for back mortgage I didn’t know we owed.”

  “I saved what I could,” he muttered.

  I touched his hand resting on the gear shift. “I know, but we had nothing, and my partial degree in Ley Theory wasn’t worth anything without a government or corporate sponsor. The only way to get any kind of sponsorship was the Cup.”

  “Together–”

  “Together, you and I were making enough for us all to slowly starve.”

  He paused. The Adam’s apple in his throat bobbed up and down. “We were just starting. I had plans.”

  I released his hand and sat back. “I couldn’t wait. You were around less and less. Will was so small and starving and getting threatened. I couldn’t keep waiting for tomorrow.”

  He hit the wheel, anger coloring his face. “You couldn’t wait for me. You didn’t trust me.”

  I stared dumbly at him. “What?”

  “All of this was in the works then. I wasn’t around because I was working shit jobs to prove myself to Masterson for us–for you. But you couldn’t wait!”

  My mouth slightly gaped, I stared at him then out the windshield. “I didn’t know. What was I supposed to do, read your mind?”

  His jaw tightened further. “You have no idea the things I had to do for them. Gaining their trust. Then you sold yourself to him. And yeah, I know you can hear all this, Devon. I hope you’re enjoying yourself.”

  We both waited, but I didn’t get any answer.

  “Coward,” Curtis muttered. “After your ceremony, Masterson had to move me out of town, fearing what Devon would do to me.”

  “He wouldn’t have done anything,” I countered, not sure if I was right.

  He made an ugly laugh. “Yeah, cause the ‘other man’ is welcome in every relationship. We’ve seen other people who had gotten in the way of a vampire and their scion disappear before they could be relocated.”

  “We’re not like that.”

  I’d known he’d always thought Devon and I were more than we were. He’d only come up with a dozen different ways to call me a whore before he’d left. Still, hearing him say his ugly thoughts aloud hurt like a bitch.

  “Please, everyone knows what you do behind closed doors,” Carson spat. “A toy of blood and sex–that’s what you chose over me. How long do you think it will be before Will–”

  Heat flushed through my body, and I snarled at him. “Don’t finish that sentence, or I swear by the Reclamation, I’ll get out of this car right now and haul your ass in for the trinket in your pocket.”

  Curtis stared hard out the windshield and grasped the wheel until I thought it would crack. Then he slumped and took a deep breath. His next words were so soft I had to strain to hear him. “Ro, you’re worth more than some sex doll and feeding trough to an undead freak. No matter what he’s convinced you, it’s not love.”

  I wet my lips as I peered at his profile. I took a deep breath. How could he care so much and still be so wrong? It was far past time to set him straight.

  I spoke in a calm, clear voice. “Damn right, it’s not love! It’s barely like. We don’t do anything like that. We don’t even live together, and Devon and I have never even come close to sex or anything like it.”

  Carson’s eyes grew wide, taking in my glare. God, I didn’t know what I hated more: the fact that everyone believed scions were sluts, or that Curtis, of all people, would think of me as one.

  He jammed down on the breaks at the sudden red light to keep from hitting the car in front of us. “I just thought… I’d seen…”

  I crossed my arms and shifted in the seat. “Trust me; I know what you’ve seen. I hear it whispered behind my back. It’s what gives Will a black eye at least twice a month.”

  He kept his focus on the cars ahead of us, but the tightening in his shoulders showed me I’d hit home. He could think what he wanted about me, but he’d known and loved Will all his life. Something of his love was still there. Twisted, but still there.

  Returning my attention out the window, I let him stew in his own head the rest of the ride.

  After pulling into an obscenely close parking spot, Curtis got out and strolled around. I drummed my nerves on the dash then collected my purse and grabbed the door handle, but he opened it first. I hopped out with an eye roll.

  In the shadow of the crazy tall building, curiosity got the best of me. “So, where’d you go?”

  “What?” He strode ahead of me, up the stairs, and held open the glass door.

  I ducked as I traipsed past him into the building. “After my ceremony, where was ‘safe?’”

  He leaned close to my ear. “St. Louis, Missouri.”

  I stopped short. St. Louis? Where my parents were going to visit when they’d died? Why did he go there? Was it because of them—because of me? “What the hell is in St. Louis?”

  His lopsided grin took on the arrogant, mischievous edge he’d worn when he’d joined Masterson and me. He stepped away from me and pushed his sandy bangs out of his eyes. “Change your employer, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Rolling my eyes at his total personality 180, I continued toward the security desk and Masterson’s domain.

  ith Curtis by my side, the travel through the tower was much quicker, and I received fewer attitudes. This time, I was able to feel the slight difference in my head, losing my connection with Devon. Again, my thoughts and actions were my own, and, again, it was an odd, yet pleasant feeling.

  We went past the 103rd floor and its club and ended up on the 107th floor. The doors opened from the Elevator of Horrors to an open office taking up the majority of the level. Windows made up the walls all around us. From here, the city was spread out far below us. Damn Masterson and always being right. Chicago was more beautiful in the sunlight.

  I tried not to appear like I was grasping for solid ground in front of Curtis, who moved with purpose, and followed him further into the room.

  Whirring sounds came at me from all sides. I flicked my gaze around the room, narrowing my eyes at the large metal compartments which surrounded us. Lights flashed on them–computers. Who the hell needed that many personal servers when cloud networks linked everything up?

  Someone who didn’t want his stuff linked to the outside world.

  Masterson stood from his desk at the far end of the room and moved toward us. “Rowan, I am so glad you are all right. When I heard you’d been injured, I was worried. More so when Curtis didn’t return my calls.” He glanced at Curtis but kept his smile on me.

  Curtis glared at both of us. Great, one more thing he’d blame me for. I hadn’t kept him from a phone. He could have called whoever he’d damn well pleased. Just when I thought we were making progress. Silly me.

  “Cut the crap, Masterson.” I took up a stance a few feet away from him and crossed my arms.

  He stopped between Curtis and me, frowning, then squinted at me. He was so used to everyone jumping for him. He needed more people ruffli
ng his well-groomed feathers.

  Masterson regained himself, but his voice was much more somber. “Curtis, go check in. I will see to Rowan.”

  Curtis glanced at me, and his face mottled with several different colors of frustration. “I need to tell you–”

  Masterson turned on him. “And you can when I require it of you. Right now, I am going to see what you’ve done by speaking to Rowan. Go catch up on your emails. We still have a campaign to run.”

  Curtis choked back words and hiked to the elevator without a backward glance.

  Masterson strolled to a sitting area to the right of his desk, motioning at a couch that looked way too comfortable. He sat stiffly on the black-leather-and-chrome, ultra-modern chair next to it. “Forgive my temper, but there is so much going on this week.”

  I cocked my hip. “Forgive me if I place a girl’s life above your campaign for King of the World.”

  He wilted a bit. “So, it is true. They took someone this time? Please, confirm for me who it was.”

  “She is Hannah Warner. I plan on finding her before she becomes a was. Now, I’ve answered your question; you answer mine. Why the hell did you have Curtis following me last night?”

  An emotion I couldn’t place filled his face. The politician’s smile I’d seen last time was gone, as if it had never been. This was the ruthless man I remembered meeting several years ago.

  “My incorporeal agents reported they had located our foreign interlopers,” Masterson said. “When I learned there were shifters in the crowd, circling two persons of interest, I sent Curtis. I had hoped we could end this whole messy deal and get on with our lives.”

  “But why involve yourself personally?”

  He stared at me hard. “Have you given my offer any consideration, or has Curtis scared you away?” His choice of words was purposeful and sloppy for him. He was upset, and it was showing today.

  Raking my hand through my hair, I was practically vibrating. Why the hell bring up the offer now? Did he really think his business was more important than someone’s life?

  “Sorry, been a bit busy,” I snapped.

  “Then forgive me if I have matters to attend to.” He stood while adding, “And I’d appreciate it if you’d do something about this whole mess.”

  I froze at the dismissal. He was trying to get me out fast when, only seconds before, he’d wanted answers. There was only one reason he’d care so much about who’d been kidnapped: “I’ll get her back for you.”

  He bristled at my words, casting his glance to the floor. He breathed deeply through his nose. Holy hell, I’d hit the mark. This just got a whole lot more complicated.

  “Her mother passed away, and no one, not even Hannah, knows I’m her father. To the world, there’s no one who would search for her. A safe mark.” His voice was barely above a whisper. I wasn’t even sure he meant for me to hear him.

  I had to regroup while he was still listening. “Look, Masterson, you’re the best guy for information. It’s what’s got you this God’s eye view of the world. But I’m a collector. Your humans and spirits can’t handle this. You need a real monster. Give me any information you have, so I can get her back.”

  He returned his attention to me, emotion shining in his eyes. “No one can know she’s my daughter.”

  Unsure if he meant his words as a statement of fact or a subtle threat, I held my breath and my ground.

  He gave me a half nod. “I’m glad you didn’t get to finish your Cup. You’re much better here.” His voice returned to its normal pitch. “They were from somewhere south of the US border–Mexico or South America. My money would be on South America because the Mexicans know our procedures better than this group does.”

  “We’ve narrowed their nationality on our own. From my encounter with them, they’re Brazilian.”

  He nodded.

  “Do you know what area of the city they are staying in?” I prodded.

  He banged the nearest server with his fist. “That’s the blasted kicker. I don’t normally ask because, with vampires, it’s easy to figure out. I just wait until my net reports a mass exodus of spirits from an area. But this time, there were none. No one got displaced. I have no idea where they are.”

  “No movement at least gives us something to go on.”

  He returned to his desk, fully himself again. “You were right to keep my offer from your Master.”

  “How do you know I did?”

  “He hasn’t come to knock down my door yet. So, does this mean you are still considering? How are you enjoying your time off the vampire channel?”

  I stayed silent, not sure of the answer myself and not wanting to give anything away.

  He nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He reached into his desk and brought out something I couldn’t see. He rose from his chair and stood before me. “I can show you so much about yourself and all scions if you’d let me. But, until then, let me give you something.” He held up a silver chain with an pendant, a deep orange and black striped stone with the dark veins coming together into a gleaming oval in the center.

  I reached out to touch it. “It’s beautiful. What is it?”

  “Tiger’s Eye. If nothing else, perhaps this will help you focus when you need to control how much the bastard pokes around in your head.” With my permission, he slipped it over my head. It slipped quietly under the neckline of my shirt and out of sight. “Everything swings two directions, Rowan. You just have to find the hinges.”

  He nodded and moved back to his desk. “You could do great things. Just don’t keep me waiting until it’s too late. Now, please, find her.”

  I shook my head in disbelief and turned on my heel toward the elevator. After pressing the button, I asked, “Hey, Mr. Information Man, one more question for you.”

  He glanced up and raised an eyebrow at me. I envied anyone who could accomplish the full one-eyebrow maneuver.

  “What’s it like in Brazil?”

  He put his pen down. “Rough. They’ve had a civil war going on since before the Reclamation. Same for almost all of South America.”

  “Their vampires don’t help?”

  “I’m afraid not. Their vampires aren’t quite as well-leveraged as our own.”

  “Why not?”

  “Two reasons. One, they are still actively hunted.”

  I thought about the implications there. South American vampires were still overrun by humanity. The world’s vampires being outted hadn’t put them on the top of the food chain like it had here and in Europe. It had made their lives more dangerous. Interesting.

  “And the other?” I prodded.

  “They don’t have scions to save them during the day.”

  Bingo.

  s I drove through the city, back to the DEC headquarters, I checked on Will and his day at school. It seemed Shahid had sent guards to stay close, and Will was convinced we all thought he was a baby. Now, he would not come out of his room, no matter how much ice cream Shahid tried to bribe him with. I’d have to set him straight when I got back, but, for now, the big vamp was keeping him safe.

  Relieved, I contacted Devon to update him on what I’d found out, minus how the kidnapped girl was connected to Masterson. If she didn’t know, I figured it was safer no one knew.

  I wasn’t protecting Masterson. It just made the most sense.

  At sunset, we are moving back to my place, he replied. Without your young suitor, we can get back to safety.

  He’s not my– I caught myself before I rose to the bait. I’ll meet you there after I meet with the alpha.

  We’ll dig up what we can find on Brazilian groups with enough resources to be active this far north. I’m phoning Romaric as we speak. He’ll want to know which specific group has invaded his territory uninvited.

  I pictured a predatory grin cross his face. Is it all of South America who doesn’t know now to make scions?

  He paused, but his surprise was quickly covered. It was a political decision based on sharing the rewards
with allies. They refused to be allies, so it was decided: no reward.

  And now they’re here to steal it.

  It seems so. But the president will deal with the foreign matters.

  So says every version of the Constitution. But, Devon…

  Yes?

  Don’t keep me out of this. I want to take these bastards down.

  Let us take care of this. You just see if you can pinpoint them.

  Like hell.

  It’s not personal.

  I’ve got a pain in my neck that begs to differ. Instantly, I regretted my words as Devon’s guilt rolled through our bond. It’s not your job to keep me safe.

  Contractually speaking, it is.

  I stifled my hurt feelings of being relegated to a contractual obligation. Anyway, wasn’t I the one who always insisted we were nothing but business? What did I care? I’ll see if they’ve found anything through the pack’s hunting. Maybe they have them cornered already, and we’re out of the loop.

  I don’t want you to go see Masterson again until we figure out how he’s keeping us apart.

  Before I could respond, he moved his thoughts to the back of my mind, telling me he had withdrawn from the conversation.

  Oh, this isn’t over, bucko.

  Pulling into my spot, I stalked into the DEC building as the sun dipped lower in the sky. I hoped my usual no nonsense face would scare off anyone trying to intercept me. The place was busy; most of the humans and shifters were leaving as the young vampires and other nocturnal shifters arrived for their shifts. People passed each other with waves and nods like any other business. Perhaps more than anywhere else, the DEC was where the different species could mix the best. All working toward the same goal.

  And I was a part of it. Why was I even thinking about Masterson’s offer? Would I really want to give all this up?

  For once, I went up–not down–in the elevators to the trackers on the second floor. The packs didn’t like being underground. Stepping out, I ran into Grace, one of the department’s latest interns. She was bright and energetic and living off the glory of her top ten placement from the last Cup. There were rumors some vamps were already sniffing around to vie for her as a scion—which would certainly help her rise to power. Her coffee-tinted skin flushed as she jostled two cups and a stack of folders, trying to open the door to the east side offices.