by Lauren Dane
“Are you kidding? I’d love that. I’ve been dying to go since Lark first told me about it. A world of warriors? I’m thrilled.”
His smile, which was normally laid-back and slightly dirty, widened into something else. “It would be an honor to take you.”
“If we survive Thunderdome, that is.”
“Thunderdome?”
“How long have you been here? On this side of the Veil, I mean.”
“Mainly I’ve lived in Lycia. My father has a private security force; I have been a lieutenant there. I came here and lived for thirty years or so in the eighteen hundreds. That was an interesting time. Then for about a decade in your nineteen twenties. I’ve only been here for short periods of time since.”
“Thunderdome is from a movie. Dick of a leading man, but it’s a fun movie. Plus, Tina Turner is in it, big win. Essentially it’s an arena, two men enter, one man leaves.” She bet they had stuff like that in Lycia for real.
“Ah, I understand. You and your sister like cultural references.”
“I can see I need to expose you to more movies. You know, update your knowledge. There’s plenty of downtime stuck in hotels on this damned roadshow. I’ll take your education on.” She winked. “Also, I can’t quite believe you’re old enough to have been here in the eighteen hundreds.”
They paid the bill and headed back to the car after a stop at the mini mart when they gassed up. You never knew when you were going to need Red Vines or peanut M&Ms after all.
Soon he was back on the freeway, which had been mainly empty once they’d cleared the Grapevine and had descended into Central California. They hit pockets of traffic here and there, but nothing too heavy.
He started to speak again, taking up the conversation from back at the diner. “The world here was different then. In eighteen forty. I lived in London.”
“Really? Did you go to balls and dress up and all that stuff?”
“I had a wife.”
She paused. “A human wife?”
“All our lives we’re taught to avoid humans. Short life-span, you see, means that should you love one, you’ll see them grow old and die. Thirty years is nothing to me. But to her, my Lydia, it was from the bloom of her youth until she passed, devastated by tuberculosis. She was fifty-five. Which for then was a ripe old age.”
Helena hadn’t even thought of him being married. She tried to wrap her head about it.
“I’m sorry.”
“It was over two hundred and fifty years ago.”
“Well, seems to me that to you, that’s not so long ago. And some things aren’t so easy to get over.”
He breathed out. His eyes were hidden behind some snazzy sunglasses so it was hard to know what he was feeling just then.
“Was it difficult? The fact that they’d have seen you as black?”
He was nearly unbearably handsome. Tall and broad. Dark skin, luscious lips, deep brown eyes. Like Simon, he tended to dress up in suits. He often looked like he’d stepped out of a magazine ad for designer menswear. But in eighteen forty, people would have been less accepting of his skin color.
“I had a lot of money. That tends to ease the way. There were plenty who did not speak to me and who avoided my presence. But more who sought ways to ease me into their company because of the wealth I possessed. The rumor was that I was an African prince of some sort.”
“Well, you are a prince, so that part was true.”
He snorted. “Yes. I haven’t thought of Lydia in some time. Thank you.”
“What was she like?”
She had no idea why she asked. It wasn’t really her thing to poke around about a man’s old girlfriends or exes. But his Lydia had been dead over two hundred and fifty years. It wasn’t like there was a threat. Nor should she even be thinking about it that way because, hello, she was his friend and colleague.
“Kind. Beautiful. They’d needed the income and no one had offered for her. It made her sad. She knew horses really well. That’s how I got to know her. She wasn’t helpless like many women of her time were bred to be. She was smart and well read. I loved her.” He shrugged. “We got on. We married and she moved into my home and we had a life together for a time. She died and I went back to Lycia.”
“Did she know? What you were, I mean?”
“No. It wasn’t something she could have accepted.”
Helena reached out, squeezing his hand. She couldn’t imagine having to hide such a big part of yourself that way. She wondered if he felt like half a person.
“You have a good heart, Helena.”
She laughed. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“Do you think it’s a secret?”
“I understand how people see me. Lark is the touchy-feely one. She’s wisecracks and wild-colored hair. I’m the cold, logical one.”
He harrumphed. “She’s certainly touchy-feely, as you say. But she’s got her share of cold logic and you have your share of warmth and compassion. I see how you are with your people. You risk your life for them daily. Others see it as well.”
She shrugged, uncomfortable. He changed the subject.
“What do you think of Lark and Simon?”
“As a couple?”
“Yes.”
“I like Simon. He seems to adore my sister. She doesn’t let him run her life. He’s strong and able to protect her, but he lets her do her own thing. She needs someone like that. She’s happy and so I’m happy.”
“It’s good that you are so close.”
“We’ve had our rough spots, trust me. But I love my sister and would do anything for her. It keeps me going. I hate that she’s in Seattle. It’s been a good move for her, though.”
“She’s been hugely integral to strengthening the Owen hunter team. She credits you often with things she teaches to her people.”
“We ran this squad for years. Were raised in it. She’s good at what she does. The best, really.”
“Hm. She says the same about you, and from what I’ve seen, she’s right.”
“I’ve made mistakes.” Her tone was laced with regret. He knew there were things unsaid. He had a level of intuition he knew he got from his mother, who was a high-ranked demoness. As much as he wanted to poke at her to get her to reveal her hurt spots, he realized it was wiser with Helena to let her come to it in her own way.
“You were engaged once. It didn’t work out. Tell me about it.”
“‘Didn’t work out’ is a pretty way to put it, I suppose.” Her phone rang and she answered quickly.
“Jaansen.”
She thought she could avoid the subject. Faine wisely kept his snort mental as he continued to drive. She was silly to think so. He could wait. He was good at it. Trained to wait for the perfect opportunity to pounce and disarm his prey.
He’d grown to know her over the months they’d traveled around, guarding Molly and the others. He was four hundred years old and he knew when a female interested him on more than just a friendly level.
She looked at his mouth longer than was necessary. Her pupils got larger when she stared at him. Her pulse sped and her skin warmed. The aroma was enough to bring his beast to the skin every time. She wasn’t the only one interested.
He wanted to know Helena better. A lot better.
And so he’d wait.
• • •
ONE of her San Francisco hunters waited for her as they entered the Sacramento offices of Clan Gennessee. She nodded once and the hunter relaxed. Slightly.
“Caspar, good to see you. You know Faine.”
They’d made the nearly six-and-a-half-hour drive in five and some change, even after stopping for lunch. He loved driving. Didn’t do it much in Lycia, but here he had a sleek, powerful machine. The straight shot from Los Angeles to Sacramento gave him an excellent opportunity to drive hard and fast. It was nearly as good as sex.
Nearly. Faine kept his focus on Caspar and tried not to think about sex. With Helena.
Caspar nodded seriously at Faine and tu
rned his attention back to Helena.
“We need to get up to speed here. I’m going to get changed and then head over to Senator Sato’s home. We’re meeting there instead of his office. He’s concerned about leaks and security issues at the capital offices.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be working on the schedule then. Just come by when you’re ready and I’ll drive you over.”
Faine would wait to disagree with that until they were alone.
Again that nod before she headed upstairs, he followed in her wake. The office building was three stories and held workspaces along with several apartments and a central kitchen. It was where they’d be staying in Sacramento. The last time they were in town, they’d stayed at a hotel, but Helena had decided to keep them at the Gennessee building. All in one place. All locked down like a fortress.
Faine approved. Especially after they’d gone through several checkpoints and he’d noted snipers on rooftops.
“Faine, you can take a few hours’ downtime if you like. I’ll take Caspar with me.”
He simply looked at her. “Let me unpack my things and get the other stuff from the trunk inside. Then we can all head over together.”
“You’re very stubborn.” She unlocked a room and he decided to take the one across the hall. “I’m going to shower and get ready. Meet you out here in forty-five.”
He paused, touching her arm. “If I’m stubborn I could take lessons from you. You’re the one who needs downtime. At least eat.”
Her smile was pale, but there. “Tosh says there’ll be dinner served at the meeting. Shifters will be in attendance so you know it’ll be a huge spread. You really don’t need to come. I’m capable of protecting myself.”
“You most certainly are. But I’ll be there. Protecting you while you protect everyone else. That’s how it works.” He kissed her forehead and stepped back. “See you in forty-five.”
Chapter 5
HE’D kissed her forehead. It was . . . startlingly tender. Not patronizing, though she nearly wished it had been. She could have easily resisted patronizing.
The phantom of his touch remained on her skin as she got out of the car at the airfield where the plane carrying Molly and her team had just landed.
She greeted Molly as they got off the plane.
“Just a gentle hug.” Helena smiled. “The bruises are fading. Too bad, you looked like a hard-ass with them.”
Molly grinned. “I did?”
“Totally.”
“You can sign my cast with prison graffiti then. You know, for effect.”
Helena chuckled. “Gotcha. Though I’ll have to look some up on Google. Wouldn’t want to do something that looked tough but really meant, I’m a fluffy bunny, pet me and give me a cookie.”
“I’ve missed you. You look tired though.” Molly’s smile faded into a concerned frown.
“Let’s get you in the car. You can keep lecturing me once we’re behind bulletproof glass.” Helena led them the few feet from the plane to where the cars waited. Faine stood at the door, bowing slightly when he saw Molly. Her friend smiled back, tiptoeing up to kiss his cheek.
Gage shook Faine’s hand and clasped his forearm before sliding into the car next to Molly. “Faine will ride with you. I’ll be in the car just ahead.” She closed the door and moved to the car in front, leading them all from the airfield and back to the Gennessee building.
She knew Faine frowned, but he was too disciplined to question her orders in front of anyone. She had her reasons.
It was after one in the morning so the traffic was light. They’d driven by a few protests earlier on their way over to Sato’s place, but now things were quiet. She was glad to see, though, that despite the lateness of the hour, her staff at the garage they used to park their vehicles in was on the ball, using all the checks she’d put into place.
Once inside she showed Molly and Gage their room, got the rest of the group settled and told Molly she’d meet with her in fifteen minutes to brief her on the day’s events.
As she figured, Faine caught up with her in the hall outside her room. “I’m your guard. I can’t do that from another car.”
“I can’t do my job effectively if all my best weapons aren’t spread around. If my car had been attacked, you’d have been able to deal with it immediately. You wouldn’t have been in the car that was hit. If your car had been, I could have dealt with it and you’d have been there to aid Molly and Gage.”
He paused, thinking, and finally nodded. “I understand your reasoning. But I do not like being separated from you when there are dangerous situations.”
She knew what he meant, of course. But the possessive edge in his words sent a thrill through her.
Dangerous.
Dangerous and stupid to let herself get any measure of woo-woo over this male. He was too much, like all alpha males were. Too much to handle. Too intense. Too everything.
But she tingled nonetheless.
“Okay then. I’m going downstairs to talk with Molly and Gage. Are you coming?”
“Yes. That would be good.”
He followed, the heat of him at her back.
“I’ll listen to your update but only if you have a cup of tea with me and maybe some toast or something. Helena, you look beat.” Molly came into the common room looking moderately relaxed.
“Sit. I’ll get the water on.” Gage gave them both a look that dared them to argue, so Helena nodded her thanks and sat across from Molly.
“Says the woman with two casts.”
“Gage scowls at me until I rest. Aside from re-knitting broken bones, I’m doing all right. I even got eight hours’ sleep for three nights in a row this week. And don’t tell anyone, but I napped twice.”
“Because she was nearly asleep on her feet,” Gage called out from where he set the kettle on the stove.
She winked at Molly, who rolled her eyes, but looked back to Gage with affection all over her features.
“So fill me in.”
“Went to Sato’s place earlier.” Helena tucked her feet beneath herself as she leaned back into the couch cushions. “We’ve got a basic schedule for tomorrow and the day after. You’ve got a series of hearings and meetings. The wolves sent their people over to sniff the rooms and they’ll be in place tomorrow as well.”
Gage looked to Faine, who shrugged. “These have been trained by National. Bomb sniffers, that sort of thing. I trust them.”
Helena barely resisted the urge to snap her fingers. She got it, they were all experts and Faine had worked with Gage more than Gage had worked with her. But.
“In the future, I’d appreciate it if you spent even a minute amount of time pretending you take my word for things. Or do me the respect of being more aboveboard in asking someone else’s opinion. This is either my team or you can run it yourself.”
Gage started as everyone grew very quiet. Then he blushed.
“You’re right. I meant no disrespect, but I can see how it came off that way.”
Molly smoothly intervened. “I think the water is about to boil.”
Faine stood. “I’ll get it. Rain—that’s Helena’s mother—sent a dozen kinds of tea for us.”
“Oh, your mother’s tea is delicious.” Molly’s pleasure was genuine. “She sent some up care of Lark for me while I was healing.”
“She likes to take care of people. I’ll let her know your reaction; it’ll totally make her day. And it’ll give me another reason to call and check in. My dad, well, he’s the hunter. She’s the nurturer. She just hangs on and claps when we win things and tries to get us to hug it out instead of punching each other when we have conflict.”
Gage laughed. “I think our mothers would get along great.”
“When this mess dies down, they want to have a big party for Simon and Lark, you’ll meet them then. Having met your mother a time or two, Gage, I’m sure they’ll hit it off.”
Faine came back with tea and he simply stared at her until she took a sip.
&nbs
p; “I had the schedule sent to Rita.” Rita was Molly’s assistant. Molly was a control freak, like they all were to some extent. She liked to know things in advance and any changes to her schedule were to be made with her knowledge or she got pissed. Helena totally understood that and tried to work within those guidelines.
“First thing you’ve got is a meet with Sato, Carroll and Sperry. It’s at nine thirty. Then a closed-door meeting where they want to talk with us about this new FBI task force they’ve created recently.”
Molly snorted. “The one you said you hung up on earlier today?”
Helena blew out a breath. “Yes. It was stupid. I shouldn’t have.”
“No, you totally should have.” Gage sipped his tea. “From what you said, it’s lucky you didn’t tell him off first.”
“I understand. Totally. You’re frustrated. We’re all frustrated, and letting Fenton go was offensive beyond bearing. They need to understand that we’re not going to take this stuff quietly. I’m not mad. It was just by way of reference.” Molly reached over and patted Helena’s arm.
“I don’t even know how you stay so calm.”
“I think your mom puts drugs in the tea.”
Helena barked a laugh. “I wouldn’t put it past her. So anyway, I’ve got clearance for all the members of our team and their guard. Because I’m on Sato, I’ll be able to use some of their back hallways and that sort of thing.”
“I’m worried about Tosh.” Molly’s brow furrowed. “He’s human. He’s got no natural defenses.”
“He’s no slouch, Moll. He was in the navy. He’s a JAG. He knows how to defend himself. I went through his home and his office—back before the bombing, I mean—and gave him a list of improvements I thought he could make, and when I was at his house earlier tonight, he’d made them. All of them. And his personal guard includes a former Ranger and former marine.”
“Well, it’s his own people trying to harm him.” Gage lifted a shoulder.
Helena got it. Tosh liked Molly. Respected her and felt protective of her. A man like Gage would be jealous of that. Sato was spectacularly handsome and charismatic too. That would rankle.
“Look, Tosh is a good man. He’s risking himself not for points or votes, but because this is the right thing to do. And it’s made him a target. I’m happy to be on his team. I met some of Sperry’s team tonight too.” One of them couldn’t tear her eyes away from Faine and an unreasonable desire to jab her pen in the female shifter’s eyes had washed through Helena. “They’re all highly trained. They did listen to me about having bomb-sniffing dogs used before all your public hearings here in Sacramento and also in DC.”