Shine (Mageri Series: Book 5)

by Dannika Dark

  I fought hard not to lose it when he confirmed my belief that Logan could die. I wrung my hands and stared at the glass of water, wondering why we hadn’t run away together. The threat had never seemed imminent to me, but Logan had understood the serious nature of the investigation more than I had.

  “Can I see him?”

  Quaid stood up. “Breed jail is not operated in the same manner as human prisons. I can grant you visitation rights and a stay in his cell if you choose. Keep in mind that I do not know which prisoners may be on his floor, and you could be subjected to verbal assaults or otherwise. This might agitate Cross…,” he said, as if having second thoughts.

  “Do you mean I can go into the cell?”

  “Typically visitations are held at the door to their cell, but you have shown your devotion to this male and I see no reason to keep you separated when his life is on the line. The Thorn family wants an eye for an eye, so there is no need to go beyond that to punish the prisoner. I would feel peace of mind in knowing that he came to terms with his decision and wrapped up any loose ends.”

  I gasped and turned my head away, pulling back the tears. “Is that all I am? A loose end?” I threw my head back and stared at the ceiling, tears trailing down my face and behind my ears. I’d spent so much time trying to find evidence to prove I was a Chitah and kept hitting wall after wall. I had to make a choice. “Can I only stay with him one night?”

  “You would want to remain in a Breed jail longer than that?”

  I finally looked down and reached for my jacket. “I want to stay there until the end,” I said in an unwavering voice.

  His lips parted in disbelief. “Female, you must consider what that means. You are subjecting yourself to confinement and will be expected to follow the same rules—”

  “I know. But if you’re going to send the man I love to his death, then every second with him is all I have left.” I stood up, sliding my hands through the sleeves of my coat. “I’ll go tonight.”

  “And if Logan does not want this?”

  I laughed and zipped up my jacket. “Logan knows by now that he can’t argue with me. I’m a stubborn woman who doesn’t back down,” I said, pulling my hair away from the collar.

  “An admirable female is hard to come by. So many have disingenuous traits, and I have never heard of an instance where a female made a similar request. If this is what you wish, then I will notify the facility of your arrival and the circumstance. Should you change your mind, alert the warden. I’ll leave instructions that this is a conditional stay and that you are not under investigation. But as I stated before, you will be subject to the same rules that prisoners are held to, including meals, showers, and sleeping arrangements.”

  “I can assure you I’ve been in much worse living conditions,” I said, remembering my time in Samil’s basement. While Nero’s compound wasn’t the Hilton, he at least fed me sometimes and I had hay to sleep on. My own Creator had given me nothing more than a concrete floor and an empty plate.

  Quaid’s eye twitched and he lowered his gaze. “It is regretful to hear when a female has been mistreated,” he said, taking in a subtle breath of air. “I will have someone stop in to check on your condition. While there are rules, I will forbid any punishment of you that would restrict food and sanitary privileges. If this happens, notify my guy and I’ll be sure that is rectified.”

  I had to stop and think for a minute, as this was a spur-of-the-moment decision. “Someone needs to bring me undergarments. I don’t know if they house women and what’s available, so please talk to the guards and make sure those get delivered to my cell.”

  God, what was I going to tell Justus? I dreaded the call because I planned to go directly to jail. He might really disown me this time, thinking I’d officially gone batshit-crazy. But I gave it further consideration. If this were in reverse, I had no doubt that Logan would do the same. Did he deserve any less from me?

  Quaid walked around his desk and sat on the edge. “They issue uniforms within the prison, although I doubt they will fit your slim size. I can’t seem to recall a time when a female has been arrested, so I will provide you with attire in the event that their uniforms are not suitable. They will have to be nothing more than sweats and a cotton shirt. They provide shoes only upon request, and they do not have laces. Most prisoners are barefoot, so I assume the cells are kept warm.”

  Made sense. Where was I walking to?

  ***

  I accepted Quaid’s offer for clothing and waited until a change of sweats and shirt arrived. Christian had been detained outside and I suspected the Overlord had a soundproof room. It wasn’t until I walked outside and told Levi where I was going that all hell broke loose.

  Christian flew at me from out of nowhere—gripping my arm and curling in his lips angrily. “Are you daft? Do you know what kind of filthy men are housed in that facility?”

  “Get your hands off her!” Levi growled before Christian could finish. He threw out a right hook and Christian barely flinched when it struck him in the jaw, but he let it slide.

  Levi wedged between us and stared him down. He was fearless.

  “You know better than anyone what she’s about to walk into, and you’re going to stand there and give her a push?” Christian argued. “You’re a fecking imbecile.”

  “Are you done?” Levi said. “I don’t have to pick up your scent to know what’s going through that bloodsucking head of yours. She’s not your youngling. I know a little about Vamps and how possessive they get to those they’ve given their blood to, but you don’t own Silver. She’s not a Vampire.”

  Christian rolled his eyes and huffed out a sigh. “You think all guards stand quietly in the shadows and don’t build a relationship with their clients? I’ve worked for some plonkers in my time, but I’ve also made connections. I’m still a living, breathing, being. You can’t expect a man to dwell in the shadows and not have social contact with the lives he is working to protect.”

  Levi stepped forward and his shoe crunched on the concrete sidewalk. “If you decide you feel like having contact with Silver again that requires touching, you’re done.”

  When I saw Christian’s gaze tear away, I stepped around Levi.

  “Wait. Christian is only looking out for me. While it’s none of his business, I appreciate that he cares. If he were just doing his job, he wouldn’t have said a thing.”

  Christian’s black eyes softened and he tilted his head, watching me observantly. I couldn’t read his expression.

  “Think about it, lass. Try to imagine the vilest of men watching you, leering at you, saying vulgar things to you from a nearby cell. Do you think your cat is going to remain calm? How is this helping him? It’s selfish.”

  “No, Christian,” I said in low words. “Selfish would be leaving Logan to rot while I enjoy a hamburger, deciding his problems aren’t mine. I’ve committed myself to this man and he’s not going to sit in that cell alone. He’s not going to have one second to doubt my loyalty and love for him, because I’m going to be there…” I paused and drew in a deep breath. “I’ll be there for every second that could be his last. It’s not official, but Logan is to be executed for his crime. His crime, Christian, was loving me! How can I abandon a man who was willing to give up freedom and life for me? How? Maybe you don’t understand why I got the tattoos because you think love is irrelevant, but what I feel for him is infinite.” I felt Levi’s arm come around my shoulder and a vibration from his chest mellowed me out. “You can go home until they release me, Christian. Go have a hamburger, on me.”

  With my lids heavy and my body weary from sorrow, Levi held me close and walked me to the car.

  “I’ll have a talk with the guys in there and I’ll make sure you’re treated right,” Levi promised. “Fuck Christian and his black heart. What you’re doing is noble. If my brother is going to die—as unrighteous as that is—I’ll sleep better knowing his mate comforted him in his final hours.”

  Levi’s voice broke
and without looking up, I knew tears stained his cheeks. The love he must have felt… I simply couldn’t fathom how he didn’t blame me for all this.

  But he didn’t, because Levi had taken an oath to protect my life. Not because Logan had asked him to, but because he had already taken on the role of my brother.

  Chapter 21

  Justus was beside himself after he’d dropped Lucian off and Silver had called to say she was on the way to Breed jail. He’d tried talking her out of it, but she had always been an obstinate Mage. Justus had even drove to the building to pull her out by force, but the guards—seeing his aggressive state—had refused to let him on the premises.

  He was livid, heating up the interior of the new car she had bought him as he sped aimlessly through the dark city. He called Novis and waited for an hour before the call was returned. Novis had reached out to the Mageri and their hands were tied as long as she was there of her own volition.

  Essentially, the Mageri didn’t care. Novis agreed to look into the matter, but felt it would be in vain. Simon wasn’t answering his phone.

  It was twenty minutes after nine on a chilly evening in Cognito. Justus knew the time without looking at his Rolex. He had dressed casual for the dinner, wearing tan slacks and a matching jacket with a white undershirt tucked in. But after leaving the jail, he’d swapped out the blazer for his black hoodie.

  It sickened him to think she would be kept in a vile cell with no privacy. The guards were to treat her fairly, but that didn’t bring him comfort. Justus had a bond with Silver that went beyond Ghuardian and Learner.

  Maybe he denied it, but that feeling was love.

  He felt love for her as a parent would a child, and that’s why he was so demanding. Justus wondered why his own Creator had never developed that kind of personal bond with him. He’d once held an immense amount of respect for Marco, his Creator, up until Marco showed him how low his morals were. He had offered Justus his entire fortune in exchange for Silver. He’d wanted someone to barter with and hadn’t realized he couldn’t clean his conscience with a bloody rag. Marco had wanted to free one of the women held in captivity by Nero, but in the wake of good intentions, he had ruined a number of lives all for the sake of one.

  Justus vowed never to become that kind of example for his Learner. Despite their differences, he would never turn his back on Silver.

  If he couldn’t get her out of that damn prison, then he would make calls and see that she had what she needed.

  They were at a standstill with Nero until Leo obtained the blueprints for the property. Their goal was to free his captives—no Mage should be shackled and kept prisoner. According to Finn and Silver, Nero brainwashed them. In all likelihood, he was planning to find a way to fuse their light onto his own. Adam confirmed Nero had an Infuser on hand. All he needed was to locate a Mage with Merc’s ability to pull core light—and who knows, maybe he had.

  Justus couldn’t expend energy thinking about possibilities. He’d seen enough in his career to know that wealthy men were capable of the most heinous and unimaginable crimes. HALO’s job was to bring them in, and sometimes it took decades.

  When he pulled the car to the side of the road, his surroundings were familiar and he realized he had driven to the Relic’s apartment. The lights in Page’s window were on.

  Maybe Christian had the right idea in making her forget the painful truth of what Slater had done, but he’d crossed the line when he made her believe she had willingly slept with a deplorable man who had abused her emotionally as well as physically. Justus squeezed the steering wheel and shut his eyes. That false memory offended him because it erased the truth of Page giving Justus a precious gift. There were only a few moments in his life that shone like a brilliant diamond. Of all the women he’d slept with, he had never known how honorable it was to be entrusted with something so pure that a woman gave it away only once. Not only that, but it was given by a woman who had the power to deny him.

  It shouldn’t have mattered to him that she carried another man’s child, that this Relic had been victimized by her own kind and was living alone.

  But it did.

  He shouldn’t have been fixated on a mortal who would perish in the blink of an eye.

  But he was.

  Justus couldn’t get her out of his head. Her skin—like the finest silk beneath his touch. Otherworldly brown eyes that even behind her reading glasses snagged his attention when she fanned her long eyelashes. She had regal features on her heart-shaped face—the kind of woman who projected sophistication and intelligence. He enjoyed the way she’d tilt her head to the side when he threaded his fingers through her short hair, the soft texture and how it carried a subtle scent of vanilla. How smooth the skin on her neck was against the press of his lips. He remembered her breasts molded against his chest in the heat of passion and the taste of her sweet skin. Justus could recall every subtle change in her expression when he’d moved on top of her and she’d writhed beneath him, locking her legs around his, her fingers biting into his shoulders. He’d handled her gently, doing everything to gratify Page so she wouldn’t feel pain or embarrassment during the act.

  Page La Croix was the first woman he had brought to his bed. The first woman he’d allowed to sleep beside him after pleasuring her for hours. The first woman he’d caressed and touched as he made love to her. The first woman who listened when he spoke and who responded with her opinion, even if she didn’t agree. The first woman who’d challenged him and never let a remark slide, as Silver sometimes did.

  The first woman he wanted to see again.

  She affected him in a way that was wholly unfamiliar. Her laugh, her banter, and the devotion she had to her job. He knew about that kind of devotion because HALO had become his life.

  Justus flinched when a knock rapped against the glass of his car window. He’d been so consumed by his thoughts that he hadn’t even felt the increase of energy. When he rolled down the window, a lovely face greeted him—one with pink cheeks from the biting cold.

  “Well, Mr. De Gradi, are you going to sit outside in your car all night or come in for a cup of hot cider?” Page asked, holding her bare arms.

  Justus pulled the hood away from his face and quickly rolled up the window. Page stepped to the side as the car door lifted.

  “It’s thirty degrees out here. Where is your coat?” He shut the door and stripped out of his jacket, wrapping it around her as they walked toward the door.

  “Wait, you’re walking too fast,” she complained.

  He slowed his gait and looked down, having forgotten she was full term and not able to keep up with his pace. What did he know of pregnant women? Justus helped her up each step as she struggled to climb.

  “Sorry, I’m still not used to the extra weight,” she said in an embarrassed voice, opening the main door.

  Page had a slight waddle to her walk, like a duck, and he suppressed a grin. The sleeveless black dress she wore fell to her knees and her legs were covered with some kind of thick stocking he’d seen women wearing.

  This time when he entered her apartment, he saw how she really lived when she wasn’t expecting a visitor. The stereo played a soothing melody by an old blueswoman he remembered from the early nineteen hundreds. A small table lamp cast a mellow glow near the window, which was covered by a sheer curtain. She draped his coat over the armrest of the sofa and sat in a beige upholstered chair in the left corner. While the new neighborhood was decent, this apartment was unacceptably smaller than her last. He glanced at the sofa on the right side of the room and then turned his attention to his left. She had several piles of books stacked on the floor along the wall, but something was noticeably missing.

  “Where are the flowers?” he asked.

  “I had to get rid of them. I saved a few in the bedroom, but it was too much watering and it’s not easy for me to bend over. Please don’t send any more. I have a baby coming and I need all the room I can get.” She pulled a blue afghan onto her lap. “The built-in
bookshelves at my last apartment were great, but I may have to buy some shelves for this place. I got rid of a few things to make extra room. Oh…” Page leaned forward to get up. “I forgot your cider.”

  Justus stood in front of her and touched her shoulders. “Stay where you are. I am not thirsty.”

  He took a seat on the sofa, feeling the distance between them.

  “I also got rid of the leather chair. I never did like sitting on leather. It was only for my clients and was too heavy to move. The baby is going to sleep in my bedroom, but I need to set up a playpen or something in here. So tell me why you’re parked outside on my street. Is something bothering you?”

  “Logan has been arrested for the murder of a Lord and Silver has chosen to remain with him until he is sentenced.”

  “Oh my God,” she said in a hushed breath.

  “I came here to ask for your help. Is there any documented evidence you can provide that will prove she is of Chitah descent? Our files were stolen and the ones Simon kept are of no value to Silver. We’re at a loss, but any proof might free him. I would rather her conceal what she is, but if it could mean saving his life, she’ll do whatever it takes. Is there a blood test that will show her genetics with certainty?”