So would she.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Sir, we have a situation.”
Roger finished the bench press, his muscles straining under the weight. His beta, Alder, stood in the doorway of the workout room, staring at Roger with the cool eyes of a predator. The white scar cutting from his sharp cheekbone to his neck stood white in his otherwise tanned face.
“What’s up?” Roger asked, sitting up and wiping off the rivulets of sweat running down his neck.
“Vampires are gathering near the portals surrounding Santa Cruz. It’s rumored the demons are poised to join them. No one has been stopped from entering or exiting yet, but I don’t see why they’d station themselves in growing numbers if they didn’t plan on blocking the portals in the future.”
“Which side are they gathering on—the Brink side?”
“Yes, sir.”
Roger rested his forearms on his thighs in consternation. “That order would have to come from someone high up in the vampire hierarchy. What’ve you heard?”
“I’m looking into it, sir.” Alder paused, then added, “There’ve been rumors of an Arcana.”
Chills ran up Roger’s spine. “An Arcana? Have the warrior fae emerged from the Flush?”
Alder shook his head slowly. “Not that we know of. We haven’t seen or heard of any movement. I’m also getting reports of a huge release of magic last night. The human papers are calling it a burst transformer. Reports say the sky lit up in the parking lot of a grocery store. It looked like an explosion, but all anyone heard was magnetic buzzing.”
Roger held very still. He’d already identified Charity as a custodes, based on her ability to summon light and turn a touch into an explosion, but he hadn’t seen anything that might mimic a transformer bursting. He hadn’t thought her royalty.
But he’d seen her before she’d taken a trip to the Realm. Before she’d spent time with other magical people to coax her out of her shell. Maybe her magic was just waking up, having been mostly dormant in the Brink, unused.
And if that was the case…
Roger stood in a rush and threw down his towel. “Find out everything you can about these rumors.” He brushed by Alder and into his main office. “Put someone on Devon’s crew. I don’t want Devon to know he’s being watched—he’ll think I don’t trust him, and that might affect his judgment—but I want help close, just in case. Vlad knows something, and I want to know what.”
“Should we extract the girl?”
“No. If Vlad is sectioning off the Realm, it means he doesn’t want to involve the elves. I agree with him. Thankfully, we have more power in the Brink. We don’t need to move around in the shadows. It’s a stronger play for us to protect her there, not to mention it is her home. Besides…” Roger hesitated in grabbing his computer. “I’m planning to take her to the Flush to get training, but not before she has a strong reason to come back out. She took to Devon’s pack easily, and from Devon’s reports, she has settled in with them well. I want them to build a sense of family. I’m hoping their connection and her schooling will be a strong enough reason to draw her back out.”
“You hope to tie her romantically with Devon?”
Roger chuckled darkly. “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. No, I wouldn’t go so far as that. He shows exceptional promise and ambition—he’ll be great someday, I have no doubt—but he’s emotionally closed off. I doubt even a beauty like Charity could break through that.” Roger headed for the door. He wanted to get to the Brink to check out the situation for himself. “Organize those men. I don’t want anything to happen to Charity. If we need to extract her, we’ll probably have to fight our way through. And then hide her. That’ll take manpower. We’re playing chess with a master—we need to up our game.”
“Yes, sir. Should I tell Steve to call in his sisters?”
Steve could try the patience of a saint and didn’t like being ordered around. Still, get Steve agitated, and step back. The shifter was fierce and extremely competent. Put him with his five lioness sisters, and their pride could tear through the center of the world.
An ideal crew—minus the family squabbles, their unwillingness to work with anyone but each other, the sisters’ habit of picking on their baby brother, and the fact that three of the five sisters had just had babies. That family of cats was a nightmare.
“Are they back in commission?” Roger asked, debating. To protect Charity, he’d put up with almost anything.
“Yes, sir. All five were-lionesses expressed their interest in getting back to work. Steve won’t be pleased, but…”
“Steve will do what he’s told.” Hopefully. Steve had gone rogue more than once. What a pain. “Dangle the bait of a pretty warrior fae. He’s always had a fascination with the fae. He’ll take the job just to check it out. Have Cole ready, too. We might need a were-yeti to cut a path to the portal.”
“Yes, sir.”
Roger rubbed his temples as Alder left the room. He needed to figure out that girl’s lineage, but he also needed the last three newbies taken out. There’d already been too many deaths so far, and if the young vamps were left unchecked, there’d be more. Add to that two new demon sightings reported from a neighboring pack, the vampires’ efforts to close off Santa Cruz, the elves’ interest in Charity, and the were-cats he was about to unleash, and Roger was in the midst of a high-stakes clusterfuck.
* * *
As the pale light of dawn filtered in through the bedroom window, Devon slowly came to consciousness. A soft, warm body pressed against his side, her smell delicate and feminine. Wisps of hair tickled him pleasantly and her hot breath soaked into his neck.
He pulled back the blanket and glanced down at his body. Several bandages were taped to his skin, most soaked through with blood. Peeling one of the larger ones to the side, he revealed a puckered, angry wound, still healing. The bleeding had stopped, though, and only a dull throb remained. The blood smeared across his body from last night was gone. Charity had cleaned him and then patched him up.
He let his head fall to the side until his cheek rested against her forehead.
She’d come back for him. He’d never been so glad to see anyone in all his life. The kicker was that he’d given her no reason for loyalty. A guy couldn’t yell at someone constantly, poke fun at her, almost belittle her, and expect her to confront death for him. Yet she had.
Then she’d helped him into the house, tucked him into bed, and fixed him up.
Warmth glowed in his chest. He didn’t deserve it, but he’d take it.
He breathed in deeply, savoring her scent, stronger now than he could remember. Tantalizing.
Remembering the look of fierce determination on her face as she’d ushered him into the SUV last night, he smiled and rubbed her smooth arm. The force of her magic had taken his breath away. When he’d seen that flickering light in the sky, raining down pain on Vlad and his minion, Devon had thought he was hallucinating. But there was no denying the sound of their skin sizzling, or the way they’d hissed and shrunk away. She’d magically created enough sunlight to affect an elder. It was…
He shook his head against the pillow and trailed his fingertips across her jaw.
Incredible. There was no other word to describe it. She’d saved their lives.
She sighed softly and shifted with a feminine mew, pressing more firmly to his side. Her leg swung up, her soft thigh covering his so she could hook her calf and foot between his legs. She slid her hand up his stomach to his chest, rubbing his pec before continuing the journey north. She opened her eyes for a moment, connecting with his before closing them again with a sleepy smile. She let her hand flatten on the base of his jaw and angled her lips up to his. Her eyes fluttered.
Without thinking, he dipped his lips to hers, connecting softly. His stomach filled with surprising lightness, rolling and twisting and exploding into a swarm of butterflies. He opened his mouth, feeling her lips respond. He darted his tongue in, sampling. He was instantly
rewarded with a complex taste more pleasing than her smell. Sweetness curled around his senses, transfixing him.
He applied more pressure, his tongue now indulgent and insistent. Suddenly, he needed her. He couldn’t explain it, or even understand it, but a part of him needed to merge his body with hers. It was as if he was half finished, and only she could round him out.
But he wasn’t ready to lose this longing for her. This feeling was deep and primal. These urges and desires burrowed down to his roots, and he liked the feel of them. He liked the depth. He liked the…completeness. He wasn’t ready to sex that away.
He backed off, smiling when she clung to him. He eased her back down, wincing as he did so. Lord, his body hurt. That was another reason this was a bad idea. She’d probably think he sucked in bed because he could barely move.
As he finished getting comfortable, she shifted as well, staying entwined with him but dropping her head to his chest. She took a deep, satisfied breath. He matched it as he slid his arm around her, hugging her close. He let her proximity and comfort soak into him as he drifted back to sleep.
One thing was infinitely clear: she was his. She belonged in his pack. He would not let any harm come to her. He’d die before that vamp took her.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The breakfast potatoes were starting to turn golden brown when Charity caught movement at the edge of the kitchen. Devon lumbered in, nowhere near his usual graceful self. With a wince, he lowered himself into a chair.
“How do you feel?” she asked, glancing at his defined chest. The vivid memory of their sleepy kiss rolled around her brain. It had felt sinfully good. Almost too good. She remembered running her hand up his body, feeling a strange sort of buzz, not to mention his hardness on her thigh as she snuggled closer.
Heat pulsed low, this time not her magic.
She cleared her throat. There was no place in her life, or his, for that sort of nonsense.
“Sore, but good.” He rubbed his eyes and yawned.
“I can’t believe how fast you heal.”
He eyed the steaming pans on the stove. “Thanks again. For coming back for me.”
“What was I supposed to do, leave you with those things? They were fast!”
Devon snorted. “Understatement. Did you make coffee?”
“Don’t drink it. Didn’t think to make it.”
Devon groaned and dropped his head onto his forearms. “That sucks.”
Charity leaned across the counter and slid open a window so the steam could get out. When she turned back to her cooking, Devon said, “We need to talk about your class tonight.”
She’d suspected this conversation was coming. Normally, she’d agree that only a fool would go to a late class after the events of the previous night. Unfortunately, she had a very important test tonight, and it was too late to make other plans. She couldn’t afford to lose her scholarship. Some things were worth the risk, although she doubted Devon would agree.
So she sidetracked him.
“You aren’t going to get up and make yourself coffee?” She braced her spatula hand on her hip like a disgruntled housewife talking to a lazy child.
“Please don’t badger me right now. I’m not up for it.”
Charity rolled her eyes, turned a burner to low, and headed to the coffee pot. If he didn’t have his coffee he’d be ten times grumpier, and given how grumpy he was on a good day, the difference could be dramatic.
“I don’t think you should go tonight,” he said, his head still on his arms.
“I have to. I have a test that counts for a third of my grade.”
“Get him to give it to you in his office.”
“It’s too late for that. He has strict rules about test taking. The only way he’d let me out of it is if I were unconscious in the hospital.”
“No problem. As soon as I get some food, I’ll knock you out. We’re all set.”
She huffed out a laugh and grabbed two plates from the cupboard. He must be feeling really sore and tired to be so nonchalant about the situation.
“But seriously,” he said, his head back on his arms. “We can figure out a way around it. I’m sure Roger would intervene.”
“Roger is very important to your world.” Charity dished up two plates. “He doesn’t have any clout with the school. He doesn’t even have a real job, as far as the normal world is concerned.”
“Right, yeah,” he said, pushing back against the chair. He winced and scratched a puckered wound on his ribs.
“Do shifters scar?” She set his plate in front of him.
“Charity, this looks delicious.” She handed him some flatware. “Not unless the wound is really bad, no. After we get the summons, that is. Any scars we get before that are for life.”
“Were your wounds bad enough?”
He cut through an egg, paused as the yolk crawled into the potatoes, and looked down at his chest. A small smile graced his lips. “Do you like your men with scars? Or do you prefer them without?”
Her face flamed, and she turned to get them some napkins. “That’s not why I asked.”
Silence filled the kitchen, and she finally chanced a look at him as she sat down. His smile had enlarged, but that wasn’t what captured her attention. He was staring at her in that way of his, analyzing her. Trying to suss her out as if she were a riddle.
“Seriously, staring is rude. How many times do I need to tell you?” she muttered, bending to her meal.
“No, Chastity, they won’t scar.” Heat filled his voice and her body, and she wondered if he was remembering her stroking his bare chest. She certainly was. She couldn’t stop. It was starting to be distracting.
“Oh good, with the nicknames again.” She stabbed a potato. His low, dark laugh didn’t help her mood.
He sobered quickly, and she wondered if he’d ever had a carefree moment in his life. She wondered if he ever would.
“Joking aside, you can’t go tonight. It’s too dangerous.”
“Look, Devon, I respect your opinion, I really do. And were it any other situation, I’d completely agree with you. But I have to go to this class tonight. I have to.”
“We need to get you to the Realm, Charity,” he said.
“Vamps are magic. They can get into the Realm, too. They could just as easily snatch me there.”
He shook his head, mouth full. After he swallowed, he said, “They wouldn’t dare openly flout the laws of the Realm. The elves would go crazy. The last thing any race wants is to put the elves on a war path to genocide. I’ve heard stories. They aren’t pretty.”
“Okay, well…” Charity finished off her eggs. “A vampire isn’t going to kidnap or kill me in front of a whole school. They try to stick to the shadows, right? They need to keep their real identities hidden, like you do.”
“Usually they stick to the shadows, but Vlad came for you in the open last night. Barely after sundown. Elders create the rules as they go, doing whatever suits them best.”
“But that parking lot was empty. I didn’t see a single person the whole time we were dealing with them. Which seems strange, now that I think about it…”
A line formed between Devon’s brows. Clearly her BFF—Vlad—had cleared the area somehow.
“Maybe he had a mage working for him,” Devon mumbled, back to his breakfast.
“Great. So if the classroom empties out, I’ll leave.” Charity shrugged, hating that she had to fight Devon to put herself in danger. If it weren’t for that damn test—
Devon issued a hard sigh. “We’ll table this for now. I’ll ask Roger and see what he says. But don’t worry about that scholarship. Roger knows the situation. He won’t jeopardize your future. The important thing is making sure you have a future.” He held her stare for a long time, worry creating small lines around his beautiful eyes. Finally, he lowered his gaze to his plate. “I hope you made a bunch of food. I’m famished.”
Later that night, Charity walked up the path next to Devon. Cars and students
littered the road and walkways behind them, many going home for the night and some headed to their last class.
Macy and Yasmine followed closely behind, the girls barely looking at each other, let alone talking. Apparently, whatever Macy had told Devon about the kill they’d made the other night had created more dissent between the girls. Charity got the idea that it had something to do with Yasmine failing to follow orders. Being that it had nothing to do with Charity, she didn’t ask any questions. She had enough on her plate.
“I still don’t think we should be doing this,” Devon said in a low voice. He was mostly healed up and back to his old self—moody and brooding. “This is stupid.”
“Roger agreed with me,” Charity said, keeping her head down. “You heard him. He wants us to act as normal as possible while he gets people in position. That means you’re going to class, too. If my BFF isn’t ready with whatever he’s planning, then it would be stupid to spook him into acting.”
Devon shook his head, veering closer. “I don’t agree with him on this point.”
“Me neither,” Macy murmured behind them.
Their group fell into silence. Whether they agreed or not, it was happening.
Ocean and sea salt hung heavy in the air as they wove through the buildings. Wind pushed its way through the branches all around them. Usually, she appreciated the beauty of the wooded campus, but now the very trees she’d admired could be concealing nightmares. The edge of Devon’s hand brushed against hers as they walked, sparking electricity. She held her breath, almost wondering if he would turn the action into a handhold, wondering what was happening to her that she’d let him.
Finally, however, they reached the lecture hall. He stopped near the door and faced her, waiting for her to meet his eyes.
“You will sit in the front, near the door,” he instructed her. “You will be normal—well, your version of normal. When the class is over, you will wait until I text, and then you will meet me at the door. You will not be a hero.”
Warrior Fae Trapped: A DDVN Book Page 22