by Dannika Dark
Viktor shrugged. “He traced the buyer’s general location. We suspect the group is purchasing women cheap on the black market and selling them to rich foreigners for a substantial profit.”
“Just women?”
“That always depends on demand, but men are also sold on the market. Women are more desirable since the Vampire population has more males than females. Because Wyatt’s suspect isn’t an individual buyer, this is an opportunity for us to stop an even larger trading ring. We believe they have an expansive network and are buying from more than one source.”
“So not just from Houdini.”
“Da. They seem to have specific tastes and won’t just buy from anyone. They choose safe sellers and bid on average every two to four weeks. They won a recent auction, so we have no time to lose. Wyatt is gathering information.”
“He only pinpointed the city. Isn’t that a little vague?”
“Wyatt’s computer contact was able to provide him with more specifics.”
“I didn’t know they could track you down to your house.”
“That is why we rarely get involved with doing anything on the black market site beyond monitoring it.”
“Who’s his contact?”
“An anonymous user. They don’t use their real identities when they are going in the back door.”
That seemed rather convenient. I wondered if Wyatt’s anonymous friend had bleached hair and hazel eyes.
Viktor rubbed his hands together. “I want to ask you an important question, and I need you to consider your answer very carefully.”
“Okay.”
“We will have to travel outside the country, and I must assemble a team of people who I believe are the best for this mission. You are on my list, but I need each person at one hundred percent. If it’s too soon with everything that’s happened, I need to know so I can choose a replacement. Are you ready?”
I took a deep breath, the fire crackling in the hearth. “Why me?”
He regarded me for a moment. “Because you excel at killing.”
“Then let me go do what I’m good at.”
“You are stronger than I imagined, and I think this will be good closure.” His gaze skated toward the fire. “Sometimes when we endure great suffering and loss, we find our way back in the most unexpected ways. Sometimes it is not possible to have your revenge.”
I wondered about Viktor’s past and knew it must have been a difficult one. He’d come all the way here from Russia to live in a house once owned by his family. It was a mansion fit for a thriving pack, and I wondered if something had happened to them, if that was his tragedy.
“I’m sorry we could not capture your kidnapper or Creator, but perhaps this will give you some measure of peace. After all, Raven, your investigation led us to this case.”
“Is this a paid mission or for fun?”
His lips twitched. “The higher authority has sent us an advance. Be sure you’re ready for this. It’s a dangerous mission. I can’t afford any weak links in the chain.”
“I’m more ready for this than I’ve ever been. Not just mentally but physically. I’ve put weight back on and gained muscle. I’m not the weak link in the chain, and I don’t ever want you to look at me like that because of what happened. If you do, then we might as well cut ties now.”
He chuckled and rose to his feet. “Don’t be so dramatic. Your word is all I require.”
“Who’s going with us?”
“I’m calling each of you in one at a time. I called you first so we could have a chance to speak privately and I could make my decision. I don’t wish to put you on the spot in a group setting if there are things you wish to keep private.”
I rose to my feet. “Thanks.”
Viktor approached me and gently placed his hands on my shoulders. Whenever he did that, it felt like a hug. His voice softened, and it warmed me like brandy. “I’m here if you need to talk. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your leader, find someone you can trust. We’ve all experienced pain, betrayal, and sacrifice. Humans glamorize immortality but do not realize how much suffering one must endure through the centuries.” He cupped my cheek with his hand. “Use your anger as a weapon, but be careful it doesn’t consume you like fire.”
Viktor was the closest thing I had to a father now, and part of me craved that position to be filled. It made me want to please him and follow his lead.
I bent down for my glass and handed it to him. “Where are we heading?”
“Canada, so be sure not to pack your bikini.” He rocked with laughter.
“You’re a hoot, Viktor.” I strolled toward the door while he remained by the fire, his laughter slowly dying. “One more thing. Tell Kira to set my place at the table tonight.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s your rule. Besides, dinner’s cold by the time it makes it to my room. Thanks for giving me time.”
I left the door open and strode down the long hall, passing a few windows that overlooked the courtyard below. I found Christian near one of the windows, his shoulder pressed against the wall as he gazed outside.
“Do you need to go in there next?” I asked.
“Viktor and I already spoke.”
I looked down at my shorts, the cold chill in the hall finally getting to me. “Look, I’m sorry about what I said earlier or implied. What happened to me wasn’t anyone’s fault. Viktor told me what happened. We just got outplayed, that’s all.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
I leaned my shoulder on the opposite side of the window and admired the way the light struck his face. Christian had strong bone structure, and sometimes the way he looked at me left me wondering what was going on in that head of his. “If I don’t make myself ready, I’ll never be. This is my life. It’s all I have.”
“It’s not all you have,” he muttered.
“I don’t follow.”
He folded his arms. “I haven’t pressed because I promised I’d let you alone. But seeing as you’re joining the team again, you deserve to know the truth. The man you call your maker has scrubbed your memories.”
A cold chill washed over me. “No, that’s not true. I remember everything about what happened, from the time I was taken to the final day of my rescue. There aren’t any holes.”
“Aye. But what do you remember before that?” He shifted his stance and looked at me with hesitation. “About us?”
“You’re my partner. You’re kind of a dick. What’s there to know?”
He held up his hand. “You don’t remember this ring?”
I shook my head. “Is this some kind of game?”
“You can’t trust him, Raven. I know you think you owe him some kind of favor, but you don’t. Where’s your necklace?”
“I don’t know. I guess with the clothes I left behind. Why?”
Christian pushed off the wall and widened his stance. “I’d wager you traded it to keep your memory of him, but he took something else. Your memories of me.”
“It was just a trinket. Why would he do something like that?”
Christian’s voice was intimate and quiet. “Because that’s what he does, Raven. He takes. What you and I had was a secret that no one here knows about. But he knew, and I’m not about to guess how.”
I lifted my chin and gave him an icy stare. “Are you trying to say that I did some squealing in captivity? Houdini already knew about Keystone, but I didn’t tell him anything else. As for Fletcher, he never learned a damn thing—no matter what he did to me. So get your facts straight. Why the sudden contempt for my maker?”
“He sold you to the devil.”
“He didn’t know who Fletcher was to me. Besides, I’m the one who didn’t want you to buy me back. It worked out better this way. Revisiting my past set my head straight, and I buried a few demons. That’s what Houdini wanted.”
Christian gave a mirthless laugh. “So he did this out of the goodness of his own heart? I’ll be sure to say a
blessing for him the next time I’m at mass.”
“I’m not saying I like the guy, but I get where he’s coming from. He had no choice but to sell me to uphold his reputation with buyers, and he took into consideration how I felt about returning to Keystone with a price tag.”
“Is that reality, or is that the reality he wants you to believe?” Christian’s lips thinned beneath his beard. “That insidious little monster is gaslighting you, Raven. He’s changing the way you see things until you can’t tell your ideas from his. You don’t understand a maker’s power. His blood is a part of you—it made you. He left you with memories of him, but he took away memories of us. Think about us at your mother’s grave. Think hard, and when your headache comes, you’ll have your answer.”
When I tried to think about what Christian was referring to, a pain struck my temple like it had done before. “How can I just take your word for it? Sure, we buried the hatchet, but sometimes I wonder if your end wasn’t buried in my back.”
“I can’t prove our relationship. Viktor would have sent us packing.”
My stomach twisted as if snakes were slithering inside. Christian had no reason to lie, and I felt the truth in his words. “Did we have… sex?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. We just had moments, Raven. Moments that are gone.”
Confused, I stared at his shoes and wondered if this might be a game. How much did I really know about Christian Poe? He enjoyed messing with my head, and how could I believe a truth that wasn’t in my own memories? Vampires had undeniable powers, and while something felt amiss, I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what. I tried to think back to when Houdini could have scrubbed me, but nothing came to mind.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
Christian took a step forward and looked down at me. “Because you can’t trust him blindly.”
“I never said I trusted him.”
“You never said you didn’t.” As if he couldn’t look at me anymore, Christian swung his gaze out the window. “I used to think it would be better this way, but I don’t like that he took something of yours that was mine. Perhaps he was jealous that another Vampire formed a bond with you, or maybe he’s insane. I don’t expect you to believe me, but you need to hear the truth.”
When I turned away, he captured my wrist. It wasn’t until he touched me with a tender grip that my heart skipped a beat and a familiar sensation washed over me like a distant dream.
Christian’s thumb rested on my wrist where my pulse ticked madly. “Forget what you believe; do you feel anything for me? Did he just erase the memories, or did he abscond with your heart along with your necklace?”
Doubt nestled in my mind, and I pulled my arm out of his grasp. After weeks of hard work and dedication, I’d finally gotten my bearings, and now here Christian came, tossing a monkey wrench into the machine. “I need to focus on this case without distractions. Can you at least give me that? Viktor has his doubts about whether or not I’m ready, so I can’t take this on right now. I don’t know if you’re telling the truth or not, but even if you are, what am I supposed to do with that?”
“That man can’t be trusted. He knows where we live, and we don’t know what else he charmed out of you. I’m not saying you gave information willingly, but don’t feel beholden to a man who’s manipulating your sense of reason. You’ve been through enough.”
Maybe Christian was right, but right now Houdini was the furthest thing from my mind. Healing, finding a routine, and making Viktor proud to have me on his team were my only priorities. I didn’t have time to wrestle with the truth of it all.
I glanced out the window. “What do you think I should pack for Canada?”
“A bearskin coat and an upbeat personality?”
I snapped my fingers before strutting away. “Plenty of impalement wood. Great idea.”
Chapter 27
When I entered the dining room, the conversation died. No one seemed to know what to say, and their silence made it even more awkward. But when Kira appeared with a pot roast, life returned to normal.
During dinner, she moved about the room so stealthily that she barely drew attention. Food kept coming, glasses stayed full, and all the while, she rarely got close to Shepherd. Her father must have sheltered her from brutes like him.
Unfortunately, Kira’s peculiar ways weren’t enough to distract me from Christian’s earlier remarks. Though inches apart, we hadn’t spoken all through dinner. Without a doubt, Houdini couldn’t be completely trusted. But even if what Christian said was true, it didn’t make sense why my maker would care. Houdini had no love for me. Confronted with the truth about Christian, I wondered why I would have risked my position with Keystone for a relationship that wouldn’t last. Especially with it not being sexual.
No sex? That was another thing I found unbelievable. What could we possibly have in common besides curiosity and physical lust? At what point had I suddenly decided that a bloodsucking Vampire with a dark demeanor was the one for me?
After dinner, Gem invited me for a walk around the mansion.
“How’s Hooper?” I asked as we ascended the stairs.
She gripped the railing and walked sideways on her roller skates. “He’s a really nice guy.”
“That’s all?”
I slowed my pace so she could keep up. Gem’s bold lipstick had mostly rubbed off at dinner, leaving a violet stain on her lips. But her eyes were rimmed in black, as usual. Even when not leaving the house, she liked to have fun with her makeup and clothes.
“Things have been topsy-turvy since… Well, you know.”
“Drama putting pressure on your love life?”
“Bingo. We talked on the phone, and when we finally went out on a date, it was difficult to pretend as if nothing was happening in my life. He doesn’t know the details, only that you were missing. The team joined us a couple of times, but the connection between us wasn’t the same. Not like when we’re alone.”
I was curious. I’d met Hooper a few times, and I just couldn’t imagine falling for a guy like that. He seemed nice, but that was it. “What is it about him that makes you feel that way?”
“I don’t know. Hooper just has a way of making me forget my cares.”
“So he’s like a walking bubble bath.”
She giggled. “That’s one way to put it.”
When we reached the top of the stairs, she glided ahead of me, her long grey duster floating behind her.
I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the little things. The sound of Gem’s skates whirring down the hall, passing Niko in a random alcove, Shepherd’s used matches lying around for Christian to pick up, and Wyatt’s music echoing in the halls late at night.
We reached Wyatt’s office, and a smile ghosted my lips when I spotted the vending machine.
Wyatt’s chair squeaked as he turned and noticed the direction of my gaze. “You didn’t miss nothing. Shep rigged ludicrous prices that stayed there for three weeks before he gave me back my key.”
Gem chortled. “When he got bored, he put some of Wyatt’s personal things in there. Spooky got so mad that he hid Shepherd’s weapons all over the house. Viktor had to intervene before World War III broke out.” She rolled toward a beanbag chair, eyes on the big TV. “Oh, you have a good one on!”
Glinda the Good Witch waved her sparkly wand and made ruby slippers magically appear on Dorothy’s feet. Memories flashed through my mind of holidays with my daddy. He’d be out front, firing up the big grill to smoke a turkey while I stayed warm inside, watching The Wizard of Oz. I briefly wondered which I missed more—my father or the sense of normalcy.
On the L-shaped sofa, Claude was shirtless and sprawled out like a cat in the sun. Though he remained motionless, his nostrils were flaring. During sleepless nights, I had a habit of taking midnight walks around the mansion, and Claude had followed me on two occasions. He didn’t skulk in the shadows and hide his presence either. It should have creeped me out, but Claude sometimes had a qu
iet way of showing his support that I appreciated. His Chitah personality traits made him different from most men—he wouldn’t hesitate about entering someone’s room and offering physical comfort if he sensed they were distraught. Gem had told me that Chitahs had a thing with sleeping on one another—male or female—and there was nothing sexual about it.
Luckily, he hadn’t gone as far as climbing into my bed.
Claude slowly got up and swaggered toward the vending machine. “Give me a dollar,” he said, swatting Wyatt on the head. After inserting the bill and pressing a button, he turned around and tossed something at me.
I caught a package of cookies and nodded my thanks as he ambled back to the sofa, one leg of his grey sweatpants bunched up below his knee.
Wyatt patted the leather chair next to him. “Take a seat, buttercup. I’m doing some last-minute work for the trip.”
The chair creaked when I sat down. We hadn’t discussed the case at the dinner table. In fact, I didn’t really know anything outside of what Viktor had told me. “Who all is going?”
“You, Christian, Viktor, and Blue.”
“Not Shepherd?”
Wyatt cracked open a can of root beer. “Viktor spent a lot of time working through each case scenario, and Shepherd’s out with the rest of us. You’ll probably be up against one or more Vampires, so Christian’s obviously going, and you’re immune to almost everything. Blue can fly to safety and do surveillance, and Viktor’s going because he calls the shots.”
“How many Vamps do you think we’re talking about?”
Wyatt gulped down half of his drink. “Don’t worry, Shep’s gonna hook you guys up with impalement wood.”
“Why is Christian automatically in?”
“Charming, memory scrubbing… the usual. Plus he can break a man in two, so there’s that.”
“It’s Chitah and Shifter country up there,” Gem pointed out. “Well, that region anyhow. Technically it was once inhabited by an ancient race of Sensors before the settlers moved in. I’m not sure why they disbanded—”
“Enough with the history lesson, Professor Plum.” Wyatt rolled his eyes. “That girl was an encyclopedia in her past life.”