by Lisa Olsen
He looked down at our joined hands, green eyes glistening before they squeezed shut and his head tipped back on the couch. There was a slight slur to his voice when he spoke, but it didn’t lessen the pain there. “We lost a lot of good men today. Men who would sooner cut off their own hand than do what Volkov did to you.”
“I know.” I didn’t blame the Order for Volkov’s actions, that was Jakob’s deal. “What do you think the Order will do now that Volkov is dead? Will they retaliate?” It couldn’t be a good thing to execute half the team in a fit of anger.
“I don’t think so, no. Not since it was Jakob who gave the order to kill them.”
“No one person should have that much power.”
“He’s not a person, he’s an Ellri.”
As far as I was concerned my statement stood, but after my talk with Jakob, I was starting to understand how much in the minority my opinion was. “Did the rest of your friends get away okay? I didn’t have a chance to say good bye to Fisher.”
His eyes remained closed. “Fisher will never leave this place.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize.” The silence stretched between us. “I’m sorry. He was a nice guy.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “He liked you, you know. You should’ve seen how excited he was to hear about your election to Elder.”
“I’m glad someone here was.”
Bishop’s eyes popped open, his head rolling to one side, the better to see me. “I was happy for you too, just…”
“Afraid I’d go down in a ball of flames?”
“Afraid you’d end up hurt or worse. That’s all it ever was. I never thought you couldn’t do the job. And it needs you doing it, especially right now with everyone attacking the King’s Men.”
“What king’s men?” He’d lost me again.
“The ones that couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again. They’re having the hardest time and soon it’ll be too late. And the only way to fix it will be with more violence and we’ll lose more good men.” The slur to his voice grew more pronounced the more convoluted his web of words became.
“I’m sorry, Bishop, I’m not following you.”
“I’d follow you though. They all would. That’s your gift.” He reached up to touch my face, but overshot the move, almost crashing into me before I caught him by the shoulders and pushed him upright again.
“What happened to your shirt?” I noticed for the first time the seams were split in two places.
“Oh, nothing. A disagreement, nothing serious. Can’t blame a guy for having a temper.”
“Who?”
“I’m the idiot, you know.” He thumped his own chest. “I threw it all away, even when you begged me for even a crumb of understanding. I didn’t want to see it, I was too afraid. Too afraid you were like her, but of course you’re not. You never were, not really. I should’ve trusted in that more. I should’ve trusted you.”
“Bishop, you’re not making sense, but you can trust me with anything. I hope you know that.”
“It doesn’t make any sense to me either, but there it is. You’re right there, but I can’t have you anymore.” I started to say something, but he waved me away. “No, I know, it’s too late. You’re already spoken for, even if he won’t do the speaking.”
I stared at him dumbly. Did he mean Rob or Jakob? “I think you should go to bed now, it’s getting late.”
“Share a drink with me. Where’d my bottle go?”
“I think you’ve had more than your share. Probably better to sleep it off.”
“I am a bit tired,” he said, brow crumpled in confusion as if he couldn’t understand why.
“The sun will be up soon, and you’ve drunk your weight tonight. That’ll take a lot out of a guy. Do you want me to help you down to your room or pass out in here?”
“You’re so smart,” he sighed, already starting to bring his feet up to the couch and I scrambled off to give him some room. “And kind. Not like her at all.”
I could guess who he meant by that, and it brought a smile to my lips as I helped him stretch out on the sofa. “Get some rest, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. You should be fine in here with the blinds closed.” Like most of the house, the windows and doors were equipped with black out shutters and drapes.
“Not like her at all,” he muttered, capturing my hand for a kiss before I moved away.
“Goodnight, Bishop. Sleep deep.”
“G’nite, Carys.”
I froze beside the couch. Was that who his pickled brain thought he was talking to? Was he regretting his lost chances with Carys? Son of a biscuit…
I left the room without another word, running smack dab into Rob standing in the hallway. My hands fluttered away from his broad chest, worried someone might see us pressed together like that and get the wrong idea.
“Oh, hey,” I managed to get out, still more rattled than I should be from my conversation with Bishop. “You didn’t have to wait up for me, I had Tucker with.”
“It’s my job.”
There was something else there though, he’d been worried, I could see it in his eyes. “Right.” Message received. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, miss. Let’s get you to bed, you look knackered.”
“Actually… Tucker?” I turned my attention to the wolf at my feet. “Would you mind staying with Bishop, just to make sure he’s safe sleeping up here? I’d hate for someone to disturb him.” Not that there was a ton of activity during the day, but there were human servants and werewolves that had the run of the place and Bishop would be vulnerable.
Tucker gave one chuff, slinking back through the door as I held it open.
“Thanks, buddy,” I called out to him softly.
We ascended the main stairs in silence, and I could feel the sun growing higher in the sky, my steps growing clumsier until I started to feel a trifle drunk myself.
“Have a nice talk, did you?” Rob asked as we started down the deserted hall.
“I don’t think nice is the right word for it. He’s in pretty bad shape.”
“Told you he’s still in love with you.”
So he had been listening in on the conversation, I’d wondered about that. “I thought you promised not to suck so bad at eavesdropping. Most of what Bishop said was incoherent rambling.”
“Not so much,” Rob said with a half shrug. “He regrets not trusting you, he regrets losing his chances with you.”
“He was mourning his fallen comrades, that’s why he got so drunk in the first place,” I insisted.
“Then I guess we both took away different things from the conversation.”
I admit, I breathed a sigh of relief when we got to the suite and found Jakob still hadn’t shown up. For a brief moment I wondered what kind of trouble he was getting himself into, but for now, I was glad to have a few moments alone with Rob.
Only he didn’t have the same idea I did as the door clicked shut and I reached for him. Instead, he took a step backwards, his face schooled into a solemn expression.
“I think… I think you should give Bishop another shot.”
I had to have heard him wrong. “You can’t be serious. Me and Bishop?”
“He can offer you protection I can’t.”
“I don’t see how.”
“Long as you’re spoken for, Jakob won’t press his claim.”
Was that all? “He won’t press it now. Not really. His claiming me, it’s all for show. He doesn’t expect me to actually be his while we’re in private.”
“If you believe that, you’re not half as smart as you think you are.”
I could see his point, but I couldn’t do that to Bishop, it would be the worst kind of cruelty to give him false hope if he did indeed want to get back together and wasn’t pining for Carys. “If it’s all the same to you I’d rather not hide behind Bishop. It’s not fair to any of us.”
“Fair don’t enter into it. This is about keeping you safe, pure and s
imple.”
“There’s nothing simple about using a man’s feelings for my own benefit. If he even has feelings for me. At this point I’m half convinced he thought it was Carys in there with him tonight.”
“Best not to listen to a man when he’s in his cups,” he allowed with a half smile.
“Or has an ulterior motive.”
“My only motive is to keep you safe.”
“Surely not your only motive…” I leaned closer, one ear listening for Jakob’s step in the hall, the other distracted by the beat of his heart.
“Look at you, flirting with danger.” His lips twisted into an admiring grin and I slid my hands up his chest, pressing perilously close.
“I thought I was flirting with you.”
“They’re one and the same.”
“Then I guess I’m a danger junkie, because I can’t seem to stay away from you.” It was like we were magnets, the field around us pushing us together until our bodies collided, our mouths crashing together in a desperate kiss. Until Rob grabbed my elbows to pull us apart, his chest heaving from the effort it cost him.
“Anja…” he hissed, eyes pressing tightly closed as he fought to regain his self control.
“I’m sorry,” I squeaked. I knew it was a bad idea, I wasn’t a total moron. But my self control was practically nil once I got too close to him. “It’s just hard, you know?”
“Intimately.” His eyes darted down and I followed them to the bulge in his pants.
“I can help you with that. It seems only fair seeing as how it’s my fault, right?”
“The things you say…” His lips covered mine again, matching my hunger. But when my hand snaked down between us, he caught it deftly, holding me loosely by the wrist. “We can’t, not here.”
“We’re all alone,” I pouted, craving his touch. The air crackled between us, the heat of his body making me tingle all the way down to my toes.
“Not… here…” he bit out, holding his breath. I did the same, trying to adopt his technique to cool off. It honestly didn’t do a thing for me. Then again, it wasn’t like I actually needed to breathe, so the physiology probably wasn’t the same.
“Where then?” I asked when it got a smidge easier to think straight.
“I’ll think of something.”
“Promise?”
I could see the war within him between safety and desire before the longing won out. “Yes, I’ll find a way,” he pledged. “In the meantime, go on with you, off to bed. It’s been a long night.”
I let go of him, but didn’t move more than a foot away. “I hate to lose these few minutes of privacy.”
“Better to be far away from you when he finally comes in. Best not to give him any reason to suspect you’re looking on me with anything but friendship.” He crossed the room, holding open my bedroom door expectantly. With a single nod, I shuffled to the bedroom, stifling a yawn as the day started to catch up with me.
“Goodnight, miss.” His gravelly voice slid over me as I passed by. Unable to resist, and leaned up to steal another kiss.
“Goodnight, Rob. I hope you sleep well.”
“Not bloody likely,” he growled, pulling the door shut behind him.
*
I climbed into bed feeling much better about my chances with Rob. Somehow we’d find a way to make it work. He was right, it was stupid to get hot and heavy in the suite I shared with Jakob, but soon we’d find a way to have some alone time together, and that would have to be enough.
Just before I fell into the deep, coma-like sleep that claimed me each day, I felt a light touch at my hair. Thinking at first it was Rob’s hand, I froze when I realized it wasn’t his scent at all.
It was Jakob’s.
Had he changed his mind about me sharing his bed? Keeping very still, as only a vampire can, I waited to see what he would do. Jakob didn’t do more than stroke my hair, and once my cheek, right where the new scar was. It felt like a very long time before he finally left, and only then did I let out the breath I’d been holding the entire time. The question kept circling round and around in my mind as I slipped off to sleep – how long would Jakob be content with that simple touch?
Chapter Seven
There was no sign of Jakob in the suite the next morning. Thankfully, my hormones were in check enough that I could greet Rob with a simple smile instead of tearing off his clothes with my teeth. Though I did indulge myself for a few moments with that fantasy once it popped into my head. What did I say about hormones? It didn’t take much for them to kick into overdrive, and I deliberately tried to keep him at arm’s length, knowing we were both dangerously short on control whenever we were alone and within touching range.
Luckily, I didn’t have time to dwell on it overmuch as my duties reasserted themselves with a vengeance. Felix called to say he’d lined up a meeting with both Faust and Erlendur later in the night, and Jennike had expressed an interest in touring the west coast sometime in the future. Cool beans. Having my gums scraped sounded like more fun than rolling out the red carpet for her, but I instructed Felix to set it up, and delay for as long as possible. There were still too many unknowns about what was going on back in my neck of the woods.
Speaking of which, I took a call from Marcus, who had less than encouraging news about the erupting violence back home. It had grown from belligerence to random acts of aggression that started to look not so random. There were rumors that Byrne was behind them, but it was hard to pin down. Nobody was talking.
Marcus surprised me by being much more focused on personal concerns. “I’m thinking maybe I should get Maggie out of town, for a while,” he suggested.
“It’s actually that bad? She’s not a target, is she? The Order has nothing against her, and I can’t think the rabble rousers would pay her much mind.”
“I’m more worried about her getting hurt in the crossfire. The last time we met at the Hart there was an altercation on the street outside.”
“What kind of an altercation?”
“The kind where a car bomb tore apart Frost’s SUV.”
“There was a car bombing and you didn’t lead with that story?” I demanded.
“I told you it was getting more dangerous here. No one was hurt, but I’m afraid the SUV will never be the same again.”
“Holy smokes, what did the cops say? I’m thinking this made the evening news, right?” Why was this the first I was hearing about it? I vaguely remembered Bishop mentioning something about unrest, but car bombs? Did Felix know about this?
“Don’t worry, we were able to do some damage control and spin it as regular gang violence, but like I said, they’re getting bolder.”
“Cripes, at this rate I’m not going to have anything to come home to.” Once the word got out about Jakob’s treatment of the Order it was likely to get worse too. “Hey, have you heard from Jenessa lately? Maybe you’d better get word to her about skipping town. She’d be a more likely target than Maggie, I think.” The rest of them knew how to take care of themselves, but the pretty doctor didn’t have those survival skills.
“That’s a good idea, I’ll call her next, but Maggie is my first priority, she’s the most fragile.”
Interesting. When had he gotten so close to Maggie? “Do what you think is best, but I honestly think she’ll be safe as long as she stays in the house. Maybe you should move in there too, at least until I get back home.”
“And when will that be?”
“I’m starting to think sooner than later. The Gathering is still going and Felix has meetings lined up for me, but it won’t do me any good to set any accords if everything goes all Mad Max, will it?”
“You’re the boss.” There was a note to his voice – he almost sounded as if he was gloating over something.
“You have something to add to that?”
“Not really. Just, I’m starting to believe being the Elder isn’t quite the bed of roses I thought it would be. If I’d known I was going to inherit this kind of disorder m
y first year out, I never would’ve run for office. Better you than me, boss.”
“Hey, if it was easy everybody would be doing it. You’re still on my team though, right? Or have you reconsidered the position? I’m betting your corporate duties back in L.A. are looking pretty good right about now, aren’t they?” I could understand if he wanted to head for the hills, but I hoped like heck he’d stick around. I needed him.
“No, I made a commitment to you, I’ll see it through.”
“Thank you for that, I appreciate it.”
“So will you be coming home then?”
That was the question of the hour. “I’ll have to get back to you when I know for sure. Thanks for keeping me in the loop and thanks for thinking of Maggie.” That was one less thing for me to worry about. From the sound of it, Marcus would do his best to keep her safe. The rest of the territory was my job.
It didn’t take long to get Felix and Bridget up there for a pow-wow, only he didn’t seem all that surprised to hear about the situation.
“You knew about all of this, didn’t you?” I demanded, more irked that he hadn’t bothered to tell me about any of it.
“Yeah, I get reports in from all the magistrates on a regular basis. It’s not as bad as it sounds. San Francisco is pretty much the only hotbed of activity right now, the rest of the land is running smooth as silk,” he replied easily.
“What the hell, Felix? How could you not share this with me?” What else was he keeping from me?
“I didn’t want to bother you with it while you’re busy with Gathering stuff.”
“In the future, will you please share any news that starts with cars exploding on my home turf? That’s the sort of thing I need to hear about.”
“Sorry, boss, it won’t happen again.” He looked suitably contrite, and I tried to remember he was used to handling these things on his own under Tommy’s reign, but it still bothered me more than I liked.
Taking a deep breath, I moved on. “The bigger issue here is, how bad is this? It doesn’t seem like it’s going to blow over anytime soon. If anything, it seems to be spiraling out of control. It’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt bad enough to attract the attention of Rome, and trust me, we don’t want to do that.”