It was dim in the sitting area of the lodge as Marisol and Riley unwound the twinkle lights from the packaging. Georgina and Beck had pulled out two huge boxes of decorations and were helping the kids make over the space. Holiday music was playing from Riley’s phone, and for the first time ever, Deane spotted a smile on the boy’s lips.
Though there were other things that required his attention, Deane had walked through the light display with Riley until the lad was ready to go back to the lodge. They’d rolled into the parking lot after eight with a bag stuffed full of tinsel, lights and three stockings. His relief was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Maybe because he’d never lost a child under his protection before. And maybe, just maybe, he’d started growing attached to the lad.
“Check it out,” Emery whispered and inclined her head in Riley’s direction.
Marisol was straining to pin a silver snowflake on the wall, but she couldn’t quite reach the spot. With flushed cheeks, Riley helped her place it where she wanted it. They both gave embarrassed grins to each other and avoided eye contact.
Emery nodded in approval. “Your boy’s got game.”
It felt strange hearing her say that. His boy.
Cruz entered the front of the lodge from his back office, looking over the lights that were getting woven down the stair handrail. “Looking good, guys. Very festive.”
The lodge leader approached Riley and put his hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you came back, compañero.”
Riley scanned the friendly faces in the room, settling on Deane’s. Deane folded his arms and arched his brow at the boy. He hoped this was the last time Riley decided to excommunicate himself. Riley might not be a shifter, but everyone here could relate to living a secretive life. They all had unique and special abilities, even if they were different.
Deane approached Cruz and muttered, “We really need to talk.”
Never before had he set Society business aside for other priorities. Deane had put everything else to the back of his mind while he searched for Riley all afternoon, but he needed to update the higher-ups about that day’s sequence of events. All of this was above his paygrade. It wasn’t his job to negotiate or discuss resolutions or decide how to uphold laws that affected the Society as a whole.
Cruz’s expression grew serious, and he led Emery and Deane to his office at the back of the building and closed the door. They sat down around the glass desk, and Cruz pulled out his phone to call Alaric like last time. The sound of ringing filled the room until their leader’s familiar voice answered, “Hello? Cruz? Do you have news for me?”
Cruz placed the phone on the surface of his desk and rubbed his manicured mustache. “We’ve had a busy day looking for Deane’s foster kid to start, but he’s back at the lodge now.”
“What? Riley went missing?” Alaric’s voice was strained.
It had been far more convoluted than the fact that he’d run away, but there wasn’t the time to go into that now. Deane cleared his throat. “A youngling bullied Riley this morning. I left him in his room when I left for the blood-sucker’s place.”
“It was my fault,” Emery interrupted. “I was supposed to keep an eye on him. He ran away when I went to the bathroom.”
Cruz explained, “And I sent out everyone I could to look for him. They were at it all day until they found him at the zoo.”
“He’s safe,” Deane assured his boss. “I don’t think he’ll be a flight risk again. The situation is under control.”
Alaric breathed through the phone. “Good, I’m glad you found him. We can’t have our only living specimen of a blood-sucker running away.”
Deane rubbed his jaw, suppressing his frustration. Riley was more than a “specimen” to him. This wouldn’t be pretty, but he needed to suck it up and lay it all out on the table. “There’s more, Boss. Verity and Julian know I’m a shifter.”
His partner’s eyes widened, and Cruz stood up, raking his fingers through his hair in distress. Alaric’s voice came through the phone sharp and direct. “What? And you didn’t alert us earlier?”
Deane exhaled before continuing, “It all started with Julian getting himself into trouble after his gator show. This guy attacked him, but it was strange. He was questioning Julian about Lycos’s origins and said something about cleansing the earth of his kind.”
“Is there a chance he was one of yours, Cruz?” Alaric interjected.
Cruz frowned and looked at Deane. “I don’t see how. I don’t even know who Lycos is—so how would any of my members?”
Deane hurried to fill them in further. “I didn’t recognize the bloke, but I made the decision to protect Julian and stopped his attacker from choking him out. I saw an opportunity to get more information when I took Julian back to his sister. They thought I left, but I stuck around to listen to their conversation. They assumed Julian’s attacker was a shifter, but they found it curious that he wanted to know about their father Lycos’s origins.”
“Their father?” Emery whispered.
That was when Alaric spoke up again. “That name sounds familiar. Why?”
“Remember up at the cabin when we snuck in, just before all hell broke loose?” Deane asked. “Ramsay and Marika were talking about contacting Lycos. Ramsay wanted to take Aerilyn to him so he could drink her blood.”
“That’s right,” Alaric said. “Fast forward—get to the part we’re waiting for.”
Deane rubbed his jaw and started talking. He told them everything. “She knew I was more than an owl. I had no choice.”
Alaric went silent, and Cruz didn’t look very pleased with the news. It was the Miami leader who spoke first. “You’ve put my members at risk, exposing yourself to the blood-suckers. How do you know they aren’t out there now, organizing for a fight?”
“Neither of them are a threat.” Deane was confident after what he’d witnessed. “Julian would have protected himself if he could, and he didn’t. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I know what trouble looks like and it isn’t them.”
“How do they know about us?” Alaric questioned. “You said they suspected Julian’s attacker was a shifter?”
“Their older brother, Dolan, told them about us, and they were under the impression we murdered Ramsay. I told them he was the one who started everything without giving too many details. They seemed to believe me—I don’t think they thought highly of the bastard.”
“Brother? How many of them are there?” Emery asked with a scowl.
“I’m not sure, but Verity and Julian may be the level-headed sort who might be willing to negotiate with us. They may even answer our questions.” Deane waited for Alaric’s response.
The Denver lodge leader’s voice asked incredulously, “How did you get out of there? Did you just walk out after you revealed yourself? What kind of situation are we in?”
Deane wanted to make a few things clear. “Emery called to tell me Riley was gone. I’m that boy’s legal guardian. My priority was clear. I told them I had to take care of a situation and that I’d return. In the end, they let me walk out of there without a fight.”
Alaric’s tone was tense. “Cruz, I assume you have secure facilities to hold individuals? Have any room for two blood-suckers?”
“We sure do.” Cruz hunched over his desk and pressed his knuckles against the glass.
“Hold on, now.” Deane held up his hand. “Are ye sure ye want to hold them against their will? I’m telling ye, they don’t seem anything like Ramsay. They might be willing to cooperate without having to cage them. That’s a quick way of making enemies.”
“Abducting Society members is a quick way of making enemies, too,” Alaric answered. “First thing tomorrow morning, I want you to bring them in. The Grand Consul meets in a week to discuss their existence, and they’ll want to speak directly to them. I plan on providing them with exactly what they want. Thanks to the Internet, we can make that happen without risking the Consul’s safety.”
“Sounds like a plan.
” Cruz straightened up again and grabbed his phone. “You’ll hear from us soon.”
“Good luck,” Alaric answered, and Cruz ended the call.
Deane sat in silence, displeased with how it had gone. He’d hoped they could have handled it diplomatically, without the show of force. He felt Emery’s eyes on him. It was clear she wasn’t sure what to think. He was her partner and mentor, but Alaric was her boss. She hadn’t gotten the opportunity to watch Verity and Julian for herself, and she was always eager for a fight.
“Okay, looks like we’ll have to cut the decorating short out there.” Cruz’s eyes were filled with intensity. “We need a plan to extract the blood-suckers without incident.”
Deane watched Cruz leave the room to call in his enforcers. His stomach twisted into a knot. He didn’t know why he cared so much about a couple of vampires. Maybe Riley was making him soft.
He slept horribly that night, thinking about all the ways things could go wrong in the morning. On top of everything, he needed to feed Riley. The kid was beginning to look a little peaky, especially after being doused in blood the prior day.
Deane got up well before his alarm went off and dressed himself in a pair of trousers and a button-up shirt. He was sipping his third cup of coffee at the marble bar when Georgina and Beck arrived. Georgina’s hair was styled higher than usual. The red streaks were complemented by her choice of maroon tank and blue suspenders.
Emery gave her an approving nod as she came downstairs. “I can’t go anywhere with an empty stomach. This girl’s gotta eat.”
She was rounding the stairwell when there was a knock from the front door. Emery hurried over and froze in place as she blinked outside. “Uh, Deane?”
He stepped down from his seat and walked into the entry to see what the problem was. His breath caught in his throat.
Julian hadn’t wanted to go. In some ways, she would have liked him to stay at home out of harm’s way, but Verity knew it was best they both went. When negotiating and reasoning with people, it was helpful they looked you in the eye before deciding your fate.
Verity wasn’t wearing her scrubs for once. She’d chosen a skirt and a woven top with Julian’s help, and instead of his TailGator uniform, he’d belted on a pair of rolled-up khaki’s and a V-neck. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she stood at the door and blinked at the words written on the glass. She didn’t know what Genus Society was, but she’d seen Deane come to this very place.
She gave a nervous glance at Julian before knocking on the door. This was it. There was no going back now. She hoped they’d made the right decision.
The door swung open, revealing Emery, the woman Deane was with the prior day. Before Verity could find her voice, he was there, blinking in disbelief at her. Within minutes, others stood beside him.
Julian nudged her as he wore a stiff grin and whispered, “Say something.”
She took a deep breath and brushed her blond locks from her eyes. “We have come to speak with whoever’s in charge.”
Startled expressions tracked them inside after Deane gestured them in. The woman shut the door behind them, and it took everything inside of Verity to stay calm.
A voice said, “Find Cruz… now!”
An uncomfortable silence followed as Verity and Julian tried to act casual while everyone else in the room stared at them. Finally, a well-groomed man walked in from the back of the building. His dark eyes settled on them, then looked questioningly at Deane, who wasn’t wearing a T-shirt and shorts per usual, but business attire, which he seemed more comfortable in. Deane took a step closer to her and cleared his throat. “Cruz, I’d like to introduce ye to Verity and Julian. They’re, uh…”
“Vampires,” she finished for him.
Verity held out her hand to Cruz, and woman with short streaked hair rushed forward to put herself between them. The woman put her palms up and said calmly, “Before we go any further, I’d like to check you over. Beck?”
A long-haired man with pale green eyes approached Julian and started patting him down. Although Verity didn’t think there was any possibility she could have concealed anything under her clothes, the woman still checked before backing away.
Cruz scrutinized them with a raised brow. He finally reached out to give them both a brief handshake. “Come with me.”
Verity and Julian followed him into an office.
Cruz pointed to some chairs. “Sit.”
Deane, along with a number of other people, filtered in behind them. Cruz rubbed his mustache while Verity pulled a chair up beside her brother and took a seat. She felt someone come into her space and looked up to find Deane standing behind her. He held her gaze.
“I don’t have enough room in here for an audience. If your name’s not Georgina, Beck, Deane or Emery, I want you out.” Cruz adjusted in his seat to pull out his phone and laid it on the glass surface of his desk. “Close the door behind you.”
A few people retreated from the office, and the door clicked shut. Verity gave her attention to the man before her and didn’t wait for him to speak. “My brother and I have come to you peacefully today. We speak only for ourselves and not our family. Who do you speak for?”
Cruz inhaled slowly. “I speak for my jurisdiction and myself.”
“Your jurisdiction?” she asked, wondering just how large the group of changelings were.
“I am the Miami lodge leader for Genus Society, a community of shifters found all around the world.” Cruz folded his arms on the table and leveled a stare at her. “Tell me more about you.”
Julian looked at her. She could feel his anxiety begin to rise. Verity crossed her legs and rested her hands on her lap. “Before I say anything more, I would like your assurances that my brother and I will be unharmed by your kind. We came here to cooperate, but only if we are kept safe and can keep our freedom.”
Cruz didn’t answer. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. A man’s voice answered almost immediately. “Give me the news.”
Cruz inclined his chin. “You’re on speaker, Alaric. We had a bit of a surprise this morning. The blood-suckers showed up on our doorstep. I have Verity and Julian with me now. They say they’re willing to talk, but they want assurances they won’t be harmed and that they’ll remain free.”
The man on the other end of the receiver cleared his throat. “This is Alaric Meyer. I’m the Denver lodge leader for the Genus Society. Your brother abducted my daughter and one of my enforcers and injured a number of my people.”
Ramsay was good at leaving a wake of animosity behind. It was a delicate situation she had to handle tactfully. “We offer our apologies for our brother’s actions. We do not share the same lifestyle as him, though it sounds like he won’t be bothering you again. I hope your people have recovered?”
Emery was standing beside Deane. She lifted the bottom of her blouse to reveal a line of puckered skin at her side. Verity winced and lifted her gaze to the woman’s defiant face.
Alaric answered Verity’s question, “One of my enforcers has scars from the bitemarks given to him by your family.”
“Olive oil,” Julian leaned forward in his seat. “If you rub olive oil on them, they should fade away.”
Everyone in the room turned to look at him. Alaric spoke up. “Be that as it may, I cannot make assurances unless I get some in return. Your kind have proven to be dangerous.”
The words of the speech she’d practiced in front of Julian last night ran through her head. She didn’t have to think about what she needed to say—it flowed from her lips. “We know you have our nephew in your care. We would like to meet him so we can teach him how to live. He must not fall into our father’s hands if we are to give him a chance at a relatively normal life. For this, and to keep us safe from Lycos, we are willing to align ourselves with you.”
“You are willing to sell out your own family?” Cruz’s eyes narrowed. The thought was clearly distasteful to the man.
Julian lifted his chin. “Blood may bind us to
our family, but I feel no loyalty toward them. They do not care about me, only about their own survival. We tire of our father’s forced obedience.”
“They have chosen their way of life, and we have chosen ours.” Verity returned Cruz’s stare. “We have no interest in fighting you or our kin. It seems conflict is upon us, so we are forced to choose sides.”
Alaric’s voice sounded tinny coming from the phone. “We live by certain laws. Anyone in our world is expected to follow them. We don’t kill our own, and we keep our existence a secret from the mundanes. From what I know about your kind, that may be a challenge for you.”
“Not at all,” Julian answered without pause. “Our father lives by a similar code. We wouldn’t dream of drawing attention to ourselves.”
Her brother hadn’t picked up on the real concern. Verity turned to him. “They’re worried we’ll feed on them.”
“But we don’t bite humans,” Julian said matter-of-factly, like the discussion was closed.
Verity explained, “We drink animal blood. It was a choice we made when we left home. You’re safe with us. We have no interest in your blood.”
Emery spoke up. “But Quinn and Ramsay seemed to think our blood was pretty valuable. How can we trust you’re not going to give us a quick nip?”
“And how can I trust that you won’t just kill us after we give you the information you need?” Verity raised her brow, answering the question with her own. “A small amount of trust must be extended to begin this relationship. We already live by the laws you’ve stated. I see no problem unless you are unable to agree to our terms.”
“But what about the boy?” Alaric asked. “How do we know you won’t just fill his head with dangerous ideas?”
Julian sat up a little straighter, and his jaw tightened. Verity put her hand on his arm to calm him down. This wasn’t the time or place to lose patience. He gave her a sideways glance before saying with tightened lips, “I thought you’d want him to learn how to live off animal blood.”
For the first time since they’d entered the room, Deane stepped forward to speak. He stood beside Verity’s chair and frowned at the phone. “Since ye seem to have forgotten what’s best for the boy, I’d like to remind ye the importance we put on rearing our younglings. We have guardians to help them through their transition into becoming members and what it is to be a shifter. In my eyes, Riley’s no different. He’s going through a change, too. One we know little about. The boy needs guidance—the kind you and I can’t give him.”
Half-Blood Secrets: A Paranormal Series (Half-Bloods Book 2) Page 10