by Susan Illene
“Did it ever occur to you that the angels only stepped in because our race was dying out? It’s not our job to eradicate all supernaturals. We only need to stop those who are truly guilty and protect the innocent—that is it.” I took another careful step, closing the gap between us to only six feet.
Harvey’s face contorted. “Don’t move. You need to get me out of here right now or I’m gonna shoot her.”
“No, you’re not,” I said, then looked past him. “Now!”
“Freeze!” Detective Burks yelled, pointing a pistol at Harvey.
The sensor turned and I dove toward him, grabbing the hand holding the pistol. I pulled it up just in time before he pulled the trigger. The shot went up into the ceiling. With my ears ringing, I twisted the weapon out of his hand and tossed it across the floor. I grabbed Bambi next and pulled her face into my chest. No way did I want any humans seeing her in her true form. As the police swarmed into the room and wrestled with Harvey, I concentrated on his hostage.
“Thank ye.” Bambi wrapped her arms around me. “I thought fer sure I was dead.”
I patted her back. “Shhh. Calm down and pull yourself together.”
“You shoulda killed ‘em,” she mumbled. Her tears were leaking onto my vest and so was her putrid scent, but the armor belonged to the Fairbanks Police Department so I didn’t care.
I bowed my head low and whispered. “He’s going to a government facility where he’ll be locked up for a long time. Trust me—that’s worse than death.”
She peered up at me. “Is he really?”
“Only the worst accommodations for him,” I swore.
Her glamour finally returned, flickering back into place as she pulled away. “Just be sure they don’t give ‘em any sheep’s dung fer beddin’ cus that’s too good fer him.”
O’Connell and Patrick entered the shop and joined us.
“I’ll be sure to pass that message on,” the agent said, wrinkling his nose at her.
“You!” Bambi glared at him, the fire returning to her eyes. “This be yer fault! I nearly got kilt cus you didna do yer job.”
A ruckus rose up across the room. One of the policemen screamed. “He’s got another gun!”
My gaze swung toward the back of the room where Harvey stood with one handcuff dangling off his wrist. He held up a small pistol that could have easily fit in the waistband of his pants. There was a wild look in his eyes that made my blood run cold.
“You won’t take me alive,” he said, waving the weapon around.
Half a dozen police officers had their guns trained on him, ready to fire.
“Stop this now, Harvey,” Patrick said from beside me. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
“You’re a traitor,” Harvey spit out. His emotions were becoming too erratic for me to follow. “Always thought you were too good for us and now you’re hanging out with that nephilim-loving bitch.”
Patrick kept his voice calm. “No one needs to die today.”
“Actually, both of you do.” Harvey swung his pistol toward us.
I stepped in front of Patrick just as multiple shots rang out. Sharp pain hit my chest and I fell back into him, knocking us both to the ground. Lucas was there in the next instant, pulling me into his arms. I struggled to draw in breath as he checked me for wounds.
“Sensor, where does it hurt?” he asked, voice taut with concern.
“I don’t…?” I gazed around at the chaos.
O’Connell stepped in front of us. “Looks like her vest took the bullets, but our suspect is dead.”
“Damn.” I groaned. “It’s so much harder to question them that way.”
Lucas took my hand and kissed it, relief in his eyes. “At least we can start our honeymoon now.”
“Without the bullet wounds,” Patrick added.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Lucas
Lucas studied his wife while she gazed out the car window, her slender hand holding a glass of red wine. Something deep and primal stirred inside of him as he watched her take a sip. She had no idea what a strong hold she had over him. He would move glaciers for her if she asked, and yet she wanted very little.
Lucas had never seen someone who spent the bulk of their time worrying about everyone except herself. Outwardly, he complained about her sacrificial behavior, but inwardly he couldn’t help admiring her. In all his long years, he’d found most people—human and supernatural—worried more about themselves than anyone else. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe of all the men in the world, she’d fallen in love with him. If he wasn’t so pleased about it, he might have had her head checked.
Melena had chosen to wear a white sundress for the evening and left her auburn hair loose the way he liked it. She’d only put on a touch of makeup, but otherwise, her beauty was all natural. They were riding in the back of a limousine on their way to Aeson’s former estate in Juneau. Lucas had enjoyed the look of surprise on his wife’s face when their plane had landed, and she’d seen the car waiting for them. She’d had no idea he’d made the arrangements that morning.
Lucas’ fifteen-hundred-year-old vampire servant, Sayer, had been the one waiting for them when they arrived in the city. Before that, they’d spent the day resting. They’d both been exhausted after the police raids, and Melena had bruises on her chest from where Harvey’s bullets had struck her vest. There was no sign of them now. Allowing her to sleep for almost ten hours had done much to restore her.
Melena turned away from the view of Aeson’s palatial estate and looked at Lucas, amusement in her eyes. “I still can’t believe out of all the places in the world we could have gone, you chose Juneau.”
“We both know you will not be able to relax if we travel far from Emily,” he said, pausing to finish his wine and set the glass down. “I was proved right when you insisted on making a schedule of who would watch the girl every moment while we are gone.”
What he didn’t say was that if she got what she wanted, he would be leaving Alaska soon enough. It simply wouldn’t be to a prime beach location. Remiel might have claimed he’d left the ankle cuff off for the next week so that they could travel for their honeymoon, but Lucas didn’t buy that story. The archangel, in his subtle way, was giving him a chance to protect his new wife.
Melena sighed. “Okay, you have a point, but I’m still surprised.”
“We have the rest of our lives to travel the world,” he said reassuringly, and hoped that was true. “But I believe coming here was the best decision for now.”
Sayer parked the limousine and got out to open the door for them. As they emerged from the vehicle, a servant who’d been waiting at the entrance rushed forward to take their luggage. They’d only brought two small suitcases since Lucas intended to keep Melena in bed for most of their stay. He’d made that abundantly clear when the sensor had packed her things. One of the reasons he’d chosen this location was that they could behave as they pleased and no one would question it.
Aeson—the former master of Juneau—had built this place and trained the staff on supernatural etiquette. He’d been killed a couple of years ago when they fought a demon prince. Since then, one of Lucas’ vampire assistants had been running the city—under his and Micah’s guidance—until a replacement could be found. Lucas hoped he could transfer the power to someone else soon. While he enjoyed the convenience of having the house for a refuge, he did not care for the responsibilities that came with it.
“I see you got rid of those awful statues,” Melena said, staring out at the vast lawn and gardens at the front of the mansion.
Though it would still be daylight in Fairbanks, the sun had set over an hour ago in Juneau. Well-placed spotlights lit up the grounds, providing an idealistic view of the landscape. They highlighted the night-blooming flowers that had been a staple of the place since shortly after Aeson built it.
Lucas gave his wife an amused look. “Actually, Sayer had them removed.”
There had once been a pair of Greek s
culptures with naked men urinating into the pools below them. Aeson had been half incubus, and he’d lived part of his early life in Ancient Greece, giving him stylistic preferences that ran rather different than most.
While Sayer didn’t enjoy the job of running a city much more than Lucas, the vampire had made a few changes while he’d been here. He’d removed more than half of the decorations on the estate, and he’d set down some new rules for the supernatural population. They’d been verging on chaos after losing Aeson. It had taken some time to get them back under control.
“Those statues were abominable,” Sayer said, scowling. He composed his features before addressing Lucas. “Is there anything else you require, master?”
“The others are waiting inside?”
Sayer nodded. “Of course.”
“Then you may take your leave for the evening,” he replied formally. With Sayer and his brother Fallon, Lucas always kept his relations with them proper. They existed because he’d chosen to have them turned into vampires many centuries ago to serve him, but they were not his friends.
Sayer bowed and left them. Melena watched him go with a frown. “Are you ever going to give him and Fallon their freedom?”
“No,” he said, his tone resolute. “They swore their allegiance to me a long time ago and they accept it. That will not change.”
“But it’s wrong,” she argued.
Lucas lifted a brow. “How so? I provide for all their needs, and I protect them. Whenever I do not require their services, they are allowed to attend to their own business. In many ways, they have more freedom than you do.”
“Oh, really?” She put her hands on her hips. “Are you implying that you can actually control me?”
He smiled. The temptation to rile her up a little was too strong to resist. “You not only accepted me as your mate but also as your husband, did you not? I assume that means you want me for your master and protector.”
“I could totally shoot you right now.” Melena glared at him.
Lucas grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his. “Our relationship works two ways. I may attempt to influence control over you, but you do the same to me. Sayer and Fallon wouldn’t dream of giving me orders. You make demands of me on a regular basis and more often than not—I give you what you want.”
“Do you have a problem with that?” Her gaze turned heated.
“Absolutely not,” he said huskily. “I would not have you any other way.”
“So would you at least consider giving Fallon and Sayer their freedom?” she asked, putting her arms around his shoulders.
He pretended to think it over. “Only if you swear not to rescue Ariel.”
“You’re impossible!” She shoved away from him.
“I can see the newlyweds are off to a good start,” Nik said, coming out of the house. Josslyn walked next to him, holding his hand. Their time in Juneau had done them both a world of good. The vampires appeared considerably healthier than before and far more relaxed than Lucas had seen since before Nik’s removal from power.
Melena turned to face them. “It’s just a minor disagreement.”
“I’m certain it is.” Nik came up and shook hands with Lucas. “Congratulations on the wedding. I’m sorry we couldn’t be there, but I’m glad you came to visit. The servants have dinner ready for you inside.”
“You two are looking great,” Melena said, glancing between the vampire couple.
Nik’s expression turned to one of consternation. “I must admit we should have left that cabin a long time ago. I fear it did us more harm than good.”
“Better late than never.” Melena’s eyes were filled with compassion.
Lucas suspected Nik and Josslyn had needed the time away from civilization to work things out with each other. It was the main reason he’d waited until now to bring them to Juneau. Older immortals didn’t recover as easily from tragedy as the younger ones. At least, that was the case for those who still had any humanity left in them.
“Let’s go inside,” Josslyn said, gesturing toward the entrance.
Lucas dipped his chin. “Excellent idea.”
They followed the vampires into the mansion, entering a wide corridor with black marble floors and a grand staircase set in the middle. A sitting room was off to the right. They continued past it toward the rear of the house where the kitchens and dining area were located.
“Most of the decorations are gone,” Melena noted as they walked.
“Sayer and I decided to remove them, along with the outside statues. Like me, he prefers to keep things simpler.” The mansion had enough architectural décor with its expensive tile, custom ceilings, and intricately carved crown molding that much of Aeson’s risqué artwork had taken away from the natural design. They’d left a few of the more tasteful pieces up to fill blank walls, but otherwise the corridor was empty of clutter.
Melena was quiet for a moment. “Do you have a home somewhere that you designed the way you like it…you know, from before you met me?”
Lucas understood what she meant. It still bothered her that she knew so little about him, especially now that they were married. He’d never been a man who explained himself to anyone, but if he wanted to put Melena at ease in their relationship, he’d have to make more of an effort. The only problem being that at his age he’d settled into his ways. Changing anything about himself was easier said than done. Every time he considered telling her about himself, he almost choked on the words. There was little about his past that cast him in a good light.
“I have a house in the countryside of France,” he said, glad that her latest question was something innocuous. “It’s been many years since I’ve visited, but Fallon keeps it maintained for me. Perhaps we’ll visit there someday after things settle down.”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
They entered the dining room where two male servants stood waiting for them, each wearing sharp white uniforms. The table was approximately twenty feet long, but all four place settings were at one end as he’d requested. Candles were also lit in anticipation of their arrival.
There was a time when Lucas enjoyed living in luxury. During the three centuries Remiel forced him to protect a succession of sensors—as penance for killing so many of them—Lucas had always maintained a house near the one he watched. Allowing himself to live in extravagance helped get him through the job of watching over individuals he considered his enemy. The archangel had tied his life to theirs so that there was no way out of it.
Lucas had hated that punishment almost worse than confinement in Purgatory—until they’d assigned him Melena. She’d intrigued him from the start, though he’d watched her from afar without her knowledge. The archangels had bestowed the ability so he could perform his protection duties. Then he’d learned of her foster mother’s plans to sell her to a powerful supernatural. He’d had no choice but to step in and handle the situation. After their first meeting in person, it became more difficult to stay away.
He pulled a chair out for Melena before taking his seat. Nik and Josslyn couldn’t partake of human food, but they could drink wine. The servants poured them each a glass. Lucas had flown them out to Juneau before Melena had recovered enough to give her farewells. As much as he wanted her to himself right then, he’d give her time with the vampires first. She needed the sustenance anyway, and there would be little time for visiting after dinner. He was going to lock them in their suite upstairs, and he had no plans to come out for the next two days.
“You’re looking much better since we last saw you,” Josslyn said, breaking the silence as the servants brought out dishes of food for Lucas and Melena to sample.
The sensor selected a piece of roasted chicken before answering. “Thanks, though I have to give Lucas some of the credit. He was an absolute tyrant about making me rest.”
“If only she’d listen.” He put a selection of small potatoes on his plate. “We might have been here
sooner if she had not gotten herself shot shortly after the wedding.”
Nik choked on his wine. “How did that happen?”
Lucas felt the fury in Melena’s gaze. He tasted the first bite of his food, ignoring her as he chewed slowly. The flavor was quite good. The chef had rather outdone himself this time. He would have preferred to serve the meal in courses, but Lucas didn’t want the visit with the vampires to last too long. They had more important activities on their agenda.
Melena mumbled an explicative under her breath when she couldn’t gain Lucas’ attention and turned to Nik. “I was wearing a bullet-proof vest. It hardly hurt at all.”
“Are you capable of staying out of danger for a single day?” the vampire asked her, shaking his head.
She shrugged. “I had a bad guy to catch.”
Lucas set his fork and knife down and gave the vampires the full story on recent events, allowing his wife a chance to eat while he spoke. Nik was going to need to know the current situation now that he’d returned to civilization. Sayer had been handling matters in Juneau with reasonable competence, but even he couldn’t stop all the violence or control humans. They’d yet to determine if Melena’s brother had any influence in this city as well or if people were acting of their own accord. Either way, much of it could be handled at the local level.
Josslyn sighed. “We’ve heard the troubles were getting worse, but I had not realized they’d escalated this much.”
“I’m working on capturing my brother, which should at least stop the cult,” Melena said after finishing her meal. “It’s just a matter of finding him.”
“Let me know if there is anything I can do,” Nik offered.
Lucas set his napkin on the table. “Actually, there is something I’d like to speak to you about if you’d be open to listening.”
Nik’s expression became guarded. “What is it?”