Ophelia pulled away, frowning. She huffed out a breath and stood up. She walked to the kitchen, and motioned for him to follow. She spoke while she stuck her head in the fridge to grab a soda. “You’re a vampire. You can’t make that better.” She sighed and closed the door. “I know I said ‘we’ a minute ago, but you misunderstand. We can work together from a distance. We don’t actually have to be side-by-side.”
Daniel opened his mouth as she sat down at the table across from him, but she cut him off, “Let me make this clear: I have no desire to work close enough with you that I see you every night, and I don’t intend to explain myself. Just trust that you and I are better off out of each other’s hair.”
Unsurprised by her declaration, Daniel was simply relieved she wasn’t crying. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck, unsure how to continue the conversation. She was so adamant about not being near him. What he had to say next wasn’t going to go over well at all.
Ophelia cocked her head to the side. “What aren’t you telling me, Daniel?”
He rubbed his chin. There was no other choice but to go for it. On some perverse level, he was going to get a kick out of bursting her little ‘keep away’ bubble. “I have a lead on a group of Jeremiah’s henchmen. I also have it on good authority that they may know where Gwen is being held.” He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. “There are three of them, all vampires, and I’m only one man. This means, if you want this to go over well, you get to go on a little road trip with me. Tonight.”
Ophelia’s answering smile was saucy, and she returned it with a wink. “How do you know my power doesn’t give me the ability to teleport?”
Daniel shot her a lopsided grin. “Because, if you could, you never would have let me touch you in the first place.” He reached for her hands again.
Ophelia’s eyes darkened, and Daniel, enchanted, leaned forward. Her lips were plump, smooth, and pink—without the addition of cosmetics. Her braid swung over her shoulder, with loose, silky strands left to frame her face. His intense, immediate, desire for her was a swift kick to the gut, and when she inhaled sharply, he sensed she felt it, too. Eyes on hers, Daniel took Ophelia’s hands in his. Sparks flashed, striking from where their fingers touched. He’d made a huge mistake.
A bright green flash of light struck his chest dead center, and he flew backwards out of his chair. He collapsed to the floor with a bone-jarring thud. Torn between laughter and tears, he gasped for breath. It took him three tries to speak.
When he managed, he glared at her amused face from around the table legs. "With a touch as electrifying as yours, who needs teleportation?"
Ophelia stood up. Amusement showed in the smirk she still wore, but her eyes were narrowed with concern. “I didn’t think it would be that strong! I’m sorry. I’ve never attempted that spell on a person.” She held out her hand to help him up.
When he didn’t move, Ophelia frowned and shook her hand at him. “Just because I’d rather not touch you, doesn’t mean I don’t want to help at all. No power, I promise.”
Daniel eyed her hand warily. She’d made no secret of her disdain for his existence, and he already felt like a fool for falling into her trap. That hadn’t been desire he saw, but cunning, and the realization stung more than a bit. So, to preserve the rest of his dignity, he struggled to his feet on his own, cursing the whole way up. He sat his chair upright and regained his seat, taking care to keep his distance as Ophelia also sat back down. She watched him from across the table, her eyes guarded, and the smile wiped from her face.
Daniel clasped his hands in front of him, and Ophelia frowned, huffing out a breath as she sat back. “Look, ‘I’m sorry’ is the best apology you’re going to get from me right now. I didn’t mean to knock you down.”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “So, you did mean to zap the crap out of me?”
“Not that much,” Ophelia said with a snort. “I just wanted to shock you, not have you falling at my feet.”
Daniel looked through the window to the front walk. He jerked his head toward the glass. “I’m not so sure of that. My ass still hurts from the first time.”
Ophelia winced, and bit her bottom lip. Daniel watched her fingers flex, twisting together and letting go repeatedly as she stared at the table. For minutes, he couldn’t look away. Her lips moved, but no sound emerged as it seemed she fought an internal battle over his words. Daniel mentally crossed his fingers, and prayed she was ready to give in.
As soon as she lifted her head, he knew. Even before she spoke, he knew he’d won, but he kept his face blank. Ophelia heaved a sigh. “You’ve known from the beginning that I don’t like who you are or what you do, yet you still pushed the boundaries. I don’t want to work with you. You won’t change my mind about that. However, I do see the wisdom in you not going alone tonight, so I’ll help for Carissa’s sake. After tonight, though, things go back to the way they were. You go be a bloodsucker somewhere else, and I’ll make my bad decisions on my own.”
Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back, nodding, a wicked smile playing across his lips. She didn’t know it, but if there was one thing he couldn’t resist, it was a challenge, and Ophelia was now fair game.
Chapter Nine
Gwen pushed the food around on her plate. Rare steak, mashed potatoes, and garlic buttered asparagus—her favorites—but it all tasted like sand in captivity. Guilt rolled in her stomach beside the meal. It hadn’t been that long ago when she’d done the exact same thing to her sister. A tear trickled down her cheek. She’d been such a fool. On the other side of things, where she was now, Gwen could see clearly just how wrong her actions had been. There was no good reason to take an innocent person’s freedom away, no matter what someone’s justification was. Carissa shouldn’t have been held against her will for a mating ceremony with someone she didn’t love, and Gwen shouldn't be locked up and prepared for slaughter. None of it was right.
And their father was behind it all.
How could I have ever thought he was a good person? God, please forgive me for my part in all of this. Another tear slid free. In some way, she supposed this was what she deserved—the captive part of things—as payment for what she’d done to her sister. But the rest of it...the rest of it was so wrong. She was beginning to lose track of the time she spent in the room, alone. She knew they were still drugging her – just like she’d done to her sister – as she kept losing whole chunks of time, but she couldn’t just stop eating. She needed every ounce of strength to focus on escape.
One apology would never be enough, and Gwen planned to make things up to Carissa however she could, but first...freedom.
Every day she sat before the window, straining her mind toward the birds she saw flying and sitting in the trees, but so far, she’d had no luck. Garrett’s sorcerer was good. Gwen bit her lip, eyes focused on her fork as she slid the meat across the plate. She was tenacious, though, and she’d be damned if she was going to give up so easily. She knew where they were keeping her, damn it. She was at the pack’s vacation manor in Minden, Louisiana, but if she couldn’t at least communicate with the birds, there would be no way to let anyone know.
Footsteps sounded outside her door, followed by an urgent, whispered conversation. Gwen couldn’t even drum up the drive to turn around when the door finally opened. It would be Garrett, as he trusted no one else, not even the doctor, to attend her on their own. Her father’s heavy hand settled on her shoulder.
“You haven’t touched your food, Gwenny. Are you feeling ill?”
“A little,” she lied.
Garrett’s fingers squeezed gently. “I’ll have Doctor Jeffries prescribe you something. We wouldn’t want your health to suffer.”
Gwen shook her head. “No, we wouldn’t want that.” She laid her fork on the plate and turned to face Garrett. “Is something wrong?”
His eyes darkened as he stared down at her, a frown sliding across his lips. “Myrick wants to see you, to assess your usefulness. If
you pass, the pack remains safe. If not…” Garrett let his words trail off into nothing, and Gwen’s heart skipped a beat.
“If not, what?” she asked in a whisper.
Garrett dropped his hand to his side, worried. “He’ll order a replacement.”
The gentleman pressed a white-gloved finger to the button on the intercom beside his chair. “Send me T.”
There was a crackle, and then, “Yes, sir.”
Satisfied, he steepled his fingers under his chin and waited for his door to open. The images he’d seen in the crystal were disturbing. Not unexpected, but disturbing all the same. He’d known from the beginning that Ophelia couldn’t be trusted. Oh, she’d done plenty of terrible deeds, but at the end of the day, she saw them as a necessary evil. Her heart was pure, no matter how he’d tried to change it, so it was time for Plan B. He chuckled. Or in this case, Plan T.
There was a swift knock before the door to his study opened and his plan sauntered in. Taking a seat in the armchair on the other side of the crystal, T grinned. “You’ve made a decision, then?”
He smiled at his young protégée. T was smart, loyal, and maybe even more ruthless than he was—a fact that pleased the elder man greatly. “I have, as a matter of fact.”
T leaned forward, brown eyes flashing in anticipation. “Tell me, sir.”
He leaned back, puffing on one of the imported cigars he indulged in twice a day. “Jeremiah is becoming a loose end. I’d prefer not to snip it, but if he can’t be retrained…” He let the sentence trail, watching the bloodlust grow in T’s eyes.
T sat back, a small smile playing around thin lips. “I’m inclined to agree, sir. His attachment to Ophelia is clouding his judgement. He’s told her to help her friends.”
Another puff on the cigar. Another stream of tangy smoke to scent the air. “I see. Has he given you a reason for his decision?”
“He claims she will give him inside information, but I have my doubts.”
“Really?”
T gestured to the table between them. “You have your crystal, sir, but I see things differently. I’ve been to her store. I’ve been close to Jeremiah’s pet. I know many things that give credence to my suspicions.”
Another grin split his face as he admired his student—a student with the potential to be a master. “And the thing that stands out, that makes you so certain?”
T’s answering smile was shark-like. “Because I saw her there last night. With Daniel.”
His eyes flickered to the crystal, and he drew in another mouthful of sweet smoke. “What else did you see, T?” he asked quietly.
“In short? Them. We know, through your research, that optimal pairs exist. They are one of your couples. If you’re patient, sir, your power will grow exponentially.”
A dark chuckle emerged at T’s words. “Indeed.” Waving a hand at the crystal, they watched as the ball became cloudy, pictures forming in the mist. The orb depicted a flame-haired woman rising over the vampire, same as Myrick had seen in the crystal before. He looked up at T.
“Very well. Teach Jeremiah, but do not kill him. And allow him to keep Ophelia in his pocket for now.” He gestured a white gloved hand at the crystal. “And Daniel’s source? What of him?”
T frowned. “Whoever he is, he’s covering his tracks well, but I’ll find him.” T’s lips parted in a confident snarl. “I always get my prey.”
Ten o’clock rolled around before Ophelia was ready. She wasn’t prepared to sit next to Daniel in the cramped cabin of her truck for two hours to investigate their lead in Shreveport. They both understood that time was of the essence, or Ophelia would have suggested they wait for the following night—when she might have been able to borrow Carissa’s SUV, so that Daniel could ride in the very back…as far away from her as possible. She sighed under her breath as she watched him slide a large knife into the side of his boot.
“You don’t think we’re really going to need that, do you?”
Daniel looked up at her as he adjusted his jeans to hide the weapon. “I hope not, but we can’t be too careful.”
Either way, by ten-fifteen she found herself a passenger in the front seat of her own vehicle, as prepared as she could possibly be. Ophelia crossed her ankles and leaned her seat back. Daniel was a creature of the night, but as a human, Ophelia needed sleep. She slid a glance in his direction, but he was solely intent on the road—not much of a threat to her, and if she was honest, he probably wasn’t one at all, anyway. Still…a potential blood donor shouldn’t lower their guard just because the vampire was sexy. She sighed, and surreptitiously twisted her fingers in her lap, causing the digits to emit a faint blue glow. The light pulsed and wove a web of protection around her body, in case her driver became hungry. Then she closed her eyes and let the sway of the truck lull her to sleep.
Ophelia was jarred awake sometime later as the truck came to a stop. She sat forward and looked around.
"The Barnwell Garden and Arts Center? What are we doing here?” she asked.
Daniel opened his door before responding. He jumped out, his large boots barely making a sound as he hit the ground. Ducking his head back inside, he raised an eyebrow. "Ever since they closed it down, Barnwell has made the perfect place for the Vampire Council to host uninterrupted midnight meetings."
Ophelia opened her door as well and hopped out, her boots crunching loudly on the gravel. She nodded in his direction as he smirked. She ignored him. "I can see how that would work. All right, let's get this show on the road."
Daniel walked around the front of the truck and came to a halt in front of her. "Look, I know things got off on the wrong foot between us, but I don't want your animosity surrounding everything we do. I know a large part of this is you thinking I'm some sort of blood-sucking demon, but I'm not."
He was uncomfortably close to the truth, although that certainly wasn’t all of it—and she had no intention of divulging the rest. If he knew how she really felt…well, it didn’t bear thinking about. Her façade was all she had, so she wrapped it around herself like a shield.
Ophelia held up her hand. "Stop right there. Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying.” She crossed her arms for emphasis. "Daniel, whether I believe you or not is irrelevant, just like your attempt to convince me. What we really need right now, is for you to be silent and drop the subject so we can figure out what to do while we’re here."
In a show of good faith, and with the hope of keeping him quiet—and maybe just because she wanted to touch him—Ophelia grabbed Daniel's hand. She pulled him around the outside of the Barnwell Center. Shreveport’s downtown section of the Red River splashed as it hit the embankment behind the large main building. Between the water and the sounds of traffic on Clyde Fant Parkway, hearing anything suspicious would be difficult, but they were going to try. At least they had her magick on their side. She slid her eyes in the direction of her companion. And she had a powerful vampire in her pocket, for better or worse.
Daniel watched the sorceress as she let go of his hand to press her face to the glass of the building. Maybe she didn't trust him, and maybe they wouldn't find what they were looking for, but at least he had one hell of a view while they waited. And wouldn’t she be surprised if she knew what I really thought of her? She was stunning inside and out, intelligent, and everything he could ever want in a modern woman.
In three hundred years, he’d never come close to falling in love again, but being in Ophelia’s presence was enough to make him believe that was about to change, no matter how unwise loving her might be.
Daniel shook his head, and focused on the woman before him. He admired the way loose strands of Ophelia’s long, red hair fluttered in the light breeze, and he was struck again by the nagging feeling that she was hiding something. That even with his inside man, he didn’t know everything. He also couldn’t help but wonder what other dreams she may have spied in his mind. The wrong ones could be a big part of why she didn’t trust him. He was going to have to do something to ch
ange that. Even if he didn’t know how.
From what Ophelia had said the night they met in person, she was privy to more than just the dream of his awakening. That meant she might also be aware of her strong resemblance to his Jaqueline. That would explain a small part of why she refused to give him a chance. Reincarnation was enough to make anyone think twice and reconsider if their feelings were their own, or merely a reflection of the life they used to lead. Not that he knew how she felt, but that was neither here nor there. He knew how he felt, and it had nothing to do with his wife.
Lost in his thoughts, Daniel was unaware that Ophelia turned around. She placed her hands on her hips, her foot tapping impatiently on the dew-covered ground as she hissed, “Are you going to keep staring at me, or are we going to try and eavesdrop on the evil vampires hiding in the building?”
Daniel shook himself, focusing his attention on the present task. He stepped up beside her, peeking through the glass, himself. There were three hooded figures, their heads bent close together, seemingly deep in conversation on the other side of a vast room filled with dead or dying plants and flowers.
He reached up to scratch his neck as Ophelia moved closer to the window beside him. “I’m a vampire, not a sorcerer,” he said tersely. “Don’t you have some kind of magick that will allow us to hear what they’re saying?”
Her smile mischievous, she replied, “I thought you’d never ask.” She stepped back and to the side, out of view from the window. “You might want to move somewhere you can’t be seen, and you’ll want to stay silent. I’ve never attempted something like this, before, so even though it’ll hold, they’ll probably be able to hear us, too.” She shrugged. “Or not. I honestly don’t know.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow, but he nodded and slunk to the other side of the window, pressing himself into the shadows. Ophelia waved her hands in front of her body in a complicated pattern of loops and lines. A faint green light emanated from her fingertips. Then, before he could blink, the light shot out, straight through the window, where it faded into nothing as it hit the glass, and they could suddenly hear whispering.
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