Edge of Humanity (Only Human Book 5)

by Candace Blevins

  I pulled my gloves out of a pocket, turned them back on, and slid my hands into them. “I know the rhythm of it now. I had to find it before — now I know the right tempo, or vibration, or whatever, and I should just be able to breathe to it and find it again. Theoretically.”

  I texted Lauren on our way to dinner, to ask if she could walk Smokey after her final class of the day. The dorm rules allowed dogs as visitors, and she texted me back that she’d get him and take him with her, and I could retrieve him later. She had our room key, so it wasn’t a problem.

  Dark comes early in January, and Valerie was waiting by our SUV when we finished eating.

  “I assume the Amakhosi will offer tribute for my entertainment, while in residence within my territory?”

  Kendra was supposed to have sent someone with Nathan, but now wasn’t the time to ask him about it.

  Nathan gave Valerie a languid onceover, face to feet and back up. “Tribute has been paid to Marco, as it’s his territory. Are you trying to double-dip, Val?”

  “Marco granted permission; I can offer help. I have boots on the ground. He does not.”

  “You’re saying…” He looked to me, and back to Valerie. “It almost sounds like you believe the vampires under you are yours, and not Marco’s.”

  She lifted a brow, examined a scarlet red fingernail, and looked back to Nathan. She was dressed in a one-piece pantsuit the same shade of red as her nails today, and it showed beyond a shadow of a doubt she had curves in all the right places.

  “If you have specific help to offer,” Nathan told her, “you’ll let me know. Otherwise, I’ll continue to go through Marco for assistance.”

  “I know the Realtor who handled the transaction.”

  Nathan didn’t look impressed. “I have a copy of the contract already. I need details on the family trust, and the Realtor won’t have those.”

  She turned, took two steps, and disappeared into the shadows.

  “What the fuck?” I asked.

  “She does that,” said Kells. “And she’s a spiteful, malicious bitch.” She looked at Nathan. “I beg of you, Your Majesty. Please don’t send any of us to her unless you have reason to punish us. You know we’ll do whatever you ask, but she’s…” A shudder, and she wrapped her arms around herself before remembering her place and standing tall again, with strength.

  “You’ve been sent to her before?” I asked.

  Kells looked to Nathan, and he told me, “It doesn’t concern you, Kirsten.”

  “Yeah, it does. If Kells is in a position to be sent to people like Valerie, she needs help.” And I wasn’t likely to send whoever Kendra had supplied, either.

  Nathan sighed and told Kells, “You have permission to fully answer her.”

  “A close friend was sent to her as part of a larger negotiation. I know about the bloodsucking bitch’s proclivities. I have not been sent to her.”

  “Negotiation?”

  “We needed something; Valerie demanded payment. My friend had recently been in trouble, so he was sent. He deserved to be punished, but no one deserves…” She bowed to Nathan. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. He deserved whatever our Pride Leader felt he deserved.”

  “No apology needed. I gave you full permission to answer her question, and I put no stipulations upon your response. Kirsten wouldn’t accept anything less than the complete truth. She doesn’t fully understand our ways, but she’s learning.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to say I was learning they were animals and I wanted no part of their ways, but I’d had to make some tough decisions, and I understood the Pride Leader may have had his hand forced. I couldn’t judge if I didn’t know the whole story.

  “Nathan’s right. I don’t understand your ways. Thank you for your honesty.” I looked at Nathan. “How the hell does Valerie know which house we’re looking into?”

  “I worked through a secure connection, but I’m guessing you looked it up on an unencrypted one?”

  “She’s monitoring my cellphone traffic?”

  “I would, in her shoes.”

  My heart sank. “Fuck. I’m sorry. Basic OPSEC, and I fucked it up. I knew better.” I’d been on a phone no one was aware of so long, I’d forgotten what it means to be using one my enemy knows the number to.

  “You’ve been away. I know Aaron got you recertified for weapons and a few other things, but we need to brush up on everything.” He shrugged. “Not the end of the world. She played some of her hand by letting us know she’s monitoring your phone.”

  “I’ll do better. I just need to get back into the right mindset.”

  “I know you will.” He looked to Kells. “Kane will escort you home in your car, to be sure Valerie doesn’t cause problems. I assume Presley can take care of your protection from there?”

  “Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  “Not a problem.” He looked at Kane. “Get an Uber to drive you back to campus. Text me on the app, and I’ll let you know where you’re needed.”

  23

  Lauren’s young lioness roommate was named Lara, which rhymes with Sarah. I’d liked her from the beginning, and she and Lauren appeared to have enough in common I hoped they’d grow close.

  However, when I walked in with Nathan, I felt so sorry for the poor girl. She’d never met her King in person before, and she was around other humans and couldn’t address him properly. At a loss for how to act, she stood and stared, unable to speak.

  I tried to break the ice without alerting the human roommates of a problem.

  “Lara, this is my friend, Nathan. He kind of sees Lauren as one of his, so he flew up to see how she’s settling in.”

  Their common room is for four people — with two quite large double bedrooms and a bathroom connected. However, there were seven people in the room. Including the damned grizzly bear, who looked startled when he realized he had his arm around a human he’d just learned is protected by the Amakhosi. Or, perhaps he didn’t know who Nathan was, but felt his power? I wasn’t sure.

  The bear looked around the room, taking in the humans, and said, “Lauren, Lara, and all of Lauren’s people, let’s take this to my room.”

  Turns out, the bear had a single room off his common room, and it was sizeable. The second the door closed, Lara dropped to her knees and took the same pose Kells had earlier, complete with her forehead on the floor.

  “Rise, Lara.”

  She did, and Nathan pulled her into his arms. “How is your mother?”

  “She’s well, Your Majesty.”

  “I was sorry to hear about your brother.”

  Did Nathan personally know every adult lion in the country? I had the idea he visited the Prides on some sort of schedule, but I’d assumed he would only speak with the leadership.

  “Liam is missed,” Lara told him. “Thank you for taking steps to protect Luke.”

  While he held Lara, he looked over her head to the grizzly. “Wyatt, I assume. It’s nice to meet you.” He looked at me and back to the bear. “Kirsten’s mother tells me I can’t destroy someone just because they put their hands on her daughter. I should warn you, her mother’s temper goes with the red hair. If you hurt Lauren, you should be more afraid of Kirsten than me. I’d at least kill you quickly.”

  I punched him in the arm and then shook my hand because hitting him hurt me a helluva lot more than it hurt him.

  “Dammit, Nathan. You can’t just say stuff like that.” I looked at Wyatt. “You’re both figuring out how to be grown-ups. Lauren’s pretty good at defending herself, too. I’m here if she needs me, but I trust her judgement and her skills.” I glared at Nathan and looked back to Wyatt. “Ignore His Majesty. He’s a territorial cat.”

  Wyatt grinned and looked affectionately at Lauren. “You told me your mom was cool. Sorry I didn’t believe you.”

  I lifted a brow and he shrugged. “You just seemed so intense.”

  “I need to be sure she’s safe, is all.” I leaned my back against the wall, propped one foot o
n it at knee level, and crossed my arms. I’ve seen Nathan, Aaron, Gavin, and others take this pose when talking about strategy to a group of people, and I liked the general body language. “I’ve made an enemy of a high-level Celrau. There’s reason to believe he’s sent people to scout the possibility of taking Lauren while she’s away from me. As ya’ll are probably aware, Celrau do their own dirty work at night, but frequently hire or blackmail shifters to conduct daytime missions. I’m here to find the Celrau and whoever is working for them, and kill them. Cora’s my best friend and she came to help. Nathan flew up to be of assistance. Should we need more skilled fighters, they can be here in a matter of hours.”

  “I don’t trust Valerie,” said Lara.

  “Neither do I. We have to play the politics, but I have reason to believe her boss doesn’t trust her either.”

  “What do I call you, Sir?” Wyatt asked Nathan.

  “Nathan is fine right now. Should you find yourself with me when the vampires or other supernaturals are around, err on the side of caution and stick to formal protocol. If it isn’t needed, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you. I’ve never fought Celrau, nor been trained to do so. I’ve been trained to fight Strigorii, but I’ve never had to use my training. If there’s something you can teach me, I’d appreciate it. I’d like to help keep Lauren safe.”

  Nathan looked at me. “He grew up in Canada, in the sticks. No reason anyone might think he’d come in contact with Celrau.” He looked back to Wyatt. “Same basic skillset. Lara and Lauren have the right kind of wooden stake. I’ll get you one. If you have time this weekend, I’ll take you somewhere so we can spar and you can practice.”

  Nathan had made the stakes to look like those huge pencils you see in gift shops sometimes, so they wouldn’t look so odd in the girls’ backpacks or purses.

  “I’d appreciate that, Sir.”

  Nathan’s hair was still wild after his change, and it moved with his head when he nodded. “I’ll check out Lauren’s classes to see if there are other shifters.” He looked at Lauren. “Some may be working against us. You’ll probably be able to tell when you touch them, but don’t engage any of them into this. I will.”

  She nodded, but said, “I hate this.”

  “I’m sorry,” I told her, my heart breaking. “I want you to have a normal college experience. We’re working to make that happen.”

  “I know, Mom. I’m sorry I complained.”

  I stepped away from the wall, pulled her into my arms, and held her. She held me back.

  “No apologies,” I told her. “It’s a pain in the ass and I’m pissed they have the balls to pull you into this. I’ll fix it.”

  “What does the school know?” asked Wyatt.

  “They know her mother works for a major security company as a therapist,” Nathan answered, “and our enemies have tried to take her a few times in order to find out our secrets. Her daughter is at risk as a result, and they’re onboard with Drake Security acting on her behalf. We aren’t their main security firm, but they’ve worked with us in the past and are doing so now.”

  24

  Patrol was miserable that night. I’d so far survived the frigid temps with the help of technology and lots of layers, but the temperature dipped below zero around midnight and I had to admit defeat.

  Nathan sent me to a room on a different floor of our hotel, and they opened it to let me in before I could knock.

  I nodded to Panda, Mac, and Ranger, but focused on the multiple monitors set up around the television. Most showed a different view of the house with the portal, while a few displayed spreadsheets and research. Ranger wore a headset with a mike and headphones, and I wondered who he was in contact with.

  “How did ya’ll get video surveillance of the house set up so quickly?”

  “Trade secrets,” said Panda.

  I shook my head, took my overcoat off, and sat on the sofa with my gloves still on — I needed the heat. “Have we learned anything new?”

  Panda didn’t look away from the monitors to say, “The scout who placed the cameras confirmed smelling Celrau and hyenas.”

  I met Ranger’s gaze. “Game plan?”

  “We’re working on several options.”

  I rolled my eyes at Ranger and looked to Mac, who said, “Panda’s watching the monitors, I’m analyzing data, Ranger’s acting as the control room and maneuvering the people in the field. Personally, I’m all for storming the castle and not taking any prisoners, but it’s Nathan’s call. I’m coming up with various alternatives and making sure we have the manpower, supplies, and weaponry for all possible scenarios.”

  “My daughter’s safety. My call.” That meant storming the castle and interrogating prisoners until we knew everything.

  “You know that isn’t entirely true,” said Ranger.

  “Yeah, but ya’ll know it’s more true than Nathan will ever admit.” As long as I didn’t completely go off the rails. I blew out a breath. “Did ya’ll ride up with Nathan? Kendra was supposed to send someone.”

  “She did. The human is with the local Pride, so Valerie won’t pick up on his presence unless we decide to use him.”

  “Unless I decide to use him, and after talking to Kells, I don’t see that happening.”

  Ranger stepped into another room, still wearing the headset. I assumed he didn’t want me to hear whatever orders he was giving.

  A huge tablet was on the coffee table, blueprints clearly showing. I motioned to it and told Mac “I assume those are for the house? Show me what you have, please.”

  We’d been going through data and images for perhaps twenty minutes — and I’d taken the gloves and a few layers off — when Panda said, “Activity.”

  We were a week past the new moon, so there was a little moonlight, but not enough for any kind of detail. Each camera had a regular lens and a night vision one, and split screens let us see both.

  I counted seven figures returning, still hours before dawn. I couldn’t tell if Aquila was one of them.

  “Vin’s on his way.” Ranger stepped into the room and met my gaze. “We’ve been told to keep him away from you. I asked him to stop and pick up food on his way in, so I’d be sure Mac has time to get you back to your room before he gets here.”

  Vin had been hired because he could get Drake Security into a part of the world they weren’t well established. What in the fuck was he doing here? The guy was seriously unstable, but Aaron and Nathan were fine hiring him for whatever they specifically needed from him, despite the man’s tenuous grasp on his mental stability.

  “I didn’t think you were using him domestically.”

  “We needed a specific skillset.”

  Asking questions about his skillset would just waste time. “Is he staying?”

  “You’ll need to ask Nathan.” Ranger looked both stubborn and apologetic. He was sorry he couldn’t tell me, but I wouldn’t get it out of him.

  I shook my head. “You’re wearing the headset. You’re control right now.” I motioned towards Mac. “He’s drawing up strategy. Don’t tell me ya’ll don’t know.”

  Ranger gave a small shake of his head. “I’m not aware of plans to send him back, but that doesn’t mean he’s staying.”

  “Like pulling damned teeth.” I stood and collected the layers of clothing I’d shed. “I can get myself up a few flights of steps and to the room. I don’t need an escort.”

  “Not an option,” said Mac. He picked up the tablet and retrieved a power cable. “I’ll walk up with you and stay until someone else arrives.”

  Arguing was pointless, so I asked, “Does this mean Jonathan has Bethany all to himself?”

  “Unless Aaron comes up to help, in which case Jonathan will be at Aaron’s house.”

  “Well then, we should try to handle this without needing his help.”

  Thankfully, the next day made it into the teens — though I never thought I’d be thankful for the warmth of seventeen damned degrees. The temps were dropping ag
ain by the time the sun set, but I’d deal with the cold.

  We arrived in the neighborhood a few hours before sunset. Marco had suggested the neighbors all around had somewhere else to be for the next couple of days, so we didn’t have to worry about humans in the crossfire. The people who lived behind the house had a fabulous she-shed at the back of their property, and I was in it with Cora and Ranger.

  Ranger had ingested a few drops of my blood and opened up a telepathic conduit between us. He said he can’t usually do it with humans, but thought it worth a try since I’m used to communicating this way with others. It’d worked, and I would need to think about possible ramifications later, but I needed to focus on the mission so it would have to wait. I trusted Ranger, but accomplishing tasks other humans can’t do makes me nervous.

  At any rate, the three of us were speaking telepathically, and we had earbuds so we could hear Mac, currently operating as control.

  A scout had walked the interior of the house and given Mac the complete layout of where the Celrau were bedded down. When I asked how someone just walked through without being seen to scout the place, Ranger didn’t answer, but I had the distinct impression we had someone who could shift into a small mammal. Could rats be shifters? My entire body shuddered at the thought. Ick.

  The scout said Aquila wasn’t with them, but that didn’t matter — these vampires needed to die a spectacularly painful death so others would be afraid to come after Lauren. Kendra had given me a make-your-point-with-torture tutorial over a secure connection before the sun rose above the horizon that morning. I was more than ready to get started.

  The game plan was to kill the hyenas and wrap the vampires in silver chain. Most should still be dead to the world. Marco would arrive after sunset and would help us decide which Celrau to kill and which to let live — one to keep alive so he could tell everyone of the horrifying ways his associates were tortured before being given a true death. A middle-level guy, unimportant in the grand scheme, but with enough clout the other Celrau would listen and believe.