by Tigris Eden
Chapter 4
Dietrich was seriously getting tired of playing two sides of the same damn coin. He hadn’t been home ten minutes, when his other cell starting going off.
Always answering to someone.
“This is Dietrich.”
“Desk Commander wants a word with you. We’ve just come into some new information.”
Fuck. This was the part he hated. The Desk Commander never wanted to meet in person. He always wanted D to invade some human’s body so that he could be controlled. The Agency had contacted him more than a hundred and fifty years ago. He’d been separated from his sister when a plantation owner in South Carolina had bought her. That had been the first and only time he’d met with the Agency face to face. After that, it was by messenger only, then telegram, telephone, and now, joy of all joy, a fucking cell phone. They were a society of humans who swore they didn’t interfere in the affair of immortals, but they made it their damn duty to bag and tag as many of them as they could. It was what they deemed their “catch and release program.” Only, half of the ones they caught were never truly released. He knew that one firsthand. But this new Desk Commander refused to talk over the phone and requested that Dietrich walk in another human’s body—namely the idiot on the other end of the line—so that he could pass on information.
“All right.”
Dietrich let his mind go. The person on the other end of the line was a direct link. He only needed to hear a person’s voice and his energy could travel its wavelengths. When he opened his eyes, he was in a white room with a two-way mirror. He was strapped into a chair. The body he’d walked into was weak and barely able to hold its head up. As it was, the lights hurt the body’s sensitive eyes.
“Phineas Finnagan is an Elemental Demon,” a voice boomed through the speaker system.
No shit.
Phineas wasn’t his responsibility. Reporting on the Unit and all they were doing was his only task. The body he currently occupied was barely able to speak. Whereas, when the phone call had been made, the speaker had sounded fine. What the hell had they done to him?
“Make a lasting impression on him. We need information.”
That was something he wasn’t going to do. He growled, letting the asshole on the other side of the mirror know he was not going to cooperate.
“Do it, and you’re one step closer to Yewa.”
Motherfucking bastards!
Slave.
The word whispered inside Dietrich’s mind.
The Agency was his current slaver, and his talents were theirs to do with as they pleased.
They owned him.
Kept him from moving forward in his life. He didn’t even know if Yewa was alive. He could say no and deal with the consequences, become a statistic… But what if he was wrong? What if Yewa was still alive and in the hands of the Agency? He’d be leaving her to go this life alone. She’s already alone.
Dietrich knew Xee wondered why he was such an ass and never showed the tiniest bit of emotion.
Memories threatened to flood his brain. The little power he had left, kept the nightmares at bay. When he did sleep, it was hit or miss. Sometimes he dreamt of home. Other times he dreamt of the three-month voyage and all the horrors that followed during and after they’d landed in Virginia.
Dietrich and his two sisters had been sold into slavery. That was more than three hundred years ago. Draven would tell him times had changed. But they both knew that wasn’t true. Hundreds of years from now, the game and its players would still be the same. The oppressors and the oppressed.
“Nod your head, Omari, if you agree.”
He was going to find the motherfucker that had his sister and fuck their world up. She was the only person who knew his given name, and if the punk ass talking was using it, that could only mean one thing. Someone had gotten her to tell them his real name. He’d chosen Dietrich as a way of maintaining his independence. He’d been punished. The slave owner’s son who’d beat him had grown tired, and had another slave pick up where he’d left off. Dietrich still had the scars on his back—a constant reminder of what it meant to rebel against a society of people who saw themselves as superior beings. If they only knew what he’d come to learn, they would have thought better of touching him in the first place.
Chapter 5
“Do you think the twins will agree?” Jorunn questioned her father. He was sitting in his chair, looking past her shoulder, deep in thought. Before speaking, he let out a big sigh.
“Jorunn, love, I wish I could tell you the outlook is positive, but I can’t. All I can do is hope for the best. But, rest assured, I always have a contingency. I never rely on one source to get the job done.”
“I understand.”
Really, she didn’t. Had the twins understood there was a chance her life could be saved? It wasn’t like she had thousands of options to choose from. Jo only had this one life. She wasn’t truly immortal, just long-lived. She could become sick just like a human could. There were subtle—and not so subtle—differences in her physical and genetic makeup. Her eyes were the most noticeable. She constantly wore her contacts so she didn’t upset anyone. The only time she was able to be herself was at BARE or in the privacy of her own home. In those two places, no one cared or commented on her eyes. There were a few times someone would stare, but mainly because they were curious, not because they were concerned for their safety. After a few drinks or alcohol-infused VAB, they all wanted to know where she got her contacts. If only that were the case.
“Why don’t you go to work? Khalid has some things he wants you to take a look at.” Phineas stood from behind his desk and approached. “I promise to never give up, if you do the same.” His words were whispered against her forehead. He was a loving father, and the only man besides Khalid and Beats that she truly trusted.
She nodded as her arms circled his waist and she leaned in for a hug.
“When I found you and Khalid, I knew you two were mine. I swore then I’d protect you in all things.”
Her chest ached at his words.
“I may not say this enough, child, but know that I love you. You and your brothers gave me a reason to fight for not only those who have a voice, but for those that don’t.” Her father kissed the top of her head before whispering in her ear. “Equality for all.”
“Equality for all,” she repeated.
Phineas released her, and Jo went to her room to dress for the day. Her apartment was right above her shop, which was next door to the club. Khalid lived in an apartment in the Galleria area, and her father’s apartments were next door to hers.
Tapestries, spun by the Moirai, depicted memories of Phineas in earlier times and were hung on the wall. As an Elemental Demon, he was favored by the three sisters. They saw all, knew all, and wove all. They just didn’t know what she was. Her father had spoken with all three sisters. Clotho, who spun the thread and searched an infinite amount of lines trying to find Jo’s origins, found nothing. Phineas had even consulted his sire, beseeching him to ask Lilith for access to her birth records. That too had been a dead end. Her father had read every scroll, wall, and skin; hoping to uncover her parentage, but had no luck.
It wasn’t until he began researching Ferals, who were distant cousins to Demons, that he ran across a possible cure. His contacts had pointed him in the direction of Amrita, Lilith’s half-sister. She’d had eyes similar to Jorunn’s. It was believed that the Goddess’s father had come from the sea.
The hall smelled like fresh flowers and clean rain. It was one of the many things she loved about her oddity. Jorunn had an amazing talent to make things bloom. Her room was a testament to that. Her door was already open, and several butterflies made it their mission to greet her. She would have named them, but somehow knew that different ones visited her on any given day. Today, three black swallowtails floated lazily around her as she made her way into the room. This trio was the same three that had been visiting her for the past week. They were in love with the basking stones that she�
�d set up in the corner of one of her flowerbeds on the roof. It was as if they greeted her daily to thank her for providing them with a place to perch.
Her room looked like a long-forgotten rainforest. Everything, from the walls to the floor was covered with greenery and blooms. Flowers grew vibrant and lush. Even her bed was covered in foliage. Jo made her way to her closet, selecting a long skirt and a Portofino blouse. She had no plans for going out today, so the sun wouldn’t touch her skin. She made sure to pull her hair back into a tight French braid and put on her brown colored contacts. The color was dark enough to make her eyes look hazel instead of the normal kaleidoscope of hues. Xee once told her, all she saw was the green and grey, Khalid saw purple and red, and her father, well, he’d never confirmed what he saw, only that her eyes were a beautiful mutation.
What she saw when she looked in the mirror was not one color, but many. Some she couldn’t even name. They constantly changed from green, purple, hazel, and then brown. Sometimes they would turn gold or blue, too; the colors vivid and alive as they swirled in and out of focus. Beautiful mutation my ass. She wanted to fit in, needed to. At least if she looked normal, she’d feel normal. You’re everything but normal, Jo.
~ ~ ~
Dietrich made his way into the Unit’s building. Draven had called a meeting to discuss last night’s meet and greet.
“Dietrich. It’s good to see you.”
“Ellie.”
Her damn voice was a complete deal breaker. That, and she worked with him. Ellie was a Siren. A water serpent with a voice that was meant to lure not slay. But because she chose to spend her time on land, her voice did the exact opposite. It repelled on a level that bordered on insanity. He was sure that all that hotness was meant to trap, but was convinced that once she’d done that, she could talk a man to death with that damn voice.
“You’re usually late to meetings,” Elle tossed out, biting the tip of her pen. She was going for sexy, and he had to admit, she was definitely hot once you got past the voice—and the sharp teeth. Oh, and the hideous tail. He smiled to himself. Her human side was hands down beautiful, though. Ellie looked like a sexy pinup. A voluptuous tease, created to lure and destroy any male that attempted to go rounds with her.
“Later, Ellie.”
“Later, sexy,” she purred.
There were so many reasons why he should have stayed in bed. He had too much shit to sort out. But this meeting was his only way to get inside with Phineas. Dietrich made his way into the war room. Ellie was right, he was early. Gabe and Xee were at the far end of the conference room, talking. Xee looked up first, a smile on her face. She gifted him with a wink before rising and coming over to give him a hug. She was the only person, besides Faith, he allowed to show him any type of affection. Before them, it had been Andina and Yewa. His sisters. He’d lost one at sea, the other was being held in an unknown location by his current handlers.
He’d traded one hell for another. Only this time, he was given a small taste of freedom. Every time the fantasy of what he thought was his reality seemed close and within his reach, he was reminded of the chains that tethered him to his owners. He’d broken chain after chain, until he couldn’t break any more.
“Blossom, you always have to run up on Dietrich like you miss him more than me.” The Angel was always giving Xee a hard time about their friendship. Not because Gabe was jealous, but because he wanted her to nurture their friendship. Gabe thought it would make Dietrich nice, and more accommodating.
Yeah, the fuck right. He didn’t do warm and fuzzy. This wasn’t a hold hands and sing songs kind of group. Each of them were stone cold killers, and whether they felt their reasons were valid was a moot point. At the end of the day, they were just like everyone else. They wanted what they wanted because they felt it was right and just. They didn’t give a fuck what others thought. People had to choose sides every day. D figured he’d chosen the lesser of two evils, siding with the Unit.
He wasn’t anybody’s fool. He let Xee hug him, and occasionally hung out with Faith and read to her. That didn’t mean shit. It didn’t make him a softie either.
“Hush up, Angel boy.” Xee tossed an air kiss over to her man before turning back to Dietrich. “Sorry you didn’t get any ass last night.”
He grinned.
Because, yeah, it was all kinds of fucked up. After dropping Teresa off with her grandfather and trying to explain to Dagas that it wasn’t the Unit’s job to babysit his wayward grandchild, and after his meeting with the Agency, Dietrich had tried sleeping, but was bombarded instead with images of Jorunn and her peach and sugar scent. The images along made sleep anything but possible. Her image had clouded his head and engorged his cock. Just thinking about last night was giving him a half chub. Damn, her shit was potent. He needed to stay as far away from her as possible. Strictly business, nothing more.
“Don’t we have a meeting or some shit?”
Xee hit him in the arm before returning to Gabe, who opened his arms as she eagerly embraced him. Too much hugging and kissing going on in this bitch. He missed the days when it was just the team, minus their mates. Shit got done then. Now, the guys were all pansy asses. They still fought like men, but right now, they were all acting like a batch of bitches. The Unit was turning into a fucking community of immortals. They had other workers in the building that worked on various things for the immortal community, but now they were housing them, as well. Welcome to the Immortals of Harris County. Fuck a duck, now he was equating his life to one of those cheesy ass reality shows.
Dietrich took his normal spot at the table, making sure to kick his feet up. He was going for casual, even though he was seething on the inside. Fucking politics. Someone always wanted something that was ultimately a deal breaker for others. He’d been spying for the Agency. Hand-feeding them information while gathering intel for the Unit. It was something only Dravaggio knew about, and now he was gone. The damn Voice Incubus hadn’t shown up since the incident in Asa. Everyone knew he needed time, but shit was about to get real, and it would be useful to have at least one person on his side when it hit the fan. The fucker had up and went ghost on their asses. He could be anywhere. Or he could be dead.
Dietrich was a double agent and unwillingly participated in both factions’ games. However, he couldn’t care less about humans and even less about immortals. Both species had done him an injustice in one way or another. He’d been used and abused one time too many. All for the love of his last remaining relative.
Yewa.
His sister was the youngest and the shyest of his siblings. If Andina were still alive, she would have raised their little sister to be brave and strong. The three of them were a team. Andina could see glimpses of the future, he was the Walker, and Yewa was the healer. Although he had the ability to ease pain and heal a little, he wasn’t as strong as his little sister had been. There had been a time when their people celebrated the three of them. Now, they were ghostly memories only to be whispered about, even though Dietrich had found more Walkers like him. The siblings had never truly fit in. He was the Primori Walker, and as long as he was still living, there wouldn’t be another one, unless born from his seed. Yeah, like that will ever happen. The Primori was the leader of his tribe, and the most powerful of all Walkers, not only could he invade other’s bodies and minds, he could ease their pain and walk beside them in their dream state. He could also influence them to do his bidding with a single whisper, or incite their worst fear, if he so desired.
It wasn’t something he particularly cared for, but at times, it came in handy. Not even the community of Walkers, who protected House Ignis, understood how powerful he was. He could command them all with a single thought if he wanted to. He didn’t want that responsibility, nor did he have his sights set on ruling a race. He wanted to live free.
The others in the group finally started filing in. Hawke took the seat across from him. As per his normal behavior, the dude had a piece of gum in his mouth and his black eyes took in
everyone and everything. He barely uttered a word. Adam was next, he took the chair at the opposite end of the table. He looked tired, and Dietrich could tell his skin was cold to the touch. The guy hadn’t been drinking his blood regularly. The twins filed in, minus Belinda. Her father, Harper, who knew more about Belinda’s condition, would be by later in the day to check on the babies. Draven walked in holding Jesminda’s hand, followed by Sam.
“Last time I checked, this room was meant for Unit business. Who let the dog out?”
Sam cut his steely gaze in D’s direction, sneering.
“Everyone calm down. We need to be civil. And Dietrich, Sam’s here because I’m down a man.” Draven offered.
“Blame the Angel, he sliced and diced Dravaggio’s old man.”
Gabriel stood to his full height, letting his wings materialize to slash the wall behind Dietrich’s head, reminding him how sharp the damn things were. Not that he cared. He was, after all, telling the truth. Shit happens. The truth didn’t always feel good. Otherwise, people would say what they really wanted to say all the damn time.
“Gabe, he’s just trying to push your buttons, baby. Ignore the jerk,” Xee hissed the last word in D’s direction.
Dietrich didn’t remove his shades, but he did look in her direction. A warning. She knew everyone was feeling the weight of Dravaggio’s disappearance; everyone was dealing with Gabriel’s betrayal. He may have been punished, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was completely forgiven. Fuck it. Whatever, it wasn’t like the Angel had done anything to him. He’d screwed up Draven’s life and Dravaggio’s; the Angel had done nothing to him personally.
“Xee and Gabe reported the terms Phineas has requested. We need to come to some sort of arrangement.”
Everyone in the room looked to Xee to explain, a courtesy that was normally extended to her mate. It wasn’t because no one trusted the Angel anymore. It was because Xee was now their resident librarian. All things immortal were funneled through her. She was a fountain of information.