by Tigris Eden
“Draven, Mas–,” she cleared her throat, “I mean, Phineas is here with someone to see you… Of course, I’ll send them right in.”
Ellie placed the phone back on the receiver before standing.
“Draven and the others will meet you in the war room. If you’ll follow me.”
They followed her down a hall that was painted a warm red. There were no pictures, just overhead lights that hung low. They passed a bank of elevators and continued down the hall until they reached glass double doors. No one was there yet, but Ellie asked them to wait for the others to join them.
“Are you sure I am to go with them?” Jo asked.
“Yes, and there will be no more questions on the subject. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Head bowed because she knew he was irritated by her question, she stood next to her father, feeling completely out of place. Her palms began to sweat, and Phineas placed his warm hand at the base of her neck to calm her nerves. Why was she socially awkward? These were immortals. There was no reason to think they would scrutinize her or even be displeased. She’d done nothing wrong. Relax.
The hand at her neck squeezed softly, and slowly her tension eased. She had yet to meet Draven and his mate Jesminda. But she’d heard all about them. Draven was in charge of the Unit now that Stefan Dravaggio was nowhere to be found. Her father had made inquiries to where the Incubus could be, but so far, he’d had no luck.
The first to arrive was Dietrich. Gods, he was just…manly. He had to be at least six and a half feet, if not taller. Broad shoulders, hard chest that stood out without his shirt being overly tight. Baggy jeans that accented his gait as he moved with a swagger all his own. A strong jawline, seemingly cut from glass was covered in a tapered beard that he clearly kept manscaped. Full lips and a bald Caesar fade, complete with waves. Sexy, dangerous, and definitely controlled. He hid behind his shades, but she knew when he took them off, his eyes were a diluted white. Dead. She’d only seen his eyes once. He’d been in her coffee shop, and she’d been upstairs in her office overlooking the area. He’d lifted his head to look at the ceiling, and from the angle where she stood, she was able to see through the top of his shades. She’d caught a glimpse of his eyes, devoid of pupil. It had alarmed her at first because he really did seem soulless. But then, she saw the corners of his mouth tilt up in a slight grin. He went from scary to beautiful. She’d been a goner then and had watched him ever since. Jo looked down. In his hands were two vials. The twins’ blood.
“Didn’t realize she was yours,” he fired back to Phineas, ignoring her completely.
What in the world?
“She is mine, but not in the way you think, Walker. I raised her. She is my daughter.”
Dietrich’s face gave nothing away. He tossed the vials on the table and walked out. Her father picked them up and slid them into his pocket. Why did he leave? Probably because she hadn’t spoken to him. Or maybe he just didn’t like being around her. He had hooked up with Cassandra. Maybe he was going to reconnect with her. Lucky girl. Jo really needed to get over him. It wasn’t as if he’d ever notice her. Besides, he was scarier than he was approachable. He treated everyone callously. Even his bed partners. Why would he treat her any differently? He wouldn’t. So be happy he isn’t taking an interest.
Two men she hadn’t seen at the club came in, laughing. When they saw her and Phineas, they stopped and eyed them from head to toe.
“You the dude that wanted the twins’ blood?” This came from a Vampiri that was of Royal blood. He had brown hair with auburn highlights and whiskey-gold eyes. He looked like a model dressed in slate gray slacks and a black button up. She could smell his blood as it thrummed through his veins. She hadn’t had her fix for the day. Her body was slowly going into withdrawals.
“Yes, I’m Phineas. This is my daughter, Jorunn.”
“Adam. Next to me is Hawke, he doesn’t speak much.”
Hawke was in a hoodie and jeans. Black hair, black eyes, and he was chewing gum. She could see scales on his eyelids, iridescent in color. One minute the scales were there, and the next they were gone.
“Have a seat. Did you want anything to drink?” Adam asked.
Gods did she.
But it was his blood that she craved.
Jorunn swayed on her feet as she eyed the steady pulse at the Vampiri’s neck. Adam quickly came to her side to offer assistance. He didn’t need to, her father steadied her, and looked from Adam, back to her. There was something in his eyes that gave her pause. What was he thinking? Her father let Adam help her to sit before taking the chair next to her.
“The twins and Belinda can’t make it, but the others will be here soon,” Adam commented conversationally, placing his hands on the table next to hers.
Good.
She needed to get in, meet with their doctor, and get out so she could get her next injection of VAB.
Chapter 8
Draven passed Dietrich out in the hall as he made his way to the war room. Fuck, he knew he was supposed to be there listening to details of the mission. He’d been too pissed about seeing the Demon’s hand at the base of Jorunn’s neck. It was a possessive gesture. It spoke of ownership. He didn’t want to act as if it really mattered who held her steady, but when his mouth opened, the words had tumbled out. She was covered from the neck down in straight-up frumpy wear. Only her hair and face were free of covering. Shit, he had no clue what was underneath her clothing, but the fact she was all covered up was sexy. He didn’t know why that enticed him. But it did. Usually, it was less clothing that got him going. Made access much easier if you asked him. Conundrum. A walking, talking contradiction. That’s what she was. Her body expressed she was closeted and shy, but her eyes spoke of something else. She’d practically eye-fucked him from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, and his dumb ass had felt her stare as if it had physically touched him. She has you by the balls. Man the fuck up.
“You want to be a part of this mission, get your ass in the war room,” Gabe reiterated, interrupting his thoughts as he walked by. Xee was already ahead of them.
Fuck it.
He’d asked for this. He was going to listen to the details and play his role. Which one? There’s two. He had no loyalty to the team or the Agency. He was only true to himself, so that was a dumb question. Dietrich made his way into the room. Everyone that needed to be there was present. He didn’t look at Jorunn as he took a seat across from her. She twitched in her chair before sitting straight. D stretched out his long legs, making sure to alert her to his presence. She jerked when he touched her. He arched a brow, daring her to say something about his leg touching hers. When she didn’t, the corner of his mouth tilted slightly. The smell of peaches and warm sugar drifted across the table, making his jeans painfully uncomfortable. Dietrich inhaled before looking over to Draven.
“Phineas, thank you for coming. Did Dietrich give you the vials?”
Phineas nodded his head in Draven’s direction.
“We’ve agreed to your terms. Now where is the cup?” Draven asserted.
Dietrich watched as Phineas sat back in his chair. There was something more than just blood and escorting his daughter going on here. He’d specifically wanted this invitation to the Unit.
“Gentlemen, ladies. Thank you for agreeing to my terms. I have but two more requests.”
“Phineas, there is nothing more you can bargain with. We’ve held up our end of the deal. You need to honor your words and do the same,” Draven rumbled, the sound of his wolf very close to the surface. The male was getting agitated. His eyes flashed gold, then changed back to their green as he waited for the Demon’s response.
“You do realize the fate of the world depends on us. We need to find the Sahidic,” Jesminda interjected.
The Demon only nodded.
“You are an Elder Angel, are you not?” He asked Jesminda.
“Your point?”
“My point, my dear, is that you are Earthbound, you
r physical appearance remains the same. Even when you change, you will always appear human. There are those that have to hide their nature for fear of rejection or death. I simply want us all on the same playing field. Equality for all.”
Here this fool went again with his preaching. Well, he was ministering to the wrong fucking crowd if he thought for one moment the Unit was going to be sympathetic to his cause.
“All I ask is that my daughter be protected on this journey. I only intend to place her in the hands of capable people.” Phineas looked over at Adam. Adam? What could pretty boy do to protect the female?
Such a non-issue. The task was his.
“I’ll be responsible for her,” Dietrich heard himself say.
Phineas nodded his head, but not in agreement. It was more of a thoughtful nod.
“I wish for the one called Adam to accompany her. She will respond to him. Jo requires someone who will care for her in all things. To help her when she has a moment of unease.”
So what? The broad got nervous or something? Not a problem. As long as she didn’t want someone to treat her like a fucking baby, he was all right with that. They weren’t going to share feelings or become BFFs. If anything, he’d just fuck her into exhaustion, then she wouldn’t need to think, just sleep. Everyone was at ease when they slept. Problem solved.
“I’d be honored to escort your daughter,” pretty boy piped in.
Dietrich snapped his head in the direction of the Vampiri.
“I don’t think so. Gabe and Draven have already given me front on this. You have other shit to do. Like making sure our person of interest is watched over.”
Adam looked to Draven, who looked to Dietrich and winced.
“Actually, having Adam go instead of you might not be such a bad idea, D. You usually only do transpo. Why the sudden interest in being on the ground?”
Was this motherfucker actually trying to put him on the spot? Fuck them fools. He had his reasons. It was a means to an end. Protect, fuck, and serve the daughter up to the brothers who were holed up on some island, then get in good with her father. Win-win.
“I disagree. I can pull some of the guys from the Ward to assist with the trip. It’s extra backup, and Draven, you know that’s not a bad idea.”
Draven rubbed his chin. Jesminda was nodding her head, as well.
“It would be good to have enough backup. Especially if the Red Sun organization is after the same thing we are. Who’s to say they don’t already have the hidden location of the cup?” Jes argued on his behalf.
“They don’t.”
Everyone turned to Phineas.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I’m the only one with the information. My sources won’t lie.” Jorunn was eyeing D with big eyes. She hadn’t taken her peepers off him since the start of the conversation. Dietrich wondered if she even realized how much she stared. She’d probably be freaked out to know that she was giving him a full-on chub. His dick’s response to her smell had been receding, but with her constantly looking, it was bound to get to him at some point.
“You see something you like, baby girl?” He growled, unable to take her staring any longer.
Her head jerked as if she were in a daze.
“Um, what?” She whispered.
Damn, her mouth was sexy, and her voice was sex in stereo. He wanted to turn the sound up and plug in. She’d keep his body jacked up on her voice alone. He never got messed up over a woman’s voice. Jorunn’s was husky, but at the same time, throaty, with just a hint of sex. Like she was on the verge of being hoarse from an orgasm that shot straight through her core on repeat. Yeah, she had that kind of voice, and he could listen to her talk all day. Sans clothing, of course. Her clothes hid what, he was sure was an equally sexy body to go with her please-fuck-me-now voice.
Phineas was saying something, but D hadn’t caught the last part. What the hell was the fool saying? He looked to Jo, whose face had turned red with anger and embarrassment. Her eyes were focused on a point past the others as if she’d tuned out.
“What’s the matter with her?” He asked her father, but before Phineas could speak, Jo had focused her anger on him.
“I can speak for myself. I am here in the room you know.”
She didn’t miss a beat.
“Yeah, I see that. Not blind. Although, I know the shades may suggest otherwise. I got you covered, shawty. So, I’ll ask you this time. What’s your beef? Why you got this pissed off look on your face like your favorite donut was just swiped by your worst enemy?”
“My name is Jorunn, not shawty.” She exaggerated the y in the name. Well, at least she wasn’t as fragile as her father tried to portray her. “Father, are we almost done here?”
Dietrich cleared his throat and decided he would push the issue. See just how worked up she would get.
“Me and my guys will keep watch over your daughter. I won’t lord over her, but I will ensure that she doesn’t ‘feel uneasy,’ as you put it.”
“You are not the man for the job,” Phineas fumed.
“I think Dietrich has a very valid point. Adam can come along, but with Dietrich’s extra help, we can get this job done quickly and all return back here to figure out what the cup and blood will do for us where the Sahidic is concerned,” Jesminda suggested.
He didn’t like the idea, but he’d take it.
“Father, I–” Her voice faltered. It was soft and mellow. She’d somehow withdrawn from the conversation, and Dietrich wasn’t sure what was going on. One minute she was standing up for herself, and the next, with one look at her father, she’d quieted.
“Jorunn, pet. You need handling until you arrive.” Phineas looked to Draven. “I will agree to have the Walker and the Vampiri escort my daughter. You are aware that you and your mate are to meet with the brothers, as well? They requested you two specifically.”
Jorunn’s mouth opened, then closed. Decision heavy in her brows as she scrunched her face and eyed her father. She was doing her best to look strong. She was scared. Well, maybe he wasn’t going to get a chance to fuck her after all. Best to leave her to pretty boy. D was obviously too much man for her. Didn’t surprise him. Shouldn’t have. He was too much for most women, which was why he always brought two to his bed. One was never enough.
“Yes, Gabe filled me in. Now, what’s the other request? You mentioned there was more than one.”
Phineas held no punches when he spoke next.
“You have someone that I want. Someone that has been here long enough.”
Dietrich’s neck tingled. When that happened, things got cray.
“Who do you want?” Gabe eyed the male as if he had shit on his face, which would totally happen if Dietrich had any say. He’d make sure his face was covered in a spattering of blood. The Angel looked to Draven, who looked at Jes. Did he want Draven’s mate? No, that couldn’t be it, she was meant to go on the trip, no way it was her.
“Melissa.”
Well slap a dress on him and call him Martha. They wanted Melissa. He would have laughed if the room hadn’t been so silent. Jesminda gripped the table, and the rest of the team looked her way before looking to Draven. His eyes closed as if in pain. Something rough was working its way through his system. Why would he need the traitorous bitch? Dietrich didn’t care one way or the other. He didn’t like the girl. She was straight up heinous for what she’d done to Draven and Jesminda.
“Which Council member came to you?” Draven questioned.
Oh shit. The IC.
Fucking hell.
Shit just got deadly real quick.
An Immortal Council member asking for Melissa could mean only one thing.
Death.
They all knew it was coming, but maybe the wolf had hoped they’d forgotten about her.
The IC didn’t forget shit.
Dietrich didn’t like the bitch, but the Immortal Council was a nasty piece of work. They followed the old laws—ancient laws that not everyone agreed with
or cared to remember. The Immortal Council was made up of everything from Elder Angels, the Elite Council, all the way to Demons, and Lucifer himself. They IC were the ones who employed and commanded the Seraphs—a group of Warrior Angels. The same pricks who’d put the lockdown on Gabe. It was rumored that they were the true immortals that lived in a semi-corporeal form. They no longer needed flesh, only their souls. Phineas was among the first Demons so he would know if that were true or not. For someone to contact him directly, well, it put him high up on the immortal pole. No wonder the Agency wants information on him.
They wanted D to find out about the Immortal Council. He was sure of it now.
“Lycaon himself has requested that she be given over into his keeping.”
Lycaon was the father of all Lycans. There were different breeds of werewolves, but it was said that he not only fathered all Lycans, but that Zeus had gotten the curse that affected him from a God of the Egyptian Pantheon.
Adam spoke up in Melissa’s defense.
“Shouldn’t we wait until the trial? I thought we’d talked of rehabilitation?”
“If Lycaon is requesting her, I have to defer. To refuse him would bring a shit storm,” Draven confessed.
“Then it’s agreed?” Phineas asked.
Draven nodded. The look on his face was readable by everyone. He wasn’t happy about it at all. Phineas, satisfied with his answer, gave them what they wanted.
“The cup you seek is in France. It’s guarded by Clan Ellys, at Le Mont Saint Michel. At the request of Michael, I was told that was all the information I can give you. I’ve had contact with Gregor Ellys, and he’s agreed that he will allow you entrance if Jorunn came as well as Draven and Jesminda. He has a gift for the couple, and information for Jorunn. He’s agreed to relinquish the cup on the grounds that there is no killing. You are not the only ones to seek the cup.”
“That place is heavily guarded by moon wards. And isn’t it built over a crypt that holds the Defiant?” Xee announced.