by Bianca D'Arc
As a shifter, family was hugely important to Mag. He was close to his brothers and would do just about anything for them. As he would for the rest of his extended family, and the Redstone Clan. Loyalty and friendships within the Clan were the ties that bound them all together and kept them going. It was hard for a shifter to survive as a loner. The animal spirit that shared their souls didn’t like it. Neither did the human half. Shifters needed contact with other shifters.
The women talked about bar business and current events for a few minutes. Mel assured Miranda that she’d forwarded accounting statements to her banker as per their usual arrangements. Miranda just seemed to want to talk to the girl who was a last link to her mortal family. Mag watched the byplay and knew without being told how much that link meant to Miranda. He’d never heard the whole story about how she’d become a vampire, but he got the feeling it was traumatic.
That she had a grandniece meant it had been only a generation or so since she’d been turned. Not long in the annals of vampire kind. He’d known she was young for her kind, but not how young. She had carried herself with such confidence and outright moxie when they’d met. She had seemed well-rooted in her immortal lifestyle.
They left the bar about an hour later, heading out into the night. When Mag steered Miranda away from the parking area and toward one of the nearby giant casinos, she didn’t demur, but followed his lead without question.
They got into a special express elevator that took them up to the roof where the helipad was located. Mag had exchanged a few texts with his brother Bob, who was waiting for them in one of the company helicopters. All the brothers knew how to fly. Grif had made sure they all learned after buying the first Redstone Construction chopper years before.
And indeed, when the elevator doors whooshed open on the roof, the small company chopper was parked on the pad, the Redstone Construction logo emblazoned discretely on the side. Bob was in the pilot’s seat and he waved when he saw them.
Chapter Six
“What about your car?” was the only question Miranda asked as they walked toward the grounded bird.
“Raintree bugged it. It’s better off here for now. Our people will take care of it.”
Her eyebrow rose as she turned to look at him. “I didn’t even think to look, but I’m not surprised. Raintree doesn’t miss a trick. How did you know?”
Mag tapped his ears, then his nose. “Can’t beat were senses. Plus, after the reception we got, I kind of expected it. I don’t mix much with bloodletters. I leave it to Grif to make nice with the Master. They don’t know me and I don’t know them. Mutual distrust is a big motivator.”
Miranda laughed a bit and shook her head as he opened the door to the smallest of the company’s choppers. It could seat five—two in front and three in back. Mag would take the front seat because it made sense to have another pilot near the controls should something happen.
He motioned for Miranda to climb in back. He waited until they were both settled and the door closed before making introductions. He wasn’t sure what Bob was going to think of Miranda’s continued presence. His brothers had known when he’d taken her from that nightmare house, but since then he hadn’t exactly volunteered the information about where she was.
Bob was motionless, not yet doing the pre-flight check he needed to run through before starting the chopper.
So. Apparently Bob was going to be a little difficult. Fine. Mag could handle his little brother. He secured the latch and turned to face Bob in the confines of the helicopter.
“Thanks for coming.” Mag started the conversation on a friendly basis. Where it went from there was up to Bob.
“Haven’t seen you in a long time, bro.” Bob’s tone held a hint of condemnation.
The Redstone brothers had always been close. Even more so since the murder of their mother. Then, after catching the culprits who had killed her, Mag had gone off on his own without giving any details to his siblings. He knew he had some explaining to do.
“Bob, this is Miranda.” He decided to be polite. It also bought him a few more seconds to figure out what to say to his brother.
“Ma’am,” Bob nodded in Miranda’s direction, for once being a man of few words. That was out of character for the usually loquacious Bob. “Glad to see you looking better.”
That was something at least. Bob always did have a big heart. He’d seen how badly Miranda had been treated and even though he was probably pissed at Mag right now, he was still Bob enough to notice that Miranda was doing well.
“Thanks,” Miranda replied quietly. She seemed shy. She had to know his brothers had been there that night they’d rescued her. Maybe subjecting her to one of them so soon after she’d finally been strong enough to venture out of the house was a mistake. “I can’t thank you and your family enough for coming to my rescue,” she surprised him by adding, thanking Bob outright for his part in the events of that night. “I owe you all a life debt.”
Bob’s head quirked. He’d been taken by surprise as well, it seemed, and he smiled a suitably humble smile.
“It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, ma’am.” Bob backpedaled and Mag figured his younger brother didn’t know what to do with a friendly vamp. Especially not one that claimed to owe him such an important thing as a life debt. Miranda seemed to want to argue but Mag looked over at her, knowing he couldn’t put off the explanation to his brother any longer.
“I’m sorry to drag you out tonight but Raintree bugged my car. I asked Steve to have one of his guys retrieve it and give it the once-over,” Mag started his tale. All the brothers knew who the major players in the local vamp community were, so there was no need to explain who Raintree was. It was important to the Clan that the Redstones keep up peaceful relations with the Others in the area, and they had regular briefings on the various communities in the area. “I figured they’d have a harder time tracking us in the air.”
“It can still be done,” Miranda put in from the back seat. “All it takes is one old one who can shapeshift into something that flies to follow us.”
“We’ve taken that into consideration,” Bob told her. “Steve sent along some of the raptors. They’re going to shadow our path, and hopefully they’ll spot anything else in the sky with us. I also have orders—I think it’s only fair to warn you—to take you directly to the company headquarters. Some of the Clan is waiting there to talk to you both.”
“Shit,” Mag cursed. He’d hoped to put off the family confrontation until Miranda was a little stronger. “Grif?” he asked, pretty sure his eldest brother was at the core of this interception of his plans.
“Yeah, and the rest. Plus Slade and the priestess. They both want to talk to Miranda.”
“Oh, no. Slade is the guy I clawed, isn’t he?” Miranda cringed.
“Don’t worry. Only his pride was hurt,” Bob replied with a grin.
“Nevertheless, I owe him an apology.” Miranda seemed to steel herself.
“All right then, let’s get this over with,” Mag gave in to the inevitable. When the Clan united behind something, they usually got what they wanted. It wouldn’t be wise to fight this tonight.
The flight to Redstone Construction’s headquarters building on the outskirts of town was uneventful. Bob was a competent pilot and he set them down gently, taking care of the big machine while Mag escorted Miranda into the building and the reception committee that was waiting for them.
Sure enough, everyone was gathered in the large conference room just off the lobby. The doors were propped open and it was clear where Mag and Miranda were meant to go. He took her hand as they walked closer.
“If anything makes you uncomfortable, we’ll leave, okay? And damn the consequences. Your health comes first.” Mag surprised her with the fervency of his words. She knew how important his family was to him and his willingness to anger them on her behalf was touching in the extreme.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. We knew this was coming at
some point. Better to get it over with sooner than later.” She tried to smile for him, but she knew it was probably unconvincing. She was not looking forward to the next few minutes, but it had to be done. She owed the shifters a lot—least of all an explanation. And she also owed at least one of them a very large apology.
Mag held her back from the door for one last long moment, searching her gaze. Finally, she took the decision from him. She tugged her hand free from his and turned to enter the room. Mag was right behind her.
She had thought she was prepared for what awaited her, but she wasn’t. There was magic here. Strong magic. It acted as a barrier just past the doorway and she wasn’t sure what to do. Miranda stopped short.
“What kind of welcome is this?” Mag demanded.
“Just a precaution.” A woman stepped forward out of the small crowd to face them. Miranda recognized her.
“You were at the house that night. You’re the witch who undid the magic circles,” she breathed. Her memories of that night were hazy, but she remember the woman. And the guy she’d attacked. Slade, his name was. Miranda searched the room but didn’t have to look far to see the big man with the eerie blue eyes. He moved to stand behind the woman. Protecting her back.
“As you can see, I can undo the barriers or put them up. In this case, I thought it safer to see what was going on with you and Mag first. After the last time, I hope you’ll understand my caution.” The woman reached upward to cover Slade’s hands, which were now on her shoulders. “I’m Kate, by the way.”
“I’m Miranda. And I owe you greatly for freeing me that night. I must also apologize to you, sir.” Miranda looked directly at Slade, meeting his spooky gaze without flinching. She refused to show weakness in this room full of predators. That would be a very bad way to start. “My only excuse is that I was not myself when I attacked you. I thought perhaps you both were friends of my captor, come to torment me some more. It wasn’t until I heard Mag’s voice that I realized your intent wasn’t evil. I’m sorry I attacked you and am gratified to see I did no lasting damage. Regardless, I owe you a life debt for freeing me and not killing me when you had the chance.”
Miranda bowed her head in acknowledgment of her very serious words. A life debt was not something easily earned or given. She literally owed her rescuers her life. And in the case of these two, she owed them even more than that. She had attacked and nearly killed the man who had freed her. That mistake would haunt her for the rest of her life, and she needed to find a way to make it up to him.
The magic circle that had kept her from fully entering the room shimmered and collapsed. Kate stepped forward and held out her hands to Miranda.
“Be welcome here, Miranda,” she said.
Miranda took Kate’s hands reflexively and felt the immense magic of the woman. Magic…and goodness. This was a priestess. A real priestess with all the power of her calling and then some. Miranda looked up to meet Kate’s gaze and was pinned in place as the priestess’s eyes seemed to peer right inside her soul.
“Thank you,” Miranda whispered, shaken by the presence of the holy woman and the sheer goodness of her magic.
“I’m sorry to have doubted you, Miranda. Forgive me for remembering only the damage done to my mate. I put up the circle to prevent you from attacking but I see now that attack is the farthest thing from your mind. I would recognize it if you were of evil intent.”
“Slade is your mate?” Miranda’s heart sank. This just got worse and worse. She’d attacked the priestess’s mate.
“I am.” Slade stepped out from behind Kate and held out one hand in friendship, surprising Miranda.
She took it and felt his odd power. He was intensely magical for a shifter and his blue eyes…glowed…for a brief moment when their gazes met. Miranda felt like a butterfly on a pin, about to go under the microscope. She gulped reflexively, but kept her spine stiff. She had to face these shifters on their own ground and not show the fear that made her knees tremble. A true vampire wouldn’t be afraid of these people, but she owed them and they were Mag’s family. His Clan. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt them in any way, including insulting them. In fact, some part of her wanted to make a good impression on them, but she didn’t examine what drove that impulse too closely.
“I am so sorry about attacking you,” she repeated, holding his hand and hoping he could see how earnest her apology was. “I feel awful about it.”
“I will admit, you took me by surprise and bruised my ego, but it all worked out and everything’s okay. I understand why you did it, even if I didn’t appreciate it at the time. In fact, you showed a great deal of restraint to be able to pull back from the killing impulse that runs so strong in your race.”
His words were gracious and gave her way too much credit. She drew her hand away and turned to glance at Mag, who stood at her side.
“Don’t give me the credit on that. It’s all due to Mag. His voice is what got through to me. Otherwise, I’m really afraid of what would have happened. I probably would’ve continued trying to kill you, and your people would have ripped me apart.” She looked around the room, including them all in her words. “I don’t blame any of you. I was crazed at the time. There’s not much else you can do with an insane bloodletter except kill them and put them out of their misery—and to keep the rest of the world safe. I’m glad you were prepared to do that for me and I’m equally glad Mag was there to bring me back from the brink.”
“How did he manage that, exactly?” A tall, fair-haired shifter stepped forward to stand beside Slade. She recognized him instantly. This was the eldest. The Alpha.
“I knew Mag from before I was captured. About two years ago, we met and spent exactly one evening together. I drank from him. Which I think you know forms a small bond—especially when the person I drink from has magic of their own. Mag and I will have that bond ‘til the day one of us leaves this realm. He was…very special to me.”
“You don’t have to tell them any of this, sweetheart.” Mag touched her arm, defending her even against his closest family. She couldn’t come between them. She loved him too much to allow her presence to harm his relationship with his family, if she could help it. “This is none of their business.”
“It is our business, Mag. Nobody has seen you for weeks, and suddenly you’re mixed up with dangerous vamps tracking your movements?” Grif was clearly agitated as he ran one hand through his short hair, and his voice rose.
“Is this some kind of intervention?” Mag looked around the room and chuckled, clearly seeing the humor in this gathering, even if nobody else did. Miranda smiled with him and knew they had to clear the air with his family as soon as possible. They were truly worried about him.
“They love you,” she cautioned, putting one hand on his chest as she turned to him. “They deserve answers.”
“You don’t deserve to be treated like a criminal,” he replied, his gaze holding hers. But she smiled.
“No, Mag. They’re just concerned. They have a right to be. Our…friendship…is forbidden by both our peoples. We both knew that going in.”
“Are you sleeping with her?” Grif demanded. His anger clearly hadn’t abated. If anything, it had escalated.
“That’s really none of your damn business,” Mag answered back, stepping around Miranda to confront his oldest brother. The rest of the shifters in the room bristled—except for Slade, who watched the byplay with keen interest.
“Gentlemen.” Miranda stepped between them, one palm out to ward off each of the big men. Not that she could really do anything if they decided to mix it up. Sure, she was a vampire, but she was still weak as a kitten after her ordeal. Of course, only Mag really knew the extent of her weakness. She appealed to both of them. “I refuse to come between you in any way. If I’m the problem, I’ll just remove myself from the equation.”
“Like hell you will!” Mag’s anger shifted to her, as she’d expected. Good.
“I will and you know it. I did it before and I’ll d
o it again,” she promised him in a quiet voice before turning back to Grif and dropping her hands. “To answer your question, we are not having sex, and I don’t intend to do so. It’s forbidden, as you well know. I left him two years ago, and I’d do it again if necessary.”
“Yet simply hearing his voice pulled you out of a killing rage?” Kate asked, her gaze shrewd. “I think there’s more between you than a simple fling.”
“Maybe there is,” Miranda squared her shoulders and faced the priestess, unable to lie to her outright. “But as I said, it’s forbidden. I’m too young a bloodletter to break that rule. I’d be dead before morning if any of my brethren found out I had a steady supply of shifter blood, and you all know it.”
“Now we come to the crux of it.” Kate smiled though Miranda couldn’t imagine what there was to smile about in this situation. “It’s not that you’re forbidden by some arcane rule of magic, it’s that your fellow bloodletters don’t want anyone upsetting the hierarchy by having access to magical blood. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, don’t shifters have a similar rule? I was under the impression your kind didn’t allow your people to mix with bloodletters on a regular basis.” Miranda didn’t know where the priestess was going with this, but she’d follow along for now.
“Like your people, we have a set hierarchy based on relative strength, for the most part,” Grif spoke, rejoining the conversation. “In our Clan, we have a somewhat extended power structure because any one of my brothers could rule the entire Clan. We’re all Alphas. Under normal circumstances, we probably would have gone off in different directions to form our own familial Clans. But the Redstone Clan is bigger than just cougars. We have all sorts of shifters under our umbrella and in our employ. The company is the Clan, in many respects, and vice versa,” Grif clarified, calming as the priestess guided the conversation.