by Susan Illene
That was a swift change of topic. “What does it have to do with Nik?”
“More than you’d think.”
She looked fragile standing there. Her skin was pale and luminescent and her hair ran past her shoulders, sweeping down her back. Who had she been when she was human?
Josslyn touched the bark of the tree nearest to her, tracing its edges. “I heard you found the sensor compound in Idaho.”
“I did.”
“There are others like it in Europe, but even larger,” she spoke in a bitter tone. “The population of your race has grown more than many people think.”
“Okay.” I found that interesting, but still didn’t see what it had to do with anything.
She looked up, tears swimming in her eyes. “They held me in one of those compounds—chained in a basement—for three centuries before I got away. My blood was used so they could heal their injuries and stave off death from illness. They never gave me human blood in return. Only sensor blood. I was forced to lie helpless year after year, decade after decade, as they used me in whatever way they wished.”
The air caught in my throat. That was why she was so weak despite her age. I’d never heard of a vampire feeding on sensor blood for that long, but everyone knew it was a bad idea to try it. And the way she was treated—it was a miracle she wasn’t more withdrawn from the world.
“I’m sorry.” I took a step toward her, but stopped when she backed away.
“It was not your doing.”
“How did you get free?”
She wiped at her cheeks. “A powerful man rescued me. He’d come to learn of my captivity and convinced the sensors to let me go.”
“Who?”
She shook her head. “I cannot say. It is why I do not speak of the topic at all with Nik. He would not understand that this is the one thing I must keep to myself. I owe my rescuer that much.”
“Do you care for him?” It wouldn’t be that surprising under the circumstances.
“No, not in the way you think. I feel…obligated toward him.”
Her face was closed off now. Whatever was going on, she didn’t want to talk about it.
“I’m still not understanding what all this has to do with Nik,” I said, choosing to let the topic of her rescuer go for now.
She lifted her chin. “For two years after I was freed I stayed in London, rarely going out. It took a while before I could bring myself to be around anyone other than my benefactor and his people. But during that time I heard things—things that could be dangerous to Nik.”
Josslyn wrung her hands. “You must understand Nik was my lover before I was taken. During the time I was held in captivity the only thing that got me through it was thinking of him and hoping we’d be together again. After I got away and discovered he was in danger, I had to warn him.”
“Why? What is it about Nik that makes everyone target him?” I’d only heard minor excuses so far. Sure, he was stubborn and often rigid in his principles, but that wasn’t enough to make people want to kill him for it.
“Surely you’ve figured it out?” She looked at me incredulously. “I’d thought it would have been rather obvious.”
“Just tell me,” I said through gritted teeth.
She stared at me for a minute before answering. “He’s an ardent supporter of sensors. It’s in his blood. He might not have agreed with how they handled things during the war, but he’s never given up believing in their right to control our population. There are many who hate him for that.”
Nik came from a long line of sensors, though he didn’t inherit the ability himself. He’d made it clear to me more than once that my “gifts” came with a sacred duty to protect humans from supernaturals. We’d butted heads often about how far those duties went.
“Okay, fine. They don’t like him for supporting sensors, but what about Zoe? She went so far as to support their leader during the war. Why isn’t she on their shit list?” That’s what got me. No matter what she did she was never held accountable by angels or supernaturals. At least not to any severe degree.
“No one could kill Henrik Neilson without suffering great punishment—as Lucas discovered.” She gave me a pointed look. “Zoe was working to get close to Henrik so she could put a stop to his madness.”
I laughed. “She got close to him, alright. So close she got pregnant by him before he died.”
Josslyn froze. “She told you that?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“Well…” She cast her gaze about. “She never was very conventional in her ways. I suppose with time that would have calmed the man’s zeal for killing supernaturals.”
And once again people made excuses for Zoe. It was downright baffling.
“Yet Nik gets all the animosity simply for being supportive of sensors. Why did you return to him after everything you went through at their hands?” One would think she’d have stayed far away from him with his beliefs.
Her gaze locked with mine. “Why are you with a man who has killed countless members of your race and continues to show nothing but hateful disregard for them?”
Touché.
“Hey, he’s getting better.” Sort of.
“And I have hope that I can save Nik before it’s too late.”
I crossed my arms. “So what do you want from me?”
“To help convince him to give up Fairbanks or at least cede some of his power to Derrick. It is the only way his enemies will consider letting him live. They have to see he won’t be a problem for them anymore.”
“How can you be sure?” She might want to save Nik, but there was more to this than she was telling me. “And why do they need him contained?”
“I cannot tell you that.” Josslyn gave me an apologetic look.
“Is Derrick a part of this?” Was she playing both sides?
“Not that I know of.” She shook her head. “I believe they simply want him in power because he can be more easily influenced than Nik.”
“Well, that’s a comfort.” Was everyone being manipulated by a higher power these days?
She gave me a grave look. “You must let Derrick see Zoe, as well. This insistence you have on keeping them apart is hurting Nik more than anything else. You have to see that.”
“No. Forget it.”
Josslyn gave me an exasperated look. “Why ever not? It could be enough for the men to resolve their differences and come to some sort of understanding.”
“Maybe because too many people seem to want it and that is setting off little alarm bells in my head. I don’t know who is influencing you or Derrick or anyone else, but whatever this is about…” I paused. “I’m not buying into it and I won’t help your cause.”
She lifted a hand toward me. “Please, Melena. If you care for Nik at all you will try.”
“Tell you what. Give me the name of the man who rescued you—along with the names of anyone else involved—and I’ll consider helping you.” That seemed fair, considering what she was asking me to do.
She dropped her hand. “I can’t. Even telling you as much as I have could get me killed.”
Which made her all the more suspect.
“Are the people influencing Derrick also influencing you?” Because if that was the case, I needed to tell Nik he had a spy in his midst right away. The danger to Josslyn be damned.
“No. I swear it.” She gave me a desperate look. “I haven’t spoken to any of the people involved since I met Nik at the fae city. The only reason I came here was to help him.”
“How do I know you haven’t been compelled so I can’t tell if you’re lying?” I’d run into that problem before. As long as the person believed what they said, it would register to me as the truth.
Josslyn almost smiled. “After three centuries of drinking sensor blood, no one can compel me—though I’ve kept that secret to myself until now. It is the one good thing that came from my experience.”
I hadn’t considered that, but it was likely true. If three doses of nephil
im blood could make me immortal there was no telling what prolonged exposure to sensor blood had done to Josslyn.
“Fine.” I worked through the many thoughts buzzing around in my head. “I believe you, but I’m not letting Derrick see Zoe. The most I can promise is that I’ll do my best to protect Nik.”
She sighed. “I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”
“It will have to be.”
Chapter Twenty-two
“Can you hand me that cleaning rod when you’re done?” Cori asked, not looking up from the barrel of the H&K .45 she had in her hands.
It was her favorite gun and she knew how to handle it well.
“Sure.” I pulled a dirty patch out of the loop and handed the rod over to her.
After work we’d gone to the range to get in some shooting practice. It was something we tried to do at least once a week if our schedules permitted. After the way the past few days had gone, I’d had to shoot for two hours before the tension inside me finally eased off.
Now we sat in the living room, hovering over the coffee table with parts of our guns spread out across it on an old towel. Kerbasi was glowering at the television—I’d put it on the Lifetime network for him. Normally he’d have been making nasty comments about the program, but every time he looked at us with our weapons in our hands he shut his mouth.
“My car is going to be ready in the morning,” Cori announced.
“That’s good.”
She didn’t look up. “It’s time I get back to my house. With you leaving tomorrow and the kids gone, there’s not much point in me staying here.”
If DHS suspected her of anything they most likely would have picked her up by now. She’d probably be okay, though I’d still worry until they left town.
“I don’t suppose you’d be up for kitty-sitting for me? Felisha usually takes care of her, but she lives in the middle of Fairbanks where Sable can’t get out much.” And it would give Cori a little extra protection just in case.
She looked over at the lynx, who was currently sitting near Kerbasi’s feet washing her paw. Every time the guardian moved, she growled at him.
“I could do that,” she agreed. “She can keep my crazy neighbor from bothering me.”
“Is it that lady who’s always telling you you’re going to burn in Hell for your sins?”
“That would be the one.” Cori’s face tightened. “I’ve told the damn woman a dozen times I’ve already got a timeshare there, but she won’t listen.”
“At least you’ve accepted your miserable fate,” Kerbasi said, not looking at us.
We ignored him and kept cleaning our guns. I finished cleaning my Sig and put it back together, doing a functions check before putting it away.
“Hey, Mel?” Cori glanced over at me.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful in New Orleans.” Concern reflected in her hazel eyes. “I’d offer to go and watch your back if I thought I could be any help, but from the sounds of it I’d be way out of my league.”
“You and me both, but I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
My cell phone rang. I checked the screen and saw it was Kariann.
“What’s going on?” I answered.
“Get over here as soon as you can. Derrick called for a meeting to negotiate a truce.”
It was about time. I’d hated the idea of leaving town with tensions running high.
“Give me a few minutes and I’ll be there.”
“Oh, and make sure you wear something appropriate. I’m being forced to change, too.” I could hear the revulsion in her tone.
“Can’t wait to see how you look.” I hung up.
“It looks like peace talks are about to commence,” I told Cori, getting up to wash my hands at the kitchen sink.
“Good,” she replied. “I don’t mind a little drama, but this was getting to be a little too much.”
***
Darkness enshrouded us as we made our way through the woods to Nik’s house. I’d put on a blue pantsuit and Kerbasi had changed into a black button-up shirt and slacks—the nicest set of clothes he had. I’d tried to make him stay behind but he’d refused, claiming he didn’t want to miss the action. He was hoping for the negotiations to fall apart and a fight to break out.
“If you say anything to mess this up, I’m going to make your life far more miserable than you’ve ever thought possible,” I threatened him.
He grunted. “I’m rather certain they don’t need my help for their little negotiations to fail.”
That was reassuring.
“Don’t you ever get tired of assuming the worst of people?” I asked.
He walked with his hands clasped behind his back. “In my line of work, I rarely saw anyone who acted with pure intentions. They always sought what was best for themselves and if they couldn’t get what they wanted, they did their best to destroy anyone who got in their way. Earthborn races are corrupt and without hope as far as I’m concerned.”
If I ever thought my life was getting a little too happy, at least I knew where to go to bring myself back down.
“You aren’t much better, you know,” I pointed out.
“I do not hide my thoughts or motivations. Everyone knows what to expect from me.”
I snorted. “I’ll give you that much.”
We broke through the woods and moved across the lawn to Nik’s house. Derrick wasn’t there yet, but Lucas had just flashed inside. I wasn’t sure if his presence would be helpful or hurtful. He might be the man I loved, but I didn’t have a lot of faith in his tactfulness.
Aniya opened the door for us when we walked up the steps. Her expression was blank and her posture rigid. There wasn’t a trace of make-up on her olive skin and she’d pulled her black hair back in a tight braid. She’d been one of my best friends since high school, but we’d grown apart lately.
First she’d been turned into a vampire after coming to Alaska—it had been the only way to save her life. Then her mother had died in the magical explosion that hit the region a few months ago. She’d fallen apart in the beginning and I’d tried to be there for her, but in the last few weeks she’d shut off her emotions and become a shell of her former sweet self. Maybe it was my fault. I should have been spending more time with her.
“Hey, Aniya.”
She gave me a curt nod. “Melena.”
“Are you doing okay?”
“Of course.” She didn’t blink. “They are waiting for you in the meeting room.”
I started to ask what meeting room since I hadn’t known there was one, but my senses told me where everyone was located. Over in Nik’s wing of the house behind one of those doors that were always closed.
“Thanks.” As much as I wanted to reach out to my friend it wasn’t the time. Later, after things calmed down.
Kerbasi patted her on the shoulder. “There, there, little vampire. If all goes well your leaders will kill each other off and you’ll be set free.”
“Shut up,” I hissed at him.
He gave me an innocent look. “I was simply trying to comfort her. Isn’t that what you would wish for me to do?”
I gave Aniya an apologetic look and grabbed his wrist, dragging him down the hall. We passed the entrance to the kitchen on the left and found the second door on the right open. Nik, Kariann, Josslyn, and Lucas were inside. There was a long oval table made from cherry wood in the middle of the room, with matching chairs around it. One extra seat was off by itself in the far corner of the room.
I pointed at it. “Kerbasi, go sit over there. And so help me God if you get up from it during the meeting I’ll waste a whole clip of bullets on your head.”
My gun was tucked in my waistband for that very purpose.
He made a clucking sound. “However am I to understand humanity when you threaten violence so very often?”
“Just sit.”
He wandered over to the chair, patted at the black cushion fitted into the seat, and slowly lowered himself onto it. The expression on h
is face and the posture of his body would have made one think it was a throne and that he was a king. After one last warning to behave, I made my way to the others at the opposite end of the room.
Josslyn gave me a nervous look, but I didn’t acknowledge her.
“When is Derrick supposed to get here?” I asked.
“Soon,” Kariann answered, looking uncomfortable in a white blouse and black slacks. The cut of them didn’t work well with her larger frame. “He wants you present to verify everyone speaks the truth and they’re honest about any promises they make. You’ll sit there.”
She pointed at a chair positioned about midway down the table.
“That’s going to leave my back to the door.” I really hated having my back to the door, especially in tense situations.
“Talk to your man. He’s the one who requested the seat on the opposite side.” She glanced over at Lucas.
“And what is your role in all of this?” I asked him. He was wearing a dark gray suit with a black tie that made him look even better than usual. I had a strong urge to grab the tie and pull him close to me.
“I will be the mediator,” he answered
“Um…” I tried to think of a delicate way to ask if that was a good idea.
“Oh, that’s a magnificent plan.” Kerbasi chuckled from over in his seat. “These negotiations are sure to work out with him managing them.”
Lucas kept his attention on me. “Why is the guardian here?”
“Bribery and coercion didn’t work and I’m fresh out of grenades.” I shrugged.
Nik joined us. “You’ve never seen Lucas act as a mediator, but I assure you he’s quite adept at working out deals in our world. I remember one time he managed to get a group of orcs and trolls to work together after they’d been fighting for more than twenty years over a mining settlement. No one thought he could do it, but it’s been over a century and they’re still at peace.”
Lucas looked at the vampire in surprise. “You heard about that?”
“I might have been avoiding you then, but I still heard news about you.”
Nik had been angry at Lucas for a long time because he believed the nephilim had failed to protect his sister, resulting in her being killed during the supernatural war. It wasn’t Lucas’ fault, but as a grieving brother Nik had a hard time seeing that. They’d only begun talking again after I inadvertently brought them back together a couple of years ago.