When she’d been moved to this territory, her perspective had changed drastically. Now, she hated releasing the souls of parents with children close by the most. It happened far too frequently. At least things had slowed down in the last several decades. She’d first been transferred to this territory about twenty years after the initial Moon virus outbreak. The vampire rebellions had resulted in many violent deaths. Not that there weren’t already a lot of violent deaths caused by turned vampires, but the rebellions had made things worse. At one time, there’d been five people in this area working nonstop to deal with souls needing release or help moving on. Now, they only had three people and probably only needed two.
Kyleigh moved closer to the bedraggled man walking with his son and hesitated. The boy was just shy of adulthood and looking a little annoyed about whatever errand they were on that day. Still, there was an obvious affection between the two. When the man reached out to ruffle his son’s hair, the boy cringed at first before smiling at his father.
Forcing her feet to move forward, Kyleigh approached them. “Good day,” Kyleigh said, trying hard to mask her accent. She smiled, revealing her teeth so they would know she wasn’t a vampire. “Can you tell me how to get to the Treasure Island settlement? I had to flee my old settlement after an outbreak, and I’m trying to get over there with a few other survivors.”
The man and boy looked around suspiciously so Kyleigh added, “The others are nervous around strangers, so I volunteered to get directions.”
Neither seemed convinced she was telling the truth.
The boy’s expression was sympathetic. “We can walk you to the bridge. It’s not far from here.”
“No, I just need directions,” she assured them.
“It’s not safe to be out here alone,” the boy insisted.
The man looked proudly at his son. “That’s right, and we don’t mind making a detour. Humans have got to watch out for each other these days.”
“You’re very kind, but my friends really are terrified of strangers,” she said before turning her head toward the foliage, as if looking back at her friends’ hiding place.
They gave her directions, and Kyleigh reached out to place a hand on the man’s arm, releasing his soul. “Thank you,” she said and walked away.
The man’s soul departed right away. He didn’t even stay to watch the body he’d once inhabited move along without him for the very short duration of his life. Most souls didn’t really feel an attachment to their physical self, despite what so many believed. They felt the call when they were released and left this plane. In some ways, it was sad to see them leave their loved ones without so much as a backward glance, but that was the way it was supposed to be.
After one last look at the boy who would lose his father that day, Kyleigh transported herself back to her solitary domain. Of course, it wasn’t quite so solitary anymore. Now she had Ian waiting for her, not that she knew what to do with him.
“You look lost,” Ian said when he saw her.
She tried to smile, but it was impossible to get her lips to move up. Even if she managed it, she knew her eyes would give her away. “I just need a few minutes alone.”
“No, you don’t,” Ian said, catching her as she tried to walk by. “The last thing you need is to be alone right now.” Ian pulled her against his chest and stroked her hair. “Is it always this hard on you?”
Kyleigh shook her head but didn’t say anything. How could she explain that what she did was good yet heart-wrenching at the same time? It’s not like she’d killed the man. He was going to die with or without her intervention. His soul would most likely be released on its own, even though it would be scarred from the trauma of a violent death. While she had no idea why the Fae cared to release the souls of anyone before violent death, they did care. Even though she hadn’t killed the man, there was a certain amount of guilt involved with being a part of his death.
“Talk to me,” he crooned.
“Why?” she asked angrily, even though she had no idea why she was so angry. “Why should you care so much about what I’m going through?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that what will make you feel better? Do you want to fight with me?”
“I don’t know what I want,” she admitted. “For most of my existence I’ve been alone. Usually, when I have a rough day, I just come back here and wallow in self-pity. You’re throwing off my whole self-pity schedule.”
“Yeah, I know how that is. I’ve been wallowing in self-pity for quite some time. How about if we try something different today?”
“Like what?” she asked, looking up at him.
“How about if we go lay on the beach, and you can talk to me about it while we listen to the waves? That should relax you some.”
That was when she finally lost it and burst into tears.
Chapter Eleven
Kyleigh was mumbling incoherently, and Ian was pretty sure she had no idea which part of her day had reduced her to tears. The poor woman had been through a lot in a very short time. That might be part of the reason he wasn’t panicking over his situation; Ian was too busy trying to help Kyleigh deal with everything. Maybe he was just too busy trying to seduce her, which probably hadn’t helped with her stress.
Whatever the reason, Kyleigh needed him, even if she didn’t know it. Ian wasn’t sure why, but he got the impression Kyleigh didn’t have too many breakdowns.
Ian cradled Kyleigh against his chest and carried her out to the beach. There was something about this place that was almost like a drug. As hard as it was to accept, the anger he’d been living with for the last decade was muted in this place. It seemed to drain the tension from him, and he knew it did the same for Kyleigh.
Finally, Kyleigh let out a shuddering breath. “It’s not always this bad. At first it was, but then I kind of learned to distance myself. Some days, I just have a harder time doing that.”
Ian kissed the top of her head. “You’ll feel better if you talk about it,” he said before he sat her down on the warm sand.
“Somehow, I doubt that,” Kyleigh said miserably. Her eyes were already puffy and red, and she was still sniffling.
“Kyleigh,” Ian began as he sat down in the sand beside her, “are you worried that I’m going to judge you for what you have to do? Is that why you don’t want to talk to me about it? I’m fine with not talking if it’s just that you want to avoid thinking about it, but I get the impression it’s more than that.”
“Sometimes, I feel like a killer,” she admitted.
Ian laughed, even knowing how insensitive he sounded. When she glared at him, he put his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, it’s just amusing you’d think that would affect my opinion of you. I’ve killed a lot of people: turned vampires, humans, and even born vampires. I’m a killer because it’s been necessary for survival. Hell, I’m surprised I never killed a human out of rage over what happened to my family.”
“That’s why your soul is still redeemable,” she said, sounding numb. “Killing out of necessity is much different. Had you killed out of anger or for pleasure, I’m not sure you could have come back from that.”
“You’re right,” Ian said. “Even when I was losing it, there was this part of me that knew I couldn’t risk crossing that line. Still, I’m a killer, and you wanna know something?”
Kyleigh nodded.
“I don’t feel guilty,” he said. “What I do is much more brutal than anything you do, and I don’t regret it because I’m doing what has to be done to keep my people safe. What could you have possibly done to make me think less of you?”
She looked down at her feet. “Today, I released the soul of a man who was about to be slaughtered in front of his own son,” she said quietly.
Okay, so that was a lot to take in. Ian couldn’t even imagine the poor kid going through that. “The boy survived?”
Kyleigh nodded but kept her gaze focused on the moonlit surf. “Yes. I mean, I didn’t stick around to watch what happened. W
hen I can, I try to get out of the area as quickly as possible. Can you imagine how crazed I’d be if I stayed to watch? I just have to go on faith that he survived, since I wasn’t called to release his soul too.”
“Taking parents from their children must be hard,” he said.
“It’s one of the hardest things for me to do,” she admitted. “Yeah, I know what I said about it being necessary, and it is. That doesn’t always make it easier. Honestly, I can handle most assignments without getting emotionally involved by this point. After so many years of this sort of thing, I’ve become somewhat cold.”
“Good,” Ian said.
“Good?” she asked.
“Yes, good. Since you have no choice, why dwell on all of this?” Ian stifled a yawn.
“You need rest,” Kyleigh said.
“I haven’t done much more than sit around waiting for you all day,” he said with a laugh.
“And you almost died recently,” she reminded him. “You’ll need more time to recover.”
While Ian wanted to argue, worrying about him seemed to be taking her mind off what she’d just had to do. She was also right; he was more than a little exhausted, which left him wondering about sleeping arrangements. “There’s only one bed.”
“I know,” Kyleigh said. “Bringing you back here was kind of a spontaneous thing.”
“I can sleep out here,” he suggested. “It’s warm enough, and your couch is too small.”
“It would be best if you slept inside,” she said.
“Why?” he asked.
“Sometimes, the Fae visit while I sleep, and they mess with things. It’s safer inside,” she explained.
Ian was really annoyed again. The more he heard about her life, the angrier he got. Even in her own safe place, the Fae tormented her. What the hell kind of life was that?
“Stop frowning,” she said as she got to her feet. “Things aren’t that bad. They don’t show up often, but I can’t really predict when they’ll pop in. You can have the bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“I can’t take your bed,” he argued.
“Like you already said, you’re too big for the couch,” she reminded him. “Listen, I’m too tired to argue right now. This has been one hell of a day. Please just take the bed.”
“Fine,” Ian said before giving in to the temptation to lean forward and brush his lips against hers. “I’m only backing down because we’re both exhausted. When we’re well-rested, we can argue about where I’ll sleep tomorrow.”
Kyleigh gave him a genuine smile, and Ian was glad to see the sadness fading some. There was a strange tug at his heart when Kyleigh smiled like that. Sure, he barely knew her, but they had some inexplicable connection that frightened and fascinated him. That realization made him feel both relief and disappointment about the fact that they were heading to bed in different rooms.
Chapter Twelve
Arawn continued to watch Roger plot his revenge on the local vampire settlement, somewhat impressed with the man’s ruthless nature. Following along unseen, he studied the vampire with a small level of respect. Yes, Roger was still allowing emotion to rule him too much. Grief over his lost cousin was clouding Roger’s decisions, making Arawn worry that he might need to intervene for this plan to succeed.
Guards led a human couple into the room. Both looked much older than Arawn suspected they really were. They appeared worried nearly to the point of terror.
The woman rushed forward, grasping the sleeve of Roger’s shirt. “Is she okay? Please tell me our daughter is okay.”
The look of disgust on Roger’s face was almost comical, but Arawn couldn’t blame him. Had this human been touching him, he likely would have struck her dead.
“Your daughter is quite the capable fighter,” Roger said casually and removed the woman’s hand from his arm.
“Yes, she is,” the man said with an overly enthusiastic nod. “She’s a smart girl too.”
“Please tell me what’s happened to our daughter,” the woman pleaded.
The man did nothing to hide his irritation. “He didn’t say anything was wrong with Claire. The guards just said they needed to see us about her.”
“I have big plans for your daughter,” Roger said with a closed lip smile. “These plans will help us eradicate the threat of the vampires.”
“That’s wonderful news!” the woman said excitedly. “Claire has always wanted to help our people.”
“And she will,” Roger murmured. “I’m sure you understand why this is so important.”
“Of course,” the man agreed. “We’ll do whatever we can to help.”
Roger’s back was to the couple when he smiled, revealing a hint of fang. Arawn thought he was a fool for turning his back on anyone, but he suspected Roger felt safe with the guards in the room.
“What do you need from us?” the woman asked.
Roger faced the couple and smiled, this time revealing his fangs. “Your death.”
The couple finally recognized the monster before them and started to back away. The guards prevented them from leaving, and Arawn enjoyed the show as Roger killed the couple. It was a long, methodical process, and Arawn admired the vampire’s knack for torture, both physical and psychological.
Three hours later, Roger sat in a clean room, looking grieved as a human female was led into the room. Her short black hair accentuated her delicate features and almond shaped eyes. Arawn was seriously questioning Roger’s choice for this task. This girl was far too delicate, which Arawn suspected Roger would discover soon.
“You wanted to see me?” she asked in a husky voice that didn’t match her appearance at all.
“Yes,” Roger said solemnly. “Please sit down, Claire.”
The woman looked confused, and Arawn was sure it was because Roger didn’t normally invite people in for chats.
“Is something wrong?” Claire asked, and Arawn was impressed with her composure as she took a seat with her back to the wall.
“I’m afraid so,” Roger said. “Your parents were attacked by vampires when they left the settlement today.”
The confusion on her face quickly changed to denial. “Why would my parents leave the settlement?” Claire asked with just a hint of fear in her voice.
Arawn was more impressed with her by the minute. Perhaps her looks were deceiving.
“They went to trade at Treasure Island,” Roger said and then covered his face as if trying to hide his pain. “They didn’t survive the attack,” he said gently. “Guards found them and brought their bodies back.”
“I’d like to see the bodies.” The quaver in the young woman’s voice was an indication of just how close she was to falling apart. The denial was still in her voice, but it was now accompanied by grief.
“No,” Roger insisted. “The damage is much too extensive.”
The woman swallowed hard, but held herself together with remarkable calm. “They were my parents, and I will identify them. Then we’ll discuss what I need to do to help you destroy those bastards.” The spark of rage in her eyes chased away the grief.
Arawn smiled. Obviously, he’d underestimated the little human. Once she was infected with new Moon virus, she’d be the perfect tool. Her delicate features would make her seem nonthreatening to the main vampire council, but her hatred of the vampires she believed responsible for her parents’ deaths would make her a lethal killer when the need arose.
Chapter Thirteen
“Why would anyone want to break into Ian’s house,” Rand asked.
Rand was one of the scariest looking vampires Danny had ever met. Danny had been involved with helping Rand escape the psycho humans who’d been using him as a lab rat. Luckily, Rand didn’t think all humans were bad, because Danny would hate to have Rand angry with him. At six and half feet tall, Rand was a wall of solid muscle. With black hair, tan skin, and harsh features, Rand was far from attractive, but Rand’s wife, Norah believed him to be the most handsome man in the world.
�
��I have no idea why she broke in,” Danny said with a shrug. “She didn’t seem interested in sharing much information with me at the time.”
“We can ask her why when we find her,” Shelby said in obvious annoyance. “We aren’t here to try to figure out the woman’s motives, just to start searching and see if anyone’s seen her before. Based on your reactions, none of you know her.”
“There are a lot of people in this settlement,” Mark pointed out. “Are we sure she lives here?”
Mark looked completely relaxed with his feet crossed at the ankles, but Danny knew his friend well. Mark had also been close to Ian, and the thought of someone stealing Ian’s stuff pissed Mark off.
“I’ve checked with the guards, and they didn’t see anyone matching her description today,” Shelby said. “I’ve also talked to most of the guards on duty for the last few days, but two are still out on patrol.”
“She could have been wearing a wig,” Layla said. “I’ve noticed a few women around here with those.”
Danny cursed. “I didn’t look at her hair close enough to tell if she was wearing one or not,” he admitted.
“You might not have been able to tell anyway,” Layla said. “Si’s pointed out some women wearing them before, and I swore it was their real hair.”
“Okay, so we can’t rule out the possibility of a disguise,” Shelby said in frustration. “Still, this is all we have to go on for now. I’m going to put guards at Ian’s house in case she comes back, but that seems unlikely after Danny caught her there.”
What frustrated Danny most about this situation was that they might never find this woman. For some reason, Danny was sure she was important. Then again, he might just be looking for another person with a connection to Ian. Maybe he was looking for someone to take his anger over Ian’s death out on. Either way, he was determined to find her.
Chapter Fourteen
The sound of voices in the other room woke Ian. He had no idea how long he’d slept, but his mind was fuzzy like he’d only slept a short time, or he’d slept longer than normal.
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