Seducing Death

by Cassandra Lawson

  Just before they entered the room where Claire was being held, Ian decided to give in to his curiosity. “Why me? Seriously, no one brings me if they want diplomacy.”

  Mark chuckled. “Yeah, you aren’t known for saying the right thing.”

  “Then why the hell am I here?” Ian asked.

  Mark shrugged. “Same reason Connor wanted you.”

  Ian nodded his understanding. Mark was right; Claire needed to see both sides, and Ian had a fucking sob story. “I hate using their deaths like this.”

  The guilt in Mark’s eyes gave Ian some small level of comfort. “Right. I’ll stop acting like a little bitch,” Ian said.

  Mark smiled and shook his head. “I’m hoping we can get to her without bringing any of that up. It seems wrong to stand around trying to figure out who got screwed more in life.”

  Ian nodded and opened the door. Mark stiffened when he saw Cam sitting close to the cell, talking softly to Claire. The shifter refused to leave her side. None of them understood why, but Cam felt some need to protect the woman. Hell, Cam’s own brother couldn’t explain it, since they weren’t allowed to get emotionally involved with non-shifters. Sex was okay, but this was definitely about more than sex.

  Claire glared at Mark, proving she didn’t have the warm fuzzies for him. “What the hell do you want?”

  “I’d like to know what happened to your parents,” Mark said calmly.

  “That’s easy,” Claire spat out as she stood and gripped the bars on the cell. “Your new vampire buddies slaughtered them.”

  “Claire,” Mark said, “I’m really sorry about what happened to your parents. If I thought anyone here was responsible, I’d do something about it. Hell, Ian would deal with them for you.”

  Ian nodded but didn’t say a word. This was Mark’s show.

  Claire snorted. “Like I believe that.”

  Mark’s temper snapped. Ian could tell it was already hanging by a thread when he’d walked in to find Cam comforting Claire. “What the fuck, Claire? I’m not the one who betrayed you, as you may recall. In fact, I should let you deal with the vampires on your own.”

  “Don’t talk to her that way,” Cam practically growled.

  Claire reached through the bars and caught Cam’s upper arm. “No, he’s got a right to be mad. I was a total bitch to Mark, and he’s got no reason to be here.”

  “What the hell is up with you, shifter?” Ian asked as he studied Cam. Granted, he didn’t know him well, but he got the impression Cam wasn’t normally this intense.

  Cam shifted uncomfortably, tugging at his shirt. Ian had noticed that the shifters didn’t like wearing clothing and tended to fidget if they were forced to stay clothed very long. In fact, Ian rarely saw Zane with a shirt. Connor required the shifters to wear at least shorts around the settlement.

  “It’s the cage,” Cam admitted. “Seeing someone locked up is getting to me.”

  “Maybe you should take off for a little while,” Mark suggested.

  Cam looked tempted, but there was a possessive gleam in his eyes, and Ian knew he wouldn’t leave Claire alone. “Nah, I’ll stick around.”

  “Are you ready to talk?” Mark asked Claire.

  “Yeah,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, “but you may not like what I have to say.”

  One corner of Mark’s mouth twitched. “As I recall, that’s usually how I felt about conversations with you.”

  When Claire started to look angry again, Mark put both hands up in surrender. “Just kidding. Well, sort of kidding. You always loved a good fight.”

  Claire smiled. “Still do, but I’m not in much of a position to fight,” she said, gesturing to the cell.

  “No, I guess you aren’t,” Mark admitted. “What happened to your parents?”

  Claire’s smile faded, and her gaze dropped to her feet. “They were attacked by vampires on their way to trade with the Treasure Island settlement. Guards found their bodies. It was really bad.” The last was said so softly, Ian knew Mark barely heard it.

  “Treasure Island?” Mark asked, catching on to the part of the story bothering Ian.

  Claire nodded. “We get some supplies from the humans there.”

  “What do you have to trade?” Mark asked.

  There was a long hesitation. This was obviously something Claire had wondered about as well.

  “So, you’ve already questioned that lie,” Mark said flatly. “Why do you think it was our vampires?”

  “Roger said it was,” Claire said. “Why would he lie?”

  Ian got the impression Claire was asking herself more than them, but he still couldn’t resist responding. “Because he’s an evil fuck. Roger was alive back when the born vampires in this area were forced into prostitution, and he got off on abusing them.”

  “I helped rescue a vampire from Roger,” Cam added. “This cell sucks, but it’s nothing compared to what Roger was doing to that vamp, nothing compared to what he was going to force on the little kit who came with me on that rescue. You haven’t been stripped naked, chained to a wall, or forced into sex. In fact, you’ve been given blood and treated reasonably well.”

  Claire looked away again.

  “Do you honestly think I’d be here if these vampires were as bad as we once believed them to be?” Mark asked.

  “I don’t know what to think anymore,” Claire admitted.

  “We need to know what Roger’s plans are,” Mark said gently. “He’s killing people. You’ve already been involved in rounding up humans to infect with the Moon virus.”

  Claire shook her head emphatically. “We were taking them back to our settlement for their own protection.”

  “We’ve found settlements where people were slaughtered in front of their own children,” Ian said. “How do you justify that?”

  “I haven’t slaughtered anyone,” Claire insisted. “That was the first settlement I went to, and I was told to bring everyone back because they were being targeted by your vampires.”

  “Did it look like the vampires here were their enemies?” Mark asked.

  Claire shook her head.

  “Help us stop this,” Mark said softly and reached through the bars to grab Claire’s hand.

  A low rumbling growl came from deep within Cam’s throat.

  “Touching might be a bad idea,” Ian said, and Mark pulled his hand back through the bars.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “That’ll be Connor with your blood,” Mark said. “Are you willing to talk to him about what’s going on?”

  Claire looked more than a little apprehensive but nodded.

  “Come on in,” Ian called out, and Connor walked in with a glass of blood.

  “Everything okay?” Connor asked.

  Cam snatched the glass and handed it to Claire.

  “I think we have this sorted out,” Ian said, hoping that was true.

  After Claire finished the blood, she looked directly at Connor. “I’m not sure how much I can tell you.”

  “How are you finding the settlements?” Connor asked.

  She shrugged. “Roger has maps, but I have no idea where they came from.”

  Connor let out a frustrated sigh. “I guess it was too much to hope you knew where the maps came from.”

  “This is the first time I’ve been out of the settlement since I traveled to Fangri La.”

  That got Connor’s full attention. “You were with Roger when he went to Fangri La?”

  She shook her head. “Roger didn’t go. It was me and three others.” There was a long pause. “I’m the one who did most of the talking,” she admitted.

  Connor grinned. “Then things are looking up for us.”

  Claire took a step back, eyeing Connor wearily. “Are you going to kill me?”

  Ian let out a bark of laughter. “You really have been brainwashed if you think that. Con won’t kill without a damn good reason.”

  “That’s true,” Mark agreed.

  “Lis
ten up, Claire,” Connor said seriously. “I need you to help me convince the council in Fangri La that Roger is a danger to this area.”

  “I can’t do that,” Claire said, and Connor looked pissed. “What you said sounds convincing, but I’m not sure I believe you.”

  “Fair enough,” Connor said with a nod and turned to Cam. “Grab your woman a collar. We’re taking her out on patrol.” Without another word, Connor walked out of the room.

  Chapter Forty

  Claire looked as happy about wearing the collar as Raven had, not that Ian blamed her. That was one thing he’d never had to deal with, but he imagined the lack of freedom was akin to what he’d experienced growing up. The only thing that seemed to make it easier for her was the fact that Cam wore the armband.

  “You okay?” Ian asked Mark, who was studying Claire and Cam closely.

  Mark’s grin proved he wasn’t bothered as much as intrigued. “Are you worried about me? Afraid I’m jealous of Cam and Claire?”

  “That about sums it up,” Ian said with a nod.

  Mark laughed. “I’m long over what I had with Claire. Seeing Cam act this way is just strange. He’s not the relationship type.”

  “He also has good hearing and would appreciate it if you’d stop talking about him,” Cam said from several feet ahead.

  “We weren’t exactly trying to be quiet,” Ian reminded Cam.

  Claire turned to glare at them. “How about if the three of you try acting like adults for five minutes?”

  Connor laughed. “You know, Claire, I like you.”

  “Lucky me,” she said sarcastically.

  “Are you always this moody?” Ian asked.

  “Yes,” Mark replied for her.

  “Where are we going?” she asked when they reached the jeeps.

  “Treasure Island,” Connor said. “Mark mentioned you believing your settlement has a trade agreement with Treasure Island. That’s easy to disprove.” He turned his attention to Ian and Mark. “You two can head out on patrol. I’ve already messaged you the location. It’s a small settlement I’ve wanted to check, but it’s out of the way. Si was going to take care of it today, but something else came up.”

  “Should we investigate to make sure Treasure Island isn’t trading with Roger behind our backs?” Ian asked.

  Claire stiffened. “What if you find out they are trading with my settlement?”

  Connor looked annoyed and visibly worked to get his temper under control. “I’m only answering your question because I’m hoping you’ll get it through your head that we’re not monsters. If Treasure Island has aligned themselves with our enemy, we will remove our guards and cease trade with them.”

  Claire nodded but gave nothing of her emotions away.

  That’s when Ian saw Kyleigh heading toward them. Her determined strides made him uneasy. She was in her role as death, and Ian had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what was coming.

  About ten feet from them, Kyleigh paused and her brow furrowed. Ian saw the worry and confusion on her face as she looked between him and Claire. Thankfully, Cam seemed too focused on his uncomfortable clothing to react to Kyleigh’s scent. The shifter’s head lifted for a moment before he quickly escorted Claire to the jeep.

  “Hold up, Connor,” Ian shouted.

  Connor met his gaze and nodded before Ian rushed over to Kyleigh.

  “Is it Connor?” Ian asked after moving her far enough away that he was sure Connor wouldn’t overhear their conversation.

  “It’s the woman with you,” Kyleigh said.

  “Her name is Claire,” Ian explained, but wasn’t sure why he felt the need. “She was captured yesterday. So, why did you hesitate to release her soul? Is it because we’re all here?”

  Kyleigh shook her head. “There’s something off about all of this.”

  “Off?” Ian asked, looking over his shoulder to where Connor was studying him, pretending he couldn’t hear their conversation. That’s when Ian realized he hadn’t put quite enough distance between them, so he moved Kyleigh further from the jeeps.

  Kyleigh nodded, looking distracted and confused. “I was supposed to release her soul. She’s supposed to die in the next hour.”

  Ian knew he’d failed to mask his shock when Kyleigh flinched.

  “Sorry,” she said quietly. “That was probably too much to take in.”

  Her reaction made Ian feel like a complete asshole.

  “Don’t apologize,” he said. “I’m supposed to know about what you do, right? I’ve even seen you release a soul, so this shouldn’t surprise me.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” she said. “The problem is, I’m no longer feeling her death approaching.”

  “Has that happened before?” he asked.

  “It’s rare, but it does happen,” she admitted.

  “Then maybe this is one of those rare instances,” Ian suggested.

  “No, this is something else,” Kyleigh insisted. “The pull to release her soul is still there.”

  Ian’s eyes widened. “But she’s not going to die.”

  “Exactly,” Kyleigh said. “You need to stick with her while she’s out today. I’m going to see if I can figure out what’s going on.”

  “Is it the Fae?” Ian asked.

  Kyleigh looked at him like he was an idiot. Ian laughed and leaned forward to kiss her on the nose. “Yeah, that was a stupid question. So, nothing like this has happened before?”

  “Not like this,” she admitted. “You already know I’ve seen the Fae interfere with a death after the soul was released.”

  He nodded.

  “The thing that’s different this time is I’m pretty sure the death isn’t going to happen,” she said, giving the matter some thought. “Actually, that’s not even completely true. It’s up in the air.”

  “Maybe it’s because I’m here,” Ian suggested. “You said it yourself, I’m not supposed to be alive, and that might be what’s interfering with her death being a sure thing.”

  “Except, you aren’t supposed to be with her when she goes out today, are you?” Kyleigh asked.

  “No, I’m not,” Ian admitted and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, so we have no idea what’s going to happen. Wouldn’t it just be better if you release her soul and I make sure she dies?” Ian almost laughed at the shock on Kyleigh’s face. “Don’t look at me like I’m some kind of monster. I’m just trying to help you with this situation.”

  “That probably would be the wisest thing to do,” Kyleigh admitted. “The problem I’m having with all of this is that someone wants me to know what’s about to happen. I have more than one Fae messing with this death, and that leads me to believe there’s a good reason to keep Claire alive. I know it’s all guesswork on my part. Someone is pushing hard for me to take her soul, while someone else is pushing just as hard to leave it there. My instincts are telling me to ignore the summons to release her soul.”

  Ian flashed a grin. “You really are a rebel, aren’t you?”

  She snorted. “Apparently so, and it seems to get me in all sorts of trouble.”

  There was nothing Ian could say to that because she was right. This was going to get her in more trouble, if he didn’t miss his guess. The temptation to insist they make sure Claire died was strong, and he only hesitated because of Claire’s potential value in helping his people. If she died, Claire couldn’t help them convince the vampire council to let them move against Roger.

  “I’ll keep her safe,” Ian assured Kyleigh before rushing back to the jeeps to fill Connor in on the potential threat— well, as much as he could anyway.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Shadowing Claire wasn’t easy, especially with the shifter’s crazy sense of smell. Kyleigh knew he sensed her presence, even though he pretended not to. She wasn’t sure why she was sticking so close to Claire anyway. She’d started out as an unseen passenger in the jeep with Claire, but that had been too much for the poor jumpy shifter. Admittedly, it wasn’t just the shifter’s edginess;
it was the terror involved with traveling over the bumpy road.

  When the summons came again, Kyleigh flashed herself to the spot where Claire was supposed to die, but mere minutes later, the summons faded. Kyleigh frowned and tried hard to figure out what was going on. The jeeps approached, and she heard the cracking sound of a gun. Guns were so rare in this area that she nearly jumped, which was crazy since she couldn’t be shot while she wasn’t visible to those around her.

  A bullet hit the front tire on the jeep Claire was in, and a second bullet hit the back tire on the same side. Connor managed to pull the jeep to the side of the road without crashing. Ian parked and jumped out with a knife in each hand.

  Kyleigh searched for the person holding the gun and spotted him crouched behind some foliage, ready to take another shot. “Gun over there!” she shouted. Only Ian could hear her, but he reacted right away. The knife Ian threw went straight through the wrist of the vampire with the gun. The gun dropped from his hands, and Connor rushed the vampire, taking him to the ground. Two other vampires emerged and made their way toward Claire, who was surrounded by Ian, Mark and Cam.

  Despite everything happening, Kyleigh almost laughed at the angry expression on Claire’s face. Claire was in no way timid. “Get out of my way!” Claire said, shoving at Ian’s back. “They’re trying to rescue me. If I talk to them, we can stop this violence.”

  “They’re trying to kill you,” Ian ground out.

  Kyleigh watched as Claire took in the scene, fully prepared to argue until she grasped the potential danger. After a moment’s thought, she shoved at Ian’s back again. “Get the fuck out of my way! I can defend myself.”

  “Why haven’t you taken her soul?” Arawn asked from directly behind Kyleigh.

  Kyleigh spun around, her heart in her throat. “What are you doing here? Her soul won’t go to you.”

  Arawn laughed. “If her soul was mine, I wouldn’t need you to release it. Now, do your job. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your mate’s interference in this matter.”

  The threat was unmistakable and confirmed Kyleigh’s suspicions that something was off with this entire situation. Arawn seemed more concerned with her releasing Claire’s soul than any rules she might be breaking.