by E. S. Moore
We went back upstairs in silence. Keira was sitting at the desk with the purse’s contents spilled out before her.
“Anything?” Jonathan asked, closing the door behind him.
“Just this.” Keira held out a plastic case that could have been a large makeup case. The serrated knife lay on the corner of the desk.
Jonathan took it and snapped it open. Instead of makeup, two filled syringes sat inside. He snapped the case closed and tossed it back onto the desk.
“Any sort of personal identification we can use? ID? Credit cards?”
Keira shook her head. “Not even a driver’s license or a receipt.”
He sighed and walked over to the door. He poked his head outside. “Pablo, bring some water and food to take down to our guest.” He closed the door and with another sigh, walked over to the desk to stand beside Keira. She instantly reached out to touch his hand.
Something in my gut clenched, as did my jaw. With everything that was happening, I’d almost forgotten about how much I didn’t like the female were.
“Where’s Nathan?” I asked. I’d much rather deal with his snarky comments than watch Keira touch Jonathan.
“Busy,” he said, looking distracted. “He should be back later.”
“So you know where he is?”
He looked up at me. “Of course.”
“And what about her?” I nodded my head toward Keira.
She stood, hand never leaving Jonathan’s own. Her eyes narrowed, but she kept her mouth shut.
“What about her?” Jonathan asked, looking annoyed.
“Do you always know where she is?”
“This isn’t a prison,” Jonathan said. I could tell he was growing angry. He kept clenching and unclenching his jaw and there was the faintest twinge of yellow to his eye. “She can come and go as she pleases, just like you.”
“And what about three nights ago?”
Jonathan frowned. “What about it?”
“Where was she then?”
The door opened and Pablo stepped inside, carrying a tray with a plastic cup of water and some tuna on a paper plate on it. He didn’t look my way as he walked past. Keira pressed the button to open the hidden door for him.
“Let’s continue this upstairs,” Jonathan said, voice tight.
I motioned for him to lead the way and we went up to his rooms. I was pissed beyond belief and really wasn’t sure how it had happened. I had no proof Keira was the wolf who’d attacked me when I was tailing Nathan, yet I couldn’t help but hope it was. It would make things so much easier. I’d know whom to blame.
“Now, what is all of this about?” Jonathan said as we entered his sitting room. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Unfortunately, Keira came in and moved to stand on the other side of the door. I really wish she would’ve stayed behind.
“I was out three nights ago and came across Nathan,” I said.
“Before I could talk to him, a werewolf attacked me. She reminded me of Keira.”
“I never attacked you,” Keira said, taking a step my way. Her eyes flashed yellow.
I smiled at her, daring her to attack. If she shifted, I’d know for sure whether she was responsible or not. I’d yet to see her fully wolf out.
“When was this exactly?” Jonathan asked, brow furrowed in concentration.
“Three nights ago.”
“Then it couldn’t be her,” he said.
“And why the fuck not?”
“Because she was with me.”
My heart just about plummeted through the floor. My legs were weak and I rested my hand on the back of a chair to steady myself. “Oh.”
“We were—”
“I don’t want to know,” I said, cutting him off.
“I—”
“I said, I don’t want to know.” I turned away, angry at myself for caring. If Jonathan tried to tell me they were just sitting around talking, I’d probably rip out his throat.
Jonathan gave a frustrated sigh. “I’m going to go down and talk to our guest,” he said. “I want you to stay here in case I need you. Can you do that for me?”
I very nearly told him to shove it up his ass, but nodded instead. I couldn’t let my own personal issues get in the way of what needed to be done.
“Keira.” He motioned for her to leave ahead of him. She glared at me for a moment before storming out of the room. I had to give her credit; she could have lost control and shifted. It would have been more than enough reason to kill her.
“Kat,” Jonathan said, stopping just outside the sitting room doors. “I’m sorry for all of this. I’ll figure out who attacked you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Please . . .”
I looked over at him and saw pain painted all over his face. Something stirred deep inside of me. Looking at him like that brought all kinds of pains and fears to mind. I suddenly became terrified I’d lose him, that I’d be forced to deal with all of this on my own.
I don’t know what compelled me, if it was something outside my influence or those parts of myself that I tried so damn hard to hide, but the next thing I knew, I was walking briskly across the room. I stopped right in front of Jonathan, our faces inches apart.
He opened his mouth as if to speak.
I silenced him with a kiss.
He stood rigid against me for a moment before softening. His hands found my back and he leaned in to me, kissing me back so fiercely, our teeth nearly scraped together.
But I didn’t let up. All I wanted to do was drag him back into the room and keep him locked inside with me until the danger had passed. I wanted him to protect me as much as I wanted to protect him. If we were together, we could do that.
And then sense slammed into me. I broke the kiss, breathless. I took a step back, confused. Scared. I licked my lips and could still taste him on them.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I was shaking. I wanted to throw myself at him again.
Jonathan opened his mouth and I realized that whatever he said would probably send me over the edge. I’d end up giving myself to him, would let him do with me as he pleased.
So I did the only thing I could do to keep myself from giving in to the emotions fighting for dominance in my head.
“I can’t,” I said.
I closed the doors before he could speak.
22
I could hardly stand the wait. Part of me wanted to run away, to slip right out of the Den so I wouldn’t have to face Jonathan again. I wasn’t sure what had compelled me to kiss him like that, if it was jealousy or fear, but strangely, I wasn’t entirely unhappy about it. The kiss had felt right in more ways than one.
Which was exactly why I was suffering so damn much. It shouldn’t have felt right in the slightest. We were two different creatures, monsters whose blood would contaminate the other and drive each other insane. We couldn’t survive together.
Add to that the fact I was so used to pushing everyone away, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was suddenly stuck in a situation where I couldn’t continue to push him away. I’d let him slip in through the cracks in my mental armor and I knew there’d be no way to get him back out.
A knock at the door stopped my pacing. Jonathan entered with Nathan right behind him. I stiffened at the sight of the big wolf and turned away, hoping he wouldn’t see my anger at him. Right then, I didn’t want a confrontation.
“We couldn’t get anything out of her,” Jonathan said, closing the door. It had been a little over an hour since he’d left me alone in the room, telling me they’d worked pretty hard. Normally, werewolves could get people to talk within minutes, if they were determined enough.
“I’m not surprised,” I said, moving to look out the window. It was still dark outside. It was strange to think that anyone who might be out there watching the place couldn’t see me standing framed in the window thanks to Jonathan’s glamour.
“She talks les
s than the last one,” he went on. “But when she does speak, all she does is scream about how we are demon spawn. It’s the same thing over and over.” There was a weary frustration in his voice that made me turn to face him.
“We’ll get it out of her,” I said. “Let me have a go.”
Nathan gave me a grin that said louder than words that he doubted my ability to get the Left Hand woman to talk. Sadly, I felt the same way. I just couldn’t sit there any longer letting everyone else do what I should have been doing in the first place.
“We might have a better idea,” Jonathan said. He motioned toward the chairs and couch.
I really didn’t want to sit; not with Nathan in the room or after what had happened with Jonathan. I was afraid I’d have a hard time keeping myself from blurting something out about the kiss in front of the Denmaster’s second, which would only make things more strained between us.
But I sat. I wanted to end the fight with the Left Hand. Maybe once that was taken care of, I could worry about my conflicting feelings toward Jonathan and what it might mean for my future.
I took the chair closest to the window. Jonathan took his usual spot on the couch. Nathan, of course, stood behind his Denmaster, acting the part of guardian. I thought it funny he was doing it now when Keira wasn’t around. He should have been by Jonathan’s side every second he was with the female wolf.
“I’m thinking we should let her go,” Jonathan said as soon as we were seated.
“What?” I sat forward. “Why?”
“We aren’t going to get anything out of her by talking to her. She is too staunch in her beliefs to ever betray her people. Pain doesn’t sway her in the slightest. In fact, it only makes her call us names that much more.” Jonathan sighed. “I felt like a monster allowing it.”
I could tell by Nathan’s satisfied smirk, he’d been the one delivering the pain. No matter how close I’d become with the werewolves of the Cult, they still had that demon inside them that reveled in hurting others. I couldn’t hold it too much against them; it was inside me, too.
“So why let her go?” I asked. “She’ll just go back to her people and tell them who we are, where to find us.”
“That’s the point.”
And that’s when I got it. “You plan on following her.”
“Of course.” Jonathan sat back looking pleased.
“She won’t fall for it,” I said. “She would have to know that we’re letting her go so we can track her. She’ll just hole up and wait for our guard to slip.”
“That’s why we won’t simply let her walk out the door. We’ll stage an attack and allow her to escape.”
I thought about it. There were so many ways something like that could go wrong, but it would make the woman think she was getting away on her own. She might run straight back to the rest of the Left Hand, leading us right to them.
“It might work,” I said, liking the idea more and more.
“We’ll tell her we’re transporting her to a more secure location, somewhere we can hold her better. Once we are a safe distance away, we’ll be attacked by weres we know, allowing her to escape.”
“And you’re sure she’ll buy it?”
“What other choice do we have if we want to get to the Left Hand now? I’m tired of chasing ghosts. This way, she’ll lead us right to them and we can finish them off without having to track them down on our own.”
“We could turn her.”
Both Jonathan and I turned to Nathan.
He shrugged. “She believes we are monsters, so why not turn her into one? Perhaps seeing what we are from the inside will convince her to work with us. She’ll have little choice once the hunger sets in.”
“Or she’ll try that much harder to kill us,” I said.
“I agree.” Jonathan shook his head. “It’s far too risky. If we turn her and she comes at us, we’ll have a harder time putting her down. Besides,” he said, turning back to me, “I’m not one who turns others lightly.”
I had to agree. Jonathan’s refusal to turn the Cult was why Adrian had left him in the first place.
Nathan frowned, but didn’t otherwise argue. I could see he still thought turning her was our best bet, but like a good dog, he bowed to Jonathan’s wishes.
“Keira believes we’ll be led to where the Left Hand congregates. In the mad flight to escape, she’ll think of nothing other than to get back to those she trusts.”
I felt my face darken. “Keira, huh?”
Jonathan nodded, so lost in thought, he didn’t appear to notice my glower. “She’s the one who came up with the idea of releasing her. When given a chance, she can prove quite useful.” He leveled his gaze at me.
I shrugged it off. I guess he wasn’t as oblivious to my dislike of her as he appeared. “It is a good plan,” I said, begrudgingly. “If we can pull it off.”
“I think with the three of us following her, we’ll be fine.”
I shook my head. “I should go alone.”
“Kat . . .”
“If too many of us try to track her, she’ll surely notice. We’ll scare her off. I have a feeling if she even thinks someone is following her, she’ll step in front of a bus just to keep us from getting to the rest of her people.”
“She’s human,” Jonathan said. “She doesn’t have a wolf ’s nose, our senses. She won’t know we’re there.”
“But she does have years of paranoia and hatred for our kind,” I said. “Do you think they haven’t figured out how we move, how we think? Even if she buys the attack, she’ll still be cautious about being followed. Do you think, even for a second, she won’t be watching for that?”
Jonathan rubbed at his temples. “With three of us, she’ll have a hard time losing us.”
“She’ll also have an easier time spotting us.” I crossed my arms, standing firm. I knew what I was talking about. She wouldn’t risk taking others down with her; it wasn’t the Left Hand’s style. I might hate what the group stood for, but that didn’t mean I’d underestimate them ever again.
“She has a point,” Nathan said, surprising me. I figured he’d contradict me out of spite.
“I know she does,” Jonathan snapped. “I just don’t like the idea of letting Kat go alone.”
“I’ve done this sort of thing before.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“You were the one who said they’re just humans,” I said. “How dangerous could they really be? They aren’t going to be sneaking up on me this time; I’ll be the one sneaking up on them.”
Jonathan heaved a sigh and looked skyward. “Why can’t you work with me on this?”
“I am,” I said. “I just think it’s too risky to send too many people after her.”
“Then we compromise,” he said. “Two of us go. You and I will follow her.”
It was tempting, but I shook my head. I had a feeling that being left alone with Jonathan right then wouldn’t be conducive to me paying attention to what I was doing. We’d lose her for sure.
“I have to do this alone.”
“Goddamn it, Kat . . .” He trailed off as a brisk knock at the door was followed by Pablo’s entrance. He hadn’t even waited for Jonathan to answer.
“I’m sorry for the interruption, Denmaster,” he said with a slight bow of his head. “But I have an important message for you.”
“Can it wait?” Jonathan asked. He was clearly miffed by my stubbornness, but I wasn’t going to relent on this. I knew I could follow the woman unseen. If I had someone else with me, I couldn’t vouch for their silence or skill.
“I don’t believe so.”
Jonathan heaved another big sigh and stood. “I’ll be right back,” he said. “This isn’t over.”
He strode out of the room, full of purpose. As stubborn as I was being, Jonathan looked as if he was prepared to top me.
My gaze turned to Nathan and I found him staring at me. Neither of us spoke. We simply stared, studying each other. I kept hoping I’d see something in
his eyes that would tell me what was going on with him. I was afraid he’d started hunting humans again, killing innocents instead of taking what the Den provided—whatever that was. It was the only thing that made sense. Why else would he be so secretive?
Nathan appeared to be attempting to read me as well. I kept my face blank, not wanting to give anything away. I was sure he suspected I was on to something. I just didn’t want him to be sure of it. If he was insecure, he might make a mistake.
“You don’t give up easily,” he said with a grim smile.
I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but I smiled at him anyway. “Of course not. That’s what I do.”
“I’ve always enjoyed stubbornness,” he said, smile faltering.
“There is something endearing about it.”
I snorted, but never got a chance to reply. The door opened and a harried looking Jonathan returned. He strode across the room and whispered something into Nathan’s ear.
The big wolf paled and ran out of the room. I’d never seen him look that terrified in my life.
I stood, hands reflexively going to my weapons. “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” Jonathan said. He was running his hands incessantly through his hair. He looked white as a sheet. “We’ll stage the attack tomorrow. We’re running out of time.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “That doesn’t sound like nothing. What’s happening?”
Jonathan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He stood like that for a long moment before letting his breath out in a huff. He opened his eyes and looked at me.
“Go home,” he said. “Get some rest before tomorrow. Be back here just after first dark. We’ll get you set up to follow her. Keira and I will work on the details during the day. I’ll make sure you have everything you need before we start.”
“I’m going alone?”
He nodded.
“What’s changed?” I moved to stand in front of him. “Something has happened. I want to know what it is.”
“I . . . I can’t.” He shook his head and looked away. “It’s not my place.”