by Deanna Chase
“Of course.” I glanced around at the deserted room. “As soon as he gets back from wherever he went, we’ll get you home.”
She sat up, fluttering her newly healed iridescent wings. “He already left. Said he had somewhere to be.”
He left? What the heck was so important he’d leave without even checking on me? We were in a vampire den, for God’s sake. Was he that angry? Had I pushed him away with my no-dating mantra? I suppressed a frustrated sigh. I’d only been trying to protect our friendship. Looks like I failed.
“It seemed important.” Maude patted my leg. “You’ll work it out.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I lied. Rolling my tense shoulders, I turned to my aunt. “But we do need to figure out what we’re going to do about Felton.” I paused. “Maude?”
“Yes?” She met my gaze with tired eyes.
“Why is he so obsessed with studying me?” What I really wanted to know was why she’d been so mean for three years, but now wasn’t the time to discuss my hurt feelings. In all likelihood the prolonged use of the tainted Influence was the main cause. “I mean, I’ve worked for the Arcane for the last two years. Why now?”
“Oh, honey. He’s always been obsessed with your abilities. It was my job to explore and exploit them to best further his cause.”
“Which is?”
She shook her head. “Eliminating vampires. Your ability to sense them is an odd, but useful, trait. As long as you were helping our agents track down their suspects, he was happy to leave it alone. But when he found out a vampire was interested in protecting you, he went a little crazy and started investigating our family history.”
“And he found out about my family line?”
She nodded gravely. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Who told him?”
“No one. He found top-secret records, I think. I’m not sure. After his discovery, he ordered me to take you in for extensive testing. And by then you’d already transformed David. He couldn’t stand the thought of any more daywalkers. If your friends hadn’t broken you out, I’m certain you would have been incarcerated for good.”
I sucked in a breath.
“Do you have any incriminating evidence we could use to bring charges against him?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I think I have some memos written in his hand, and I could be drug tested. The Arcane Influence leaves traces.”
“And modifies personalities?” I couldn’t help myself.
She frowned. “Yeah, but it was more than that. I was controlled for so long, eventually Felton’s evilness started to weave its way inside me.” Tears glistened in her stormy eyes. “I was lost.” She took my hand. “Thank you for freeing me.”
I choked out a laugh. “I was trying to free myself. But I’m glad you’re back. Mom is going to be ecstatic.”
“Me, too, sweetie. Me, too.”
I stood. “Okay, then let’s go so we can start the legal process. The longer Felton’s out there, the easier it will be for him to manipulate the situation.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Nathan said from behind me.
I reeled, finding him lounging in the open doorway, one foot hooked over the other. How long had he been there? It couldn’t have been long. I would have sensed him. I shifted to stand in front of Maude. This was the vamp who’d tortured her. I’d be damned if I let him near her again. “Get out of here.”
Nathan raised his eyebrows and his lips quirked up in amusement. “I live here.”
I glanced back at Maude. She was staring at him with hate pouring from her blazing eyes. Every muscle was tensed and she appeared ready to pounce. I had to get him out of there before she snapped.
“What do you want?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“Nothing. But you should know we have Felton locked up. He won’t be an issue.”
Realization dawned. “He was captured when they broke David out, wasn’t he?”
He nodded. “He won’t be a problem for you again.”
I stalked up to him. “I want to see him.”
“Why?”
“To find out…” Did Nathan know about all the details? I had no idea, but I wasn’t telling him. “I need to ask him some questions.”
“No one else knows. He only told Maude.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Knows what?”
“Your family history.”
My eyes went wide. Did everyone know? How was I going to keep this a secret when the entire vamp population was on to me? “Allcot told you then,” I stated in a flat tone.
“I’m part of Carrie’s security team. Only a handful of us know what’s going on.”
“Oh.” Well, wasn’t that peachy? “I’d still like a word with Felton. Take me to him.”
He leveled me with his neutral stare. “Sorry. Eadric’s ordered the prisoner isolated. You can request a formal visitation, but it probably won’t be granted.”
Shit. I glanced at Maude, now standing. I wasn’t sure if she wanted to back me up or bolt. The vamps had definitely tortured Felton, just as they had Maude. The thought made my stomach roll. Not that he didn’t deserve it. Felton would’ve done unspeakable things to me, and he’d kept Maude under the Influence for years. Still, I hated that the vamps had taken matters into their own hands as if we didn’t have a legal system in place.
Oh Lord. The legal system. This was New Orleans. On second thought, it was probably better if Allcot kept him in the dungeon. Or wherever they had the bastard chained up.
I stretched and winced, forgetting my wings needed time to heal. “Fine. Maude, let’s go.”
No one paid any attention to us as we left. Outside, I spotted Phoebe crushing a cigarette with the toe of her shoe. I swallowed the automatic admonishment poised on my tongue. It had been a bad week. Just as I approached her car, David appeared.
“Willow.” He stood behind me with his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets.
“What?” I demanded, so angry I could stake him right there. He’d known about Beau the entire time we’d been together. Listened to me talk about how awful it was to not know what happened to him. Knew how much it hurt. And he’d had the answers the entire time.
Asshole.
Everything had been a lie. He’d used me. Dated me after being assigned to me. Spent time in my bed. My skin crawled with the now-tainted memory. I couldn’t even look at him. “Go home, David. I don’t need your protection anymore.”
“Wait.” He glanced over at Phoebe, either not catching the venom in my voice or choosing to ignore it. “I’ll take her home.”
Phoebe met my gaze, her eyes raised and amusement tugging at her lips.
“No, you most certainly will not.” I scowled and pulled the car door open, glaring at David. “I’m not your property. Stop acting like you own me.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “I never thought you were.” He sighed. “Please, Willow, I have a few things to explain.”
I huffed. “I don’t want to hear it.” Though I was more than mildly curious how he planned to explain away a whole year of our lives, a sudden breakup, and secret orders to keep an eye on me.
My aunt leaned in and whispered, “It might be better to get this over with now, rather than later.”
I stared at her, my mouth open. Was she kidding?
She shrugged. “It’s been my experience vampires don’t give up easily. If you let him have his say and then tell him to stick a stake where the sun doesn’t shine, he might start to get the picture.” Smirking at David, she climbed into the front seat of Phoebe’s car.
David shifted to move in front of me, blocking Phoebe and Maude from my line of sight. Regret and something close to shame flashed through his tortured eyes. “Please, Willow. One car ride, and if you tell me to get lost, I will.”
“Wil?” Phoebe asked, poking her head around David’s frame.
I stared at my ex, anger coursing red-hot beneath my skin. But when I gazed up at him, a piece of me softened. And I hated myself for it. I
waved a hand at Phoebe. “Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”
“You’re sure?” She glanced up and down the street, eyeing the traffic jockeying for her spot. “We could wait.”
“And have that car block traffic for ten minutes?” I gestured to the red Mustang hovering behind us. “I don’t think so. Go on home. I’ll be right there.”
“If you say so.” A second later, the car squealed away from the curb, leaving a rubber trail on the road.
I turned to David. “Where’s your car?”
He started to say something, but my expression must have made him change his mind because he closed his mouth and started walking. “This way.”
I stayed a few steps behind him as I followed him down the block and around the corner to a small parking lot.
He pushed a button on his remote. A silver Mercedes beeped twice and then he opened the passenger door for me.
I wasn’t impressed. No amount of chivalry was going to salvage this fake relationship.
Once inside the car, David sat there, staring out the windshield, hands wringing the wheel.
“It’d help if you put the key in the ignition,” I said.
He clutched the wheel tighter. “It wasn’t a lie.”
“What wasn’t? That you happened to wander in my shop that day? Or that you were just a regular guy working the oil rigs? Or maybe that you weren’t close to your family and that’s why you never talked about them? Or was it that you were being transferred to Texas, and it was better we broke it off rather than have a long-distance relationship?” I sucked in a breath. “No, it’s none of those. Because clearly, those were all lies!”
He turned to me, his eyes swimming with regret. “I know I owe you an apology.”
“An apology? Do you think I could ever forgive the fact that our entire relationship was fabricated? That you knew the answers to my past but you hid them from me?”
Pain flickered over his features, then in one blink, he was stoic and controlled, exactly the way he always was. “I love you.” His voice came out strong and sure.
I jerked in my seat, ready to explode at the audacity of his statement, but he cut me off before I could get the words out.
“That was never a lie. The rest…Well, you know why I didn’t tell you the rest.” He shoved the key in the ignition. “I’m not asking forgiveness. I’m not asking anything. I only wanted you to be certain of that one thing.” He turned to meet my frozen gaze. “I never lied about loving you.”
Stunned, I sat there, speechless while he put the car in gear and finally took me home. I stayed silent the entire ride. I had nothing to say. What could I say? I’d loved him. More than I wanted to admit to myself. Even if he hadn’t turned vampire, his lies had canceled out everything we’d shared. Trust was everything, and he’d broken mine. Not to mention he’d turned into something I didn’t understand. Sadness slowly melted away the rage that had been feeding my resolve. When he came to a stop, he killed the ignition.
“David,” I said tentatively.
He watched me, waiting patiently.
“You bit Maude against her will, and who knows who else.” I gazed out the window, focusing on nothing. “I can’t…I mean, it’s not right.”
I could feel his eyes on me, and the silence stretched out in front of us. When I couldn’t stand it any longer, I turned to say goodbye, but he caught my hand, resignation lining his tired expression.
“That was Nathan. It’s his job to coerce cooperation from our enemies.” His voice was low, but not apologetic.
“And you just happened to be there? I saw the blood on your shirt.”
“What do you want me to say?” His controlled, emotionless mask slid back into place. “I was there. I didn’t stop it. We believed she was working for Asher. What did you expect us to do?”
“I don’t know. Maybe find some proof before you tortured innocent people,” I snapped.
He frowned. “Torture was the fastest way to get answers.”
I shook my head. “And you got nothing, right? Other than finding out Felton was the real director. And where’s he now? In another torture chamber?”
David closed his eyes, clearly not wanting to discuss this. But when he opened them, he met my determined gaze. “He’s been eliminated.”
Fear made my blood run cold. Goddess above. “He can’t be. Nathan said I could request a visitation.”
“Nathan has not been told of Felton’s fate. Father made the decision a short while ago.”
Of course he had. Felton had messed with Nicola. Son of a bitch! He should’ve stood trial. Every time the vamps took the law into their own hands, the rest of us lost a tiny bit more of our personal rights. Their disregard for all authority was so common it had become accepted, expected even. How long until the vampires had complete control of the city? They almost did now.
I stared at David as if really seeing him for the first time since he’d changed. He was vampire. A product of Allcot’s upbringing. We were polar opposites in every way. One life, one death. Physically and spiritually.
“This,” I said, waving a frustrated hand to indicate the two of us, “can’t happen. Besides the political landmines, I can’t stomach what happened tonight.” What you’ve become. I let out a hollow laugh, realizing I’d known the whole time whatever was between us had died the moment he’d turned vampire. The David I’d known had never been real.
“I know, Wil. I know.” He got out of the car and came around to open the door. He held out his hand. I hesitated out of habit. He hung his head. “I can’t change what’s happened. I respect your decision, but you should know, I’ll always be here, ready to stand by your side. I’ll always be your friend, whether you want me to be or not.”
My heart cracked a little, and I slid my hand into his large one. The coolness numbed my fingers, but I didn’t care. This was the last time I’d let him touch me. I was still pissed as hell, but vulnerability wasn’t something I’d seen in him before. All it did was make me sad.
I moved up the front walk, and our hands disconnected in slow motion. “Good night, David.”
“Good night.” He waited for me to get inside and then sped off into the night.
I leaned against the closed door, catching my breath. So many emotions in one day.
“Did you cut off his balls?” Phoebe asked from the living room couch, lying under a cream-colored throw. A cup of what I’d bet my last dollar was Chimney Bark sat on the end table next to her.
I smirked. “It’s over.”
“Good. Talisen’s waiting for you in the kitchen.”
The tension instantly drained from my shoulders. Then guilt and trepidation took over. What would he say? The temptation to hole up in my bedroom was strong, but I couldn’t put off talking to him. And right then, I needed my best friend. I started up the stairs and asked Phoebe, “Where’s Maude?”
“Resting in my room. I offered it to her for the night. Talisen said she might need some restorative fae thing later. He said he wanted to keep her close for a few days, then she’s going to go back to her place. But not before I search it for all evil-director paraphernalia or tampered edibles.”
I smiled. “That’s kind of you.”
She shrugged. “She’s your aunt.”
“Thanks, Phoebs.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s what I do.”
I grinned.
Nervous energy trickled its way through me as I slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor. What would Talisen do once he knew the truth about Beau? Would he go back home? The mystery was solved. There was really no need for him to stay. A hollow ache filled my chest. I didn’t want him to leave. Not yet.
I rounded the corner and stopped in the doorway, watching him scoop varying sizes of cookie-dough balls onto a baking sheet. Link was curled up close to his feet. I smiled, noting the batter covering the counter. “Looks like you could use a baking lesson,” I said, keeping my tone light.
He glanced down at the mess in front
of him, then grinned. “They’re definitely not Martha Stewart style, but wait until their chocolaty goodness is melting on your tongue.”
My mouth watered. And not from the thought of eating his cookies. His easy charm combined with the flour gracing the front of his jeans made me want to…I shook my head. Never mind. I’d basically just broken up with David for good, and here I was thinking about undressing Talisen. I took a seat at the table. “I can’t wait.”
Watching him work, I said, “I thought you had something important to do. You left The Red Door awfully fast.”
“I did.” He scooped another large mound of dough into his spoon. “University business. I had to meet one of the professors for the project we’re working on. I’d already canceled twice. One more time, and I’m pretty sure he’d have cut me loose.”
Yikes! This was his career, and the only reason he’d miss an appointment was because of me. “I’m sorry. I hope everything’s okay.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” A couple of minutes later, he popped the dough in the oven, set the timer, and rinsed his hands. He grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator and joined me.
I took a swig of the Turbo Dog he handed me. “I’m sorry about earlier. The way I bailed on our conversation and calling you to Allcot’s place. I know I put you in a tough position.”
His smile vanished. “Forget it. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Bad timing.” Reaching out, he grabbed my left hand, caressing my fingers. “But don’t think that conversation’s over.”
My heart did a flip-flop in my chest.
“And don’t worry about calling me to Allcot’s. The way I see it, I owe you an apology. I was still pissed you’d left, but after I saw your aunt…Well, you obviously had your priorities in order.”
“Tal, I—”
He held up his other hand. “Really. Let’s forget about it. Now, Phoebe says you have news.”
Right. I cleared my throat. “It’s about Beau.”
He stopped drinking mid-sip and slowly lowered his bottle. “I’m listening.”
I stared at our joined hands and took a deep breath. “I have something to tell you first.”
When he didn’t answer, I glanced up and met his patient eyes. He nodded.