by Dannika Dark
“The higher authority fails you because there’s no one leader. Decisions are in the hands of the majority, and they don’t even have an equal number of representatives from each Breed to make those decisions fair and unbiased. It’s a fractious organization in need of an overhaul.”
“You’re speaking treason.”
“Outlining the flaws isn’t treason.” Lenore’s black eyes glittered with secrets. “You’ll have all the admiration you’ve always desired, without strings attached. This isn’t an offer; it’s a fact. Either you’ll rise to the top with me, or you’ll languish in fear and weakness. I now realize that money has never meant anything to you, but recognition has. Power has. When Viktor and I become a match, we’ll change this world, and those who stand with us will be a part of that change. Think about the possibilities. We can create new laws and banish old ones. And I ask nothing of you,” she said, her lips nearing his. “If you don’t want to accept my offer, I don’t hold that against you. I simply wanted to give you a choice. Either way, we’ll be working together. You can keep your heart, your soul, and your pride. You can even keep that unsightly beard. All I will ask of you is your loyalty and vision.”
His brows furrowed. “Vision?”
“The ability to see ahead. To see my vision unclouded. Falling for me all those years ago blinded you. Love is for amusement, but when it clouds your vision, it becomes an obstacle. This city betrayed me. The leaders at the time lied to me and tried to use me like a whore. You didn’t see that part.” She walked behind him and gripped the doorknob. “Decide which means more to you—catching a butterfly or catching a wave. The wave is coming, Christian. It’s an unstoppable force, and there will be a reckoning.”
Chapter 24
The cab driver dropped me off outside the gate, and it felt good to be home. The iron gates were twenty feet high and impossible to scale, and stone walls bordered our property. Because I didn’t have my card key, I pressed a button and Wyatt buzzed me in. The head of a Roman soldier glared solemnly at me as I walked beneath the archway. I flashed up the road until I reached the circular driveway in front. At night, Keystone was easy to miss from the main road. The candles in the hallways were spaced apart, offering just enough light to see but not to illuminate the inside of the mansion. Kira didn’t light up all the hallways, just the ones we frequented the most. When I reached the front door, someone had left it unlocked for me.
All homes have a unique smell, and though we lived in a castle, ours was no different. I sometimes caught a whiff of sautéed onions or the lingering goodness of baked bread from the nearby kitchen. But there was also an underlying aroma that I couldn’t put my finger on—a complex mixture of scents from the stone floors, the burning candles, and perhaps even the previous tenants. But to me it was the smell of home.
Wyatt was hanging out on the lower steps of the grand staircase. He raised his arm and poured a handful of Raisinets into his mouth.
I approached and rested my hand on the stone newel. “Anything good on TV tonight?”
Still chewing, he said, “I watched a fight that turned into an amateur sex movie.”
I gave him a lethal glare.
“Don’t worry, buttercup. It was too dark to see anything. I turned it off before I was scarred for life by Christian’s woody.”
“Woody?” I snorted. “What are you, nine? I thought men looked at each other all the time in bathrooms and locker rooms.”
He finished off the last of his candy and left the empty box on the stairs. “There’s a difference between hard candy and soft candy.”
“It’s all candy to me.”
“Well, someone needs to keep that candy wrapped.”
“Enough with the air quotes,” Blue said to Wyatt as she joined us from the dining hall. “You’re not even using them correctly.” She cast a critical gaze my way, and I noticed her bare feet. “Thought I might find you here. When I lost you in the subway, I went to see if Claude knew anything, but he had already left for work.”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “Something came up. Does anyone know where Viktor is?”
“Reviewing the video,” Wyatt answered. “Just the first half,” he added with a deliberate wink. “He wants everyone to sit tight and keep our phones on.”
“Everyone being you and Shepherd?”
Wyatt adjusted his loose beanie. “Claude’s here. When you didn’t show up at the club, he went looking, and then Viktor called him home.”
Viktor must have been preparing a raid. I needed to get up there and fill him in on the details.
“Hey, wait up. What happened to the other girl? Did they kill her?” Wyatt grilled me as he followed.
“This is private. Stay down here. I mean it, Spooky.” When I rounded the stairs and went up to the second floor, I raised my voice. “I’ll break into your vending machine and fill it up with kale chips!”
He groaned, and I no longer heard his footfalls. Wyatt responded well to threats, so we had to be creative. If there was one thing I had learned around Keystone, empty threats were unicorns. We delivered on our promises, and we had all been on the giving and receiving end.
When I reached the second floor, my boot kicked a red marble that went skittering across the floor. Hunter’s toys were land mines, and I kept waiting for Gem to become the first victim. I reached Wyatt’s office and found Viktor sitting in front of the computer, Shepherd hovering over the desk.
“What do you make of that?” Shepherd asked.
“I don’t see,” Viktor said.
“Let me rewind. There’s usually a basement button, but where do the other two below it go?”
When I cleared my throat, the two men turned to look at me. “I need to speak to Viktor. Alone.”
Viktor nodded at Shepherd, who obligingly left the room.
I sat down in another computer chair and rolled up to Viktor. “I didn’t know they would make me fight. I tried everything to get out of it, but they would have thrown me out and scrubbed my memories.”
“You did fine.” His grey eyes settled on mine. “Is the woman alive?”
“Yes. They don’t allow killing. Apparently that’s the only rule.” I flicked a nervous gaze at the frozen video, hoping like hell Wyatt had told the truth about not having recorded the sex part.
“There was no audio,” Viktor said, confirming my suspicions. “I will need the names and everything discussed.”
“Okay, but can I ask you something first?”
“You may ask.”
“Why did you send my father to give me the necklace? Why not Blue?”
Viktor scratched his ear. “Wyatt received the special order at the last minute, and we had no time to waste when he tracked your movements. I couldn’t risk someone recognizing one of us—especially Shepherd, who had been at the club. The man you were walking with knows Claude, and anyone Breed who might approach you would gain his suspicion.”
“So you put my father up to it?”
Viktor chuckled. “He kept calling to check on you, and then he shows up out of nowhere. This was a chance for him to see that you were fine. People never suspect humans to be involved in our affairs, so knowing a trusted human can be of great value.”
“He should have left it at the front desk of my hotel.”
“The plan was to give it to you on your way to the club, but Wyatt saw you heading a different way. Your father had a microphone in his ear, and Wyatt made him run to meet up with you.”
I didn’t bother correcting Viktor that people didn’t wear microphones in their ear. His English was very good, but it wasn’t unusual for him to choose the wrong word.
“Next time send Switch. Nobody knows who he is, and that way you won’t have to involve my father.”
“That is not his job,” Viktor informed me. “I cannot involve him when his primary purpose is to look after Shepherd’s child. If he involves himself in anything dangerous and men go looking for him, that puts Hunter in danger.”
“Sure, but you put my
dad in harm’s way.”
“Let’s not be dramatic. Blue would not have allowed any harm to come to your father.”
“I’m talking about the heart attack he almost had jogging around the city and then seeing me in this outfit.”
Viktor’s laugh was a deep chuckle trapped in his chest, one that always made you feel good since he could be such a serious guy. It vanished just as quickly as it came. “You are okay?”
I sat back against the leather. “Pablo Russo is the name of the short man in the auction house. I thought he was the one in charge, but that’s not the case. He’s the guy who makes sure things run smoothly and does all the work, but there’s a woman in charge.”
“A woman?”
“Yep. My necklace fell off while fighting, but I met her afterward. She said her clients like seeing women reach their full potential in the ring. They pay six figures. I wasn’t sure how they could afford that, but she said the business has multiple streams of income. Members pay to watch, betting is optional, and I have a feeling some pay extra to interfere.”
“In what way?”
“Did you see the drawer open up with the knife? There were other gaps in the walls, not just that one. I think maybe there’s something going on where they bid on weapons. And then there’s sensory exchange.”
Viktor’s grey eyebrows drew together, and two lines formed between them. “Was the other fighter not a Mage?”
“She was, but Audrey—the woman in charge—is a Sensor. Before I left, she took the emotional experience of the fight and was going to sell it to the highest bidder. Apparently that’s where they get a lot of their money from. It’s not a single experience, but she implants it.”
Viktor slammed his fist against the desk. A cup full of pens rattled, and a little green candy rolled across the surface and then tapped across the floor.
As I watched it roll, movement across the room caught my eye from the sectional.
Hunter shuffled toward us, his hair sticking out in all directions and his eyes half-closed. He dragged a small blanket behind him, his right arm clutching a teddy bear.
I grimaced and lowered my voice. “Sorry, Viktor. I didn’t know he was in here.”
Viktor rolled his chair back and turned to look at Hunter. “It is time for you to go to bed, little one. Do you know how to find your room?”
“It’s dark,” I said. “The halls are a little scary.”
Viktor scooped him up in his arms. Hunter yawned, and his head lazily fell on Viktor’s shoulder. His eyelids drew down like window shades as he fell into a deep slumber. He must have been an adorable toddler.
“Walk with me,” Viktor said quietly.
I fell into step beside him, walking on the opposite side from Hunter. “I need to talk to you about the fights. I know Wyatt has more than enough evidence, but something else is going on.”
“And what is that?”
“I don’t know for sure. The woman’s name is Audrey. She’s a Sensor with reddish-orange hair and a British accent. Does that ring any bells?”
“Nyet.”
“She seems to have a lot of connections. She made me another offer but wouldn’t tell me what it was for. I had to choose between accepting the job or doing something more exciting. I think that’s how she put it. Anyhow, I chose the second option. I think we need to see what else they’re offering. She wants me back on Friday.”
“We have more than enough evidence to move in. Wyatt has run a check on the building owner, and we have the little man’s face and name. That would be enough for us to locate the woman if she escapes.”
“I know these fights are illegal, but how much time do you really think they’ll do? The fighters are there of their own free will, they’re compensated, healed afterward, and we still don’t have evidence that anyone’s watching the fights. All I saw were windows. If we can’t prove that anyone was watching, were they committing a crime?”
Viktor stopped in his tracks. After muttering a few words in Russian, he said, “Then we must go deeper.”
Shepherd’s combat boots tromped loudly as he marched toward us like a man on a mission. His tattoos always stood out when he wore a white tank top. Not just the large phoenix on his right arm but also the compass with Hunter’s name. “Sorry. I forgot my kid.” Shepherd reached for Hunter and collected him in his arms. “Come on, little man. Time for bed.”
“Keep your phone on,” Viktor instructed him.
Shepherd looked between us. “Are we going in tonight? I need time to get my weapons together.”
“Nyet, but we have plans to make.”
“Gotcha. Just let me know whether those plans are to kill or capture.”
Shepherd turned away and headed down the hall. The Celtic knot on the back of his neck was partially obscured by Hunter’s dark hair.
Viktor drifted to a dim lantern affixed to the wall. “If you do not know what this other offer is, you could be in danger.”
“I’m willing to take the risk. If this goes bad, I’ll take the heat. What are your thoughts?”
“If you accept the risk, I think we should look into it.”
“I’ll make sure the necklace stays on this time. Maybe you can keep the van running outside and bust in once you have enough evidence.”
“I’ll have Wyatt locate blueprints of the building. If there have been any renovations done in secret, we will not have this. Not without time, and I do not know if Friday will be enough for Wyatt to research.”
“Then fire his ass. He needs a little motivation.” I wrapped the long duster in front of me. “I need this, Viktor. It’s my first solo assignment, and I want to do it right. The bodies we found don’t line up with what they’re saying about the fights. We don’t even know if that’s all the bodies. They might be recruiting from elsewhere. I want to know what happened to those girls. Do you think we have enough time to slap a plan together?”
Viktor pinched his silver beard, one arm folded across his middle. “We will be short one person. Christian cannot leave his current assignment. I will have Shepherd assess the risk. Wyatt will need to provide blueprints in a short time. We go prepared or not at all. Do you know which entrance they escort the patrons in?”
I shifted my weight to my right leg. “Pablo said they come in a different way, but he didn’t show me. He mentioned something about privacy.”
“Perhaps a tunnel,” Viktor murmured. “I want you to go back to the club and pretend nothing is wrong.”
“Why bother? We’re already in.”
“The man who secured this position for you may grow suspicious and report you to this Pablo. The other women did not quit their jobs. You must not do anything… What is the word I seek? A struggling Mage would not walk away from a good job after only one night, and you do not even know what the second offer is.”
“How do I get in touch with you? I don’t have my phone. Someone will need to tell me the plan.”
Viktor reached out and tugged on my necklace chain until the black pendant popped out of my bra. “I will have Blue bring you a shorter chain that is strong. This one slipped off your head too easily. Unacceptable. Do not worry about our plan. The less you know, the better. If they have a Vampire charm you, I do not want them knowing if and when we plan to strike. Or if she touches you. Do not let this woman touch you.”
“Got it.”
“Do not fight. Try to delay. Get a tour. Visit the facility. Use this necklace to give Wyatt as much information as possible. If they put you in a ring, we will come for you.”
I wondered if Viktor wanted to trap as many people as possible.
“I’ll do what I can,” I promised him. “Just don’t leave me hanging. I’ll fight to the death if I have to, but I don’t want to.”
A smile hovered on his lips. “And since when does Raven Black say no to death?”
“I draw the line at having an audience.”
Viktor and I turned to the sound of roller skates moving our way. Gem always made an
entrance with great panache. She flashed a playful grin, her wavy hair dancing in the air as she seemingly floated toward us.
“Raven! I thought that was your voice I heard.” She skidded to a halt and turned in a circle before gripping my shoulders as if she might fall. “What are you doing here? Is the mission over?”
“I had to talk to Viktor. Having fun without me?”
“Alas, I’ve been poring over a collection of books riddled with grammatical errors.”
In skates, Gem appeared a lot taller. But I was wearing boots, so she still had to look up at us.
“Am I intruding?” She blinked innocently at Viktor, and he replied to her in Russian.
Meanwhile, my brain was working out scenarios. “Viktor, I think we should have Gem come along.”
He shook his head. “That is not her job.”
“No, but it used to be. Christian’s on assignment, so we’re a man down. Gem is powerful and fast. If something happens and you’re locked out, Christian won’t be there to break down a door.”
Gem’s eyes widened when she realized I was talking about her ability as a Wielder. “Oh, Viktor, yes! I can help. What’s this for?”
Despite the curt look he threw me, Viktor was a smart man, albeit a cautious one. This wouldn’t be Gem’s first time going on a raid. “I will discuss with Shepherd, but right now I must find Wyatt so he can search for blueprints. We must not delay. Raven, go back to working at club. If your plans change, give Blue a message.”
Gem hooked her arm in mine as Viktor inclined his head and hastily made his exit. “I normally don’t like these outings, but Niko’s been giving me advice lately.”
“He’s good at that.” I strolled toward the stairs. “I heard my father came by.”
“I just adore him,” Gem said with a squeeze of my arm. “He loves you so much. What does unconditional love feel like?”
“A pain in the ass sometimes.” I chuckled softly. “He’s getting older, and I want him to relax and stop leaping into danger.”
“Maybe that’s how he feels about you. He worries.”
“Now I understand why immortals break contact with their family. My job puts him in danger, and he’s too stubborn to keep out of my business.”